Business Eye Oct Nov 2015

CLOUD CALLING, MADE EASY. visit rainbowcomms.com or call 0800 018 8082 for the answer to every call.

T&C’s apply.

Issue 155 Oct/Nov 2015 ÂŁ2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

Jim Dollard & Electric Ireland...

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

Launching into NI Residential Marketplace Features:

10

35

Fathers, Sons & Daughters....

Family Business In Focus

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

39

Shortlists Announced for 2015 UTV Business Eye Awards

70

Mr. Polymers... Gerry McNally & Material Challenges

We know it’s not just your business, It’s your life.

The late nights. The weekends. At Ulster Bank, we understand the dedication it takes to run a business today. And we’re ready to match your dedication with the expertise and experience you need to help make your business a success.

That’s business banking you can live with.

connect at www.ulsterbank.co.uk/business

Help for what matters Important Information Ulster Bank Limited, Registered in Northern Ireland No. R733. Registered Office: 11–16 Donegall Square East, Belfast, BT1 5UB. Member of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and entered on the Financial Services Register (Registration number 122315). Calls may be recorded.

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

Contents

titanicbelfast.com Oct/Nov 2015 ISSUE 155

Cover Story

20

Electric Ireland... Launching into NI Residential Marketplace

16

Finlay Wealth Management On Expansion Trail

The acquisition of Gerald Stanley Financial, a respected Co. Down-based financial advisory firm, means another manor step forward for Belfast-based Finlay Wealth Management, headed up by the experienced Jonathan Finlay.

Electric Ireland, part of the ESB Group, has invested £5 million into a full-scale assault on the Northern Ireland domestic electricity marketplace, creating 45 news jobs in Belfast along the way. Electric Ireland’s Executive Director Jim Dollard talks to Business Eye about the investment and the challenges of a highly competitive energy market here.

17

Danske Hosts Housing Event

Family Business Management

36

Fathers, Sons & Daughters

Danske Bank recently hosted a social housing sector business dinner at the Ramada Plaza hotel in Belfast. The Bank’s ‘Advantage’ series of business events has run throughout 2015, giving customers and prospective customers opportunities to hear from leading speakers in different sectors.

38

Best Managed Companies’ Aston Martin Date The contenders in this year’s Deloitte Best Managed Companies competition got a rest from balance sheets when they attended a reception at the brand new Aston Martin showroom in Belfast, hosted by Deloitte and Barclays Bank.

Harbinson Mulholland and Ulster University recently teamed up to run a highly successful seminar on the challenges of running family businesses. The accountancy firm practices what it preaches. Not only is it a family firm but the partners have passed their entrepreneurial ethos onto their sons and daughters. We catch up with HM Partner Patrick Leonard and his 25-year old daughter Sarah.

UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Flybe The shortlists have been announced across all of the categories in the 2015 UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Flybe as awards night on Thursday, 26th November, rapidly approaches.

Business Education

62

Professor Marie McHugh... Looking Back On Achievement The highly respected Dean of the Ulster University Business School, Professor Marie McHugh, reflects on the 40 years since the opening of the Business School at the Jordanstown campus. The School started out with 350 students and 40 staff and has grown to more than 6,000 students and 200 staff....with a growing international reputation and one of the UK’s top scores for research.

Leading Belfast-based sports talent agency Sportology, led by former Ulster rugby player Andrew Park, staged a Rugby World Cup lunch event in Belfast, sponsored by Lambert Smith Hampton and Millar McCall Wylie Solicitors.... just before Ireland’s inglorious exit at the hands of the Argentinians.

Henderson Group’s Property Director has responsibility for some 80 retail stores around Northern Ireland, for the acquisition of new greenfield and operational sites, for store maintenance and for the group’s much-admired environmental management.

70

Gerry McNally... A Passion For Polymers When it comes to enthusiasm for a chosen sector, Gerry McNally, Director of the NI Polymers Association, is a man with a passion for the business he’s spent a lifetime working in and around. His Association has 48 member companies producing a £1.5 billion turnover and accounting for almost 11,000 employees....and counting.

54

69

Accounting For Opportunities

Nadine Savage, Accounting & Banking Consultant with Belfast-based recruitment specialists MCS is one of the city’s most experienced specialists in accounting opportunities and reckons that there’s an ever increasing demand for a combination of IT and accounting skills in the local marketplace.

74

Auto Enrolment....The Elephant In The Room

SME’s here in Northern Ireland run the risk of steep fixed penalty fines if they fail to meet their staging dates for the introduction of auto enrolment.....the new government-led scheme which makes it compulsory for employers of all sizes to offer pensions to their employees.

Eye on Law

14

Eye on Business Destinations

55

Eye on Charity

85

Eye on Technology

19

Eye on Events

56

Eye on Moving On

86

Eye on Agri Food

45

Eye on Banking

60

Eye on Motoring

93

Eye on Cross Border Trade

46

Eye on Internet

82

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

39

50

Rugby World Cup In The Spotlight

Neil Adrian....Large Scale Estate Management

Advanced Manufacturing

Regulars

Specials

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

Business Development Manager Ciara Donnelly

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

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

3

Sometimes it seems like we’re operating a couple of parallel universes here in Northern Ireland.... a political/ governmental one and a business one.

Comment

“It’s an old maxim that you get the political leadership that you deserve.

Collectively, we must have done something very wrong in a previous life!”

G

overnment, not to put too fine a point on it, has been a basket case for quite a while. We had the furore in the wake of a couple of republican shootings, a walk out by one Unionist party followed by a walk out by the other.

Then a bit of political gamesmanship involving ministerial resignations and re-appointments.

All of which made Northern Ireland look very silly indeed in the eyes of onlookers anywhere from GB to North America.

Now our First Minister and his party have come back into government on the back of a report which has told us something that we all already know. That there are elements of paramilitary organisations left on the streets... bad boys, in other words.

The odds are that Stormont will now limp along until Christmas and then move into election mode come the New Year. Another election... now isn’t that something to look forward to?

It’s an old maxim that you get the political leadership that you deserve. Collectively, we must have done something very wrong in a previous life.....! ____________________________ Here in this space, we’ve called for effective government from our politicians many times. So have our business organisations here in Northern Ireland. So have many individual business leaders.

Sponsored by

4

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

But it makes little difference. Our politicians (not all of that....but most of them) prefer to get one with their political agendas and care little for the economy, despite protesting otherwise.

However, it’s one of Northern Ireland’s genuine strengths that business gets on with the job of business. We’ve learnt over many painful years that we can’t wait for the politicians to catch up and to keep pace.

Politicians aren’t all bad. There are those with a real feel for business and its issues. Arlene Foster is a good example, Peter Robinson (despite his faults) isn’t always too far off the mark on the economic front, and then there are individuals like Sinn Fein’s Mairtin O’Muilleoir. They are, though, the exceptions.

Business prefers to get on with it. Inward investors might well have been put off by the recent shenanigans, but investment locally has continued apace... and there have been plenty of encouraging announcements over recent weeks and months.

Hotels are being developed, pubs and restaurants are opening, Michelin stars have been announced, new jobs are being created, property is being bought and sold, retail is looking strong… and the big banks are definitely lending once again.

The politicians, as ever, are lagging behind.

Yes, we can work without them. But it would be a whole lot better if we could work effectively with them... and that they stayed where they are supposed to be, whatever the challenges they face.

in partnership with

Eye on Finance

Boojum –Taking A Bigger Bite Of The Fast Food Market Established in Belfast in 2007, fast casual food burrito chain Boojum has grown to become the leading burrito brand in Ireland, now serving up a total of 5 branches - 2 in Belfast, 2 in Dublin and 1 in Galway.

6

E

arlier this year, the company was bought by local brothers, Andrew and David Maxwell, with the support of a number of business advisors.

With previous experience in the food industry, David ran restaurants in Arizona where he first discovered his love for Mexican food and culture. Together the Maxwell brothers now have ambitious plans to grow Boojum across the island of Ireland over the coming years.

Ever wondered just what’s involved in putting such a successful deal together?

A bit like a burrito itself, it takes a number of different quality ingredients carefully combined to deliver the perfect dining experience. Well now we can find out the successful ingredients for this particular deal, as we speak with the key players involved: corporate finance advisors HNH Group who initiated the arrangement, Dublin-based investment firm Renatus Capital Partners who supplied the equity, First Trust Bank who provided acquisition finance and working capital, as well as one of Boojum’s new owners, David Maxwell.

Eye on Finance David Maxwell, Boojum

“A

ndrew and I were actively seeking a place locally for our own hospitality concept when we were advised by HNH Group that Boojum might be available to buy. We were both massive fans of Boojum and we instantly saw us having a synergy with its culture and style. When the opportunity was presented, we decided to step aside from our own concept to focus on it.

“For us, the first step in the process was to sit down with HNH Group to discuss the opportunity and to map out what we needed to do to make it happen. Andrew and I know the fast casual food market well and have a firm understanding of its economics and how it operates. We met with the previous owners and went on to develop a strong business plan which outlined how to capitalise on Boojum’s existing success, but equally which incorporated our own thoughts and vision.

In-depth planning and research was key to ensuring we started out on the right track.

“We spent months finessing our business and marketing plans with the help of HNH Group, who also introduced us to Renatus Capital Partners. Having spent little time in the corporate world, I was grateful to

meet an equity partner who made us feel at ease straightaway. Renatus understood our vision for the company as well as our management style, which for us was crucial to ensuring our partnership was successful.

“All in all, the deal took around 3 months to put in place – even allowing for a short break at Christmas to recharge the batteries. Looking back, we found the whole process relatively straight forward and I think that was due to 2 key components - research and relationships.

Andrew and I put a lot of work into understanding the market and what was needed to grow the business further.

Ensuring you are working with the right advisors was also a crucial element.

HNH Group provided us with invaluable advice which in turn cemented positive relationships with Renatus Capital Partners and also First Trust Bank. With their help, we now plan to add more Boojum locations, focusing on Belfast and Dublin initially, and hope to make a number of announcements very soon. Thankfully, we have the capital in place from First Trust Bank and the support of both Renatus and HNH Group to allow us to take a bigger bite out of the fast casual food market.”

Patrick Short, First Trust Bank

“I

was introduced to Andrew and David Maxwell at the beginning of the year from one of my colleagues in First Trust Bank, who was looking after another one of their companies.

“For the Bank, what made the deal an attractive prospect was the passion, drive and clear strategy demonstrated

by David and Andrew. They presented a long term business plan that was well researched, showed a plan for growth right across Ireland and one that they were clearly comfortable and confident with. I think everyone in Belfast is familiar with Boojum – even if you have never had one, you’ve probably passed one of its fast moving queues on the way home!

Having been familiar with the previous owners, we knew first-hand the growth potential for the business and appreciated the brothers’ vision. Andrew and David’s plan to embrace the existing brand values and loyal customer base, whilst also capitalising on the growing fast-casual

food market, was an exciting prospect and one which we were delighted to support.

“The due diligence process didn’t throw up too many questions –and those that were flagged were taken on board constructively.

They had a great team behind them, with HNH Group and Renatus able to let them know what to expect and how to best approach the process. Within a week, we had approved loan finance for the acquisition and the roll out of the strategic plan, including growth over the next three years.

“For us, key to this successful deal was the collaborative effort of everyone involved. The partnership wasn’t a transactional one; each individual had a clear role and responsibility which resulted in refreshing and honest conversations.

My advice to other entrepreneurs and businesses looking to grow is to follow David and Andrew’s lead and ensure you engage early with your bank and potential partners. As well as giving you the advice you need, it will help give you a clear idea of the process and parameters involved.”

7

Eye on Finance Matt McCullough, HNH Group

“A

t HNH Group, we constantly assess the market for opportunities to create deals between vendors and experienced operators looking to acquire strong companies. In the Boojum case, we were familiar with the previous company shareholders and believed the firm could be acquired. After presenting the opportunity to David and Andrew Maxwell, we made a formal approach to Boojum on their behalf. We were responsible for originating the deal and introduced Renatus Capital Partners to the Maxwells.

Renatus quickly bought into David and Andrew’s future vision for Boojum and were able to agree a deal which allowed them to move ahead with the transaction.

“For us, a key role was to successful navigate through any challenges and offer our consultancy support and insight to the brothers. The funding and deal structuring are always important elements to get right in a transaction of this nature, and so our experience, coupled with David and Andrew’s vision, helped establish a smooth partnership.

Brendan Traynor, Renatus Capital Partners

“W

e were introduced to the Maxwell brothers

by HNH Group, having worked with HNH before, we knew they were an excellent source of positive, screened opportunities and from the outset we were keen to get involved in the transaction from the outset.

“David and Andrew’s proven track record of success in the hospitality sector, coupled with their management capability, was a key selling point for us when it came to considering the deal”. Fundamentally, we invest in good businesses and good management teams. The Maxwell’s vision, coupled with the potential of the Boojum’s brand, made it an exciting opportunity and one we were keen to co-invest in.

“Getting the right team is place is crucial when it comes to wanting to acquire and grow a business. David and Andrew had the perfect support behind them – experienced and capable advisors to support their pitch, and a flexible and experienced First Trust banking team who had a strong belief in them and in the

8

business. What made this particular deal a success – and an ongoing success – is the collaborative team approach adopted by everyone involved. As a domestic mid-market private equity firm, we want to work with strong management teams to acquire and grow businesses everyone is working together to facilitate growth in Boojum built around the clear vision laid out by the Maxwells.”

“ Getting the right team is place is crucial when it comes to wanting to acquire and grow a business. David and Andrew had the perfect support behind them – experienced and capable advisors to support their pitch, and a flexible and experienced First Trust banking team who had a strong belief in them and in the business.”

“It was a positive deal in terms of funding, as both Renatus and First Trust Bank were very supportive of Boojum and the Management Buy-In (MBI) team.

It was a positive sign for the market in general that a brand that was founded in Northern Ireland had grown to the extent that it had and that it had captured the interest of both the public and experienced operators like the Maxwells.

“From our prospective, it was another positive deal for HNH Group and we are pleased for David and Andrew, Renatus Capital and First Trust Bank on its successful completion. HNH fully expect to see the business continue to grow as a recognisable brand throughout Ireland and potentially beyond. What stood out for us was the strong support the deal received from all parties. This demonstrated that there is a growing appetite to support experienced operators that have an appropriate growth strategy. HNH Group has a strong network of Venture Capital and Private Equity Investors actively seeking opportunities to invest growth capital into such opportunities.”

Eye on News

NEW FUNDING GUIDE LAUNCHED Finance Minister Arlene Foster has said that a new funding guide for SMES will support our local businesses to grow.

P

roduced by the SME Centre at Ulster University Business School in partnership with Carson McDowell LLP, the guide highlights the comprehensive range of funding options available to SMEs and how to access them.

Speaking at the launch of the new funding guide, Finance Minister Arlene Foster said: “The Northern Ireland Executive remains firmly committed to growing a sustainable economy. SMES and entrepreneurs are the backbone of that economy and I will work relentlessly to create the conditions for our businesses to progress.

“In order to support growth, it is vitally important that SMEs are aware of the range of funding options available to them. This new guide is a valuable tool in creating awareness of funding opportunities as well as advice on how to access them. I have no doubt that it will be hugely valuable to SMEs in successfully

growing their business, which will in turn pay dividends for the Northern Ireland economy as a whole.”

Kirsty McManus, Director of the SME Centre added, “Through our work with SMEs we constantly hear about the frustrations experienced

by SMEs in accessing finance to enable them to move to the next level. Their natural route is straight to a bank which doesn’t always deliver the results needed. There are so many funding alternatives available but SMEs don’t have time to research and analyse every option. This guide has done all that groundwork and presents a summary of the different types of funding together with a signpost to where further information can be found.”

Richard Gray, Carson McDowell said, “Access to funding and the right kind of funding is a challenge faced by most SME’s. An increasing number of Northern Ireland’s SMEs are now prepared to look beyond

Arlene Foster with Kirsty McManus, Director of the SME Centre at Ulster University, and Richard Gray of Carson McDowell.

traditional bank debt as they try to grow their businesses, but the options open to them are not always clearly signposted. This guide is designed to be an easy reference point with credible examples that business owners in Northern Ireland can relate to as they explore the difference types of finance out there. Carson McDowell has seen a

rise in corporate activity in 2015 and with confidence returning to the economy, we expect to see more businesses advancing their growth plans by entering new markets and making acquisitions in 2016.”

and understanding of our needs.

They are already delivering wellconsidered business guidance which is thorough and timely. The strength and depth of Arthur Cox’s team across the full reach of its services is significant for us.”

Arthur Cox is ranked as one

of the leading law firms in both jurisdictions by both Chambers and Legal 500 and currently advises Government, corporates and the SME sector. The firm employs over 90 people in Belfast with offices in Dublin, London, New York and Silicon Valley.

The Funding Guide for SMEs is free of charge and available at www.ulster.ac.uk/business

COCA-COLA HBC APPOINTS BELFAST’S ARTHUR COX TO PROVIDE LEGAL SERVICES Leading law firm Arthur Cox has been appointed as legal adviser to Coca-Cola HBC on an all-Ireland basis.

C

oca-Cola HBC operates in 28 countries. It is one of the largest bottlers and vendors of The Coca-Cola Company’s products in the world, and the largest based in Europe.

Arthur Cox will provide CocaCola HBC with a full business service offering spanning corporate, commercial, antitrust, employment, litigation, procurement and property law.

Alan Taylor, Managing Partner at Arthur Cox’s Belfast office, and the relationship partner

for Coca-Cola HBC, said: “We are delighted to be appointed following a competitive process and look forward to supporting Coca-Cola HBC. Over recent years Arthur Cox has built an experienced and respected team and has a strong track record of partnering major corporates and contributing to their ongoing success.”

Raymond McGinley, Legal Director at Coca-Cola HBC, said: “Alan Taylor and his colleagues in Belfast and Dublin have shown great commercial awareness

9

Eye on News

LOCAL COMPANY VAUGHAN ENGINEERING GROUP CELEBRATES 60TH Vaughan Engineering Group, a leading engineering contractor, recently celebrated 60 years in business at a gala event. Pictured at the evening are (l-r) Bryan Vaughan, Director; Mike Vaughan, Group Managing Director; Albert Vaughan, Chairman; Mrs Isabel Vaughan; Gavin Vaughan, Group Finance Director and Garry Black, Managing Director.

S

tarted in 1955 by Albert Vaughan, the company now employs 400 people across its operations and has an annual turnover in excess of £60 million. As well as headquarters in Newtownabbey, the company has three regional offices in Edinburgh, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and Manchester.

Working within the mechanical and electrical building services sector, Vaughan Engineering Group has worked on key projects across the province; including the Grand Opera House, Parliament Buildings Stormont, Royal Victoria Hospital and Victoria Square. Along with

joint venture partners, Blackbourne Integrated, the company is also presently completing the construction phase of the £30m Ulster Hospital mechanical and engineering project.

Vaughan Engineering Group’s sister company Brankin Engineering, a ductwork manufacturing and contracting business, provides its services to the entire Vaughan Group and also to external companies. At its County Antrim facility, Brankin manufactures 67,000 sq m of ductwork per annum, enough to cover the equivalent area of six premier league football pitches.

In addition, Vaughan Homes, another sister company, is a residential developer and has established itself as a customerfocused quality house builder in the last 30 years, with current developments on-going in Carrickfergus and Lisburn.

Mike Vaughan, Group Managing Director, commented: “The last decade has been very challenging for the construction sector and it has been through our company’s ability to adapt that we have been able to survive and grow the business, in spite of the recession. We firmly believe that our success is down to our people and we wanted to mark

the occasion with an event to show our appreciation to all of those who have supported us over the years.

“Construction has a wide significance to our local economy; it creates, builds and maintains the workplaces in which businesses operate, the infrastructure to keep the country connected, the homes in which people live and the schools and the hospitals which provide our crucial services.”

The gala event at Titanic Belfast was attended by dignitaries including elected representatives, business associates, customers, suppliers, staff and various other stakeholders.

BELFAST SET FOR RECORD YEAR Belfast is on track to deliver its most successful tourism year to date, with hotel occupancy and room rates, visitor interest and tourist enquiries all at record levels for the first half of 2015, Visit Belfast has confirmed.

Mary-Jo McCanny from Visit Belfast with Councillor Deirdre Hargey.

10

T

he organisation which promotes the city locally, nationally and internationally, also said that figures for July and August showed no slowdown in visitor interest, with hotels experiencing buoyant demand during the peak summer months.

It said its Visitor Services team, which operates the flagship Belfast Welcome Centre in the city centre, in addition to two Tourist Information Centres in both key local airports, handled a record 340,000 enquiries between January and June, a third more than last year, as visitor numbers for July and August rose by a fifth and a quarter respectively.

Deirdre Hargey, Chair, Belfast City Council’s Growth and Regeneration Committee, said: “Belfast’s tourism figures for the year to date are hugely encouraging for the development of the city’s tourism industry and should mean record success for the year as a whole.

Belfast’s fast-growing appeal continues to attract increasing numbers of visitors from around the world, and, as a result of successfully developing tourism over the past decade, the city is well-positioned to take full advantage of even more growth.

“Tourism attracts more than 6.5 million visitors to the city each year, contributing

more than £450 million annually to the local economy while supporting more than 10,000 jobs. Working closely with Visit Belfast, and with all our partners, we aim to build on the success achieved to date and to maximise the opportunities for the full year ahead and beyond.”

More than 1.5 million visits to the visitbelfast.com website were recorded between January and August, up 45% on a year ago, according to Visit Belfast, which said the Tall Ships Maritime Festival had proved hugely successful in attracting interest and a drive in visitor numbers from right across the world.

Supporting an influx of business and leisure tourists, Belfast’s hotel sector performed particularly strongly, Visit Belfast said, with average hotel occupancy from June to August up 3.8% to 86.2% as room sales rose 4.7%. From January to August, average room occupancy rate in the city reached a record 80.4%, almost 5% up on the year before.

Weekend hotel occupancy grew steadily month-on-month, with figures for May to August showing hotels more than 94% full. It said that hotel revenues had also recorded double-digit increases since March, with figures for July and August showing a rise of 25% and 14.3%.

Supplying cars and vans to the business community

call us on 02890 734222

Example of Latest Offers at DFC New Vauxhall Insignia 1.6 CDTi 136 Design Eco Flex CO2 Emissions: 99 g/km Combined Cycle: 74.3 mpg

From

£199

inc vat/month (6+47, 8k pa)

RAC Telematics Breakdown Cover AccidentManagement

New Skoda Octavia 1.6 TDI CR 110 SE L CO2 Emissions: 99 g/km Combined Cycle: 74.3 mpg

Road Tax For Contract Duration

From

£175

inc vat/month (6+47, 8k pa)

All makes, models and mileage parameters to suit your individual requirements

Renault Clio Diesel 1.5 dCi 90 Dynamique Nav CO2 Emissions: 85 g/km Combined Cycle: 85.6 mpg

From

£139

inc vat/month (6+47, 8k pa)

To request your personal quotation please call us on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk 11

Eye on Travel

AER LINGUS RENEWS COMMITMENT TO BELFAST Mike Rutter never has been one to shy away from a bit of fighting talk... and in the airline business, a spot of combativeness never goes amiss.

B

ut the fact that he describes Belfast City Airport as “Dublin’s second airport....in some ways” won’t make him too many friends up at Belfast International.

Rutter is Chief Commercial Officer at Aer Lingus and a former senior man at Flybe, so he’s well versed in the Belfast aviation scene.

The deal which saw Aer Lingus join British Airways in Willie Walsh’s IAG airline group brought with it some concerns that services out of Belfast City Airport could suffer as a result.

Aer Lingus, after all, goes head to head with British Airways on the key Belfast City-London Heathrow route as well as operating to London Gatwick and to a growing range of European sunshine destinations.

But Mike Rutter insists that the airline is growing its Belfast operation.

12

In October, Aer Lingus announced a new route from Belfast City to Alicante in Spain, and increased its services on its other European sunshine routes – to Malaga & Faro (now nine per week) and Palma (now five per week).

And the services to Heathrow will benefit from a 21% capacity increase thanks to the deployment of a large Airbus A320 aircraft on the route.

“The Belfast operation has developed really well for us,” says Rutter. “We’ve established Aer Lingus as a leading choice when it comes to sunshine destinations and we’ve done that by matching the fares of the other main operators and by emphasising the convenience of Belfast City as an airport.

“Our services to Spain and Portugal produced substantial

growth during the 2015 summer season so the result is that we’re investing in those routes for 2016 and beyond.

“Alicante was an obvious choice for our new route. There is an established demand for flights to that part of Spain from Belfast.”

As with the other sunshine routes, Aer Lingus will be offering an alternative to the services of easyJet (and, to a lesser extent, of Jet2) from Belfast International Airport.

“But we’re doing that from an airport that’s easier to get to for many customers, and certainly quicker and easier to use,” he says. “The new route is good news for Belfast City Airport and comes on the back of the investment that the airport has put into its international facilities.

“And we will continue to look at other route opportunities from Belfast City as we go forward.”

On the London routes, Mike Rutter says that it’s a case of finding the “best combination” to suit IAG as a whole. “As things stand, we’re offering a really comprehensive choices of routes to the two biggest London airports, and that’s very good news for the travelling public here in Northern Ireland.

“The London routes remain very important for us as an airline,” he says.

Aer Lingus has three aircraft permanently based at Belfast City Airport, and supports 150 direct jobs here.

Mike Rutter is also keen to emphasise that the airline contributes to the economy here in other ways. It’s much praised new business class seat for its transatlantic services is made by Thompson Aero Seating in Craigavon, and it also sources a wide range of food products from suppliers here.

But Mike Rutter is also well aware that an increasing number of Northern passengers are using Dublin Airport....hence his Dublin’s second airport comment.

“We’re seeing a lot more Northern Ireland customers using Dublin as a gateway to our transatlantic services, for example, but also European flights. In overall terms, we’re seeing 20% or so of NI postcodes on bookings for our Dublin services across the board, and I’m sure the same goes for Ryanair.”

Aer Lingus has added three new European routes from Dublin for 2016, to Murcia in Spain, Montpellier in the south of France and Pisa in Italy.

And a €20 million investment has been completed in online technology.....the new Aer Lingus website. Faster, easier to use and with a lot more features than before, it has just gone live and sets out to make the passenger online experience a much easier one.

For those of is who shy away from the prospect of struggling with online flight bookings, that’s good news.

Eye on Communication

BT – providing trusted communication solutions In today’s fast paced 24/7 world, businesses need communication solutions that will live up to the challenge and enable their company to perform and grow.

W

ith an increasingly mobile and flexible workforce, it is also crucial that businesses are able to rely on a telephone system that works hard for them and keeps all staff connected to clients and customers, whether they’re in or out of the office.

Paul Convery, Head of BT Business, says: “BT is a world class telecommunications provider, offering bespoke, innovative, cutting edge technology coupled with first class communication solutions. We are committed to giving local businesses a competitive advantage and the confidence to know that they are purchasing a quality and reliable service from an established and trusted provider.

“When a business depends on data, they need to know that their connection is going to deliver a consistent performance. Take for example, BTnet, which provides businesses with massive bandwidth capabilities and offers a consistent and high speed connection that businesses can rely on.

“It also facilitates substantial call cost reductions as it enables businesses to make IP Voice calls using SIP technology (Session Initiation Protocol), where calls are routed over your internet connection.”

George Morrison, Account Manager at BT continues: “At BT, we operate a local sales team based in Belfast to ensure that account managed customers get the level of service and sales support they need to run their businesses smoothly and efficiently.

“I recently worked with local creative agency AV Browne to assess their changing business needs. As an advertising, branding and web development company, it was important that we identified

the right product solutions to meet their diverse requirements.

After consulting with them, I converged the business’s data and voice platforms to create greater functionality and substantial cost savings as a result of the installation of BTnet and Avaya IP Office.”

Stephen McClune, Head of IT at AV Browne, says: “With over 60 staff, we’re an ‘always on’ organisation and need access to a communication system we can rely on 24 hours a day.

“BTnet enables us to run numerous critical applications online with the reassurance to know that we have an internet speed and connection that we can rely on. BTnet is not a shared service so we have the reassurance of a consistent bandwidth. We also have the flexibility to increase the bandwidth to meet our requirements should we need it.

“We’ve also been able to make substantial savings by letting staff make IP Voice calls over the internet.

The quality of the connection of these calls has been much better than traditional landlines.”

George Morrison, continues: “To do business in today’s environment, organisations need a solution that seamlessly connects people and improves customer service. The Avaya IP Office allows staff the opportunity to respond to communications on their device of choice, whether they are in or out of the office.

Paul Convery, Head of BT Business

“In fact, BT is the only Global Platinum Partner using Avaya, highlighting our expertise in this space as a market leader.”

Stephen McClune from AV Browne continues: “With Avaya’s ability to use voice over IP solutions, our staff can easily keep in touch with each other. The current Avaya handsets give staff greater flexibility when handling calls with features like the internal directory and preprogrammed buttons. The voicemail to email system makes it easy for them to keep in contact with the office even when they are out and about, making the business as productive and efficient as possible.

“I have nothing but praise for the way we have been looked

after. All our questions have been answered quickly and we’re very happy with each service.”

“ I have nothing but praise for the way we have been looked after. All our questions have been answered quickly and we’re very happy with each service.”

Stephen McClune, Head of IT at AV Browne

Stephen McClune, Head of IT at AV Browne

13

Eye on Law

Corporate Immigration

By Jenny Walker, Solicitor, A&L Goodbody

It is common to introduce a piece on corporate immigration law with a remark on the pace of continuous change. However, the reality is that the current state of UK immigration regulation is both unprecedented and, in the context of Westminster petition, frenzied.

C

orporate immigration is not devolved to local government in Northern Ireland – resting instead with the Home Secretary and UK Visas and Immigration.

The Conservative Government has moved quickly to implement its constrictive immigration agenda, including setting up an immigration taskforce led by the Prime Minister with the clear aim of fulfilling its manifesto pledge; to decrease net migration.

That taskforce, the Migration Advisory Committee (the MAC), was commissioned in June 2015 to conduct a review of the Tier 2 route – the skilled worker route which enables UK employers to sponsor individuals who require immigration permission to work in the UK. The commission is split into early advice on Tier 2 salary thresholds, which was published in July 2015, and a wider review of the Tier 2 routes to be circulated in mid-December 2015.

Contrary to the stance adopted by previous governments, it appears that the current proposals demonstrate a willingness to disadvantage business need for highly skilled workers, by preferring to focus on immigration control instead.

14

There is no doubt that further change to immigration policy and practice is imminent. Foresighted employers might well react and prepare for the impending changes in the coming months. Clearly it will become more challenging to retain non-EEA personnel owing to stricter immigration rules, however, this must be balanced against the need for highly skilled workers across the STEM disciplines, and beyond.

That need is great: according to the Northern Ireland Adviser on Employment and Skills there are currently 3,100 skill shortage vacancies in Northern Ireland.

These roles are important to fill as they represent potentially productive elements within the economy here and also illustrate those sectors upon which efforts should be focused in terms of attracting foreign talent.

‘One of the leading business destinations in Europe…’

Foreign Direct Investment is on the rise in Northern Ireland, with figures from UK Trade and Investment suggesting that the number of foreign inward investment projects into Northern Ireland has leapt by 41% in recent years. This is confirmation of Northern Ireland’s reputation

as one of the leading business destinations in Europe, and one of the most successful within the UK for inward investment. Therefore, corporate immigration comes to the fore once again, not only a focus on the model for attracting talent, but how the individuals might be relocated – legally and long term – into a sustainable role with the real potential to progress.

However, with strict regulation and control a consistent theme of the Home Office, NI has sought to react to ease the procedural burden somewhat, from a logistical perspective at least. How has such progress been made? NI has sought to assist Indian nationals in their entry clearance application process by setting up an Indian Visa and Consular Application Centre in March 2015 – a step in the right direction for our 8,000-strong Indian community.

It means they will no longer have to apply online, travel to the Indian High Commission in London or to an Indian consulate in England to obtain a visa or identity documents for life in Northern Ireland.

The NI regional UK Border Agency office meanwhile – located at Drumkeen in South Belfast – offers a wide range of local

immigration services to the people of NI that were previously only offered in Great Britain, including a public enquiry office, a premium application visa service and a visa tenure extension service.

In order to tackle ‘head-on’ the challenges ahead, employers should acknowledge the reality of, and necessity for, a corporate immigration policy which can be assimilated with related corporate initiatives (particularly in Human Resources) with an eye on equality of opportunity and good employment practice generally.

It is vital that employers are proactive in terms of reviewing their policies and procedures to ensure that the appropriate checks and balances are put in place throughout the entirety of a migrant’s employment lifecycle, from recruitment to repatriation.

A&L Goodbody provides a range of business immigration solutions to help individuals get to their chosen destinations in compliance with the immigration laws and regulations applicable in NI and GB. We provide strategic direction and guidance on the structure and implementation of an immigration programme based on the size, type and industry of the organisation.

Eye on News

NI Businessman Embarks On An Epic Adventure A Northern Ireland businessman is embarking on what he hopes will be an Epic adventure after setting up a new company to help clients source celebrities and well known personalities.

E

xperience Epic Ltd is the brainchild of Banbridge entrepreneur Brian Adair who believes that there is a gap in the Northern Ireland market for a dedicated provider of celebrities from the worlds of sport, TV, entertainment and music.

As well as facilitating guests to attend

and speak at a wide range of events from weddings and birthdays to business seminars and award ceremonies, the company also plans to host its own events locally, kicking off with ‘An Epic Evening with Liverpool FC legend John Barnes’ on December 16 at the Ramada Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast.

“I think that Northern Ireland really is missing a ‘go to’ source for elite VIP speakers and guests to appear at a range of functions and events,” said Brian.

“Our key selling point is that the vast majority of our celebrities and personalities are based outside Northern Ireland. Our contacts within the TV, music and sports industries are

extensive and ever growing but our ultimate goal is that if a client wants to source any personality for any event - all they have to do is contact Experience Epic and we will do the rest.

“In the business world, one of the most common questions that comes up in meetings amongst event organisers and their PR and marketing representatives is ‘does anyone know how we can contact X or Y’. Whether it be for a photo shoot, conference, launch or awards dinner, we want to

make the task of sourcing the right personalities easier for local companies.

“And from a purely personal point of view, if you want someone famous to turn up at your wedding or birthday party, maybe even a song from the likes of Blue or Peter Andre, then you can contact us and make your event a truly Epic one to remember.

“No celebrity is too big or too small in our eyes – if you want them, we will contact them and get back to you with availability and costs,” he added.

15

Eye on Wealth Management “ We work with a wide range of different clients on a day-to-day basis. We specialise in meeting the needs of those with a higher than average net worth, and also work with those whose circumstances, for whatever reason, are a bit more complex than usual.”

ACQUISITION ADDS NEW DIMENSION TO FINLAY WEALTH MANAGEMENT Finlay Wealth Management has taken another step forward with the acquisition of Gerald Stanley Financial.

T

hree new jobs have been created at the East Belfast-based financial advisory firm which has bold expansion plans going forward.

Finlay Wealth Management, headed up by Jonathan Finlay, is a representative of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management network of financial advisers in Northern Ireland. SJP, a FTSE 100 company with its headquarters in Cirencester, has £55.8 billion worth of client assets under management.

Killinchy-based Gerald Stanley, who joins Finlay Wealth Management along with his

16

assistant Kerry Moore, is continuing with his financial advisory work serving clients alongside Jonathan Finlay and his team.

“We’ve been working together for a while already and have established a solid business partnership,” says Jonathan Finlay. “In fact, this is our busiest year for quite some time.

“That’s down to a combination of the close relationships we forge with all of our clients, and the excellent range of products from St. James’s Place that we have access to. St. James’s Place is proud to have a 95% client retention rate....that’s pretty unusual in this industry.

“We work with a wide range of different clients on a day-to-day basis,” he adds. “We specialise in meeting the needs of those with a higher than average net worth, and also work with

those whose circumstances, for whatever reason, are a bit more complex than usual.

“We are specialists at providing advice on investment planning, pensions, pre and post retirement planning, protection and estate planning, but we’ve also been able to find and put in place solutions for clients with some very complicated financial circumstances indeed.”

Changes in pension legislation and an increasing onus of responsibility being placed on the individual means that good financial advisors are busier than ever.....and more valuable than ever to their hard-pressed clients.

“It’s always important to consider the changing financial circumstances of clients and their needs, so we’ll offer regular review meetings, working alongside St.

James’s Place to keep on top of how the markets are developing.

“We also work very closely with accountants and solicitors to ensure that we can provide a wealth management service capable to responding to their clients’ needs, often at short notice.”

Finlay and Stanley offer a wealth of combined industry experience to their client network. Gerald Stanley has been a financial adviser since 1989, working with clients in North Down and Belfast in particular.

“I’m really looking forward to working as part of the Finlay Wealth Management team, and to playing my part in expanding this operation,” says Stanley.

Finlay Wealth Management now has even more experience within an already experienced practice and, in addition, it can call upon the national and international expertise within St. James’s Place Wealth Management both through its Northern Ireland head office in Belfast... and it’s Cirencester headquarters.

The Partner Practice represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp. co.uk/products. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Eye on Events

Danske Bank – ‘Advantage’ Series

Shaun McAnee, Simon Hatchman, David Williams and Chris Martin

Danske Bank recently hosted a social housing sector business dinner at the Ramada Plaza hotel in Belfast.

T

he Bank’s ‘Advantage’ series of business events has run throughout 2015, giving customers and prospective customers opportunities to hear from leading speakers in different sectors that will be key to the ongoing recovery of the local economy.

Chris Martin, who leads the management of Social Housing relationships at Danske Bank, commented at the event: “We see the social housing sector in

Tony Ruddy, Syd McDowell and Gary Dugan

Northern Ireland as very vibrant.

There is a lot of work going on here to ensure the continued roll out of high quality housing and we believe we can play an integral role in supporting these ambitions”.

The event was supported by the Northern Ireland Federation

Kevin Kingston

Alan Shannon

of Housing Associations (NIFHA) with its Chair, Alan Shannon, giving an opening address. Guests also heard from a number of social

housing professionals, who gave both local and GB perspectives on the opportunities and challenges currently facing the sector.

Jim Fitzpatrick

Bryan Deacon and Gary Lyons

17

Eye on Recruitment

NO RESERVATIONS Creating a full scale simulated Bulk Fuel Installation within a matter of days is a massive technical and logistical challenge. Putting the task in the hands of parttimers who are new to the role takes that challenge to a whole new level.

E

xercise VIKING STAR staged recently in Denmark was designed to test and enhance the skills of Reserve soldiers from 152 (North Irish) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps, who recently switched from being transport specialists to become an integral part of the British Army’s only fuel Regiment.

In the past year Reservists based at Holywood, Coleraine and Londonderry have re-trained to serve seamlessly alongside Regular Army counterparts as Fuel Tanker drivers and Petroleum Operators, building and maintaining bulk fuel storage facilities on overseas deployments. As if that’s not enough, the unit is simultaneously preparing to mobilise 50+Reservists to support the United Nations on a six month peacekeeping tour of Cyprus next year.

Dennis Woods, Past Master of The Worshipful Company of Fuellers to which 152 was affiliated earlier this year, understands the complexities of the transition to Petroleum Operations better than most. He says, “It was a big ask, for this is a highly technical specialism. Strong leadership and team ethos were central to success, but what most impressed me was the quality of the training. The trainers showed passion as well as expertise: If anyone ever loved their subject, it was these guys – and it showed!”

The two week exercise created plenty of technical challenges but, less obviously, securing two weeks away from ‘the day job’ was in itself a challenge for some Reservists taking part.

It’s generally accepted that employers who understand what service in the Army Reserve entails are more likely to give support above and beyond what’s legally required, so VIKING STAR was also used as a ‘seeing is believing’ showcase.

Ian Wilson of the Health & Safety Executive Northern Ireland identified direct benefits He says, “There are inherent risks in working with fuel with no room for mistakes or sloppy practices: that has direct resonance for HSENI. If ever I thought of Army Reserve service as ‘just a hobby’, my mind was changed by Exercise VIKING

18

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Smith, Commanding Officer of 152 (North Irish) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps

STAR. Alongside preparation for combat should the need arise, Reservists take on demanding specialist disciplines - hard enough when it’s your ‘day job’, but these men and women are learning complex new skills in their spare time and achieving impressive levels of professionalism.”

James Smyth, of Financial Foresight, the Chartered independent financial planning company, previously supported Reservist employees ‘primarily as a civic duty’, but he is now keenly aware that it also makes sound business sense.

He says, “Communications in particular bring transferrable benefits – and not only in terms of high tech innovation. Instructions and objectives are expressed with clarity; plans and outcomes are agreed and people get on with the job in hand: no faffing. That’s really valuable in business. The Reservists spoke articulately and with genuine enthusiasm about their work, whether that was a technical job testing fuel quality or an action role, taking part in a mock ambush.”

Connie Millar from Belfast Health & Social Care Trust adds, “On the face of it, there’s little requirement for Petroleum Operations, tanker driving or ‘soldiering’ skills in my sector, but there is common ground. Training and change management, for example, are also ongoing priorities in healthcare so it was useful to see how those are managed in a different working environment.”

Catering also highlighted synergies.

Checking out a modern-day Ration Pack,

Connie says, “We’re always looking at how to improve what we do, balancing nutrition and taste with value. I certainly wouldn’t suggest giving our patients Ration Packs, but the healthy snacks and drinks I tasted ‘in the field’ certainly provided food for thought.”

Lieutenant Colonel Paul Smith, Commanding Officer of 152 (North Irish) Regiment The Royal Logistic Corps, understands that employers may not always find it easy to back a member of staff who opts to balance an Army Reserves career with a civilian day job, although today employers are financially compensated when, on occasion, they ‘lose’ valuable staff on deployment. He says, “We appreciate employer support and, in return, we ensure their Reservist employees gain fitness, commitment and motivation, develop team and leadership skills, with the added bonus of nationally recognised credentials.”

(Below) Ian Wilson (left) meets staff member, Corporal Sandy Cavanagh, in action on Exercise

Eye on Technology

Tech Review: WorkPal It’s hard to move in business today without bumping into a new technology that’s transforming how things are done. For many local field-based companies it’s the snappily named WorkPal that’s single-handedly streamlining their entire job management process and virtually eliminating paperwork.

Brief Overview Labelled as a complete mobile workflow management solution, WorkPal (developed

by Northern Ireland company, Barclay Communications) provides office workers with a web app that delivers real-time job management, tracking, reporting and invoicing capabilities. Field workers avail of a smartphone or tablet app that constantly links them to the office and remotely guides them to and through all their jobs.

Features of WorkPal Job Management Every client’s current or scheduled jobs can be viewed, managed and quickly assigned to the nearest available field worker using the WorkPal web app, while the smartphone or tablet app guides field workers (step-by-step) through all job tasks, allowing them to add any forms, parts, notes, pictures or signatures directly onto the client’s account.

Job Tracking WorkPal automatically tracks a worker’s location and job status for the office’s web app and the Client Portal, which is designed to allow customers to login and check the status of their own individual jobs.

Job Reporting As a field worker completes their tasks, WorkPal automatically generates detailed reports for the office that include completed tasks, forms, notes, parts used, photos, signatures, time and date stamps and GPS tracking information.

Job Invoicing Lastly WorkPal can be integrated into a business’s accounting system, which will automatically generate invoices on the completion of a job using appropriate price lists, mark-ups and charging rules.

Setup and Use of WorkPal Scalability There are three out-ofthe-box WorkPal solutions; WorkPal Forms, Lite and Pro, all of which can be used by one to hundreds of employees.

Businesses can also invest in a custom designed package with account system integration.

Installation WorkPal is a cloud based solution that is designed for ease of use and adoption. There’s no

installation on PCs, setup simply involves a web address and user login. The smartphone or tablet app only requires a quick application download.

Use and Accessibility WorkPal is an extremely user friendly solution for both office and field workers. Like many cloud solutions, WorkPal’s web app is accessible on any PC with internet access, and the mobile app will continue to work with or without reception by securely storing data onto the worker’s device and syncing with the office once reception is restored.

“ Every client’s current or scheduled jobs can be viewed, managed and quickly assigned to the nearest available field worker using the WorkPal web app, while the smartphone or tablet app guides field workers (stepby-step) through all job tasks.”

The Bottom Line If you’re a field engineer, contractor, facilities management firm or have any other job-centred remote workforce that want to cut field based paperwork, reduce time frames and the fuel or postage costs associated with delivering paperwork back to the office then WorkPal could be the solution for you.

For more information about WorkPal contact Barclay Communications on 028 9096 0366, visit yourworkpal.com or email info@yourworkpal.com

19

Eye on Cover Story

JIM DOLLARD & ELECTRIC IRELAND...

Launching into NI Residential Marketplace The residential electricity marketplace here in Northern Ireland might be a relatively small one by some measures, but it’s big enough to attract the attentions of a growing number of suppliers.

T

he latest to announce its investment in the consumer energy market here is one of the big guns of the industry, Electric Ireland, part of the ESB Group, Ireland’s largest electricity utility.

It made the announcement in Belfast a few weeks ago that after 15 years of providing energy to the business sector, it would be making a ‘full-scale entry’ into the residential electricity market in Northern Ireland with an investment of £5 million, the creation of 45 new jobs and the opening of a new Belfast headquarters in the Gasworks complex.

At the same time, Electric Ireland took the wraps off a major TV and outdoor advertising campaign aimed at wooing customers over from the existing suppliers in the local marketplace.

Power NI are the market leaders with an estimated 68% share, followed by SSE on 24% and a clutch of smaller players including Budget Energy accounting for the remaining customers.

Jim Dollard, Electric Ireland’s Executive Director, says that the company is aware of the nature of the marketplace in Northern Ireland.

20

“We know that it’s a very competitive marketplace,” he says. “That’s why we’re setting out right from the start to bring a very different offer to the table.

“We’re not going for headline-grabbing discounts of the kind that aren’t very clear and tend to disappear very quickly. Instead, we’re promising stability on our rates and very clear, competitive one-off cash bonuses for consumers who switch over to Electric Ireland.”

Domestic consumers who make the switch stand to gain a package worth up to £75 and those who pay by direct debit can take up the deal without having to enter into a contract.

“But we hope that customers will come to us and then choose to stay with us because they will like our prices and our service.....not because they have to,” adds Jim Dollard.

“We have a long-established presence in Northern Ireland. We’ve been providing energy to the business sector since the market first opened up to competition 15 years ago; we’ve built up a 21% market share and we supply electricity to some of the biggest businesses in Northern Ireland. This experience has informed our entry into the residential market and we believe that entry into the residential market in itself will also help us to attract new business customers.”

But Electric Ireland doesn’t just face a highly competitive electricity marketplace in Northern Ireland. It also faces a market where

Eye on Cover Story

21

Eye on Cover Story

L-R Electric Ireland Sales & Marketing Manager, Claire McAllister and Jim Dollard, Executive Director.

customers have not switched suppliers at the levels seen in other European markets.

The statistics show that the switchover (or churn) rate is remarkably low. It’s currently running at some 5.7% of domestic electricity consumers.

In the Republic of Ireland, the churn rate is a much more active 14-15% of the total market.

Jim Dollard (and, no doubt, his counterparts at rival suppliers) will be hoping that the arrival of even more choice in the domestic marketplace will mean that more customers are tempted to make the move to a different electricity supplier.

“Price is important but service, we believe, is just as important,” he says. “We’re building a dedicated team in Belfast who can provide a really high level of service to our new customers.

“This is a long-term play for us. Electric Ireland is fully committed to serving the Northern Ireland electricity marketplace. While there are some legislative and regulatory differences between the two markets, our business model is about providing competitive prices and a quality customer service which means listening to our customers and treating them fairly and honestly. We have significant experience in serving electricity customers for almost 90 years and using this experience together with our local staff, we are confident that we will be able to provide an excellent service to our customers right across Northern Ireland.

“We’re creating more competition in a new way. Customers won’t be seeing any gimmicks from us. That’s not how we operate. We’re

22

“ We’re not going for headline-grabbing discounts of the kind that aren’t very clear and tend to disappear very quickly.

Instead, we’re promising stability on our rates and very clear, competitive one-off cash bonuses for consumers who switch over to Electric Ireland.” aiming to bring value to the market and we’ll be doing that by delivering stability through our competitive base rate pricing and our excellent customer service. I don’t think anyone should expect any surprises from Electric Ireland.”

“We’re really looking forward to the challenge,” adds Dollard. “We certainly have the capability to compete in the market, and we have the systems and the team to make it happen. It’s an exciting time for all of us.”

ESB Group (Electric Ireland’s parent company), employs around 1,400 people in the Northern Ireland. It owns and operates the NIE Networks distribution business as well as the Coolkeeragh ESB power station and also owns five wind farm sites.

SOME OF OUR DSU CUSTOMERS WILL EARN OVER â‚Ź140,000 IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS

Large electricity consumers throughout Ireland are earning substantial payments from DSU...

ARE YOU?

POWERHOUSE DSU GOES LIVE IN NORTHERN IRELAND To establish how much your business could earn from this scheme...

Contact NI Tel: 028 9261 2612

Contact ROI Tel: 01 68 69488

Email: ingrid@powerhousegeneration.com

Email: michael@powerhousegeneration.com

GENERAT ING INCOME | RED U CING C O STS

www.powerhousegeneration.com

Eye on Healthcare

CRANMORE DENTAL

PIONEERING NEW STANDARDS The world of dentistry in Northern Ireland is changing with the arrival of big GB-based corporate dental groups aiming to take a slice of the marketplace here through the acquisition of established local dental practices.

David Nelson BDS, MSc.(Imp.Dent), Cranmore Dental.

B

ut one family-owned Belfast practice reckons that our home-grown dental practices bring a unique offering to patients.

Cranmore Dental, set up by dental surgeon David Nelson and former solicitor Brenda Nelson over seven years ago, has grown to become one of the biggest of its kind in Northern Ireland. With six dental surgeries operating and with a team of over 20 people, the Windsor Avenue operation is working at full capacity.

“It’s why our future plans include considering extending our premises here in Belfast,” says David Nelson.

Cranmore Dental is a company which hasn’t been afraid to invest over the years.

Having completed a major refurbishment at its Windsor Avenue premises almost five years ago, it is one of very few dental surgeries to boast its own CT scanner onsite, providing 3 dimensional images to accurately plan dental implant treatment.

The practice is at the forefront with the use of digital impressions (eliminating the need for those uncomfortable moulds), as well as 3D digitally-guided

Reception at Cranmore Dental.

24

surgery techniques. Guided surgery is effectively an alternative for conventional implant treatment and David Nelson is confident that “it is the future of where implant dentistry is moving”.

“We offer a tailored solution for every patient,” adds David Nelson. “And those patients come to us on the back of our reputation for dental implant solutions, as we can provide a complete care approach to their dental implant treatment.”

“We have a very experienced team of dentists and specialist here at Cranmore, taking a multi-disciplinary approach to the care of our patients.”

David Nelson, Clinical Director at Cranmore, graduated in dentistry from the University of Birmingham in 1999 and also completed a Masters Degree in Dental Implantology from the University of Warwick in 2007. With over ten years experience in the field of dental implants, he is committed to delivering the highest standard of care for his patients.

His focus on dental implants extends to teaching other local dentists through a series of implant courses held at the

South Belfast practice, whilst also being a recognised Straumann mentor. “The dedicated training facility enables us to stream live patient surgery from the treatment room to the training suite” adds David Nelson. He has also previously lectured Queen’s University dental students on the subject of implants, and continues to lecture in London on the Foundation in Implant Dentistry course.

As part of the Leadership Team of the International Team for Implantology, a world wide non-profit organisation, championing the correct utilization of implant dentistry for the benefit of patients, David Nelson encourages patients to consider the experience and qualifications of the dentist including the implant system being used.

“I think what’s important for patients who want or need dental implants is that they want to work with someone they can trust, and someone who they know has the experience to provide the treatment they need. At Cranmore we support that treatment with a four-year guarantee on the work that we carry out.”

The Patient Lounge at Cranmore Dental.

Whilst dental implants tend to be thought of as a solution for teeth missing through wear and decay, as David explains, through our love of sport, there can be trauma which causes tooth loss. A keen cyclist himself having completed the recent Giro D’Italia, David appreciates that accidents can all too easily happen.

“Often patients who need to replace teeth lost by trauma (such as biking or other sporting accidents), have not needed to consider dental implants previously but are delighted that they can offer a fixed, long term solution.” David received the UK Single Implant Award at the Aesthetic Dentistry Awards in 2013 for his treatment of a biking trauma case where his patient, Richard, knocked out his front tooth.

Cranmore has won a number of UK and Ireland awards and is the only Northern Ireland practice affiliated to the Leading Dental Centres of the World organisation. The continued investment in the team and facilities provides a positive platform for David Nelson and his wife Brenda to move the South Belfast practice forward in the next five years.

CRANMORE DENTAL IMPLANTS FILL THE GAP LEFT

BY ACCIDENTAL TOOTH LOSS WATCH RICHARD’S STORY AT WWW.CRANMOREDENTAL.CO.UK /IMPLANTS

MULTI AWARD WINNING PRACTICE

4 YEAR GUARANTEE

COMPLIMENTARY

IMPLANT CONSULT

Accidental tooth loss happens, at Cranmore we have a fixed solution. We accept nothing less than the best for our patients. Talk through your dental implant options, book a complimentary consultation today on 028 9038 1822.

15 Windsor Avenue Belfast BT9 6EE T: 028 9038 1822 E: info@cranmoredental.com

www.cranmoredental.com

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education

A Festival of STEM W5 is undoubtedly the home of STEM in Northern Ireland. W5 General Manager, Judith Harvey, highlights the importance of STEM careers to the economy of Northern Ireland and unveils exciting plans for the ‘Friendship Four – Festival of STEM’ over the month of November.

L

ook what we take for granted in our everyday lives: the internet, mobile phones, defibrillators, global travel and cancer treatments. All these innovations and thousands more come to us from science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They come to us from people schooled in those disciplines and from people who supplied the entrepreneurial energies and capital that the scientist, engineer and technologist may have lacked.

The men and women who will make Northern Ireland’s tomorrow are in school today. They are the human capital at the core of any productive economy. As the global economy becomes increasingly dependent on technology, in Northern Ireland, our future economic success depends on the strength of the scientific and technological skillset of our young people. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, as it has become known, has been identified as one of the key growth areas to help Northern Ireland emerge from the recession. The economic strategy produced by the Executive identifies five sectors within STEM related areas which are being targeted as areas for the greatest potential growth.

However it is critical that we encourage our young people to study these subjects at school and beyond to ensure that we have the relevant skills and qualifications to meet the predicted need and find their place in the global economy.

26

Key to engaging and enthusing young people is relevance. Young people need to know how their knowledge can be used in industry and business, today and for the future. Achieving this requires a connection to business, industry and academia. Making that connection can be the difficult part!

Employers have a crucial role to play – both in terms of improving the attractiveness of the STEM sector and in highlighting the employment opportunities that exist locally.

The Friendship Four – Festival of STEM In November 2015, over Thanksgiving weekend, four ice-hockey teams from Colgate University, the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Northeastern University, and Brown University will travel to Belfast for a major international hockey exchange and to compete for the Belpot Trophy. “The Friendship Four” is an initiative led by the Odyssey Trust, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and the Lord Mayor of Belfast, Arder Carson, and Secretary of State John Kerry’s Office of Global Partnerships.

The key focus of the Friendship Four is Education: • Education of youth through sports to create a spirit of mutual understanding and the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play; • An exploration of the opportunities that education can provide, both in Northern Ireland and the USA through scholarships and placements; • Education linked to future job opportunities and economic success.

In parallel, the Friendship Four initiative aims to focus on social inclusion – ensuring that young people and communities from rural and urban deprived areas are engaged with education and provided with opportunities to identify relevant areas of study and future potential career paths.

So to celebrate this unique sporting and educational event, W5, in partnership with the Belfast Giants, has developed the ‘Friendship Four – Festival of STEM’, a fantastic programme of events being rolled out for schools and the public over the month of November, aiming to raise awareness of the role of STEM in Sport and in our society. The programme will centre around the SSE Arena and of course W5, Northern Ireland’s unique award winning science and discovery centre.

To increase the reach, impact and diversity of the programme, W5 is linking with a wide range of business, industry and academic partners to deliver innovative events including the Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Physics, NI Science Festival, Citi Group, our local universities and STEM Ambassadors from across Northern Ireland.

The programme kicks off with the Chief Scientific Advisor, Sir Mark Walport who will provide his insight into the societal impact of energy generation during an evening public lecture on 3rd November. Events also feature Margaret

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education The ‘Design it; Build it, Use It! Stadium STEM’ event on 20 November will give an overview of the key roles involved in all aspects of Sports Teams linked to STEM – from designing the building and kitting out the venue, to getting the most out of team performance.

W5 is also working in partnership with Ulster University School of Sport for ‘The Science of Sport, Exercise and Health’ event on 11 November.

The event will include a wide range of interactive workshops and talks, as well as an opportunity to meet academics and practitioners.

Byrne, Chief Executive of Sunderland Football Club and an alumni of Ulster University Business School, who as part of the Business School’s Ruby Anniversary celebrations will take part in one of W5’s ‘Fantastic Females’ series, targeted at young women in education exploring the ‘Business of Sport’.

So whether it’s ‘The Physics of Martial Arts’; the ‘Science of Sport’ or ‘Plastic Fantastic’

Master Robert Howard (7th Degree Master in Taekwondo) will give a lecture on ‘The Physics of Martial Arts’ on 4 November as part of the Friendship Four – Festival of STEM. Master Howard who also has a PhD in physics will explain the concepts of; velocity, momentum, force and energy, while at the same time checking if his physics is correct by smashing timber and tiles.

to name a few, the Festival of STEM will provide everyone with an opportunity to engage – and there is also a fantastic weekend of sport on 27th and 28th November when the College Teams compete.

How to get involved Full details of events available as part of the ‘Friendship Four – Festival of STEM’ are on the W5 website at www.w5online.co.uk.

Or if you are interested in supporting STEM in Education as part of these events or on an ongoing basis, get in touch and become one of our volunteer STEM Ambassadors. Currently W5 is working with over 1,250 volunteers from 180 Northern Ireland companies who are actively supporting the STEM Ambassadors programme at W5, inspiring over 60,000 young people about careers and opportunities in STEM on an annual basis.

27

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education

Does Education Meet the Needs of Business?

Is the education sector in Northern Ireland, throughout its levels, meeting the needs of employers and the business community here in Northern Ireland? We asked a number of key players in business and education for their views on the key question of whether schools, colleges and universities here are meeting the needs of today’s business and industry when it comes to the provision of well-trained, work-ready talent...

“

The Colleges have a combined turnover of £260 million and operate across 40 campuses with a presence in over 400 different community outreach centres. The sector has a proud history and tradition of providing a skilled talent pool that meets industry demands and supports a strong Northern Ireland economy. In these challenging economic times, the role of the colleges has become increasingly critical as we support the Northern Ireland Executive in rebuilding and rebalancing our economy.

Dr Alan Blair STEM & Economic Adviser

COLLEGES NORTHERN IRELAND

“ Olivia May Programme Director

WJ CLINTON LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE

28

Our six Regional Further Education (FE) Colleges are the main providers of technical and professional education in Northern Ireland, offering provision to over 90,000 learners on an annual basis, a figure which equates to 157,000 individual course enrolments.

As a provider of education to the business community one of the aspects we are very conscious of is the need to integrate a global focus into all the education we provide. Any company in NI, no matter how small, will be part of a global supply chain.

Leaders need to be able to think and act globally, and be aware of the opportunities and risks that lie outside this very small geographic area’ We are finding our clients are asking us more and more to include a global element to our leadership programmes. For example, we have been working with Allstate over the last 2 years designing a global leadership education

With over £340m investment in colleges’ estate and industry standard facilities during the past 10 years together with world class staff who work with employers on a global basis, our colleges are, more than ever, positioned to help companies grow through innovation support, skills provision or access to world class industry facilities.

Importantly, colleges can avail of a broad range of support mechanisms tailored to employers needs at various stages in their business growth.

At its annual conference on 15th October 2015, ‘Further Education, key driver of the NI economy’, business leaders and key stakeholders engaged with college representatives to discuss the critical role of colleges in helping to rebalance and rebuild the Northern Ireland economy.

This role is further emphasized in the new draft Further Education Strategy which, with the economy at its core, builds upon the successes of ‘Further Education Means Business’. The future economic prosperity of Northern Ireland requires a strong Further Education sector, working in partnership with business and industry, supporting learners to develop their potential and helping Northern Ireland to grow an economy capable of competing on a global basis.

”

programme which is being rolled out in the US, Northern Ireland and India. This programme is an integral part of Allstate’s journey to becoming an even more globally integrated and cohesive company. We are helping global leaders in Allstate understand and work with cultural differences and enhance collaboration and communication across locations and time zones.

Queen’s vision for 2020 has internationalisation at its core: more and more international students are coming to Queen’s. A successful example of this is the Queen’s International MBA: launched only a few years ago, this flagship programme is now attracting a diverse group of students from all parts of the world.

Our aim at the Leadership Institute is to continue to reflect this global focus in all that we do. We envisage our programmes attracting more and more international participants.

We will work closely with global partners to develop programmes with an international element so that we can offer the business community in Northern Ireland international experiences, perspectives and contacts.

”

Could you help us inspire the next generation?

Contractor 2015-16

www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Eye on Education

“ Laura Jackson Partner

BDO NORTHERN IRELAND

I believe, we are very fortunate to have on our door step, two world class universities that are able to play their part on the global stage.

These universities of course, also provide important future resourcing for indigenous NI business, and increasingly we are all competing not only with the rest of the UK, but with each other for the best talent.

I believe that single honours and combined honours business graduates are a credit to their universities and a valuable asset to NI businesses. Reading the road ahead, I do have significant concerns with cuts to the Education budget, that the number of places currently offered to NI students and the accessibility of such places could negatively impact the NI business community in future years.

A recent initiative with regards the Higher Learning Apprenticeships has been an encouraging development. This provides resourcing for NI companies with entry level

“

Ulster University Business School prides itself on the high level of engagement that it has with our business community across Northern Ireland. We are active citizens in the business community.

It is part of our DNA! A very good example of how we engage with the business community is through student placement and internships. In our Business School alone, over 500 students work with our businesses community regionally, nationally and internationally on student placements. This year, the business school organised a free networking event for small businesses and our students to ensure we build strong links.

Kirsty McManus Director of SME Centre ULSTER UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

A defining feature of Ulster has been its engagement with business. Ulster is well known for its work with small businesses in Northern Ireland and beyond in relation to Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and FUSION. At this moment, we have been involved in 211 KTPs and 173 FUSION projects and 492 Invest NI funded Innovation Vouchers across the University.

after A levels. This means the employee can train for a vocational accreditation whilst studying (‘earn while you learn’). This of course wont suit everyone but may appeal to those wishing to learn their trade without accumulating personal debt in respect of university fees. This is appealing to employers who can shape and influence the skillsets of their employees from an early stage and also provides manpower earlier in the pipeline.

The evolving activity and interaction between our secondary schools and the business community is encouraging. I do believe that the challenge will be for secondary education system to keep up with the momentum and pace of the technological changes so that our students and those leading those students are equipped with the latest knowledge.

The changing shift in the workplace around collaboration, thought leadership and providing creative business solutions as the routine means that the traditional focus on education may need to shift. This of course is not just for those teaching in this sector, I believe the business community have a role to play in this also. I know a number of key employers now offer training days and secondments to teaching staff, and the more support business leaders can bring to this arena, the better the reciprocity when businesses are looking to employ staff.

”

Within our Business School, well known entrepreneurs such as Eleanor McEvoy, CEO of Budget Energy, Clare Colhoun, CEO of 8 over 8, and Tracy Hamilton from Mash Direct are Visiting Professors to ensure we have our finger on the pulse of the business community. We know that many leaders of small businesses are busy doing that they do best, that is, running their businesses without the luxury of time to look to the longer term growth opportunities. At the Business School we have the breadth of programmes available to and we also pride ourselves in our ability to respond quickly to the needs of industry.

Our Economic Policy Centre at Ulster is currently developed a skills barometer for the Northern Ireland economy to better match our supply of skills with industry demand. It will provide cutting edge intelligence to shape our future skills offering, guaranteeing that we are delivering for the needs of your business.

” 29

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education

UNICITI UNVEIL £43M PROPOSALS FOR STUDENT ACCOMMODATION PROJECTS As the new university term approaches, demand for quality student accommodation is causing Belfast to play catch-up with other leading university cities.

U

niCiti, a Harrogate based developer of purpose built student accommodation, has claimed that higher expectations from students and parents is driving a need for an improved student accommodation offer across the city.

The developer of quality managed accommodation has submitted plans for two developments in the York Street area of Belfast; including 380 studios at Little Patrick Street and 590 bedrooms and 92 studios at a second complementary site just opposite Ulster University’s new campus. Paul Wilkinson, partner at UniCiti explained: “We are excited to have submitted our plans. Both applications bring forward a vision for quality accommodation, which needs to be realised quickly.

“By 2018, there will be a significant demand for student

accommodation, from five higher education institutions located across the city. Through our investment we hope not just to meet a required level of student housing in the city, but also bring our expertise developing student accommodation from other UK city projects.

“Belfast is playing catch-up with other university cities, and students and parents alike are now seeking the kind of better quality, managed accommodation that we will be able to offer. Through these two proposals we will be not just meeting a need, but delivering for higher expectations.”

According to the company, parents and students are become more discerning about living accommodation. Having invested heavily in tuition fees, insuring a quality living experience is

becoming an increasing priority for both. He continued: “Parents are seeking safe, secure accommodation for their children. Likewise, students are seeking higher living standards with the kind of quality facilities that reflect an independent lifestyle.

“Our proposals at Little Patrick Street are for 380 studios, all purpose built as managed student accommodation. Each studio will have its own en-suite shower facility, kitchen area and living space. York Street will offer similar en-suite and studio accommodation.

“Both sites will have on-site

management by our partners Collegiate, providing security and careful supervision of the accommodation. We plan to be part of the regeneration of this area, complementing the ongoing development at Ulster University’s York Street campus and surrounding area.”

UniCiti has submitted their £43m proposals to Belfast City Council, and if approved hopes to open its doors to a new intake of students by 2017. Design for both sites has been developed by local architect’s Like Architecture and Project Management.

IT’S ALL ABOUT ATTITUDE...

Dublin and Belfast based company Cpl, the largest recruitment agency on the island of Ireland, has released its Employment Market Monitor report for the third quarter 2015.

T

he survey highlights that with a shortage of some skills, particularly in the tech sector, nearly all employers today are choosing attitude over experience.

96% of nearly 500 employers who responded to the Cpl Employment Market Monitor believe that staff with a great attitude can be taught the skills they need.

The survey also found that 60% of employers will turn a blind eye to CV embellishment or lies, so long as the candidate performs well. A

30

further 60% of employers throw curved balls in interviews – asking impossible questions to assess the candidate’s reaction to the challenge.

Nearly all employers (95%) need students with practical experience during their education. Theoretical know-how no longer cuts it: they want students who have practical experience of their chosen field before landing their first job.

50% of employers are now banning social media in the workplace. Previous Cpl Employment

Market Monitors showed employers estimating productivity lost to social media at approximately 10 hours per week per employee. However, it is yet to be seen how easy such a ban will be to police since staff can use their own devices at work.

“This Quarter’s Employment Market Monitor shows that with continued jobs growth in the FDI sectors, companies are finding it

more challenging to locate all the skill sets they would like in candidates. As a result they’re opting for will over skill,” commented Áine Brolly, Chief Executive, Cpl Northern Ireland.

“We’re also seeing that when a job candidate tells a little white lie about experience, they can get away with it so long as they are good. However, high performance is required for an employer to let the lie go,” she added.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

31

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education

PwC Data Analytics Academy continues to deliver graduate employment

Pictured with Dr McIvor are Pat Beattie, Technology Director, PwC and Academy graduates Brenda Donaghy and Neil Gribben.

Department for Employment and Learning Head of Further Education Dr Mary McIvor presented certificates to 16 graduates who successfully completed the PwC Data Analytics Academy.

T

his second Academy provided graduates with the skills and experience required to take up new exciting opportunities being offered by PwC in its new and rapidly growing Data Analytics team. The students will now be interviewed for available jobs within the company.

Prior to the graduation event at PwC’s offices in central Belfast, Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry said: “I wish to congratulate everyone on successfully completing the Academy. This model provides employers like PwC an opportunity to be involved in developing a tailored training programme, whilst allowing graduates to refine their skills to meet the needs of the employer.

“The Academy model continues to prove a success and is an excellent example of how my Department supports graduates in

32

finding employment. We have a vast wealth of skills amongst our graduates, and the Academies are an extremely effective way of harnessing those skills to benefit local companies and grow our local economy.”

The Academy has been designed by the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL), PwC and Belfast Metropolitan College (Belfast Met) under the Assured Skills initiative.

Targeting graduates from any discipline, the Academy provided them with an intensive eight week training programme in Data Analytics.

Congratulating the graduates, Paul Terrington, PwC Northern Ireland regional chairman, said the Academy model had the potential to accelerate growth in the local technology market. He said: “The PwC Data Analytics Academy model is providing a pipeline of new, young data analytics professionals who add significantly to our rapidly-growing technology offering.

Belfast is PwC’s technology centre of excellence and we need to expand our skills base of data analytics professionals to support the demand from our growing global client portfolio.

“Working with our partners in Belfast Met and DEL, we have developed an Academy

model that has the potential to be expanded and broadened to significantly increase the pool of data analytics professionals across Northern Ireland. If we want to become an internationally competitive region for technology, the PwC Data Analytics Academy model is potentially a key component in that strategy.”

Marie-Thérèse McGivern, Principal and Chief Executive of Belfast Met, said: “We are delighted to acknowledge the achievements of the Data Analytics Academy graduates. The academy has been a great success with our business partners PwC and amongst our learners and I wish them every success in the future. The academy model represents how we enhance our learners skills and natural abilities by providing them with training and work experience that will ensure that they will have a solid foundation to work within the field of data analytics. We are very pleased to be working with PwC for a second cohort and we welcome the current applicants that are taking part in the next programme.”

The ceremony was attended by Academy trainees along with representatives from Belfast Met and PwC.

Could you help us inspire the next generation? www.w5onine.co.uk/stemnet

Contractor 2015-16

Eye on Education

Progressive Inspires Teens To Consider A Career In Finance With three quarters of CEOs now stating that skills shortages are the greatest challenge to their business* Progressive Building Society believes businesses and organisations should provide more opportunities for school children to gain a better understanding of the roles and functions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and financial focused careers.

A

s part of a Business in the Community initiative, Progressive welcomed 12 students from schools across Northern Ireland to champion the STEM & financial agenda and associated crucial skills base, and promote how they are becoming increasingly relevant and important

to the Northern Ireland economy.

The interactive programme gave pupils an insight into various roles within Progressive Building Society and sought to draw out the student’s personal skill sets and match them with the needs of the business.

Speaking about the event Darina Armstrong, Progressive Chief

Zoe Barr from St Roses’s Dominican College with Louise McAleer, Marketing Executive at Progressive Building Society

Executive said “It is important that businesses in Northern Ireland support the STEM curriculum and the development of young people interested in finance and STEM careers. These revenue generating qualifications play a

pertinent role in Northern Ireland in helping to drive an investment and knowledge based economy and we must continue to equip our young people with the essential skills and knowledge required to fulfil these demands.”

FARRY GIVES KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT COLLEGES NORTHERN IRELAND CONFERENCE Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry today gave the keynote address at the ‘Further Education: key driver of the NI economy’ conference.

T

he conference was hosted by Colleges Northern Ireland (CNI).

Minister Farry said: “The further education sector plays a pivotal role in developing a strong and vibrant economy through the development of professional and technical skills, increasingly at higher levels.

“The theme ‘Further Education: key driver of the NI economy’ also reflects a key focus of the new strategy for further education in Northern Ireland, which is currently under development. The colleges support the wider economy by assisting employers to innovate, to design and develop new products, to bring those products to market, and to be

more efficient and competitive.”

Minister Farry also outlined the importance of employers working alongside the further education colleges to design and develop high quality and economically relevant curriculum and qualifications to ensure that there is a pipeline of suitably qualified individuals at all levels to meet skills needs.

The Minister continued: “Another key role for the sector is supporting social inclusion by providing those who have low or no qualifications, or who have barriers to learning, with the skills and qualifications needed to find employment and to become economically active. The

Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry today gave the keynote address at the ‘Further Education: key driver of the NI economy’ conference hosted

by Colleges NI. Pictured at the event are L-R Gerry Campbell, Chief Executive of Colleges NI, Katherine James, Head of Small Business at Danske Bank and Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry.

further education sector plays an important part in driving positive economic change, promoting individual opportunity and achieving greater social cohesion.

“Further education colleges also play a role in increasing participation and achievement in higher education.

Indeed, the scale of the sector’s contribution to higher education delivery is demonstrated by the fact that nearly one fifth of all higher

education students in Northern Ireland are studying in one of the six further education regional colleges.

Higher education delivered in further education regional colleges is an integral part of the delivery of the economic vision for Northern Ireland.”

33

Contractor 2015-16

Could you help us inspire the next generation of Inventors?

W5 needs enthusiastic Ambassadors to show young people how Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths can lead to exciting and successful careers.

If you or your company would like to get involved please contact Julia Carson at W5 on 028 9046 7722 or email juliacarson@w5online.co.uk

www.w5online.co.uk/stemnet

Eye on Events

Family Business Takes Centre Stage

L-R Patrick Leonard, Harbinson Mulholland; Vincent Carton, Manor Farm; Andrew Keyt, Loyola University; Lorraine Bell, GPS; Stephen Stewart, Mervyn Stewart; Darren McDowell, Harbinson Mulholland; William Barnett, W&R Barnett

T

he intricacies, pitfalls, myths and realities of successful family businesses were given the spotlight at a highly success Family Business Seminar staged at W5 in Belfast by Ulster University’s SME Centre and accountants Harbinson Mulholland.

Guest speakers at the breakfast event included American author and family business specialist Andrew Keyt, William Barnett of Belfast-based holding company W&R Barnett and Vincent Carton, Managing Director of Irish poultry giants Manor Farm, an eighth generation family company.

The event was attended by a wide range of local family businesses of all shapes and sizes and also included a panel discussion and audience participation based around a series of family business scenarios portrayed by two professional actors on the W5 stage.

Andrew Keyt

Lady Ballyedmond asking a question

Acting out a family business scenario

35

Eye on Management

Family Business Brought To Life...

Fathers, Sons & Daughters The August/September edition of Business Eye featured an interview with three of the partners at Harbinson Mulholland.

Their message? That the firm is a specialist when it comes to working with family businesses here in Northern Ireland.

B

ut it was the photograph that caught a lot of peoples’ eyes. It featured Harbinson Mulholland Partners Paul Mulholland and Darren McDowell with Darren’s three children.... each dressed in business suits & ties.

As they prepare for a family business breakfast seminar event alongside Ulster University’s SME Centre on 20th October at W5, two of the firm’s partners continue the family theme, proving once again that they don’t just talk the talk.....

Next month (November), Jeremy Harbinson and his 25-year old son Ben talk about Ben’s fledgling website design and video business.

36

In this edition, Harbinson Mulholland Partner Patrick Leonard and his daughter Sarah, also 25, chart the progress to date of Sarah’s high potential webbased retail venture, BeauCo. Sarah Leonard’s first career choice was to follow in her father’s footsteps. She studied accountancy to Masters Degree level at university and spent two and a half years training with EY in Belfast before coming to a big decision.

“I decided that accountancy wasn’t for me,” Sarah says simply. “I talked it over with both Mum and Dad and decided that leaving EY was the best way forward for me.”

Dad Patrick takes up the story. “Yes, it was a bit of a shock at first. But, once we’d established that she had a real passion for starting out in her own business, we backed Sarah 100%, and we’re glad we did.”

Sarah’s business venture is BeauCo – www. beauco.co – a comprehensive one-stop price comparison portal for beauty products. The idea is simple. Browse or search for a specific product and the site will provide all details, including price, and allow the user to purchase it through a range of big retail outlets, among them Boots, House of Fraser and John Lewis.

“My first thought when Sarah told me about it was that it must already be in existence,”

Eye on Management

adds Patrick Leonard. “But it wasn’t....”

A trawl around for a creative team to help her get BeauCo up and running ended at Gasworks-based Sugar Rush Creative, who’ve done the design work on the site that is now up, running and selling beauty products to its customers.

The next step for Sarah was to interest the big retailers in the price comparison site through an affiliate scheme.....not an easy challenge at first, but one which has got a little easier as more of the big retail names have agreed to feature their products (and prices).

“The key is that the site has to be easy to use, it has to be enjoyable, and

it has to readily show the distinction in prices,” says Sarah Leonard.

Dad Patrick says that his role has been one of mentoring and providing advice as and when required. “Sarah’s accountancy experience means that she’s got a good grasp of the financials, and she’s invested her own money into the start up venture.

“The structure of the business is important, and then there’s the whole question of marketing, most of which lies ahead for BeauCo. Now that the site is up and running, it’s a case of getting the word out there.”

“We have managed to build BeauCo up to the level where we have somewhere

around 130,000 different products online.

That’s a fairly comprehensive choice for our customers, and we are managing to produce real price differentials. We have a fragrance product online at the moment that varies from £25 up to £60 depending on the retailer.” says Sarah.

“Our big challenge now, as Dad says, is to market BeauCo and to try to make sure that everyone knows about it. That will be based largely around social media channels....and we will be aiming high.”

www.beauco.co

37

Eye on Events

ASTON MARTIN VENUE FOR BEST MANAGED COMPANIES The contenders in the annual Deloitte Best Managed Companies 2105 decamped to an evening reception held recently at the brand new Aston Martin showroom at Charles Hurst Belfast.

R

epresentatives of the Northern Ireland companies were joined at the event

by Glenn Roberts of Deloitte Belfast and Adrian Doran, Head of Barclays Bank in Northern Ireland.

As well as enjoying a chance to view the latest Aston Martin and

Bentley models, guests at the event enjoyed food prepared by chef Derek Patterson from The Plough in Hillsborough, and heard from Dermot Harkin, a Northern Ireland-born senior executive at Aston Martin’s headquarters.

Graeme MacLaughlin Barclays, Glenn Roberts Deloitte, Adrian Doran Barclays and Anthony Parsons Barclays

Adrian Doran Barclays and Glenn Roberts Deloitte

Brenda Buckley, Business Eye

Ian & Alison Wilson Wilsons Auctions, Michael Hall Kestrel Foods

Joe Keenan, CFM and Aoife Keenan

38

Dermot Harkin, Aston Martin

2015 Thursday 26th November

Award Categories & Criteria There will be 16 different categories for the 2015 Awards...

SME of the Year Award

Research & Development Project of the Year

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

The small to medium-sized enterprise (up to 100 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.

Green Company of the Year Award

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

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.

Foreign Direct Investment Project of the Year SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

Agri Food Innovation Award 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 commercial success or commercial potential as a result of innovation should be demonstrated.

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.

40

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.

A new category for the UTV Business Eye Awards 2015 recognising the recent foreign direct investment project which, in the opinion of the judging panel, has brought the most benefit, in terms of employment or other relevant factors, to the wider Northern Ireland economy and business community.

Business / Education Award SPONSORED BY

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.

Fast Growth Business of the Year

Business Personality of the Year Award

Company of the Year Award

Tourism / Hospitality Project of the Year

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

The Northern Ireland-based business of any size which can demonstrate a substantial growth in sales/turnover and/ or employment levels over the past 12-18 months.

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.

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.

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.

Lifetime Achievement Award SPONSORED BY

Young Business Personality of the Year SPONSORED BY

Employer of the Year Award

Most Innovative Company of the Year SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

The Lifetime Achievement Award will honour a leading personality from the wider Northern Ireland business community who has made a significant and lasting contribution to business and the economy in the region.

This brand new 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.

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.

With innovation at the heart of many NI-based enterprises, this award sets out to recognise the organisation which, in the view of the judges, exemplifies best practice in product and/ or service innovation.

41

MONDAYS AT 8PM

For extra clips from the series visit u.tv/roadtrip

Eye on Giving

AT THE HEART OF PHILANTHROPY IN NORTHERN IRELAND Sandara Kelso-Robb, Executive Director, Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland and Strategic Advisor, Giving Northern Ireland 1. What are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving?

I believe charitable giving is an essential component of society. It’s what makes us human and provides the thread that connects us and engages us with people, needs and causes that we might not normally be exposed to.

Giving comes very naturally to me and I am constantly amazed at the power a modest, timely intervention can have.

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

I support a wide range of causes and this changed along the way. As a young person I was a big supporter of animal welfare organisations and then I added to that with an interest in children and young people. I am the Northern Ireland Ambassador for The Diana Awards and it is always humbling to see young people recognised for their voluntary efforts be it around antibullying initiatives or fundraising for causes or individuals they believe in.

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

A combination of both. As Executive Director of the Lloyds Bank Foundation for Northern Ireland I oversee a range of grant programmes to enable people who are disabled or disadvantaged play a fuller role within their local communities.

This year the Foundations funded by Lloyds Banking Group celebrate 30 years in operation and over that period have donated £575 million – the largest corporate Foundation in the UK. I also give personally in a variety of ways – money, mentoring skills, volunteering and fundraising.

5. Are there specific charities or causes that you give to regularly?

How do you choose which to support?

I’m delighted that I have just recently realised a long-term ambition to set up my own grant –making Foundation. It is a donor-directed fund and will be managed by the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland. I have called it The Hope For More Foundation and it will increasingly become the focus of my charitable efforts.

I established the Foundation to encourage children and early-teens to get into the good practice of giving. The thinking behind it is that if people are shown the benefits of small-scale planned giving at an early age, they are more likely to incorporate it into their lives as they grow. The potential for pocket-money, micro-giving and giving circles is huge and hopefully this initiative will translate into more strategic giving in future generations.

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

I am a founding member of Ireland’s first giving Circle – Give Inc. We are a group of business women and we donate £1 per day. We support children, young people and women and our pooled donations have now exceeded £50,000. It’s a wonderful feeling to work collaboratively with other like-minded individuals. I also serve on the Boards of two charitable organisations – Women in Business NI and the Belfast International Arts Festival. Good governance is the key to a healthy and thriving voluntary sector and organisations are always keen to recruit a Board with a wide skills base.

6. Do you believe that companies and individuals have a duty to help others? If yes, why?

I do of course. But I believe it should be more than just a marketing exercise.

It should be self-motivated and not a requirement. Giving is not and should never be like paying taxes for example.

The companies which support their employees in their fundraising and volunteering activities will always be more effective than those which direct or instruct. Individuals expect businesses to support the communities in which they operate. I am particularly interested in the development of social enterprise which I support both personally and professionally.

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

Giving needs to be strategic in order to maximise the impact it can have. It can often be difficult choosing just one or two causes or issues to support as there is so much need locally and internationally. But it pays in the long run to select the causes you want to support carefully, to build up a mutually beneficial relationship and to add value to your gifts of time, talent or treasure.

8. Giving Northern Ireland was set up 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 Strategic Advisor to Giving Northern Ireland I would be biased! We have witnessed a great appetite for all of the programmes we have been operating. Our Safe Spaces dinners provide the opportunity for High Net Worth Individuals to discuss philanthropy with their peers, we are skilling up the voluntary sector by providing training in major gifts, we are working collaboratively with sister organisations on the annual NI Philanthropy Fortnight programme, we are supporting businesses as they develop giving strategies and we are working on international philanthropy initiatives like Giving Tuesday. At a time of unprecedented funding cuts it has never been more important for society to support those in need. Giving is good for business and good for the soul!

43

Eye on News

HENDERSON FOODSERVICE WINS CONTRACT WITH MOUNT CHARLES Henderson Foodservice has signed a new contract with the Mount Charles Group worth up to £20m over the next five years.

T

he Mallusk-based division of the Henderson Group has been working with the company - one of Ireland’s largest indigenous support service organisations – since 2007 but this the biggest contract Henderson Foodservice has secured with Mount Charles to date, following a competitive tendering process.

The contract will initially run for the next three years with an option to renew it for an additional two years.

The Mount Charles Group provides contract catering services to 90 sites across Ireland including schools, universities, healthcare organisations and businesses.

Henderson Foodservice will supply a wide range of dry, chilled and frozen

foods including those from local suppliers, such as dairy products from Dale Farm, bread from Irwin’s, meat from FC Robinson in Ballyclare, ice-cream from Kircubbin-based Glastry Farm and bakery products from U Bake in Londonderry.

Managing Director of Henderson Foodservice Damien Barrett said winning the contract was great news for the company’s staff and suppliers.

“It’s fantastic that after many years of an excellent working relationship with the Mount Charles Group, we have won this new contract, securing our business with them for at least another three years.”

“It’s a great sign of confidence in the quality of services and products we are supplying. Our staff will

Cathal Geoghegan of Mount Charles with Damien Barrett of Henderson Foodservice

work hard to continue to bring the Mount Charles Group the very best dry, chilled and frozen foods, several of which are from local suppliers, via our 250 deliveries to their sites each week. That’s about 13,000 deliveries a year!”

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of the Mount Charles Group said: “We’re very much looking forward to continuing our partnership with Henderson Foodservice. They have become one of our largest and most trusted suppliers, and as a company they share a similar ethos than our own – to accept nothing less than excellence.

“One of our core objectives and indeed something that sets us apart from our competitors is that we champion locally produced food and drink. More than 85 per cent of our fresh food produce is locally sourced and fully traceable, so Henderson’s local approach is a key factor behind this new contract.

“We operate in a market in which customers expect the best possible product for the best possible price and Henderson’s proposition more than met our expectations in terms of quality and value for money, which was essential,” Mr Geoghegan added.

Johnsons Coffee Gets Ready For A New Arrival Leading NI coffee roaster, Johnsons Coffee, is getting ready for an exciting new arrival... Its very own home grown coffee beans.

F

or over 100 years the Johnson family have been producing coffees of true excellence with the finest Arabica beans from around the globe, being expertly selected and brought to Johnson Coffee for roasting. Now the Lisburn company have cultivated locally grown coffee plants which will yield their fruit and produce their own exclusive coffee beans.

The project, which is collaboration between Johnsons Coffee and leading local horticulturalist, David Pattison has produced over a dozen coffee plants, which are being carefully nurtured and cared for.

David Pattison, Managing Director of Award winning Landscape Designers ‘Plantations’ and Philip Mills, Sales Director at Johnsons Coffee tend to the first crop of locally grown coffee plants at Johnsons Coffee.

44

Philip Mills, Sales Director at Johnsons Coffee said, “Coffee is grown around the equator in countries rich in volcanic mineral soils having specific temperature and rainfall tolerances. We have replicated the growing conditions tp allow us to produce and roast coffee grown right here in Northern Ireland. We’re really looking forward to producing and tasting our very own home grown cup of Johnsons Coffee”.

David Pattison commented, “It has been a very interest challenge, replicating the climatic conditions, with temperature, humidity and light all being important factors that need to be considered. I am very pleased that the plants are all very healthy and I am sure in time there will bear fruit and produce good coffee beans.”

Eye on Agri Food

ARTISAN ENTERPRISE THAT’S FLYING HIGH Sam Butler talked to Claire Kelly about her small company, Passion Preserved in Lisburn, and her role in Ulster Artisans, the producer group for artisan food and drink enterprises.

C

laire Kelly gave up a successful career as a chartered accountant and business adviser to pursue a passion.

Her passion became Passion Preserved, a small business in which she has created an original range of relishes and chutneys She’s now selling these successfully at local craft shows, farmers’ markets and, most recently, the unique Country Market at Belfast International Airport.

Claire is among the most successful artisans now contributing to Northern Ireland’s burgeoning reputation as global centre of smart ideas and outstanding tastes in food and drink. Her relishes recently won praise as “wonderful” from Fiona Beckett, one of the UK’s most respected food writers.

Most of the ingredients in her products, including chillies, are grown in her own garden that includes poly tunnels and a processed in a purpose-build unit.

I’ve always been keen on making food that’s different and tasty,”Claire says.

“I considered starting a small business focusing on products like relishes and chutneys at university,” she adds. The idea, however, was pushed to the background while she studied for a qualification that would lead eventually to a successful accountancy business near her current home in Ballinderry, Lisburn.

When she wasn’t checking balance sheets and advising clients she was making unique relishes and chutneys for her own use and as gifts for friends. I’d use the relishes in hampers given to friends particularly at Christmas.”

While most of the recipes for the relishes are created by Claire, she’s also borrowed ideas from friends at home and abroad.

Friends clearly appreciated the deliciously different relishes and suggested she should sell them at local craft fairs, which she did with considerable success. The popularity of the handmade products gradually encouraged Claire to think seriously about turning her passion into a small business.

“I discussed the idea with my husband, Peter, and he told me to ‘go for it’ and helped me by developing the processing

unit.” She obtained the necessary food production approvals and the business began to gain momentum.

Craft shows and farmers’ marakets continued to be her main source of income…..until a friend introduced the relishes to Peter Hannan, the managing director of the multi-award winning Hannan Meats in Moira, and a businessman with a longstanding track record of assisting new starts here in the food industry.

Hannan was so impressed by the quality and unique tastes of the relishes that he asked to meet Claire. That meeting led to an offer to list the relishes on a trial basis and for Claire to hold sampling sessions for shoppers in the Meat Merchant. He also introduced the products to leading retailers in Britain, while Claire secured orders from other local food champions such as Mark Brown at the widely respected Arcadia deli in Belfast. Orders followed from delis in the Republic along with accolades from the UK Great Taste Awards.

Claire helped draw together other artisans she met at markets around the country into a collaborative network, Ulster Artisans, and was elected secretary of the organisation. “We all recognised a need for a voluntary organisation that would assist an exchange of knowledge and experience between artisan businesses and would be well-placed to support important marketing initiatives such as the planned Year of Food and Drink 2016. This is a great opportunity for artisan food businesses

“ We all recognised a need for a voluntary organisation that would assist an exchange of knowledge and experience between artisan businesses and would be well-placed to support important marketing initiatives such as the planned Year of Food and Drink 2016. This is a great opportunity for artisan food businesses here, and we wanted to be in a position to exploit the business potential.”

here, and we wanted to be in a position to exploit the business potential,” she says.

She was also involved in the discussions about a Country Market at Belfast International Airport (BIA) that followed an approach from BIA chief executive Graham Keddie. “We saw it as an amazing opportunity, a great idea, to reach travellers and enable them to sample the quality of artisan food and drink to be found here.

Graham Keddie is a great supporter of local food and drink, and we were keen to support this tremendously important initiative.”

The Country Market opened at the airport in early October and proved to be hugely popular with travellers who enjoyed the opportunity to talk directly with the artisan producers and to sample their wares.

45

Eye on Cross Border Trade

Is it time you ‘Discover What’s Possible’ for your business?

With holidays now a distant memory for most of us and the end of our so-called ‘summer’ long gone, Autumn is one of those seasons at the end of a year that can help you take stock and forward plan for the next year to come. It is an ideal time for many small businesses to re-evaluate and take stock of the company, and to put a plan in place to improve its future growth prospects.

C

o-incidentally, there is no better time to get in touch with InterTradeIreland, the cross-border business support body. InterTradeIreland helps SMEs across the island by offering practical cross-border business funding, intelligence and contacts. From working with businesses to increase their cross-border sales, to support with innovation and new product or service development, to helping firms to secure venture capital and investment, or even support and advice with tendering into the public procurement market - InterTradeIreland has a variety of supports in place to help your business, no matter what your growth ambitions may be.

The key to innovation success Businesses that are innovating and doing things differently are three times more likely to grow. InterTradeIreland provides specialist support to businesses who want to rethink products and services, develop news ones entirely or to embed a proven, reliable and repeatable innovation model into a firm’s processes.

Sales growth on your doorstep The cross-border market offers an ideal place for local firms to

46

start their exporting journey and can open up a wealth of business growth opportunities.

From helping to fund experienced sales and marketing personnel to providing financial vouchers which firms can use towards professional advice in areas such as legal, marketing and accountancy, InterTradeIreland, as the recognised authority of cross-border trading, is ideally placed to help firms improve their bottom line by making the most of our closest neighbouring market, right here on your doorstep.

Know-how to tender successfully Public sector tendering can be a minefield for many small businesses and can be very difficult to master. But once you get the basics right, the business growth potential is huge. InterTradeIreland offers award winning tender workshops where businesses are given the skills and knowledge they need to tender successfully and keep on top of the everchanging procurement market.

For many larger contracts, smaller businesses increasingly have to partner with other firms and collaboratively bid for work. InterTradeIreland’s consortia facilitator can help

put companies in touch with relevant partners on an all-island basis to help with the bid process.

Succeed in raising finance Investment is vital for accelerated growth and product / service development but it can be very difficult to secure.

InterTradeIreland offers companies one-to one equity advice as well as access to venture capital events and funding for growth clinics.

Through the All-Island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition, early stage companies are assisted to become investor ready as well as having the chance to win a share of the significant €280,000 cash prize pot.

Improve your business intelligence It is only natural for firms to focus mostly on their own business and how it is performing. However, taking time to understand the wider environment and what is going on out there can often provide additional insights that can prove very valuable.

InterTradeIreland provides useful business and policy intelligence on opportunities, regulation, market trends and important influencers.

InterTradeIreland also produces the largest all-island Business Monitor survey quarterly, a range of research reports and provides a unique all-island trade statistics portal.

Get in touch To date more than 25,000 small businesses have been supported by InterTradeIreland.

So if your focus is sales growth, innovation, tendering skills, raising venture capital, securing growth funding or improving business intelligence, a good place to start is InterTradeIreland.

Why not download our FREE Simple Guide to Cross Border Business? Available from our website at www.intertradeireland.com So go on – Discover What’s Possible in 2015 with InterTradeIreland

OUT OF SITE. YOU’RE OUT OF YOUR MIND!

OPT FOR ON-SITE SHREDDING! No transit, handling or sifting. No chance for error.

Eye on Events

SPORTOLOGY HOSTS RUGBY WORLD CUP LUNCH Sportology Talent Management, headed up by ex-Ulster player Andrew Park, staged a corporate Rugby World Cup lunch event at Robinson & Cleaver’s terrace in Belfast city centre.....a few days before Ireland were unceremoniously dumped out of the World Cup by Argentina.

(1)

T

he main sponsors of the event were Lambert Smith Hampton and Millar McCall Wylie Solicitors, with the drinks reception sponsored by St. James’s Place Wealth Management, represented by another former Ulster star Sheldon Coulter.

BBC Northern Ireland’s Stephen Watson chaired a discussion panel made up of Ulster’s second most capped player and former Irish international Paddy Wallace, current Ulster player Stuart Olding and former Leinster & Ireland back row forward Shane Jennings.

(2)

(1) Noel Murphy, Paddy Wallace and Paddy Brennan. (2) Craig Hatfield, Gorden Carson and Johnny McLarnen.

50

The event raised funds for the Fund for Autism, supported by the Paddy Wallace Foundation.

Sportology is a leading talent management agency and acts as an incubator for promising sports stars. The firm also advises businesses interested in sponsorship and marketing opportunities. Its clients include one of the stars of Ireland’s World Cup campaign, Ian Henderson, as well as Stuart Olding and professional golfers Gareth Maybin and Stephanie Meadow.

Eye on Events (3)

(5)

(4)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

(10)

(11)

(3) Jan Cunningham, Sheldon Coulter, Shane Jennings, Michael McDowell and Stuart Olding. (4) Jim Gracey, Sarah Dillion Cusack, Lawrence Higgins and Davy Millar. (5) Andy Park.

(6) Andy Park, Jimmy Parkhill and Stephen Watson. (7) Ulster and Ireland International, Stuart Olding. (8)The Panel. (9) The Panel with host Andy Park and Sponsors LSHPaddy Brennan and MMW - Jan Cunningham. (10) The Panel and chair Stephen Watson. (11) Gorden Carson, Craig Hatfield, Shane Jennings, Jamie Bill and Johnny McLarnen.

51

Glenturas - Pictured from left is Ian Stone, Business Adviser, Bank of Ireland UK with Gerard McCallion, Glenturas Construction Ltd.

Bank of Ireland UK

Supporting ambition, funding growth and adding value to small businesses PropertyPal – Pictured from left is Errol Maxwell, Managing Director, PropertyPal.com and Catriona McGirr, Business Adviser, Bank of Ireland UK

52

Eye on Banking Bank of Ireland UK’s commitment to being the ‘go to’ bank for small business is in no doubt. Last year, they supported the ambitions of thousands of local entrepreneurs by opening more than 4,000 new small business accounts – across all sectors.

T

heir commitment is built on strong foundations - they have the people on the ground, with experienced Business Advisers in every branch who have an in-depth knowledge of their customers’ needs and can provide speedy decision making.

The Bank also has the expertise to support companies trading internationally through its specialist Global Markets team; and, with a long history of serving Northern Ireland, it has an exceptional understanding of the local economy.

Bank of Ireland UK is competitive too, offering local business real value for money - and is always looking to do more.

It was Bank of Ireland UK which pioneered Enterprise Week to support the growth of enterprise in Northern Ireland. The bank has connected with more than 6,000 businesses through the initiative and the next Enterprise Week will take place from November 13 -20th, 2015. Bank of Ireland UK has a strong network of connections too, working closely with business groups, government and others to support the development of enterprise, innovation and, increasingly, cross-border trade.

PropertyPal.com is a Bank of Ireland UK customer and Northern Ireland’s largest property portal. Managing Director Errol Maxwell explains it was his Business Adviser, Catriona McGirr, and the rest of the bank’s team that gave him the confidence to go ahead with a Management Buy Out last year, since when he has not looked back.

“The buyout enabled us to focus on our ambitions for the site. We have so many ideas to create a great experience for our customers and estate agents,” he says.

“Our priority in 2015 was developing a couple of apps to ensure mobile users could browse our property listings and already 70% of our traffic comes to us that way.”

“As well as being my day to day contact at the end of the phone, Catriona has opened the door to different areas of expertise within the bank as and when we’ve needed it. From Commercial Finance, which helps significantly with our cashflow, to Asset Finance which helped us buy a fantastic retro camper van that we’ll use to

target a younger market at Freshers’ Fayres, for example, next year.”

“We also grew our head count by 25% this year and our plans for 2016 include investment in a management system for estate agents. We’re keen to consolidate our position as number one in Northern Ireland and look ahead to making deeper in roads in the Republic of Ireland market and we know we have a bank that will support us every step of the way.”

Bank of Ireland UK is also working closely with Glenturas Recruitment Ltd, a specialist in the UK, Ireland, Canada and the Middle East, recruiting candidates for the construction, engineering and education sectors.

Established in Derry/Londonderry in 2013 by Gerard McCallion and his partner Ultan Doherty, the business has grown from a head count of two to employing 40people across the business.

Gerard McCallion, Managing Director of Glenturas Recruitment Ltd explains how it all started with a single contact in Canada. He says: “Pre-recession I had a small building company and so often had approaches from people looking for work. With things slow in property here I came across a contact in Canada looking for people and we developed

the recruitment side of the business from there. We now have an extensive network of contracts with some of the largest contractors in Western Europe, Canada, and the Middle East.”

“This year things started to get busy in construction again and now we’re focused on developing Glenturas Construction Ltd as well, it provides groundwork for renewable energy companies both here and in the Republic of Ireland.”

“The support of Bank of Ireland UK and Ian Stone, our Business Adviser, has been 100%. We have Commercial Finance to help our cashflow and to support our growth while the Global Markets team have been instrumental in helping us to achieve a better rate of exchange with the Foreign Exchange account they opened up for us.”

“With so much of our business happening in the Republic of Ireland, it helps that we can have a bank account with Bank of Ireland there too. Ian introduced us to the Buncrana branch who provide us with a trading account which delivers savings for us when we’re changing euro to sterling.”

Another company happy to testify to the support that Bank of Ireland UK provides to small-medium sized businesses is Dawson Material Handling Equipment Ltd, which was established more than 35 years ago in Belfast.

The business has grown from a small company focused on fast response breakdown support to become one of the leading specialists and providers of Fork Lift Sales, Hire and Service to the

materials handling industry across Ireland.

Managing Director, Karl Dawson, says: “Bank of Ireland UK has always been very willing and able to support our growth plans and have remained consistently competitive across all funding facilities.

For more than fifteen years we have been the exclusive distributor for Caterpillar Lift Trucks in Northern Ireland and two years ago our company was awarded an extension of our territory when we secured exclusive distributor rights for all of Ireland. The bank’s Global Markets team efficiently and effectively guided us through our cross currency requirements and established the necessary facilities promptly, allowing us to focus our efforts on implementation of our growth strategy.”

“The bank also supported our recent purchase of additional premises next to our headquarters providing us with space to increase stock and expand the workshop facility for an ever growing fleet of equipment and customer base. They have remained attentive and supportive throughout the many years of our business relationship, and when like us you are focused on driving business growth – that matters.”

Sean Sheehan, Regional Director NI, Bank of Ireland UK says: “There are no limits to the ambition we have for small businesses across Northern Ireland. We are passionate about helping businesses realise their full potential and that means continuing to work hard to understand our customers business needs and to become the ‘go to’ Enterprise bank for many more small businesses.”

Pictured from left is Karl Dawson, Dawson Material Handling Limited and Tommy Doherty, Business Adviser, Bank of Ireland UK

53

Eye on Retail

Henderson Group’s Mark Adrian...

AN ESTATE TO BE RECKONED WITH

It’s only when you consider the size of Henderson Group’s property portfolio that you start to get an idea of the day to day challenges facing Mark Adrian and his team.

M

ark is Property Director at Henderson’s Mallusk headquarters and in charge of all property matters at the Group. “That means developing property plans and strategies to meet the goals that we’ve set for the growth of the business, and in infrastructure terms that means a 30-year horizon,” he says simply.

But, within that, there’s a lot of work to be done. Mark and his team look after everything from the acquisition of new retail sites through to contracts, maintenance, energy management and every aspect of estate supervision.

“It also means the project management of everything from new builds to refurbishments,” he says. Mark Adrian has been with the Henderson Group for eight years, moving into retail from the housing association sector.

54

“We’re responsible for nearly 80 stores all over Northern Ireland... from the larger EUROSPAR supermarket outlets through to the SPAR fresh stores and on to the smaller neighbourhood outlets. Most of our stores can expect some level of investment every few years and we have an intensive programme of investment in all of our outlets.”

Over recent years, the emphasis has been on changing the look and feel of all of the SPAR retail outlets to reflect the company’s clear emphasis on its fresh food offering.

“We’ve also been busy changing the facilities available within our larger stores. It’s very common these days to find Subway outlets, Food-to-Go, butcheries and Post Office branches inside SPAR and EUROSPAR stores,” adds Mark Adrian.

Henderson Group, he says, is hungry for more store acquisition... be it via greenfield site developments, or more often, by the purchase of existing store operations.

“We have close to 80 stores in Northern Ireland as things stand, and we’re aiming for a target of 100 outlets, but that’s definitely not the finish line for us. We’ll look at every opportunity closely and all of our Directors and Senior Managers keep their eyes open for potential sites.....it’s something we’re all used to doing.

“What do we look for in a site? We’re looking for good quality, spacious locations with good customer access, room for car parking, ideally on a busy road and serving a clearly-defined community.”

His department includes a dedicated business/property

acquisition team charged with identifying both greenfield sites and potential retail acquisitions.

“We’ll work with all of the commercial property agencies serving the marketplace here and, like everyone else, we’ll monitor the media and keep our eyes and ears open.”

Meanwhile, Mark and his team are kept busy on the day to day maintenance of Henderson Group’s property.

“Our retail sites are in pretty much constant use, so there can be a lot of wear and tear.

We’ve a dedicated maintenance team who will look after all sorts of issues as they arise at our properties... everything from emergency repairs through to planned maintenance and often working alongside a range of partners who will work with us on specialist areas like electrical, lighting and refrigeration.

“It’s a high cost area for us as a company, but maintenance is vital to keeping up the high standards our shoppers are used to.”

On the energy front, the company has invested some £3.5 million over recent years in environmental measures, ranging from the use of LED lighting in all stores through to the use of solar panels where possible.

“Our aim is a very simple one,” says Mark Adrian. “As a company, we’ve set out to create worldclass convenience retail facilities right here in Northern Ireland.

“We’ve looked all over the world at the best convenience and supermarket retail stores available and we’ve applied a lot of what we’ve learnt in our network here.

“Property management and investment in our estate is vital to what we’re working hard to achieve.”

The business world on your doorstep...

Eye on Business Destinations

Destination Glasgow Glasgow is a dynamic and diverse city, famous for it’s unrivalled warm welcome, stunning architecture and artistic heritage. The city is celebrating Year of Food and Drink 2015 with a vibrant food and drink offering making it the envy of other UK capitals, and the home of this year’s Turner Prize Exhibition.

Meetings and conference venues One of the UK’s largest integrated venues, purposebuilt to provide exhibition, conference and concert space, the SECC is situated in the heart of Glasgow and is capable of delivering events to well over 10,000 delegates. This year the city also welcomed the new multi-million pound University of Strathclyde Technology and Innovation Centre conference centre in the heart of the city, a hub for world-leading research, enabling close collaboration between academics, business, industry and the public sector, while the state-of-the-art £113 million Emirates Arena – which played a key role in last year’s Commonwealth Games, is one of the most versatile and innovative purpose built structures of its type in Europe.

Where to stay Visitors to Glasgow are spoilt for choice when it comes to places to stay. Whether you’re looking for a luxury hotel or a quirky boutique, there’s something to appeal to all tastes and budgets.

The majestic 5 star Blythswood Square provides a truly luxurious experience, while the aptly named Grand Central Hotel placed right next to the city’s rail station has recently undergone a £20m refurbishment to bring it bang up-to-date. For a home-from-home Grasshoppers Hotel, with it’s complimentary Smarties, muffins and rock cakes will place you in the heart of this bustling city.

Top attractions With 22 themed, state-of-the-art galleries displaying an astonishing 8000 objects, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is one of Scotland’s most popular attractions, and home to Dali’s The Christ of St John of the Cross. For art and history lovers The award winning Burrell Collection is a treasure trove of historic art from around the world dating back to medieval times. As a UNESCO City of Music, Glasgow hosts an average of 130 music events each week, and the city’s legendary music scene boasts the iconic King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut and Barrowlands both of which are consistently voted as top live music venues by musicians and fans alike Restaurants Glasgow’s food is rock ‘n’ roll. It’s not just exciting and fast-paced, it’s an ever-changing beat. It’s part of the pulsating rhythm of city life. The eating and drinking scene is firmly part of the city’s unique culture with the famous Ubiquitous Chip serving the very best of Scottish cuisine for over 40 years , with the courtyard dining room is said to be one of the most magical spaces in Glasgow. A passion for local produce has earned Café Gandolfi a loyal following, using fresh ingredients.

Key business contacts: Convention Bureau +44 (0) 141 566 0800 conventions@glasgowcitymarketingbureau.com http://conventions.peoplemakeglasgow.com/ Glasgow City Marketing Bureau +44 (0) 141 566 0800 https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/ Glasgow Chamber of Commerce Tel: 0141 204 2121 Chamber@glasgowchamberofcommerce.com Travel Flybe currently offers a choice of up to 6 flights daily from George Best Belfast City Airport to Glasgow Airport. Departing at 0700 and with the last returning flight at 2025, business travellers can avail of a full day’s work. Lead-in fares for a single journey from George Best Belfast City Airport to Glasgow start at £29.99 including taxes and charges. For more information log onto www.flybe. com . Located 8 miles from the city centre, airport buses run from the airport every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day and take approximately 25 minutes.

55

Eye on Events

HRH The Duke of York is pictured with Dick Milliken, Chairman of the NI Science Park.

DUKE HOSTS SCIENCE PARK RECEPTION

T

he Duke of York has hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for Northern Ireland’s most innovative entrepreneurs and businesses growing a new, dynamic private sector in NI, now recognised as the Knowledge Economy.

A unique mix of Northern Ireland’s best-known business founders and executives, along with some of the region’s most successful new startups,

showcased the province’s finest innovations to a handpicked group of NI, UK and international business angels, Venture Capitalists and private investors at Buckingham Palace last night.

The event, supported by Halo, the NI business angel network, demonstrated how the Northern Ireland Science Park is supporting and developing high-growth early stage companies, which has been critical to growing the wider economy.

RAINBOW & THE CLOUD

D

avid Beatty (second right) from Rainbow Communications was pictured at a free seminar organised by NI’s leading independent telecoms provider to help local businesses understand the benefits of cloud technology.

Rainbow Communications joined

forces with leading experts Ajit Jadeja (second left) from BT Wholesale and Michael Coyle (far right) from Microsoft to demonstrate the latest cloud-based communications and to offer free advice to local businesses.

Also pictured are Charlotte Hilditch and William Irvine from Broadsoft’s.

Eye on Events

THE DREAM COMES TO LIFE TREEMENDOUS SUPPORT...

I

t might not seem like it but it’s 10 years since Titanic Quarter was officially launched in the Titanic Drawing Office. Since then £360m has been invested and 1.5m sq ft developed, with plans to invest

a further £395m by 2020 to develop a further 3m sq ft. Pictured with an original CGI of the ARC residential complex in front of the completed development is Conal Harvey, Titanic Quarter’s Executive Vice Chairman.

W

arm-hearted workers from leading drinks company, Tennent’s NI, have pledged a helping hand in support of local charity, PIPS (Public Initiative for Prevention of Suicide and Self Harm).

Their year-long support programme

packed with imaginative fundraising ideas will raise £20,000. Getting into the picture with a colourful tribute to the charity’s ‘palms’ tree logo is Brian Beattie, Marketing Director of Tennent’s NI, with Brian Maguire, Chief Executive of PIPS.

DUNBIA SHOWCASES NI MEAT IN GERMANY UNIVERSITY AWARD FOR

M

eat processor, Dunbia has taken part in an International Food Fair in Germany show-casing it’s red meat capabilities to a global audience.

Anuga, the largest food show of its kind in the world attracted over 150,000 visitors from retail trade, food service and catering markets across the world.

Speaking at Anuga, Michael Doran, Dunbia Sales & Marketing Director said:

“Anuga is one of the most important trade shows for Dunbia in terms of developing our existing customer base and attracting new customers. This is an ideal show case for Dunbia as we aim to grow our export markets.”

Dunbia Deputy Chief Executive Tony O’Neill is pictured with DETI Permanent Secretary Andrew McCormick, Dunbai’s Executive Director Jack Dobson and Invest NI’s Director of Food, John Hood.

JOHNSTON CAMPBELL

J

ohnstonCampbell, one of Northern Ireland’s longest established financial management companies, was honoured at the Queen’s Management School Placement Awards for its efforts in supporting the young careers of promising financial undergraduates. The awards ceremony, which sees employers,

students and workplace mentors awarded for their excellence and commitment to work placements, was held at Belfast’s Riddel Hall on 14th October. Pictured with the prestigious award are former Queen’s University Placement students, David Wright and Ciara Ryan, with Director of JohnstonCampbell, Graham Glover.

57

Eye on Law

DEALS FLOW AS TUGHANS TEAM HITS TOP GEAR It’s a measure of economic recovery around these parts that one of Belfast’s top corporate law teams is busier than it has been for a number of years.

T

he deals have been flowing for the Corporate team at Tughans, led by the firm’s Head of Corporate John-George Willis, and including three partners in James Donnelly, Ciara Lagan and John McGuckian.

“We’ve been very busy,” says James Donnelly.

“The team has been working on a series of really good deals pretty much back to back. Two years ago, we might have been talking about cautious optimism in the marketplace. But nowadays, it’s considerably more optimistic than that.

“Merger and acquisition activity is back with a bang and there is definitely a buzz around in the market at the moment.”

All of Tughans’ Corporate Partners agree that the corporate restructuring activity that went on in the immediate wake of the recession wasn’t as negative as it might have appeared at the time.

“I think we saw a lot of companies changing how they did things and taking the opportunity to look closely at their structures. Not all of the restructures in the market a few years ago were driven by the banks.”

The local M&A marketplace, says James Donnelly, has been skewed by the £945 million sale of our largest company, Moy Park, to Brazilian group JBS. “A deal of that magnitude puts the figures in a very different light,” he says. “But we’ve had a lot of other deals going on right across the spectrum. It is a very positive picture at the moment.”

US interest in Northern Ireland continues, and one of the latest deals in which Tughans has been involved saw the Lurgan-based chilled freight specialists Sawyers Transport announce that it is to be acquired by Agro Merchants, a US transport conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Ciara Lagan, John-George Willis, John McGuckian, James Donnelly.

58

Away from straight M&A, equity finance continues to advance in the local marketplace. Recent deals on that front in which Tughans lawyers have been active include MML Capital’s investment in Lowe Refrigeration and Lyceum’s investment in fast-growing Total Mobile.

In addition, there has been London-based Hg Capital’s investment in insurance industry software specialists Relay.

“It’s good to see more companies here reaching the level where they are attracting the interest of these private equity funds,” says John McGuckian. “It can take some time, and quite a bit of hard work, to get organisations up to that stage.

“We’re working with client companies from the seed capital stage upwards, and it’s important that we all work towards getting them to the stage where private equity investment becomes a real option.”

Ciara Lagan says that the number of private equity players on the local stage has increased substantially. “We’ve now got MML, Lyceum and Hg in addition to the likes of Atlantic Bridge, Broadlake and Par Equity. And the private equity players are showing an interest in smaller deals too.

“So venture capital is definitely a growth area here in Northern Ireland and it’s not always limited these days to the highflying technology companies either.

“Of course, they’re always keeping an eye on the exit strategies, but that’s the nature of their business. If you always view that as a negative, you’re missing the point to some extent.

“From our perspective, these investors are finding real value here in Northern Ireland, and we’re seeing evidence that they’re continuing to look around for more investment opportunities here.

“On the other side of the fence, companies here in Northern Ireland are a lot more prepared these days to look at alternatives to bank finance when it

Eye on Law

Tughans’ Corporate Partners.

comes to investing in their businesses.

Areas like invoice asset finance are growing in popularity all the time, with players such as the Keys Group and Whiterock Capital flourishing.”

And the main banks, say the Tughans’ team, are back in the game and investing in local business. “I think we’re definitely seeing them return to lending activity,” adds Ciara Lagan. “They might be taking a more conservative approach to that lending than in the heyday before the recession, but that’s probably no bad thing.”

James Donnelly emphasises the fact that M&A can work in both directions. It’s not all about big groups snapping up local companies.

“Think about Westland Horticulture’s acquisition of William Sinclair in GB out of administration, the Camlin Group’s acquisitions in Switzerland and elsewhere and, in the construction sector, FP McCann Group’s purchase of distressed businesses across the Irish Sea. As for hot sectors, the team identifies technology, not surprisingly, alongside construction, agri food and general engineering/manufacturing.

“We’ve been recruiting to expand the team.

Both John and Ciara have been appointed as Partners, and earlier in the year, we appointed a couple of new lawyers at Associate level.”

Looking to the future, James Donnelly is optimistic, “we’re seeing genuine upward trends and it doesn’t look as though the current level of deal flow is going to drop.

This is great to see and our team are thriving on the buzz of advising on these deals.

59

Eye on Banking

Changes to landmark Belfast building is a ‘Progressive’ move Progressive Building Society, Northern Ireland’s largest locallyowned financial institution, has announced that it has created 13 new jobs over the past 12 months and has invested significantly in the redevelopment of its landmark Head Office building which has officially reopened in Belfast. Following its centenary celebrations last year, 2015 has been another good year for Progressive. Below Chief Executive Darina Armstrong outlines the mutual’s commitment to the high street and the success that is built on direct engagement with its members and potential customers.

Pictured are John Trethowan, Chairman and Darina Armstrong, Chief Executive of Progressive Building Society.

“H

aving worked at Progressive for over 23 years I have witnessed a number of changes within the Society- new branches, improvements to systems, processes and procedures and, although we have a very low staff turnover I’ve seen some valued members of staff come and go. However, one of the most satisfying changes I have been involved in has been the recent redevelopment of our Head Office in Wellington Place.

Our Wellington Place branch has been a landmark building for Belfast and a cherished home for Progressive for almost 50 years. As Northern Ireland’s only locally owned building society, Progressive has been serving people locally for over 100 years and our Head Office has been a symbol of our commitment to support our Members through the good times and the not so good.

Its transformation is also integral to a wider

60

commitment by Progressive to support and invest in high streets in cities and towns across Northern Ireland, something which underpins our business model. In the last 18 months we have invested £2m on our high street investment programme, and the growth and success we have achieved has enabled us to employ 13 new talented team members to support the business’ needs.

While other organisations are pulling out of the high street, we continue to roll out our investment programme with a series of new locations or branch redevelopments being completed over the last 18 months including Ballymena, Derry, Cornmarket and Wellington Place, Belfast .

We have 12 branches across Northern Ireland and through this strong network we directly engage with our savings and borrowing Members, putting them at ease and ensuring that they receive a

first class and personal customer service.

This is something valued right across the organisation and by every member of staff, and has been instrumental to our growth and development over the years. This strategy is fundamental to our success which saw new mortgage lending increase by 30% to £153m with post tax profits of £9.85m in 2014.

Looking towards 2016 with increased consumer confidence in the housing market we expect to see sustainable growth within the Northern Ireland residential market into early 2016 and beyond. For Progressive we will remain true to our core values of supporting our Members, providing them with security and financial strength and investing in our branches and our people to ensure we provide an exemplary service to anyone seeking mortgage and savings products right across Northern Ireland.

BBC’S MINDREADER

MAGICAL

Christmas Shows & Lunches Dates in December at the

E U R O PA • S L I E V E D O N A R D STORMONT • EVERGL ADES

Visit hastingshotels.com or call 028 9047 1066

ULSTER UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL 40 YEARS ON 62

Eye on Education Professor Marie McHugh, Dean of the Ulster University Business School at Ulster University, reflects on the success of the School since its establishment 40 years ago in an interview with Richard Buckley.

A

s the Ulster University Business School itself celebrates 40 years since its establishment at Jordanstown back in 1975, its Dean only has another couple of years before she can raise a glass to her own 30-year milestone at the University.

A psychology graduate from Northern Ireland’s other university, Queen’s, and a native of Enniskillen, she joined Ulster University as a Research Officer in 1987, becoming a Lecturer in Organisation Studies at the end of 1989. In 2001, she was promoted to a Personal Chair in Organisational Behaviour and became Head of Department. Before taking up her present post in 2009, she was Head of the Department of Management and Leadership at the Ulster University Business School. If that’s not enough, she is Editor of the Leadership & Organisational Development Journal, and a former Chair and President of the British Academy of Management. She was awarded a Fellowship by the Academy in 2013.

What pleases Marie McHugh most isn’t the 40-year milestone for the School, but the fact that its Research Excellence Framework (REF) results for 2014, put it right up amongst the best business schools in the British Isles.

“The latest REF league table is a significant boost for our reputation as a business school,” she says.

“With a base of world leading research, the impact of our work place us 7th in the UK, out of 101 universities entered in the 2014 REF……. That places us above the London School of Economics,” she says.

The REF is an exercise carried out by the UK Government that assesses the quality of academic research and it’s a big deal for universities and academics alike. And it’s not just an exercise in vanity and reputation.

The results help determine how much research funding universities are granted, and there’s £2 billion a year up for grabs.

According to no less a source than The Guardian’s Education pages, a poor performance can close a department, whilst a higher rating means steady funding.

“But it also helps us to attract more students, both from Northern Ireland and from overseas.

It’s important for all establishments now to have global reach,” adds Professor McHugh.

Over the years, Ulster University Business School has forged strong links with China, and each year, welcomes some 50 Accounting and Finance students from one of its partner universities, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics (DUFE) based in

Dalian, North East China. DUFE students come to spend a two-year period at Ulster as part of their degree courses, with the other two years spent studying at home.

Back in the 1980’s, the fledgling Business School at Ulster University had 350 students, 40 academic staff and a couple of courses to choose from.

Today, it has upwards of 6,000 students spread across each of the University’s campuses, 200 academic staff, over 100 undergraduate and Masters courses (plus PhD programmes), underpinned by a base of world leading research acknowledged by the REF results.

“So we’re a big established school now, we’re up there with the best of them.

We’re very confident that the forthcoming move into the new Belfast City campus will enhance our reputation even further.”

The University plans to create a £250 million campus on and around its existing York Street site in the centre of the city.

Professor Marie McHugh says that the Business School isn’t all about teaching and research. “We’ve developed a very successful and very dynamic SME Centre under the leadership of Kirsty McManus, and we also have the Economic Policy Centre, led by Professor Neil Gibson, with both centres helping to cement the strong reputation of the University as a whole.”

“What we also do is to work closely with the business community here in Northern Ireland.

Universities can’t exist in a vacuum.....they’ve got to be relevant to the communities that they serve. We’ve got to take an applied approach to what we do, and that is very much what we do at the Ulster University Business School.

“So we’re involved in a lot of different ways, both in general terms and specifically. For instance, we’ve been working extensively in the FinTech space; we worked alongside CME Group (Chicago Mercantile Exchange) and Invest NI on the development of our Financial Innovation Lab, a state of the art trading room environment, which was launched officially just recently.

“We also worked with Deloitte on the development of a degree level Higher Level Apprenticeship in Business Technology aimed at school leavers. And there are plenty of other examples of how business has engaged in the design and development of degree courses here at Ulster.

“Don’t forget too that we have around 400 students a year heading out of Ulster University Business School on their placement year, a lot of them with local companies, but quite a few heading to GB and overseas.

“We also have a strong network of 40 Visiting Professors, who are leaders in their fields across a wide variety of sectors, and whose knowledge and experience we tap into on a regular basis....and they act as ambassadors for the School and the wider University.

“So we keep our lines of communication open at all times,” says Professor McHugh.

“ We see ourselves as having an important role, not just in shaping the future of our students, but also in shaping the future for business, and our community as a whole.”

“We see ourselves as having an important role, not just in shaping the future of our students, but also in shaping the future for business, and our community as a whole.”

And what does the future hold?

“The move of the Business School to the new Belfast City campus is hard to ignore,” smiles Professor McHugh. “But, in the meantime, we want to focus on building upon the fantastic 2014 REF research results. We’ll continue to engage in quality research work....and we’ll build our international reputation at the same time.

“But the growth and development of business here in Northern Ireland is vitally mportant to us, and it’s something we want to continue contributing to....whether its through our expertise in management and business learning, teaching and skill development, or our research and knowledge transfer activities in supply chain management, outsourcing, operations management ,or one of our other specialist areas.

“We see it as our role to help foster innovation, foster entrepreneurship, and foster business growth and development.... and that’s what we’ll continue to do 40 years on, from taking our first steps.”

63

Eye on Economy

Make Or Break Manufacturers Building For Growth, But Uncertain Years Ahead Industry report UK and Ireland manufacturers are facing tough conditions as global economic problems threaten to reduce demand and the next stage of the financial crisis looms. But nevertheless, the leading producers appear to have confidence in their ability to ride out the storm.

Findings from the most recent Close Brothers Business Barometer suggest that in 2015, the UK’s manufacturers have a more optimistic view of both their own prospects and the general economic outlook.

In March this year, a third of manufacturing firms said their businesses were “prospering in the current economy” compared with an overall average of just over a fifth. In June, 19% of all businesses surveyed said they were “confident about the steady recovery of the economy” while among manufacturers, the figure was almost 30%. Nine months on to the October survey and results showed little change.

Statistics released by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Northern Ireland on 15th October revealed that despite economic output marginally decreasing by 0.1% in the second quarter of 2015, the overall economy in Northern Ireland grew by 1.3% between Quarter 2 2014 to Quarter 2 2015. In addition, the recent event held by Manufacturing Northern Ireland in September was very much a celebration of the sector and the achievements of many local companies that are improving their turnover and landing new contracts across the world.

Clouds on the horizon Events during the summer of 2015 may, however, prompt many manufacturers to reassess their view of upcoming trading conditions.

64

In August it emerged that growth in China was slowing faster than had been expected. This had a substantial knock-on effect on the country’s stock exchange and on share prices around the world. But it is the potential fall in global demand that is likely to occur as the result of a Chinese slowdown that could do more damage. Already, policymakers in the UK have suggested that the expected rise in interest rates is likely to be delayed further in case it damages the economy.

‘A rollercoaster of risks’ A recent study by the manufacturers’ organisation EEF has found that firms are facing a “rollercoaster of risks” at present.

These consist of: 1. Falling demand, especially overseas In addition to the ongoing crisis in the eurozone, more recent problems in China and emerging markets, such as the major South American economies, have led to a slump in orders from abroad.

2. Lower confidence in the UK economy As international problems are likely to feed through into lower domestic growth, there is an increasing risk that demand in the UK will fall to some extent as well.

3. Finance risks While economic problems reduce the likelihood of an increase in the Bank of England base rate, many observers believe that the recent slowdown in China and consequent global stock market turmoil could herald a third stage of the international financial crisis. This could lead to another tightening in the availability of bank credit, which might hamper firms’ ability to invest and expand.

Late payment issues The Close Brothers Business Barometer research has also highlighted the ongoing problems that manufacturers face in coping with late payment of invoices.

The data has found that firms are typically owed larger outstanding sums than companies in other industries. In the most recent survey carried out at the start of October, 35% of manufacturing businesses said they were owed in excess of £40,000 in late payments whereas 25% of firms across all industries were owed as much.

So why are manufacturers more prone to late payments? One possible reason is that they are likely to be doing business with larger customers which may feel more able to delay paying bills without worrying about upsetting their suppliers – an approach that smaller customers may be reluctant to take. Equally, the nature of manufacturing provides more scope for customers to raise quality issues, for example, which can lead to delays in invoices being settled.

Government assistance with late-payment issues In 2013, the government updated late payment laws to limit payment terms to 60 days – unless both businesses agreed otherwise – and gave suppliers the right to charge interest on overdue invoices at 8% above the Bank of England base rate.

However, media reports suggest that customers of larger firms in particular continue to suffer from late settlement of invoices. The Conservative government has recently introduced an Enterprise Bill which will create the role of a small business commissioner. One of the commissioner’s priorities will be to help companies deal with the impact of late payments, and to ensure they are aware of the relevant

Eye on Economy legislation and of the mediation services which can help settle disputes.

Not all doom and gloom While there are clearly a number of potential clouds on the horizon for manufacturers and UK businesses in general, there are a handful of reasons for optimism.

A recent report published by professional services firm Ernst & Young’s Item Club suggests that the prospects for economic growth in the UK over the next few years are better than in many other countries. This view is based largely on the prediction that firms will steadily increase the amount of business investment they make between now and 2019, due to falling corporation tax, ongoing low interest rates and low oil prices.

In addition, the recently launched manifesto from the CBI Punching above our weight: 12 steps to create a more prosperous Northern Ireland, “calls on political leaders to focus on developing a long term economic vision that recognises that Northern Ireland’s future prosperity is dependent on a successful enterprise sector.”

How manufacturers are meeting these challenges The obstacles standing in the way of UK-based manufacturers are clearly considerable but the most successful

firms are meeting current challenges head on while ensuring their businesses are in a sufficiently healthy state to deal with problems in the future.

They are increasingly finding ways to add value to what they produce in order to compete more effectively with overseas rivals. Price and volume will be difficult, however their extra knowhow and more sophisticated production processes mean they are often better suited to offering higher-quality goods.

The importance of the right funding solutions Whether it is dealing with late payments, coping with fluctuations in demand or looking for money to invest in new plant and machinery, access to funding is likely to be crucial for any manufacturer. They need dynamic solutions, such as asset or invoice finance, that enable them to react quickly to changing market conditions.

Asset finance is a sustainable form of funding that can enable a business to purchase or refinance capital equipment such as commercial vehicles, print machinery or construction and plant, spreading the cost over an agreed period of time.

With invoice finance, a firm receives cash up front based on the value of their

invoices, and can retain responsibility for their own credit control and chasing up outstanding payments. Both asset and invoice finance are increasingly popular and are the fastest growing forms of funding in recent years.

If the predictions regarding the possibility of a new stage of the financial crisis are correct, businesses could find that they are let down by traditional lenders – just as they were in the wake of the events of 2008. The prospect of more turmoil in the credit markets means that creating a solid, long-term relationship with a more flexible provider today could pay even greater dividends in the long-run.

Close Brothers is a leading merchant banking group, providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services, and securities trading. We employ 2,800 people, principally in the UK, and are one of the largest 250 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange.

For more information on Close Brothers Commercial Finance and how we could help your business, please visit www.closecommercialfinance.com or call our local sales team on 028 9099 8957

65

Eye on Belfast Solicitor Association

ADVANCED LEGAL AND BELFAST SOLICITORS’ ASSOCIATION – THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP

(L-R) Steven Keown: Chair of the Belfast Solicitors Association CPD committee: (BSA), Jimmy Scullion: Ireland General Manager of Advanced Legal, Olivia O’Kane: Incoming Chair of the Belfast Solicitors Association ( BSA ).

The Belfast Solicitors’ Association was established in 1943 to ensure the provision of ethical and efficient legal services to the community and is now the largest local association of solicitors in Northern Ireland. For over 70 years the BSA has consistently represented its member’s interests and promoted the highest standards of legal practice.

A

s the only major company in the legal software marketplace with a full-time presence in Northern Ireland, it is unsurprising, therefore, that Advanced Legal has joined forces with the Belfast Solicitors’ Association as a core sponsor and supporter, with a key emphasis on the BSA programme of Continuing Professional Development and the extensive CPD programme that the BSA offers to solicitors based both in Belfast and further afield on an annual basis.

With an emphasis on a need to keep the legal profession

66

abreast of current legal developments, practice and procedure, as well as a focus on practice management and technology to modernise and improve the running of a solicitors practice, Steven Keown, CPD co-ordinator within the Belfast Solicitors’ Association feels that the partnership with Advanced Legal is a perfect fit.

“With an emphasis on bringing quality software to law firms in Northern Ireland, with a view to embracing technology in areas such as case management, workflow and client self-service as well as automating repetitive

processes and developing areas such as mobile time recording, Advanced Legal are the perfect partner with the BSA and our ethos of promoting the highest standards of legal practice within the greater Belfast area.”

Steven Keown comments.

General manager for Advanced Legal in Ireland, Jimmy Scullion, was equally enthused and delighted to be associated with the Belfast Solicitors’ Association: “As an organisation generally, and specifically through their extensive CPD programme, the BSA seek to ensure that their membership are kept fully up to date with developments in both the law and also in how to efficiently run a modern solicitors practice. In Advanced Legal we see ourselves as perfectly placed to support this approach within the legal profession in Northern Ireland.

Another key aspect of the BSA

CPD programme is to reduce risk by way of improving practice and procedure within firms and increasing knowledge in key aspects of a solicitor practice.

In this regard Advanced Legal can also help firms reduce their exposure to risk by implementing money laundering checks and controls and managing critical dates. Case review procedures can be easily managed and case documents can be made available throughout the practice and indeed to clients if desired.”

As part of this partnership Belfast Solicitors’ Association have introduced an exclusive offer of a CPD season ticket to all of its members.

Steven Keown points out: “A season ticket will give a solicitor member of the BSA full access to our 19 events throughout the year for at an unbeatable price, and teaming up with Advanced Legal has allowed us to make this possible. Our 19 events throughout the year cover a wide range of topics, including all compulsory elements of law society CPD requirements and also includes free lunch for all attendees. The total value of our CPD programme is £530 for BSA members and £940 for non-members and yet the full programme is available under a season ticket for just £150.

This initiative is a real example of how our partnership with Advanced Legal is helping to ensure that the BSA continues to offer excellent support to its members, and the unprecedented numbers that we have attending our CPD events are testament to this.”

Given the long-term commitment and support provided to solicitor firms within Northern Ireland by both organisations it is no surprise that the BSA and Advanced Legal are looking forward to working together for many years to come.

Eye on Agri Food

SOUTH AFRICAN FLAVOURS IN CHEESE FROM MILLISLE South African Christo Swanepoel talked to Sam Butler about the range of delicious cheeses he’s handcrafting in a Co Down seaside resort.

S

outh Africans have been influencing the direction of Ulster Rugby for many years. It’s an influence that’s now spread from the confines of the Kingspan stadium to the local artisan food industry and especially handcrafted cheese.

Bringing the distinctive flavours of his native South Africa to Northern Ireland is Christo Swanepoel, a gourmet chef from Pretoria, who set up home with wife Angelique and young family in the sleepy seaside town of Millisle almost five years ago.

He’s handcrafting unique cheeses from organic raw milk sourced from grass-fed cows on a Derry farm in a small creamery.

Swanepoel is part of a growing band of artisan producers who’ve come here to live and work over the past decade and have been busy promoting new food ideas. Working within the artisan sector are ‘foodies’ from the US, Canada, the West Indies, India, Australia and Asia.

Swanepoel is using his experience and training to create speciality cheeses, a sector that’s come to life here over the past two years with the development of blue cheeses in particular.

“The artisan food sector here is tremendously exciting and really dynamic,” he says.

“There are some amazing producers with a great passion for premium and innovative food and drink. I’ve seen the sector develop rapidly over the past five years, and I am delighted to be a part of it and to work alongside so many creative people at farmers’ markets around the country.

The ingredients, especially milk,

that are readily available here are superb, wholesome, healthy and safe,” he adds. “Many people really don’t fully appreciate the quality and variety of food and drink that’s now on offer here.

“What surprised me most when I arrived here was the extent of packaged and convenience food in the supermarkets. South Africa is quite different in that shoppers tend to buy fresh and tasty ingredients and cook more at home.

“The growth of the artisan sector here is helping to introduce people to fresh, wholesome, tasty and safe food from smaller producers with a real passion for their produce.

Food that’s made by people who care about it and love what they are doing,” he adds.

After extensive market research and time spent educating himself about artisan cheese making, he has recently launched three distinctively different and richly flavoured speciality cheeses made by hand in his small creamery. They are Young Culmore, a traditional Dutch Gouda style creamy cheese that’s named after the Derry dairy farmer who supplies his organic raw milk, Angelique, a Parmesan style cheese that he’s named after his wife, and Pitjes kaas, a rich, nutty and wonderfully creamy taste of South Africa that uses cumin seeds for a real nutty flavour.

Cumin seeds have earned virtual superfood status because they are reported to be rich in iron, manganese, copper, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B1 and phosphorous.

Why did he settle in Northern Ireland with wife and family?

South African cheese specialist Christo Swanepoel is introducing new flavours and styles to Northern Ireland.

“Shortly after marriage to Angelique, who has family roots in Holland, we decided to pack our bags and travel. We spread a map across the dining table and decided where we wanted to go.

We set out on our travels from our then home in South Africa, ending up in England and then Northern Ireland. It was all very exciting.

“We didn’t know anything about Northern Ireland. I can’t really explain why we decided to come here. We’d heard about Northern Ireland, of course, and thought we’d take a look for ourselves. We’ve stayed because the people are so friendly and made us feel at home. We love living here because it’s also very beautiful. We’re really comfortable in Northern Ireland.”

He opted for raw cow’s milk because “the cheeses are delicious and contain natural enzymes that infuse cheese with natural, deeper and exciting flavours”.

What’s the future for the small business? “I want to develop the range and raise the profile of handmade cheese in Northern Ireland and then look at opportunities to sell the cheese abroad,” he says.

67

4,000m2 extension coming in 2016 Perfect for any type of event large or small

For a preview visit www.waterfront.co.uk or call 028 9033 4400 to book your event today

conference@waterfront.co.uk

Eye on News

BELFAST CITY AIRPORT BRUSSELS AIRLINES ANNOUNCEMENT Leading Belgian airline Brussels Airlines has announced it is to operate a service from George Best Belfast City Airport to Brussels Airport from 27th March 2016. The route will operate five times a week year round providing passengers with point to point access to Belgium or onwards to other European or long haul destinations via the Brussels hub. The announcement was welcomed by Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport, Katy Best, Commercial and Marketing Director at the airport, and Lucy Spratt (centre) celebrated with passengers in the terminal treated to traditional Belgian waffles.

CARSON MCDOWELL EXPANDS TO ACCOMMODATE NEW RECRUITS Northern Ireland’s largest independent law firm Carson McDowell has expanded the size of its offices to accommodate an increase of more than 33 new staff in the past 12 months.

68

O

n October 1, the firm took over another floor of Murray House in central Belfast following substantial renovations, meaning Carson McDowell now occupies four of the five floors of the city centre office building.

Carson McDowell, the Legal 500’s current Law firm of the Year in Northern Ireland, said its expanded footprint is a statement of intent for the future. The firm needed the additional space after a growth phase which has seen it increase its workforce at Partner, Associate, Solicitor and Trainee level, as well as the recruitment of additional support staff.

The new hires have been recruited into teams working across a wide range of disciplines including corporate, litigation, banking, commercial property and healthcare.

The firm currently employs 133 staff (78 lawyers), with 33 new

employees joining in the past year and a further six jobs set to be recruited for before the end of 2015.

Michael Johnston, Managing Partner of Carson McDowell, said the company was proud not to have downsized following the 2008 financial crisis and noted that the increase in demand for the firm’s services in recent years should be taken as a good sign for the Northern Ireland economy.

He said: “Our expansion this year comes as a direct response to the increase in demand from our clients who are investing in their own growth, making acquisitions and moving into new markets. We are the law firm of choice for many of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies as well as international companies doing business here and as they grow and adapt so too do we. We have seen an upturn in the legal sector and we are looking forward to the future with optimism.”

Eye on Accountancy

NADINE SAVAGE...

THE CHANGING WORLD OF ACCOUNTING The world of accountancy in undergoing several major changes, with the impact of big data and the increasingly blurred lines between technology and finance leading to increased demand for combined accounting & IT skills in the Northern Ireland marketplace.

T

hat’s the verdict of Nadine Savage, Specialist Accountancy Consultant with the Belfast office of recruitment specialists MCS Group, one of the city’s most experienced specialists in accounting opportunities.

“There’s a real demand these days for people with experience and expertise across both areas,” says Nadine. “We’re seeing a different kind of role emerging a lot more often with the growth of data management and its link with the world of finance.”

Overall, the accountancy sector is becoming increasingly buoyant, as the economy improves and investment increases. However the changes to the industry are not just driven by technology. “The pressures faced by the profession is leading to a few increasingly visible trends” says Nadine. “We are seeing firms carefully examine the mix of services they provide and consolidation of firms where there are ongoing succession issues. Increasingly, firms are seeking to enhance their consulting and advisory capacity whether organically, through mergers or by acquisition. We see consolidation happening most quickly in the second tier firms and expect that the landscape will look very different a few years from now.”

However, while there are undoubtedly changes ahead, Nadine believes that despite the challenges which will be faced by many firms, those changes will bring a changing attitude to

career development and leadership training. “We see an increased focus on career development as the need for quality professional staff at all levels becomes critical.

Firms will have to invest heavily in their best and brightest at all stages of their careers in order to remain competitive and develop succession plans.”

According to Nadine, it’s is this changing landscape that make her job interesting, as, quite like the accountancy profession, specialist recruitment is as much now about advising clients on talent acquisition and retention as it is about actually sourcing the talent required. Nadine joined the growing MCS team in March this year after working as an accountancy and finance specialist with another recruitment firm in Belfast. Alongside Mairead Scott, Head of MCS’s Professional Services team, Nadine works as part of an expanding team managing both accountancy and banking recruitment.

Today’s candidate-driven marketplace means that the role of recruitment consultants has changed from the old days of outsourcing recruitment activity that clients could do themselves if motivated to do so, to a role where the ability to proactively generate a quality candidate pool using a wide variety of tools and techniques is where the value of working with specialist recruiter lies. “Only around 20% of placed candidates these days come via job boards” according to Nadine. “In this competitive

marketplace we have to go out and find the candidates and in the current climate it is more challenging than ever to find the right people.

But what’s important to us here at MCS is that we work closely with the professionals whose careers we are managing. Understanding their skills and ambitions at a deep level, then helping them achieve those ambitions is what drives us.

We really see ourselves as trusted career advisers....not recruitment consultants,” says Nadine.

MCS has clear plans to expand its professional services team and to work with more candidates and local organisations seeking new talent.

Like her counterparts in the recruitment industry, Nadine Savage says that companies here need to work harder to become (and remain) an attractive proposition for potential employees. “It’s a very competitive marketplace, and well qualified candidates can be in a position to choose where they want to work.”

Good quality candidates already here, she says, are being joined by a steady flow of ‘returners’ coming northwards from Dublin and back across the Irish Sea from GB. There has also been a marked increase in graduate analyst positions as well as in data analysis jobs, in addition to opportunities driven by the development of large-scale operations here by the likes of Deloitte and EY. So what’s over the horizon?

“We expect to see the growth in the accountancy marketplace as well as in IT continue....and certainly in the growing number of roles that combine the two skill sets,” says Nadine Savage.

Nadine Savage is a specialist Accountancy Consultant with MCS Group and can be contacted on 028 9023 5456 or on n.savage@mcsgroup.jobs

69

POLYMERS SECTOR...

NORTHERN IRELAND’S UNSUNG HERO

70

Eye on Manufacturing When Gerry McNally says that the statistics around the polymers industry in Northern Ireland are impressive, he’s guilty of some understatement.

A

nd that’s not typical of the man. When it comes to enthusiasm for a chosen sector, McNally (Director of the NI Polymers Association) is a man with a passion for the business he’s spent a lifetime working in and around.

His Association has 48 member companies producing a £1.5 billion turnover and accounting for almost 11,000 employees. That’s 8.3% and 14.3 % of the overall Northern Ireland manufacturing sector respectively. Including non-NIPA members, there figures rise to 80+ companies employing 14,000 and a combined turnover of £2.2 billion.

The list of companies ranges from large to relatively small and includes some well-known names – Denroy Plastics, Brett Martin, Kingspan, The Wright Group, Greiner Packaging, Canyon.....and so the list goes on. And two thirds of the companies on the NIPA’s books export to 20 or more countries outside of Northern Ireland.

“So this is a sector which is vital to the Northern Ireland economy.

We’re talking about leading edge organisations are the forefront of polymers technology and at the sharp end of research and development,” says Gerry McNally.

A polymer engineering graduate, McNally started his career in industry with County Down textiles firm McCleary & L’Amie and then with Mackies in Belfast before joining the academic staff at Queen’s University in Belfast. He is the author of some 250 technical articles in scientific journals and has some 50 applied research grants in the field of polymers. He was founder and director of the Polymer Centre at QUB. In July 2012, he was awarded the prestigious American Society of Plastics Engineers Educator of the Year Award in Florida, USA. As for the NI Polymers Association, it has its roots 25 years ago and started out more as a social (and golfing) organisation for like-minded industrialists than a business group. But its Consultative Panel these days reads like a Who’s Who of manufacturing industry here.

Gerry McNally paints a picture of a vibrant sector which ranges from relatively small companies making plastic drainage pipes from recycled milk cartons right up to some leaders in the field.

“Jobs are created by innovation and investment and we are very good at that. The companies in the sector here in Northern Ireland have made published investments of some £73 million since mid-2013.....and there are a lot more investments which aren’t in the public domain,” he says.

Amongst those investments are £14 million by The Wright Group (one of six of whose employees work in composites), £12 million in medical polymers by TG Eakin, £11 million by Webtech in plastic shrink wrap labelling, £5 million

by Whale, £4 million by Denroy and so the list goes on.

“The range of what the polymers sector here actually produces is fascinating in itself,” adds Gerry McNally. “We’re talking about everything from plastic food and drink containers to marine pumps and from conveyor belts to horticultural trays.”

In the past this is a sector which led the way in the UK in terms of knowledge transfer between its companies and the universities and FE colleges in Northern Ireland.

“There is a lot of research going on throughout the sector and at university and college level,” says Gerry. “Research and development and improved competence of the staff in the sector are absolutely vital.

Bear in mind that this is a sector that has to compete internationally. When it comes to plastics and polymers, manufacturers in China and India have to be taken into account.

“So our companies here in

Northern Ireland really have to be on top of their game at all times.

It can be all about producing products faster and faster.....at the same time as producing them at the right price. This is why we’ve introduced our own bespoke knowledge transfer and innovation programmes with our companies.

“This is a sophisticated industrial sector and it’s also one that feeds into other industrial sectors worldwide.

Big companies like Wrightbus and Bombardier are very good example.

Their end products contain a lot of components developed and produced by the polymers sector here.

“And the industry has its challenges to face. There’s the cost of exporting from Northern Ireland, for example, and there are our high energy costs.

When you’ve got a plant full of extrusion machines running 24 hours a day at very high temperatures, you end up with a big electricity bill. So, like others in industry, we’re always pushing for lower energy costs here.”

Within the wider polymers sector, there aren’t just many different companies but also many different polymers: • commodity polymers • engineering polymers • thermoplastic elastomers • co-polymers • polymer blends And they, in turn, use different new generation manufacturing methods and materials, ranging from profile extrusion to cast film extrusion and from blow moulding to injection moulding and thermoforming.

Markets serviced include food packaging, aerospace, automotive, industrial packaging, construction, utilities, marine and health.

“We do see continued growth in this sector on the horizon,” says Gerry McNally. “We’d like to see more support from government for the well-established indigenous industries in our sector here in Northern Ireland.

“But we do appreciate the support that Invest NI gives us through its backing for research and development in industry here.

“It’s not just about materials, processes and equipment. It’s also about the skills – technical, marketing, sales, project management and so on. We don’t just work closely with the universities and colleges on pure research. We also work with them to encourage graduates from Northern Ireland and from outside of Northern Ireland into our industry.”

To that end, the NI Polymers Association is working on plans for an industry-led Advanced Polymer Academy here, to provide relevant courses developed by industry for industry and delivered by industry experts.

“Our aim would be develop a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Polymers, Processing & Applications, while at a lower level, we’d also like to see NIPA managed apprenticeships,” says Gerry McNally.

“And we’d like to see a bit more recognition of what this industry achieves right here in Northern Ireland.”

For more information on Advanced Manufacturing, Materials & Engineering and the forthcoming report on the sector, visit the MATRIX website www.matrixni.org or follow them on Twitter at @MATRIX_NI

71

Eye on Events

MITRE RESTAURANT RE-OPENS AT CULLODEN ESTATE & SPA The 5-star Culloden Estate & Spa has re-opened its centrepiece Mitre Restaurant following a major refurbishment programme.

T

he re-opening was marked by a Gourmet Dinner attended by key customers, patrons of the hotel and other guests. They were hosted by Dr. Howard Hastings, Chief Executive of Hastings Hotels, and the hotel’s General Manager, Adrian McNally.

Head Chef Paul McKnight and his brigade produced a memorable

six-course dinner heavily laced with food produced in Northern Ireland – from Carnbrook sausage to Hannan’s chorizo, Armagh apples and local cheeses.

The hotel’s partnered with wine importers Woodford Bourne and, in particular, with the Spanish Marques de Riscal winery which provided paired wines with every course.

(2)

(4)

(7)

(1)

(3)

(5)

(6)

(8)

(1) Hastings Hotels Marketing Director Julie Hastings, Karen McGarvey and the hotel’s general manager Adrian McNally. (2) Jack & Diane Creighton and Scott & Searlain McCormack.

(3) Hastings Hotels Managing Director Howard Hastings who was joined by Richard and Leona Kane and Sheila Geary. (4) Richard and Brenda Buckley of Business Eye. (5) Stephanie Kyle and Lisa Montgomery. (6) Gary and Christine Ennis. (7) Adrian McNally, Grainne and Peter McVerry of U105. (8) Jackie Hughes, Cheryl Gordon and Leslie Hughes.

72

Eye on Technology

Salt Works ploughs ahead with WorkPal

Michael Cullen, Operations Director, Work Services; Ian Megahey, WorkPal Account Manager; Nuala Scott, Operations Manager, Work Services and Graham Shaw, Commercial Manager, Work Services

Graham Shaw, Commercial Manager at Work Services explains how WorkPal, Barclay Communications’ mobile workflow management solution has helped to streamline the business.

Work Services Work Services is made up of Salt Works and Clean Works. Salt Works provides winter maintenance, snow clearance and multiple salt products throughout Northern Ireland. Clean Works offers internal and external commercial cleaning and grounds services.

Barclay Communications and WorkPal Established since 1997, Barclay Communications is a leading provider of business mobile, landline and digital solutions.

It is also known for developing WorkPal, its award-winning solution for mobile workflow management, reporting, tracking and invoicing. WorkPal was designed specifically to support businesses with a field-based workforce.

Salt Works’ Job Management Challenges Graham explains: “Before WorkPal was introduced to the business we relied heavily on spreadsheets and had to manually check individually set customer criteria against MET Office reports in order to allocate jobs. It was extremely labour intensive and required a lot of administration time.

We had no way of proving when field workers were on site and for how long. We approached Barclay Communications looking for an effective job management system that would be easy to manage and save time, while also increasing efficiency and professionalism.”

The WorkPal Solution Barclay Communications supplied Salt Works with WorkPal, their endto-end job management system.

WorkPal now enables Salt Works to generate a report based on each client’s individually set call out criteria and the daily MET office report, eliminating the need for the manual checking of spreadsheets for job allocation. It also enables Salt Works to send job details to the field worker’s mobile app, which they use on site to complete documentation, take pictures and

more. Once a job is completed all the information is synced back to the office, invoices can be generated and job histories are created. It is important for Salt Works to maintain a high level of customer service and have the ability to support the customer in the event of a claimant.

Benefits of moving to WorkPal Graham comments: “WorkPal has literally transformed the business.

We are now able to track every job in real time enabling us to see the precise time off and on site and each field worker’s actual route is also mapped. Snail trail tracking is printed on to job sheets. Vehicle checks are also carried out using the mobile app. WorkPal offers great flexibility, we have been able to customise the system to meet our specific requirements and have added extra features, such as an ‘opt in/opt out’ email that adds value for our clients and also has the potential to create new business opportunities for Saltworks. So, WorkPal is now supporting us with customer service and business development. This also allows Salt Works to scrutinise productivity and ensure that each customer’s site is protected correctly with minimal effort.”

“ If you would like your business to become more efficient and are interested in saving money I would thoroughly recommend investigating WorkPal.”

Impact and ROI of WorkPal Graham explains: “WorkPal has allowed us to invest the money that ordinarily we would have spent on headcount into other areas of the business.

This positively impacts our customers as we can provide the very best service with an efficient and manageable effort.

If you would like your business to become more efficient and are interested in saving money I would thoroughly recommend investigating WorkPal.”

73

Eye on Auto Enrolment

AUTO ENROLMENT...

NI SME’S NEED TO TAKE ACTION NOW An alarming number of Northern Ireland SME’s are unprepared for the onset of auto enrolment, the government initiative that makes it compulsory for employers to automatically enrol their eligible workers into a pension scheme..... and contribute to their pensions.

74

Eye on Auto Enrolment

L

arger employers have already been through the initial process, and smaller companies with 30 and fewer employees are due to hit their staging dates over the next year or so. That will mean a lot of companies here in Northern Ireland.

“There is definitely a high level of 11th hour planning taking place,” says Jason Marley, Senior Consultant with leading Belfastbased pension specialists Kerr Henderson. “We’re seeing a high level of referrals coming through at the moment from our network of professional introducers (which include accountants, solicitors, payroll bureaus and other financial advisers) who are suggesting that their client consider whether they have a need for advice and/or support.

“Here at Kerr Henderson, we’re amongst relatively few companies who have the expertise and capacity to handle the volume of employers ‘staging ‘whilst maintaining a competitive charging structure.

Kerr Henderson believe that employers of all sizes shouldn’t see auto enrolment simply as a compulsory measure through which they have to provide a workplace pension.

“Even smaller companies are now talking to us about ‘total reward’ packages for their employees, including death in service (low cost life cover for staff) and healthcare.

Healthcare is becoming more and more popular against the background of concerns over NHS waiting lists.

“Such packages are becoming very important when it comes to recruiting and retaining staff.”

Kerr Henderson has developed a proposition called IncorporAtE, which allows it to deliver compliant workplace pensions and additional affordable benefits for all sizes of employers.

Jason Marley acknowledges that auto enrolment will be a burden for the smaller and medium-sized companies now being affected by the rolling legislation.

“Auto enrolment proved to be a difficult enough journey for larger organisations, most of whom had their own finance, HR and payroll departments to cope with the administrative burden.

But it’s a lot more challenging for SME’s, where the Managing Director is often also the Finance Director and in charge of HR. “Some are up to speed with what is required of them. Others aren’t so sure. And we fear there are companies out there who do not fully appreciate how the decisions they make can impact their business.”

So what are the risks for companies who fail to meet their staging date for auto enrolment?

There’s reputational damage, according to the team at Kerr Henderson, and then there’s the potential for employee dissatisfaction.

But that’s not all. The Pensions Regulator (TPR) has a wide range of statutory powers which can be

used. Employers who fail to comply can face a £400 fixed penalty followed by escalating daily penalties of between £50 and £10,000 per day, depending on size.

“Needless to say - it’s wise to plan early and appropriately. TPR adopts a proportionate and risk based approach to compliance and enforcement but they’re not afraid to intervene having used their powers over 2,000 times already. These numbers are likely to increase as the number of employers staging, rises significantly..”

How long does it take to get auto enrolment and pensions in place from a standing start?

“TPR recommend starting work 12 months ahead of your staging date, we have found that most employers give themselves around six months.

Anything less and companies run the risk of having severely restricted choice, flexibility and ability to secure the most competitive terms.”

Clubs, societies, businesses and voluntary organisations governed by trustee boards or committees must plan ahead, says Jason Marley, as financial decisions usually need to be discussed and approved over the course of several meetings which inevitably extends the time required.

“We have supported upward of 300 employers Nationwide and we are very much still open for business. We have already allocated and booked support services for many employers who are not due to stage until late 2016 and 2017!”.

Has there has been some evidence at a national level of employees deciding to opt out of auto enrolment schemes?

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revised the expected opt out rate down from 30% to 15% for the lifetime of automatic enrolment. “The latest research indicates that the figure remains at around 10%, says Jason, though more research is being conducted,

with an update expected later this year. “It is a concern that as contribution thresholds increase the opt out rate may also rise” There are clear advantages in dealing with a company of Kerr Henderson’s size, scale and expertise in financial services.

“We can work with any mandate whether that is one dictated by cost and compliance or a bespoke, tailored solution adds Jason. “We don’t have any vested interest other than ensuring our clients achieve their objectives and understand that they have choice whether they’ve got two employees, 20, or more. In addition, our position as a leader in this field allows us to provide our clients with access to special terms and offers not otherwise available locally.

There are a variety of options open to companies when it comes to auto enrolment.....the key is to understand what services you are paying for and who is responsible for each part of the project. Then there is the do-it-yourself approach.

“Everyone will expect us to say this, but there are real dangers out there. Outside of assisting employers through the initial staging process, our services are regularly being sought in respect of supporting good governance and to help those who have previously ‘gone it alone’ and didn’t quite make it or those who have just had a poor experience.

We have helped to remedy issues such as (the incorrect application of tax relief, unpaid or miscalculated contributions, failure to issue statutory communications and those who are having problems with their pension provider).

“Ultimately, the responsibility to comply rests with the employer. We are here to help and advise those (in conjunction with their existing professional advisers) who see the value in our services when this is compared to the time, expense and risk of self-management.” www.incorporatebenefits.co.uk

75

Eye on Auto Enrolment

TEAMWORK IS THE KEY TO AUTO-ENROLMENT SUCCESS

Joan Arndell, Iain Ferguson & Catriona Murray from Workers Pension Trust.

For many business owners, autoenrolment is one of those things that keeps getting pushed further and further down the to-do list.

I

t can be difficult to know just where to start and easier to put off until another day! The reality however is that it is the law and firms can face fines if the process isn’t implemented properly by their staging date.

Each company has a unique staging date depending on the size of their workforce. It is estimated that there are 5,000 businesses in Northern Ireland with 10-49 employees; these will have to comply between January 2015 and mid-2016. A further 27,000 local businesses with 1-9

76

employees will need to comply from mid-2016 to the end of 2017.

With this number of businesses auto-enrolling, industry experts expect there to be bottlenecks in the system and it is therefore important that firms start to prepare as early as possible.

Workers Pension Trust’s approach The management team at WPT work together to ensure that we provide a comprehensive service to our clients. It all starts with meticulous planning and attention to detail.

Joan Arndell, Pensions Manager, outlines the process “As firms will now be responsible for their employees’ retirement savings as well as their salaries, it is vital that they pick a pension scheme that works best for their staff. There is a wide range of pension providers in the marketplace however the advent of auto-enrolment has also brought more providers who offer trust based multi-employer pension schemes into the mix.”

“Workers Pension Trust is run by a board of Trustees who have been operating a multi-employer pension scheme for over 30 years. The Trustees have two main responsibilities. First of all they ensure that the Scheme complies fully with auto-enrolment and all other legislative requirements by ensuring adequate governance and controls are in place. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, they ensure that employees’ pension contributions are invested in funds designed to grow over a long period of time. The Trustees receive investment advice from JLT, one of the biggest employee benefit providers in London. ” Business Development Manager Iain Ferguson’s role is to make the initial contact with clients either directly or through their Financial Adviser or Accountant.

“When we began this process in 2012 we were dealing with larger employers who had their own HR, Finance and Project Teams. Smaller

businesses do not have the same resources and rely increasingly on us to liaise with their IFA or Accountant to ensure that everything is completed properly and on time,” Iain explained.

“Choosing the right pension provider can help ease the burden and make the process much simpler and more manageable. Business owners should look at the provider’s experience of running similar schemes, the guidance and support offered; including how the message will be communicated to employees, the mechanics of how the scheme will operate and its flexibility”.

Once the initial contact has been made, Business Operations Manager, Catriona Murray and her team take the reins.

“Since the process began we have successfully auto-enrolled close to 400 local businesses and over 18,000 of their employees. We pride ourselves in always being there to offer a helping hand to our clients, many of whom are implementing workplace pensions for the first time” said Catriona.

“Auto-enrolment can be daunting for employers and we work closely with them, providing template letters for staff, assisting with uploading employee data and ensuring we integrate with their payroll systems.

We now have all the experience necessary to ensure that whatever problems a client encounters we will certainly have dealt with it before.”

Workers Pension Trust is the only Northern Ireland-based autoenrolment solution available to all businesses. The Scheme is suitable for all employees across all income brackets and is available free of charge to local employers. The only cost to employers is the contribution they will pay on behalf of their employees.

For more information on autoenrolment and your responsibilities as an employer, please visit www.workerspensiontrust.co.uk, or contact Iain Ferguson on 028 9087 7142 or iainf@workerspensiontrust.co.uk

Eye on Auto Enrolment

Are You Ready For Automatic Enrolment?

If you are reading this looking for information, you are probably a small or micro business owner trying to understand what is required to meet your obligations in relation to work place pensions.

B

etween now and the end of 2017, 1.3 million businesses will reach their staging date and will be expected to have assessed their staff and their eligibility, put a pension scheme in place and be ready to deduct pension payments and record all transactions within their scheme. If you haven’t yet received a letter from The Pensions Regulator confirming your staging date, you will shortly, and this will provide you with a years’ notice of when you have to have everything in place.

The end result of automatic enrolment is to have a pension in place for all eligible employees, so it makes sense to start with who your provider is going to be.

Of course you may already have an existing pension scheme in place for your employees. A call to your provider will see whether your current scheme is automatic enrolment compliant and will identify whether you need to source a new pension for your employees. Many of the existing schemes won’t qualify, so it would be wrong to assume that you don’t need to do anything.

The government sponsored scheme is NEST, however there are many other providers, both the traditional insurance companies and new ones designed to facilitate only this. The good news for you is that you don’t have to justify one over the other and you can’t be held responsible for your choice in future years.

All the providers have websites providing information for both you and your employees.

As mentioned earlier, thousands

of businesses will be registering every month and therefore choosing a pension scheme as soon as possible makes sense.

All the providers will be under pressure with volume and you don’t want to be struggling to meet your obligations because of technical difficulties at your provider. Six months out from your staging date you should have decided which, and registered with your pension provider. Your pension provider will require a primary point of contact within your business and perhaps a secondary contact at your accountant, if used.

You should assess your workforce at this point too.

What this means in practice is to check who you have to join and assess what it is going to cost both you and them. When you complete this assessment you will be in a position to inform employees formally that automatic enrolment is happening, whether it applies to them, who it’s with and what it is going to cost.

No later than 5 months before your staging date it makes sense to ensure that your payroll provider is ready to process any pension contributions from the scheme you have set up. If you process your own payroll, what software do you use? Some providers are ready, some can be made ready at extra cost and others will not offer what you need in future. Perhaps your accountant processes your payroll, and making contact with them to discuss whether they can, or will, process and record your automatic enrolment and at what additional cost.

Ewan Boyle, Director Johnston Campbell

Two months before staging you should provide your pension provider with the data of who is likely to be joined. You can do this manually with a spreadsheet, but a payroll package will do this in the correct format.

Hopefully by this stage you have all the preparation complete and your staging date will pass smoothly, you will process your payroll, deduct the pension contribution and send the payment to the pension provider.

Following on, within 5 months, you will need to report to The Pensions Regulator that your scheme is up and running and that it complies with the regulations.

In summary, the weeks and

months ahead give you the time to ensure the solution you put in place meets your obligations in relation to automatic enrolment.

Obviously the rules and regulations contain more far more detail than can be contained here, but detailed guidance can be obtained on the automatic enrolment pages of The Pensions Regulators website.

Johnston Campbell 8 Cromac Place, Belfast BT7 2JB Tel: 028 9022 1010 www.johnstoncampbell.com

77

Eye on Auto-Enrolment

Are you ready for autoenrolment If the words “Automatic Enrolment” strike fear into your heart as an employer worry not! You are not the only small business owner who is baffled by the upcoming government initiative to encourage people to be more personally responsible for their retirement needs.

T

he changes mean that it is now a mandatory requirement of all employers to set up and contribute to a pension on behalf of eligible employees. The regulator recommends that employers should start preparing 12 months ahead of their staging date Each employer affected by the new legislation has been allocated a “staging date” from which these rules come into affect. This date has been allocated to all employers based on either the number of people they employ or the organisations PAYE number. You may have already received a letter from the Pensions Regulator to confirm this date, or if not, there is a tool on the Pensions Regulators website to find this out (www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk).

Which employees are eligible?

The new law means that every employer must automatically enrol workers into a workplace pension scheme if they meet the following criteria: • are aged between 22 and State Pension age • earn more than £10,000 a year • work in the UK

Monthly Gross Earnings

To check if you need to enrol staff into a pension scheme that can be used for automatic enrolment, it’s important you carry out a preliminary assessment of your staff to work out whom to put into the pension scheme.

The table below shows how to assess staff based on their ages and how much they earn.

If your employees are earning between £486 and £833 per month and opts into a pension the employer must make the minimum contribution.

The cost of a work place pension From your staging date, you will be required to pay regular contributions into your staff pension scheme for staff who have been enrolled or who have opted in. The law says a minimum percentage of ‘qualifying earnings’ must be paid into the workplace pension scheme.

‘Qualifying earnings’ are either: • Amount earned before tax between

Age From 16 to 21

From 22 to SPA*

Weekly Gross Earnings From SPA to 74

£486 and Below

Has a right to join a pension scheme

£112 and Below

Over £486, Up to £833

Has a right to opt in

Over £112, Up to £192

Over £833

Has a right to opt in

Must be enrolled

Has a right to opt in

Over £192

Figures correct as of 2015/16. *SPA = state pension agem(http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/checking-who-to-enrol)

78

£5,824 and £42,385 a year • The entire salary or wages before tax including commission, bonuses, overtime and statutory pay The minimum contribution the employer pays is 1% of ‘qualifying earnings’ rising to 3% by 2018 The minimum contribution the employee pays is 0.8% of ‘qualifying earnings’ rising to 4% by 2018 The government pays 0.2% of ‘qualifying earnings’ rising to 1% by 2018 With escalating fines of £500 per day, for companies with between 5 and 49 employees it is important to understand your duties and be ready on time.

The pensions regulator has an action planner to help create a plan. It shows you what you need to do in the coming months. If you’re sharing automatic enrolment responsibilities, it will enable you to decide how the tasks can be shared out. You must also check that your staff records are up to date and that your payroll software can be used for automatic enrolment.

There are a number of different types of pension schemes available and different types of providers offering these schemes. If you’re planning to speak to an independent financial adviser, now is the time to do so.

You may also want to involve others such as the person who runs your payroll, your office manager or your accountant.

If you have any queries regarding autoenrolment please contact MHL on 028 90471734 or email enquiries@mhl.co.uk.

Auto-Enrolment affects you!

We’ve helped hundreds of local and national businesses meet their pension requirements.

IF YOU EMPLOY AT LEAST 1 STAFF MEMBER THIS AFFECTS YOU!

FOR YOUR FREE PENSIONS & EMPLOYEE BENEFIT CONSULTATION VISIT: www.incorporatebenefits.co.uk Promo Code: Enrol2015

By

Regulatory Information Kerr Henderson (Financial Services) Limited (registered in Northern Ireland No. NI5131) is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA Register number 125322. Registered office: 29-32 College Gardens, Belfast BT9 6BT. 79

Eye on Auto Enrolment

Stephen Casey DipPFS, Certs CII (MP & ER), Managing Director, Hughes Financial

Auto Enrolment...

Making It Easy For Businesses “At Hughes Financial we believe that this is the only autoenrolment solution that actually makes the process easy.”

O

ur qualified team of experienced advisers have a strong pedigree of working with major employers in Northern Ireland in respect of their corporate financial planning and employee benefit needs. With core strengths in all the areas of financial planning, we are locally based, and very much “in our comfort zone” in this expanding area where companies need help.

When auto-enrolment first came in to play we calculated that it would take 103 man days for businesses to become compliant.

Small Businesses just don’t have the time or the resource to deal with that, but non-compliance can incur big fines. We carried out our research and identified that what we most needed was a simple solution that takes care of the whole process for employers.

80

We have teamed up with Creative Auto Enrolment, part of the award winning Creative Benefits group, with whom we have had a working relationship for many years – with their solution we’ve simplified the signup and automated as much of the process as we possibly can, so clients can carry on running their business while we run auto enrolment.

We haven’t tried to reinvent the wheel – companies carry on running your payroll as you always have done with pension deductions included - all we need from you is the data from payroll and then we’ll handle all of the auto-enrolment compliance – that includes paying the pension contributions into the Creative Pension Trust invested with Scottish Widows, and we’ll even complete the declaration

of compliance required by the pensions regulator at the end of the whole process.

Charges are made from within the pension scheme that are well within the governments charges price cap so you know it’s good value.

People choose this because it really is the simplest option and if you need some help there’s always somebody at the end of the phone – its an “end to end” solution, and we have not come across anything as comprehensive.

We work with Scottish Widows one of the UK’s most trusted pension brands. Your retirement could be decades away and its important your pension provider will survive the test of time – 2015 is the 200th anniversary year for Scottish Widows and their heritage in investments and pensions is known and trusted by millions of people All in all what you’re getting from us and Scottish Widows is peace of mind and that’s what people keep telling us.

Accountants & Payroll Provider Solution Albeit that this new legislation is the responsibility of the employer, we feel that many may contact their payroll providers or accountant in the first instance for guidance.

We are therefore pleased to be able to offer an adaptation of this vehicle so that accountants can provide an additional service which handles almost the entire process for both them and their clients – from a business perspective we believe the more streamlining you can have in this area, the better.

We can help you sign up to your accountant’s portal to enable administration of all payroll clients auto enrolment requirements simply and easily.

Within the system, via your practice portal, you can add clients either individually or by bulk upload, importantly including their PAYE reference number and their staging date – don’t worry, we don’t get in touch with them until you tell us to do so Alternatively you can do a bulk upload of your client data - you will then get a communication from Create that you can send out to your clients introducing our auto-enrolment solution Once you have introduced our service to your client, if they are happy to proceed, you click on the “confirmation button” which will automatically trigger a communication to the client from Creative Auto Enrolment, introducing themselves, asking them to accept the “terms and conditions” and complete a direct debit to enable them to take the pension deductions form their bank account to invest in the Creative Pension Trust.

When you are actually processing your clients, through the same process you can do a bulk upload of all your payroll data which makes the processing simple and easy for you Having spoken with connections who run multiple payrolls for other employers, they all agree that this really is the most straightforward process for auto-enrolment.

Call us today on 028 9131 0337 to arrange a demonstration

Employers Ignore at Your Peril!

The government has decided that every employer has to offer a workplace pension and make contributions to it on behalf of their employees. This legislation came into force for the largest employers from October 2012 and by 2018 every employer will have reached their ‘staging date’, the date from which they have to comply.

New Auto Enrolment Duties Include: • Selecting the most appropriate compliance strategy • Assessing and categorising employees every pay period • Choosing a pension provider • Designing a default investment strategy that is suitable for most employees • Communicating with all employees • Ensuring no-one at the employer encourages anyone to opt out • Making employer contributions to the pension scheme • Deducting contributions from employees’ wages and paying them into the pension scheme • Maintaining a complete audit trail that can be inspected by the Pensions Regulator at any time • Ensuring companies have a solution that meets all government standards

This is complicated, especially for employers that do not have an in-house pensions or HR specialist.

Research shows that many employers struggle with even the most fundamental tasks, such as establishing the date auto enrolment applies to them.

The good news is, we do everything - except what only the employer can do. You can sign at any time before your staging date and we will ensure you are compliant when the time comes.

Our solution was developed with the needs of employers staging in 2015 and beyond in mind, so there are no complicated decisions that you need to make.

There is no need for you to become a pensions expert or buy or upgrade any additional payroll software.

All that is needed is to maintain the payroll and pay the pension contributions as they fall due.

• Officially declaring compliance to the Pensions Regulator within five months of the employer’s staging date and then every three years • Ongoing governance and oversight of the chosen pension scheme

Contact Us For An Obligation Free Consultation: Tel: 028 9131 0337, e-mail info@hughesfinancial.co.uk or visit www.hughesfinancial.co.uk/workplace-pensions, for further information Hughes Financial Services Ltd is an appointed representative of Ralston Bennett Financial Planning Ltd. which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, Company Regn number N169363

Your Local Auto-enrolment Solution

- Belfast based service team - Free Auto-enrolment delivery programme - 30 years’ pension experience - Open to all businesses in all sectors - Suitable for all staff

Contact Workers Pension Trust 143 Malone Road, Belfast, BT9 6SX Tel 028 9087 7142 info@workerspensiontrust.co.uk www.workerspensiontrust.co.uk

Eye on Internet

User Experience For App Development – The Four Things You Need To Know

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

App download, retention and frequent use statistics are getting a small bit better, however they are improving from a particularly low base.

App retention is the Leeds United of the digital world; slightly less awful than they were last year, but a long way from where they should be.

A

ccording to a Localytics report from 2014, 60% of all apps are used ten or fewer times (an “improvement” from a staggering 73%) and 20% of apps are used only once (“better” than 22% in the previous survey). Sports and games apps endure the worst abandonment performance, with weather and social networking apps performing best, in relative terms.

This must lead us to two critical yet inevitable conclusions. Firstly, to a large extent the product *is* its marketing as its likelihood of adoption and use depends on the quality of product design and secondly by corollary that the app designer and developer must work like fury to ensure that they get to and stay in the retention top 40%.

The product is the marketing In truth, these factors are self-evident and a quick scurry around your own smartphone icons will reinforce how this looks in your world. For this digital geek, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Maps, Messenger and WhatsApp are resting snugly and smugly in the top 10% whereas the “seemed like a good idea at the time downloads” (I’m looking at you Meme Creator, and Dude – My Car) aren’t looking so hot.

The better news is that commerciallyproven and evidence-based user-experience processes exist, which allow the customercentred app designer to build with a focus on growth, propagation and retention.

This is work we deliver regularly at Fathom towers and below we share the processes

and design focuses we have found to deliver the best download and retention performance for our various clients’ apps.

Focus on the moments of truth On the spectrum from no awareness of an app’s existence to frequent use of an app, a user will unthinkingly pass through a number of key moments of truth, where the experience provided to them is disproportionately important.

Typically these moments of truth include: First awareness – the user becomes aware of the app for the first time, through word of mouth, or an app store search First visit – the user looks in more detail at the app’s website or previews the app in the app store and considers if they are interested enough to download it First use – the user decides to trial the app for the first time and in this situation the app needs to get the value exchange just right, asking as little as possible from the user and giving as much as possible in return, in order to make the user feel good about the download Frequent use – the user is convinced of the app’s value and wants to use it quickly and easily Consider how the user’s questions, motivations and needs change throughout the journey and how the app and associated communications must alter accordingly.

Identify assumptions In every product design project assumptions must be made, risks assessed and gaps in knowledge identified. Some of these knowledge gaps will be unimportant, others will be vital.

It is essential that gaps in knowledge are identified early in the design process and if tagged as important or vital that a learning plan and programme of research established in order to plug gaps in understanding.

Getting a product to market is difficult enough without the product carrying unnecessary

risks into a ruthless, impatient, difficult-toimpress marketplace. (Typically we lead clients through the “we know we think we don’t know” exercise to start this process).

Design specifically based on known factors of innovation adoption In this regard we know of no better source material than Everett Rogers’ “Diffusion of Innovations” published in 1962 and which cites the five characteristics of successful innovations, specifically relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Any app product design must meet and exceed each of these characteristics.

Design theorists are at pains to reinforce the importance of designing with specific intent. In particular for the early phases of app development, design processes should be crafted specifically for adoption, propagation and growth. Approach it any other way, and like our Yorkshire football friends, you might find yourself spending a decade fighting for mid-table mediocrity in the Championship, whilst your competitors eat at the Premiership’s top table.

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 Three, Ordnance Survey Ireland, PSNI, Permanent TSB and Escher Group.

Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

83

Eye on Community

Pictured working on their reading skills are Stephen Patton, Human Resources Manager at Belfast City Airport, and P2 pupils, Logan Cummiskey and Samantha McCausland.

City Airport Helps Cregagh Primary School Pupils Catch The Reading Bug Pupils and parents at Cregagh Primary School have been benefitting from a fun, new interactive reading scheme thanks to funding from George Best Belfast City Airport.

D

esigned to complement the school’s curriculum and provide help for both pupils and parents, the ‘Bug Club’ is enabling Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils to enhance their literacy skills at home through interactive quizzes, fun games and challenges both online and offline.

The funding was delivered by the Belfast City Airport Community Fund, which has donated nearly £200,000 to a number of schools and charitable causes throughout Northern Ireland that aim to support and grow the local community and environment.

Stephen Patton, Human

84

Resources Manager at Belfast City Airport, said: “We’re delighted to work alongside Cregagh Primary School to help instil a love of reading in the pupils in a fun and educational way, while at the same time providing a learning support for parents.

“The academic progression of young people in our community is a key aim of the airport’s Community Fund and, through our various projects, we work with a range of educational partners to support the pupils’ social and economic development in the best way possible.

“Similar to the airport’s other ongoing educational projects, such as the ‘Time to Read’ initiative in which employees read on a one-to-one basis with pupils, this scheme allows the pupils to be monitored to ensure their literacy skills are improved.”

The programme includes a range of platforms, initially focusing on

phonics and progressing to quizzes and challenges which encourage pupils to think more carefully about what they are reading. In addition to learning about their favourite books, the pupils are also incentivised by the awarding of certificates at various stages.

David Heggarty, Acting Principal at Cregagh Primary School, said: “We are extremely grateful for the airport’s support for our newest addition to the school’s curriculum. Young children absorb new information and technology at a remarkable rate and this scheme offers them the opportunity to enhance their learning in ways that they really enjoy.

“The Bug Club offers parents and pupils a convenient and easy-touse resource for learning outside of the school gates as the pupils can access their online books, games and quizzes from iPads, laptops and even mobile phones.

“The scheme has enabled us to

purchase over 250 new books, both hard copy and online, for our pupils, ranging from short novels to poetry and comics. This would not have been possible without such fantastic support from the airport’s Community Fund.

“So far, all teaching and learning staff have been trained in the use of the Bug Club scheme, and parents have also attended training seminars hosted in school. It’s bigger than a school initiative. It’s a community initiative, really, involving children, parents, educators and our partners from Belfast City Airport. It has the potential to make a real and lasting difference.”

For more information about how your school, group or project can apply to the Belfast City Airport Community Fund, please visit www.belfastcityairport.com

Eye on Charity

Raise a Duck for Breast Cancer Awareness Month October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Action Cancer is calling on local businesses to come on board, sign up to receive two pink ducks, and raise vital funds for its unique breast screening services.

E

ach pink duck represents a breast screening and encourages businesses to raise £80 to cover the cost of one screening. The pink duck campaign, supported by Action Cancer Patron Gloria Hunniford, endeavours to raise awareness, encourage ladies to regularly check their breasts, whilst aiming to raise £20,000 in the run up to, and throughout BCAM. This month saw even more local businesses throw themselves into unique fundraising campaigns to raise money for the ‘Breast Cancer – Don’t Duck the Issue’ campaign.

Some of those who held their ducks up and pledged their allegiance include; Tesab Engineering, Stanley Security Systems, Davy Stockbrokers, Aelia UK, TG Eakin, Waddell Media, AES Kilroot, Premier Scientific Ltd. and Massive PR. Ryan Fitzpatrick from Tesab Engineering commented;

“The pink ducks we got in the post were just too tempting to ignore. So we organised a little charity event and were completely overwhelmed with the response. Our Think Pink day with buns, cakes and silly games got the whole factory talking and boosted moral. We honestly thought that we wouldn’t even hit the £100 mark. But the generosity of the staff here at Tesab Engineering knows no bounds and we raised a grand total of £1000. A massive thanks to the Action Cancer team for working with us and I would definitely encourage other businesses to come on board as you may just help to save a life. “ Action Cancer Corporate Fundraising Assistant, Rebecca Dalzell said; “This year, Action Cancer screened 10,000 women – a record number for the charity.

We aim to not only match that record this year, but indeed break it again. We simply could

Staff from Davy Belfast supported the Pink Duck campaign by donating enough money for 2 ladies to be breast screened.

Jacquie Henriette, Lorraine McGoran and Lisa Heffron from Visit Belfast are planning a ‘Book & Bun Day’ fundraiser in October.

not do this without the support from businesses throughout Northern Ireland. It so important for women ages 40-49, and over

Laura Murray and Jenny McIlroy from TG Eakin held a coffee morning and a ‘Pamper Hamper’ raffle, and raised enough money for 7 ladies to be screened.

70, to come forward and book their screening with Action Cancer.”

Action Cancer is the only charity that provides a breast screening service for women in Northern Ireland aged 40-49 and 70+. As with any cancer, the earlier it can be detected, the better chances of survival – if a breast cancer is caught in stage one or two, survival rates are 95%. For every 1,000 women we screen, we detect an average of 5 breast cancers.

For more information or to book your breast screening online, visit www.actioncancer.org.

If you would like to receive your two pink ducks, and help Action Cancer continue to save lives and support people in your local community, please call Gillian on 028 9080 3347 or by email on gthomson@actioncancer.org ... Breast Cancer, Don’t Duck the Issue!

85

PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT.

Banking & Finance | Technology

32 years connecting talent and opportunity

Engineering & Manufacturing | HR

www.graftonrecruitment.com

Sales & Marketing

Eye on Moving On Moy Park has appointed experienced business 1 advisor, Michael O’Neill, to drive the company’s Continuous Improvement programme. With over 15 years’ experience, Michael joins Moy Park from InvestNI where he was responsible for supporting a range of companies in realising productivity improvements. Having also worked at the Centre for Competitiveness and Bombardier, Michael has a proven track record of implementing process improvements to achieve business objectives.

1 Michael O’Neill

2 Anne Richmond

3 Dr. Steve Brankin

2 Also at Moy Park, Anne Richmond is appointed to the new post of Agriculture Analyst. She holds a PhD from Queen’s University and has completed a thesis at the Agri Food & Biosciences Institute in Hillsborough.

Northern Regional College has appointed 3 Dr. Steve Brankin as Vice President for Engagement & Innovation. He was the founding CEO of Asidua following the management buyout from Fujitsu Telecommunications in 2002, growing it from a start-up to a company employing 140 people across three sites.

4 John Mathers

5 David Morrow

6 Peter Stevens

4 At Barclays Bank, John Mathers is appointed Corporate Development Director, responsible for client acquisition in the SME sector. He joins Barclays from Bank of Ireland, where he headed up the bank’s North Eastern business banking team. He qualified as a chartered 5 accountant with Deloitte. David Morrow joins Barclays as Relationship Support Manager. He previously worked for Bank of Scotland (Ireland) and Certus for eight years.

6 At 4c Executive Search, Peter Stevens is appointed Recruitment Research Specialist providing confidential research to the company’s executives. He has experience of working with a wide range of blue chip clients across a 7 number of sectors. Also at 4c, Laura Calvert becomes a Business Support Executive. She has worked for more than two years with BT. 8 Susie Osborough has joined Selective Travel Management in the role of Customer Relations Manager. Susie will be responsible for clients across North and South of Ireland and joins a growing team of professionals in this role.

Susie joins Selective after many years of running Spectrum Hotels which was recently merged with the Selective Travel brand.

7 Laura Calvert

8 Susie Osborough

9 Larry McGrath

The Mount Charles Group has expanded its presence in Ireland with a major new appointment to its management team.

9 Larry McGrath has joined the company as Operations Manager for Ireland. He brings to the role more than twenty years’ experience in retail and facilities management, having previously held roles with Superquinn and Aramark. In his most recent position he was Operations Manager at Compass Group, specialising in the education sector.

10 Claire McCombe joins Barclays Wealth & Investment Management as a Private Banker. Before joining Barclays, she held senior positions within Lloyds Banking Group in London, Dublin and Belfast.

10 Claire McCombe

86

11 Rachael Gamble

12 Stephanie Johnston

Cleaver Fulton Rankin have new solicitors joining the firm.

11 Rachael Gamble has joined the Dispute Resolution Department . Rachael studied Law with Politics at Queen’s University in Belfast graduating in June 2011, before obtaining her Certificate of Professional Legal Studies in June 2015.

PARTNERSHIP.EXPERIENCE.IMPACT.

Banking & Finance | Technology

32 years connecting talent and opportunity

Engineering & Manufacturing | HR

www.graftonrecruitment.com

Sales & Marketing

Eye on Moving On 12 Stephanie Johnston joins the Private Client Department. Stephanie studied Law at the University of Ulster, Jordanstown where she graduated in June 2012, before obtaining her Certificate of Professional Legal Studies in June 2015.

13 Finally, Peter Moorhead joins the Corporate, Banking and Finance Department. Peter studied Law at Queen’s University in Belfast graduating in June 2013. Peter completed his training with Cleaver Fulton Rankin, obtaining his Certificate of Professional Legal Studies in June 2015.

13 Peter Moorhead

14 Connor Graham

15 Glenda Nelson

14 Connor Graham has been appointed as a Senior Valuer in Michael Chandler Estate Agents. With over 10 years’ experience in the industry and a BsC Hons in Property Investment and Development, Connor delivers an unrivalled service on all aspects of selling and purchasing residential property.

15 Glenda Nelson has been appointed as Regional Manager at Lee Hecht Harrison Northern Ireland (LHH), a global talent mobility leader in connecting people to jobs and helping individuals improve performance at all levels. Glenda has sales and marketing experience across a range of companies in Northern Ireland, including the Irish News, Ormeau Bakery and Firmus Energy.

16 David Clements

17 Michael McCrory

18 Fiona Brown

16 David Clements has been appointed as Client Director at Fujitsu. David has over 20 years’ experience across a range of roles in Fujitsu with the last 3 years spent working in Fujitsu’s London office and brings an in-depth knowledge and understanding of business to his new position as Client Director. He will be responsible for Fujitsu business in Northern Ireland.

Duffy Rafferty Communications has appointed 17 Michael McCrory and Fiona Brown 18 as Associate Directors. Michael has been with the firm for three years and his new appointment will involve him in the strategic direction of the agency. Fiona Brown has been with the agency for eight years and has over 12 years experience in the PR sector.

19 Sarah Dillon

20 Jonny Ross

21 Louise Moss

19 Sarah Dillon has been appointed as Director of Capital Markets at Lambert Smith Hampton.

She has over seven years’ experience working within the Irish investment market, gaining extensive knowledge on portfolio sales with a number of key clients. Her new role will see her work with the Property Finance team.

20

21

22

22 Irene Hannahway

23 Kris Martin 23

Local coffee chain Ground Espresso Bars has several key appointments. New Regional Manager Jonny Ross is stepping in to manage business operations in all 14 Ground outlets and support the company’s business development.

Utilising his experience from previous barista and management positions, Jonny is well-equipped to assist Ground in the strategic pursuit of business opportunities. Overseeing training and staff development, Louise Moss has assumed the role of Training and Development Manager to create and deliver high quality training programs for the teams in all Ground locations.

With over 20 years’ experience in the catering and hospitality industry, Irene Hannahway has become the Lisnagelvin branch’s new store manager and oversees the daily store operations, staff training, promoting the store on social media, and organising local community events in-store. Looking after the day-to-day management of the Ground concession in Waterstones, Belfast, Kris Martin has been appointed as store manager to administer hospitality and coffee training, concession maintenance, and team management.

87

£1.5M SCANNING CENTRE OFFICIALLY OPENED Mike Irwin, Belfast Medical Diagnostics, Paddy Wallace, Sean Cavanagh and Mark Regan, 3fivetwo Group

Sporting Legends Paddy Wallace and Sean Cavanagh are pictured with Operations Manager Anthony McKenna, at the Official Opening of the new MRI Scanning Centre at Kingsbridge Private Hospital, part of the 3fivetwo Group, in Belfast. The new scanner represents a £1.5m diagnostic investment which will offer local patients more choice as well as helping to take the strain off NHS waiting lists. It is also a vital element in the creation of a National Sports Injury Clinic and Northern Ireland’s first private cardiac surgery unit and imaging centre, which is being built on the Lisburn Road site, at a cost of £4.5m. Go to www.kingsbridgeprivatehospital.com for further information. Picture by Brian Morrison.

Zoe Starrett, Carrie Johnston and Joanna Crowe, 3fivetwo Group

Mark Regan CEO Kingsbridge Private Hospital, Paddy Wallace, Anthony McKenna Operations Director of the new MRI/CT Scanning Centre, Sean Cavanagh and Dr Suresh Tharma, Medical Director of 3fivetwo Group

88

David Higginson and John Canning , Consultants at 3fivetwo

Dr Lisa Neligan and Dr Roger Brown from Kingsbridge Private Hospital same day GP Service

Andrew Aiken, AKFP Group, Andrew Glover, and Laura Blair, 3Fivetwo

Businesses create mountains of documents.

Let us help you conquer them.

Here at OKI, we’re not just about printing, we’re about the future of documentation.

Like our Smart Managed Document Solutions, an integrated system that gives you printing, scanning, security, workflow and document management all in one.

Plus, now you can enjoy mobile functionality through your smartphone.

Let us help you navigate the future of your documents. Arrange a free consultation today.

Call 07767 271447 or visit www.oki.ie/mps SMART MANAGED DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS

Eye on Events The annual Scottish Provident Building Invitational golf event took place

recently at the fabulous Malone Golf Club. The weather played along giving the golfers a beautiful autumnal day for some challenging golf in amazing surroundings. After the tournament a fantastic dinner and prize-giving ceremony, with the irrepressible John Linehan as compare, rounded off a wonderful occasion all in support of Brainwaves NI - a wonderful charity who help families affected by brain tumours.

Brendan Brady, Paul Dougan, Laurence Crockford, accept the Pink Ball Challenge award from Donna and John Linehan.

Team Axiom Law - ready for action

Colin Mitchell collects the best four ball by far team award

90

The Scottish Provident Building management team

Donna Linehan and John Linehan present prizes to David Johnston

Kate Ferguson of Brainwaves NI helping John Linehan pick a winner

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

Smarter Living

The new generation Astra means business

“The new, next generation Vauxhall Astra has arrived and is leading the way in terms of whole life costs and benefit in kind taxation. “With its blend of style, space, low running costs and hi-tech kit, the newcomer covers all the family car bases.” - Auto Express.

C02NNECTED to your budget The seventh generation Astra is class leading on company car tax and whole life costs thanks to a price reduction across the most popular fleet trim levels. For example, the entry level Design has dropped to £16,940 from £17,755, and savings increase progressively to £2,200 on the SRi and £2,935 on the New Astra Elite. Its sophisticated engines also contribute to the cost savings thanks to CO2 outputs from 82g/km and up to 91.2miles per gallon from the new 1.6CDTi Whisper Diesel engine.

As a result, fleets benefit from whole life cost savings of up to £2,401 when up against the Ford Focus, and £3,703 compared to the equivalent VW Golf*. Company car drivers also make BiK savings of £317 and £841 versus the Focus and Golf**.

“Diesel hatchbacks don’t get any better.” What Car?

C02NNECTED with OnStar and IntelliLink In addition to the welcome financial benefits, the team at Vauxhall has clearly been thinking carefully about features that are important to drivers. The New Astra features some of the most advanced technology in its class thanks to the introduction of OnStar, its people friendly personal connectivity and service assistant.

OnStar gives driver’s access to a host of innovations at the touch of a button,

“Bigger, better, cheaper.

Vauxhall’s new class leader” What Car?

connecting to a qualified advisor 24/7, 365 days a year. Features include in-car roadside assistance, vehicle diagnostics and an integrated 4G Wi-Fi hotspot. This means company car drivers effectively have an in-car office, as well as peaceof-mind on their daily travels.

Once only the preserve of premium brands, Vauxhall OnStar is standard on SRi and Elite models and optional on all other trim levels. Better still, all of its services are completely free for the first 12 months. A seven-inch touch screen with Bluetooth®, USB and IntelliLink connectivity are also standard features on all Astras.

emissions, being lighter on the ground makes a vast difference to the way New Astra feels from the moment you put your foot on the accelerator. Its inspired lightweight body design allows New Astra to be more compact on the outside, but with more space and comfort on the inside.

“This latest-generation Astra is tremendous…the newcomer drives superbly, with a firm, yet comfortable ride plus an impressive and efficient diesel engine…there’s plenty of cabin space, quality, hi-tech equipment and style.”

- Auto Express.

C02NNECTED to real life New Astra doesn’t just provide intelligent technology to keep fleets connected, its extraordinary blend of agility and economy makes it the intelligent choice for businesses.

The brand new seventh generation Astra has arrived in Northern Ireland with the Sports Tourer model due in early 2016.

C02NNECTED to the road The combination of a 200kg loss in weight and a refined 1.6CDTi Whisper Diesel engine mean the car is capable of up to 91.2 miles per gallon. As well as improving the level of

Call 0870 010 0651 to speak to the Vauxhall Fleet team or visit vauxhallfleet.co.uk for more information. * = Whole Life Cost saving calculated using independently supplied data by CAP over 3 years / 60,000 miles (August 2015). Fuel costs based upon combined fuel consumption and diesel charged at £1.10 per litre.

Maximum whole life cost saving shown are comparing the following vehicles: New Astra Design Hatchback 1.6CDTi 110PS 82g vs VW Golf S 5 dr Hatchback 1.6 TDI 110PS 99g/km vs Ford Focus 5dr Hatchback 1.5 TDCi 105PS Style ECOnetic. ** = 2015-16 tax year. Benefit-in-kind tax is calculated assuming a 40% tax rate. Maximum benefit-in-kind tax savings shown are comparing the following vehicles: New Astra Design Hatchback 1.6CDTi 110PS 82g vs VW Golf S 5 dr Hatchback 1.6TDI 110PS 99g/km vs Ford Focus 5dr Hatchback 1.5 TDCi 105PS Style ECOnetic. General Motors UK Limited, trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position.

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Reduce Your Fleet Costs with DFC/RAC Telematics If you manage a fleet of vehicles, you will know that keeping its costs down is an ongoing challenge.

The associated expenditure is significant, with ad-hoc repairs, general maintenance and fuel bills all adding up to large sums of money. However, it is possible to manage a fleet and its costs with relative ease. Using Telematics can allow you to do this from anywhere you choose.

Take control using Telematics Telematics makes managing your fleet from any location a much simpler process. Using online Telematics allows you to assume control from wherever suits you best. This makes it particularly useful for highly mobile fleets with ‘fixed’ base of operations.

GPS tracking technology provides you with detailed reports for your vehicles and their drivers’ behaviour on the road, including up-to-theminute location data and current speed. With such a wealth of information at your disposal, you have the efficiency to manage your fleet and its costs. Maintenance, fuel expenditure and CO2 emissions can be greatly reduced, and by becoming more proactive you are able to provide improved customer service.

How can RAC Telematics help?

RAC Telematics gives you full control over your fleet wherever you are, with fast and easy access to your customisable portal from a laptop or smartphone. Our 24/7 tracking system means you can instantly find out what your vehicles are doing, and how running costs can be brought down. Safer driving is also encouraged, resulting in lower downtime and maintenance costs as well as fewer accidents. What’s more, this can only improve the quality of service that you provide your customers.

Using RAC Telematics also allows you to view live traffic feeds, allowing you to react positively to unforeseen circumstances. Becoming stuck in a large tailback can cost your business time and money. When using our

system, you are able to see developing problems and direct your fleet around them, or provide customers with amended arrival times. In both cases, there is potential to reduce costs and improve customer service.

Telematics place you firmly in charge of your fleet and its expenditure from wherever you choose to be.

Can Telematics cut fleet management costs?

Every business is keen to reduce costs. This becomes especially important when you manage a number of vehicles. Whether your fleet is large or small, it requires significant investment to manage, finance and maintain, making keeping expenditure to a minimum a key focus. Could a Telematics tracking system play a part in this?

How Telematics can save money on your fleet?

One of the biggest financial strains on vehicles is the wear and tear they incur over time. But a great deal of maintenance expenditure could be avoided if they were driven in the correct manner.

That is where Telematics can help.

When using RAC Telematics, access to 24/7 tracking will give you a picture of how your drivers are performing behind the wheel, including their speed at any given time. This means inefficient or reckless practises can be highlighted quickly, before they have a negative impact on the condition of the vehicle-or on the diver’s safety. By promoting positive driver behaviour, you will see a

significant improvement in both your fuel expenditure and your service & maintenance invoice when it arrives.

Your company fuel bills should reduce as higher fuel consumption through inefficient driving is a far greater problem than many realise.

Identifying it and retraining your drivers accordingly will save your business money at the pumps.

Geo-fencing Your fleet can also drive down costs through geo-fencing. When using this technology, you are able to select an area and create a virtual ‘fence’ around it. You can then impose date and time restrictions on the area and receive an alert if your vehicle is used outside working hours or beyond the perimeter of the geo-fence, eliminating the potential for misuse by employees.

This will not only cut unnecessary fuel consumption, but should ensure the lifespan of your fleet is extended through reduced wear and tear.

Geo-fencing also allows you to identify a ‘Point of Interest’ and determine a vehicle’s relative location to it. For example, a client may require pick up in a specific area. Sing RAC Telematics’ functionality, you can quickly select the nearest vehicle to them and ensure a speedy arrival time.

This will result in reduced fuel bills, not to mention improved customer service.

A Telematics system is designed to put you in control of your fleet.

With tracking and additional geofencing technology, you have access to information you need to identify and implement savings for your vehicles, ensuring they are cost effective and properly maintained.

With RAC Telematics customers can see savings in the following areas; • 15% savings on overtime claims • Up to 20% savings on insurance • 15%-20% savings on fuel costs • 10%-15% increase in operational efficiency

To find out more please contact Pauline Nelmes, DFC Telematics account Manager on 07775 773 806 or mail pauline@dfctelematics.co.uk

93

Eye on Fleet Management

Ogilvie Fleet: Leading The Way In Technology Ogilvie Fleet believe in consistent investment in technology. Along with our award winning customer service, it’s another reason why so many customers are moving their lease vehicle to Ogilvie. We’ve developed a number of tools to help Fleet Managers run their fleet, along with dedicated tools for drivers to help them choose their next car and support them whilst on the road.

For Fleet Managers Mifleet Showroom - Business Car Techies Award Winner 2013, 2014 & 2015 We recognised that no-one in the industry offered a simple solution to managing your entire fleet.

We wanted to fill this gap so we designed Mifleet Showroom.

Live information on your Fleet is displayed on one screen with a traffic light system to alert you to any areas that require attention.

Say goodbye to your spreadsheets.

Online Quotes We wanted to reduce administration for you and empower drivers so we created our online quotes system.

Drivers are given a unique, secure, logon and can choose their next vehicle 24/7 from anywhere in the world. We work with Fleet Managers to predefine what cars

are visible ensuring that every order suits your business. Restrictions can be applied to filter results by almost anything, monthly rental, P11D, CO2, MPG, NCAP rating, manufacturer, model or vehicle type.

For Drivers Ogilvie strive to make our drivers #HappyDrivers so we developed a suite of tools to help them throughout the contract.

Online Tools The Ogilvie Fleet website is a source of information for your drivers. Everything from important telephone numbers through to tax calculators and online service booking tools are available 24/7.

You can rest assured that if your driers have an early start, or a late finish, there is someone to support them via our 24hr driver helpline.

Ogilvie Fleet App We believe in consistent investment in technology, that’s why we launched our driver app. The app is free to download from the Apple Store and Google Play and provides helpful phones numbers, calculate your benefit-in-kind tax and locate your nearest service centre or charging point. The App is under constant development to ensure that we assist your drivers 24 hours per day.

Contact Ogilvie today and our Tech team can help you reduce your administration and empower your drivers. Call us on 028 9045 0800, email us at fleetni@ogilvie.co.uk or visit our website www.ogilvie-fleet.co.uk

www.ogilvie-fleet.co.uk Ogilvie Fleet, Quay Gate House, 15 Scrabo Street, Belfast BT5 4BD Tel: 028 9045 0800 Email: fleet-ni@ogilvie.co.uk 94

MiSalarySacrifice Worry free motoring

Get a brand new, fully maintained and insured car for a fixed monthly cost through your salary www.misalarysacrifice.co.uk 0330 333 1283 help@ogilvie.co.uk

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

Eye on Motoring

dfcbelfast.co.uk Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

SLIMMED-DOWN NEW ASTRA CLOSES IN ON FOCUS AND GOLF Vauxhall has put a mighty effort into a new Astra to seriously challenge the Focus and Golf in terms of style, dynamics and technology. The seventh edition is an impressive 130 to 200kg lighter that the sixth which translates into handling benefits and savings at the pumps.

T

he lead factory for the new Astra is Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, just across the Irish Sea where 2,000 people are employed. Clearly the GM Europe bosses are pleased with their work as the plant makes cars both for the UK market and, with Opel badges, for the rest of Europe.

The new Astra is shorter on the outside and bigger on the inside.

This, coupled with the use of lighter

steel and other components, has knock-on benefits across the board.

The leaner and more sophisticated styling lifts the car visually and also makes for better air flow, again boosting economy. Inside has a richer feel with a central colour screen neatly imbedded into the dash.

On the road, this lighter Astra feels more nimble and eager to tackle the bends. It is enjoyable to drive and rides over the

rougher sections without fuss.

Petrol choices start with an energetic 1.0 three-cylinder turbo with a claimed 67mpg and a sweet 1.4-litre turbo petrol model rated at 51mpg combined.

Vauxhall’s ‘whispering diesel’ comes with 108 or 148bhp. The lower output model is rated at a stunning 91mpg combined and with emissions of just 86g/km making for low company car tax ratings!

Innovative touches include ‘LED lantern’ headlamps which dip automatically and a camera

that picks up changing speed limits and can activate collision warnings and mitigation braking.

An optional OnStar system turns the car into a 4G Wifi hotspot! It can also detect if an airbag deploys and alert a UK contact centre who will communicate with the car to see if assistance is needed!

Prices are competitive and up to £2,200 less than the outgoing car. The 1.0-litre petrol runs from £15,995, the 1.6 diesel from £16,995 and the 150PS 1.4 turbo petrol from £17,695.

from 75 to 100PS. They come with five or six-speed manual and four-speed auto gearbox options.

The smaller diesel takes a yawning 16 seconds to reach 62mph but look at its bottom line compensation for this - up to 88mpg and emissions down to 84g/km. The 1.4 CRDi is still in contention with 0-62mph in 12 seconds and 69mpg combined with 106g/km emissions.

Inside, the i20 is better finished than before and feels spacious for its footprint with a bigger boot than its rivals. Prices are listed from £12,745 for the starter 1.1 CRDi to £14,525 for the 1.4 SE with automatic transmission.

Add predicted residuals from 46% over three years and the latest Hyundai looks like a realistic business proposition.

HYUNDAI GETS SERIOUS ABOUT THE COMPANY CAR MARKET Hyundai is making a serious pitch for the fleet market with its latest i20 hatchback, launched earlier this year with business contract hire offers from £137 per month. It may not be the top car in its class, but the new model surely narrows the gap on the Fiesta and Polo.

S

tarting with much better eye appeal - they have rounded the corners and put in some contrast lines in the right places - the new i20 can keep its end up against the shapes of its rivals. It is roomier too and offers a host of high tech features.

You can get a unique big sunroof that tilts and opens, distinctive LED lights and a rear-view camera.

On the road I noticed an

improvement in dynamics, this new car feels more sorted out in terms of roadholding and ride comfort. Still maybe not as sharp as the best of the rest but it drives well enough for most people. Judged as a company car it is above par in its abilities.

Two diesel engines are available - a 1.1-litre offering 75PS and a 1.4 with 90PS - and three petrol units of 1.25 and 1.4 litres offering

Supplying cars and vans to the business community

Eye on Motoring

call us on 02890 734222 Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

MAZDA MAKES YOU WONDER ABOUT GOING BACK TO PETROL Diesel has been the holy grail for company car buyers for many years but now some doubts are setting in. The VW scandal has focussed attention on diesel emissions and has dented the lean, green image that the fuel has enjoyed for so long.

C

urrent legislation just takes account of CO2 emissions but diesel also produces harmful NOx and, of course, those sooty particulates.

The sight of a diesel bellowing black soot is rare these days as modern cars are fitted with DFP filters to deal with it. But, as I have discovered, these filters clog up if you do mainly short runs and you have to take them up the motorway to ‘regenerate’.

I, for one, will be going back to

petrol next time. As it happens petrol engines are getting more efficient. There are some decent three-cylinder 1.0-litre city cars out there. But, if you need a bit more space and performance, the Mazda 2 has a lot going for it.

Mazda take a different approach and offer a non-turbo 1.5-litre petrol engine that delivers useful pace and returns 62mpg on the Combined Cycle - so you can realistically expect everyday returns around 50mpg

- as good as many turbo diesels.

Emissions are 105g/km which keeps down company car tax.

My test car had the 90PS version of the 1.5 engine, so offered good power to weight.

(Smaller and turbo engines have to work harder and can use more fuel.) It offered acceleration to 62mph in 9.2 seconds and felt relaxed to drive apart from the usual tyre noise at higher speeds.

This car was a mid-range SE-L Nav version that weighs

in from £14,395 with a reasonable amount of kit and satellite navigation. There are less well endowed 75PS versions from around £12k but I felt the extra outlay was worth it in terms of drivability, equipment and economy.

Mazda unique ‘SKYACTIV’ approach for improving efficiency through a series of relatively simple measures certainly provides food for thought in this case!

have got used to that. A minor inconvenience is that it can take up to five minutes to fill up your car.

So far, Toyota has been fairly tight-lipped about the performance of the Mirai save to say it will have a range comparable to conventional cars. Elsewhere I read 300 miles range. The cost of a fill-up is another imponderable but surely it will not be taxed as punitively as petrol or diesel.

But the biggest deal breaker

at the moment is cost - the Miria is listed at £66,000 before any incentive is taken into account.

Toyota is promising leasing deals comparable with executive saloons.

So it is early days for the advent of H-power. Not surprisingly Boris Johnston is an early adopter - he has committed Transport London to taking one of the first hydrogen cars. I wonder how long it will be before Wrights of Ballymena can supply a hydrogen powered bus?

HYDROGEN POWERED MIRAI - IS IT REALLY THE FUTURE? After many years of research and rumour, Toyota has won the race to bring the first hydrogen-fuelled cars to the market. Aptly enough the car is called the Mirai, the Japanese word for future!

A

ny student of chemistry will tell you that the cleanest form of combustion is that of hydrogen and oxygen as the exhaust product is harmless water vapour. Brought together in a fuel cell, the reaction between these two elements is used to produce electricity to drive the car.

With more than eight million hybrids under its belt, Toyota had a head start in the new green world that hopefully lies before

us. But don’t underestimate the problems and prejudices still to be overcome before hydrogen becomes a mainstream fuel. Not least of these is the availability of compressed hydrogen.

Currently, there are two outlets in London and one in Swindon!

So it will be a year or two before the network is rolled out to these shores. People might worry about the safety but petrol is also potentially explosive and we

97

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

BIGGER MINI KEEPS ITS CORE APPEAL BUT GETS MORE DOORS!

N

The original Mini was high on charisma and low on space and practicality. BMW is tackling these - the new MINI was bigger and had a hatchback.

Now they have added a five-door version.

ot that it could be called the perfect family or business car, but the five-door is a little bigger than the three-door which gives a bit more rear legroom and a larger boot. The core appeal still lies in the style and the driving experience - both of these are as good as ever.

I was driving the topline CooperS D which is full of urgency with 0-62mpg in just over 7 seconds and a potential top speed of 140mph - yes really. The fourcylinder 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine has plenty of power but is also impressively frugal with a claimed 70mpg combined and emissions of just 104g/km.

This flagship model takes you into £20k territory. Other models with the smaller three-cylinder engines are worth exploring for lower running costs.

On the road, the Cooper SD fivedoor drives just as sharply as its

smaller cousins. It feels full of fun in the way it reacts to the steering wheel and its flat profile on the bends.

Eager to eat up the road ahead, this is a car full of driver appeal.

Inside, the finish and quality as a high as ever and it feels different to the average small hatch. There are reminders of its heritage in the flat windscreen and the row of little switches. The big ‘soup plate’ dial has been refined and can house a sat nav screen. On the minus side, the new rear doors are smallish and the centre rear seat is for kids only.

As a business vehicle, the MINI five-door appeals strongly in two areas. The first is its sheer eye appeal which matters if the company wants to project a stylish image. The other key point is the very high residual values commanded by the MINI and which affect the bottom line.

VAUXHALL’S WHISPER DIESEL

THE QUIET REVOLUTION Our range of ‘Whisper Diesel’ engines speak for themselves. Unmistakably quiet and refined, the new range of powertrains combine exceptionally smooth power delivery with money saving economy.

w VAUXHALL FLEET

Call 0870 010 0651 | visit www.vauxhall.co.uk/fleet

Discover Whisper Diesel at www.vauxhall.co.uk/whisperdiesel

Official Government Test Environmental Data. Fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km) and CO 2 emissions (g/km). Whisper Diesel range: Combined 46.3 (6.1) - 91.2 (3.1). CO 2 emissions 161 - 82g/km.

Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. All figures quoted correct at time of going to press (October 2015). The vehicles illustrated may not necessarily represent the correct final UK specification and not all the features or options described are available on every model.

98