Business Eye Sept Oct 2014

Issue 144 Sept/Oct 2014 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

BARCLAY BYTES...

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

THE FUTURE OF IT SUPPORT Features:

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Lambert Smith Hampton...

New Property Optimism

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

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Garth Maxwell...

Danske’s Private Banker

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Ulster Bank’s Kenton Hillman... Putting The Case For Indigenous Business

Ambitious for your business?

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To enquire about options for your next conference or event contact enquiries@titanicbelfast.com

Contents

titanicbelfast.com SEPT/OCT 2014 ISSUE 144

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Commercial Property Ready For Action In Rejuvenated Property Market

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Garth Maxwel... Danske’s Private Banker

Staying at Danske Bank, seasoned campaigner Garth Maxwell, a man with extensive experience throughout the retail banking network, has taken over the reins as Head of Private Banking....leading a strong team dedicated to looking after the ban’s high net worth customers.

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Cover Story Barclay Bytes... Comms Firm Goes Tech For Barclay Communications, it’s a natural progression to branch into the technology that powers today’s mobile communications. Barclay MD Britt Megahey talks to Business Eye about the importance of making technology simple and offering first-class tech support to the firm’s business customer base.

Nuala Foley... A Passion For People Nuala Foley might not like being described as a ‘people expert’, but this Belfast-based business consultant and expert in neuro linguistic programming works with private and public sector individuals and teams on a wide range of programmes and issues.

Ulster Bank’s Kenton Hillman says that his and other banks are stepping up to the mark on the lending front now that the economy has turned. But are businesses willing to take the plunge and invest in a better future?

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Paul Convery... It’s All About The Technology Just as BT has changed over the years as an organisation, BT’s people seem to have changed too. The days when BT managers talked about the price of calls have long gone. Today it’s all about the technology....and bundles!

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Business Leaders Forum

Some of the key business leaders from Northern Ireland’s agri food sector have their say on the future of the sector, and talk about what is required to help one of our key exporting sectors make even greater strides.

Adrian McDaid... Europa’s Kitchen King Adrian McDaid reckons he’s landed his dream job. An experienced chef with stints at La Mon House, the Roe Park Resort, Everglades in Derry and Belfast’s Stormont Hotel behind him, he’s taken the Head Chef’s role at Belfast’s iconic Europa Hotel.

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Agri Food Sector Northern Ireland’s Jewel In The Crown Continues To Shine In a special report, Business Eye takes an in-depth look at Northern Ireland’s all-important agri food sector, much vaunted by Government and its agencies and a sector which has continued to deliver the economic goods right through the recession and beyond.

Seafood Champions With seafood on more and more menus these days (as it should be given our island status), one local company is synonymous with bringing the best of seafood from local fishing ports to the tables at top local restaurants. We catch up with the Ewings of Belfast.

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UTV Business Eye Awards In Association With Flybe

The UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Flybe 2014 will be presented on Thursday, 23rd October, at the Culloden Estate & Spa. For the eighth year in succession, Northern Ireland’s very best business awards set out to recognise our highest-achieving companies and individuals.

Eye on Events

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Eye on Retail

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Young Business Personality

Eye on Law

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Eye on Banking

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Moving On

108

Eye on Technology

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Eye on Internet

84

Eye on Motoring

111

Eye on Marketing

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Eye on Fleet Awards

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

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Ulster Bank... Stepping Up To The Mark

Mobile Communications

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

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The Knowledge Economy Gap

Danske Bank Economist Angela McGowan argues that Northern Ireland needs to focus on how it can make capital from the knowledge economy.

It’s been a while since Lambert Smith Hampton’s top team in Belfast have been talking up the market around the firm’s May Street board room table. Through no fault of their own, property experts like Keith Shiells, Paddy Brennan, Donall McCann, Douglas Wheeler and Stuart Draffin have spent a few years operating below the radar ….but times have changed.

Regulars

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Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley Sales Manager Claire Dickson

Features & Promotions Manager Ciara Donnelly

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

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

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How a month or so can change things...

In our last edition, we returned to that well-worn topic of Northern Ireland’s corporation tax and ventured to suggest that the possibility of the devolution of tax powers was back on the agenda.

Comment “David Cameron’s hurried decision to throw out devolution sweeties to all of the natives around the UK puts a slightly different tint on things.

We might soon be able to set our own corporation tax rate, but the same will apply to Scotland and Wales... which takes a bit of the shine off the achievement.”

Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

Now that the canny Scots have voted to end the dreams (for now) of Alex Salmond and to remain (for now) in the Union, it looks pretty much inevitable that both Northern Ireland and Wales will be able to hang on to the coat tails of the Scots and grab a healthy extra slice of devolution.

But is this quite what we were all hoping for? We had visions, did we not, of Northern Ireland being able to have a lower rate of corporation tax than anywhere else in the UK, and being able to take on our next door neighbours in the Republic on a roughly level playing field.

David Cameron’s hurried decision to throw out devolution sweeties to all of the natives around the UK puts a slightly different tint on things. We might soon be able to set our own corporation tax rate, but the same will apply to Scotland and Wales... which takes a bit of the shine off the achievement.

That said, it will still be a bonus and it will still help the work of Invest Northern Ireland who have managed to secure an impressive stream of inward investment projects for Northern Ireland even under current tax arrangements.

Before any of this happens, mind you, we’re apparently facing yet another crisis up at Stormont, with the parties at loggerheads and certain grimfaced political leaders issuing suitably grim warnings about how the future is going to pan out.

Funny, isn’t it, how we don’t pay as much attention to these harbingers of doom as we used to? It’s a bit like Groundhog Day, after all.

One of the best pieces of news to emerge during September was the fact that Titanic Belfast had welcomed just over 100,000 visitors during August.

For the less mathematically astute, that works out at 3,225 people through the door every day.

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It’s a phenomenal statistic and one that doesn’t just reflect credit on Tim Husbands and his excellent team at Titanic. It’s also a testament to the work of the Tourist Board and Gerry Lennon and the Visit Belfast organisation.

Behind the total figure lay an interesting breakdown which shows that 3,000 or so visitors came from Germany and 2,000 or so each from Spain and Canada. More than 9,000 were Americans and the biggest proportions came, of course, from the Republic of Ireland and the rest of the UK. But here’s a thing. We wouldn’t have had those numbers, or the tourism numbers around the city in general, without the simple fact that we had a peaceful summer here in Northern Ireland.

The fact that we had tourists wandering around Belfast throughout the month of July said a lot for how far things had changed from previous summers.

It sets a challenge for the future. As we used to say – wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time?

Nowadays, it can be. But – and it’s a big ‘but’ – the positive input of our politicians would be more than helpful.

Finally, the top team at one of our leading commercial property consultancies speaks with optimism about their marketplace in this edition of Business Eye. That might not seem like much, but it’s a significant step forward in a sector which has been through the wars.... and then some.

Not only is commercial property selling, but it’s selling for higher prices than had been expected.

The same can be said, according to the local media, about the residential property sector. The Belfast Telegraph recently quoted the case of a couple of high-end homes which had achieved more than double their asking prices.

Good news for most of us... but does anyone agree that it’s just a little alarming? Haven’t we been here before?

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Eye on News

CRAIGAVON IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS

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oy Park and Almac led a delegation of Craigavon businesses to Parliament Buildings, Stormont to brief MLAs and stakeholders on the positive contribution which the Craigavon business community is making to the NI economy. At the business showcasing event in the Long Gallery, which was

organised by Craigavon Borough Council as part of its ‘Craigavon Means Business’ programme, are, l-r, the Mayor of Craigavon, Councillor Colin McCusker; Doug Cookson, VP Corporate Marketing, Almac; Olga Murtagh, Director of Development, Craigavon Borough Council and Brian Johnston, Factory Manager, Moy Park.

DEEPAK CHOPRA TO HEADLINE AT DUBLIN’S PENDULUM SUMMIT The hugely successful Pendulum Summit returns to The Convention Centre, Dublin on the 9th of January 2015.

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rganisers announced the world’s leading authority in the business, leadership and mindfulness sphere, Dr. Deepak Chopra MD as the keynote for next year’s one day summit of inspirational business and leadership that will unlock your potential for greatness.

Deepak will be joined by a diverse range of worldrenowned international and home-grown speakers who have reached the pinnacle of their industry. Through a series of interactive presentations and discussions, the speakers will demonstrate how they used hard work, innovation, reinvention, inspiration, and motivation to overcome adversity and maintain a successful, balanced life.

Frankie Sheahan, Founder and Event Director summarised last year’s Pendulum Summit in 3 words “Exhilarating, Motivating, Liberating!” He went on to say that 90% of the attendees were senior leaders in their field. In addition to the empowering aspect of this event, the networking opportunities were second to none. The hybrid between hard nose business and

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personal development makes the event industry inclusive.

Sheahan warned, “If you believe you have heard it all and cannot improve, then this is not for you!

Attendees are a colourful mix of CEO’s, business influencers, senior managers and visionaries who have an insatiable appetite to constantly improve and meet like-minded, ambitious people. Whilst others attend for personal development or simply to earn CPD points. It is also an opportunity to entertain clients as they witness a unique emotional wave of inspiration. “ Pendulum 2014 saw, Canadian Astronaut, Chris Hadfield shower the audience with inspiration among other noteworthy speakers such as renowned motivational speaker Dr. Frank Dick OBE; leading authority on personal development Jack Black; Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine Simon Coveney TD, and Guest MC, Miriam O’Callaghan.

The speakers for 2015 will be experts in business, leadership, technology and organisational development and are invited to delve into the area of psychology to demonstrate the mind-set

Dublin-bound....Dr. Deepak Chopra.

behind their achievements. It is an ideal platform to focus priorities and set individual and company goals. January is the perfect time for such an inspirational event as people begin the New Year full of aspirational goals. One senior learning and development delegate commented that “The Pendulum Summit is not for people who want an easy life; it is for people who want an exceptional life”. On a personal note Sheahan added “That day I felt alive, I felt a connection to all 600+ people in the room and there was an emotional wave of oneness that I have never experienced among a business community. The delegates went about their

business highly motivated at the beginning of the year, hungry for business, job creation, a positive work life balance and a conscious work force.”

The Pendulum Summit was born from the premise that everyone from the successful business person to the aspiring academic strives for something more, and in essence tries to piece together those magic ingredients which will allow them to maximise their potential in all aspects of their lives, whilst maintaining a positively balanced life.

Tickets go on sale on Noon Thursday 18th of September. Preregister for Early Bird Tickets now on www.pendulumsummit.com

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Eye on News

H3 INVEST IN ULSTER RUGBY Ulster Rugby has announced a sponsorship deal with H3, Northern Ireland’s first local provider of private health insurance and part of the 3fivetwo Group, for their Premium Lounge at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

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he new H3 Lounge will play host to 452 season ticket holders and their VIP guests who can now also enjoy access to complimentary H3 WIFI with entry into exclusive online competitions as well as corporate dining and private bar facilities, whilst watching

the latest action on the pitch.

“We are delighted that H3 Health Insurance has become the first sponsor of our Premium Lounge, which will now be called The H3 Lounge” said Phillip Polack, Business Development Manager at Ulster Rugby. “It’s a great facility which is all just part of the Ulster Rugby success story as we kick off the new season. H3 Lounge season tickets are sold out for the second year in succession and there is an extensive waiting list for the 2015/16 season.”

Gavin Higgins, Director at H3 Health Insurance, said they were delighted to forge closer links by becoming an official partner with Ulster Rugby through the new H3 Lounge.

“We are huge fans of our rugby heroes and we saw this as a great opportunity to support local sporting excellence while putting

across the message that health insurance can give everyone, from athletes to businesses and families to young children, immediate access to local medical expertise.

“Based in Belfast, H3 Health Insurance is a local company and the only UK health insurance provider to offer instant access to treatment through our Private Casualty cover with Kingsbridge Private Hospital. We also hope to use the facility to host a series of seminars and business meetings throughout the year for our clients and brokers alike,” said Gavin.

H3 has a wide range of health insurance products tailored to meet the needs of local people, help employers reduce and manage sickness absence, and avoid unnecessary waits to get access to medical treatment. For further information on how you can get cover go to www.h3insurance.com

Jim Livingstone from H3 with Ulster forwards Franco van der Merwe, Dan Tuohy and Robbie Diack.

The best…

…year on year on year!

Ivory & Pearl I

vory & Pearl, one of Irelands most unique Bridal Boutiques, has won a national award as “Best Bridal Retailer” in Ireland. Ivory and Pearl were given the accolade, at an awards ceremony in Harrogate by Bridal Buyer.

Kate Speers, owner of Ivory & Pearl,

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stated that “we are delighted to have won such a prestigious award and it is a great recognition of the continued success of our boutique.” Ivory & Pearl is based in the Georgian House in Comber and stocks the most exclusive and unique bridal gowns in Ireland.

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Eye on News

LLOYDS FOUNDATION...

MAKING A DIFFERENCE The Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland has distributed grants of more than £1.6m to help the work of more than 500 organisations that improve the lives of disadvantaged people.

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espite hard times with budget cuts across every sector, the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland is continuing its vital role in funding a range of organisations.

Representatives from many of these groups visited Parliament Buildings at Stormont on September 16 for a special awareness event to recognise and celebrate their work.

Through its eight grant programmes in 2013 the Foundation released funding of £1.635 million to 527 charities and community and voluntary groups from every corner of Northern Ireland.

Sandara Kelso-Robb, Executive Director of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland, paid tribute to the incredible work carried out by all of the community-based organisations.

“The well-publicised cuts in public sector spending mean that our work is more important than ever. Through these grants programmes we provide significant support for the most vulnerable in society making a huge difference in communities throughout Northern Ireland. It is a privilege to work with many

thousands of people in a large number of organisations who are at the forefront of delivering positive change,” she said.

She was speaking at a special reception in the Long Gallery in Parliament Buildings where MLAs and members of the Foundation and Lloyds Banking Group joined representatives from groups across Northern Ireland to recognise and celebrate their achievements.

The event was sponsored for the fourth year running by the Department for Social Development. Minister for Social Development, Nelson McCausland, said: “I would like to congratulate the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland for another year of outstanding support to grassroots charities across Northern Ireland.

“These charities champion some of the most worthy causes in our society and through the funding they receive from the Foundation they provide essential support to some of the most deprived in our communities. I am pleased to give my continued support to the Foundation and it is my hope that they continue their

EUROPA’S FINEST TAKE A BOW...

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ir William Hastings is joined on the Europa Hotel staircase by Martin Mulholland, Alan Williamson and Paddy McAnerney who are amongst 15 employees of the iconic hotel to have clocked up 291 years of employment between them.

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The Chairman of Northern Ireland’s leading hotel collection, hosted an event at the Europa to celebrate the long service of the employees and thanked them for their hard work and dedication over the years which has helped position it as Northern Ireland’s most famous hotel....bar none!

William Humphrey MLA, Assembly Private Secretary for the Department of Social Development; Mandy Frew of Ballymena Food Bank and Jim McCooe, the Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for Northern Ireland; (back left to right): Graham Lindsay,Lloyds Banking Group Director of Responsible Business and Community Affairs; Sandara Kelso-Robb, Executive Director of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland; six-year-old Matthew Wylie from Aghalee Taekwondo Club; Nathan Dunne from Cairn Lodge Amateur Boxing Club and Tony Reynolds, Chairman of Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland.

sterling work for the benefit of charitable organisations in Northern Ireland.”

Since it was formed in 1985, the formerly named Lloyds TSB Foundation for Northern Ireland has contributed more than £30 million to a vast range of projects aimed at supporting those who are disadvantaged or disabled within our communities.

It has recently changed to an online application process, which is much more accessible and environmentally friendly.

The Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland, which is independent from the Banking Group, now runs six different programmes: the Community Grants Programme, the Partnership Programme; The Special Initiatives Programme;

Collaborative Programme, the Social Enterprise Programme and Matched Giving Programme.

Mrs Kelso-Robb added: “We have further developed the grant programmes in the past couple of years as we feel this is the most effective and appropriate way to help meet the needs of different groups in Northern Ireland.”

The Lloyds Banking Group Ambassador for Northern Ireland, Mr Jim McCooe said: “We are truly inspired by the groups that the Foundation has supported this year. We are proud of our relationship with the Foundation and look forward to many more years of working with them to support charities across Northern Ireland.”

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Eye on News

100,150 Visitors To Titanic Belfast In August More than 100,000 visitors experienced Titanic Belfast in the month of August – representing a 5% increase on the same month for 2013.

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he actual figure of 100,150 visitors to Titanic Belfast’s galleries last month does not include the attraction’s weekly Afternoon Tea offering, delegates attending events, or the hugely popular Color Run event on August 23, which saw more than 5,000 enthusiasts participate.

In August, more than 37,000 visitors to Titanic Belfast came from the Republic of Ireland and more than 15,000 travelled from England. The biggest numbers of tourists from outside Great Britain and Ireland, who experienced Titanic Belfast’s nine-gallery interactive exhibition, hailed from USA (9,157), Germany (3,030), Australia (2,255), Spain (2,213) and Canada (1,913).

A recent independent survey commissioned by the Northern Ireland Tourist Board found that 94% of people visiting Belfast had included Titanic Belfast in their holiday plans before leaving home while 98% said they would recommend a visit to Titanic Belfast to friends and family.

Reflecting on a successful highseason period, Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands MBE, said: “Two years after opening, Titanic Belfast continues to attract tourists from all over the world. We had a unique opening during the Centenary of Titanic’s maiden voyage, and it’s great that people consider Titanic Belfast as an essential part of their visit to the city of Belfast.

“Our world-host trained visitor experience staff warmly

welcomed an average of 3,230 visitors every day in August, guiding them through the exhibition and ensuring they enjoyed Titanic Belfast’s five-star experience.”

Of the impressive 100,150 August visitors, 24% made purchases in the Titanic Store – the most expensive item being a £198.99 Statemans Fountain Pen.

Titanic Belfast’s new Discovery Tour - a guided tour of the building and the historic Drawing Offices -designed and developed by the visitor attraction’s staff, welcomed 5,216 guests in August, representing a 109% increase.

Also in August, 13 events, including the first Titanic Tattoo Convention, were hosted in Titanic Belfast’s opulent suites.

RSM McClure Watters Acquires Economic Development Consultancy Leading research and consulting firm RSM McClure Watters Consulting Ltd has announced the acquisition of a highly respected Cambridge-based economic consultancy.

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ACEC is a strong brand within the public sector consulting market across the UK, with core services which include economic development and regeneration strategies, economic modelling and impact assessment, feasibility studies and the evaluation of policies and initiatives. The team has expert knowledge in the fields of higher education, the economy, skills, regeneration and area planning.

PACEC works in collaboration with the Centre for Business Research at Cambridge University and the Judge Business School also at the same university.

This move by RSM McClure

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Watters comes at a time when the number of mergers and acquisitions taking place in Northern Ireland is on the increase. This is the latest in a series of important investment decisions which confirm that business confidence is gradually returning to pre-recession levels.

David Watters, Managing Partner, RSM McClure Watters, said: “We are delighted to have acquired PACEC in a decision which strengthens our experience in a number of key areas, most notably education, local government, regeneration and economic development.”

Jenny Irwin, Managing Director for RSM McClure Watters Consulting

Ltd added: “We felt that now was the right time to augment our presence within the GB market and we wanted to do this with an organisation which came with a significant reputation for delivering high quality work. PACEC had the breadth of expertise we were looking for. Recently we have expanded into southern Ireland with our economic development and social economic analysis and we now look forward to taking on more specialist work in the UK and Ireland.”

Rod Spires, Director, PACEC, said: “We are delighted to be part of the RSM McClure Watters team. The consultants in both organisations are like minded and focused on delivering the best for our clients.

We have no doubt that the skills and capabilities we can bring to the table will complement the offering already available from this company.”

(L-R) David Watters, Managing Partner, RSM McClure Watters, and Jenny Irwin, Managing Director, RSM McClure Watters Consulting Ltd, with Rod Spires, Director, PACEC.

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Eye on News

SISAF EXPANDS NI OPERATIONS SiSaf Ltd, an innovative Northern Irish bio-tech company, has revealed that it is broadening the portfolio of its drug delivery platform, SiSafe, through an ambitious expansion into the veterinary and animal health sector.

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EO Dr Suzanne Saffie-Siebert has announced the appointment of two senior scientists to the company who will focus on the veterinary and animal health sector.

She said; “I am pleased to announce that we have appointed Dr Michael Welsh as Chief Scientific Officer and Simon Doherty as Director, Operations & Business Development. Until recently, we have largely focused our Research & Development programme on human applications, particularly in the delivery of beneficial compounds to the skin. However, we recognize the scope for our technology within the animal health sector and are excited about broadening our R&D portfolio to explore the veterinary market. The appointment of two

leading animal health experts will ensure we realise the opportunities for the technology within this sector.”

SiSaf Ltd moved to Northern Ireland in 2008 and since then, the company has achieved a number of significant milestones. A joint-venture partnership, which develops novel local anaesthetic products for the medical market, was spun out in 2011. SiSaf quickly caught the attention of global investors, from Belfast and London, to San Jose in the heart of Silicon Valley. The company has benefitted from investment to support successful clinical trials and advancement of the technology into new sectors. SiSaf is currently planning a significant private equity funding round in early 2015 to further support growth and development plans.

Newly appointed Chief Scientific Officer, Dr Michael Welsh, previously led a world-class team of scientists at AgriFood & Biosciences Institute (AFBI) in Belfast. A doctorate of Queen’s University Belfast, Michael has an impressive CV with over 20 years in the research environment, spanning immunology, virology, bacteriology, diagnostic test development and vaccine design.

Simon Doherty who has been appointed as Director, Operations and Business Development is a graduate of the University of Glasgow

Veterinary School and established Veterinary Northern Ireland (VetNI) in 2005. Simon also worked at AFBI as a Veterinary Research Officer, managing the Ruminant Virology Unit and the Fish Diseases Unit. He is currently the Junior Vice-President of the North of Ireland Veterinary Association (NIVA).

Michael and Simon are both Honorary Lecturers at QUB and will continue to develop their strong networks of scientific collaborators from SiSaf’s base at the Northern Ireland Science Park in the Titanic Quarter, Belfast.

Autoline Innovation Goes Global

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ichael Blaney, Managing Director Autoline Insurance Group signposts the way from Northern Ireland to Thailand as Autoline’s Operations Director, Julie Gibbons greets Pitiphong Chaochaikhong, Vice President, Personal Lines Business Unit, and Bundid Sujirapinyokul , Assistant Vice President, Business Improvement

028 9027 9540 Untitled-1 1

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Department who were part of a four man delegation from Bangkok Insurance to visit the Northern Ireland Insurance Broker. The delegation were over to find out more about Autoline’s advances in telematics following the Newry based company’s success in picking up the Innovation Award at the recent UK Broker Awards in London.

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Eye on Events

FIVE ABOARD FOR LEGAL CAREERS

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elfast law firm Tughans has welcomed five trainee solicitors to their staff bringing the total number of employees to 130.

Law graduates Clare Heaney, Luke Thompson, Amanda Byrnes, Ellen Forrester and Nichola Coghlan will now embark on a comprehensive two year external and internal training programme which will embrace

every practice area from commercial litigation to corporate law.

John Mills, Senior Partner, Tughans said, “Tughans has expanded every year since we opened our doors in 1896, but this is the largest group we have appointed to date. Our recruitment focus is very deliberately focused on junior level, as we want to grow and our new recruits’ skills in step with the firm.”

TOP HONOUR FOR WRIGHTBUS FOUNDER

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r William Wright CBE, founder of global market leader in bus manufacturing, Wrightbus, has today been announced as the 2014 Innovation Founder, an award celebrating the achievements of some of Northern Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs.

The accolade, part of the Northern Ireland Science Park Connect

INVENT2014 Awards, recognises distinction in founding, leading or building an eminent local technology or life sciences business.

Ballymena-based Wrightbus, renowned for bringing the “Boris Bus” to London, employs almost 2,000 people and exports to international markets, including Singapore and Hong Kong.

Eye on Events

GIRLS’ NIGHT IN

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ancer Focus Northern Ireland is calling on women in businesses across Belfast to host a Girls’ Night In during October to raise awareness of breast cancer and for locally-based research into the disease.

The charity is funding a research team at Queen’s University Belfast, led by Dr Kienan Savage, that recently made a major breakthrough that could mean new treatments for women at high risk of breast or ovarian cancer.

Suzi McIlwain, Community Fundraising Manager, said: “The research we’re funding has the potential to make an enormous difference to the lives of many women - but we can’t do it without you.

“This year we’ve set a target of £40,000 to help pay for the next important stage of this research - clinical trials. “ If you’d like to help, visit www.cancerfocusni.org, call the Cancer Focus NI fundraising team on 028 9066 3281or email fundraising@cancerfocusni.org.

LADIES WHO LUNCH...

B

ank of Ireland (UK) and BDO (Northern Ireland) have teamed up to launch the Annual Ladies Business Lunch for Action Cancer at the Merchant Hotel on 23rd October 2014.

This year’s focus is on Arts & Creativity in Business with over 150 business women networking and raising funds and awareness for Action Cancer’s unique breast screening service, as

part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Action Cancer will deliver an additional 125 screenings and offer almost 150 counselling sessions to women and family members affected by a Cancer diagnosis.

Pictured are Maria McAllister Bank of Ireland (UK) Nisha Tandon OBE (ArtsEkta) Laura Jackson BDO (NI) and Leesa Harker, Creator of Maggie Muff Trilogy

Apprentice winner Dr. Leah Totten... supporting the Cancer Focus NI Girls Night In fundraising drive.

NEW OFFICE FOR OASIS TRAVEL

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ne of our leading travel agency groups continiued to confound the theory that High Street travel agents are a dying breed. Oasis Travel has opened its fifth office on Belfast’s Lisburn Road.

Lord Mayor, Cllr Nichola Mallon, was guest of honour at the official opening recently of the newest branch of Oasis Travelm which joins existing outlets at Howard Street in the city centre as well as Lisburn, Bangor and Holywood.

She is pictured with Oasis Travel Managing Director Sandra Corkin.

Amy McCordick

BDO LINKS UP WITH HOSPICE

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ocal accountancy and professional service firm, BDO Northern Ireland, have launched their Charity of the Year initiative with NI Children’s Hospice.

Pictured are Michael Jennings, BDO Partner. Ellen Hillen, Corporate Fundraising Manager at NI Children’s Hospice and Carol Malcolmson, BDO Partner.

"This kitchen roll is such good value." facebook.com/lidlni

#LoveLidlni

£1.89 Floralys Kitchen Towels 4 Pack

Lidl Surprises.

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Eye on Banking

THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY....

WE’VE GOT WORK TO DO

By Angela McGowan, Danske Bank Chief Economist

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nowledge-based economies are synonymous with high levels of economic growth and job creation. Thus, by focusing on the appropriate steps towards becoming a knowledge driven economy, Northern Ireland’s overall attractiveness as a place to live and work in the 21st century will substantially improve.

But what do we mean by ‘knowledge economy’? My preferred description is taken from Charles Leadbeater, who described it as follows: “The idea of the knowledge driven economy is not just a description of high tech industries. It describes a set of new sources of competitive advantage which can apply to all sectors, all companies and all regions, from agriculture and retailing to software and biotechnology.”

Measuring the knowledge economy Back in 2001, the former Northern Ireland Economic Council (NIEC) published a report entitled: “The Knowledge Economy Indicators for Northern Ireland”.

That report explained that an economy’s ability to “generate, distribute and exploit knowledge is increasingly becoming the fundamental determinant of competitive advantage for

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individuals, firms, regions and nations.” The Economic Council sought to establish whether or not the background conditions in Northern Ireland were conducive to competing as a knowledgedriven economy. Although some conditions were found to be relatively favourable back in 2001 (in terms of a flexible and robust labour market and good universities), there were also some prominent weaknesses such as investment in training, ICT, R&D, innovation, patents per head, university research funded by business, new firm creation and venture capital.

Northern Ireland’s recent performance A decade later the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) took up the mantle of measuring and promoting the knowledge economy in Northern Ireland. The first NISP knowledge economy report showed that relative to the rest of the UK or Europe, Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy base was still stunted – coming last out of the 12 UK regions for the majority of indicators measured.

For example, employment in the knowledge economy in Northern Ireland lagged behind other UK regions as did many other indicators such as patents per head, R&D levels and enterprise levels.

The NISP’s ‘Knowledge Economy Index’ is now published on a regular basis and in the Science Park’s latest annual report it was noted that Northern Ireland had made some progress on a number of the indicators. For example, employment growth in knowledge sectors grew by 6.2% between 2009 and 2011. We are catching up but a lot more progress is needed when it comes to Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy base. Thus pushing policy interventions and constantly benchmarking ourselves relative to other regions is essential.

Policy intervention Of course there is knowing where we stand relative to other regions and then there is the challenge of actually doing something about it.

In recent years, local policy makers have been much more aware of policy levers that promote the development of a knowledgedriven economy and indeed the current Northern Ireland Economic Strategy includes numerous measures designed to push progress in this area.

In addition, NI’s new Innovation

Strategy aims to expand on those commitments with a vision that by 2015 Northern Ireland will be recognised as one of the UK’s leading high-growth, knowledge-based regions.

Progress takes time but benchmarking and reporting on interim targets is so important.

Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy base has really come a long way since that first knowledge economy report back in 2001 - we only have to look at some of the local success stories in terms of university spin out companies and new enterprises based at the NI Science Park.

But much work still needs to be done. Northern Ireland can do much more than simply play catch-up when it comes to our economic performance - with focus and commitment from all key players in the economy we have the potential to become one of Europe’s leading knowledge economies.

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www.belfastcity.gov.uk/connectionvouchers

Eye on Property

LET’S GET TO WORK...

LSH TEAM READY FOR REJUVENATED PROPERTY MARKET It’s been a while since Lambert Smith Hampton’s top team in Belfast have been talking up the market around the firm’s May Street board room table.

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hrough no fault of their own, property experts like Keith Shiells, Paddy Brennan, Donall McCann, Douglas Wheeler and Stuart Draffin have spent a few years operating below the radar while the commercial property market lurched its way through the financial crisis and resulting recession.

The fact that it’s back, and that LSH’s Team feels comfortable enough to talk about it, speaks volumes for the Northern Ireland economy as a whole.

“It’s been an interesting year,” says Keith Shiells, talking with typical understatement about the past 12 months or so. “New brand, new name....same people, but people who are very positive about the business and the marketplace as a whole.”

After a number of years as BTW Shiells, the Belfast property firm was re-acquired by London giants Lambert Smith Hampton during the summer.

“It gives us a distinct edge,” adds Shiells. “We are a Belfast-based firm with a UK-wide presence and 28 offices as well as 1,000 people throughout Britain and Ireland. It’s a fact that the

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big institutions who dominate the marketplace here and elsewhere are more comfortable dealing with the big property consultancies.

“Lambert Smith Hampton was voted No. 3 Office Agent and No. 2 Industrial Agent in the UK in the highly regarded Estates Gazette (EGi) most Active Agents in 2013.

Recognising the more corporate environment LSH in Belfast has made a number of new appointments with Claire Johnston, Director of Finance, Patricia Dorrity, Head of Property Management, Criona Collins, Head of Retail and John Adgey, Head of Professional Services, all joining the Senior Management Team.

Keith Shiells and his team of directors are clearly comfortable back working with a Lambert Smith Hampton organisation led by Chief Executive Ezra Nahome, a highly respected figure in the national commercial property industry.

“He’s a man for whom we all have a lot of respect,” says Paddy Brennan, LSH Belfast’s Commercial Property Director and a man who

has worked closely with Nahome in a number of roles over the years.

The Belfast-based Lambert Smith Hampton team will look after the firm’s interests on the island of Ireland as a whole, not just in Northern Ireland.

“That’s new for us,” says Keith Shiells.

“We didn’t have that exposure to the Republic of Ireland market before but we’re happy to be extending our scope... particularly to a Dublin market that is buzzing at the moment.”

The LSH Belfast team of directors all reckon that the market isn’t just moving in the right direction. It could be more than that. “There is a definite sentiment that the market is on an upward trajectory after a few years of relative inactivity,” says Donall McCann. “2013 saw a return of investor confidence with investment transactions for the year totalling around £175 million.

“We’ve spent the last number of years building relationships with investors from across the UK and Ireland, promoting Northern Ireland as an investment market ripe with opportunity. We expect further investment market activity in 2015 with demand from a range of investors, including private individuals, local property companies, institutions and capital management firms.

“This year has also seen performing and non-performing loan sales come to prominence with demand dominated

by US-based private equity and investment management firms which underlines growing confidence in the market here. And existing owners may not have an opportunity to refinance their assets depending on price and the appetite of the new debt holder.”

Paddy Brennan cautions that these big American investors won’t be rushing to cash in on their new investment portfolios. “I think there’s no doubt that we’ll see a pause before they liquidate, a pause that will give them time to get to know their assets. There might be some quick deals, but it looks less likely.”

But, even outside of the big debt sales, commercial property in Belfast is moving. LSH recently handled the purchase of Victoria House at £8.6 million on behalf of F&C Reit Asset Management. Project Swallowtail involving the sale of 3 N.I. Shopping Centres resulted in Abbeycentre being sold to New River Retail and Forestside and Foyleside being acquired by local property group, AFG with Kildare Partners.

Still to come over the coming months are the sell-offs of Project Achill and Project Aran, the latest two blocs

Eye on Property

Front Row L-R – Stuart Draffin, Patricia Dorrity, Claire Johnston, Keith Shiells, Criona Collins, Paddy Brennan Back Row L-R – John Adgey, Douglas Wheeler, Donall McCann, Paul Gamble

of performing and non-performing debts being sold off by Ulster Bank.

Meanwhile, the New York-based Marathon Asset Management has also been active here, snapping up the Obel Tower in the centre of Belfast along with Cityside Retail Park and Shane Retail Park in the south of the city.

“So there is a big swathe of money coming into the market here,” adds Paddy Brennan. “These investors are looking for yield. They’re professionals, they know what they’re looking for, and the signs are good that they’re choosing to invest here. It’s particularly good to see US institutional money coming to our shores.”

“There has been huge interest,” adds Stuart Draffin. “and that’s very encouraging for the property sector as a whole.

“And, in terms of land sales and general agency deals, we’ve been more active in the past four months than we were in the previous 18 months,” Draffin adds.

“The banks, particularly the likes of Bank of Ireland, First Trust, Danske and Barclays, are lending money once again and the residential development sector has suddenly woken up too. So the signs all round are very good.”

On that front, there are already

incidences of land in particular hitting higher prices than anticipated. The former Belvoir Park Hospital, on the market for £3 million, sold for £4.5 million while the former Britvic factory site on Belfast’s Castlereagh Road reached £3.6 million from an asking price of £1.75 million. LSH were involved in both transactions.

“Deals like those definitely tell a very clear story,” says Douglas Wheeler.

“And our view is that there will be a lot more like that coming through as more property goes on the market.

“What’s important to note here is that this is local money we’re talking about.... not investment funds coming in from GB or America. And we’re starting to see people coming back into the market who haven’t been active for some time, in addition to new entrants to the marketplace. Both the experienced developers and new entrants are actively looking for opportunities.”

The Belfast office market, on the other hand, continues to suffer from a serious lack of supply of Grade A office space.

“I’ve never seen demand at this level,” says Wheeler. “In the past 9 months we have transacted some 200,000 Sq.Ft. of office accommodation. Inward investment projects have swallowed up

a lot of the available Grade A space and rents have been on an upward track as a result. The space that we had available in the city has been snapped up, and it’s hard to see where more is coming from.”

Patricia Dorrity, Head of Property Management says “The new generation of institutional investors coming into the Northern Ireland space will need professional property management agents on the ground, and that’s where we come in. For example, Shopping Centre Management is no longer about just collecting rent and maintaining buildings. It’s about marketing, consumer research and tenant liaison. Landlords working in partnership with retailers to maximise footfall and sales turnover”.

Criona Collins, Head of Retail Leasing, is quick to spotlight the ever increasing rise of Victoria Square, which LSH manages on behalf of its owners. But Collins stresses that other centres, notably Belfast’s Forestside and Derry’s Foyleside, are also picking up new lettings and is a further reflection of the improving economy and confidence in N.I. “Victoria Square has literally gone from strength to strength,” Collins says. “It’s become the ‘Go To’ location in central Belfast, to the detriment – some might argue – of surrounding

parts of the city centre area. And a rash of new arrivals will make the Centre even better heading into the autumn and the run-up to Christmas.”

Patricia Dorrity adds that it’s important for landlords to work with managing agents with proven track records. “We continue to be ranked as one of the top managing agents in the UK, currently 6th in the Trevor Woods Associates Definitive Guide for Shopping Centres (2013). We manage 35 shopping centres and retail parks across the UK and Ireland, comprising eight million square feet of retail space. Claire Johnston commented “with a total rent and service charge collection of £150m the need for timely and accurate financial information and reporting was paramount”.

John Adgey completes the LSH picture in his role as Head of Professional Services. The demand for valuations and professional advice on leases and rating, he says, has gained momentum on the back of a fastimproving property marketplace.

“Lambert Smith Hampton is at the very heart of the property market right across the spectrum,” he says. “We’ve got all of the bases covered, and we’re a good fit with property owners and investors wherever they come from.”

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Eye on Cover Story

BARCLAY BYTES...

INTO THE FUTURE OF IT SUPPORT Barclay Communications is a company which has never allowed the proverbial grass to grow under its corporate feet.

So it should come as no surprise that it’s heralding a new future for the IT Support industry with Barclay Bytes, an integrated IT and mobile support service.

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by Barclay Bytes… and we’ve also added one year’s free Mobile Device Management and Office 365 as part of the bargain,” he says.

Barclay Bytes seems like a natural progression for a firm that holds Northern Ireland’s only O2 Centre of Excellence and has an in-house IT Services team.

“Traditional business IT is increasingly going mobile and since we offer both services it makes a whole lot of sense for us to support and protect both with one package and cost. We don’t specify a length of contract, the service only expires once all the support hours are used up and it can be quickly reinstated with the purchase of another block of IT support hours.”

The new IT service is available throughout Northern Ireland and across the UK, delivered

by Barclay Communications’ dedicated team of Microsoft certified technicians, a team that is likely to see growth within the year.

he firm’s early growth from retail phone shops into a leading player in the wider business communications marketplace have been well documented. Now with Barclay Bytes the company is taking yet another trailblazing step down the fast-moving technology path all in the aid of Northern Ireland businesses.

Barclay Bytes sees Barclay Communications reinvent its IT sector with a new offering that uniquely combines mobile and IT support into one “ With Barclay Bytes we’ve stripped away comprehensive service covering the technology jargon and kept it simple… not only PC, server, cloud and our new and existing customers simply buy mobile support… but also free Mobile Device Management the IT support hours they need and that’s and Office 365 subscriptions. it… their mobiles to servers will then be “We’re well aware that supported and monitored by Barclay Bytes.” a lot of businesses and individuals struggle with the technology that surrounds them. Buying, supporting and securing technology can be a Key aspects of the new Barclay Bytes complex business,” says Barclay Communications IT and mobile support service are:Managing Director, Britt Megahey... a man who freely admits that he’s not afraid to call on his • PC and server support own in-house expertise from time to time.

• Mobile and tablet support “With Barclay Bytes we’ve stripped away the • One year’s free Mobile Device Management technology jargon and kept it simple… our new • One year’s free Microsoft Office 365 and existing customers simply buy the IT support (Microsoft’s cloud-based mobile platform) hours they need and that’s it… their mobiles to • 24/7 server monitoring servers will then be supported and monitored • Regular technology health and security checks

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Eye on Cover Story

“For us, it was a simple progression. We’ve always been here to support and assist our customers across the technology picture, but this takes it to the next level, makes it flexible and easy to use whether the customer is a sole trader or a large business.... and we have the full spectrum of business customers on our books,” says Megahey.

“The new service fits squarely with our mission to deliver simplified and affordable technology with exceptional customer service.”

And here’s a selling point for the many of us who struggle to get our heads round even the simplest mobile technology problem... there are more of us than you might imagine!

“ Traditional business IT is increasingly going mobile and since we offer both services it makes a whole lot of sense for us to support and protect both with one package and cost.”

“We’ll support the setup of mobile devices and we’ll look after everything from fairly complex data transfer right through to SIM swaps and all sorts of basic usage problems,” adds Britt Megahey. Music to the ears, one can’t help but suspect, to thousands of closet technophobes out there.

But there are plenty of serious business issues too. Take the question of security. Today’s businesses use mobile devices to access corporate systems and information, so the need for robust

22

security has become all the more acute.

“With our one year’s free Mobile Device Management, businesses can remotely secure, support, manage, track and control costs on corporate smartphones and tablets,” Megahey adds. “And extra features include the restriction of unwanted apps & games, over the air provisioning of devices, telecom expense management tools and handset tracking.”

The mobile working world has been given a substantial boost with the launch of Office 365... which effectively takes the familiar Microsoft Office desktop services (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), added online storage in the cloud along with document sharing, video conferencing and instant messaging, and made it all available on smartphones and tablets.

“There’s no doubt that Office 365 allows business users of phones and tablets to get the best out of their devices... and to really work on the move where they couldn’t before.

“What’s more, a combined mobile and Office 365 package via Barclay Communications allows O2 or Vodafone to offer all services on one bill and from one supplier... reducing the operational headache.”

Not forgetting traditional IT, Barclay Bytes also provides regular health checks on all PCs, servers, backups, security software, broadband and more. Ensuring every client’s communications technology is performing and protecting their business.

“Many business’s key IT concerns revolve around three things… security, speeds and disaster recovery… things that can seriously affect productivity.”

“With Barclay Bytes we’re tackling these concerns by actively supporting all business communications technology with 24/7 server monitoring, quarterly IT audits and improvement recommendations, which we can also supply and install.”

Now a well-established company with 17 years under its belt, Barclay Communications has 160 employees and that’s a headcount likely to grow.

It introduced a dedicated IT team five years ago and it’s a division that has continued to grow as mobile communications has continued to develop.

“There’s no doubt that most businesses are relying increasingly on being able to work on the move and gone are the days when mobile phones were simply that. Alongside tablets, they’re now extensions of the office and of the company itself, so it’s crucial that they are effective, reliable and well supported.

“All of the big mobile networks are behind this mobile working revolution and we’re here to play a vital role working alongside our business customers.”

For more information on Barclay Bytes, Barclay Communications’ newly integrated IT and mobile support service contact them on 028 9096 0366

Eye on Finance

DANSKE’S GARTH MAXWELL...

PRIVATE ROLE FOR AN EXPERIENCED BANKER

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Eye on Finance It’s a fair bet that, amongst the senior bankers who populate the offices around Donegall Square and beyond, there aren’t too many with the kind of experience that Garth Maxwell can point to.

M

axwell has just taken over the reins as Danske Bank’s Head of Private Banking, a brand new challenge for a man who – in the best possible sense – has been around the banking business for quite some time.

“I’m almost afraid to say it, but I started with the old Northern Bank in November, 1979, at the bank’s High Street, Newtownards branch,” he smiles. “It’s a bit of an understatement to say that things were a bit different back then.

“When I was at High Street, we had a staff of 38 in that one branch alone. It doesn’t quite work like that these days.”

The late 70’s where a time when Northern Bank and the other banks courted local sportsmen and gave them time off to pursue their playing careers in tandem with full time jobs.

Rugby players were particularly popular and, as an Ireland Schools international, Maxwell fitted the bill rather nicely.

On the rugby pitch, he went on to be a key part of the allconquering Bangor team of the 1980’s (alongside the likes of John Rogers, Don Whittle, Ronnie Elliott and Terry McMaster) and also won representative honours for Ulster and Ireland. He was also captain of that Bangor team for 5 years during those winning days.

Maxwell’s banking career took him from his first branch onto the relief staff (filling gaps at branches all over Northern Ireland), back to Newtownards (Regent Street branch this time....the town had two Northern Bank branches) and then in the mid-90’s to the new mortgage business set up by Northern Bank’s then owners, National Australia Group.

His first headquarters role followed, as an Assistant Manager and then Manager

for Personal Banking working alongside Northern Bank’s team of financial advisers.

He returned to the retail network as Manager of Donaghadee Branch for a number of years before working back at headquarters once again on the bank’s Premium offering, the forerunner of today’s large Private Banking operation.

Maxwell almost ended up working for National Australia Group on the other side of the world. “I had virtually accepted a move to New Zealand and I was in Hong Kong on my way out for a familiarisation trip when I heard that National Australia Group had sold Northern Bank” he recalls. “It was a bit of a mad scramble to get back to Belfast to make sure that I still had a seat somewhere.....!”

Under the Danske Bank regime (since 2005), he’s found himself serving as Manager of Dungannon branch and, for a spell, back at his old stomping ground as Branch Manager in Newtownards before taking on his present role in recent months.

“It’s a unique role, and it’s one that appealed to me right from the start,” he says. “As a team, our job is to work with high net worth individuals and to take a holistic approach to servicing their financial needs.”

“We have an experienced team of 41 specialist private bankers and asset managers each of whom has a portfolio of clients.

Alongside them we also have 10 fully qualified independent financial advisers to work with our clients. We think that it might just be one of the best-kept secrets in banking here in Northern Ireland.”

Danske’s Private Banking team base themselves throughout Northern Ireland at key offices in Belfast, Ballymena, Derry, Newry, Portadown, Coleraine and Omagh.

“Our Northern Ireland based asset managers have around £250 million under their management, and we also have direct access to Danske Capital, the global investment arm of Danske Bank (which has over €95 billion of funds under its management).”

“A lot of our clients are successful businessmen and women. Business might well have been very good for them, and they probably spend a lot of time working on the finances of their businesses.

But it’s a fact that in many cases personal finances can often be neglected along the way.”

“And that is where we come in. Our business banking colleagues look after the other side of the equation. We are here to help our clients with their personal financial needs.”

Interestingly those clients need not necessarily be established customers of Danske Bank either.

Part of the Private Banking team’s role is to win over new customers from rival banks....and it has been doing that very successfully over recent times, according to Garth Maxwell. “We’re expanding, and that’s how it should be,” he says.

“New business acquisition remains very much a big focus for us.”

“The key factor for Danske Bank, and for our clients, is the simple fact that we offer one-to-one dedicated relationship banking..... and that’s not something many clients have experienced in previous banking relationships. We are providing what clients want, which is the allocation of one specialist relationship manager to look after them and guide them as they strive to further improve their personal finances.”

Garth Maxwell can be contacted on 07713068535 or at garth.maxwell@danskebank.co.uk

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Eye on Law

TRACEY SCHOFIELD...

PROPERTY SECTOR IS BUZZING

Described by the Chambers Guide as one of the most ‘highly regarded’ property lawyers in Belfast, it’s hardly surprising that Tracey Schofield is well placed to cast an expert eye around a sector that’s well on the road to recovery

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he Tughans partner holds back from getting too excited about talk of full-scale recovery. “We are certainly on the road to recovery, but at varying degrees across the sector,” she says simply.

But she goes on to add that 2013 and the first half of 2014 have produced plenty of deals worth talking about, many of them driven by mainland UK buyers.

“Scottish Widows came back into the marketplace and purchased the Tesco foodstore in Newry, we had CBRE Global Investors acquiring Premier Inn Hotel in the Cathedral Quarter and Threadneedle Investments securing Clandeboye Retail Park in Bangor.” she points out.

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The pace, she says, has continued into 2014, with Marathon Asset Management’s acquisition of Cityside & Shane Retail Parks in the city, and surprisingly fierce competition between UK property funds and foreign equity funds bidding for Windsor House in the city centre last month.

“And another positive sign was the fact that the auctions organised

by Osborne King and BTW Shiells (now Lambert Smith Hampton) which brought a wide range of lower value properties to the market both had over 95% success rate.

“We’ve also witnessed a marked increase in the number of enquiries coming through to us from London law firms looking for Belfast

representation for foreign investors, from Russian conglomerates to off shore syndicates.

“These are investors who have come into the London arena and are now working their way northwards through the rest of the British Isles on the look-out for good investment opportunities,” adds Schofield.

When it comes to the housing market, developers, old and new, are active once again but what we are seeing evidence of is sensible more viable residential schemes coming through planning. Houses are being built in realistic stages to meet current demand, with the first phase being sold before construction starts on the second phase. Not surprisingly however, banks remain hesitant to lend on residential development schemes.

“It’s really refreshing to see The Richland Group (headed by Belfastborn developer Gary McCausland) has come into the Northern Ireland property market and is going to develop 58 contemporary affordable apartments on the Dublin Road.

And the go ahead for the North side regeneration scheme, under which a joint venture by a local property development company and GB giant Balfour Beatty will deliver a mixed use scheme comprising retail, leisure and purpose built student accommodation is unique in structure and size and is to be welcomed for its economic impact.”

But, on the Belfast office marketplace, the problems with lack of refurbishment and development have been well documented. The city is suffering from a chronic shortage of Grade A office accommodation.

“It seems the only Grade A office development anywhere on the horizon is the City Quays scheme being developed by Belfast Harbour Commissioners,” says Tracey Schofield. “It’s hard to see where we are going to accommodate the FDI projects which are being attracted to Belfast, let alone home-grown projects from the likes of Deloitte and EY. “I think that there is a strong argument for direct government initiatives and assistance and a long-term office development plan for Belfast. It’s an area that Belfast City Council could also help to drive forward in light of the devolution of planning powers. With all the new projects that could be coming to the city, we need to look at the bigger picture....right through to details like car parking and public transport.”

The Project Eagle sale of loans secured by 850 or so properties around Northern Ireland from the NAMA portfolio grabbed a lot of headlines earlier this year.

Tracey Schofield says that it’s far too early to speculate on what the purchaser, Cerberus Capital Management L.P. will do.

“It will be a while before we get any indication of what their intentions are. The Cerberus office in Belfast is due to open shortly and that will be another step along the way,” she adds.

“Activity in the marketplace, at any level, has to be welcomed,” she says. “We would all like to see it permeating down throughout the property sector and there is no doubt this will happen in time when coupled with continued economic growth.”

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ON-SITE SHREDDING IS FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.

OUT OF SITE SHREDDING IS FOR THEIR EYES TOO!

30

Eye on Communications

BT’S PAUL CONVERY...

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY Just as BT has changed over the years as an organisation, BT’s people seem to have changed too. The days when BT managers talked about the price of calls have long gone. Today it’s all about the technology.... and bundles!

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aul Convery raises an eyebrow when bundles are first mentioned in our conversation.

He’s one of a welcome breed of senior guys at BT (and its rivals) who realise that not every business customer knows what a ‘bundle’ actually is. For the record, and for any remaining uninitiated out there, it’s a package which might typically contain broadband internet, land lines and mobiles.

“I recently met with a hospitality group here and we talked for a long time about technology, about bundles and about what we could do for them,” he says.

“We had been talking for quite some time before price was even mentioned.

That’s how things have changed. We’re providing solutions....not racing to the bottom when it comes to price alone.”

Convery is BT’s Head of Business here in Northern Ireland and his current preoccupation is the launch of 4G to BT’s mobile business customers..... an important jump forward in the online capability of mobile devices.

“4G is very big indeed,” he says.

“Put simply, it allows our mobile users to work online faster than they can when they’re sitting in one place....and a whole lot faster than they’ve ever been able to do it while on the move.

It needs to be seen to be believed.”

Pre-BT, Convery started his business career with the old Powerscreen International and worked for the firm in the United States. He also worked with the late Will McKee’s Euroventure organisation before joining the then BT Northern Ireland back in 1997.

“I started at the Apollo Call Centre, a place that we built and opened in eight weeks to allow BT to bring call centre jobs to Northern Ireland,” he says.

He went on to be part of the team that brought BT back into the mobile space in Northern Ireland, and he’s worked across the organisation’s customer base.

His role as Head of Business means that he leads a team responsible for all business customers except for a handful of major business customers and public sector organisations (looked after by a dedicated Public Sector division).

“We’re looking after around 25,000 different business customers,” he adds. “For us, that means that we have to be innovative and we have to be fleet of foot. We also have to build and supply the technology that our customers need and want.”

BT has concentrated in recent years on completing a fibre network which continues to put Northern Ireland ahead of many other regions. It’s something that we don’t always appreciate.

“No, we’re not always aware that we’re ahead of the game,” says Convery. “I was at an event in England recently and they were talking about looking at the kind of fibre network that we have. It made me realise again how fortunate we are here.”

He goes on to quote the case of a small digital animation company based in Derry which is able to compete head to head with high-cost competitors in the USA largely because of the speed delivered by our fibre network.

“It’s very hard to believe that we were

all on dial-up internet connections back in 2002 or so,” he says. “It seems like a distant memory now.”

Paul Convery is all too aware that today’s communications customers have choices. “It’s a very competitive marketplace and there would be something wrong if it wasn’t. There are no communications monoliths any more. We have to be on our game like anyone else, particularly now that the market is showing signs of post-recession growth.”

He’s one of the straight talkers of a business not renowned for such qualities, but even he slips into a spot of jargon every now and then with bundles and things like flat top tariffs dotted around. He even mentions ‘all you can eat’ tariffs.....a phrase which conjures up all sorts of images.

“Yes, we tend to evangelise a bit when it comes to broadband and technology.

But I think we could be forgiven for that....it’s the nature of the job. And there would be something a little wrong if we didn’t have an enthusiasm for it all.

“I’ve always remembered a saying that one of my mentors in the past told me. He said that pioneers get shot, but settlers prosper. There’s something to that, isn’t there?”

Why should mobile customers here consider BT’s mobile 4G offering?

“We’re delivering some of the most competitive tariffs around to our mobile customers,” says Convery.

“We’re giving them full 4G access as well as access to five million or so hot spots around the UK and to the largest 4G network here.

“4G transforms what we can do on a handset. It’s as simple as that.

The speeds are just as good as those that can be delivered by fibre..... which means complete access to the office wherever you happen to be. Through 2G to 3G and now 4G, we’re all well aware that the speeds have been increasing all the time, and this is the best yet by some margin,” he emphasises.

A recent report from Ofcom pointed to the fact that tablet ownership here is the highest per capita in the UK, which is related to the fact that 95% of the population here has access to fibre broadband. That compares to 80% in England, 64% in Scotland and just 58% in Wales. Ofcom was quick to note that much of the credit for this was down to BT and to the DETI, the government funders for the broadband access initiative.

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(028)

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Huge benefits can be gained through opening a taxi account with our reliable service, these include: • A password protected account for security.

• Pre-scheduled pick-up times can be arranged on a daily, weekly or monthly basis so that there is no need to contact us every time you require our service.

• An itemized monthly invoice will condense all journey fees into one handy monthly payment.

• A Priority status over cash and credit card jobs will be placed on your account.

• Personal account manager to resolve any queries and to facilitate special requests.

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£3.75 for the first 0.1mile (£1.88 per mile thereafter) Waiting time £22.50 per hour Airport Transfer and Hourly rates available.

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£5.00 for the first 0.1 mile (£2.50 per mile thereafter) Waiting time £30.00 per hour Airport Transport and hourly rates available £30 minimum fare applies.

We are also pleased to offer all account holders the option to book taxis using our e-booking facility.

The benefits of this include: • Quick and efficient booking method by passing our call center and placing your booking directly onto our dispatch system.

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• History of completed jobs that can be beneficial for accounts.

• Default jobs can be programmed so you can book your taxi with a click of a mouse.

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

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

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

Eye on Consultancy

NUALA FOLEY & A PASSION FOR PEOPLE The term ‘business consultant’ covers a multitude of differing roles. As a stand alone description, in fact, it means very little.

T

ake the case of Nuala Foley.

Nominally, Nuala is a Business Consultant. That’s what her business card calls her and her company, Nuala Foley Associates, is built around that central role.

But, in her case and with many others, it’s a term that requires a bit of explanation. Meet Nuala Foley and it’s fairly clear that her talents lie in engaging with people. And it turns out that’s exactly what she likes to do on a day-to-day basis, en route to helping those people reach their potential in their business lives.

Not surprisingly, she’s a graduate in psychology. A little more surprisingly, Nuala is a Master Practitioner in Neuro Linguistic Programming.... perhaps best described as the practice of understanding how we organise our thinking, feeling, language and behaviour to produce the results we want.

It can be used for improving business performance and right across the personal arena, from overcoming shyness to conquering phobias and much more.

“We’ve seen some really tangible results through the use of NLP,” says Nuala Foley. “It’s an excellent means of helping people to overcome real or perceived obstacles and to go on to do things differently.”

From a non-entrepreneurial Tyrone family – her father a school principal and her mother a teacher – Nuala found herself drawn to business as a career rather than potentially safer options in the public sector.

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From university she signed up for the successful Premiere Graduate Management Development Programme and described that as “the best decision I ever made.”

Her first professional role was with drinks giants Anheuser Busch (owners of Budweiser), and she immersed herself in sales and marketing administration. Next up was a role with the Royal College of GP’s, promoting a new way of helping doctors set up their GP practices, and from there she went on to join a Belfastbased management consultancy where she began mentoring and training with business owners.

“The decision to go out on my own wasn’t an easy one in some ways, but it was a very easy one in others,” she says. “Certainly I don’t regret the decision for a minute.

Everyone who has set up their own business knows what it feels like to start doing things for yourself rather than for someone else.”

Nuala Foley Associates (….more of the Associates part later) works with a variety of public sector and private sector organisations across a wide range of activities.

But it’s hardly surprising that Nuala’s experience in NLP forms a core part of the practice. But she’s quick to emphasise that NLP is no off-the-shelf solution for clients.

“Typically, we’ll sit down with our clients, look closely at what is needed to achieve the aims and then we’ll look at the best options,” she explains.

NLP, she says, can be applied to sales

techniques and training, to strategy development and to team motivation.

“It’s a technique, maybe even a product, but it is more like a way of changing your life and how you do things. We find that the people we train and mentor in business find themselves achieving more in their personal lives as well as a result of adopting NLP. “But, above all, it’s a relatively simple concept and it’s one that can be used by everyone, whatever their role and whatever their challenges.”

Nuala Foley warms to her theme with the infectious enthusiasm of someone who clearly believes in the value of what she has to offer. She talks about how all of us use certain forms of words that give away our approach to business conversations, and she emphasises the importance of building a rapport with everyone we deal with. Common sense stuff, maybe, but it’s not often that most of us give how we say things a lot of thought.

“Everyone takes in information and processes it in a different way,” she says simply. “There are visual people, there are digital people and there are auditory people and we all fall into one of those categories. NLP helps all of us to be aware of where we lie, and how we can use this knowledge to best effect. It can be a really useful tool in the world of business.”

She works regularly on a oneto-one mentoring basis, but also regularly conducts workshops to teach NLP skills and techniques and other core business topics. Some of Northern Ireland’s local councils are among regular clients. And Nuala links up on a regular basis with Lara Goodall Consulting to deliver bigger projects and programmes.

Away from NLP, Nuala Foley Associates can offer a wide range of consultancy around business planning, export development, market research, programme and project evaluation and feasibility studies.

On the training front, NLP comes back into play for sales development courses, but the practice can also provide bespoke training in customer care, media relations, presentation skills, export development, market research, problem solving, team development and even stress management.

“We’re very happy to work directly with local businesses on a wide range of training and consultancy programmes,” says Nuala Foley. “And, because we’re not a large multi-faceted firm of consultants, we can be lot more cost effective and we can certainly be more flexible and client led.

“We’re ready to sit down and talk through what business clients need from us, and to go on to deliver tangible results for those companies. When you’re working for a large company and dealing with clients, you’re always wondering whether they’re buying into you or the company.

When you’re self-employed, you don’t have that problem!”

Nuala sums up her approach very simply. “I do like to help people,” she says. “But I’m a business person at heart. I wouldn’t have made a good nurse......”

Eye on Consultancy

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Northern Ireland’s first choice for news 36

www.u.tv

Eye on Banking

Kenton Hilman, Director, Corporate & Institutional Banking, Ulster Bank.

GROWTH CLOSE TO HOME There has been a steady stream of announcements in recent months by large international companies, bringing jobs and investment to Northern Ireland. These have ranged from investments by the likes of US-based Proofpoint to new investments by companies such as the law firm Baker & McKenzie. These are, of course, extremely welcome. But at the same time it is important that we don’t overlook the vibrant base of large indigenous Northern Ireland companies that are also seeking to expand and grow.

A

t Ulster Bank, with our team of 14 dedicated corporate relationship managers across Northern Ireland, we work closely with a significant proportion of the leading local companies, so we know well the dynamism that exists amongst Northern Ireland’s corporates, particularly those in the food, manufacturing and service sectors. We are strongly committed to supporting their growth.

And the environment for growth exists. Indicators such as the Ulster Bank Purchasing Managers Index tell a story of a recovery that spreads across a range of sectors and businesses looking forward to new order growth. Along

with this kind of research, we also rely on our face-to-face engagement with customers and industry bodies, to ensure that we can channel the right support to the right businesses.

Our lending is having a significant positive impact on companies’ ability to take advantage of local and international opportunities.

Ulster Bank has approved almost £150m of corporate lending so far in 2014 – this doesn’t include our lending to microbusinesses and SMEs. This lending is across a wide variety of sectors, for some of Northern Ireland’s largest corporates, in a market where Ulster Bank holds a market share of around 35 per cent. That loyalty is born

out of the quality of service that we can offer customers, no matter where they are in terms of their growth story.

One of the most important sectors for the Northern Ireland economy is agri-food. In recent years Ulster Bank has provided hundreds of millions of pounds of support for a large number of agri-food businesses in Northern Ireland and we have an appetite to grow our presence further. We have in-depth understanding of the challenges facing the sector, from Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform to commodity price movements, and we’re well-placed to support local companies as they establish themselves and grow, particularly in international

markets. As principal sponsor of the Balmoral Show, we are able to take the temperature of the agri-community, but the work of our relationship managers all year round gives us a sense of the resilience of the sector.

To support our customers, we continue to innovate in terms of the products and services that we offer, whether that’s through asset-based lending or term lending products. We continue to listen to our customers in finding practical and professional solutions to match their business ambitions. We also welcome the development and growth of other sources of funding for local business, such as venture capital and equity finance, which can be complementary to finance from commercial lenders. We also know that we succeed when our customers succeed – and so we’re proud to help Northern Ireland’s best firms to get the recognition they deserve through initiatives such as the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards, which celebrate and showcase success.

What sets us apart is the strength of relationship that we develop with our customers. We have deep roots here, and our team works hard to generate the kind of customer loyalty that only comes through a sustained business relationship.

It’s one of the reasons that we’re pleased to be a principal sponsor of the Homecoming and Belfast OneCity conference that is taking place this month.

Running from the 24th to the 26th of September in locations throughout Belfast and featuring speakers including the Mayor of Boston Martin Walsh and the Finance Minister Simon Hamilton, this will be a chance for the business community and the diaspora to reconnect, re-engage and re-invest in local enterprise and development in the city. Through this, and other initiatives like it, Ulster Bank aims to provide local businesses with a secure platform to achieve their potential.

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Eye on News

THE CULLODEN ESTATE LAUNCHES NORTHERN IRELAND’S FIRST HOTEL MEDI-SPA Northern Ireland’s leading 5-star hotel has joined forces with industry leaders in beauty and wellness to launch a new Medi-Spa offering people a new range of ground breaking treatments.

I

n addition to the wide range of treatments already on offer at the Culloden Estate & Spa, the new Medi-Spa has been launched in conjunction with Randox Health, The Cathedral Eye Clinic and Room One Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic.

Taking a Swiss style approach to spa treatments, the Medi-Spa offers the latest in specialised beauty and wellness treatments, ensuring that clients are privy to cutting edge technology and innovations.

Adrian McNally, General Manager of the Culloden Estate & Spa said: “We are

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delighted to announce the launch of our Medi-Spa and our partnership with three industry leaders in the field of beauty and wellness - Randox Health, The Cathedral Eye Clinic and Room One Physiotherapy & Sports Injuries Clinic.

“The hotel Medi-Spa is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and with our three partners we have created an extensive and exclusive range of packages offering guests specialist laser eye and refractive surgery, personalised health assessments incorporating cutting edge technology with innovative diagnostic testing

to assess health in detail and physiotherapists who work closely with physicians and surgeons to provide the best in expert treatments and programmes,” Adrian continued.

“These world class clinical facilities

are at the forefront of research and development and we are delighted that this fantastic range of restorative treatments will now be available to people at The Culloden Estate and Spa’s Medi –Spa,” Adrian added.

CALLING NORTHERN IRELAND’S BRIGHTEST MANAGERS Enter the CMI National Management & Leadership Awards

Now in its fifth year, the annual National Management & Leadership Awards recognise the highest standards of excellence in managers and leaders.

With a range of categories for individuals, teams and organisations, it’s the foremost awards programme for managers in the private, public, third sectors and SMEs.

If you’d like to shine a light on your own or your team’s exceptional management skills, simply enter today by visiting www.nml-awards.com

Eye on Communications

When UC became Unified Collaboration Information is the lifeblood of any organisation. In a knowledge-based economy like Northern Ireland, businesses need to work better and smarter than ever, and that’s where Unified Communications (UC) offers a competitive advantage.

Gary O’Brien, Head of Unified Communications at eircom NI

B

y integrating email, landline, mobile, voicemail, video calling/conferencing, instant messaging into a single, seamless communications network, companies can build a more responsive, efficient, cost-effective and productive organisation. By giving staff options on which tools they use, companies can deliver favourable changes in how they work.

For growing companies demanding greater collaboration, there are a range of communications options available. ‘Presence’ saves delays in relaying information; video conferencing cuts down on travel time and reduces a company’s carbon footprint; and VoIP can dramatically reduce phone bills.

But UC is as much a change programme as a technology programme.

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UC as a Change Programme At eircom, we work closely with customers to ensure that the transition to UC is not done at the expense of the organisational and people challenges. Our approach begins by looking at the whole organisation and their existing technology environment. We aim to manage the migration so the right user groups are embracing the technology at the appropriate time. That means analysing the profile of their user base and giving individuals the tools they’re comfortable with using.

A phased approach is essential to guide organisations through migration and across the delivery of new infrastructure. Our Cisco qualified engineers bring decades of experience in telecoms, ranging from the cornerstone of voice up to IM, ‘Presence’,

video conferencing and web collaboration. In this way, users can evangelise within the organisation and ensure effective adoption of new systems.

The fact that our solution is based on Best of Breed Cisco technology also means it is best placed to handle integration and the complexity which undoubtedly exists in most organisations. From a practical viewpoint, offering a hybridcloud solution means the core UC applications are virtualised on Cisco UCS (Unified Compute Systems) platform providing benefits such as reduction in provisioning times, reduction in cabling, reduction in power and cooling costs and in ongoing management costs.

UC in Action Many organisations across public and private sectors are benefitting from UC. For example, with the NI Civil Service (NICS) the Network NI programme delivered very wide-ranging performance improvements and significant efficiency gains through UC. The purpose of Network NI was to establish a common network with economies of scale, delivering more bandwidth, more resilience and better overall service levels. This was the largest deployment of UC in Ireland, entailing the connection of 275 government buildings and 22,000 users across a single network.

Our phased approach redesigned the network to take advantage of the new technologies that could scale with demand. The benefits

of UC in disaster recovery and business continuity was vividly illustrated in June 2012 when the Stormont Estate lost much of its power supply to flash floods and a number of government departments had to be evacuated. The Civil Service were able to relocate several hundred staff, carrying their numbers with them and the public didn’t see any noticeable difference in service.

Making the Transition The better you can manage change in your organisation, the smoother the transition will be. But strip away the jargon and the buzzwords and UC is not that much of a leap for most people. It’s working in parallel with what’s already happening: VoIP technologies like Skype, collaborative websites like Google Docs and IM features on Facebook.

Gary O’Brien is Head of Unified Communication with eircom NI, specialising in enterprise voice solutions.

Contact Gary on uk.linkedin.com/in/garyobrien3 to discuss how UC can benefit your business or contact eircom NI at: Forsyth House, Cromac Square, Belfast, BT2 8LA Tel: 0800 039 2000 www.eircom.co.uk

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Eye on Property

Top 5 Tips For Commercial Property Investors With the economy growing and a rising commercial property market, investors now have an opportunity again to secure a decent return on their premises.

H

owever there is still much risk in commercial lettings involving anything other than blue chip tenants and prime space. The horrors of recessionary times are still fresh in the minds of many property owners. Often considerable upfront costs were incurred and tenants were offered rent-free deals only then to go ‘bust’ or disappear after the concessionary period had ended or the seasonal advantage of a pop-up business had been exploited.

Landlords would frequently find themselves out of pocket with nowhere to place these losses and this would sometimes be compounded by periods of vacancy in which rates and other expenses still had to be met.

So any means for investors of subsidising property costs, saving tax, reducing exposure to losses or allowing better recovery in a default situation may be very welcome indeed. With these aims in mind, Gerard Small, Partner and Head of the Commercial Property Group at John McKee Solicitors, shares his top 5 tips for commercial property owners:-

Gerard Small, Partner, John McKee Solicitors

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1. Business Premises Renovation Allowance Business Premises Renovation Allowance (BPRA) was introduced in April 2007 to provide an incentive for property owners to bring derelict or empty premises back into productive use. Under the scheme, 100% initial capital allowances

are available for qualifying renovation expenditure, meaning owners can obtain a deduction against profits for the full costs of renovation in the year in which that expenditure is incurred.

The allowance is currently due to end on 31 March 2017.

Expenditure is qualifying expenditure if it is incurred in connection with the conversion or renovation of a ‘qualifying building’ into ‘qualifying business premises’.

A ‘qualifying building’ is a commercial building in a disadvantaged area (all of Northern Ireland qualifies for this purpose) and must be one which has been unused for a year immediately before the conversion or renovation begins. The last use must not have been as a dwelling.

To be ‘qualifying business premises’ a building must be used or available and suitable for letting as a commercial building, namely one used for the purposes of a trade, profession or vocation.

BPRA can be clawed back if the property is sold, demolished or ceases to be used for qualifying purposes within 5 years.

Although tightened up with effect from April 2014 to prevent perceived exploitation of the rules, this is still a valuable relief for investors as it allows the costs of converting unused commercial buildings to be written off in full against profits in the year in which the costs are incurred.

Eye on Property 2. Tenancy deposits and guarantees Landlords often lose out through tenants disappearing or becoming insolvent before the lease is over. Sometimes large sums remain owing in rent and service charge and the prospects of recovery are slim.

A simple but often overlooked measure to protect landlords in such circumstances is the use of security deposits and guarantees at the outset of the lease.

“ Landlords often lose out through tenants disappearing or becoming insolvent before the lease is over. Sometimes large sums remain owing in rent and service charge and the prospects of recovery are slim.”

Deposits can be sought from tenants which are held through the lifetime of the lease and which the landlord can access in certain circumstances, such as non-payment of rent or where the landlord incurs expenditure because the tenant has breached other lease obligations (e.g. repair). The tenant can be asked to make up the deposit again to the full amount each time any part of it has been applied in this way.

The deposit is frequently dealt with in a separate rental deposit deed which sets out clearly the amount, how it is to be held, when it can be applied and the arrangements for return of any unused deposit at the end of the lease.

Likewise a guarantee is a very useful protective device for landlords. This allows a third party (‘the guarantor’) to guarantee the performance of the tenant’s obligations under the lease. If the tenant defaults in payment of rent or service charge or doesn’t fulfil other responsibilities under the lease such as repairs, the landlord can call upon the guarantor for payment or performance of the relevant tenant duties.

If a tenant becomes insolvent, the landlord, as an unsecured

creditor, may only recover a fraction of the rent, but if there is a guarantee they have the option of pursuing the guarantor for the tenant’s liability in full.

The lease may be disclaimed by the trustee in bankruptcy/ liquidator but, whereas this extinguishes any further liability of the tenant, it does not affect that of the guarantor and the landlord can still pursue them for all rent and other sums owing.

Some lease guarantees go further and require the guarantor to take a new lease of the premises if the existing one is disclaimed.

3. Capital Allowances Where an individual or company owns a commercial property which is used in the business, it is possible to claim capital allowances on the ‘plant and machinery’ within that building.

The aim of capital allowances is to give tax relief for the reduction in value of such fixtures, by letting the business write off the cost of the assets over a number of years against the taxable income of the business. This can significantly reduce taxable income, and consequently tax bills will be lower.

Generally, ‘plant and machinery’ are items which become part of the property such as lifts, heating systems, air conditioning and sanitary fittings. Most commercial properties will have an abundance of these types of fixtures, so the opportunity for investors to make a claim for allowances is usually significant.

Writing-down allowances are annual allowances that a business can claim to reduce any remaining balance of capital expenditure on plant and machinery that the business has not already claimed a capital allowance for, referred to as a ‘pool’ of ‘unrelieved’ expenditure.

There are two different rates of capital allowance – the main rate of 18% and the ‘special pool’ rate of 8%. Most plant and machinery will fall within the main pool. However, certain assets in a building are designated as ‘integral features’ and qualify for allowances at the lower special pool rate.

4. Good lease drafting This seems obvious but careful lease drafting can save landlords time and money in the long term.

Clear and consistent drafting styles benefit both parties by making their respective rights and obligations more transparent and this in turn reduces the potential for costly disputes. Areas of particular importance are the definitions of the demised premises and retained or common areas as this will usually determine the extent of the repairing responsibilities of each of the landlord and the tenant and what service charge can be recovered for.

Service charge provisions need to be robust and include ‘catch-all’ wording so that elements of expenditure which are not specifically identified at the outset can be recovered.

Landlords may have to meet significant items of expenditure regularly some of which is recoverable from, or may be offset against income from, the tenant. Bad debt management is important in any business and has significant implications for cashflow. Payments due from the tenant, the methods and timescales for payment as well as the consequences of delayed or non-payment (interest, effect on landlord-provided services, forfeiture of the lease) all need to be clearly specified.

Forfeiture provisions setting out how and when the lease may be terminated (including circumstances of tenant default) and the means by which physical possession of the property can be recovered are vitally important also. Finally at the end of the lease the ability to claim for dilapidations (see below) should be detailed properly.

to recover from the tenant the cost of reinstating the premises if these are in disrepair by reference to the tenant’s repairing and other obligations in the lease (e.g. decoration, reinstatement of alterations or statutory compliance).

The process is initiated by the landlord having a schedule of dilapidations prepared usually by a building surveyor or other expert and then serving this on the tenant. The schedule should set out the tenant obligations relied upon, the breaches alleged, the remedial works required and the costs of these. There often follows the engagement of a separate expert by the tenant who provides a schedule in response.

The experts and the parties may meet in an attempt to reach a compromise position.

If no agreement on the claim can be achieved or if the tenant does not pay the sum claimed, it is open to the landlord to bring proceedings against the tenant for damages for breach of covenant.

Damages may be claimed for the cost of the repairs, professional fees in connection with the works and loss of rent during the period that the repair works are being carried out.

Dilapidations disputes may also be settled through a formal mediation process.

Gerard Small, Partner, John McKee Solicitors specialises in all aspects of Commercial Property law. To contact Gerard, email gsmall@jmckee.co.uk or call him on (028) 9023 2303

5. Dilapidations This is an important issue, again sometimes overlooked by landlords to their significant financial cost. ‘Dilapidations’ refers to breaches of lease covenants relating to the condition of a property during the term of the lease or when it ends. This most commonly arises at the end of the lease when the landlord may seek

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Eye on Marketing

On your marks! Christine Watson of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and Professor Mark Durkin (left) and Nick Read (right) of the Ulster Business School, which is sponsoring CIM’s first All-Ireland conference, Game Changers: Marketing with Impact, which is taking place at Crumlin Road Gaol on October 1. Booking details are available at www.cim.co.uk/ireland

All-Ireland Marketing Conference To Deliver Sudden Impact A major event in Belfast will bring together marketers from across Ireland to discuss the hottest topics in the fastchanging world of marketing.

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he first ever all-Ireland conference organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Game Changers: Marketing with Impact, is being held on October 1 at Crumlin Road Gaol.

Sponsored by the Ulster Business School at Jordanstown, the event will include key speakers from Google Ireland, Lucozade, Ribena Suntory and Mondelez International, owners of Cadbury Chocolates.

The conference will give marketers the opportunity to learn from the experience of top professionals such as Cera Ward Country Manager of Google Ireland, Elizabeth Sheehan, Director of Marketing for Ireland at Lucozade Ribena Suntory and Colin O’Toole, Senior Brand Manager at Mondelez International.

The talks and seminars will zero in on the latest innovations in branding,

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the digital revolution, search marketing and mobile marketing.

Nick Read, Business Development Manager at the Ulster Business School said the theme of the conference, marketing with impact, was particularly topical with marketers striving to create value and attention in an ever more competitive and congested environment.

“The Ulster Business School’s aim is to ensure that our students are both academically and professionally qualified when they graduate. We have worked with the CIM to ensure our marketing students have the opportunity to gain CIM qualifications whilst studying with us, this helps to ensure that Ulster Business School students have the skills and knowledge valued by employers, and which will give them a competitive edge when they are seeking work.”

Cera Ward will be focusing on how businesses can ‘maximise’ their use of Google Advertising platforms such as Adwords, YouTube, TrueView and Google Display Network and Google Mobile.

Elizabeth Sheehan will be examining how a mega brand such as Lucozade faces the changing nature of communications without losing its big brand feel. She will explain how the drinks company is using digital first communications to connect with consumers and will share tips on how to shift from a mind-set of using TV advertising to putting engagement with consumers at the core of its marketing communications.

Colin O’Toole from Mondelez will argue that the seismic shift to digital means that there are more measuring tools available than ever to use as the basis of a marketing campaign. He says the top global marketers are foregoing the usual ‘why’ and ‘where’ questions and starting to search for growth around the fundamental metric: how many people buy your brand.

Professor Mark Durkin, Professor of Marketing at the Ulster Business School, who is a Fellow and former Chair of CIM, will present a session entitled: “Imprisoned in the Past?

A Case for Marketing’s Early Release” which will ask delegates

to look to the future and the skills marketers will need to succeed.

The conference will also feature a series of seminars including author and Digital Marketing expert Daniel Rowles and commercial copy writing specialist Claire Wilkinson from The Writer.

Daniel Rowles has helped organisations of all types to use digital marketing effectively, working with all sizes of business from SMEs through to clients like the BBC, Vodafone, MasterCard, Warner Bros and Boots.

Learning to create great copy will be the subject of the seminar delivered by The Writer, the world’s largest language consultancy, based in London and New York. Claire Wilkinson has worked with many brands to revamp their writing.

“This is a great opportunity to get the latest cutting edge information and advice from top marketing experts. We’ve brought together an exciting group of people who will be able to shine a light on all aspects of marketing, giving business professionals from across Ireland the chance to learn and develop new skills that can really make a game-changing difference to their companies,” said Christine Watson, Chair of the Ireland Board of CIM. The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) is the leading international professional marketing body with some 35,000 members worldwide.

First established in 1911 it has defined the marketing standards that operate in the UK for over a century and is the global champion of best marketing practice. CIM exists to develop the marketing profession, maintain professional standards and improve the skills of marketing practitioners, enabling them to deliver exceptional results for their organisations. It does this by providing membership, qualifications and training to marketing professionals and businesses around the world.

The conference is open to all so CIM membership is not required. Booking details are available at www.cim.co.uk/ireland.

Further information about the event as well as sponsorship and exhibition opportunities is available from cimevents@cim.co.uk

Eye

on Agri Food

Sponsored by

Eye on Agri Food

Supporting Good Agri Food is in their Nature

Brian Gillan, Head of Business Banking, First Trust Bank

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Eye on Agri Food The recent Food NI campaign slogan – Good Food is in Our Nature –encapsulated the core strength of our local food and drink industry perfectly. Blessed with great growing conditions and a strong farming and production tradition, here in Northern Ireland we understand good food – it truly is in our nature.

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he challenge however has been laid down by the AgriFood Strategy Board’s ‘Going For Growth’ report, to build on those inherent skills, to harness that strong heritage of quality food production and take it to a global audience.

The question is what do we need to do to take this natural strength and nurture it to meet the challenging but achievable growth targets set for Northern Ireland’s AgriFood sector – in particular a 75% rise in exports and 15,000 new jobs by 2020.

“ To realise our global potential we collectively need to raise our sights, be ambitious, build our skill set and create a nurturing environment, where expertise, finance, and policy combine to allow more farmers and companies to succeed.”

According to Brian Gillan, Head of Business Banking, First Trust Bank, the challenge needs a combined effort from those within and outside the industry; “To realise our global potential we collectively need to raise our sights, be ambitious, build our skill set and create a nurturing environment, where expertise, finance, and policy combine to allow more farmers and companies to succeed. Against this exciting backdrop, First Trust Bank has recognised it needs to play its part and recently we have refocused our efforts to be an important part of that supportive and nurturing environment.”

As a demonstration of that commitment, the Bank recently launched a new support package including a range of

funding initiatives designed to assist progressive farmers and agri-businesses across Northern Ireland to expand and modernise their operations.

The initiative includes an initial £50m AgriFood Fund to support investment in farm/agri-business growth, diversification, modernisation or refurbishment. Outlining the benefits of this fund, Gillan suggests it is designed specifically with farmers and agribusinesses in mind. “The fund offers a competitive package with no arrangement fees, an attractive level of margin discount and flexible repayment structures, all important features which meet the unique needs of the industry.”

As Gillan explains First Trust didn’t stop there. “We have also brought to market a specialist AgriFood Energy Efficiency Loan –targeting farms and agri-businesses who introduce energy efficiency measures such as lighting, solar/PV, wind, biomass and hydro projects into their overall operations. This allows them to directly tackle the increasing challenge of rising energy costs and for a number of customers they are already reaping the benefit.”

Recognising the importance of introducing fresh blood and fresh thinking into the industry, the Bank has even added a specific Young Farmer Package to support the farmers of the future. “There is an aging profile generally across our farming community and we want to help new farmers to return to the land and to support them in introducing innovation and new thinking. Our Young Farmer Package introduces three years fee free transactional banking for farmers aged between 18

and 45 years and compliments our attractive Farmer Credit Line which supports seasonal working capital requirements alongside normal current accounts.

Taken together, we believe we have put together a range of competitive, innovative and attractive products which should aid those more progressive farmers and other AgriFood businesses to realise their growth ambitions.”

Products are one thing, but the ability to advise the sector properly requires expertise and talent. According to Gillan, the Bank has also been investing in the skills of its specialist team to do just that.

through the Bank’s existing Moy Park Growers scheme.

“As a further illustration of our appetite to lend to the sector, we were very proud to have been the first Bank to deliver funding through the government backed Agri- Food loan scheme. The scheme gives the finance needed for producers to invest and improve their poultry operations. We already have considerable experience in funding poultry growers and have been operating a successful scheme with Moy Park Growers for many years. We are looking at the potential for similar schemes with others within the NI AgriFood supply chain.”

“ The fund offers a competitive package with no arrangement fees, an attractive level of margin discount and flexible repayment structures, all important features which meet the unique needs of the industry.”

“Our new programme of support will be delivered through a team of 15 AgriFood specialists across Northern Ireland, each of whom have been chosen because of their close working knowledge of the unique needs of our AgriFood customers. Some of whom are farmers or come from a farming background, while others have amassed years of experience of working with a wide range of farmers and AgriFood businesses.

We will soon be supplementing this expertise with a new technical Agri adviser for Northern Ireland, who will align with the long established team of agri advisers in our parent company AIB Group.”

To emphasise the Bank’s understanding of the important interplay between primary producers and other agribusinesses the Bank has even ensured its loan products and services are available to the wider Agri-Food market so that all parts of the important food chain can benefit. This end to end supply chain support is

It seems at least for First Trust Bank, the huge economic opportunity will only be realised through a combination of ‘Nature’ and ‘Nurture’ working towards a common goal. Gillan concludes “These are exciting times for the entire AgriFood industry and though it is not without its challenges we see massive opportunity to expand NI’s food and drink presence on the global stage. At First Trust we are committed to playing our part in achieving that ambitious goal.”

Brian Gillan is Head of Business Banking at First Trust Bank

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Eye on Agri Food

Unlocking Innovation in the Food and Drink Sector Francis Martin, Partner, and Head of Food and Drink Sector Team, BDO.

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ood and Drink companies in Northern Ireland are operating in probably the fastest moving and most demanding marketplaces. Our biggest manufacturing industry, a £4.5 billion business employing over 100,000 across the supply chain, is being impacted by changing consumer tastes including healthy eating and exacting requirements such as a demand for more information about product ingredients and those involved in food production.

These pressures mean companies, both large and small and across all sectors, must invest continually in innovation, creating different tastes, developing new ideas in marketing and merchandising, and overall greater transparency and accountability in all activities especially those which are consumer facing.

The demands from consumers, and resulting increasing competition, are certain to grow.

To prosper, perhaps even survive, our companies have to confront the challenge of, and deploy greater resources on, innovation.

Fortunately tax relief for innovation remains an integral part of the Government’s ‘open for business’ strategy and is at the core of Invest Northern Ireland’s strategic approach.

Going for Growth, Investing in Success, the strategic action plan developed by the Agri-Food

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Strategy Board, also identified the need for local companies to harness the business growth potential of fiscal measures.

The benefits for individual businesses undertaking innovation are pretty well recognised. They include improved productivity, greater efficiency, enhanced response to customer need, faster turnaround times, increased value-added through improved product design/quality, waste reduction, and compliance with EU or other regulation.

Northern Ireland’s R&D investment as a whole is still significantly behind competitors including Finland, Sweden and the US, as well as the Republic of Ireland. In 2011, Food, Beverages and Tobacco accounted for just seven per cent of manufacturing R&D here.

Innovation, of course, is much more than R&D. It includes skills, design, branding, training, new business models and strengthened leadership reflected in the creation of overarching unified groups responsible for R&D, skills, marketing and industry. The most recent Community Innovation Survey (CIS) showed that less than a third of food businesses here are innovation active.

Exploiting existing fiscal opportunities can be a complex process particularly for any business. But it’s an area in which

tax specialists really can assist local companies to make greater use of what’s readily available.

Companies can make the tax system work for them more effectively, particularly in key activities such as innovation. It makes sound business sense to do so.

Indeed, we believe that local companies could be making greater use of existing legislation and taxation for greater investment in initiatives that could increase their ability to compete profitably worldwide.

Take the Research and Development Enhanced Credit (RDEC) and the Patent Box regulations, which have been in place from April 2013. RDEC is an ‘above the line’ benefit that can be included within a company’s operating costs, rather than being wrapped up in a wider tax calculation.

Rather than claiming an enhanced tax deduction for qualifying spend on innovation, a credit equivalent of 10 per cent of that expenditure is available and is then deducted

from the corporation tax bill, reducing the overall tax bill. If the company is loss-making, RDEC can lead to a cash repayment.

While the challenges ahead for the industry are certainly growing, nevertheless, food and drink here is facing an exciting future. What the industry must do…and we can help it to do… is to harness tax and legislative measures to help companies grow faster especially in international markets through a greater spend on innovative products, processes and procedures.

Statio ns: Length RTE 1 & RTE : 2 On Air 20� commer : 10th-3 cial 1st Oct ober

Look out for Halloween T our V ad UTV - 6th-31 st O RTE 1 & RTE ctober 10th-31st Oc 2 tober

Kestrel Foods Ltd., Unit 8 Carn Drive, Carn Industrial Estate, Portadown, Co. Armagh, BT63 5WJ T: +44 (0)28 38350934 www.forestfeast.com enquiries@forestfeast.com

Eye on Agri Food

TESCO & THE ECONOMY...

IT’S IN THE NUMBERS The impact of the big retailers on our local economy is often overlooked but, for Tesco, the figures literally speak for themselves.

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n the agri food sector alone, Tesco’s Northern Ireland operation spends an average of £580 million every year on local food and drink products which are then stocked in its 57 stores here. Add in some 8,500 employees across the store network, at two distribution depots and at its local headquarters and you start to get a clear picture.

“We’ve had a dedicated buying team based here for more than 15 years,” explains Caoimhe Mannion. Tesco’s Northern Ireland Marketing Manager. “We’re currently buying somewhere over 1,700 different food and drink lines from Northern Ireland, and that includes 100% of the Tesco fresh beef, pork, chicken, milk and eggs sold in our store network here.

“That means that we’re impacting on the lives of 2,000 or so beef farmers, 1,600 dairy farmers and 140 or so pig breeders here in Northern Ireland. And we’re buying 55 million eggs a year..... that’s a lot of eggs,” she adds.

“On the agri food front, we are delivering on food provenance and food miles and we’re working hard to maximise our impact on farming families and their livelihoods.

“What’s more, we’re meeting potential new suppliers on a regular basis and we’re adding new lines all the time to our listings.”

The retail giant’s Tesco Taste Northern Ireland Festival was held in Belfast’s Custom House

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Square during September, which promoted local produce and featured some of our best local chefs – from Niall McKenna to Jenny Bristow - in live action.

“It also gave local people the chance to meet some of the very local suppliers and the people behind the brand names.....people like Angus Wilson from Wilson’s Country and William & Thomas Gilpin from Gilfresh Produce.

“We work closely with big suppliers like Wilson’s, Irwin’s and Moy Park, but we’re also working with increasing numbers of artisan food producers. Some of them, in fact, have started supplying into the Northern Ireland Tesco network and gone on to send goods over to our store network in GB.” Conor Daykin of Tasty Foods Cuisine takes up that story. “With help and encouragement from the Tesco team here and Invest NI we were introduced to the key buyer based at Tesco GB HQ and given the opportunity to present a number of our products.

The export deal is an immensely encouraging development for us and will provide a platform for the continued growth of the business.”

“We have a lot of really good food and drink products coming out of Northern Ireland which have genuine export potential to GB and beyond, and Invest NI and the food promotion agencies are well aware of that.”

Caoimhe Mannion, Tesco’s Northern Ireland Marketing Manager.

Tesco’s development of its store network in Northern Ireland also continues at a steady rate under the Tesco Express, Tesco Metro and Tesco Extra store concepts. A brand new Extra superstore is set to open in Banbridge during October, and store refurbishments are taking place all the time. One of the most recent to benefit was the giant Knocknagoney store in East Belfast.

“The convenience sector – ie the smaller stores – has seen a lot of growth, which helps to explain why we operate a number of different sizes of store across Northern Ireland to help us meet customer expectations,” says Caoimhe Mannion. “Customer buying habits do change, they do develop and it’s important for us that we keep on top of all of those trends.

“Trends also apply to the kind of products customers buy in our stores. They’re looking for value, of course, but they’re also looking for freshness, for innovation and for local provenance.

“Our research has shown us quite clearly that locally sourced products are very important to our customers. They like, where

possible, to be able to buy food and drink grown or produced right here in Northern Ireland, and it does make a difference to them.”

Tesco works with local schools and other organisations such as the ‘Farm to Fork’ initiative which sets out to tell the Northern Ireland food story and educate schoolchildren and others on where food comes from, how it is produced and how it reaches the shelves of local Tesco supermarkets, and has had more than 6,000 schoolchildren on store ‘trails’ to date.

Michele Shirlow, Chief Executive of Food NI, is keen to emphasise the importance of Tesco’s contribution.

“Tesco is a great supporter of local and a firm partner of Food NI. With their support we were able to showcase 42 local food companies to 7,000 international competitors at the World Police and Fire Games, spread the word about Open Farm Weekend and hold a Tesco Signature Kitchen at the Balmoral Show and Food Pavilion. We commend them for their promotion of the personalities behind our food both in-store and at the arrivals section of Belfast City airport.“

SUPPORTING GROWTH Our Food and Drink team are committed to helping Northern Irish businesses grow.

From farm to fork, we are committed to helping Northern Irish businesses grow.

Our Food and Drink team delivers a wide range of services to food and drink businesses covering: • Growth strategy and business planning, • Operational improvement and sustainability advisory, • Matters affecting the family’s involvement with the business, • Merger & acquisition advice, • Tax planning, and • Assurance.

We work with our clients to add to their profitability in the short term whilst at the same time creating longer term sustainability and shareholder value.

For more information, contact Francis Martin, Partner on 028 9043 9009.

www.bdoni.com

BDO in Northern Ireland is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority to conduct investment business.

Eye on Business Leaders Forum

AGRI FOOD How Can We Help Our Star Performer?

The Going For Growth Strategy set challenging growth targets for Northern Ireland’s agri food sector - a 75% rise in exports and 15,000 new jobs. Can this be achieved and what help and assistance is required?

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hat’s the question that we put to an impressive cross-section of leaders and influencers from Northern Ireland’s agri food sector for this special edition of Business Eye. The facts are simple enough. Agri food, right through the years of recession, has been this region’s star economic performer.....saving grace, some might go as far as to say.

There are lot of reasons why, and we’ve heard them all before – a natural,

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green environment, the right kind of weather, a farming heritage, etc.

But the fact that we’re a nation of farmers doesn’t guarantee that we can make agri food work economically. It requires business acumen, it requires innovation, it requires the right kind of transport infrastructure and it requires support from government.

The Agri Food Strategy Board, set up by the Minister for Agriculture and ably chaired by Tony O’Neill, was one of those rare animals......an exercise in strategic thinking and planning that turned out to be well worthwhile.

It took an in-depth look at every sector of agriculture and food production here and came up with some detailed recommendations, and managed to avoid the kind of woolly vision setting that tends to afflict these kind of exercises.

But, at the heels of the hunt, it also set some very challenging targets.

A 75% rise in an already healthy export marketplace in agri-food products and 15,000 new jobs. Those aren’t easy targets to achieve, but they do make it clear that the industry can continue to grow and continue to contribute to the larger economy.

It’s inevitable that everyone associated with the agri-food sector has a view on the targets and on where agri-food in Northern Ireland goes from here.

So we singled out a selection of key players – food processors and producers among them – who give us their views in the pages that follow.

It’s a forum that makes for interesting reading.

Richard Buckley Editor

Eye on Business Leaders Forum

John McCann

Managing Director, Willowbrook Foods

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Director, John McCann Managing Willowbrook Foods

Mike Mullan

hile the targets set in the Going for Growth Strategy are ambitious, Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry is a thriving one. Emerging businesses in Northern Ireland have an entrepreneurial passion to succeed and we need to ensure that this spirit is nurtured.

To meet the targets set out in the Going For Growth Strategy, companies need to have government support, a workforce with the relevant talent and skills and a business outlook that can evolve and react to a changing market.

As Northern Ireland is a small region, export is a focus for many businesses. An efficient food haulage industry is an integral cog in the export process and support to help ease bureaucracy and streamline the food haulage industry would help competition in the agri sector.

Skills development can also play a part in achieving these targets.

Moy Park Director

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Mike Mullan, Moy Park

Director

Northern Ireland’s CAFRE College has been a fantastic training ground for our agriculture workforce. Many of my own staff hail from Lougry campus. The agri sector also needs a high calibre of workers across other disciplines such as accountancy and marketing as they play a vital role in the commercial success of a business and we should do our best to attract this talent to the agricultural sector.

With over 50 years’ experience, Willowbrook Foods has benefited from our ability to identify trends in the market and advance our range to meet consumer demands. I would encourage all agri companies to have a flexible vision for their business so they too have room to respond an evolving market.

mbitious growth targets have been set for the sector and now it is time for decisiveness and action. I have every confidence that with cooperation between government and the industry, and determination by all concerned, we can capitalise on the tremendous growth potential that exists. “Moy Park remains fully committed to growing strongly as a leading food company focused on fresh, high quality, locally farmed poultry and complementary products. We recently announced a £170 million investment in the business, creating 628 new jobs across three sites in Northern Ireland over the next four years. In line with our strategy and to support our customers’ requirements, we will continue to explore export markets and invest in our industry leading farming and operational base. “This is a very exciting time for Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector. However,

in order to deliver on the action plan we need to ensure the industry receives the support it now needs to turn our aspirations into a reality.”

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Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Jim Dobson

Dunbia Ltd

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Jim Dobson, Dunbia Ltd

Francis Martin

here is no doubt that the targets set in the Going for Growth Strategy are challenging but we are operating in an extremely competitive environment and as an industry we have to challenge ourselves to compete and succeed in a global market-place.

Meat processing represents a unique challenge in that there is no single market to which we can export the entire product. There is value in every part of the animal but it is critical that we gain access to markets in the Middle East, Africa, the BRIC nations and the USA to ensure that we sell every part and ultimately get best value for our 25,000 producers. This is where government must step up to their commitment to the strategy, remain focussed and not lose sight of export markets. The strategy recommends that government must remove barriers to export such as charges for Export

Partner, BDO NI

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Vice BDO Northern Ireland, Francis Martin, Partner,h Chambers of Commerce and President of the Britisd Strategy Board Member of the Agri Foo

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Health Certificates and explore the potential to achieve separate certification for Northern Ireland animal health status. At the moment the process for securing Export Health Certificates for Northern Ireland is handled by DEFRA. It is an extremely complex and challenging process but we need to ensure that Northern Ireland is not left behind. Perhaps it is time for DARD to make themselves more visible in this process to drive our export aims and establish trading relationships with these key markets.

gri Food is our most successful industry, a dynamic sector that is a major contributor to economic prosperity throughout NI. The industry has continued to grow over recent years despite recession, and there is great potential for further sustainable growth. The growth targets are, indeed, ambitious. It is only right that they should be if we are to fully exploit the industry’s potential to significantly contribute to rebalancing the economy towards a more dynamic private sector. With the right level of support, however, these targets are achievable.

Support provided must be within a framework of industry and government working together right across the supply chain - farmers, processors, distributors and retailers - towards the same goal: meeting customer needs.

Suites of assistance should be built around this focus on one supply chain.

Working together, industry and government must focus on global growth, underpinned by ‘finely tuned’ marketing structures, and on building NI’s reputation as a world leader in quality and safe food production.

There must also be increased priority given to R&D, to harnessing the potential of our people, and to skills and entrepreneurship development.

We cannot also ignore the benefit that will come from greater collaboration to develop efficient production models and from the consolidation of resources into effective operating businesses.

And finally, growth, of course, can only be assured if supported by a financial sector which is truly open for business and by a broad range of Government funding, including £287m recently announced by DARD, aimed at delivering measures to improve sector competitiveness.

Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Michael Bell

Peter Stafford, Corporate Partner, A&L Goodbody

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dy

ate Partner, A&L Goodbo

Peter Stafford, Corpor

David Dobbin

he agri-food sector has continued to show growth despite the economic downturn. Already this year, we have seen large job announcements from Finnebrogue and Moy Park, with almost 700 new positions created by these two companies alone.

There is no doubt that the Going for Growth Strategy sets out ambitious targets but I believe that these targets are achievable with the correct support. The strategy highlights the importance of targeting global opportunities in the food supply chain, with the potential for the sector to increase sales to £4.5billion by 2018.

We need to provide progressive farms with access to expert and specialised advice to allow them to get on the road to exporting their products. Northern Irish produce has a reputation for being of the highest standard and the demand is out there. We must ensure that our

Dale Farm

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m

David Dobbin, Dale Far

agri-food sector has access to viable finance options to make export possible.

Sustainability and modernisation should also be at the forefront of the minds of the sector in order to build on their ability to be competitive in the global marketplace. In the last few weeks Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill announced that over 5,000 farm businesses benefited from £14million funding under the Farm Modernisation Programme (FMP). To continue this trajectory, assistance must be made available to help this sector correctly market their products to meet the export demand.

The Farm Business Improvement Scheme, tipped to be one of the key drivers of competitiveness, will be getting underway in the coming months, and it will be interesting to see how knowledge transfer and capital investment schemes can build on the growth of the sector.”

ale Farm has been one of Northern Ireland’s fastest growing businesses with last year’s turnover growth of 30% following on from a decade of unbroken growth which has seen our overall sales grow four-fold with consumer product sales growing eight –fold.

Right now we are seeing international dairy markets correct sharply after record highs in the last year. Attractive returns and favourable weather have resulted in a surge in global milk supply and with prices falling most international customers are destocking waiting for markets to bottom out.

Add to this the recent ban on Russian imports of EU dairy products and the increase in the value of sterling you will understand that dairy markets are currently very challenging.

This cycle of rising and falling markets in response to supply and demand and political factors

is nothing new. If anything it reinforces the need to improve our competitiveness, rejuvenate our product offering and pursue more value added growth markets.

In reality in the dairy sector as elsewhere, most of our competitors are pursuing similar strategies.

So the determining factor, in my view, is implementation. Generally it is those businesses or regions who can make it happen, who can harness the potential of their people and who can adapt to the rapidly changing market environment who will ultimately succeed.

So we are redoubling our efforts to grow our sales and enhance product offering and in line with the Going for Growth Strategy focussing on developing sustainable long term customers who will stick with us during good and bad markets.

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Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Michele Shirlow

CEO, Food NI

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Michele Shirlow, CEO,

Food NI

Des Moore

here’s no doubt that the agrifood sector is booming. We have more than doubled our membership of producers at Food NI in the last year. Every month, we have new additions, most of them from the SME sector. Just recently we have signed up Milgro who are the only commercial suppliers of onions to the major supermarkets in Northern Ireland and the Great Taste Award winning Tamnagh Foods, who also make a new cows’ milk blue cheese which is bound to make ripples beyond these shores.

They join because they have a desire to grow and because of the marketing support we can give them. Often companies find that they don’t have time to take care of social media and networking. We tweet and post on Facebook every day about new products, awards won and forthcoming events.

We print more than 50,000 guidebooks every year and those member entries and

Head of First Trust Bank

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Des Moore, Head of First

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Trust Bank

updates are also on our website. We work together to represent the success of the sector at industry and tourism events and to secure press coverage. Collectively we push out the positive news about the rapid growth of the industry and the amazing levels of innovation reflected in the local success at prestigious awards.

It’s all about growing sales for individual businesses but there’s no doubt that that it helps to be part of a collective that can promote the whole sector. The 75 per cent rise in exports and 15,000 new jobs that the Going for Growth strategy hopes to achieve can only be realised through building on this joinedup approach. It’s an ambitious target, but it can happen if we continue to work closely with the platform of companies that now exists. Northern Irish food has been unknown and undiscovered for too long, we have made progress, but more support for our joined up marketing and promotion is vital.

ull marks to the AgriFood Strategy Board (AFSB) for boldness, confidence and analysis.

Northern Ireland’s AgriFood industry has many impressive performers – large and small – doing great things, but what Tony O’Neill and his colleagues have done is to analyse the industry, reveal its individual and collective potential and quantify this.

I believe that their targets are achievable; the industry is already investing in growth.

A good example is Moy Park, well on with its plans to increase its NI producer base by 400 new units equivalent to millions of additional birds per annum, and all for export. On the smaller scale consider the amazing success of our artisan food producers, at the recent Great Taste Awards in London, 99 NI companies took 264 awards, far beyond any other UK region. First Trust Bank actively supports both Moy Park producers and these smaller players, and we see the potential of this industry close up.

The “required help and assistance” part of the question will be delivered through a blend of industry commitment, government support and funding availability.

Government has acknowledged its role by the recent announcement of £250 million to help implement the Strategy Board’s recommendations, one of which was establishing a new, dedicated food marketing body. This will undoubtedly be an invaluable resource to the industry when we consider how important Bord Bia and Scotland Food and Drink are in providing export market information and knowledge to their food companies.

Of course, funding growth is the key to unlocking industry growth. First Trust Bank sees a confident, committed industry managed by motivated, skilled people from farm to factory. Our role is to match that with tailored support, specialist products and through active industry engagement and insight.

Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Michael Bell

Executive Director, NI Food and Drink Association (NIFDA)

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Executive Director, NI

tion (NIFDA)

Food and Drink Associa

f the ambitious growth targets in the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s ‘Going for Growth’ report are to be achieved, there needs to be a change in how Northern Ireland food and drink is marketed, especially in external markets, with sufficient budget available to make a sustained impact.

There is no doubt our local food and drink industry continues to grow, but now is the time for action.

It is essential that the focus is on outcomes and unlocking the sector’s full potential and driving export growth is key to creating a further 15,000 jobs across the supply chain.

Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry has seen an increase in sales and employee numbers throughout a difficult economic period - and significantly for the first time since 1989 the value of our export sales was higher than sales within the Northern Ireland market. However,

Michael McCallion

Asda Northern Ireland

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Asda d of Local Sourcing for Michael McCallion, Hea otland Northern Ireland and Sc

our neighbours in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland are growing even faster. Recent figures released by Scotland’s food and drink industry, show a 4.8% growth and turnover of £14 billion - close to its growth target of £16.5 billion by 2017.

Therefore it is imperative we press ahead to achieve results, with government and industry working together to move forward on key issues such as market intelligence, sustainability, food security, marketing and innovation.

ichael McCallion, Head of Local Sourcing for Asda Northern Ireland and Scotland, has developed strong working partnerships across the local agri-food sector but he believes there are a tremendous opportunities for further growth: “When we first opened in Northern Ireland in 2005, we set up a dedicated buying team for the region which has remained totally focused on our local supply base. Initially our priorities were to establish new supplier relationships, work collaboratively to create and develop business opportunities, and by offering bespoke programmes such as our Supplier Development Academy, maximise the business potential of each and every local company which supplies Asda.

“During the last nine years – and throughout the peak of the recession - this approach has proved really successful, with the value of produce sourced from our island of Ireland

suppliers increasing by 225% to around £300million in 2014.

“The focus going forward - and which is totally aligned with the ‘Going for Growth’ strategy - is to encourage and help our suppliers capitalise on the export market represented by Asda’s 19 million UK customers. The potential is huge and the door is definitely open. Stumbling blocks can vary from limited finances to a lack of confidence to make the leap but we are dealing with many great companies which are living proof that innovation, NPD, and positive collaboration will deliver results.

“Mash Direct, Finnebrogue, and Irwins are all great examples of NI food companies which have dramatically grown their business and market share by seizing this potential. And there are many more following in their footsteps.

“In the long term we believe this can only help stimulate growth, build confidence and ultimately drive the agri-food sector further forward.”

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Eye on Business Leaders Forum

Brendan Guidera

Operations Director with Tesco Northern Ireland

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co Northern

rations Director with Tes

Brendan Guidera, Ope Ireland

Harry Hamilton

esco certainly believes in Northern Ireland’s agri food sector. Many companies here already supply products to Tesco stores throughout Britain.

Through Meet The Buyer events we hold in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland, conversations start between local companies and our GB buyers about potential listings in our GB stores.

Our annual purchasing from Northern Ireland was £50 million in spring 1997 – today it is more than £580 million annually and growing.

There’s no doubt the Going For Growth Strategy’s targets are challenging, but these figures from Tesco alone show that if the products are right then people will buy them both within Northern Ireland and beyond these shores.

The export opportunities we provide via listings in GB all

Access 6

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Harry Hamilton, Access

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stem from relationships that are initially forged here.

And we are constantly building on those relationships by supporting emerging local brands and providing local markets in-store which allow suppliers to showcase their products to our customers.

We also have artisan showcases taking place in our stores here which provide a shop window for small producers who are keen to get a listing with us.

Innovation is a key ingredient in helping Northern Ireland food and drink producers to grow, so more exposure to best practice from both within Northern Ireland and from across the world would be one way of helping the agri food sector focus on its potential and its competitiveness.

And better marketing of our food in export markets is another must if the challenging targets are to be met.

he €2.2million EU INTERREG IVA-funded Access 6 programme, delivered collaboratively by NI Food & Drink (NIFDA), Irish Exporters Association (IEA) and Scotland Food & Drink is a tangible way in which the local agri-food sector can drive export competence and growth.

As the programme reaches its halfway milestone, project manager Harry Hamilton explains more: “The entire focus of Access 6 is on maximising the local agri-food sector’s export potential, helping 30 NI-based food & drink companies share in a £19million sales boost, as well as creating local jobs and up-skilling those who are working in this vitally important industry.

“To meet these targets, it is vital that we enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of each of the participating SMEs to ensure they are market ‘willing and able’. To ensure each company is totally focused, they join one of six

market specific clusters – Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, SE England and the USA – each of which is open to the programme and ready to trade.

“We’ve also brought together experienced retail and food service channel partners, mentors and logistics experts to provide training, study tours, marketing support and distribution tools which collectively offer SMEs the most cost effective routes to these new markets.

“It is still early days in terms of measuring success but negotiations are well underway, contracts have been won, and NI’s award winning product ranges are being exported to these new, diverse markets.

“Access 6 is a very important first step, but further support for programmes such as this is crucial if we’re to build on the momentum and deliver long term benefits, not only for our SMEs but for the sector as a whole.”

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%

OF TESCO FRESH BEEF, PORK & CHICKEN IS LOCALLY SOURCED

Excludes Express stores

Brian Johnston, Cookstown, one of over 2,500 local farmers who supply Tesco.

hen it comes to locally sourced fresh meat, Tesco is proud to announce that all our fresh beef, pork and chicken is sourced from over 2,500 local farms across Northern Ireland.

www.tasteni.com

tastenorthernireland

Eye on Hospitality

EUROPA’S A DREAM JOB FOR CHEF ADRIAN

Adrian McDaid says that he didn’t have to hesitate when he heard that the Head Chef’s job at Belfast’s Europa Hotel was going to be up for grabs.

“T

o my mind, it’s the best job in Northern Ireland,” he says “There’s just something very special about this place, its people and the role that it plays in Belfast.”

The Europa’s new Head Chef has been in the role for a few months now, and he’s already been making an impact in his new role, changing banqueting menus and looking at how food is served throughout the day and throughout the hotel... from breakfast in the morning through to snacks, afternoon teas and set piece functions.

“It’s really important that we get our food offering right across everything that we do for our customers,” he says simply.

McDaid is a man who isn’t afraid to put in the long hours necessary for the job. In his case, that’s compounded by the fact that he travels to the hotel daily from his home in Magilligan.

It was there that he started his career in the kitchen, working parttime at Ballymaclary House Tea Rooms before taking a job up the road at the Alexander Arms in Limavady. His first contact with the Hastings Hotels Group came in 1989 when he joined the team at the Stormont Hotel and

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ended up staying for eight years.

From there, he returned to his native north-west as Head Chef at the Everglades in Derry, before spending more than 11 years heading the kitchen team at the Roe Park Resort outside Limavady (formerly the Radisson Roe Park).

For the past four years, he’s been Head Chef at the La Mon House Hotel on the southern outskirts of Belfast, moving from there to take on the Europa challenge.

“It’s a big job in anyone’s book,” he says. “You’ve just got to walk into this place and take in the scale of things to get an idea of what the kitchen is charged with.”

He has a number of targets in mind.

He wants to make sure that the hotel’s banqueting food is the best in the city, and that means continuing to move away from the days when soup, chicken, potatoes and gravy and pavlova were the stable menu items for just about any corporate function in town.

“Nowadays, guests expect better food at functions and it’s up to us to deliver. So we’ve got to be a lot more inventive and creative on banqueting then we used to be,” says McDaid.

He’s also determined to continue the Hastings Hotels food provenance policy which runs across the company’s six hotels here. “As a group, we’re putting our money where our mouth is on food provenance.

That means no Dutch chickens, but chickens reared right here in Northern Ireland. It means local beef, lamb, seafood, vegetables, cheeses... and the list goes on.”

Adrian McDaid took over from the Europa’s long-serving former Head Chef, but that’s not something that seems to faze him. For McDaid, it’s all about the food that his team is producing and serving.

He’s quick to pay tribute to the other members of the top team at the Europa, particularly its charismatic General Manager James McGinn and Deputy GM Raymond Duncan.

“I’m also fortunate to have a really good team around me here including my right hand man, Mark Begley, who is an invaluable member of the team. Sixteen chefs and eight kitchen porters makes a total brigade of 24 serving everything from 500 breakfasts in the morning through to a four-course dinner for another 500 in the evening....with everything from bar lunches to afternoon teas and room service items in between.

“If we’re simply serving a ham sandwich with coffee in the first

floor lounge, then it’s part of my role to make sure that it’s a really good ham sandwich,” he says. “That’s the kind of detail that defines the role of Head Chef at a great hotel.

“Also, we want have as many photographs taken as we can manage... but the food we produce and serve is our best PR. We’re only as good as the last meal we’ve served.”

His own daily routine usually means an early morning departure from Magilligan to be at the hotel in time to check on breakfast service, and often a late night return to the North Coast. In between, he takes part in the daily 9.30 am staff meeting and he can be checking on incoming orders, planning menus and keeping an eye on hygiene issues.

He also has to manage the kitchen team....a team that’s always liable to change. The Head Chief at the Europa’s Causerie Restaurant, Kevin Osborne, has just left to take on the top job at another Hastings property, the Ballygally Castle Hotel on the Antrim Coast Road.

“Some might be daunted by the kind of numbers we’re dealing with at the Europa,” he adds. “But it’s not rocket science. We take a good ingredient, we cook it simply and we serve it hot with plenty of care and attention. If that’s our role, we might as well get it right every time.”

Eye on Agri Food

Willowbrook Fine Foods Launches High Quality Convenience Range Willowbrook Fine Foods based in Killinchy Co Down has launched a range of premium, freshly cooked meal accompaniments targeted at the growing high quality convenience market.

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irector of Willowbrook Fine Foods John McCann, who has over 40 years’ experience in the food industry through his long-established fresh vegetable business Willowbrook Foods, said: “Willowbrook Fine Foods has been established following consumer demand for high quality ready meals. Over the last number of years we have seen an explosion of convenience eating right across the UK but we believe that convenient doesn’t have to mean unhealthy and tasteless.

The Willowbrook Fine Foods range has been created by our highly innovative NPD team in our state of the art Willowbrook Foods Innovation Centre and uses the very best of local produce to ensure consumers can still have a mouth-watering meal but spend less time in the kitchen.”

Speaking at the launch, Finance Minister Simon Hamilton MLA said: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to launch this exciting new range of food. It is an excellent example of the innovation we have come to expect from our agri-food industry.

“The food and drink sector is extremely important to the Northern Ireland economy and it thrives and grows year on year.

Statistics recently published for the sector show a 6.7 per cent increase in turnover to over £4.5 billion last year. This development at Willowbrook Fine Foods

will contribute to the further growth of the sector, which continues to drive the Northern Ireland economy forward. This is to be welcomed against the backdrop of a difficult economic climate.”

Mr Hamilton continued: “I am impressed

by Willowbrook Fine Food’s forward thinking approach. They have clearly identified an opportunity to develop their product range and strengthen their place in the market and are to be congratulated for this.”

John McCann continued: “The agri food industry benefits from the agricultural advantages Northern Ireland has to offer including very fertile land and mild weather.

Over the last 40 years we have successfully harnessed these natural advantages to become the largest producer of bagged

lettuce in Ireland. Our new company Willowbrook Fine Foods builds on our expertise in the agriculture and food sector to develop fresh and high quality products that are available to retailers across the UK.” Already attracting strong interest from retailers, the premium range includes; Creamy Mash Potato, Potato and Leek Gratin, Honey and Mustard Parsnips, Creamy Colcannon, Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese, Potato Parmetier and Potato and Turnip Gratin as well as a bespoke Christmas range including Goose Fat Roast Potatoes and Red Cabbage and Apple and Brussels Sprouts with a twist.

Additionally there is another 12 product concepts under development, further adding to this exciting and complete range of vegetable accompaniments.

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Eye on Agri Food

Kestrel Foods Has Halloween Cracked Dried fruit and nut business launches heavyweight marketing strategy during landmark year for growth

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ctober marks a key trading period for Portadown based dried fruit and nut business Kestrel Foods. The company has invested heavily into its Forest Feast brand this Halloween, with a new suite of limited edition products launching, supported by a multimedia marketing campaign which will bring the range to life on TV, online, in press and in stores across Northern Ireland.

Having recently also made significant investment into its production facilities and securing growth throughout the domestic and international markets, this heavyweight Halloween marketing campaign is the latest step in Kestrel Foods’ ongoing growth strategy.

“This Halloween we are rolling out our new Forest Feast ‘Wooboo’ campaign, which will capture the family fun of the occasion. We have developed six individual characters, the Forest Feast ‘Wooboos,’ who will inject their personality into our new range through vibrant Halloween packaging, online interaction, point of sale material and TV advertising,” explains Lorraine Hall, Sales and Marketing Director with Kestrel Foods.

The campaign is an illustration of the business’ innovative brand and

marketing approach, aimed at achieving standout in the marketplace.

“We’re always thinking of creative new ways to grow our business, to take our product to market, to engage with consumers and stay ahead of the curve,” Lorraine continues.

“Halloween is naturally a key trading opportunity in the dried fruit and nut sector and we’ve put real innovation at the heart of our product and marketing strategy for this year’s season. Our focus is on driving sales for our retail partners whilst giving consumers a wider choice of products to meet their needs, from value to indulgent lines, sharing to snacking,” Lorraine said.

The multimedia campaign follows a major investment in production facilities at Kestrel Foods’ plant in Portadown. Its new roasting machinery has given the business complete in-house control of how it flavours and roasts ingredients to create its popular nut, fruit and seed products. This development will allow Kestrel to expand its portfolio through the creation of new flavours and product lines.

“2014 has been a significant year for our business,” Lorraine Hall continues.

“We’ve increased our production capacity, experienced both domestic and international sales growth for our Forest Feast brand and had an excellent response to our new sports nutrition range Acti-Snack across the UK, Ireland and international markets. In fact, our brands are now available in over 30 countries.”

A prime example of the pioneering nature of Northern Ireland’s thriving agrifood industry, Kestrel looks towards the next twelve months with confidence, “We’re confident that our Halloween campaign will drive further results for our Forest Feast brand in the final quarter and set the tone for an equally exciting year ahead in 2015,” Lorraine Hall said.

For more information on Kestrel Foods and Forest Feast’s Halloween campaign visit www.forestfeast.com

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Eye on Agri Food

Proud To Source Locally As a local company with its roots firmly entrenched in the business life of Northern Ireland, The Mount Charles Group understands the importance of supporting at every level the extraordinary quality of the produce that is generated in this country.

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e are committed to sourcing as much produce as possible from local farmers and growers.

The reasons for this are threefold; it minimises food miles and reduces carbon footprint, it meets client demands for local and sustainable produce and thirdly: the food grown here in Northern Ireland is first class, often of award winning quality.

We take huge pride in the fact that 70 per cent of our food produce is both locally sourced and fully traceable.

There is a complete authenticity to the food produced locally that sets it apart from its competitors and the reality is that the food we prepare has first to go through a rigorous vetting procedure in order to satisfy a chain that goes from buyer to chef.

In many ways the welldeserved reputational honesty of the products delivered from field to fork reflect the Northern Ireland psyche.

Over the years as we have continued to expand as a company, the core element of our success has been a focus on always striving to be the best.

There can be no half measures allowed in that business context.

The Mount Charles Group in its role as Ireland’s largest independent catering and business support services

organisation takes great pride in the fact that at every possible opportunity we fly the flag for the range, quality and sheer good value that our local food producers offer on a daily basis.

Over the past quarter of a century, we have been privileged to be asked to rise to the challenge of catering for Royalty, Presidents and Prime Ministers.

Our technical catering expertise in providing a multiplicity of services for world focused events such as the G8 Summit in Enniskillen and the historymaking Good Friday Agreement during that same 25 years have, at times, been stretched to quite extraordinary limits.

But at all times that reliance, that absolute trust that we have continually placed on the unique food heritage that is so much a part of the fabric of our local lives, has never failed to deliver.

That commitment to buying and supporting local farmers and producers, where at all possible, continues to be at the very top of our purchasing agenda.

Sourcing food that is part of the seasonal life of the Province is also a key factor in The Mount Charles Group fulfilling its commitment to minimise, where possible, the overall global carbon footprint.

In recent years question marks have arisen surrounding the

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director, The Mount Charles Group.

provenance of certain sectors of the food chain, generating many negative headlines.

It is an issue that as an organisation we take extremely seriously. The level of scrutiny that we demand on a daily basis is very necessary.

The question of trust in the quality of the product that we deliver to thousands of people on a daily basis across the island of Ireland and in Britain is one that we can never allow to be compromised.

Being able to rely on the excellence of the products that we regularly procure from local businesses, irrespective of their size, is a key factor in being confident that our service is of the highest standard.

The central most important criterion that we demand is

one that Northern Ireland producers across the wide spectrum of the local agri-food sector continue to rise to the challenge, however complex.

By doing so the ingrained ethos that is fundamental to The Mount Charles Group of supporting local business – and by extension local jobs - will continue to be delivered for the benefit of Northern Ireland’s agrifood producers and suppliers.

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Eye on Agri Food

Giving Top Buyers Food For Thought Top buyers from most of the biggest supermarket chains in the United Arab Emirates were in Belfast last month for a series of meetings that we set up for local food and drink companies.

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he visits coincided with the results of the Great Taste Awards, an event we’ve supported over many years and which saw a record number of gold stars for local food producers this year. In fact, an impressive eight foods, mostly meats, from here were subsequently listed by the influential UK Guild of Fine Food among the Top 50 Foods from the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe. Only the London region matched our achievements in the Top 50.

They included five from one company, Hannan Meats in Moira.

Organising buying visits by retailers and foodservice organisations in Britain, Ireland, other parts of Europe, as well as the Middle East, the US and China is a central feature of Invest NI’s marketing strategy to help accelerate the faster growth of our £4.5 billion food and drink industry. And it’s an industry which currently exports upwards of £1 billion annually and employs around 100,000 people across a robust and resilient supply chain. We are keen to assist the industry to realise its immense potential in global markets.

We also support these buying missions by hosting visits by leading food writers, who can influence buying decisions by shoppers, and also by providing material on our companies and their products to key international publications. The

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objective is to build awareness internationally of the quality, innovation, provenance and safety underpinning local food.

In addition to bringing buyers here for one-to-one meetings with companies, we operate a comprehensive trade development programme for local food and drink companies that helps them access opportunities quickly and cost-effectively in global markets through trade missions, participation in targeted exhibitions, from mentoring from experienced exporters; and market support particularly from Invest NI staff and advisors abroad.

Key elements of the programme are trade missions to key export markets and Northern Ireland Naturally stands at the most significant food shows including SIAL in Paris, ANUGA in Cologne, Gulfood in Dubai, Hotel and Hospitality in Shanghai, Fancy Food in San Francisco, as well as IFEX, Birmingham and Speciality Food in London.

These opportunities are identified internationally by a dedicated food marketing team within Invest NI that operates within an overall strategy to transform Northern Ireland into “an economy characterised by a sustainable and growing private sector, where a greater number of firms compete in global markets and there is growing employment and prosperity for all”.

John Hood, Invest NI Food Director, pictured with Pat Close, left, managing director of Lough Neagh Eels in Toome.

The success which local companies are now experiencing from our initiatives also influenced the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth – Investing in Success action plan for the industry’s international growth in the period to 2020.

Recent successes include Dale Farm, our biggest dairy business, securing significant orders in China, Antrim Hills Spring Water, Ballyclare supplying artesian spring water to foodservice organisations in Shanghai, Irwin’s Bakery gaining orders for traditional Irish breads and biscuits in the Emirates and China, and Fane Valley, Armagh signing export deals in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Algeria for milk powder. White’s Speedicook in Tandragee has succeeded in selling its porridge oats and oat snacks to China, Russia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Ballyrashane Creamery in

Coleraine is now selling an innovative textured butter to bakeries in Belgium, Germany and France for croissants.

Our food and drink industry is currently experiencing unprecedented growth in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia involving smaller companies such as Kettyle Irish Foods, Lisnaskea, Mash Direct, Comber, Heavenly Tasty Organics, Omagh, Kestrel Foods, Portadown, and Free-ist gluten-free products in Belfast.

For companies, both large and small and across all sectors, the benefits of international success are varied, the most important being greater wealth and better employment opportunities here. Exports can also lead to improved returns for our farms.

Invest NI has proven programmes and experienced staff to make it easier for companies of all sizes and in most sectors to win worthwhile business abroad.

Eye on Agri Food

ULSTER’S OLDEST DAIRY UNVEILS NEW £8m ‘HIGH CARE’ BUTTER PLANT Ulster’s oldest dairy, Ballyrashane, has unveiled a new state of the art £8m ‘high care’ butter plant it believes will drive fresh global export growth.

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nterprise Minister Arlene Foster and DARD Permanent Secretary, Noel Lavery were amongst VIPs and invited guests who attended today’s official opening ceremony on the outskirts of Coleraine.

The company has developed a new premium textured butter product aimed at key markets including France and Germany as part of the expansion, which the company believes will position it for further global growth.

According to Ballyrashane Chief Executive, Nigel Kemps, the new 35,000 sq ft production, chilled and deep freeze facilities - which are amongst the most advanced in Europe - will double manufacturing capacity of butter and enable the business to increase sales of its innovative premium butter products initially in target European markets.

“As well as enhancing our butter product offering and ensuring we can capitalise on the demand for our high-end textured butter products in locations such as Belgium, Germany and France the new equipment and technology will improve overall efficiency and thereby make us more competitive all-round,” Mr Kemps said today.

“We will be continuing to work closely with our sales and marketing partners Greenfields and De Brandt to fully exploit the opportunities the new facilities provide us.”

The Chief Executive added: “While this and other strategic initiatives will create around ten new jobs within Ballyrashane the emphasis is on sustaining current employment levels as efficiencies are improved so it really is good news for all our people, the local community, the 107 local farmers who supply us milk and

our extensive customer base.”

Invest Northern Ireland has offered Ballyrashane almost £1.3m of assistance towards the project, which includes research and development support part funded by the European Regional Development Fund with an additional £0.5m being provided

by Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) through its Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme.

Speaking at the ceremony to mark the plant’s official opening, Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster said: “This official opening marks the latest in a number of exciting developments at Ballyrashane which has continuously invested in its operations to maintain local employment and become even more efficient in a competitive market place. Its new world-class manufacturing facility is amongst the most advanced plants in Europe and will help to ensure that the company can continue to grow sales of its products to local and European customers.

“This investment will not only benefit Ballyrashane through strengthening its product portfolio and its business from customers outside Northern Ireland, it will further enhance its already substantial contribution to the Coleraine area and the wider Northern Ireland economy.”

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “I am pleased that Ballyrashane has availed of support from my Department, through the PMG Scheme, to build this state-of-the-art butter manufacturing facility. This development will work towards helping the company build on its success and increase further the

exports of its quality, innovative produce across Europe.”

Ballyrashane, a farmer-owned co-operative employs around 150 staff at its Headquarters on the north coast supplying milk to major retailers including Henderson Group (Spar & Vivo labels) and Marks & Spencer as well as specialist regato cheese for the Greek market.

The innovative business is also benefitting from the decision in 2012 to invest in a state-ofthe-art anaerobic digester which converts dairy waste into energy for use within the factory.

“Being able to generate

our own electricity was a key strategic decision made by the shareholders. This not only enables us to deal with waste very efficiently but also provides us with financial protection against increases in energy costs.”

Mr Kemps paid tribute to Ballyrashane staff and those involved with the construction of the new butter facility which was built and installed in a live operating environment.

“To have delivered such an ambitious project during a time when our production levels were already high is testimony to all concerned.”

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Eye on Agri Food

NI PORK GETS TESCO STAMP OF APPROVAL The Ulster Pork and Bacon Forum has devised the ‘Assured Origin’ scheme to promote Northern Irish pork products to shoppers throughout Northern Ireland. The scheme is a voluntary code of practice for the labelling of pork products – designed to communicate to shoppers that the sausages, bacon or cut of pork bearing the label has been produced in its entirety in Northern Ireland to some of the highest possible standards throughout Europe.

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he Forum recognised shoppers in Northern Ireland want to know where their pork products come from and are keen to support the local industry. As a result an advertising campaign is being rolled out to encourage consumers to look out for the ‘Assured Origin’ label when shopping in supermarkets, convenience stores or butcher counters.

Norman Robson, Chairman of the Pork & Bacon Forum comments: “The

‘Assured Origin’ label guarantees that the product it appears on – from pork chops to shoulder of pork – is wholly produced here in Northern Ireland to the highest possible standards. We are incredibly proud of our meticulous standards, our industry and the role it plays in our economy. We are also delighted Tesco and other major retail partners are supporting our campaign by stocking locally produced pork. Shoppers should look out for the label and enjoy what

Pictured launching the NI Pork ‘Assured Origin’ Campaign in Tesco Newtownabbey are (L-R) Deirdre McIvor Executive Director of the Pork & Bacon Forum, Caoimhe Mannion Marketing Manager Tesco NI and Norman Robson, Chairman of the Pork & Bacon Forum.

is arguably the finest bacon, sausage and fresh pork produced in Europe.”

The pig farming industry makes a significant contribution to the agri-sector in Northern Ireland sustaining over 400 farming families and 2,000 local jobs. The ‘Assured Origin’ label has been developed to help the local industry produce clear, consistent and unambiguous labelling to promote Northern Ireland Pork. The label tells shoppers that the product has been inspected, conforms to industry standards and that the producers and processors have committed to routine surveillance and ongoing spot checks.

Cliff Kells Tesco NI’s Commercial Manager comments: “Our commitment to the local food industry through the

Tesco Taste Northern Ireland campaign is well documented. We wholeheartedly embrace NI Pork’s ‘Assured Origin’ scheme as it lets our shoppers know that Tescobrand pork products are reared and produced in Northern Ireland. We believe our customers have a right to know where their food comes from and this campaign helps customers make informed choices about the origin of their pork products.”

The ongoing Tesco Taste Northern Ireland campaign is supporting the ‘Assured Origin’ scheme, re-enforcing its commitment to local produce in a month long period of promotions and events that helps showcase local suppliers and supports the burgeoning food sector in Northern Ireland.

Mash Direct ‘Takes Off’ With New Asda Export Deal Local company, Mash Direct has signed a UK-wide supply contract with Asda which will see seven new product lines being exported to 363 stores in England, Wales and Scotland .

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he new contract builds on Mash Direct’s existing relationship with Asda, and the new lines will be on shelves from 11th September with 350,000 products expecting to sell within the first week alone.

Mash Direct has experienced rapid growth over the past ten years, which has seen the company nearly double in capacity. The new Asda export contract has contributed to the necessity to construct a 25,000 square foot factory this year, as well as job creation across every level of the business to fulfil demand.

The lines range from traditional favourites such as mashed potato to spicy chilli baby bakes – baby potatoes sprinkled with breadcrumbs and

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seasoned with chilli. The majority of the potatoes and vegetables for the products are sourced fresh from their own family farm.

Susanna Hassard Regional Buying Manager for Asda NI and Scotland said, “We are committed to supporting local companies and putting Northern Irish suppliers on the map. Mash Direct is a superb example of a high quality, local supplier who is continuing to develop and grow. We are delighted to be able to showcase this fantastic local product to a wider audience, and once again highlight the expertise of the Northern Irish agri-food industry.”

Jack Hamilton Marketing and Export Director from Mash Direct commented: “We have been working with Asda for

a number of years, firstly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and now in England and Wales. This progression has come about through years of hard work, innovation and determination - as well as from the foresight of Asda to see the

potential to expand the category into new markets. From a family farm ten years ago, to Mash Direct being on the shelves of 363 Asda stores UK wide it has been a fantastic journey – and one we feel we are only starting!”

Eye on Agri Food

Seafood Pioneer Catches Attention Of Food Experts Walter Ewing monitoring salmon sides in the company’s smokery.

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Eye on Agri Food

The Ewing’s Seafood shop on the Shankill with, left, Walter Ewing and sons Crawford and Warren

Sam Butler talked to Crawford Ewing of Ewing’s Seafoods, the award-winning Belfast fishmonger about the company’s success.

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rawford Ewing is understandably proud of the achievements of Ewing’s Seafoods, the family fishmongers he runs with Walter, his father, and brother Warren on the Shankill Road in Belfast.

The remarkable achievements include seafood from the small business being listed among the Top 50 Foods in the UK, Ireland and other parts of Europe by the influential UK Guild of Fine Food over the past two years.

The products attracting the attention of the judges were smoked cod loins and the colourfully named ‘Walter’s Ma’s Slightly Smoked Scallops’. “The branding is a bit of fun that also has a serious side in that

Crawford Ewing pictured with one of the more exotic fish supplied by the company.

it reflects the heritage of the business,” he says. “We weren’t sure how the UK Guild of Fine Food judges would react to it.”

Crawford, the company’s commercial director, needn’t have worried because the judges, including food experts, journalists and chefs from across the UK and Ireland, clearly loved the innovation underpinning the branding and, above all, the outstanding taste of the smoked scallops.

Cod has been a regular feature of the business for over a century and generally sourced from fishing boats in Kilkeel and Portavogie.

“Our focus over the decades has been on quality products from local suppliers. While we buy seafood from abroad, especially Scotland, we prefer local suppliers because Northern Ireland has the best and tastiest seafood in the world,” he says.

“Our fish is harvested in cold

and invigorating water and comes back off day boats so not only is it of the highest quality but it’s much fresher by the time it reaches the plate than most other countries where fishing is a key industry. The salmon, for instance, is exceptional in terms of taste and texture because of where the farm is located out in the Irish Sea. “Endorsement by prestigious bodies such as the Guild of Fine Food is important to us particularly in Britain, a market we are keen to develop. They indicate exceptional quality and taste from our traditional artisan techniques and attention to detail.”

The seafood business, which employs 15 people, opened its doors on the Shankill back in 1911 and quickly became a regular ‘port of call’ for workers on the iconic Titanic on their way home from work. Interestingly, the company continues its links with the Titanic, supplying cod, smoked salmon and other seafood to chefs in the spectacular Titanic Signature building. The fresh salmon comes from the Glenarm Organic Salmon Company in Co. Antrim. The company’s smoked salmon is also now on sale at Belfast International Airport.

The smoked salmon has been bought by Selfridges on Oxford Street in London and supplied to a foodservice operator in Dubai for high-end hotels there.

It’s also attracted interest from top hotels in Hong Kong.

The salmon, smoked in the company’s own kiln in a stateof-the-art seafood processing unit in Kendall Street, which is just behind the Shankill fish shop.

The purpose-built factory was opened in 2000 and is fitted to

Ewing’s has a heritage dating back to 1911 when the shop opened on the Shankill.

the highest hygiene standards.

“Our seafood is smoked without any automated processes and does not involve any additives.

They are natural and handcrafted products using the best possible ingredients. The secret of the subtle flavours that the Great Taste judges admired is a unique smoking process using beech wood chippings, our own recipes and hand crafting techniques stretching back over 100 years,” he adds.

Deliveries of prime fish and shellfish are made daily in modern refrigerated vans to over 300 restaurants and hotels in Northern Ireland, including those run by the region’s most respected chefs.

Crawford also has a pivotal role in the development of new products, such as a honey-cured salmon, on which food businesses depend. As well as longstanding favourites, Ewings has a network of suppliers which enables the business to source exotic seafood from many parts of the world.

“We’ll sell anything that swims,” he adds. “We’ll only do so, however, when we are sure of its quality, taste and safety.

“We are operating in a fast moving and highly competitive industry in which chefs and consumers are continually looking for different taste experiences. We work closely with leading chefs in providing the quality and tasty products that they demand,” he adds.

The business is also unique in that it has prospered largely by word of mouth because of an attention to detail and superbly responsive customer service over the decades.

Smoked salmon from Ewing’s served in the Titanic Signature building.

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Eye on Agri Food

FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY BOARD MEETS IN BELFAST TO DISCUSS 2015 – 20 STRATEGY

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he Board of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has met in Belfast to discuss its 2015-20 strategy. During the two-day visit, members also spent time at two of Northern Ireland’s feed and food businesses.

At the family-owned Mash Direct in Comber, FSA staff and Board members were given a presentation

by MD Martin Hamilton, his wife

Tracy and son Lance, who are all involved in the business. They also toured the factory where the company produces more than 30 vegetable-based products.

Pictured (l-r):- Martin Hamilton, MD Mash Direct; Dr Etta Campbell, Deputy Chair, Food Standards Agency; and Michael Jackson, Head of Local Authority Policy & Delivery, Food Standards Agency NI.

YOGHURT FIRM SIGNS COSTA DEAL

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small County Down based food producer, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt has recently secured an order with coffee giant, Costa, to supply their artisan Greek style yoghurt to their Northern and Southern Ireland store in a deal worth an estimated £100,000 annually.

Costa has a network of 87 stores across Ireland and will be launching the Clandeboye Estate Greek yoghurt as part of a new nutritious tasty breakfast menu featuring mix and match yoghurt pots, crunchy granola and berry compotes.

The Clandeboye Estate yoghurt range is the only yoghurt made in Northern Ireland and is the brainchild of the Estate’s owner Lady Dufferin, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava. Lady Dufferin recognised a gap in the market for premium artisan yoghurt made from the milk from her prizewinning and much loved pedigree herd of Holstein and Jersey cows.

Lady Dufferin is pictured with one of those cows and Costa’s Deirdre Sloan outside the Costa outlet on Belfast’s Boucher Road.....a photograph which must have raised a few eyebrows in an area not well known for its farms.

JAMES STREET SOUTH TAKES TOP RESTAURANT CROWN

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estaurateur Niall McKenna and his award-winning team are celebrating after James Street South was named Northern Ireland’s restaurant of the year in the 2015 Waitrose Good Food Guide, and Cathedral Quarter new-comer Hadskis made the list for the first time.

James Street South fought off stiff competition from others in Northern Ireland to scoop the win for the region.

Hadskis – which only opened in October last year – will also feature in the prestigious guide.

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Niall McKenna, chef and owner of James Street South, The Bar+Grill and Hadskis, was delighted to win the award, commenting: “This hugely-important award win couldn’t come at a better time for us. We are about to execute a series of exciting new plans and investments over the next few months, which will see us unveil a brand new look for the restaurant and kitchen.

We’re also about to take on eight new apprentices in our kitchen in association with Belfast Metropolitan College.

“We’re thrilled that customers have taken time to vote us ‘Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland’, and that Hadskis has also been recognised as one of the best restaurants here.

We’re so pleased that our focus on quality, innovative cooking, locally-sourced produce, great staff and a warm ambiance have made such an impression,” said Niall.

Eye on Agri Food

TASTE OF SUCCESS FOR ‘FOOD TO GO’ EXHIBITION 32 local food and retail service companies showcased their new products, equipment and ideas to more than 200 independent retailers at a recent ‘Food to Go’ exhibition.

Sarah Doherty of Super Valu Waterloo Place, Derry~Londonderry, Avondale’s Colin Ferguson and MRPNI’s Trading Manager Lisa Muldoon are pictured at the recent ‘Food to Go’ exhibition.

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he event was hosted by Musgrave Retail Partners (MRPNI) at the Armagh City Hotel which gave suppliers the chance to interact directly with SuperValu, Centra and Mace retailers and promote the products and services available to enhance their stores and customers’ experience.

Suppliers ranged from Martin Food Equipment, Shopfit NI, Anachem and Kingsbury Packaging to Capitol Foods, Deli France, Fred C Robinson, Deli Lites, McDaids Bakery, Mars Food Service and Avondale.

Nigel Maxwell, MRPNI SuperValu & Centra Sales Director said: “The Food to Go Exhibition has provided a key opportunity for all retailers to experience innovative products, ideas and to interact with suppliers in person.

“We are delighted with the positive response to the event and are sure that those retailers who have availed of the opportunities on the day will drive sales in this key area of their business. Following the encouraging feedback from the exhibition we are confident this is something that will return next year,” he added.

Martin Kennedy of Deli France said: “This event offered a fantastic opportunity as a business owner to interact directly with independent retailers and I believe it will help drive business both for ourselves as suppliers and for the stores in their customer sales.”

MRPNI supports over 250 independent SuperValu, Centra and Mace retail stores in Northern Ireland, with a combined turnover in excess of £600 million.

MRPNI is part of the Musgrave Group, the leading partner to more than 3,500 entrepreneurial retailers and food service professionals in the UK, Ireland and Spain.

Martin Kennedy of Deli France, Chanelle Conway, MRPNI’s Food to Go Specialist, Peter McCool, store owner of Centra Ballymena and SuperValu Ballymoney and Olivia O’Brien of Deli France are pictured at the recent ‘Food to Go’ exhibition.

Chris McGeough of Martin Food Group, Chanelle Conway, MRPNI’s Food to Go Specialist, Kerrie-Ann Bresnahan of Centra Malone Road and Donagh McGoveran, store owner of Centra Malone Road and Centra Stranmillis Road are pictured at the recent ‘Food to Go’ exhibition.

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Eye on Agri Food

Simon Dougan and son Gary, chefs behind the success in Britain of Portadown’s Yellow Door Deli

Chefs With Taste For Business Success Sam Butler looks at some of the talented chefs now contributing to the creation of winning local food products.

Paul Rankin has advised several local food company especially Irwin’s Bakery in Portadown, reinventing traditional Irish breads

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elebrated chef Simon Dougan recently created a uniquely Northern Irish dish and lifted one of the most important awards in the European food calendar. Dougan’s Strangford Lough Prawns, Leeks and Comber Potato soup was chosen as the Deli and Farmshop Signature Dish of 2014 in the recent final in London of the UK Great Taste Awards.

It was the second successive year that Dougan, chief chef/managing director of the Yellow Door Deli in Portadown, gained the prestigious award. He won the award in 2013 with a beef stew using steak from Hannan Meats in Moira.

Dougan is among a growing cluster of talented local chefs now contributing to the creation of original food and drink that’s increasingly attracting the attention of ‘foodies’ in Britain, the Irish Republic and other parts of Europe. He also has an immensely successful catering operation.

Some chefs are working as new product advisers with local food companies, both large and small, others are running their own businesses including delis. Local chiefs like Michael Deane, Niall McKenna, Noel McMeel and Dean Coppard are also

contributing hugely to Northern Ireland’s emergence as a food tourism centre through the local ingredients used in dishes on their menus..

“Winning this major award in successive years is a marvellous endorsement of the quality of our food and of the superb ingredients which are all sourced from Northern Irish suppliers,” Dougan says.

“Our objective is to showcase the exceptional quality and provenance of Northern Ireland food to a discerning international audience.

What we are seeking to do is to create original Northern Irish dishes from the superb ingredients so readily available in this region,” he adds.

Dougan’s award winning soup is now on sale at delis across Northern Ireland and has been attracting approaches from beyond these shores. His Yellow Door company is also recognised as among the most innovative food businesses, supplying bakery products to the Republic, including cafes at Dublin International Airport with traditional Northern Irish traybakes.

A pioneer of supportive ideas for local food processors, of course, is Paul Rankin, a key figure in Northern Ireland’s transformation. Rankin

has worked with a number of local companies, probably the best known being Irwin’s Bakery in Portadown.

He is collaborating with the province’s last independent bakery on traditional Northern Irish breads such as potato and soda farls, fruit loaves and stoneground wheaten breads. Rankin’s branded breads are now on sale in Britain and the Republic and most recently were listed by a major supernarket chain in the United Arab Emirates, export business assisted by Invest Northern Ireland Colette Wilson, marketing manager of Irwin’s Bakery, is quick to acknowledge Rankin’s contribution to the company’s business in Northern Ireland and further afield. “We’ve benefited enormously from Paul Rankin’s expertise and brand identity,” she says Jenny Bristow has also helped smaller food companies on the road to success.

Tony O’Neill is carrying forward the popularity of the three Thornyhill Group restaurants he runs with partners Sam Spain and Michael O’Connor by launching a range of Italian-style sauces and fresh pasta.

The products are initially being sold through their three Belfast restaurants Il Pirata, Coppi and Barking Dog. The next stage could see them being available through social media and then retailers here and further afield. The sauces carry the established Coppi brand.

Coppi is Belfast’s first cichetti / bacari restaurant that’s inspired by those found throughout Venice, a bit like Spanish tapas dishes. More substantial ‘signature’ dishes include Steak Florentine, using Himalayan salt aged beef from premium local supplier Hannan Meats in Moira, winner of an impressive cluster of UK Great Taste Awards.

Another respected chef making a contribution through the development of both original and existing local food is Danny Millar through a range of catering activities including the recently lauched Poacher’s Pantry, a small deli adjunct to his Poacher’s Pocket restaurant at Lisbane, near Kiillinchy. He is also the chef behind the award-winning Balloo House restaurant at Killinchy and the Parson’s Nose in Lisburn.

As well as establishing a reputation as a great spot for hand crafted breads and fresh fish, Millar has recently launched his own Poacher’s Pantry branded products.

What the growing engagement of local chefs with small companies in particular adds up to is a dynamic and fast moving industry focusing increasingly of original and award-winning tastes.

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''Why I'm happy I chose the Henderson Group'' How and why did you start your Business?

I started up my business 21 years ago in response to the needs of the local community. It was clear the area needed a convenience store for the everyday essentials of the local people and one of which that in time would bring with it a host of benefits for everyone. I felt I could help to make a positive difference to the local community.

When did you begin working with the Henderson Group?

From the very start! 21 years ago I approached the Henderson Group to see what support and guidance they could provide. At the time they operated the VG brand and for me this is where it all began!

The business has gone from strength to strength and over the years the store has continued to develop and change.

It was in June 2013 that Millvale Service Station underwent a full refurbishment and brand change. Our new 2,600 sq ft store began operating under the SPAR Brand bringing with it a wider range of convenient services.

David Morrow SPAR Milvale Service Station, Bessbrook

What are the benefits of partnering up with the Henderson Group

?

The benefits are second to none! Firstly, the benefits of the SPAR Symbol! It has become a highly recognised, respected and most importantly trusted brand amongst the local community. Often it becomes a base for which the community rely on.

Aside from this are the huge benefits that Henderson Group provide . Since re-joining the Group in 2013 our product ranges and customer offers have significantly improved. The store now stocks more fresh and locally produced products than ever before and at great prices. The Henderson Group have continued to lower prices so we in turn can offer this saving on to our customers.

What are the biggest changes you have seen in store since the

beginning of this partne

rship?

The stores refurbishment which was supported by the Group has made a world of difference. The new brighter and better laid out store has created a much more pleasant shoppi ng experience and improved customer flow. The improved display units and point of sale are much more visually impacting and have helped to attract new customers. I really feel it has transformed the look and feel of the store.

Tell us about the support you receive?

Support is received in various forms, however one of the most significant has been in the form of staff training which is delivered through Henderson Group’s Academy. The training opportunities they offer have helped to improve our customer service and engagement. Overall they have also improv ed employee confidence which I think is vital for employee development.

Our store is fully supported by the Marketing Team which brings with it a host of support through different marketing materials including bespoke leaflets, POS, overbags, community initiatives and PR support.

We also receive total support from our dedicated Business Develo pment Manager who helps to drive our business forward. As a result we are made to feel an important part of the SPAR retailer network.

What practical advice would you give to a young budding entrep

reneur?

If you feel that you have a good idea and have carried out the researc h and a feasibility study... ‘Go for it’. Don’t be afraid to ask for support either!

ARE YOU SEARCHING FOR YOUR PERFECT RETAIL PARTNER?

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or email joinus@henderson-group.com

www.henderson-group.com

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Formerly ESB Independent Energy, we have a long history of investing in Northern Ireland’s electricity network and are continually looking for ways to help our growing number of customers control their costs.

Talk to our dedicated business team about how we can help you reduce your costs and use energy more efficiently.

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Eye on Banking

Bank of Ireland UK: In Business for Business Bank of Ireland UK has big ambitions both for itself and for local businesses in Northern Ireland.

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ean Sheehan, Head of Small Business & Agriculture, Bank of Ireland UK says: “We have a reputation as one of the leading business banks in Northern Ireland but we’d like to be number one.

We’re committed to supporting the growth of small businesses and the development of a strong and vibrant local economy.

With more than £500m of new lending made to local companies in 2013, Sean is adamant they will substantially exceed that figure this year. He says: “We’re supporting all industry sectors from manufacturing, retail and healthcare to agriculture, food distribution and property and we have the capital to lend more.”

The timing is good. In a survey undertaken by Bank of Ireland UK earlier this year some 86% of small and medium sized companies in

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Northern Ireland described themselves as either growing or stable, while 68% were optimistic about growth in the second half of 2014.

Yet while the finance is important, Sean identifies a number of other critical factors which set Bank of Ireland UK apart from its competitors.

“We have recently completed a £10m investment programme to upgrade and modernise the branch network, including the opening of a new branch at Culmore Road in Derry / Londonderry, to improve the access to finance for young enterprises.

“We have grown the number of business banking experts working across the bank’s branch network in Northern Ireland, to give customers unparalleled access to banking expertise.

“We understand the local market, and we understand how important

it is to have local business advisors on the ground providing speedy decision making and, crucially, developing strong and lasting relationships with customers.

“We’ve also simplified our processes and improved access to finance for small businesses with our 3 Step Business Credit Application Process.”

And there’s more. Bank of Ireland UK is a local bank with a strong international reach. As a bank operating across the island of Ireland they have the knowledge and experience to support customers trading across the border. Their partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Connecting for Growth Programme also offers opportunities for local business to export while their dedicated Global Markets Team can help small businesses with ambitions to trade further afield.

Sean says: “We’re part and parcel of the business community here and have been since we opened our first Belfast branches in 1825.

“We work hard to develop the right vehicles to promote enterprise. Our Enterprise Week initiative and our partnerships with industry bodies such as NICCI and the Northern Ireland Science Park’s INVENT 2014 enable us to provide Northern Ireland’s enterprises with the kind of relevant support they need to succeed in their ambitions.”

Bank of Ireland UK understands that establishing a new business or expanding one is rarely without its challenges so if you’d like to talk business with the experts then drop into your local branch to speak to one of our Business Advisors.

We’re here for the business with big ideas Bank of Ireland UK can help your business reach the next level. If you’re looking to grow your business then increasing your cashflow and unlocking assets could be the answer.

Talk to us today to see how we can support your business with: - a self-securing and flexible working capital solution - access to a local business advisor who has specialist knowledge of your sector

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Call in to your local branch to speak to one of our Business Advisers today

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All lending facilities are subject to the Bank’s lending conditions. Terms and Conditions available from your local branch.

Bank of Ireland Commercial Finance is a member of the ABFA and operates its business in compliance with the ABFA Code for members. Bank of Ireland UK and Commercial Finance are trading names of Bank of Ireland (UK) plc. Registered in England and Wales (No. 7022885), Bow Bells House, 1 Bread Street, London EC4M 9BE. 8676140916

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Eye on Community

Belfast City Airport Partners With Cinemagic Film Festival For Under 12s Film Education Programme

The action packed Cinemagic Film and Television Festival for under 12 year olds launched with a preview of The Boxtrolls (Universal Pictures) in August at Odeon Cinemas.

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he Festival returned to the silver screen for its 25th Anniversary Edition, on 3rd October (continuing until 17th October), with new film previews from around the world, CineSeekers film review panels, film & television workshops and a film education programme in partnership with George Best Belfast City Airport, designed to motivate, educate and inspire young people.

The October programme featured special gala screenings: the UK premieres of Maya The Bee Movie and The Legend of Longwood, and previews of Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and The Book of Life, much to the delight of its young audiences!

The weekend cinema programmes in October featured 14 other must-see special previews from around the world including the Brazilian animation, The Boy and the World (Northern Ireland Premiere), the new German adaptation of The Little Match Girl(UK Premiere), the Spanish comic book adaptation, Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang, and

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the French/Chinese heart-warming adventure, The Nightingale.

Teachers learnt how to introduce learning through film into the classroom with the exciting film education programme featuring interactive discussions, demonstrations and workshops from BBFC, Aardman Animations, Oscar nominated Irish Animation studio, Cartoon Saloon, Flickerpix, Young Irish Filmmakers, voice actor, Marc Silk (Johnny Bravo, Star WarsEpisode 1) and Children’s Books Ireland with Fermanagh born author Nigel McDowell. Budding filmmakers were given the opportunity to enter the AES Cinemagic Young Filmmaker Competition and the all new ‘we are the energy’ category for films about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths)!

The world of animation came alive with Junior Talent Lab masterclasses in stop motion animation with Flickerpix in association with Belfast Photo Festival Youth Edition and model making with animator Tim Allen (Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride).

Children had the chance to find out about the workings of some of their favourite film and television programmes with a BAFTA Children’s: Behind The Scenes event featuring CBBC presenters Katie Thistleton and Ben Shires (Officially Amazing!) who hosted a showcase of the films, television, games and websites nominated at last year’s BAFTA Children’s Awards. A fun mix of live demonstrations and behind-the-scenes films highlighted the talent behind the nominations from actors to animators, designers to directors.

There was even more cinematic fun for mini film fans on board The Belfast Barge with early years drama workshops with Debutots, pre-school entertainment and workshops along with screenings of The Jungle Book, Aladdin and Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

Joan Burney Keatings MBE, Cinemagic Chief Executive said: “With support from our funders and sponsors we were delighted to present our Festival for Under 12s this October in venues across Belfast and throughout Northern Ireland. Our film programme

has a vast range of films from around the world and our comprehensive education and workshop programme provide young people with an insight into various film and television disciplines.”

Michelle Hatfield, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Belfast City Airport, said: “One of the aims of the airport’s Community Fund is to help increase access to imaginative and memorable experiences for young people in the local community and to create a lasting legacy.

It is for this reason we are so delighted to partner Cinemagic across the wonderful programme of events, which not only educate but entertain all who partake.

“It was wonderful to welcome the young people and their families to the airport as we hosted a number of workshops in the terminal, and look forward to working with, and supporting, Cinemagic in the future.”

Richard Williams, CEO, Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to see the eclectic programme of screenings and educational events at the Cinemagic Film Festival in Belfast this year for the young people of Northern Ireland.

Through our continued core funding, supported by DCAL, Northern Ireland Screen acknowledges the Cinemagic Film Festival in Belfast as a key component in our efforts to achieve our goal of making a significant contribution to film culture, education and training. We send our sincerest congratulations to Joan and her team for another successful festival.”

The Cinemagic International Film and Television Festival for Young People is funded by Northern Ireland Screen supported by DCAL, Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Belfast City Council, Department for Social Development, and is presented in partnership with George Best Belfast City Airport.

For more information about the airport’s Community Fund, which has invested more than £170,000 into local projects and groups, please visit www. belfastcityairport.com

CALLING NORTHERN IRELAND’S BRIGHTEST MANAGERS Enter the CMI National Management & Leadership Awards

Now in its fifth year, the annual National Management & Leadership Awards recognise the highest standards of excellence in managers and leaders.

With a range of categories for individuals, teams and organisations, it’s the foremost awards programme for managers in the private, public, third sectors and SMEs.

If you’d like to shine a light on your own or your team’s exceptional management skills, simply enter today by visiting www.nml-awards.com

Eye on News

HARBOUR PUSHING FORWARD WITH CITY QUAYS HOTEL

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lans to develop a new hotel on Belfast’s waterfront have taken a significant step forward with an invitation from Belfast Harbour to hotel operators to submit expressions of interest.

The hotel proposal, based in Belfast

Harbour’s 20-acre, £250m City Quays development, has been published in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) and described as “a 150 to 200 bedroom upscale hotel”.

In July the City Quays’ master plan was granted planning permission, including

outline approval for a hotel of up 26,850 sq m. The OJEU notice marks the next step in the ongoing regeneration of a key waterfront, city-centre location.

Graeme Johnston, Belfast Harbour’s Property Director, said: “City Quays is an exciting opportunity to progress the historic regeneration of Belfast’s waterfront, creating a rejuvenated area stretching from Clarendon Dock to Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.

“City Quays 1, a Grade ‘A’ office development, is already under construction and planning for an adjacent office project, City Quays 2, has been submitted. To complement these developments, along with plans for residential and local retail space, we aim to build a new waterfront hotel. To achieve a best-in-class product we are seeking expressions

of interest to secure the expertise of an experienced hotel operator.

“Demand for hotel space in Belfast is strong and improving, and if a suitable operator is identified, there is the potential for the new hotel to be open and ready for business by 2017.”

Last month ASM Chartered Accountants’ published its annual Northern Ireland Hotel Industry survey which found that demand for bedrooms had grown during the year, with an average bedroom occupancy rate of 74.8%, up from 73.2% in 2012. Total revenues were also up 9.8% year-on-year.

Overnight visitors to Northern Ireland were up 6% in 2013 spending £723m. This was driven by a wide variety of conferences and events such as the World Police & Fire Games.

Government tourism targets aim to attract 4.5m visitors annually by 2020.

LUKE SIGNS FOR LAND ROVER

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lster and Ireland rugby star Luke Marshall has joined the team at Charles Hurst Land Rover in an important deal which appoints the Irish International as the official ambassador for the Land Rover brand at Charles Hurst.

As part of the six-month deal, Luke will work closely with Charles Hurst Land Rover on a range of exciting projects, including live events, to help promote the Charles Hurst Land Rover brand. Luke, 23, said he was looking

BANK’S NEW PAYMENTS DEAL

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ank of Ireland has announced that it has entered into a long-term, exclusive relationship with EVO Payments International (EVO), a leading card payment acquirer and payment service provider operating in the United States, Canada and Europe, to provide merchant acquiring services in the Republic of Ireland

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and Northern Ireland. Under this exclusive arrangement, Bank of Ireland and EVO will provide merchant customers with a wide range of market-leading debit and credit card payment solutions.

By combining EVO’s full suite of services with the Bank’s reputation and reach, Bank of Ireland UK Payment Acceptance will offer a

variety of solutions that will appeal to both new and existing customers.

Pictured at the launch are (Left) Andy White – Head of Sales Ireland & UK, EVO Payments International; (Centre) Sean Sheehan, Regional Director, UK Consumer and Small Business at Bank of Ireland UK, (Right) Niall Hodson – Chief Operating Officer, EVO Payments International

forward to the challenge as he took the keys to his new Freelander.

Former Ballymena player Marshall recently signed a three year deal with Ulster, and is the winner of 5 International caps. The playmaker made his international debut for Ireland in 2012, and is expected to be the sides long-term number 12 ahead of the 2015 World Cup. He is pictured with Stephen Surgenor, Dealer Principal at Charles Hurst Land Rover, Belfast.

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Eye on Digital

Unfriending Facebook Why Many of us are Jumping Ship in Favour of other Networks Six weeks and two days… that’s how long my Facebook’s been deleted.

No, not the ‘Deactivate my account’ that used to be the only option if you wanted to leave, but deleted deleted, with - supposedly - all info, photos, and boring statuses erased, never to return. It was a bit strange at first - particularly for someone who works in digital and social media - but in the end I feel I made the right choice. There are just so many other social platforms and digital resources that are far more specialised, engaging and tailored to my needs. And I’m not alone in my decision.

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hile under two thirds of us are still active users, some people are starting to turn away from this giant of social media individuals and brands alike. In the next month, we’ll discuss the issues with Facebook for brands and businesses. This month, let’s look at the consumer...

Information Overload In a society increasingly more aware of the issues of data privacy - yet where very few of us understand how to do anything about it - the recent T&Cs that came with an update to Facebook’s messenger were met with some serious concern.

If you still have the messenger app on your mobile device today, it means you’ve given the social media network permission to…

- Read your online browsing history - Read anything on your USB/mobile SD card - Read your activity on your other apps, - Control your mobile connection and the data you receive - Use your caller ID - Record audio, video and images - Read your calendars, events and all info contained therein and change those events - Know your precise location and access ‘extra location

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commands’ (presumably using wifi, which uses triangulation so that someone can tell not just which building you’re in, but which room) - Read all your text messages, edit and send ones - Rewrite your call log and make calls without your intervention.

Now while Facebook will retort that they are forced to request such permission due to restrictions placed upon them by Android (for example), the fact remains that you have essentially handed over control of your device, identity and data history to the company.

A company whose relationship with US and UK governments is dubious at best. This would appear to be the ‘line’ for some consumers - giving cause enough to finally break the bond and opt instead for some alternative social networks.

Filter Failure Facebook has transformed our lives from how we do business and how we interact on a personal level, to how we build our own identity. Yet we know surprisingly little about how it really affects us. FOMO or Fear of Missing Out, is a recognised psychological issue, literally caused by ‘status anxiety’ - a compulsion that you have missed an opportunity for social interaction.

Your Facebook timeline happens to be full of such triggers weddings, parties, holiday snaps, academic achievements, baby scans, work promotions, perfect Christmas family pics and of course, a milllion and one selfies.

Every social status posted on Facebook is personally ‘curated’ to show off our lives in the best light. Can you remember the last time you posted something like “Just sat and ate a whole block of cheese while watching Oprah reruns for four hours.” or “Really worried my kid’s a total underachiever. :( ” No, didn’t think so. Trouble is, while we may be aware we curate ourselves, we’ve trouble believing it’s the same story for everybody else in our feed too. So, is Facebook ultimately making us unhappy?

I guess this isn’t so much a problem when you consider it as a stand alone network - perhaps just mildly irritating. However, when you throw in the other apps, social networks and websites that you use, it can all get a bit overwhelming. There’s that series on Netflix you want to watch, the two newspapers you scan online every day, that online course you want to do, that audiobook, your Twitter feed, Whatsapp, Instagram, exploring Spotify, Snapchat, Pinterest, that new cat video on YouTube,

by Rachel Ray (Strategic Planner) of digital agency Simply Zesty TED Talks about information overloads… what we are left with is not only a feeling we are not achieving the most out of our lives in comparison to others, but a feeling that we are not even getting the full story about what’s going on out there. As the comedian Louis CK says, this leads to a situation where ‘everything’s amazing and nobody’s happy’.

Eventually, just as we curate the information we put out in the websphere, so to must we curate the information coming in.

In a world where social platforms become more and more niche and specialised, Facebook - with it’s updates about your cousin’s ex-wife’s dog and their weekly tinkering with algorithms - may not make the cut. With many Gen X and Y-ers, this is certainly the case. Even Facebook themselves have admitted it’s lost its ‘cool’ amongst the kids - who are opting for other channels like SnapChat, Viber, Whisper, Reddit for news or enjoying blogging instead. So if Facebook is your only social network, perhaps it’s time to get out and explore.

Because, as they say, there really is no such thing as information overload, only filter failure.

Eye on News

DELOITTE ANNOUNCES JOBS BOOST Deloitte in Belfast is investing more than £30 million over the next five years creating a further 338 jobs across a range of services including technology.

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hase two, launched by First Minister, Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, will deliver 338 jobs by 2019 in addition to the 177 positions announced in phase one last year.

When complete the new 338 jobs will inject a massive £11.4m annually in salaries into the local economy and bring the total number employed

by Deloitte in Northern Ireland to more than 700.

The company is already in the market for new and larger premises given the success of its Belfast Delivery Centre and the need to house more than 500 extra staff.

Senior partner, Jackie Henry, said; “This is a proud and exciting day for Belfast, Northern Ireland and Deloitte. This significant investment in digital and analytics services as well as finance, pensions and actuarial consulting tells the world that here in Northern Ireland we have the skills, the wherewithal and the ambition to succeed in globally competitive markets.

“Our schools and colleges, our departments of education and employment and learning and Invest NI can take satisfaction from the fact that they are producing and supporting competently skilled people for a 21st century economy.

“The choice of Belfast for this investment is significant, and was made in the face of strong international competition.

“The excellent performance of the Belfast Technology Studio since it was set up in 2011, together with the support from government, made Northern Ireland stand out as the best place to grow this aspect of our business.”

She thanked the First and Deputy First ministers, DETI minister Arlene Foster, Invest NI and DEL minister Stephen Farry for their support.

“The encouragement and help given by the Department for Enterprise Trade and Investment remains significant and we are delighted to have them as partners in this venture,” added Mrs Henry.

While many of the jobs being created are in technology, that in turn has given a platform for the growth of other service areas such as tax, finance and pensions and actuarial consulting.

Indeed Deloitte has a close partnership with the actuarial degree course offered by Queen’s University, offering careers and work experience to students.

“The range of work to be carried out by these new staff is broad and exciting and at

the leading edge of global services fulfilment,” said Jackie Henry. “The services will attract work from client companies around the world.”

Following the firm’s phase-one announcement the business is on track to fill the initial 177 posts. Recruitment is moving forward rapidly and the additional 338 posts announced today will be in place by 2019.

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simplyzesty.com / @simplyzesty 87

Eye on News

Four NI Firms In Euro Awards Four businesses from Northern Ireland have been named National Champions in The European Business Awards sponsored by RSM International. Randox Laboratories, Almac, TG Eakin and Hill Engineering will now go through to the second phase of this prestigious competition. In total, 709 companies, across 33 European countries have been named as National Champions.

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panel of independent judges, including senior academic and business leaders, selected the National Champions after the European Business Awards engaged with over 24,000 companies this year, a 40% increase from last year and a record-breaking number for the competition now in its eighth year.

Many of the categories saw an increase, with key increases in the Business of the Year Award category in the two turnover brackets of €0-25m and €150m or higher, and the RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The top three sectors represented this year are IT Technology, Manufacturing and Food and Drink.

David Watters, Managing Partner of RSM McClure Watters said: “It is very pleasing to see how many of the Northern Ireland entrants have been successful in this year’s National Awards. This highlights the world class quality of enterprises based here and reiterates the fact that Northern Ireland is more than capable of competing on a global stage”.

He added: “I would expect some of these companies to perform strongly

when the European Winners are announced in June 2015 and we at RSM McClure Watters wish them every success in the European round.”

Adrian Tripp, CEO of the European Business Awards said: “Congratulations to all of these businesses from Northern

Ireland. It is a great achievement to be named National Champion in this tough competition where the standard is very high. The next part of the competition is when things get really exciting!”

Details of the winners can be found at www.businessawardseurope.com

FINANCE MINISTER HELPS RAINBOW MARK GOLDEN YEAR In August 2013, the then newly appointed Finance Minister Simon Hamilton paid a visit to Rainbow Communications, Northern Ireland’s leading independent telecommunications provider as one of his first Ministerial engagements.

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ow, one year on, Minister Hamilton has returned to the Belfast-based telecommunications company to help celebrate a landmark year for the business. In the past 12 months, Rainbow Communications has effectively doubled the size of its business and now employs over 100 people. A key factor in its stellar performance over the last 12 months was the acquisition in June of the customer base of UTV Connect, which added significant customer numbers across the UK and Ireland.

Eric Carson of Rainbow

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Communications said: “We are delighted to welcome Minister Hamilton back to our expanding head office. When he last visited we outlined our hopes and vision for the business over the next 5-10 years but even our most optimistic projections for the last 12 months have been well and truly surpassed.

When an acquisition of this size presents itself, you have to move quickly and ensure that the whole team embraces the prospect for what it is, a golden opportunity to effectively double the size of our business in an acquisition. Rainbow Communications was delighted

to welcome Minister Hamilton a year ago and give him a flavour of our business and it gives us even greater pleasure to welcome him back after what has been a truly monumental year for our company. Today we are celebrating a momentous year for Rainbow Communications and I am confident that we can continue to progress and expand in the years ahead.”

Finance Minister Simon Hamilton said: “Rainbow Communications’ significant growth over the last year can be contributed to the company’s strong leadership and customer focus. This independent

business has secured large contracts to establish a strong foot-hold in the local and Republic of Ireland telecoms market. As the Northern Ireland economy recovers I hope to see more companies, like Rainbow Communications, expand and grow to help build a prosperous local economy.”

Rainbow Communications is Northern Ireland’s largest independent business telecoms company providing calls and lines, mobiles, broadband, systems, cloud telephony, IT services, data and more to thousands of businesses throughout the UK and Ireland.

Eye on Giving

Maeve Monaghan Chief Executive of NOW Group – Social Enterprise Supporting People With Learning Difficulties.

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

I started to get involved with giving at the age of six back in the housing estate I grew up in Maghera. Myself, my sister and our friends would hire out our roller boots and sell Soda Stream drinks to our friends to raise money for organisations such as the local hospital, youth club or cancer charity. For me, giving has been about community and understanding that we all have a responsibility for each other, whether it is giving your time, your talents or your money. More recently I have been introduced to the term ‘Philanthropy’ which, although a grander term, still means that you give as much as you can to those in your community or further afield who need it.

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

I work for a charitable Social Enterprise that channels corporate giving to make an impact on the lives of local people of all learning abilities. My giving is personal and includes my Church and some local and international charities close to my heart. I am also a founder member and current Chair of Give Inc, which was set up as Ireland’s first Giving Circle. We are a group of 30+ professional women who meet socially and pool our money (£1 perday) to local people in need. I see it as the perfect model of community.

It is really great fun and has led to us giving away over £40,000.

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

I give my money to a number of local and international charities. I also give my time and my skills as I sit as a volunteer Director on the Boards of C03 - a support organisation for CEOs in the third Sector - and Building Change Trust - an endowment fund set up by Big Lottery Fund NI to support the sustainability, collaboration and innovation in the third sector.

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

In Give Inc we don’t want to be too restrictive, but we regularly review the areas we are keen to fund and they tend to be causes relating to women, children, young people and education.

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

Give Inc tends to fund individuals, particularly those in crisis, so we don’t have long term relationships with recipients. Having said that, we do fund a travel kitty for a Domestic Abuse organisation that helps children in emergency accommodation to travel to and from school.

When we set up Give Inc we were keen to make it as free from process as possible.

Members propose who they wish to fund and then members vote to fund or not.

Some people are surprised at the lack of structure but we wanted to keep the process as fun and flexible as possible.

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

Yes. I believe we live in communities

which only thrive when we are collectively responsible for its successes and the failures. I do mourn the loss of the sense of community locally and worry that we have retreated into our homes and businesses and feel safer giving remotely and with little personal contact. I have found that when people are asked they are keen to get involved and give their time, talents or money (where possible), but in many cases they just haven’t been asked. Lots of valuable services that make a real difference to the lives of people in our community depend on you, me and companies giving. The challenge is to make sure that people are asked and, if they agree, they can clearly see what impact their giving makes in their communities.

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

Don’t sit back waiting on being asked, put your hand up and say you want to get involved! I look back to the early days of Give Inc and am so proud of our determination and bravery. We are by no means a big philanthropic giver, but what business can learn from us is that in order to make giving really work

it needs to engage people, it needs to clearly demonstrate what difference it’s making and the giving process should be fun. We are all responsible for our communities and business certainly has its role to play. Profit is good but it’s what you do with it that counts.

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

As I said before, most people are willing to give when asked but many aren’t asked. I think Giving Northern Ireland is important as a mechanism to open up discussions about giving and philanthropy which historically might have been a much more private conversation. As our society changes, local government budgets are cut and funding dries up, individual and business giving has an amazing opportunity to lead the field in innovative giving that makes an impact. It’s still early days, but I can already see how Giving Northern Ireland is opening up conversations and changing how we think of giving back.

And this can only be a good thing.

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Award Categories & Criteria There will be 17 different categories for the 2014 Awards...

Business Personality of the Year SPONSORED BY

The Northern-Ireland based business personality who in the opinion of the judging panel has contributed most to the local business sector and the local economy as a whole in the last 12 months.

SME of the Year Award SPONSORED BY

The small to medium-sized enterprise (up to 50 employees) which, in the opinion of the judges, can demonstrate significant business growth over the past year to 18 months across any sector of the local economy.

Employer of the Year Award SPONSORED BY

The Northern Ireland company or organisation which, in the view of the judges, has done the most to create a balanced, satisfying and fulfilling working environment for its employees.

SPONSORED BY

This category sets out to identify the achievements of Northern Ireland’s young (35 years old or under) entrepreneurs and business leaders, with entrants able to demonstrate clear achievement and dynamism in their chosen field.

Company of the Year Award SPONSORED BY

The Northern Ireland-based private sector company which has made the biggest positive impact across the spectrum over the past 12 month period in the view of the judges‌ for reasons which may include business and/or employment growth, acquisitions or other deals, export achievement, etc.

Retailer of the Year The retail organisation, ranging from international/national chains through to locally owned groups, which has made the most significant contribution to Northern Ireland, in terms of investment, innovation, expansion or growth.

Business Consultancy of the Year Award The Northern-Ireland based business personality who in the opinion of the judging panel has contributed most to the local business sector and the local economy as a whole in the last 12 months.

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Young Business Personality of the Year

Tourism / Hospitality Project of the Year SPONSORED BY

The individual project within Northern Ireland which, in the view of the panel, has done most to raise standards in the hospitality industry and to attract more tourists to the region.

Best Digital/Online Company of The Year The company or organisation which has demonstrated the most successful and most innovative use of online/digital technology to advance its business aims.

Entrants can include organisations which have successfully adapted to online/digital from more traditional foundations as well as pure online/digital enterprises.

enter online at utvawards.businesseye.co.uk

Agri Food Innovation Award

Research & Development Project of the Year

SPONSORED BY

A new award category reflecting the strength and growth of the Northern Ireland agri-food and food processing sectors. The awards sets out to recognise the organisation which can demonstrate outstanding innovation in a sector where innovation is crucial to business sector. This can apply to new product innovation, innovation in manufacturing process or innovation in product marketing.

Evidence of commerical success or commercial potential as a resuilt of innovation should be demonstrated.

Deal of the Year Award SPONSORED BY

This award will recognise the merger, acquisition, MBO, MBI, new start or key investment deal which, in the opinion of the judging panel, has produced benefits for the company or companies concerned as well as for the wider Northern Ireland economy.

Business / Education Award SPONSORED BY

Open to companies and organisations which can show clear evidence of an innovative research and development project either on an in-house basis or on behalf of clients.

International Award

An award which will recognise the best of business education.

The award can be for companies or public sector organisations providing education for business programmes, or for private sector organisations forging links with education bodies.

SPONSORED BY

This award is open to organisations trading internationally from Northern Ireland, and will recognise the most important achievement/ contribution by such a company outside of Northern Ireland during the period, whether in terms of export sales, overseas expansion/ investment or acquisition.

Waste Reduction Project of The Year SPONSORED BY

Green Company of the Year Award SPONSORED BY

This award sets out to recognise achievement by a private sector Northern Ireland organisation towards the wider environmental cause. This may focus on a wide programme of environment measures, or one specific initiative which improves a company’s environmental contribution.

Fleet Manufacturer of the Year SPONSORED BY

This award provides the opportunity for both private and public sector organisations, and especially those in the hospitality industry, to gain recognition for their outstanding waste reduction initiatives. Entrants will be judged on waste reduction measures including best practice, originality, exemplarity, quality of content and focus on waste prevention as well as long-term and lasting impact including waste from landfill.

The motor manufacturer who consistently offers the best range of fleet vehicles to the business sector. Based upon BIK taxation, Co2 emissions, MPG figures, whole life costs and desirability.

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AND

T ITA NI C

MOTOR

S HOW

SPONSORED BY

Fri 24th & Sat 25th April

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.

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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 it’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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T ITA NI C

MOTOR

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SPONSORED BY

Belfast’s iconic Titanic Building and the Titanic Slipways around it will be the unique setting for the 2015 Business Eye Fleet Awards & Titanic Motor Show sponsored by City Auction Group.

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he whole event will span two days – Friday 24th April and Saturday 25th April, 2015.

During the day of Friday, 24th April, fleet buyers and business motorists will have a chance to view the very latest fleet models and

sample them as part of a ride & drive day, with a number of routes set out around the area.

In addition, City Auction Group will be conducting live car auctions just outside Titanic Belfast, with a series of business vehicles up for sale.

The prestigious Business Eye Fleet Industry Awards will take place in Titanic Belfast on the evening of Friday, 24th April, with leading fleet operators, fleet suppliers and car manufacturers bidding for awards across a total of 14 different categories:While Friday’s events – both daytime and evening – will be for the fleet and business motoring industries and business car buyers, Saturday,

25th April will be open to the public and will see Northern Ireland’s first ever open air motor show packing the area around Titanic Belfast.

All of the leading car manufacturers are expected to have a presence at the Titanic Motor Show, and thousands of visitors could flock to the area to see the vehicles on show.

“We’re really looking forward to bringing the Business Eye Fleet Awards & Titanic Motor Show to Titanic Belfast for the first time, and we’re delighted that the business community and public are responding well to the action-packed two days in late April,” says Brenda Buckley, Commercial Director of Business Eye.

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 Fleet Awards Winner Profiles Service Maintenance Dealership of the Year Group

Lifetime Achievement Award

Fleet Provider of the Year

Sponsored by Europcar

Sponsored by Maxol

Sponsored by NIIB

Winner - Charles Hurst

Winner - Colin McNab

Winner - Fleet Financial

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harles Hurst Group forms the Northern Ireland and Ireland division of Lookers PLC, the UK (Manchesterbased) multi-franchise dealer group and one of the country’s largest car retailers.

Charles Hurst is the largest car retailer in Northern Ireland employing over 800 people across 12 sites throughout the province and is regarded as one of the region’s business success stories with an annual turnover in excess of £325 million.

It is also positioned as one of the Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies year-on-year.

The Group’s headquarters are located in Belfast on a 30 acre site – the largest retail car park in Europe.

Northern Ireland’s largest seller of both new and used cars, Charles Hurst has an unrivalled Specialist Car Division, located on the Boucher Road in Belfast.

Apart from classic marques like Bentley, Jaguar and Lexus, the company has franchises for Ferrari, Maserati and Aston Martin with factory–trained technicians on site for each marque all Ireland.

The Group also has franchise agreements with some of the most popular volume marques including Vauxhall, Citroen, Peugeot, Toyota, Renault, Kia, Nissan and Dacia.

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C

olin McNab is Operations Director for Charles Hurst group and one of Northern Ireland’s most experienced motor industry experts.

Colin, originally from Belfast, has worked at Charles Hurst for 37 years in a number of roles and across many motor brands. His career started with Rover where he worked in both Sales and After-sales. He became the Branch Manager for Charles Hurst Renault at Mallusk in 1985 before being promoted to Franchise Director for the Charles Hurst Renault businesses in 1989. Following this promotion, Colin also took over operational responsibility for Nissan and Usedirect, the used car division of the Group.

A Fellow of the Institute of Motor Industry since 1980, Colin’s role is to build on the strong foundations already in place and grow the Charles Hurst business across the province. Charles Hurst employs over 800 people across 12 sites throughout Northern Ireland and is regarded as one of the region’s business success stories with an annual turnover in excess of £325 million. It is also positioned as one of the Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies year-on-year.

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leet Financial is a dynamic, forwardthinking, customer focused Contract Hire, Leasing and Vehicle Management Company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland with offices also in Manchester, UK. Established in February 1996, Fleet Financial has grown year on year and now manages close to 4,000 vehicles in Northern Ireland, UK and ROI. Its customers range from sole traders and small firms to some of the province’s best known companies – including Graham Construction, Gilbert-Ash, Phoenix Gas, Dale Farm and SHS Group – to GB-based plcs like Sky Corporation and C&C Group.

With transport cited as the second largest overhead for most businesses after wages, Fleet Financial work with businesses to provide suitable transport for their needs.

They provide cars and light commercial vehicles catering for organisations both big and small and always aim to save businesses time and money.

Eye on Fleet Awards Winner Profiles Innovative Company of the Year

Best Fleet Service Company of the Year

Customer Service Award

Sponsored by Specsavers

Sponsored by City Auction Group

Sponsored by Tracker

Winner - City Auction Group

Winner - Ogilvie Fleet

Winner - Kwik-Fit Group

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he City Auction Group was incorporated in January 2011 and has developed proficiently into a market leading asset and automotive remarketing solution specialising in the corporate fleet sector. at three facilities in Belfast, Omagh and Dublin. With the introduction of cutting edge technology including an innovative website, smart phone apps, mechanical health checks, enhanced vehicle presentation, undercover viewing canopy and online buying capabilities the business has secured the prime trading position in the auction sector.

Currently employing over 75 team members the business has secured contracts with many of the world’s leading manufacturers, franchised dealer groups, financial institutions and contract hire companies.

In thirty six months the transformation of facilities, brand and corporate identity has been a phenomenal success in some of the most challenging trading conditions ever witnessed by our generation. However by means of ability, tenacity and determination supported by their believe in innovation and technology the business has flourished and is set to expand further with the introduction of centres across the UK in the near future hence we were delighted to win the inaugural award for ‘Innovative Company of the Year’ at the Fleet Industry Awards 2014.

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n late 2012 Ogilvie Fleet announced a significant investment in its Northern Ireland business. That included a move to new offices in central Belfast and the recruitment of key staff to ensure delivery of the same high standards of service excellence and product knowledge to our customers in the province as provided on the mainland from our offices in Stirling, Sheffield and Birmingham.

Ogilvie Fleet has introduced a number of major new initiatives in the past 12 months that, in a continuing difficult economic climate, has seen its fleet size increase from 10,350 to now in excess of 11,000 and our client base increased by almost 100 in number.

That growth is based on the two attributes of first class customer service and the launch of new solutions to enable fleet chiefs to manage their operations efficiently and cost effectively.

We have also recently been awarded “Investors In People Silver Standard” and achieved the international quality management standard (ISO 9001) and international environmental management standard (ISO 14001) In short Ogilvie Fleet leads the fleet industry in terms of customer service and has a commitment from all staff to maintain those standards that is unsurpassed.

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wik-Fit Fleet and the entire Kwik-Fit Group is focused on delivering a first class customer experience and the company invests substantial amounts in training in Northern Ireland. It recently spent £500,000 on an inter-personal skills training programme.

Regular initiatives include customer telephone surveys, questionnaires and a mystery shopping programme.

The launch of Kwik Fit Plus (currently at Upper Newtownards Road, Ormeau Road and Lisburn Road) further underlines the company’s impressive record of innovation. Kwik Fit Plus provides small, medium and large fleets as well as sole traders with a genuine alternative to the franchise dealer network that delivers: •

A bespoke NI pricing strategy

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Competitive pricing and up to about 20% cheaper than a franchise dealer

•

Service consistency across all centre

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Six days per week opening.

•

Short epair and maintenance booking lead times

•

Master Technicians at Kwik Fit Plus centres handling the most complex mechanical and electrical jobs

•

Hunter Quick Check system providing comprehensive vehicle checks

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Eye on TheCloud

Adding up the benefits of Cloud

Jonathan Bethel, Partner, WJ Miscampbell and Kyle Johnston, Sales Manager, Leaf

Miscampbell & Co. was established in 1946 and today, continue to build on an enviable reputation for providing excellent advice and first class service to both business and personal clients alike. We have many clients in the local community and service businesses, small and large, across many sectors.

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iscampbell & Co. have many email accounts and a great deal of email to manage. Its old email system, which the company had been using for nearly ten years, wasn’t keeping up with their needs.

The system needed a great deal of maintenance, which was costly, and the environment would only allow for limited inbox storage. “People had to manually clean out their inboxes frequently in order to stay within the limits to send and receive mail, and this was wasting a great deal of time,” says Darryl Heanen, Technical Director of Leaf who is also responsible for the IT within Miscampbell & Co. In addition, the old system only allowed for a few employees to access email remotely from smartphones and other devices – a real issue in a business where employees need to be in the field at customer offices, and an impediment to better collaboration among team members.

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As well, the cost and limitations of the prior on-premises email solution’s installation was becoming a nuisance.

The amount of time and resource that had to be dedicated to this was preventing Leaf, Miscampbell & Co.’s IT partner from focusing on other issues, such as adding beneficial functionality.

The company realized that its existing on premise collaboration platform needed an update, particularly when they encountered incompatibility with some of their line of business applications.

More and more employees who did not have to work in the field were requesting the ability to check email from their smartphones, but their on premise solution simply couldn’t accommodate this functionality efficiently.

After investigating other cloud-based platforms, Miscampbell & Co. chose Microsoft Office 365, an online service which unites familiar Microsoft Office applications with email, calendaring,

collaboration, and communication solutions for an integrated set of email and business applications to help reduce costs and provide the collaboration and remote access capabilities the company needed.

To solve the problem employees were having with limited inbox sizes, Miscampbell & Co. deployed Exchange Online and Outlook 2010. Partner Jonathan Bethel projected that due to the prior volume of help calls, this change alone is saving every employee time and the practice money on a daily basis, which he believes supports the move to the new platform. Employees no longer have to worry about not being able to send and receive email if their inbox should become full, and their satisfaction with the solution is high. “Feedback on Office 365 has been very positive,” says Bethel.

Miscampbell & Co. are now able to focus on more strategic and value added ICT tasks, such as adding new functionality to help employees collaborate, including Microsoft Lync Online for online meetings and instant messaging.

To address employees’ needs for remote access, employees know they can access important emails when they’re away from their desk. The

company’s experience has been so positive, they will soon begin rolling out Microsoft SharePoint Online as well to help improve the way the company securely shares files and information.

Despite being in the early stages of its deployment, Miscampbell & Co. has already seen their work environment change dramatically, just with improved email and collaboration.

The first thing Leaf’s helpdesk staff noticed was that the phone calls from Miscampbell & Co. employees needing help dealing with inbox limitations simply stopped.

The migration has gone smoothly, according to Bethel. Due to the elimination of problems with email storage and other issues, IT staff can now spend their time adding functionality for users. “Overall, deploying Office 365 has been a good experience for us. We are able to focus on the core business instead of IT administration, and now it will be easier to focus on other internal developments, which will help grow the business,” he says.

“Leaf were able to manage the transfer from the on premise solution to the Microsoft cloud with ease, none of our important live or historic email was left behind and Leaf transferred it all onto the Microsoft Cloud platform for us.”

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Eye on Business Personality

YOUNG BUSINESS PERSONALITY OF THE MONTH Katrina Martin, Park Avenue Hotel

Claire Dickson, Business Eye, Patrick McCarney, Electric Ireland and Katrina Martin, Park Avenue Hotel.

Katrina Martin represents the fourth generation of an east Belfast hotelier family. It is often said that the first generation creates the empire, the second builds on it and third spends it all. But Katrina’s family and antecedents buck this trend and turn it on its head.

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andy Patrick (nee Stephens), Katrina’s mother is current managing director of the Park Avenue Hotel on the Holywood Road. The hotel was purposed built in 1969 by Mandy’s grandparents and has been in uninterrupted family ownership ever since.

So does the prospect of continuing a family tradition fill Katrina with awe or glee?

“Growing up as a child I never thought that I would be working in this industry,” she laughs. “But being inextricably attached to the hotel and never having been able to escape it entirely, it made

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sense to study for a career in the sector and make it a profession.”

She studied International Hospitality at the University of Central Lancashire, completed her professional training with the Four Seasons Group and has gone on to do a Wine & Spirit Education Trust foundation course.

“In the long term I am considering senior management development opportunities with Cornell University and Failte Ireland and have a long standing ambition to become a sommelier,” she says.

Ambition aside, Katrina is committed to helping others succeed. She says the need

for training and skills means businesses like the Park Avenue Hotel have to invest in the futures of the people who work for them.

“Staff development is key,” she says. “Becoming a tourism ambassador with People First has given me the opportunity to promote our industry as a fantastic career opportunity and I have attended events and returned to school to push this with students.

“Four Seasons taught me that the key to a great hotel is the staff that you have working with you and we encourage and develop our team through projects such as the World Host programme and NVQ qualifications.”

Mandy initiated a historic turn around in the hotel’s fortunes when 20 years ago she invested heavily in new kitchens, rooms and conferencing. Katrina says she aims to show the same kind

of leadership which was not always based on consensus.

“You can imagine the tensions which might arise in a board room never mind a family business, but my mother always made sure the business case was the driver, not vanity or leadership for leadership’s sake,” says Katrina.

“For instance, the investment in infrastructure meant a further long term commitment to investment in our 100 employees who were going to deliver the product and this has worked,” she says. “20 years later and the Park Avenue is a landmark, four-star hotel in Belfast.”

“I’d like to draw from that kind of success and will try not to rely on my mother and her sense of confidence to provide this!”

Katrina has much to inspire her and she says following in three generations of footsteps is a challenge. But she’s ready for it.

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Debt Recovery (B2B & B2C) - Domestic & International Cash Flow Assistance Pre-litigation reports Insolvency Help Credit Reports Credit Insurance Advice Invoice Discounting Advice T: 028 9055 9999 E: debt@redmondjohnson.com Twitter: @redmondJohnson1 www.redmondjohnson.com Forsyth House, Cromac Square, Belfast BT2 8LA Redmond Johnson is a trading style of Cashflow Management Ltd.

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Eye on Technology

Getting Behind Growth As one of the leading corporate law firms in Northern Ireland, A&L Goodbody is consistently ranked at the top of its market by international publications. Business Eye spoke to Ivan Waide, Head of the IP & Technology practice area in Northern Ireland, to find out how their specialist lawyers are facilitating the growth of local businesses.

Specialist Service As businesses increasingly recognise the value and commercialisation potential of technology and intellectual property, the role of the specialist IP & Technology lawyer has become critical.

Ivan Waide says: “A&L Goodbody’s IP & Technology lawyers don’t just provide excellent legal advice as a stand-alone service. More often, they play an integral part in their clients’ day to day activities, understanding the factors that drive their business

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forwards.” The IP & Technology team does this for clients of all sizes, not only local start-ups and SMEs but also international companies with operations in Northern Ireland on commercial, IP and technology matters.

Market Developments Significant focus has been placed on growing the tech sector in Northern Ireland. Waide says: “We are fortunate in Northern Ireland to have a strong reputation for producing innovative and high quality tech companies.

Local government support has helped to create an ecosystem that encourages creativity and entrepreneurial activity. This has been further encouraged by initiatives such as the UK Patent Box, a preferential corporation tax regime which has successfully made the UK a more attractive location to hold and commercialise patented technology.”

The most recent Knowledge Economy Index, which tracks the health of the innovation economy

by comparing data year-on-year, demonstrated that the knowledge economy in Northern Ireland is growing faster than in the rest of the UK. Tax relief for R&D activity and funding support for collaboration have also benefited activity. In addition, Northern Ireland has recently been identified as the most successful region in the UK outside of Greater London for attracting inward investment, much of which is in the technology sector.

International Focus Waide adds that A&L Goodbody’s international offices in Dublin, London, New York, Palo Alto and San Francisco add significant value for clients locally. “Technology companies are by their very nature international. We work regularly alongside our colleagues in Dublin whilst our offices in the US, including San Francisco the hub of the US technology centre, enables us to stay abreast of international developments in the sector and provide input to our clients that have real commercial value. “

The Team A&L Goodbody’s IP & Technology team in Belfast has grown to become one of the largest specialist IP & Technology teams in the Northern Ireland market, both in terms of the number of people and also the volume and quality of the instructions they are attracting.

Waide says: “The success of our team is the product of all of the lawyers’ individual skills and experiences, including international exposure, which complement each other and add a real sense of strength and depth to our offering. Our success is best illustrated through the work we have carried out for clients, be it advising Heineken on its commercial contract and outsourcing arrangements, Taggled in relation to the commercialisation of its video-tagging technologies and other intellectual property, or Banah UK in relation to R&D collaboration arrangements.

We have also recently been advising a US corporation with operations in Northern Ireland on technology transfer and data protection compliance.”

It is therefore of no surprise that the firm’s IP & Technology practice is ranked in the Top Tier of the leading Chambers UK and Legal 500 Directories. Waide concludes: “We are winning market share in this area because our people are specialists with valuable international experience.”

For further information please contact Ivan Waide, Head of IP & Technology, A&L Goodbody, on 028 9031 4466.

“ Excellent quality, underpinned by expert advice and knowledge” Chambers and Partners 2014

“ Very high-quality service and in-depth knowledge” Legal 500 2013

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Eye on Internet

Customer Experience Isn’t Someone Else’s Job

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

When taking time out from being an all-round legend, my father is a retired architect and thus is occasionally asked to check out houses by family members when they are considering moving. In virtually every room he visits, when everyone else is checking walls, doors and fittings he heads straight for the window “North is this direction so the sun rises here and sets here so this room would look great in the morning and darker in the afternoon, etc.” He sees the world from an architectural perspective, and acutely aware of the role which light plays in architecture, all of his judgments and opinions are formed through that lens.

I

n 2004 the then retiring Irish state pathologist John Harbison, who for over three decades had been amongst the first to arrive on the scene of the most notorious crimes in the country gave an interview to The Irish Times. He observed that by the end of his career his intuition became so well honed that he could enter a crime scene and quickly understand the nature of the crime, where the perpetrator was likely to have entered and exited the scene, the type of crime it was and even if it was likely to have been premeditated. Effectively his training and life’s passion was such that he was able to see what no one else could see despite looking at exactly the same thing.

There is a lens which everyone involved in digital needs to see the world through and that is the lens of the user. It is everyone’s job to intuitively see something that others don’t, which is the world through the user’s eyes.

This may sound self-evident, obvious almost, but it remains sadly lacking in too many digital projects.

Recently I had to work late to clear up lots of admin I had been putting off for too long. After a busy day I fancied a change of scenery and decided to walk down a few doors on our street to the coffee shop for a mug of their finest Guatemalan to give me the burst needed to get through the deathby-Excel I was bracing myself for. I quickly checked their website which confirmed they didn’t close until 7pm, so excited for caffeine and a bright environment to tackle

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the job I’d been putting off for too long, I settled into a quiet corner and got to work.

All was going well until 5:55pm when the owner asked me to finish up as they were closing. I explained I was there until 7pm and that their website said they were open to 7pm, but he responded that the shop had closed at 6pm for a few months now.

So my customer experience was pretty lousy because their site let me down. And amongst my frustration was the notion that when the site was being built no time, thought or priority was given to a piece of information which played a disproportionately important role in how I experienced the brand of that coffee shop.

So who was to blame?

Was it Dave, who designed the logo, the inside of the shop and the website? No, well he’s the designer, he doesn’t need to concern himself with the customer experience.

Perhaps the fault lies with Sarah who developed the HTML, wrote the CSS, plugged in the content management system and found somewhere to host the site? No, well she’s the techie, she doesn’t need to concern herself with the customer experience. Well in that case it must be Karl’s problem, who owns and runs the coffee shop? No, well he’s the boss-man, who is too busy either serving plates or else spinning them, trying to make sure that everything in the shop runs well.

So who defined the online customer experience? They all did.

Just because they didn’t design it,

doesn’t mean they didn’t define it.

I, in common with all of their customers, had an experience on their website, whether they designed it or not. The things they focused on during the design and build process defined how their customers felt when they arrived on the site.

It turns out that Dave and Sarah and Karl are all responsible, because the web confiscates the luxury of the silo. On the web your user’s experience becomes your brand.

And that belongs to everyone.

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 Enterprise Ireland, IDA, Property News, Ordnance Survey Ireland, and Belfast City Council.

Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

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Eye on Accountancy

ACCOUNTANCY REFORM AND WHAT IT MEANS TO YOU

By Michael Nixon, director at ASM Chartered Accountants, Belfast.

Are you up to speed on the new FRS 102 accountancy rules and how they will affect you as a small to medium sized business owner? Do you know when the changes will come into play, what they are and what is expected of you?

If the answer is no, you could be among the hundreds of confused business owners in Northern Ireland who are still unaware of their legal requirements regarding the accountancy reform.

Michael Nixon, Director at Belfast firm ASM Chartered Accountants gives us this insight into FRS 102, from the inside, out...

What is happening?

For accounting periods commencing on or after 1 January 2015, FRS 102 will replace current UK standards for all companies except those applying International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (FRSSE). In essence this means that FRS 102 will apply to most small and medium sized companies.

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on or after 1 January 2015. For the first accounting period the prior year figures will need to be presented under both current UK GAAP and under FRS 102 meaning that from a presentational perspective there will be three columns on each set of accounts. The practical implications of this requirement are wider that may be anticipated. For example, to restate the profit and loss account for the year ended 31 December 2014 will require the opening balance sheet at 31 December 2013 to be restated.

What will change?

There are multiple areas of difference between FRS 102 and current UK GAAP however the following paragraphs set out the main changes.

Property, Plant and Equipment Under FRS 102 there is a choice of adopting a cost model or a revaluation model. In addition there are transitional provisions which permit companies that have already revalued assets to adopt the cost model in the future but to deem the current valuation as the base cost for FRS 102 purposes.

The transitional provisions permit companies that wish to adopt a cost model with a one –off opportunity to revalue their assets without having to adopt the revaluation model and incur the ongoing associated costs of regular revaluation in the future.

Overview of the changes The adoption of FRS 102 will mean some changes to the format of financial statements and the disclosures required but there will also be changes to the way the numbers are calculated. These changes may have implications wider than just accounts presentation and as such it is important that companies understand at an early stage how the changes will impact on their business.

Investment properties Investment property revaluations will be taken directly to profit and loss. At present, such movements are recognised in the Statement of Total Recognised Gains and Losses rather than the profit and loss account. The change will bring greater volatility to reported results for companies with Investment Properties and may have an impact on bank covenants where, for example, there is a debt service covenant.

When will the changes happen?

FRS 102 will become mandatory for accounting periods commencing

Deferred taxation There are a number of technical changes in respect of the calculation

Brian Clerkin, Managing Director at ASM Chartered Accountants, Belfast is pictured with Michael Nixon, Director, ASM Belfast.

of deferred taxation. However, from a practical perspective the most important change will be the requirement to recognise deferred tax on upward property revaluations. This will have an immediate impact on the net asset position of any companies that currently carry a revaluation reserve. For example, a company with a revaluation reserve of £1m will see its net asset position reduce by circa £200,000 under FRS 102. This may have consequences for companies with net asset bank covenants.

Intangible assets/goodwill A change in the definition of intangible assets will result in the recognition of a greater range of intangible assets, particularly upon business combinations – these could include brand names and customer lists acquired.

The most significant change is where goodwill and intangibles will continue to be amortised but the presumed life will be five years unless a reliable estimate of the life of the asset can be made.

Under current UK GAAP an assumed life of up twenty years is permitted.

Companies that currently have goodwill or other intangibles being amortised over more than five years will have to consider whether they are capable of making a reliable estimate in order to justify a longer useful economic life. This may have particular significance for recently incorporated professional services companies that carry a large value of goodwill on the balance sheet. For example, a company will a goodwill cost of £1m may have an

annual amortization of £50,000 under current UK GAAP. This may increase to £200,000 under FRS 102 and will have the impact of reducing reported profits, potentially in breach of bank covenants, and of reducing distributable reserves thus reducing the ability of the company to pay dividends.

Employee benefits Under FRS 102 companies will be required to account for holiday and sick pay liabilities at each year end.

For example, if an employee carries over five days holiday into the new financial year the cost of those five days will be recognised as a liability at the balance sheet date.

UKGAAP is currently silent on this point and whilst some businesses do recognise this liability, many do not. For those companies with large numbers of staff, such as professional service firms, this could result in a material change in the initial balance sheet position under FRS 102.

Summary As can be seen these changes may have commercial implications for various businesses and as such their impact should be considered as early as possible.

If you are interested in talking to Michael Nixon, Director at ASM Belfast call 028 9024 9222 or visit www.asmaccountants.com for further details.

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Eye on News

Fifteenth annual CIM Awards to showcase marketing excellence across Ireland T

The joint winners of last year’s Marketing Leadership Award, Ryan Feeney of the GAA and Kathryn Pyper of Ambition Digital.

Fifteen will be the magic number when Ireland’s top marketing professionals come together in November to show how their first rate campaigns have made a difference to their companies.

he 15th Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) in Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards, which take place during Marketing Month at Belfast City Hall on November 6, will demonstrate how businesses are increasingly using effective marketing to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

This year sees 15 award categories highlighting marketing best practice in every sector and every type of business from owner managers to multi-nationals.

Christine Watson, Chair of the Ireland Board of CIM, speaking at today’s launch, said the awards are the blue riband event of the marketing calendar.

She said: “The Ireland Marketing Excellence Awards are a celebration of the fantastic work taking place in our discipline across the island. This is the 15th year of

the awards and to celebrate this we have 15 categories.

“This is a chance for all marketers to put their best foot forward and show the skills, innovation and creativity that have helped their companies shine in an increasingly difficult and competitive environment.

“The marketing function has changed radically in the digital age and it is those determined individuals that are using a relevant variety of platforms to get their message across, whilst keeping the customer firmly centre-stage, that are reaping the rewards.”

The awards are open to non-members of CIM as well as members. For more information go to www.cimirelandawards. net and keep in touch by following @CIM_Ireland.

FASHIONWEEK... PACE PICKS UP IN OCTOBER

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ow a regular on the style schedule, West Coast Cooler FASHIONWEEK is due to take place between 15-19 October this year, complete with a change of venue to a converted warehouse in Bruce

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Street in the heart of the city.

Speaking at the launch, director Cathy Martin said: “Showcasing the best of our local designers and independent boutiques as well as international high street names, this autumn the catwalk will be a sea of colour, style and must-have fashion. We’re loving the blue hues, the coral reds, the plaid and the glorious glitter trends, as well as sharp suiting and oversized coats in terms of the season’s silhouettes.

“Our new move allows us the space to welcome a pop up sushi and cocktail bar from the fashionista’s favourite eaterie Zen, as well as play host to our new ‘shop the show’ boutique

alley where show goers can browse and buy on-trend fashion and accessories from the shows over sushi and sumptuous cocktails, both before and after the runway presentations.”

The full show schedule is available online at www. belfastfashionweek.com along with details of this season’s trends plus links to all participant retailers and sponsors.

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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 Stena Line has appointed Marc Casey to the position of Route Marketing Manager-Irish Sea North. Marc joins Stena Line after 16 years in the advertising and communications industry during which time he devised and managed campaigns for a range of blue-chip clients throughout Ireland.

1 Marc Casey

2 Lisa Keys

3 Michael Kennedy

2 Lisa Keys takes on the new role of Head of Business Development (NI) with the Institute of Directors.

Lisa has almost 20 years of experience in the fields of marketing and business development in the retail and professional services sectors, having previously worked for international law firm, Pinsent Masons and Westfield Shoppingtowns. Lisa’s role will be to develop and grow membership of the Institute of Directors and assist with IoD engagement in Northern Ireland.

ASM Chartered Accountants has made three 3 key appointments. Michael Kennedy joins the firm as Accounts Supervisor.

A certified accountant,he works for a 4 range of client companies. Regan West becomes a Supervisor in the Internal 5 Audit Department at ASM while Shauna McDowell, previously with PwC, is appointed as Assistant Manager for Internal Audit.

4 Regan West

5 Shauna McDowell

6 Fiona Boyle

Three new members have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Advisory Committee 6 of Ofcom. They are Fiona Boyle, who runs her own social research and policy issues 7 consultancy; Paul Wilson, Project Director at the Strategic Investment Board for NI and former Head of Business Operations at BT 8 Ireland and Sharon O’Connor, Town Clerk and Chief Executive of Derry City Council.

The Mount Charles Group has appointed 9 Jonathan McKinlay as Director of its Cleaning and Support Services Division.

Jonathan, who originally joined the Mount Charles Group from the British Standards Institution in 2011 has been promoted to the role with immediate effect.

7 Paul Wilson

8 Sharon O’Connor

9 Jonathan McKinlay

10 Michael Noble has been appointed as new Chief Executive of Momentum – the voice of the digital sector. Michael, who had been appointed interim CEO after the retirement of Ian Graham last year has a strong background in the sector. Michael brings over 20 years’ experience working in the Software Profession in a variety of roles and across a diverse range of companies reflecting the dynamism of the IT profession in Northern Ireland.

11 Nick McCafferty has joined Keys Commercial Finance as Business Development Manager for Northern Ireland. Nick has worked within the Financial Services sector for over 28 years and is the former Chairman of Bryson Recycling and a past President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce. As Business Development Manager his focus will be on cash flow solutions for SME’s and Professional Fee Finance for Accountancy practices.

10 Michael Noble

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11 Nick McCafferty

12 Helen Megarry

12 Helen Megarry has also joined Keys Commercial Finance as Operations Manager.

Previously employed by Northern/Danske Bank, Helen worked in a variety of roles including Credit Control, Auditor and Relationship Management. As Operations Manager at Keys her main responsibility is to develop the risk management side of the business.

Eye on News

Chartered Accountants Ready To Go Dutch Over 100 of Northern Ireland’s Chartered Accountants will fly to Amsterdam in October for a conference to examine the business links between The Netherlands and Northern Ireland, and how local companies can innovate into growth.

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he ’Innovate Collaborate Accelerate’ Conference in Amsterdam, organised by Chartered Accountants Ulster Society and supported by Danske Bank will take place from 16th to 19th October and will feature a range of speakers on the themes of innovation, export and business growth.

The Conference will offer an insight from acclaimed speakers into how best Northern Ireland can address the challenges of recovery and the development of new business opportunities.

Paul Henry, Chairman of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, said: “A key issue for Northern Ireland is persuading more businesses to become innovative, internationally competitive and ensure that growth can be properly funded.

“For many local companies, the

Netherlands is a launch point for those seeking to expand operations into Europe. We want to share the experiences of companies which have tried this and examine the key lessons for other companies which are ready to innovate and grow.

“Northern Ireland companies already active in export markets are well placed to take advantage of accelerating economic recovery. Our task is to work together to equip more local businesses to access these global markets and build international success.

“The Conference is a key event in the Society’s calendar and it gives us an opportunity to analyse the necessary steps to help local businesses in what are still difficult times.

“It also gives our members the chance to meet in one of the Europe’s most historic and friendly capital

cities and we’re very grateful for the continued support of Danske Bank in making this Conference possible.

Our partnership with Danske Bank stretches back to 2001, covering twelve conferences in cities such as Boston, New York, Lisbon, Chicago, Munich, Toronto and Copenhagen.”

Kevin Kingston, Deputy CEO and MD - Business Banking, Danske Bank said: “With Northern Ireland now in an early stage economic recovery, the role of

banks and accountancy firms in helping to steer local economic growth has never been more important. We need to work in partnership to help businesses thrive through continued innovation and a focus on external markets.

“The Chartered Accountants Ulster Society Annual Conference has always provided an excellent opportunity to look forward to both the challenges and opportunities of the coming year.”

North West’s ‘Acorn Angels’ pledge £1m to fund new start ups A group of business leaders from Derry has pledged to invest over £1 million into Northern Ireland companies with a major focus on the North West.

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his angel group has come together under the umbrella of Halo, the NI business angel network based at the Northern Ireland Science Park, and each “angel” has committed up to £100,000 for investment into startup or high growth companies.

They have chosen the name Acorn Angels reflecting their Derry~Londonderry heritage and the old adage ‘Mighty oaks from little acorns grow’ - the unambiguous ambition for their high growth companies.

The formation of the new Derrybased angel group coincides with the recent opening of the North West Regional Science Park, which is already home to more than 20 technology companies and early stage businesses.

The investment group includes, amongst others, George Fleming (Fleming Agri-Products Ltd), Patrick

McGonagle (Pakflatt), John McMonagle (Omega Mechanical Services), AnnMarie Slavin (Opt2Vote), Paul McElvaney (Learning Pool), Philip O’Doherty (E&I Engineering), Padraig Canavan (founder of Singularity), Richard Sterling (former MD of Coolkeeragh Power Limited) and Eamonn Gee, who all attended the group’s inaugural meeting during the CultureTECH festival.

Alan Watts, Director of Halo at the NI Science Park, says the major focus on the North West will be significant: “Halo is a key part of the Science Park’s programmes to support entrepreneurship and boost growing companies in many different sectors, not just technology.

“With two Halo groups already successfully operating in the Belfast area we are delighted that this new group in Derry will have a focus on stimulating fast growth startups in the North West.

“The Halo programme provides pitch training, mentorship and advice to companies seeking private sector investment. Not only can angels invest substantial capital, notably over £1 million available in this instance, but they come with vast amounts of knowledge, experience and key business contacts - vital ingredients for any high growth potential companies here.

“All our Derry angels will work together to share the work and decisions, benefiting both from the increased brainpower available and the trust that comes from working together in a familiar and focused team. They also have the experience and additional ‘pockets’ of the entire NI Halo network to call on, as needed.”

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Eye on Travel

UNITED AIRLINES –

PROVIDING DIRECT ACCESS TO NORTH AMERICA ALL YEAR LONG

This month I am focusing on one of our major airline partners, United Airlines and the service they offer from Belfast and Dublin into the North American market.

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here has been much said and written about the contribution that an expansion of the international air routes between Northern Ireland and the rest of the world could make to the local economy.

Not only do direct air routes make it easier for business to be done and for tourists to visit, the easy access it provides opens up a huge potential for local international investment.

As the only airline to fly direct between Northern Ireland and the United States all year round, United Airlines makes it easier for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic to trade and invest.

United offers a nonstop service from Belfast to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, not only providing fast, convenient access to the city, but connections

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to more than 300 destinations across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.

Business customers flying with United have a range of products and services to select from.

Available on all United’s aircraft from Northern Ireland to the U.S., United BusinessFirst offers a superior service with a seat that reclines 180 degrees into a lie-flat bed, and a personal on-demand entertainment system with a 15.4-inch/39-cm touchscreen monitor, noisereduction headsets, laptop power and USB ports. Travellers in United BusinessFirst can enjoy a multicourse meal from a wide menu, accompanied by an extensive wine list. To keep customers refreshed, there are duvet-style blankets and United amenity kits with philosophy skin-care products. Alternatively, the United Economy Plus seat

offers up to six inches of extra legroom and personal space.

In addition to its Belfast route, United offers a daily service between Dublin and New York/ Newark, and between Dublin and Washington D.C./Dulles. The airline also operates from Shannon to New York/Newark and Chicago/O’Hare.

Mukesh Sharma in Managing Director of World Travel Centre, one of Ireland’s largest travel companies with offices in Belfast and Dublin. Selective Travel is the corporate travel division.

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

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

“ United offers a nonstop service from Belfast to its New York hub, Newark Liberty International Airport, not only providing fast, convenient access to the city, but connections to more than 300 destinations across North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.”

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Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

STYLISH CROSS-OVER IS MAKING FRIENDS FOR HYUNDAI Hyundai certainly put on the style when they brought out their ix35, a handsome crossover that combines curvy looks with the high driving position of an off roader.

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ost of those sold never put a wheel into the mud, but for those who want to go all-terrain there is a four wheel drive version with a 134bhp 2.0 litre turbo diesel engine. The cheapest version comes with a 1.6 litre petrol engine and two wheel drive.

I have been driving the most business like version with a 114bhp 1.7 litre turbo diesel engine. It proved quiet and brisk enough for everyday driving.

The figures state 12.4

seconds for the 0-60mph sprint which is as much as you need in modern traffic.

Aside from an impression of more refinement, I found the latest ix35 to handle better.

That is down to dynamic tuning of the chassis and multi link rear suspension.

With a six speed manual gearbox and stop start as an option, the 1.7 CRDi claims 53mpg on the combined cycle and emissions of 139g/km, putting it into VED band E. Not bad, there are cleaner

diesels out there but at a price.

Equipment levels are generous with the keenly priced Style model running to 17 inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, Bluetooth connectivity, heated front and rear seats, electric heated door mirrors with LED repeaters, leather steering wheel and gearstick, reverse parking sensors and a trip computer. Stop & Go is available on some models as a £200 option.

My test car was a SE NAV 1.7 CRDi model with all the executive trimmings from satellite navigation with a 7 inch touch screen to cruise control and a reversing camera which knocked the price up to £21K. It had keyless entry, heated seats front and back, cruise control, LED running lights, seven speaker sound and the rest - still a lot of car and kit for the money.

The GLA seems to wrap itself around you with high window levels so I was grateful for the reversing camera and beepers as insurance against an expensive bump. The black head cloth on my car gave a slight feeling of claustrophobia at first.

The 200 turbo diesel version that I drove with two wheel drive has a combined consumption of 62mpg yet packed a reasonable punch through the gears. This

is a pleasingly precise car to drive and comfortable too.

Emissions are 119g/km which is on the side of the angels.

There are two trim levels, SE and AMG. The latter has firmer suspension and a sportier drive at a price penalty. Equipment levels are high with all models having digital sound, reversing camera and a big colour display screen in the centre of the dash. Prices range from £25,850 to £33,400.

GO ANYWHERE MERCEDES GLA HAS STYLE AND PRESENCE This is a new niche car from Mercedes Benz based on the latest A-class hatchback range.

They describe it as a cross over but the GLA sits little higher than a coupe. The styling is bold and you notice heads turning as you drive by.

A

big grille with the three pointed star badge in the middle certainly gives the GLA presence, especially in the white finish of the test car. It is a bit more than just a cross over as you can opt for a four wheel drive version with quite serious off road ability should you need it.

This is a glamorous sister to the A-class - standing slightly higher and with a larger boot.

There is a choice of potent

petrol and frugal diesel engines to suit various budgets and driving inclinations.

Sit inside and you know you are in a Mercedes Benz. Stylish red stitched leather on the dash and seats give it a quality air. So, too, do the instruments and the minor controls. The seven speed automatic gearbox is controlled by the characteristic gear selector stalk on the steering wheel which works very slickly.

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Eye on Motoring

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DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle management company.

For 25 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans.

We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs.

Call us today for more information on our car and van offers on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk 112

Supplying cars and vans to the business community

call us on 02890 734222

Eye on Motoring

Driving forward expertise at DFC At DFC we have been busy investing in new technologies to enhance the complete vehicle management experience.

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his includes a new microsite which will enable us to offer our customers a unique vehicle ‘affinity scheme’ for bespoke special offers. These customised sites will not only be visually pleasing but technically more sophisticated than what we have had to offer in the past.

Any car for

Annette Shanks, Customer Care Manager, DFC

Coupled with this we are very excited to be developing our new online system so it will be easier than ever to access information about your vehicles even if you don’t lease them through us.

For more information on these exciting innovations please contact Annette Shanks, Customer Care Manager DFC NI LTD tel 02890 734222 or email customercare@dfcbelfast.co.uk

only £289+ VAT per month

Mercedes-Benz A Class Diesel Hatchback A220 CDI

Mercedes-Benz E Class Diesel Saloon E220

Mercedes-Benz E Class Diesel Estate E220

AMG Sport 5dr Auto [Map Pilot]

BlueTEC SE 4dr Tip Auto

BlueTEC SE 5dr Tip Auto

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visit www.dfcbelfast.co.uk email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk or call 028 9073 4222 113

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

LEON ESTATE MAKES A STRONG CASE ON SPACE AND VALUE SEAT has come up with a handsome estate version of the Leon hatchback called the ST. Loosely based on the Golf and Octavia estates, the SEAT ST is cheaper to buy!

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he VW group marketing strategy puts essentially similar vehicles on sale under different brands at different prices. They do say that, by and large, VW customers will not buy the less expensive rivals. If you are making a purely business decision, however, then this SEAT is the one to check out.

Engine choice is also a no brainer - the 1.6 TDI ticks the boxes on economy and emissions.

It is good for 0-62mph in just over 10 seconds - as much pace as you need in today’s traffic. There is a sweetness about the way it runs, too.

Other engine options include a very rapid 1.8 petrol and a 181bhp 2.0 TDI - these are great chargers but their fuel consumption and emissions are unlikely to get past the company accountant’s beady eye. He might be tempted by the remarkable

1.2 petrol turbo version which is as powerful as the 1.6TDI and further down the price list.

That 1.6 TDI is hard to pass - it is now more refined and is tuned to come in below the 100g/km emissions level.They claim an incredible 74mpg on the combined cycle though that will be difficult to match in real life. The emissions of 99g/km will keep the company car tax bill to a minimum.

My car had the even more economical Ecomotive engine rated at 85mpg combined and with emissions of just 87g/km.

It still drove very well but puts up the purchase price a tad.

The choice diesel is priced from £18,375 but the Leon ST is available with a 1.2 petrol turbo from £16,675. It may be a bit weakkneed on the motorway but does 57mpg combined. Worth a closer look?

for 0-62mph in 14 seconds and a top whack of 103mph.

While it is no ball of fire, there is decent everyday performance and noise levels are low until you hit the motorway.

As a business proposition, this engine fares moderately well with 58mpg claimed for the urban cycle and emissions

of 130g/km. The Titanium trim test Tourneo did seem a bit over the top with all its kit and a £21K price tag. But there are more workaday versions from around £17K for the Grand version. Even cheaper is a short version of the Tourneo with the remarkable 1.0 litre Ecoboost petrol engine from just over £14K

THE TOURNEO TAKES THE CREW BUS TO PLUSH NEW LEVELS The Tourneo is a Ford Transit Connect van turned into an MPV and it is a lot better than you might expect from this lowly pedigree.

But then vans have become more civilised over the years.

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an conversions have been around for a long time but the Tourneo takes the art to a higher level.

This is a more polished job than the old ‘crew bus’ with loads of room inside and great access through the sliding side doors. You can choose between a five seater or the slightly longer seven seat Grand Tourneo version that I tried.

From behind the wheel the dash and instruments look familiar from the Focus with the central V panel covered in buttons.

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There is even a small screen and a rear view camera to make parking this big box a bit easier.

The Grand version can be fitted with a third row of seats - well, occasional seats - for £240 extra.

The Focus underpinnings mean that the Tourneo drives and handles rather better than you might expect. The odd squeak and rattle from the rear are the only giveaways that this started life as a van, though a fairly decent one.

My test vehicle was powered by a 115PS version of Ford’s 1.6 litre turbo diesel. This is good

BT Business Mobile

With Northern Ireland’s largest 4G mobile network, my business stays productive even when I’m not in the office

BT Business Mobile now comes with 4G access at no extra cost. Yes, you read it right. With superfast speeds it gives a truly seamless online experience both in and out of the office. What’s more, our free unlimited BT Wi-fi means you’ll be pretty unstoppable when you’re out and about.

Plus with our huge choice of top handsets, we’ve got a device and tariff for you and your business.

BT Business Mobile. Keeping you productive whenever and wherever.

Open up new ways of working with BT Business Mobile.

Call us today in Belfast on 0800 011 3344 or visit bt.com/ni 4G access is subject to having a 4G enabled device, coverage and capacity.

Plans start from £25 a month, 24 month minimum term.

LAND IN LONDON. ACTUAL LONDON. We fly from Belfast City Airport to London City Airport.

Not to Gatwick or Heathrow.

On sale now from ÂŁ39.99 one way.

For travel from 27.10.14

Available for travel from 27.10.14 to 28.03.15. Advertised lead-in fare does not apply to all routes. Fares are one way including taxes and charges, only available on Flybe.com, subject to availability. 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. Route information correct at time of going to print.