Business Eye April May 2017

Issue 169 April/May 2017 ÂŁ2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

Darina Armstrong...

Progressive Keeps Up The Pace Features: 05

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Lawyers Bound For Belfast

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A Public Transport Future

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Orchestral Manoeuvres

T i Ta n i c v e n u e s B e l fa s T

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CONTENTS

April/May 2017 ISSUE 169

Cover Story

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Darina Armstrong....Progressive Keeps Up The Pace

Specials EasyJet Celebrates 50 Million Milestone EasyJet, which has been flying out of and into Belfast for 19 years now, has just celebrated a remarkable milestone. The airline has just carried its 50 millionth passengers on its Belfast routes.... making it the biggest operator here by quite some distance.

Quietly spoken, informal and unfailingly likeable, Darina Armstrong doesn’t fit the stereotype of the head of a financial institution, male or female. But the results posted by Progressive Building Society since she took over the CEO’s reins are hard to argue with.

Mediation... Less Cost, Less Stress & Less Time

Legal Services

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Global Legal Conference Comes To Belfast

Mediation is a cost effective alternative to litigation in many commercial disputes, and the Law Society of Northern Ireland offers cost effective access to professional mediation facilities, says Belfast solicitor and former Society President, Brian Speers.

Staff at Belfast and Portadown Audi Centre, operated by leading vehicle retailer, the Agnew Group, is celebrating after winning two top accolades in a UK-wide contest which recognises and rewards sales and service excellence among Audi Centres across the country.

Community Involvement... It’s Fundamental To Business

Transport Infrastructure

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A Vision for Public Transport in Northern Ireland

Corporate social responsibility isn’t a cosmetic exercise and nor is it a bolt-on for a successful organisation. Instead, it should be fundamental to the business and how it is run, say the senior management team at Phoenix Natural Gas in Belfast.

Maldives... With A Touch Of Dubai Leo Callow, never a man to stint on luxury touches, samples the delights of the Maldives in the midst of an Irish early spring. The idyllic Indian Ocean archipelago is made all the more accessible thanks to Emirates flights from Dublin via the amazing Dubai hub. So why not stop over in Dubai en route to the islands?

Business Eye in partnership with Translink held a Round Table Discussion in central Belfast looking at the public transport infrastructure in Northern Ireland... at what has been achieved in recent years and at Translink’s vision for a transport future here.

Culture in Northern Ireland

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Richard Wigley... Big Plans For An Ulster Institution Richard Wigley has comme a long way, from New Zealand via Manchester and London, to take over the management hot seat at the Ulster Orchestra.

And the former professional bassoon player has ambitious plans for one of the true gems of the cultural scene here in Northern Ireland.

Rachel Brown is Group Property Manager at the UK-wide Wilsons Auctions operation and that means that she’s responsible for the bricks and mortar auction lots which form part of a vast range of items that go under the hammer at the company’s sites throughout the year.

Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards The deadline for entries is past, but the excitement is building as the judges meet and preparations are made for one of Northern Ireland’s business community’s biggest nights of the year – the Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards on Thursday, 15th June, at the Crowne Plaza Belfast.

Eye on Law

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Eye on Telecommunications

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Moving On

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Eye on Technology

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Eye on Recruitment

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Eye on Motoring

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Eye on Finance

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Eye on Agri Food

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Eye on Events

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Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility 31

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

Business Development Manager Ciara Donnelly

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

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Rachel Brown... Homes Under The Hammer

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

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Local Audi Dealerships Shine Through

An influential group of international lawyers is due in Belfast at the end of May for the 12th Annual Bar Leaders’ Conference, the first time the prestigious event has been held in Belfast. Between 300 and 400 lawyers from around the world are due in the city for the event centred on Belfast Waterfront.

Regulars

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

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Another summer, and another election looms here in Northern Ireland.

Comment

“Emmanuel Macron’s stunning victory in the French Presidential Election shows that those who were predicting the break-up of Europe were well off the mark.”

Sponsored by

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his time last year, we were all preparing to cast our votes in the Brexit Referendum.

We duly voted, in Northern Ireland’s case to stay in the European Union, but were dragged in the other direction by the massed ranks of Daily Mail and Sun readers in the North of England.

Since then, we’ve had an Assembly election that changed the political landscape around these parts. And now we head inexorably towards June 8th, and a Westminster Election called by an increasingly cocky and confident Theresa May, the first British Prime Minister for quite a while who seems to have no interest whatsoever in what’s happening on this side of the Irish Sea. So let’s take stock.

The Westminster Elections looms ever closer, and while it might produce the odd surprise and a few changes, it’s unlikely to change our line-up of attending and absentionist Members of Parliament to any great degree.

Meanwhile, the post-election talks between the main parties here have ground to what could just be a long-term halt. We have no Assembly. We have no Executive. The spending decisions around government here are being made by unelected civil servants.

In fact, the Head of the Civil Service, Sir Malcolm McKibbin, has had to put off his retirement for another while... not for the first time. He’s hoping to head off into the sunset at the end of June, so either he’s determined to go one way or the other, or he knows something the rest of us don’t.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

Will the parties be able to reach an agreement post-June 8th? Is Arlene Foster’s sudden interest in the Irish Language a positive sign? Or will our inbuilt political pessimism turn out to be well founded?

The outcome of the General Election isn’t of major importance. Assuming that Theresa May romps home with a sizeable majority over a Labour opposition that seems to be in complete disarray, the Northern Ireland contingent of MP’s won’t hold any sway in the House of Commons.

The success or otherwise of talks towards the re-establishment of an Executive up at Stormont is much more important to business and the economy here.

And what of Europe? Emmanuel Macron’s stunning victory in the French Presidential Election shows that those who were predicting the break-up of Europe were well off the mark. Macron is solidly pro-European and his arrival in the Elysee Palace is a major shot in the arm for the European Union.

It also backs up the EU’s hand in its negotiations with the UK, and isolates Theresa May just that little bit more. The Prime Minister’s arrogance, though, belies that the fact that she has 27 European leaders ranged against her.

That said, Northern Ireland has managed to establish a rather unique place for itself amidst all of this. The European Union leaders have made it abundantly clear that they are well aware of the problems that we might face as Brexit moves slowly and painfully towards reality.

And that can only be a good thing. As the only part of the increasingly isolated UK with a land border with the EU, it makes a whole lot of sense that we’re given some sort of special status.

Whatever the small band of Brexit cheerleaders around these parts might say. And they’re starting to sound more deluded than ever...

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Eye on News

Cunningham Covers In Maghera Wins Top Award For Enterprise Cunningham Covers Ltd (Cunningham) in Maghera, Co. Derry has gained one of the UK’s most prestigious awards for enterprise especially in terms of its achievements in global markets.

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he company has won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade category for its successful design, manufacture and marketing of an extensive range of clever protective covers for safeguarding valuable assets in sectors such as transportation, farming, manufacturing, aviation, oil and gas production and education.

The family owned and managed business has won a series of export orders including the development and manufacture of protective covers for pipelines to carry natural gas from Russia to Turkey and innovative enclosures for oil drilling operations in the middle east and Africa.

Cunningham Covers, established in 1969 by current Chairman Gordon Cunningham, is the market leader in the manufacture of curtains for the haulage industry, initially in Northern Ireland, which

remains an important part of the business.

While the Queen’s Award is in the International Trade category and recognises its achievements in almost 20 global markets, Cunningham Covers remains strongly committed to the Northern Ireland marketplace.

“We are delighted to have won such important recognition for our sales especially to markets such as Europe, the Middle East and Africa, our success being deeply rooted in Northern Ireland,” says David Cunningham, Managing Director of Cunningham Covers.

“The Northern Ireland market remains immensely important to us.

We value greatly our customer base here and are committed to respond quickly and effectively to existing and potential customers in this market. We also see opportunities to expand our products world-wide particularly in oil and gas exploration.

David Cunningham, managing director of Cunningham Covers, and company chairman Gordon Cunningham

“We have developed a unique enclosure which enables maintenance work such as welding to be carried out safety without an operator having to shut down during welding,” he adds.

The Queen’s Award, Mr Cunningham continues, “recognises the skills and loyalty of its local employees. “We’ve focused resources on developing the skills of employees and in encouraging them to build careers within the business.

As a result, we have a dedicated and versatile workforce which enables us to respond quickly to opportunities both here and abroad,” he adds.

The company, which currently employs 62 people in Maghera, has won a series of recent orders outside Northern Ireland.

These include significant contracts in Russia, where it has produced protective covers for a huge pipeline carrying natural gas to Turkey. Other recent orders have included unique protective

enclosures for oil drilling operations in the Caspian Sea and Africa’s Ivory Coast.

The company gained the Queen’s Award for outstanding year-on-year growth in overseas sales in the three years to August 2016. Exports now represent over 50 percent of total sales, having grown from 29 percent six years ago Cunningham Covers was founded initially to supply the needs of a local trailer manufacturer for tarpaulin covers. Gordon Cunningham identified an opportunity to manufacture and supply tarpaulin vehicle curtains initially to local hauliers and then outside Northern Ireland.

The company has invested continuously in innovation and has diversified from vehicle tarpaulins to provide a broad range of products for various applications, including enclosures for safety, oil and gas and aerospace, for its expertise.

Clearpower Wins SEAI Product of the Show and Best Services Provider The Forest to Heat Biomass system designed, supplied and controlled by Clearpower in Tallaght, Dublin, won the overall winner of the Product of the Show Awards at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Energy Show at the RDS in April 2017. Clearpower also won the Best Services Provider Award.

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learpower, established in 2002 and part of the Flogas group, is one of Ireland’s leading wood bioenergy companies.

Its Forest to Heat Biomass system is a fully customisable heating system for commercial customers.

To date, the system has been installed for many well-known end

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users, including IKEA, BSB Sky, Kelly’s Hotel Rosslare, Brooklodge Hotel, Monart Spa, Dublin’s Charlestown Shopping Centre, UCD, NUIG, OPW, Teagasc and the NHS. Ciaran Miller, design manager with Clearpower said, “The company’s USP lies in its very holistic approach and by this, I mean that we design,

Anthony Mulligan, general manager, Clearpower, with Majella Kelleher, head of energy demand management, SEAI

install, fuel and maintain our systems, working with a client from start to finish and beyond. It gives our clients great confidence to know that they are dealing with the same company throughout the entire process and it helps to

guarantee optimum performance of both the product and system.”

Clearpower is a corporate partner member of Engineers Ireland, a member of the Wood Fuel Quality Assurance Scheme (WFQA) and accredited to ISO9001, ISO14001 and ISO18001.

Eye on News

NEW CHAIR FOR ACCOUNTANTS Pamela McCreedy has been elected Chair of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society at its 110th Annual General Meeting in Belfast.

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rs McCreedy, who takes over as Chair from Dawn Johnston, is Deputy Chief Executive/ Director of Operations for the Northern Health and Social Care Trust. Prior to her current role, Mrs McCreedy held a senior role at the Health and Social Care Board and was Director of Transforming Your Care, leading the reform of health and social care services in Northern Ireland.

Addressing the Society’s AGM, she said: “There is great potential in Northern Ireland but to realise that promise we need the power of the private and public sectors to work together.

“We need a collaborative approach from business and the public sector

if we are to deliver a sustainable local economy and the associated social, health and education benefits that we all want to see. My experience, both in practice and in the public sector has shown how important that partnership can be in delivering for local people.

“It is more important than ever before to ensure that the public interest is represented ethically and with integrity. In the context of local political uncertainty and the challenges of the outworking of Brexit, the Chartered Accountancy profession and the business sector in general has a crucial role in the year ahead in advocating and lobbying Government

Pictured after the Ulster Society’s AGM is new Chartered Accountants Ulster Society Chair Pamela McCreedy (seated), with outgoing Chair Dawn Johnston.

and in demonstrating that Northern Ireland is open for business.

“I know that our membership will embrace the challenges and I look forward to leading the Ulster Society in the year ahead.”

Mrs McCreedy previously worked at the South Eastern Trust and was the Director of Public Sector Advisory in KPMG with specific responsibility for

health and criminal justice. Mrs McCreedy trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and specialised in public sector audit and advisory since 1998.

Prior to becoming Vice Chair of the Ulster Society in 2016, Mrs McCreedy served as Honorary Treasurer of the Society and as a member of the Chartered Accountants Ireland Strategy Committee in 2015.

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Eye on News

BARCLAYS BACKS EAGLE LABS Barclays has been revealed as a major partner in the Belfast Ormeau Baths redevelopment, which will be known as Barclays Eagle Lab at Ormeau Baths.

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drian Doran, Barclays’ Head of Corporate Banking in Northern Ireland said, “The Barclays Eagle Lab business incubator has been successfully launched in 9 other major cities across the UK, some by regenerating unused Barclays premises; and others by partnering in the regeneration of old city buildings. As a business, Barclays has been looking for a partner and premises for an Eagle Lab here in Northern Ireland for some time, as it is part of our wider strategy to grow our SME business, and in particular focus on supporting high growth businesses and entrepreneurs.

“When we heard about the plans for

the Ormeau Baths, we thought it would be the perfect fit. The team behind the redevelopment share similar goals and objectives with ours: supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups and accelerating high growth companies.”

The new Barclays Eagle Lab at Ormeau Baths will open its doors in June 2017, and will be an integral part of a 150 seat co-working site in the city centre providing access to resources including expert mentoring, event space, and workshops - giving Northern Ireland’s start-up and scale-up communities a crucial boost. Belfast is the tenth Eagle Lab Barclays has

opened after success in locations such as Salford, London and Cambridge.

The Labs are supported by Barclays’ Digital Eagles and the bank will take 20 seats in the space to offer support to local businesses. Barclays will also have a Business Manager on site to provide support to local companies and entrepreneurs as well becoming the Belfast base for Barclays’ Digital Eagles community activity.

Adrian Doran continued, “Our investment with Ormeau Baths will bring benefits far beyond a shared workspace and much further afield than Belfast. Through direct access to the UK-wide Barclays Eagle Lab network, companies can use any of our Labs, free of charge; we have a dedicated pool of experts in the business needs of high growth and entrepreneurial companies;

we can link with a wide network of like-minded entrepreneurs and sectoral specialists who provide mentorship and support; and we can provide access to Barclays £100m Northern Ireland SME Fund. This new Barclays Eagle Lab in the heart of Belfast will help Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial companies to scale up and accelerate their growth locally and into international markets.”

Mark Dowds, one of the founders of Ormeau Baths, said: “We have created Ormeau Baths as a way to breathe more life into the start-up community in Belfast. There are a lot of creative people and companies in Northern Ireland looking for a place to start and grow. Our hope is that we can bring these people together alongside partners like Barclays, who are willing to get behind younger companies to help them succeed.”

RECORD NUMBERS FOR SS NOMADIC 106 years after SS Nomadic was originally launched as a tender ship, it has experienced record visitor numbers as a tourist attraction.

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he heritage venue, which is famous as a tender for Titanic, and a quarter of her size in every dimension, welcomed a record increase in visitors this year. Since Titanic Belfast took over operations of SS Nomadic in 2015, it has welcomed over 250,000 visitors.

During this time, Titanic Belfast and Titanic Foundation, with support from Tourism Northern Ireland, have carried out a significant programme of investment to align and integrate SS Nomadic with the world class standards of Titanic Belfast. The venue is now well established for exclusive hire and has fully catered for events, ranging from private and corporate drinks receptions to fine dining for up to 200 people.

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Titanic Belfast Chief Executive, Tim Husbands MBE, said, “In two years, SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel and largest Titanic artefact in the world, has been given a new lease of life. We are delighted with the increase in visitor numbers and events on-board, which showcase the sustainability of the ship. It is definitely now firmly established as one of Belfast’s favourite tourist attractions and one of its most authentic event venues with business and leisure tourists alike enjoying the space on-board and period features.”

Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive, Titanic Foundation, commented, “Linking both attractions together as one experience has proved extremely popular. Visitors

Tim Husbands MBE, Chief Executive of Titanic Belfast, Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive, Titanic Foundation and Judith Owens, Director of Operations are pictured alongside SS Nomadic

enjoy exploring the nine interpretative galleries of our iconic attraction, Titanic Belfast but the highlight is touching and feeling the authentic heritage on board SS Nomadic, now positioned as the tenth gallery. This increase in visitors generates essential income to support the ongoing operations, maintenance and conservation of SS

Nomadic and Hamilton Dock, preserving a significant part of Belfast’s maritime heritage for future generations.”

For more information, visit www.titanicbelfast.com.

Eye on News

CANCER CENTRE MOVES INTO SEVENTH GEAR AS CHARIS ANNOUNCES MAJOR EXPANSION Cancer support charity Charis celebrates its 7th anniversary by unveiling a significant expansion programme at the centre.

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ancer is one of the leading causes of death in the UK and it is estimated that one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. Cancer support charity Charis, which has been working to support people in Northern Ireland affected by cancer for the last seven years, has announced the centre will almost double in size in 2017.

The new, state-of-the-art expansion phase, where patients and families are treated under one roof, has been designed by Vision Design Architecture.

The cutting edge design reflects two complementary aspects of cancer care – the ‘Science of Treatment’, which houses the treatment room facilities, and the ‘Art of Care’, which features more social and interactive areas. All of these services are provided free of charge.

Charis Cancer Care works in conjunction with clinical treatments for cancer. Comfortable treatment rooms are designed for the delivery of complementary therapies by trained practitioners. Support ranges from counselling services and dietary advice, right through to offering treatments such as reflexology and massage.

The expansion phase has been prompted by a significant increase in demand for the charity’s services. Imelda McGucken, Director of Charis Cancer Centre explains: “For anyone who may not be familiar with Charis Cancer Care or what we provide, the charity was established to support people who are affected by cancer and families who have been bereaved through cancer. Charis can broaden the services offered to patients coping with diagnosis, detection and

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treatment. The programme has been designed to complement rather than replace orthodox cancer treatments with the aim of providing physical, psychological and emotional support through the relief of symptoms.

“Over 4,300 people have accessed Charis’ services to date and the centre will welcome its 5000th visitor this year. On average, the centre welcomes in excess of 25 new users per week and with the extension in place that number is likely to double. Highly trained therapists and tutors work with the person as a whole, ensuring they benefit from advice and treatments which are free of charge.”

Tom Diamond, Trustee at Charis Cancer Care adds: “To accommodate this growth in demand we’ve submitted a planning application for an extension which will increase the size of the centre by roughly 50%, adding approximately 3,000 square feet. The new facility will

provide two new treatment rooms, one counselling room, one beauty therapy room, one rest room and additional office space. We are delighted with the vision for the new centre and the difference it will make for the people who will avail of the expert services.”

“Charis does not receive government funding and relies exclusively on the support from the local community and businesses to raise funds. The annual running costs for the centre are currently in the region of £300,000. To help co-ordinate fundraising we are in the process of appointing a dedicated fundraiser. I can’t thank all our current donors enough. Their generosity makes a massive difference to people’s quality of life and well-being.”

To help with the administration side of the charity two new trustees have been appointed, Kirsty McManus and Jim Henry, bringing the number of trustees to seven in total.

Numbers Add Up For Belfast Met Student With Top Accountancy Award

Catherine Devine is pictured with BDO Senior Partner Nigel Harra and Christine Brown of Belfast Met

atherine Devine from BDO Northern Ireland saw off fierce competition from accountancy apprentices across the UK with her outstanding results in Belfast Met’s Higher Level Apprenticeship in Accountancy, achieving an overall Distinction and the highest marks in her peer group.

Tom Diamond, Trustee, Charis Cancer Care; Imelda McGucken, Centre Director, Charis Cancer Care and Ryan Dougan, Principal, Vision Design Architecture.

A Belfast Met student has scooped ‘Accountancy Apprentice of the Year 2017’ at the prestigious PQ Magazine Awards.

Speaking about Catherine’s award, Iris Brown, Curriculum Manager at Belfast Met said: “Catherine joined our Higher Level Apprenticeship in Accountancy straight from school in September 2014 and immediately showed her talent by attaining outstanding results in Level 5 ATI Diploma over the 2 year period of the apprenticeship programme. This award

is in recognition of her diligent attitude and dedication to the programme.

“Her work in class was consistently of a very high standard and she demonstrated a real willingness to learn.

She coped particularly well with the demands of juggling part-time study and full-time work and will no doubt prove to be an asset for BDO Northern Ireland.”

Launched by the College in 2014 with the support of 12 Belfast based accountancy firms, the Higher Level Apprenticeship in Accountancy aims to develop students’ professional and technical skills, as well as help them to gain a recognised higher qualification while in paid employment.

Eye on Property

MOMENTUM BUILDING IN PROPERTY MARKET Alastair Todd, Partner and Head of Property at leading law firm Arthur Cox, briefly examines the factors contributing to an improvement in Northern Ireland’s residential property market.

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t is almost a decade since the property crash that sparked a major slump in house and land prices across Northern Ireland and beyond.

However, after several years in the doldrums, the residential property market has been in recovery for some time, and momentum has built significantly over the past two years.

The reasons behind the improving outlook are varied. Rising demand coupled with an historic lack of supply have placed upward pressure on prices, while low interest rates have made borrowing more affordable and contributed to a boost in consumer confidence.

And unlike the market in the mid-2000s, official statistics point to a steady and modest rate of increase in property prices.

The most recent House Price Index, produced by Land and Property Services and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, rose by 5.7% between the fourth quarters of 2015 and 2016, making the price of a typical home in the region £125,480.

Meanwhile, research by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) revealed that mortgage loans to first time buyers accounted for more than half of the £1.5 billion of new lending agreed in 2016.

It was the strongest performance in the sector since 2007 and, with affordability comparing favourably with other parts of the UK, the CML said it anticipated a “steady market in 2017”.

The data tallies with the experience of Arthur Cox’s client base and we are seeing particular buoyancy in the markets

Alastair Todd, Partner and Head of Property, Arthur Cox

close to major employment centres such as Belfast, Lisburn, Londonderry and Portadown.

However, residential sites are selling all over Northern Ireland and, as the prices of new-build homes continue to increase, development land is becoming increasingly attractive to investors.

For that reason, many of the existing large plots of undeveloped land, much of which had been in distress during the years of the economic downturn, have been purchased in recent years, and those that remain have increased in value.

Arthur Cox acts on behalf of developers and investors as well as purchasers and vendors, and has been involved in several major transactions over a number of years, the nature of which has changed markedly over the past decade.

It is no longer commonplace to see lenders willing to actually purchase development land and offer borrowers close to 100% for the build costs.

Joint ventures/site fine arrangements are now becoming more commonplace and, in a further sign of confidence returning to the market, lending is increasingly being offered from non-traditional sources such as investment and equity funds.

“ Residential sites are selling all over Northern Ireland and, as the prices of new-build homes continue to increase, development land is becoming increasingly attractive to investors.”

Another trend slowly starting to re-emerge is that of ‘land flipping’, where parties purchase land, hold onto it for a short time – or commence early stage development - and then resell for a profit.

Looking ahead, we expect to see new vigour added to the social and affordable housing market.

Housing associations continued to build throughout the downturn and Arthur Cox has provided legal support to the sector on the formation of a new shared ownership scheme.

The initiative, when launched, will provide a further mechanism to improve affordability and grant a leg-up onto the housing ladder for those unable to gain mortgage approval without such help.

The programme should also ensure continuing momentum in the market as a whole for some time to come.

The Property Team at Arthur Cox is well positioned to advise on all aspects of residential property and land.

Call +44 28 9023 0007 for further information from Alastair or your regular Arthur Cox contact.

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Eye on Travel

EasyJet’s Ali Gayward (left) with the airline’s 50 millionth passenger, Isabel Patterson from Craigavon, who was en route to Faro in Portugal, and Graham Keddie, Chief Executive of Belfast International Airport.

EasyJet Marks 50 Million Milestone EasyJet has notched up a remarkable milestone at Belfast International Airport.

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t the start of May, the airline carried its 50 millionth passenger from its Belfast base. That, for the record, equates to everyone in Northern Ireland flying 27 times with easyJet in the 19 years that it has operated here.

Ali Gayward, easyJet’s UK Country Manager, was in Belfast to make a special presentation to the airline’s 50 millionth passenger and reflected on the achievement.

“I don’t think even the most confident person at easyJet back in 1998 would have thought that we’d ever carry 50 million passengers out of Belfast. It’s a great achievement and one that’s been acheved thanks to the loyalty of the Northern Ireland travelling public.”

The airline commenced flights back in 1998 with a service linking Belfast International with the main easyJet base in

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London Luton, adding a service to Liverpool shortly afterwards.

Both routes are still integral parts of the easyJet timetable today.

Since then, the airline has carried eight million passengers on the Liverpool route, five million to and from London Gatwick and a million to Alicante in Spain. 16.5 million passengers have used easyJet’s services to the London area over the years, flying into Gatwick, Luton and Stansted.

And the impressive statistics don’t end there.......

“We’re talking about 3.9 million passengers on average from Belfast, and that equates to more than 72% of all flights from Belfast International, and 48% of flights from the two Belfast airport,” Ali Gayward adds.

The airline continues to offer a mix of domestic UK services and European leisure routes from Belfast International Airport. Domestic routes include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol and Newcastle.

And easyJet has added an additional 155,000 summer

seats for 2017 to the likes of Malaga, Faro, Barcelona, Ibiza and Split. A brand new route takes off this season to Dubrovnik, a twice weekly service direct from the International Airport.

“We’re continuing to grow the Belfast base and we’ve built up a current network of 28 destinations including the new service to Dubrovnik,” says Ali Gayward.

“We have five aircraft permanently based at Belfast International, but when you consider aircraft based elsewhere that provide services into and out of Belfast, we’re talking about the capacity equivalent of an 11 or 12 aircraft operation.”

Another milestone this summer will be arrival onto the easyJet fleet of the new generation Airbus A320 Neo aircraft, billed as being quieter, more comfortable and more environmentally friendly than previous Airbus models.

“We’ve come a very long way since our first flight out of Belfast to Luton 19 years ago, and this

has become a very important market for us as an airline.

“We have added a significant number of extra seats this summer which allows us to continue to provide affordable, convenient connections for our customers whether they’re travelling on business or leisure.

“I want to thank our fantastic customers who travel to and from Belfast for their loyalty and support.”

Uel Hoey, Business Development Director at Belfast International Airport, described the 50 millionth passenger milestone as a “mind-blowing achievement”.

“It’s amazing in the context of Northern Ireland’s population of less than two million people,” he says. “Put simply, easyJet implemented a social and economic revolution in Northern Ireland back in 1998 through the introduction of generally available, affordable air fares and have become an intrinsic part of our society over the past two decades.”

Eye on News

PAUL MCBRIDE TO JOIN ARTHUR COX Leading law firm Arthur Cox has appointed respected lawyer Paul McBride as Corporate and Commercial Partner at its Northern Ireland practice.

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aul will further strengthen Arthur Cox’s market-leading Corporate and Commercial team, which is headed by former Managing Partner and current Chairman Alan Taylor.

With over 25 years’ experience of corporate finance practice, Paul will join Arthur Cox later this year.

Speaking of the appointment, Catriona Gibson, Managing Partner at Arthur Cox’s Belfast office, said: “Arthur Cox is one of the largest and most respected law firms in Northern Ireland. Our scale and expertise is unsurpassed in the local market, and Paul’s arrival will further enhance the firstclass service levels we deliver for clients.

“Paul is joining a highly-talented, technically-astute and dedicated team of lawyers that provides intelligent counsel to major corporates, SMEs and Government bodies.

“Paul’s insight will further bolster what is already one of Northern Ireland’s foremost corporate practices.”

Ranked as a ‘leader in the field’ in the UK and Europe’s most respected legal guides, Paul has advised on many significant mergers and acquisitions, management buy-outs and venture capital projects.

He advised Terra Firma on the sale of Phoenix Natural Gas to Hastings and led the team advising W&R Barnett Limited on its acquisition of

the molasses trading and bulk liquid storage business of Tate & Lyle plc.

Alan Taylor, Chairman and Head of Corporate and Commercial at Arthur Cox, said: “Arthur Cox’s corporate and commercial team is at the heart of the most prominent deals taking place in local marketplace, making us the ‘go-to’ firm for trusted legal advice.

“Paul’s appointment is a landmark development for the legal sector in

Northern Ireland and his expertise will add to our ability to ensure the successful completion of any kind of transaction.”

Arthur Cox is ranked as one of the leading law firms in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland by both Chambers and Legal 500 and currently advises Government, leading corporate clients and the SME sector. The firm employs over 90 people in Belfast with additional offices in Dublin, London, New York and Silicon Valley.

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Eye on Law

Mediation...

Resolving Disputes With Less Cost, Less Stress & Less Time Brian Speers is Chair of the Law Society of Northern Ireland’s Dispute Resolution Service (DRS). He is an experienced lawyer mediator and one of a number of qualified mediators whose services are available through the DRS.

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he Law Society’s Dispute Resolution Service operates through a panel of mediationqualified solicitors and barristers and is based at the Society’s

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impressive headquarters at Law Society House in Belfast’s Victoria Street. Parties or their advisers can select a mediator from the panel or have one nominated by the DRS.

The aim of the DRS is to complete all mediations within 90 days of the receipt of the complaint file by the mediator. That’s considerably faster than any resolution could be achieved through the court system. And all mediations are conducted in accordance with both the DRS’ own Code of Practice and the Code of Conduct for mediators laid down by the EU. A past President of the Law Society here, Speers has trained in conflict resolution and mediation at Fordham University in New York.

He’s also spoken on the subject at events as far afield as Nigeria, South Africa, Namibia and (most recently) Melbourne in Australia.

“It’s not easy for me to say this.

But trying to resolve disputes in court is often not the best way to do it....it’s as simple as that,” he says. “The parties concerned don’t get their best resolution. They get a resolution that’s laid down by a judge. It may not meet the needs of the parties. It’s expensive, it’s very time consuming and, in most cases, it never gets to court at all. Upwards of 90% of disputes are settled – often on the steps or corridors of

the court building rather than in the court itself. And, all too often, that produces a resolution that really doesn’t please either party.”

The mediation route, he goes on to say, is considerably less expensive, keeps the parties directly involved at all times and, more often than not, produces a compromise that keeps both sides of the dispute happy.....or as close to it as possible.

The Belfast-based Dispute Resolution Service, continues to expand its panel of qualified lawyers by running regular training courses in conjunction with Queen’s University. “Our aim is to build a critical mass of lawyers qualified to mediate,” says Speers.

“But, at the same time, we’re trying to work towards a legal services policy framework that encourages the use of mediation as a means of taking some pressure off the court system. Successive Justice Ministers have backed the approach and more recently Lord Justice Gillen in his review of civil justice has emphasised the important role mediation should play in resolving disputes.”

Mediation, says Brian Speers, doesn’t just save money, it also saves a degree of stress and it can save relationships.

“How? Because the parties are brought together right at the start in a non-threatening environment and they get the chance to talk

Eye on Law

things through right from the beginning. It’s surprising what can be achieved and what can be achieved relatively quickly.

Mediation can be applied to a wide range of commercial disputes from inter-company disputes to shareholder and Boardroom disputes. But it’s also being applied, increasingly, at a consumer level.

It’s a lesser-known fact that all providers or goods and services are bound to signpost mediation as a potential route for consumers who have cause for complaint.

“The onus to signpost mediation to customers, either through an industry body or through another route, applies just as much to suppliers of goods and services here in Northern Ireland. The DRS can help by working with local companies as an accredited mediator in any consumer disputes. In fact, we’re the only

organisation in Northern Ireland accredited by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute in London for mediation of disputes under the EU Consumer Mediation Directive.”

Across the border, the ROI government is a few steps ahead.

It is in the advanced stages of a Mediation Bill, which will encourage the use of mediation, set out the role of solicitors and barristers to advise about mediation as an option as well as the importance of confidentiality to the process. In the London legal environment, meanwhile, mediation is also well established.

“There can be a feeling that you’re compromising your rights by entering mediation, but that’s also the case with cases settled outside court. Mediation provides many advantages over negotiated settlement – involvement of the parties being key,” says Brian Speers. “Most litigation matters

never see the inside of a court room....and the litigation route remains open if agreement simply cannot be reached.”

In the wider sense, Northern Ireland is no stranger to mediation.

The Good Friday Agreement was produced by the mediation of Senator George Mitchell, and mediation could well play a greater role in politics here going forward. It has also been used to good effect in the labour relations marketplace.

“The role of the mediator is to facilitate, to challenge the positions of the parties, to explore the options and to consider possible agreements,” adds Speers. “And, of course, there can be a bit of shuttle diplomacy involved.

“It can be emotional.....when it comes to medical negligence cases, for example, or in disputes over family wills. But it can also be very practical and detailed when it comes

to technical disputes in the world of procurement or construction.”

The DRS is a source of information about the mediation process, about the costs involved and provides details of individuals who are not only experienced lawyers but also trained mediators.

“Our message to businesses here in Northern Ireland is that mediation is a highly cost effective and practical alternative to litigation when it comes to disputes.

“We’ve all seen how well it can work in the field of politics and in some high-profile legal disputes both here and elsewhere. It’s an option that local businesses involved in disputes would be foolish not to consider.”

For further information, visit www.mediatorsni.com

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Eye on Awards

Belfast and Portadown Audi.

Shine Through in UK Audi Awards.

Staff at Belfast and Portadown Audi Centre, operated by leading vehicle retailer, the Agnew Group, is celebrating after winning two top accolades in a UK-wide contest which recognises and rewards sales and service excellence among Audi Centres across the country.

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xceptional customer focus and service delivery has earned Portadown Audi a coveted Q Power Award, one of the ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ brand’s top accolades.

Portadown Audi won the top award for the best centre in their market area including Northern Ireland, Scotland and the North East of England.

In unprecedented success Portadown and Belfast Audi as a team won best market area for the Northern Ireland region competing against every area of

the UK, this is a remarkable achievement for a Northern Irish company to come out on top in such a competitive environment.

Members of Audi UK’s management team announced the news in person to the Audi Portadown and Belfast teams during a recent visit, and took time to thank and congratulate all of the staff.

Richard Eakin, Agnew’s Managing Director for Audi Belfast and Portadown said, “These awards take into consideration key performance measurements across new and used car

L-R: Richard Armstrong, Colin Reid (Audi UK), Richard Eakin, Alan Helps (Audi UK), Stewart Beattie, Gary Fulton

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sales, service and parts performance, customer satisfaction measurements, staff training and retention. Staff at the Audi Centre in Belfast and Portadown are dedicated to giving the best service to all our local customers, and we’ve always prided ourselves on the positive direct feedback time and time again from satisfied customers. However, to receive these awards from Audi and especially for Northern Ireland to clearly stand out from the whole of the UK as a centre for excellence is the icing on the cake and makes us all very proud of our hard work.”

Stefan Wyatt, Acting Head of Customer Quality & Network Development said: “2016 was the most successful year to date for Audi UK in outright sales terms, but also the most challenging year in living memory for our Audi Centre teams balancing day-to-day business obligations with the need to exceed the expectations of customers. For an Audi Centre to merit a Q Power award under normal

circumstances requires an extraordinarily high standard of service delivered with unwavering consistency, but for a team to perform to this standard in 2016 demands even greater commitment and dedication. All of our winners should feel exceptionally proud of their performance and their major contribution to the brand’s ongoing success.”

Audi Portadown and Belfast, employs 180 sales and support staff, and carry the full range of new and used Audis to suit business and personal needs for all budgets.

Belfast Audi, 80 Sydenham Rd, Belfast, BT3 9DP Tel: 028 9038 0000 Portadown Audi, 7 Carn Court Rd, Portadown, BT63 5YX Tel: 028 3833 3633

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OUT OF SITE

OUT OF YOUR L O R T N CO

Eye on Cover Story

Darina Armstrong...

Progressive Keeps Up The Pace The fact that Progressive Building Society has notched up yet another high-achieving year is down to a number of different factors.

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he housing marketplace is in a better place than it has been for a while and there has been a decided swing in customer sentiment towards the concept of mutual societies. But Progressive’s continued performance is also down to a solid and well-established senior management team led by one of Northern Ireland’s few high-level female chief executives.

Quietly spoken, informal and unfailingly likeable, Darina Armstrong doesn’t fit the stereotype of the head of a financial institution, male or female. But the results posted by Progressive Building Society since she took over the chief executive’s reins are hard to argue with.

This year’s key figures were an 11% increase in mortgage lending (all of it to the Northern Ireland marketplace) to £205 million and post-tax profits of £9.4 million. Given Progressive’s long-maintained mutual status, those profits will go back into the business.

“The Northern Ireland economy has faced plenty of uncertainty in the past year or so, but our rate of growth was better than many had predicted and that’s reflected in a very strong set of results,” says Darina Armstrong. “Across our branches, mortgage lending has increased and don’t forget that means people buying, building and improving their homes... and contributing to

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the local market and the wider economy.”

Perhaps more surprisingly, Progressive also managed to grow its savings balance by a very significant £62 million. In an era where interest rates have been maintained at a historic low, that’s no mean feat.

“It’s been achieved because, quite simply, we’ve worked really hard to offer some of the best rates available in a very competitive deposits marketplace,” adds Darina Armstrong.

The Society’s reputation as a prudent lender has served it well over the years and Darina and her staff believe that this will continue to serve Progressive well in the years to come, coupled with the strong mutuality business model that the Society maintains.

Progressive has 12 branches across Northern Ireland and while some of our leading banks have been announcing branch network closures, Progressive says that it will continue to invest in its high street outlets.

“As far as we are concerned, the branch network isn’t something we struggle to maintain, nor do we look upon it as an overhead. For us, it’s fundamental to how we do business. Our members want to be able to use branches and we’ll continue to provide them.

“Our staff aren’t incentivised to sell products and they’ll provide the same level of service to the customers, whatever they come into the branch for.

“And, if you call us, you won’t go through to a call centre for one very good reason...we don’t have a call

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Eye on Cover Story

“ The Northern Ireland economy has faced plenty of uncertainty in the past year or so, but our rate of growth was better than many had predicted and that’s reflected in a very strong set of results.”

centre. You’ll get through to someone sitting in your local branch. We might be an exception on that front, but if we’re different, then we value being different.”

But there are wider factors at play and Mutuals are seen by customers as being the socially responsible face of the world of finance.

“We’ve also noticed a real interest in the mutual concept coming from younger people who value the fact that we have a social conscience and aren’t in this to achieve shareholder value at every turn,” says Darina Armstrong.

Combine that with an increased appetite amongst younger people for savings – also a by-product of the banking crash and recession – and Progressive Building Society is in a good place.

But there are clouds on the horizon. Like many others in the business world here, Darina Armstrong is frustrated by the lack of an Assembly and Executive at Stormont, and the net effect of a lack of local government.

“In the world that we inhabit, there is a clear need for more housing stock to supply the marketplace, but that’s something that needs to be driven forward by government. We’ve got low unemployment and historically low interest rates, but we need more affordable housing.”

Progressive Building Society, from its

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Wellington Place headquarters across its branch network, has 180 staff in Northern Ireland, and prides itself in having a large number of long-serving staff members.

“Over the past year, we’ve continued to re-invest in our branches, staff training and in new products to meet the needs of our members and our growing customer base,” says Darina Armstrong.

And the Society, with its close links to local communities, is a leading player on the CSR front. In 2016, it donated a total of £91,000 to a range of local and regional causes.

“We’re looking forward with confidence and one thing is for sure... we’ll continue to operate as we always have, as a traditional building society offering good value savings and mortgage products and the highest level of customer service.”

“ If you call us, you won’t go through to a call centre for one very good reason... we don’t have a call centre. You’ll get through to someone sitting in your local branch.”

Eye on News

Visit Belfast KickStarts City’s Tourism Season Intent On Driving New Growth Visit Belfast has said that its plans for the year ahead will deliver new and sustained tourism growth across the city, lift visitor numbers to new highs and secure fresh multi-million-pound payback for the economy.

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nveiling a new annual plan of action which will help it to contribute to the Northern Ireland-wide pledge to create a £1 billion tourism industry by 2020, Visit Belfast also pledged to build on its record-breaking 2016.

In the year to end-March, Visit Belfast’s bid to drive tourism success across three key areas – business and leisure tourism, and visitor servicing – generated an

above-target £122 million for the city’s economy, 25 percent more than last year and an all-time high for Belfast.

With almost 80 new conference wins seized for the city, 12 city-break campaigns deployed in its key markets of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and Europe, 88 cruise ships carrying 150,000 passengers and crew secured and over 750,000 visitor enquiries taken care of, Visit Belfast

(L-R) John McGrillen, Chief Executive, Tourism Northern Ireland, Howard Hastings, Chair of Visit Belfast, Gerry Lennon, Visit Belfast’s Chief Executive and Terrence Brannigan, Chair of Tourism Northern Ireland.

said it was determined to help create new milestones for the year ahead.

At a major tourism industry event attended by key stakeholders, partners and funders, Visit Belfast chair and Managing Director of Hastings Hotels, Howard Hastings said: “Visit Belfast’s plans are quite rightly ambitious and with the support of our industry partners, we believe that we can achieve them.

“Tourism is a key pillar in Belfast’s developing economy and a mainstay for its success in many areas. Strategic spending on our tourism infrastructure has helped the city to flourish

and grow, generating wealth and further investment while sustaining jobs and adding many more.

“Our tourism product is also increasingly attractive. We’re competing well and that success is recognised internationally. Belfast is currently the UK’s best city-break destination and through Titanic Belfast we’re home to the World’s Leading Tourist Attraction.

“Visit Belfast’s success is down to our partnership approach which energetically connects the public and private sectors, providing support for the private industry and real, tangible value for money for tax and ratepayers.”

Maxol Opens A26 Tannaghmore Services Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family owned forecourt and convenience retailer, has opened the doors to its largest ever development in Northern Ireland at Tannaghmore, County Antrim.

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n a first for Northern Ireland and the UK and a forecourt exclusive for Maxol, the £3.25 million A26 Services introduces Freshly Chopped, the rapidly growing healthy fast food franchise, whose mission is to offer fresh and nutritious food through a range of generously portioned salads, wraps, sandwiches and soups that are made to order for the customer and served quickly.

The new services also welcomes Abrakebabra, Ireland’s leading quick service restaurant chain known for its delicious kebabs, burgers, baguettes, loaded fries along with newer innovations like the Chicken Katsu Curry Fries and the Crunchy Falafel on Flatbread - all cooked fresh and made to order.

Moreish, Maxol’s own ‘Fresh Food’ deli complements the extensive choice available and completes for now the comprehensive and balanced food offering, tailored to meet the needs of every customer from breakfast and throughout the day.

Maxol has appointed Aramark, a

global specialist in food service as its licensee to operate the new services.

The team will be led by Gerry Bennett, who will manage the Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services as a 24/7 facility.

Brian Donaldson, Chief Executive, Maxol said: “The opening of this state of the art Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services marks a milestone for the company here in Northern Ireland. What we are bringing to the market is transformational and at the cutting edge of forecourt services that includes retail and fresh food dining offers.

“We’re delighted to welcome Freshly Chopped to the Maxol family in Northern Ireland alongside Abrakebabra and our own Moreish deli. We will enhance our extensive food and drink offer here later this year, when we also open a Starbucks store, bringing great quality coffee to customers.

“We are providing our customers with even greater choice to meet their ever-demanding lifestyles in a modern and welcoming environment. Whether they are looking for the convenience of

Maxol Chief Executive Brian Donaldson at the new Tannaghmore site.

a freshly prepared meal or the option to choose from an excellent range of fresh ingredients under Spar, our symbol partners, we are catering for every need at all times of the day.

“Maxol is a private business owned by the McMullan family and in 2020 we will be celebrating 100 years in business. I am proud to lead a company that has invested in excess of £100 million over the last four years in Ireland with more than £20 million invested in Northern Ireland through station openings, refits and the re-branding of nearly 100 forecourts.

“Further investment is planned for Northern Ireland with another 4 developments on the scale of Tannaghmore using a mix of new

greenfield and existing sites, where we have adequate land as we look to extend our retail offering, with a heavy focus towards made to order fresh and healthy food.”

The opening of Maxol A26 Tannaghmore Services follows a £3.75 million investment on a 2.5-acre site that includes a fully equipped dedicated truck facility, Maxwash car wash facility, internal seating for 100 people, free Wi-Fi and parking for 45 vehicles. The new, almost 8,000 square foot development offers the latest in forecourt design and it has been constructed and fitted out using cutting edge technology to harness solar energy and harvest rain water to ensure it has a low carbon footprint.

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Eye on Technology

Cybercrime: A risk you can’t ignore Reports by the Annual Fraud Indicator highlight that cybercrime is costing businesses around £193billion per annum. In Northern Ireland alone, an astonishing 9 out of 10 businesses have suffered a cyber breach this year.

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ybercrime is a real threat to organisations, resulting in business downtime, data loss, dented pockets and a diminished reputation.

Surprisingly, many businesses still do not have preventative measures in place to deal with this. With the frequency and severity of cyber incidents on the rise, it’s a risk you simply can’t afford to take. It’s essential to be vigilant, form a strategic plan of action and ensure your business is protected.

SME’s bearing the Brunt of Cyber-Crime According to The PSNI, in Northern Ireland alone, it is estimated that over £13m was lost to online fraud in 2015/16. With lower security defences, outdated software and lack of awareness, small businesses are bearing the brunt of cyber-crime.

Richard Kennedy, Director at Xperience IT Solutions comments “Cyber criminals are employing increasingly sophisticated means of stealing data, so there is no option but for SME’s to do more to protect themselves. We urge all organisations to understand the risks, educate staff, introduce policies and develop a strategic action plan to address any security concerns”.

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Take Steps to Cyber-Resilience Cyber security preparedness starts with having a complete understanding of the internal and external vulnerabilities that can affect your business. As a business, you must insure that positive steps are taken to manage cyber threats, minimise risk and become cyber resilient.

To tackle this issue head on, Xperience IT Solutions recommend following these steps as a guide: 1. Review your internal skills and knowledge, determine if external help is needed.

2. Once a skillset has been sourced, create a strategic plan of action which includes measures to prevent, detect and respond to potential security threats.

3. Education is key. Ensure that all staff are aware of any preventative security plans and trained where necessary. It is a good idea to include such information within your HR policies and procedures.

4. Take extra precautions when handling emails with attachments or URLs. Before opening ensure it is from a trusted source.

5. Ensure that important business data is being backed-up. In the event that backups are not in place or functioning correctly, contact your IT provider.

6. Create a knowledge sharing hub, so that when new strains of ransomware come into circulation all members of the organisation know what to look out for.

The harsh reality is; the longer the recovery time, the higher the cost is to your business.

Ultimately, it is the prevention methods in place that will determine the impact of the attack, and reduce the risk of mass data loss. At this stage, the question is not “if” a cyber-attack will take place, it’s “when”.

About Xperience IT Solutions Xperience IT Solutions, an Xperience Group business, is a leading IT Solutions provider in Northern Ireland. Xperience IT Solutions has worked with hundreds of SME’s across the province to devise security strategies and recovery measures for those who have experienced attacks, and is well positioned to help organisations devise action plans.

To speak to an Xperience Consultant about your IT security.

Email: Enquiries@xperience-group.com Visit www.xperienceitsolutions.co.uk

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To ensure compliance with all the compulsory statutory requirements, we encourage you to contact us without delay.

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Eye on Finance

Top tips to protect cash flow in 2017 4. Issue invoices promptly Issuing invoices promptly goes hand in hand with chasing up late payments; a business has no credibility in demanding payment on time if it can’t issue invoices in a timely fashion. It’s crucial to not let this administrative task slip down the list of priorities.

Think carefully about your payment terms. If you grant longer payment terms than your suppliers grant you, there will be a gap in your cashflow that you will have to fill.

5. Manage growth carefully Most business owners have ambitious plans to grow their companies, but when growth is more rapid than expected or planned, the effect on cash flow can be serious.

Harry Parkinson, Chief Executive Capitalflow Commercial Finance

What’s the biggest current concern for SME owners in the UK? You might expect the answer to be Brexit, but findings show that although businesses rate economic and political uncertainties as obstacles to growth, customer contracts and cash flow problems are voiced as the pressing issues facing them right now (source: C2FO Working Capital Outlook survey).

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ven the biggest of companies experience cash flow problems, and in today’s uncertain business climate the issue is more prevalent than ever. No matter how profitable, any business can collapse due to badly managed invoicing procedures or a lack of attention to cash flow.

So, whatever the source of your cash flow headache – from rapid growth without sufficient reserves to support your expansion, to struggling with late paying customers - here are my key recommendations to managing your cash more effectively:

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1. Set cash flow targets It may sound obvious but preparing and maintaining a cash flow forecast that can be updated weekly, will provide an accurate outlook for the next six to 12 months.

2. Know your customers Stay close to your customers and talk to them so you know what their plans are, and if those plans may affect your trading relationship with them.

The speed with which customers settle your bills – and whether they actually do – will make all the difference to your cash flow, so it’s really important that you do your homework on them.

This is particularly important with larger customers whose behaviours could have a material impact on your company.

Consider carrying out credit checks on new customers – and getting regular updates on existing ones as these may alert you to serious problems.

3. Don’t accept late payments One of the primary reasons for cash flow issues is late payment by customers. Despite the introduction of the Prompt Payment Code in 2008, late payments remain widespread in 2017, with the value of unpaid invoices to small firms averaging at £6,142 (source: FSB).

SMEs are particularly vulnerable to cash flow issues stemming from late payments. Their businesses are often cost-intensive, with stock, premises, labour costs and other overhead payments all depending on regular cash flow.

Speak to valuable but late paying customers about how you can encourage them to pay more promptly.

Consider ceasing trade with companies where your analysis has flagged up a late payment problem.

• Make sure your cash flow forecasts include an assessment of the impact of sales growing more quickly than anticipated.

• Consider the use of invoice finance, where your outstanding invoices are used as an asset against which you can borrow money. An invoice finance firm will advance cash of up to 90% of the value of the invoice as soon as it is raised which is then repaid once the invoice is settled. The responsibility for chasing payment can also be passed over to the lender for an extra cost. As the facility rises and falls in line with turnover, you only ever pay for what you borrow.

To find out about how Capitalflow Commercial Finance can help you manage your cash flow and it’s £300m lending pot for businesses across Ireland please call 028 7187 9245 or visit www.capitalflow.ie

Eye on Communications

BARCLAY COMMUNICATIONS GOES GLOBAL WITH ULSTER CARPETS Local company, Ulster Carpets, a global leader in the manufacture and export of high-quality carpets to the world’s most prestigious venues, has saved thousands of pounds whilst working in international markets with the help of Barclay Communications.

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iven the breadth of the markets Ulster Carpets service, they were concerned about managing their worldwide telecoms expenses.

The Palms Casino Dubai is just one in a long list of global projects for Ulster Carpets. Other prestigious installations include the Savoy Hotel London, Ritz Carlton Budapest, Four Seasons Downtown New York, the Marriott Hotel Jabal Omar in Mecca, MGM casinos in Las Vegas and the recent refurbishment of Cunard’s Queen Mary 2. They also supply the UK and ROI residential markets with a wide offering of carpet ranges in a vast array of designs and colourways.

Angela McAleer, Senior Executive

Business & Technology Solutions at Ulster Carpets said: “It is imperative that we build strong relationships with companies that can work with us in controlling costs.

Barclay Communications offer Ulster Carpets a service that is not only about selling us a package that best fits our business; they communicate throughout the contract term regarding our ongoing costs and advise us, so we can ensure those costs are managed.

“Ulster Carpets is a family owned business, with over 75 years of experience in carpet manufacturing.

We are dedicated to quality, service and a pursuit of excellence.

To achieve this level of quality, we

control every part of the manufacturing process within the UK, from buying and processing the wool at our site in Dewsbury (Ulster Yarns) through to winding, dying and weaving at our Northern Ireland headquarters.

George Elliott, Business & Technology Support Supervisor at Ulster Carpets said: “With clients and offices across the globe, our concern was the need to push out design presentations, imagery and sales documents on a frequent basis to our staff in a secure and cost effective way. Having invested in mobile devices for all of our sales teams we wanted a solution that gave us the same care and control that we put into our manufacturing process.

“Barclay Communications helped us roll out MDM (Mobile Device Management) and we were able to push out our data securely, saving us roaming costs abroad and providing a great working solution.”

Chris Dollin, Enterprise Business

Development Manager at Barclay Communications said: “More than 70% of Ulster Carpet’s sales now go to export markets, Due to the extent of this work, they needed a solution that would allow them to control their devices in a smart way and reduce both costs and administration time.

“Ulster Carpet’s dedicated account manager in Barclay Communications reviewed their account and bills every three months meaning they could analyse, predict and control the account, saving them money.

“MDM allows Ulster Carpets to securely push files remotely to end users where ever their location, making sure they have the most up to date data in seconds. Large files are transferred through wifi greatly reducing costs.

“We were delighted to be able to help Ulster Carpets manage their business more effectively and can’t wait to see their next project.”

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Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility

LAWYERS & A FOCUSED APPROACH TO CSR Adele O’Grady QC, the newly appointed Chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland Charity Committee discusses the organisation’s approach to effective Corporate Social Responsibility...

Why do you think it is important that the Bar supports a Charity of the Year?

It goes without saying that everyone has an obligation, a moral responsibility to help those less fortunate or more in need than themselves. Barristers provide an important service to society representing and advocating for people from all walks of life who have found themselves embroiled in litigation. We do that to the best of our ability and without fear or favour on behalf of our clients but our responsibility cannot stop

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at the door of the courtroom. It extends much further into wider society. Supporting a charity each year is an opportunity to contribute to society, do some good in a very modest yet practical way, and to help make a difference.

We had the privilege of visiting the Welcome Organisation recently at their centre at Townsend Street in Belfast. It brought home the power of small measures.

The provision of an unwanted piece of wood or fabric helps the Organisation in their arts and crafts classes. Donating a jar of coffee

helps with the daily provision of hot food and hot drinks to the homeless. Or donating crockery or kitchen utensils or fruit or sugar.

It all makes a difference. In that one building in Belfast, there were maybe 30 or 40 people all facing that night in hostels or on the streets. In 2017, our streets are full of people who face challenges from a Victorian era. This can be for a huge variety of reasons but with some effort on our part, we can help to improve their lives for the better.

That is why it is essential that the Bar supports a Charity every year.

Beyond contributing to a good cause what other positive impacts does your charity work result in?

The Bar of Northern Ireland prides itself on its collegiate atmosphere; we would like to bring that into wider society in whatever way we can, not least by our fundraising efforts. We hope that our efforts instils in us and our colleagues, our children and our extended families and friends a sense of responsibility and of helping others. If we achieve this, then the positive impact is that the giving is repeated with

Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility obvious benefits. Over the years, we have made many friends and partnerships with the charities we have supported and because we live in such a small jurisdiction, the network of friendships that has developed has a ripple effect in a great number of ways.

Last year our Charity was the Boom Foundation; a lot of our members were unaware of what the Foundation stood for and what it did.

They know now. So another of the positive impacts is about creating awareness which hopefully leads to more support for each chosen Charity with all of the attendant benefits which comes with that.

You have chosen a homelessness charity this year, why does the committee feel strongly about homelessness?

On an annual basis, the Bar invites applications from any charity active in Northern Ireland. The issue of homelessness has very much come to the forefront in recent times.

Given our city centre location, the need is evident and increasing on the streets around our workplace.

We rely on organisations like the Welcome Centre who have the expertise to turn our simple contributions into the necessary practical help. One of our former colleagues, the late Tim Ferriss QC was a committed and tireless supporter of a homeless charity.

Tim was a highly regarded member of our profession and he is missed every day by his colleagues so it was felt that supporting the Welcome Organisation would be a fitting tribute to the work that Tim carried out for many years of his life.

Welcoming the partnership, Sandra Moore, Chief Executive of The Welcome Organisation outlines that “the money raised

by The Bar of Northern Ireland will go towards the charity’s range of services including our Dropin Centre, our Street Outreach service, our Crisis Accommodation for Women, our Floating Support service and our Street Gems creative social enterprise.

Many of the men and women who come to the Welcome Organisation have complex and multiple needs, including severe and enduring difficulties with physical and mental health and substance

use. We could not provide the full level of support that we do without the generosity of groups like The Bar of Northern Ireland.”

What have you planned for the next 12 months?

The overall plan is to raise as much money as possible for the Welcome Centre but equally to raise awareness among our own members and in the wider community of the issues surrounding homelessness. One of the main events will be our annual Charity Ball but we are also working in conjunction with the Welcome Organisation in providing practical

assistance donating much-needed household items, arts and crafts items, food and clothing. In addition to that we hope to bring awareness to the wider public on the streets of Belfast with collections, an overnight outside sleepover – small ways in which to draw the public’s attention to this extremely worthy cause.

For more information on The Bar of Northern Ireland visit www.barofni.org and The Welcome Organisation visit www.homelessbelfast.org

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Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility Trevor Ogborn from Lagan River Trust with Geri Wright, Phoenix Natural Gas Communications Manager.

Community Involvement…

It’s Fundamental To Business A

Corporate social responsibility may be a corporate buzz word, but for Phoenix Natural Gas, responsible business has long been considered the very backbone of the company.

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s a utility provider, Phoenix Natural Gas has a responsibility to its customers from a commercial perspective to operate and maintain a robust network and facilitate the transmission of natural gas to the 200,000 customers currently connected to its network.

Beyond that, however, the company actively engages in a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme to add deeper value to the communities that it serves.

The focus for CSR has never been to simply improve the company’s image or pay lip service, rather its role is entwined with the business strategy, and seeks to build a long-term, sustainable business that creates real economic, social and environmental value.

The focus Phoenix Natural Gas puts on corporate social responsibility as a business is intrinsically linked to the nature of its product, natural gas. By its

very make-up, natural gas is a fuel with inherent environmental benefits and, since becoming available in Northern Ireland over 20 years ago, has helped contribute significantly to the environmental objectives of the NI Executive.

The arrival of natural gas in Northern Ireland in 1996 lit up the path to a greener future for local energy consumers. Northern Ireland’s homes and businesses were given the opportunity to switch to an energy source that is up to 50% less carbon polluting than the nonregulated oil and coal alternatives.

Environmentally around 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) has already been prevented from entering our atmosphere by natural gas consumers in the Phoenix Natural Gas Licence area, with continued savings of around 270,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum, or the equivalent of removing approximately 100,000 cars off Northern Ireland’s roads every year.

It’s little wonder then that Phoenix Natural Gas has established natural gas as the fuel of choice in its licence area of Greater Belfast in this time.

The company is proud of its environmental credentials and, by extension, is firmly focused on ‘doing good’ not only in the wider environment, but in the communities that it serves. This includes some 330,000 consumers in its original licence area of Greater Belfast, and an additional 28,000 in thirteen towns in County Down where the company is currently working to extend the natural gas pipeline.

It’s something of which the company is extremely focused on and dedicates considerable time to developing, explains Jonathan Martindale, Phoenix Natural Gas Director of Sales and Marketing.

“Phoenix Natural Gas embraces its corporate social responsibility and embeds it at every level in the organisation. Driven from the top, it is a concept that has

Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility

Michael McKinstry, Chief Executive Officer, Phoenix Natural Gas, and pupils participate in Business in the Community’s Time to Count initiative.

long been led at the highest level and adopted by senior management and staff alike. It’s this transformational thinking that we believe identifies us as an organisation that embodies responsible business, as evidenced by the company having received the Business In The Community’s ‘Big Tick’ award for Corporate Responsibility excellence for the past ten consecutive years.”

“Since its inception, Phoenix Natural Gas has operated a corporate responsibility programme known as LIFE – which stands for Leadership in the marketplace, Investing in our people, Fostering our community and Environmental responsibility.”

“The Phoenix LIFE programme exists to enable the company to positively impact the marketplace, workplace, environment and community, in line with main business objectives. This is an initiative driven by staff so it’s something the entire company gets behind and supports, with various initiatives undertaken throughout the year, both internally and externally.”

Internally, Phoenix Natural Gas runs an internal staff engagement initiative, known as Phoenix 15. This monthly session provides an opportunity for staff learning through interdepartmental knowledge sharing sessions and external presentations by guest speakers.

Charity fundraising is a key focus for the company and various events are led by staff to raise vital funds and meet staff health and wellbeing objectives, including park runs, sponsored walks and volunteering days where staff have the opportunity themselves to ‘give back’

to the local community. This is seen as a key CSR initiative - even beyond the sense of fulfilment staff gain from the experience, the majority of staff also feel that volunteering has enhanced a number of their job-related skills.

Phoenix Natural Gas has been a leading proponent and supporter of the need for an educational focus on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). These are subjects that the government has identified as being key to a successful future economy. A large amount of work has been done to date to encourage people to consider a career in engineering, including school visits, pupil tours of Phoenix’s operations and guest lectures by senior Phoenix personnel at Colleges and Universities.

Educational outreach is a key focus for Phoenix Natural Gas and the company currently participates in Business in the Community’s ‘Time to Read’ and ‘Time to Count’ programmes. This involves a commitment to attend the local schools once a week for a full year playing a key role in helping to improve the literacy and numeracy levels of children by reading books with them and developing learning based scenarios.

In addition, Phoenix Energy Services has taken on around 100 apprentices over the last 13 years throughout local communities in Northern Ireland, providing training and long term employment opportunities. Of the 50 plus fully qualified gas energy services engineers employed, over 60% have come through the Phoenix apprenticeship programme.

Geri Wright, Charity Liaison Officer presents Katie Creegan with a new swivel car seat through the Energy for Children Charity

Phoenix Natural Gas has a long history of supporting young people and providing them with as much help as possible in meeting their potential goals in life.

Through its sponsorship of the Ulster Rugby Academy, Phoenix Natural Gas has helped a number of former graduates reach their career goals, including some of Ireland’s rugby international stars. In addition, the company also offers sports bursaries to high level athletes as part of its commitment to developing local talent.

Phoenix Natural Gas has also set up the Energy for Children Charitable Trust to provide financial support to groups and individuals that may slip through the net of the wider charity network.

Founded on the principle that ‘all monies raised go directly to local children and young people’, the Trust aims to reach deeper into the heart of local communities throughout Greater Belfast and beyond in order to really make a difference to disadvantaged children’s lives.

Although the Trust was founded initially by the natural gas industry, it is now supported by a variety of different sectors and organisations locally as it continues to grow. Since its formation in 2005, the trust has helped over 6,000 local children and every month continues to help those who need it most.

As the company expands its natural gas network into the new licence area of East Down over the next number of years, there is an increasing focus on CSR within these new areas.

Recognising its responsibility to local communities where construction is taking place, Phoenix Natural Gas

has again launched its ‘Play Safe, Stay Safe’ campaign for local schools.

This initiative was first launched during the initial Greater Belfast build programme with great success and is now being relaunched to target primary school children in County Down. The educational session informs primary school children about the potential dangers associated with construction sites and aims to keep children safe whilst works are ongoing. In addition, pupils are educated on the importance of environmental responsibility through a ‘Phoenix Eco Warriors Schools Initiative’ to communicate the environmental credentials of natural gas and encourage environmentally responsible behaviour.

Phoenix Natural Gas seeks to forge new relationships with key partners in this area to implement CSR initiatives that will bring real benefit to local communities.

This was recently demonstrated through a partnership with Lagan Rivers Trust, where Phoenix Natural Gas installed a new river bed at a location in Lisburn to help increase river spawning and bring new life to the Lagan.

As the company continues its network development in thirteen new towns, Jonathan Martindale says to expect more from the company as it seeks to engage with new audiences in this area; “Phoenix Natural Gas is committed to operating at the very highest ethical standards and our commitment to responsible business continues to be a key driver for our CSR programme both in the Greater Belfast licence area and within County Down. For us, our CSR commitment really is for LIFE.”

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Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility

Social responsibility as a business priority

For Carol Malcolmson and Maybeth Shaw, Partners and joint Heads of CSR at BDO Northern Ireland, being good at business means doing good as a business.

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n years past, providing good employment and reasonable wages were deemed to be an organisation’s only responsibility to the communities in which it operated. Today, providing and sustaining well-paid jobs remains a core duty of any business but many are investing time and resources in a wide range of social goals and generating real business benefits.

For BDO Northern Ireland, active corporate citizenship is not about generating free PR opportunities.

“It’s a big part of our ethos and culture from our Partners down to support staff,” says Maybeth.

“That’s different from other companies I’ve worked in and sets us apart. It’s a serious part of what we do,” adds Carol.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been in the DNA of

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the Belfast office since it was established more than 25 years ago. The founding Partners of BDO recognised the opportunity to galvanise the young business and promptly set up the CSR Committee which has endured to this day.

That prescient move has helped make BDO an employer of choice in the local market and fostered an office environment that supports the development and retention of talent. In fact, half of the firm’s partners joined as trainees and Carol believes BDO’s strong CSR culture is a factor in attracting today’s graduates.

“When I started my career, which was outside of BDO, it was very much the case that you went to work and you went home immediately. There was no interaction with your colleagues.

That has changed dramatically over the last 15 years.

“There is an expectation for younger generations that employers should have a social conscience and fun social activities. They are looking more from an employer and a stronger work life balance.

Young people are more enthused

by CSR than my generation and respond positively to our strategy.”

Staff buy-in and ownership of activities is a critical feature of the firm’s approach. Every two years, potential charitable partnerships are nominated and selected by staff ballot. In April, Friends of Cancer Centre was selected as the preferred partner and, in less than 12 months, staff have raised more than £10,500 through a wide range of activities.

These include payroll giving, Dragon Boat racing, coffee mornings, fashion shows, physical challenges, golf days, raffles and much more. Some 18 months ago, the firm even organised a full pantomime with staff taking roles in the production

and setting aside time for rehearsals and performances.

“All of the Partners are very supportive in terms of time and financial resources,” comments Maybeth. “It’s important for us that we help causes that matter to our people in every way we can. We’ve had so many of our colleagues touched by cancer and we feel that we’re doing something to help by fundraising or simply donating time to help clean out weeds or lending our professional services.”

According to Carol CSR activities, like any business function, should be planned, prioritised and properly resourced.

“It’s about setting goals rather than just wandering along, a strategy is critical. In business, you’re dealing with people who are very busy, but you have to make time for this. Sometimes that’s personal time, sometimes it’s business time. You should involve as many people as possible across the business and make it part of a shared goal that everyone can contribute towards and enjoy.”

Eye on Corporate Social Responsibility

PLANNING AND SHAPING A POSITIVE FUTURE AT HENDERSON GROUP Retailer and wholesaler Henderson Group invests in leadership to ensure their responsible business practices are creating a positive, sustainable future. Corporate Social Responsibility is part of the Group’s Tomorrow Matters programme, in line with business plans which aim to help people, place and planet.

H

ere, Group Human Resources Director, Sam Davidson, tells us about the fundraising, awareness and volunteering that takes place throughout the business to create a better world for all involved.

“We live in turbulent times, with great uncertainty around many aspects of our lives, whether they be political, economic or environmental. There seems to be little evidence that our world is moving in a direction which will ease those concerns for the future. Now, more than ever, businesses of all sizes and across sectors, need to show leadership in ensuring that we plan for, and contribute to, a positive future.

“At Henderson Group, our responsible business activities come under our ‘Tomorrow Matters’ brand. It provides a focus which links directly with our business plan, and enables us to achieve our objectives with sustainability in mind.

“As a sponsor of Business in the Community’s employer supported volunteering campaign, Cares, we obtain great benefit from participating and promoting a range of annual practical challenges that any business can get involved in, and we supplement this by ensuring our people have the opportunity and the resources to volunteer throughout the year.

“We know from feedback and evaluation that the efforts on these challenges can transform the landscape – sometimes literally! – for many small and voluntary sector recipients, not to mention the buzz that it gives our own colleagues.

“People are the key to success for any business. We are determined to provide a workplace environment that is healthy and enjoyable. In the past year, we’ve focused on providing a range of wellbeing programmes,

including pedometer challenges, health-station assessments at our sites, and access to funding for healthcare services.”

Henderson Group is also dedicated to helping local people through charitable giving and recently donated £178,000 locally to Tearfund, taking the total raised for the organisation to £800,000 in four years.

“We also work with Cancer Fund for Children here in Northern Ireland, and have raised almost £700,000 for local young people and families living with cancer here. We also sponsor their schools Read On programme, encouraging more reading for pleasure in young people.

“Our employees are actively encouraged to participate in the Group’s Payroll Giving Scheme, whereby the Group match contributions made by employees. In the past 10 years, our employees have raised £2,350,000 for local charities through Payroll Giving and the current participation rate sits at 35.5%” In October 2015, Tomorrow Matters was taken to the next level with retailers committing to install

over 300 lifesaving defibrillators outside stores across NI. So far, 200 have been installed with a view to the final 100 being in place by the end of the year.

“From an environment standpoint, we continue to hold our ISO14001 accreditation. We are committed to ensure that when we work with our suppliers we seek sustainable products, from LED sensor lighting, both inside and outside the building to investing approx. £25K in converting our lorry charging from diesel charging to electrical charging.

“We have a team of wardens who are constantly sourcing new initiatives to help us reduce our environmental impacts. By changing some of our waste contractors we have managed to achieve zero waste to landfill” As one of the biggest employers in Northern Ireland, the Henderson Group will always put its people, their communities and the environment at the forefront of all it does. As the companies within it continue to grow, the responsibility of giving back will only grow too, and this is a challenge they’re prepared to meet head on.

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Eye on Retail

Retail NI - New Beginnings

By Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive, Retail NI

To survive and indeed thrive in retail is a constant process of change and innovation – indeed change is the only constant in retail.

S

o it was time for the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA), after nearly twenty years, to change to Retail NI, to lead not just for independent retailers but a champion for our wider local retail sector.

NIIRTA made a big contribution not just for independent retailers, but the private sector as a whole - successfully lobbying for the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme, Town Centre First Retail Planning Policy, legislation for Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and the five hours for £1 discount scheme for on-street car parking.

The organisation ensured that our town centres moved up the political and economic agenda at Stormont and local Councils.

Retail NI will seek to build upon this progress and its

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central policy objective will be to address the high cost of doing business in Northern Ireland that our members are experiencing.

In our new Programme for Government, entitled Creating a Northern Ireland Economic Powerhouse, we included the results of a comprehensive survey of our members. It told us that 71% of our members’ rates bill increased after the recent revaluation.

The perfect storm of cost issues including business rates

increases, National Living Wage and auto enrolment pensions is resulting in 67% of them reducing staff hours, 51% reducing staff numbers and 26% postponing or cancelling investment plans.

A staggering 79% of members tell us that compliance with excessive regulation is the biggest challenge to their business. This is a major wake up call to political leaders in Stormont and Westminster that things have to change.

Retail NI’s immediate priority is to ensure the implementation of the new rate relief scheme we jointly produced with Hospitality Ulster, which adopts a targeted

“ A staggering 79% of members tell us that compliance with excessive regulation is the biggest challenge to their business.

This is a major wake up call to political leaders in Stormont and Westminster that things have to change.”

approach for the independent retail and hospitality sectors.

Our joint rates plan has the support of thirty business organisations, the largest ever coalition of business groups, representing retail, hospitality, manufacturing, food, pharmacy and Chambers of Commerce.

Given the huge level of support from right across the business community, our joint rates plan needs to be the top priority for a restored Executive.

We also need a new ‘belt and braces’ Entrepreneurship strategy to include the Executive, Invest NI, Councils, colleges, banks and the private sector working together on an agreed plan. The Department for the Economy could take forward a new Enterprise and Small Business Bill to craft the policy framework to create conditions for the next generation of entrepreneurs, particularly new independent retailers.

Retail NI will work with MLAs to establish an Assembly All Party Group on Retail to ensure our sector’s policy priorities are front and centre at Stormont when it returns. We will work with the Department for the Economy and our six FE colleges to establish a new Level 3 Retail apprenticeship to help bring forward the next generation of retail entrepreneurs.

With huge economic uncertainty with Brexit, it is completely unacceptable that we have no Programme for Government, no Budget, no Brexit plan and worst of all no Government. We need leadership from our political parties.

The retail sector is not just our largest employer in Northern Ireland, it is our biggest sector of the economy. Retail NI will give new leadership to our retail sector and ensure that our sector will be at the forefront of the policy debate on the future of our local economy.

Welcome to Retail NI.

Eye on Law

An influential group of international lawyers is due in Belfast at the end of May for the 12th International Bar Association’s Annual Bar Leaders’ Conference; the first time the prestigious event has been held in Belfast.

International Lawyers.

Come To Belfast.

“W

e’re expecting between 350 and 400 solicitors and barristers from all over the world to come here for the event,” says Norville Connolly, a Past President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland and the Society’s permanent representative to the International Bar Association, the global law body behind the event.

“Practically every law society and bar association in the world will have their leaders in Belfast for this conference and in addition many global law firms and barristers chambers will have representatives present.”

The Annual Bar Leaders Conference will bring together delegates to discuss the latest developments affecting the legal profession today. Topics in Belfast this May include: • Brexit – opportunities and challenges for law firms • Protectionism, Cooperation & Exploitation – how local and international lawyers can work together • Leadership – in bar associations • Robot Lawyers – can lawyers’ role be replicated by artificial intelligence?

The International Bar Association organises two main events each year. It’s annual conference, held last time around in Washington DC, attracts upwards of 5,000 delegates. The Annual Bar Leaders Conference is its second main event.

Norville Connolly has been instrumental in lobbying the

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Association to bring the conference to Belfast for the first time. His hard work on Belfast’s behalf resulted in an official joint bid being lodged with the IBA by the Law Society of Northern Ireland and the Bar of Northern Ireland in association with Invest Northern Ireland. “As a city, we were up against some tough competition, cities like Paris and Rome which, to those who haven’t been to Belfast are a bit more glamorous than our own city, but not for those who live and work here,” Connolly smiles.

He reckons that it’s a very significant win for Belfast and Northern Ireland. “It’s great for the city to be chosen against international competition, but it also means that some leading

lawyers from some of the world’s biggest law firms and barristers chambers will be here sampling the city as a business base as well as a tourist destination.”

The IBA will be represented by its current President, Martin Solc from Prague in the Czech Republic, and by its Chief Executive, Mark Ellis. Amongst leading lights of the legal world due to be here will be top human rights lawyer, Baroness Helena Kennedy and former United Nations legal counsel Hans Corell.

Also speaking at the event will be Robert Bourns, President of the Law Society for England & Wales, Liam McCollum QC Chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland, Ian Huddleston President of the Law Society of Northern Ireland,

Alan Hunter, the Law Society’s Executive and their counterparts from as far afield as Zambia and Australia. Other speakers listed include lawyers from Hungary, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Norway, Canada and the United States.

The conference chair will be Claudio Visco of Macchi Di Cellere Gangemi in Rome, Chair of the IBA’s Bar Issues Commission.

The event takes place between Wednesday 24th May and Saturday 27th May, with open sessions on both the Wednesday and Thursday at Belfast Waterfront as well as a range of key social events, including a drinks reception at the High Court hosted by the Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan; the main

“ This conference is a world-class showcase for the Northern Ireland legal sector and will firmly enhance the province’s reputation as one of the leading centres for legal excellence in the world.” conference dinner at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, and a reception on the Friday evening at Belfast City Hall hosted by the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the Bar of Northern Ireland and InvestNI. An IBA Council meeting on Saturday morning, 27th May, concludes proceedings.

“As well as giving international lawyers from some of the top overseas firms a taste of Northern

Ireland who hopefully will bring legal work here, the conference can help in the other direction as well. Local lawyers, both solicitors and barristers together with law firms can, with the help of the Law Society, the Bar and InvestNI, learn more about how to export legal services, and that’s an area which is on the rise at the moment”.

It’s hardly surprising that Invest NI have shown a close interest in

the event, and that they formed part of a strong Northern Ireland delegation that travelled to the last big IBA Conference in Washington. Big international law firms like Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith and Baker McKenzie have, with the encouragement of InvestNI, been attracted to Belfast by the educated work force, the competitive cost base, the facilities and the location. InvestNI hopes to attract more investments from the international legal sector.”

This conference is a worldclass showcase for the Northern Ireland legal sector and will firmly enhance the province’s reputation as one of the leading centres for legal excellence in the world.

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Eye on Retail

Retail in NI should be confident about the future

By Judith Allen, Real Estate Partner, TLT Solicitors

Change, innovation and opportunity are always jostling for position in retail. This is particularly the case during periods of political and economic turbulence and, with Brexit pending alongside continued political uncertainty at Stormont, there is clearly more change to come.

W

e are seeing some of the effects already, with rising cost pressures triggered by the depreciation of sterling. This will have benefits for exporters, but will also impact prices and retail spend. This is something starting to come through in the March ONS figures, which showed the first quarterly decline in retail sales figures since 2013 across the UK market.

However, it’s difficult to extract the impact of political

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and economic turbulence from structural changes in the sector. Retailers continue to adapt their operations to meet changing shopping habits and the increasing demand for services like click-and-collect and rapid home delivery. Continued growth in online sales has also put pressure on retailers to find new ways to increase footfall and sales in stores, which has led to a more creative approach to using and sharing space.

Retail is clearly an industry

used to adapting to market pressures and structural change – indeed history suggests it thrives on it. The retail sector here in NI and across the UK is arguably one of the most sophisticated in the world in terms of product choice and innovation because of the competitive and challenging space in which it operates.

TLT’s retail team advise many of the UK’s most wellknown retailers. Our clients include leading supermarket chains, fashion brands, home improvement stores, FMCG businesses and pure-play online retailers. This experience, alongside our annual Retail Growth Strategies Report surveying 100 of the UK’s top retailers, helps us to understand the issues retailers face and the opportunities for growth.

Our last report at the end of 2016 suggested that there are many reasons to be optimistic about the stability and continued growth of retailers here in Northern Ireland – even with all the uncertainty. While retailers recognised that Brexit added additional pressures to those they already face, they appeared to be taking it in their stride with most not expecting it to damage their growth plans.

A CBRE report suggests similar confidence. In their recently published 2017 Q1 Market View, vacancy rates continued to decrease, which some believe will lead to the re-emergence of rental growth in prime locations throughout Northern Ireland. This is most evident in Belfast city centre where there is a growing demand for units particularly in excess of 5,000sq ft.; rental space which is in scarce supply.

Belfast’s continued appeal to

retailers is palpable throughout the city centre. A host of new national and international brands such as KIKO, Stradivarius and Søstrene Grene have appeared in recent months with numerous other high profile brands expected to follow suit including the American lingerie chain, Victoria’s Secret.

These positive signs are not limited to Belfast city centre alone. We recently advised Moorefield Contracts Limited on the £2.5 million retail development adjacent to Belfast International Airport which will include a number of retail premises, hot food and coffee bars. This is just one of a number of recent matters on which we have advised that have involved major retailers taking new lettings in various regional locations across NI. The success of Belfast as a shopping destination is supported by the government’s aim to double tourism’s contribution to the NI economy by 2020. For example, this year’s Irish Open at Portstewart Golf Club and the 2019 British Open at Royal Portrush, have resulted in a surge of regeneration and hotel developments that will ultimately help to increase retail sales. So, whilst there are some headwinds, retail in NI currently looks more than capable of riding out any storm.

If you would like to discuss any of the opportunities and challenges your business faces, please get in touch with Judith Allen in TLT’s Belfast office on: t: 0333 006 1591 or e: judith.allen@TLTsolicitors.com

Eye on Tax

Making Tax Digital... Are We Ready?

In this article, Mark McNeill, Director, ASM Chartered Accountants discusses digital services for tax which is changing the face of accountancy…

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n the March 2015 Budget the government announced major plans to modernise the tax administration system by introducing digital services for tax. Making Tax Digital (“MTD”) is a key part of the government’s plans to make it “easier” for individuals and businesses to get their tax right and keep on top of their affairs. Whether MTD will make dealing with one’s tax affairs easier is a matter of some debate.

The requirement to submit quarterly updates to HMRC and to provide an annual “End of Year” return, on the face of it, doesn’t seem like making the system easier. Indeed when you consider the timescale for submitting the quarterly updates, taxpayers have one month to compile the information and declare that the period’s data is complete to the best of their knowledge, and the timescale of submitting the End of Year return, 9 months after the end of a period of account (normally a period consisting of four consecutive quarterly returns), then it is hard to believe that preparing and submitting 5 returns rather than the current 1 annual return is making matters easier.

Who does MTD apply to?

MTD initially only applies to individuals and unincorporated businesses. This includes individuals who are landlords whose annual income exceeds £10,000.

Originally the government had intended MTD to be rolled out to everyone captured by the above from April 2018.

However at the Spring Budget 2017 the government announced that it would provide 3.1 million small businesses with an extra year (until 2019) before they are required to keep digital records and send HMRC quarterly updates.

This concession applies to businesses and/or individuals with a turnover between the minimum threshold of £10,000 and the VAT registration threshold, currently £83,000.

This is a welcome break for small businesses and individuals who will be required to apply MTD. Many such businesses will not be ready for the full launch of MTD in April 2018.

It is also intended that MTD will apply to companies from April 2020.

Despite lobbying from certain quarters and various reports suggesting that the government needs to delay the implementation of MTD until it has been fully trialled and any teething problems resolved, the government are pushing ahead with their plans to commence MTD for individuals and unincorporated businesses from next year.

So what do individuals and businesses need to do to prepare themselves for MTD?

The roll-out of MTD has actually already begun. Every small business owner and individual taxpayer now has access to a digital account that they can use to check their records and manage their details with HMRC. In order to update their digital account with financial information, taxpayers will be required to use digital tools, such as software or apps, to keep records of income and expenses. HMRC has said that spreadsheets can be used, as long as they meet MTD’s technical requirements. In order to do that however, HMRC has said that it is likely that spreadsheets will need to be combined with software in some way.

The question of how this will work is to explored in further detail during 2017.

HMRC has stated that it won’t provide its own software, but will ensure that basic apps and software products are available for businesses with “the most straightforward affairs”. Many other businesses and their accountants, however, will choose to use more comprehensive commercial software.

For those who keep manual records it will be necessary to convert these into a digital format. This sounds very sophisticated but the use of simple spreadsheets which capture relevant income and expenditure should suffice.

We will know better later this year.

This information will then need uploaded into the taxpayers’ digital account within one month of the end of each quarter. The taxpayers’ digital account will already be pre-populated with income and tax details that HMRC already hold, such as details of employment income, PAYE and NIC, and any state retirement pension. From April 2018 it is intended that banks and building societies will be required to provide information to HMRC earlier and more frequently than at present.

While it will be easier to keep on top of your tax affairs by having to prepare and submit quarterly returns, there will be a significant increase in costs in doing so, especially where taxpayers engage accountants or tax advisors to look after their tax affairs for them. The current self assessment system of submitting one annual tax return 10 months after the tax year end will be replaced by a requirement to submit four quarterly returns and

a subsequent end of year return. It is clear to see unfortunately that there will be a significant cost to taxpayers, and increased pressure on accountants and tax advisors to meet 5 deadlines during a year rather than one.

The rationale behind MTD is a good one. The ability to have a digital account with HMRC which deals with all the tax affairs of a business such as income tax, PAYE, NIC, and VAT is a welcome idea. We are all used to dealing with online banking and making online payments, so the move to online tax is a natural step. It is important though that taxpayers are fully prepared for what is coming and are ready to make the change to digital record keeping.

HMRC famously had an advertising campaign a few years ago where they stated “Tax doesn’t have to be taxing”.

Hopefully the switch to MTD won’t be.

ASM Chartered Accountants has six offices, Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk, Dungannon, Magherafelt and Newry. The 150 strong team specialises in a range of accountancy disciplines including, corporate finance, Insolvency services, forensic accounting, Audit & accounting, consultancy services, internal audit, tax, hotel, tourism and leisure.

Mark McNeill can be contacted at mark.mcneill@asmmagherafelt.com or 028 7930 1777 to discuss your accountancy needs.

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Eye on Communications

As access to superfast broadband grows, businesses, homes and personal users across Northern Ireland must be switched on, literally and figuratively, to reap the benefits it brings, says Stuart Carson, Sales and Marketing Director, Rainbow Communications.

Get Ready To Enjoy The Superfast Ride

By Stuart Carson, Rainbow Communications

T

he most recent Ofcom data shows that 80% of homes and small businesses across Northern Ireland are connected to the superfast broadband network, providing new opportunities to reach new markets and audiences, boost productivity and wider connectivity.

Across the UK, local and regional economies are being bolstered at an exponential rate, whether from an influx of new online business opportunities or the growth in demand for skilled, trained employees which are required to install, manage and maintain these high-tech networks.

Small to medium sized businesses throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are now benefitting from access to faster downloads, video calls and conferencing, a higher voice call quality and

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unrivalled fixed line, mobile and broadband communications.

As with any service, there is a wide range of suppliers in the market providing varying degrees of supply quality, deals, customer care and, more importantly, promises. Choice, value and access are all key in this competitive arena, and, much as energy consumers have the option to switch supplier when a better deal presents itself, communications customers also have choices.

As Northern Ireland’s largest independent telecommunications provider, Rainbow is focused on improving and reshaping NI business telecommunications solutions for all companies across the province, investing in the best technological advancements for the betterment of our clients.

A locally-focused, familyowned company, we recognise the potential of our home-

grown corporations and small businesses and are committed to helping them achieve their goals and ambition. With over 100 employees our dedicated customer service, technical support and account management teams located in our Head Office in Belfast, we guarantee that every client receives unrivalled attention.

The new digital landscape and the pressure for change can, in some cases, be daunting for some business owners and managers.

However, every business in our experience recognises the dangers involved in recognising the reality already under way and that being one step ahead of the technology and the benefits on offer – not just adapting – is the only route to follow.

It’s our experience that many businesses routinely require guidance through a new minefield of high-tech jargon, advanced technology products and testing

required to stay ahead – it’s what we do best. Since we were established almost two decades ago, more than 10,000 customers have already entrusted us to provide the solutions to their immediate communication needs.

With access to all the major manufacturers, we have the network, experience and talent to deliver the infrastructure you need at the price you can afford, underlined by a dedicated Customer Support Team and 25,000 engineers across the country at our disposal.

Surprisingly, almost 10 per cent of homes and businesses in NI are still without access to superfast broadband. If you have the opportunity, plug in, don’t get left behind and genuinely enjoy this superfast ride. It’s a force for positive change.

Stuart Carson is Sales and Marketing Director at Rainbow Communications, Northern Ireland’s largest independent telecom provider. For more information on its full range of services, including bespoke solutions, visit www. rainbowcommunications.com

WE AUCTION EVERYTHING A family owned business formed in 1936, Wilsons Auctions has grown to become the largest independent auction company in the British Isles, with branches in Northern Ireland, England, Republic of Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

DESIGNER SHOES

TRACTORS

CARS HGVS PROPERTY

GOLD BULLION DISPOSALS ASIAN GOLD

SUPER CARS BOATS TOOLS LIQUIDATIONS

VANS

PLANT PRESTIGE CLASSIC CARS

DESIGNER HANDBAGS MACHINERY

DIAMONDS

LAND

BICYCLES PLANESHOLIDAY HOMES

WATCHES

View all auctions online at

www.wilsonsauctions.com You can buy from any of our branches across the UK & Ireland with online bidding

22 Mallusk Road, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT36 4PP

www.wilsonsauctions.com

Northern Ireland | England | Republic of Ireland | Scotland | Wales

Eye on Insurance

When You’re Ripe You Rot

By Claire Curran, Human Resource Manager, Autoline Insurance

Too often – in society and in business – we view skills and experience as a destination rather than a journey.

We are obsessed with measuring and testing, and, as any parent of young primary school-aged children can testify to, it’s an attitude that is instilled at an early age.

D

on’t get me wrong, it’s good to test.

There’s much truth to the mantra that what you can’t measure, you can’t manage. It’s good to subject students to rigorous exams to test their knowledge base and ensure that they’ve attained a certain standard.

It’s not a perfect system, but it’s the best we have.

Too often, however, once the exam has been passed and the qualification has been framed, we view that as the end of the process rather than the start.

In addition to testing, most

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parents will also have more than a passing interest in McDonalds. The land of the golden arches may not be the first company you think of when it comes to training, but the driving force behind the company’s early journey to global culinary domination, Ray Kroc, knew how to run a successful business.

It was he who coined the phrase “You’re only as good as the people you hire”. He also came up with the more striking “When you’re green you’re growing. When you’re ripe you rot.” That’s not a phrase

you’ll ever see in a HR manual, but it makes a good point.

Business growth, innovation and excellent customer service depend upon people.

A business that doesn’t have a culture and a desire to grow its people individually will struggle to grow corporately.

Ultimately, it will ‘rot’.

At Autoline Insurance we created the Autoline Academy to help focus our minds on personal development. As a result almost half of all our employees have secured professional qualifications.

That equates to 80 employees securing over 175 qualifications ranging from Diplomas in Management Accountancy to Chartered Insurance Institute Exams. Over a dozen have completed four or more professional qualifications.

That’s a significant amount of personal commitment which Autoline backs up by paying course fees and providing study time. More importantly, however, we’re striving to create a culture which rewards staff commitment and loyalty – seeking to promote within where possible and creating succession plans to provide staff with clear career pathways.

The result? Customer retention rates for Autoline are 90%, something which we believe is directly linked to our motivated and skilled staff. Turnover rates among employees are below industry norms - helping build relationships with customers and suppliers, creating a team focus and developing those intangible yet invaluable linkages which only come with long-term experience.

It’s vital to keep challenging yourself and employees with new opportunities. The Autoline Academy is our way to support professional development and create a

culture based on excellence.

It’s a means to maintain Autoline’s reputation as an employer of choice, but it’s also complemented by an outward looking ethos that seeks to engage with the next generation of employees.

Several years ago we took the long-term strategic view that it was important to expand the pool of people interested in financial services careers.

This would be to the benefit of the industry generally and to Autoline specifically.

To that end we routinely work with schools and colleges to encourage students to take a fresh look at opportunities within the industry. It’s not just students who are competing for jobs – industries and companies also have to make an effort as well. We live in a highly mobile society. Talent will move to where it is rewarded and appreciated – we want to make sure that our industry is competing with the best.

The Autoline Academy is our way of stretching employees, keeping their roles and skills fresh and ensuring that customers get a level of service and expertise that stands out from the crowd. Like the exam system it may not be perfect, but that, in a way, is the point. If it was perfect there would be no journey, there would be no need to strive, to improve or to challenge.

No individual and no workforce ever arrives at a ‘skills terminus’ where there is nothing left to learn. We’re all still green around the gills. It’s those who do something about it who tend to be successful.

Robinson Services All Charged Up as they Secure Green Light with NIE Networks Contract Win NIE Networks is Northern Ireland's Leading Electricity Network provider and have rightly earned a reputation built around customer service for residental and commercial customers.

So it was case of 'More Power to Your Elbow' when Robinson Services were awarded the contract to provide Cleaning, Hygiene and Consumable product services across 23 Northern Ireland sites after a competitive tender. As part of this contract Robinson Services will provide office and window cleaning, Mat Rental and Hygiene, Vending , Air Fresh and Sanitzers products in addition to a range of pest control products Providing these services 7 days a week across 23 sites across Northern Ireland effective 1st April 2017, Robinson Services will ensure a professional tangible product offering for NIE Networks providing the high standards of knowledge and expertise that clients have come to expect from Robinson Services David Robinson, Managing Director of Robinson Services, commented; “The acquisition of this contract for NIE

Pictured left to right: Stephen Woods Operations Director and Bernard Bogues Commercial Director, Robinson Services get ready to power up to support NIE Networks

Networks is further proof that our quality standards are continually recognised by prestigious local clients such as this and only a company with proven experience and expertise such as ours can be trusted to deliver. We look forward to working with NIE Networks and are delighted that we can be of assistance to them. I would like to thank NIE Networks for entrusting

Robinson Services with their cleaning, hygiene and consumable needs and assure them they will receive an extremely high standard of professional care."

For more information contact Robinson Services on 028 9442 9717 or email bernardb@@robinson-services.com

It’s our business to support yours.

Robinson Services has been associated with the FM industry since 1968 when James Robinson had the idea of cleaning windows on a part-time basis in Antrim town. Today the organisation employs 1700 people, providing services to a range of customers from the public and private sector including universities, colleges, offices, shopping centres, car showrooms and retail outlets.

We pride ourselves on forming valuable partnerships with customers and employees to deliver a high quality innovative service which the market both demands and requires.

Our professional reputation in the support services market is based on consistent delivery and continual growth to a client base that now exceeds 4000.

Our success has been achieved by providing a quality service at a competitive price.

Our ability to create partnerships with staff and customers has made us one of the leading support services providers in Northern Ireland.

Get in touch to find out more email: bernardb@@robinson-services.com Tel: 028 9442 9717 www.robinson-services.com 45

Eye on Travel

Long Haul has never been easier from Dublin and Emirates, flying to 156 destinations in 83 countries via its Dubai hub brings those bucket list holidays even closer says Leo Callow

Magnificent Maldives... With A Bit Of Dubai On The Way! S

ince 1985, Emirates has grown from a two-plane operation at a desert airstrip into a World Air Force, that has 48 A380s and 177 Boeing 777s on order, adding to the 94 and 165, it currently flies. By comparison, British Airways operates 12 A380s, and American carriers have none. The airline’s growth is inseparable from that of Dubai, with both straining the bounds of immigration and physical gravity, enabling us all to experience dream holidays in the furthest reaches of the planet via Dublin Airport’s Terminal 2.

In 1984, Dubai was a unknown, one of the seven city-states that made up the emerging United Arab Emirates, when its ruler, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed al-Maktoum, and his son Mohammed decided to start an airline. With $10 million and a couple of jets leased from Pakistan, Emirates was created a year later under the leadership of Irish expat, Maurice Flanagan, initially serving regional destinations before making its first flights to London in 1987

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Today, a half-hour drive from the skyscrapers and malls, the Dubai government is building a $32 billion, fiverunway Emirates mega-hub. Dubai World Central. The project will have capacity for 220 million passengers per year, four times the number of New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Emirates recently configured a plane to seat 615 passengers, a record, and flies the world’s most demanding nonstop route, an 8,824-mile arc from Dubai to Auckland.

Emirates now operates double daily flights from Dublin to Dubai, using Boeing 777-300s, to fly over 5,000 passengers and hundreds of metric tons of cargo weekly. The airline has a comfortable, very well equipped economy class, as well as eight first-class berths and 42 award winning business class seats, where your luxury travel experience begins with an Emirates limo pickup even in NI (NB: 70km mileage limits do apply) 40 KG baggage allowance, access to the DAA lounge in Dublin and the one KM long concourse of dedicated Emirates Lounges in Dubai.

Already a favourite for travellers seeking top hotels, world-class shopping and guaranteed sunshine, Dubai, is also gaining a reputation as a rewarding stopover destination en-route to the Far East and Australasia. As well as being home to the World’s most luxurious hotel the 6 Star Burj Al Arab, its new Theme Parks are rivalling Disney as the new half term family holiday attraction.

On this trip, we swapped sky scrapers for the desert and the amazing Al Maha Desert resort, where Sir Mo Farah can be seen training in the Dunes that surround this 300 Acre sea of sand, about an hour’s drive outside the city. It’s in the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve, and has 34 pavilion rooms clustered together in a tranquil oasis with astonishing 360-degree views across the desert.

Long-horned Arabian oryx and gazelles stroll through the grounds. Birds chatter all day in the date palms and acacias.

Otherwise, there’s total silence. It’s a place in which to relax and recharge.

It’s an ideal contrast to the bling

and glitz of downtown Dubai if you’re looking for a couple of days of perfect luxury with the knowledge that the price includes almost everything. Each desert pavilion style room has its own enormous infinity pool, where you can swim right up to the edge of the sand.

There is also a Spa and endless desert safari style activities such horse riding, falconry and early morning Oryx and Jerboa spotting.

The real star attraction at Al Maha is the food. Executive Head Chef Piotr Kamieniczny from Poland who began his international career in Derry has managed to create an International food offering second to none, by encouraging the market suppliers to call in with him, en-route to the city, where he has the pick of their giant prawns, blue mussels, lobster and Wagyu Beef. You can have meals brought to your private terrace, but the restaurant, spread out over a long balcony, is charming– particularly at night, illuminated by flaming torches and twinkling candles. The service is

Eye on Travel

Constance Halaveli, Maldives

Constance Moofushi, Maldives

Halaveli features 86 villas, all of which boast spacious interiors, a plunge pool and furnished terraces. The villas are either set over the water or on the beach and offer subtle contemporary design. The over water villas are best for watching the sunsets, while the beach villas offer a lush tropical setting with the beach only a few paces away.

Enjoy three superb restaurants which serve a delicious array of cuisine, a well-equipped spa, fully equipped gymnasium and a wide range of water sports and tennis, diving facilities.

Children can enjoy adventure-filled days at the amazing Kids Club.

Constance Moofushi Resort Maldives offers a wide range of beach and water villas in a barefoot chic setting.

Everyone enjoys the luxurious Cristal all inclusive package that includes premium branded drinks and international wines, a dhoni boat excursion, cocktails, one à la carte dinner, complimentary wifi and internet in all villas and lots more.

Moofushi is widely regarded as one of the best diving spots in the world. The Resort combines the Crusoe Chic Barefoot elegance of a deluxe resort with the high standards we expect from our friends at Constance Hotels group.

immaculate and you can eat at any time that suits you... just like home!

Leaving the glamour of Dubai behind we headed South on Emirates for four hours, towards the Indian Sub-Continent and a natural necklace of more than 1,000 coral islands off its western coast, The Maldives. Possibly, the most glamorous vacation destination in the World, where the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge spent a holiday, just before their royal tour of Australia and New Zealand. They took a seaplane to a fivestar resort on the remote atoll of Noonu in the nation’s northwest corner. The two-bedroom villa where they stayed — thatched roof, sun deck — stands on stilts above the water with a 40-foot infinity pool and unhindered ocean views....

But this is standard for the most beautiful small islands on Earth. They are ultra-safe; there are no hawkers selling sarongs and tours and, unless you seek them out, no distractions. The Maldives are made up of 26 coral atolls in a chain reaching down to cross the equator.

Within those 26 atolls are roughly 1,200 palm dotted, turquoise lagoon surrounded islands and of these around 200 are inhabited and 100 are resorts.

One of those Islands is Halveli and nothing had prepared us for the view as this ‘Bounty Bar’ beach and palm trees paradise was framed by the sea plane windows, simply breath-taking. A classic Maldivian island-resort with 86 villas, some overwater and some on the beach, all with individual plunge pools Halveli

is one of two luxury resorts operated by the Mauritius based Constance group.

The resort caters for families as much as honeymooners with some of the world’s best diving, watersports, a tennis court and kids’ club. Situated in the North Ari atoll and surrounded by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, the resort is a 25-minute flight by seaplane from Male, the capital. As is the norm in the Maldives, the resort takes up the entire island and welcoming you ashore, General Manager Dominik Kuenstle, makes it clear that we won’t need our shoes for the week ahead and to re-set our watches to Island time, which they have thoughtfully chosen, to optimise sunrise and sunset viewing for guests!

A classic barefoot-style Maldivian resort built upon an island of coconut palms crisscrossed by sandy lanes, with one long overwater jetty. The design is polished wood and thatch with

Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai

Burj Al Arab, Dubai

Framed by the Hajar Mountains in the distance, this is a place of unique contrasts. Luxurious individual suites with private pools, fine dining, exquisite wines, panoramic skyscapes and indigenous flora and fauna are all set within wide open plains. Guests at Al Maha can take part in a variety of on-site activities including guided desert safaris and walks, falconry, archery, camel trekking and horse riding. Dune driving and historical and architectural tours in and around the Hajar Mountains are also available.

Chaka Travel recommend this hotel for honeymooners, golfers and families.

Burj Al Arab has become an internationally recognised landmark, a symbol of the new millenium and of Dubai’s growing international stature. The spectacular sail-shaped structure is built on a man-made island and soars majestically into the skies. Combining the very best of the traditional and the modern, Burj Al Arab offers the ultimate in lavish accommodation. It is an allsuite hotel offering unparalleled style. All suites enjoy a sea view together with a plethora of facilities. The levels of service and attention to detail are legendary and include a 24-hour butler service.

architectural lines echoing the curved traditional Dhoni boat. Of which there are a couple in the lagoon for sunset cruises or special breakfast adventures.

Service is understated, but World Class. Open spaces are clustered around the reception area with a dive centre, water sports facility, infinity pool, gym and artificial-grass tennis court with a pro available for coaching.

The over-lagoon spa has 12 treatment rooms and a hair salon ... amazing when you think that every item, down to even the hair clips must reach Halveli by boat.... no room for errors on that shopping list!

The dream island pad is an overwater villa, each is 100 is square-metres with a private plunge pool and deck, with your own private steps into the knee-deep bath water warm lagoon.

Snorkelling before breakfast on the beach is simply a must when you

think everyone is shivering back in Belfast! The Maldives has a benign climate, with year-round temperatures between 79F and 86F (26C-30C). It never suffers from tornadoes though it does have a monsoon season in November which is best avoided The 28 beach villas that are clustered around the island are extremely private and good for families: some have a master bedroom with adjoining bunk room, and the double-storey villas have a second-level bedroom with separate outdoor access suitable for older children. All come with an iMac entertainment system and a well-stocked minibar and wine cooler, to take full advantage of Halveli’s 20,000 bottle cellar, overseen by a team of professional French Sommeliers... it might be a desert island... but there are standards!

All good things come to an end but even at check out, the thoughtfulness of our Island Hosts came to the fore, with a special early morning speedboat ride to a platform far out in the lagoon, so that our dawn seaplane pick up would not awaken other guests! It was then onwards and upwards as the remoteness and minimalism of the Maldives, with its equator based atolls and illusory lagoon surrounded islands slipped away as we relaxed into the luxury of Emirates ... barefoot (well wearing flight socks!) and dreaming for a few more hours before the Dublin drizzle brought us back to reality with a bump.

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Eye on Property

Rachel Brown...

Homes Under The Hammer

Rachel Brown is often referred to as the Phileas Fogg of the Wilsons Auctions group, ready to travel anywhere to take a look at a property which could go under the auctioneer’s hammer.

S

he’s Group Property Manager at the UK-wide Wilsons Auctions operation and that means that she’s responsible for the bricks and mortar auction lots which form part of a vast range of items that go under the hammer at the company’s sites throughout the year.

A native of Glasgow, Rachel is based at Wilsons’ site at Dalry in Ayrshire, but spends a fair amount of her time over at company HQ in Mallusk outside Belfast, as well as visiting properties around the UK and Ireland.

With a professional background in estate agency in Scotland, she joined Wilsons Auctions just over three years ago as a Sales Executive in Dalry before becoming Property Manager for the Scottish operation and then Group Property Manager.

“We will sell properties for private clients, on behalf of solicitors, banks as well as properties which come to us for sale as part of the various contracts we hold to dispose of the proceeds of crime on behalf of the Home Office and various police forces,” Rachel explains.

Wilsons Auctions has won a succession of contracts from the National Crime Agency, the Home Office and individual police forces in GB to dispose of the proceeds of crime.....ranging from properties to luxury cars, jewellery, boats, even horses.

That means that Rachel and her five-strong property team at Wilsons Auctions can find themselves responsible for selling just about everything from terraced houses through to – in recent months – luxury apartments in Spain, property in Gloucestershire and a former Carmelite monastery in Glasgow.

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“I like to get my sleeves rolled up and get involved wherever my team needs a bit of help.

We look after every aspect of a property sale....from initial viewing right through to legals, working with partner agents and the necessary contracts.

“We never really know what’s going to come up. We love the diversity of selling everything from a monastery, to luxury apartments in Spain for that matter. So the job we do is a bit like the line from Forrest Gump.....it’s like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!” she jokes.

The auction route, she reckons, has distinct advantages over other methods of selling property. “It can be a lot quicker, for starters,” she says. “Vendors looking for quick disposals favour the auction route.

And it can also produce better returns than other methods of sale.

“It suits buyers too. They can have a good look at properties. And they can have the due diligence done and dusted before the auction takes place. In every case, we produce a legal pack for the property, so all the bases are covered.”

Ambitious in her role, Rachel would like to see Wilsons Auctions property activities to expand across the group’s main English operations at Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North East and Maidstone at the other end of the country in Kent.

“We’re an established national brand now in the auction sector,” she adds.

“So it would be fantastic to see our property department develop with a presence right across our operations.”

Eye on Property

(l-r) Lorren Mullen, Rachel Brown, Dave Pennick, Cheryl McAuley, Charlotte Ritchie

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Eye on Round Table

A Vision for Public Transport in Northern Ireland Business Eye in partnership with Translink held a Round Table Discussion in central Belfast looking at the public transport infrastructure in Northern Ireland... at what has been achieved in recent years and at Translink’s vision for a transport future here.

The Panel

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Richard Buckley Editor, Business Eye (Chairman)

Chris Conway – Group Chief Executive, Translink

Gerry Lennon – Chief Executive, Visit Belfast

Esmond Birnie – Senior Economist, University of Ulster

Nuala Gallagher – Director of City Centre Development, Belfast City Council

John French – Chief Executive, Consumer Council NI

Paul Terrington – Regional Chairman, PwC

Eye on Round Table

RB – To kick things off, how does each of us view public transport here in Northern Ireland? Has it improved?

What remains to be done?

NG – My remit is the city centre of Belfast and public transport is critical to how the city moves forward. We aim to grow the city centre population and we have to consider how public transport integrates with that.

At the moment, there is a focus on reducing the number of cars in the city centre and on encouraging more people to use public transport. But we also have peak time congestion issues and, further down the line, air quality is something that we will need to look at.

PT – Transport infrastructure is vital to the local economy, of course, but I can also look at this as an employer. We have 1500 people in Belfast and how they get to and from work is important. PwC has published studies on ‘Cities Of Opportunity’ including Belfast

and transport infrastructure here was seen as inadequate.

EB – As the others have said, public transport matters in a number of ways. It’s right to celebrate public transport and it’s right to encourage people to use it. But there are real issues that we need to look at. Are the fares attractive? What about city centre car parking charges....are they too low to disincentivise drivers? Do we want to be more radical in terms of road tolls?

CC – It’s been said to me that if people could see a direct correlation between bus lane fines and public transport improvements, then they would buy into the idea. It’s something that is worth considering.

GL – It’s so important for tourism, and tourism is a major driver of the economy here. There are three main tourism brackets – city breaks, conferences and cruise ships – and none of those visitors bring their own cars. They need public transport. For us to

ensure that they have a positive experience, we need a modern and effective transport system.

JF – Public transport is hugely important to consumers and we’re fully supportive of Translink and the work that it has done to improve transport here. It’s among low income consumers that it becomes even more crucial. And the statistics show that some 36% of households here don’t have access to a car.

RB – Chris, you’ve heard the views from around the table.

Tell us a bit more about what has been achieved so far?

CC – In terms of our vision, it’s about being people’s first choice for transport. To do that, we have to integrate with other modes of transport. But we’ve worked hard to improve our fleet – both trains and buses.

And the increased passenger numbers back up what we’ve done in terms of good passenger experiences. Buses, for example, are clean and comfortable and

they have bus priority so they can get into the city a lot quicker.

Then there is ticket integration.... allowing passengers to use buses and/or trains. Over the past year, we’ve focused on promoting public transport in an effort to win more people over.

And it was our biggest growth year yet, with 1.5 million extra passenger journeys added.

NG – It’s worth mentioning last Christmas and the controversial decision not to offer free car parking, as in previous years.

Yet, for retailers, sales went up by 6.8% and footfall in the city centre by 7.8% and there was less congestion....so it worked.

PT – What is the demographic behind the increased passenger journeys. Are people switching from cars?

CC – It really was across the board. But the big growth was in the 18-30 age group and that’s encouraging because research tells us that if you get young people using public transport,

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Eye on Round Table we are doing in Bus & Train Week is running a Corporate Challenge, to see which businesses are doing the most to promote the use of public transport.

EB – How many of those are public sector car parking spaces? The elephant in the room is government offices in the city centre.

NG – Absolutely and when we talk about a culture change it has to be across both private and public sectors.

they’ll keep using it. We also saw growth in family tickets and in weekend usage of public transport on the back of some really good offers. We have a couple of marketing strategies – one is to get people to try public transport, then to get people who use it to use it more frequently.

RB – Is this about developing a public transport culture, the kind of culture that exists in bigger cities like London or New York?

CC – I think it is about behavioural change but it’s also about making transport easy for people to use. I’m amazed at how many professional people have said that they don’t use buses in Belfast because they’re not sure what the fare is and don’t want to ask the driver. Transport for London is the model. They do it very well through the Oyster card system and that’s something we want to work towards. We’re aiming for a big ticketing revolution within Translink and we’ll start rolling it out in 2018 with the beginning of Belfast Rapid Transit which will operate a ‘tap on, tap off’ system. It’s a huge infrastructure investment for us, right down to every ticket machine on board every bus on the Metro and Ulsterbus networks. We’ve already introduced some lead-in initiatives, such as a new scheme that allows train passengers to travel by bus in Belfast at the end of their journey to get to their final destination. Also, passengers can buy tickets on their mobile phones.

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GL – Simplifying the ticketing is a crucial one as far as tourists are concerned. But I also wanted to ask about capacity. Is that going to be a problem. And, if you need more capacity, is the government going to be there to back that up?

CC – We’re not used to having packed trains and buses here in Northern Ireland. But there’s a balance to be struck here.

As an organisation, we always have an eye on capacity and on fleet procurement. We’ve invested over the past year in new buses, from Metro double decks through to new vehicles for the Goldline routes. And we’ve a plan prepared looking at rolling stock investment for the railway in time for the opening of the new Belfast Hub in 2020.

RB – What do we feel needs to be improved in public transport?

NG – Car parking needs to be addressed, in particular the number of spaces available and the price point for city centre car parking. And the park and ride car parks need to be in the right places. It’s important for city centre retailers that people can get into the city by a range of methods.

CC – Can I touch on that? An issue for city centre development is the fact that a lot of organisations in Belfast still provide car parking for their employees with the result that people drive into town every day because they have a parking spot. If those parking spaces were freed up, there would be no need for more spaces. One of the things

CC – Park and ride has been very successful. Cairnshill is up to 80 or 90% full each day and Finaghy and Dundonald are filling up very well, so the concept clearly works. We know we need more, but access to land is a problem.

GL – I think Translink has achieved a lot. I can understand your thinking on behavioural change and I can also see how there are commercial pressures on you, particularly around how Belfast has to effectively subsidise transport in other parts of the country. Some more help from government wouldn’t go amiss.

I’m convinced that if you make it economically advantageous for people, they’ll get over any inconvenience issues.

PT – It’s interesting. To what extent is price a driver? To some it is, to others it’s about convenience. But linking fares and fare increases with levels of investment seems like the wrong way to look at it.

JF – We have conducted some research into why people use public transport or don’t. 50% of people said that if they could save up to £30 a month, they’d consider using public transport. And that’s possible using smarter ticketing options.

CC – Punctuality, reliability and frequency of service are the baselines. When we introduce Belfast Rapid Transit, we probably won’t need a timetable.

There will be a bus every seven minutes....it’s as simple as that.

RB – And, for the record, BRT comes in on a couple of routes?

CC – It will come in from Dundonald through East Belfast to the city centre and then out on the Falls Road to Colin Glen. Then there’s the route out to Titanic and, in the city, BRT can be used for short-hop journeys. Phase 2 will be a North-South Belfast route.

I think we’ve created a good public transport model here which doesn’t have the failings of the UK system, where private operators concentrate on lucrative routes and neglect public transport as a service to communities.

Our cross subsidy model means we don’t need a big subsidy, but we do need a certain level of agreed funding.

Without that we’re running at a loss and that’s not sustainable.

Government needs to take a longer view and consider the economic and health benefits of public transport.

Eye on Round Table EB – Given that the capital budget for the Executive going forward is pretty flat, I think there will be extreme resistance to spending on transport infrastructure. So are there ways of bringing in private capital? Maybe through innovative development of the Belfast Hub. Commercialisation around the fringes, if you like.

CC – We are looking at how we can commercialise our assets, and the Hub is a good example.

I’m confident that we can get better returns from our stations.

We can learn something from how the airports do it.

GL – Are we also one of the most generous in terms of travel concessions?

CC – It depends how you measure it. But here’s the bottom line for us. If you take the entire funding we get, we’re still sitting at around 50% of the rest of the UK. PT – Yes, we have to start investing in areas that will drive growth and opportunity, and public transport is one.

And, as has been said, that means stopping the practice of ring fencing spend on health and education.

NG – In the city as a whole, we need more investment in infrastructure. We’ll soon have thousands more students based in the city, and we have to consider the infrastructure that they need. As we grow population, we have to keep a close eye on maintaining quality of life.

PT – It’s a controversial thing to say, but we could also look at reducing some of the concessions for the 60+ age group, many of whom are using it to get back and forth to work, and extend the half fare from 16 up to 23.

GL – One solution might be to limit the hours of the 60+ concession away from peak times. That’s what they do in parts of England.

RB – We haven’t talked much about the Transport Hubs. What’s happening?

PT – That’s not much use if it just acts as a subsidy to fares. I think we should be encouraging all of the public sector to look at ways of commercialising and raising additional revenues.

But, in transport’s case, it’s not a substitute for proper investment by government.

CC – There are different ways to subsidise public transport. One is through fares and the other is capital support. But there is also tax support. In other parts of the world, public transport operators – including private ones - don’t have to pay duty on fuel. We’re the only region in these islands that has to pay duty on fuel.

CC – The Belfast Transport Hub is a flagship project for us. We’ve already started procurement for the enabling works. It will double railway capacity and it will add a third more bus stands as well. At the moment, we have eight million passengers a year coming through Great Victoria Street. That’s higher than our two airports put together. And we have plans to grow that to 13 million. And it will create a modern transport hub into which tourists will arrive...on the Dublin trains, buses from the airports, etc. We’re also talking to both governments about running an hourly service on the Belfast-Dublin train line.

PT – That’s important for business. We do need to focus on that eastern economic corridor and, while the road network has gone forward, the rail service has stood still. Business people are more likely to drive to Dublin than take the train. But it should be the other way around.

CC – We have a good service and the Belfast Transport Hub opens up the opportunity to enhance the Enterprise service, providing investment is forthcoming. And we’re also investing in a new transport hub for the North West in Derry/Londonderry.

And the transport hub is also driving investment in the area around where it will be, with hotels, accommodation and other projects already planned.

That’s the regenerative benefits of a station development.

GL – Maybe the Golden Mile will become the Golden Mile again......

NG - Transport can be a regenerator, it’s been shown elsewhere. Even along the BRT route, I think we could see some benefits.

RB – Are our airport links good enough?

CC – I know everyone would like a rail connection to the International Airport and it is on the plan in the long run but there are other decisions we need to

take before that. Also, you need to do the financial analysis on it.

The good news is that we have enhanced our Airport Express bus service and we’ve seen a lot of growth – up 25% on last year and with new high-spec vehicles. We’re also improving our City Airport service and we run a comprehensive service to and from Dublin Airport.

PT – That’s an important point.

As far as business travellers are concerned, we’re talking about three airports and not two. On transatlantic travel in particular, Dublin Airport is increasingly popular.

JF – Translink has done a lot of work across the board, but there can be issues around customer service and communications.

CC – This is an area where we work hard to continuously improve. We have recently trained some of our drivers to World Host standards for he airport services and we are investing in our contact centre and digital platforms as we know that excellent customer service is a key driver to growing our business and building brand choice and loyalty.

Translink Bus + Train Week will take place from 5 – 11 June 2017 Visit www.translink.co.uk/ busandtrainweek/ and follow @ Translink_NI #GetOnboardNI

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Eye on News

DANSKE BANK WELCOMES NEW TENANT In September 2016 Danske Bank announced its intention to let out two floors at its expansive headquarters on Donegall Square West in Belfast city centre.

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oday the Bank can confirm that it has reached an agreement which will see professional services firm, Grant Thornton, occupy its third floor from November of this year.

Kevin Kingston, CEO of Danske Bank, said: “In the current prolonged low interest rate environment, banks across the UK are continuing to look at ways to reduce their cost bases. We have taken an innovative approach to this challenge, with a rationale of seeking to

Richard Gillan (Grant Thornton) and Kevin Kingston (Danske Bank)

implement change that does not negatively impact our customers.

“We have a large portfolio of property assets and, as a prudent business, we need to make sure that they are utilised to the best advantage of the bank, our customers and our staff. We are delighted to have reached a tenancy agreement with Grant Thornton, one of Northern Ireland’s leading advisory businesses.

“Danske Bank is also continuing to invest in, and improve,

the quality of its premises. In recent months this has included wide-ranging refurbishment at our Donegall Square West headquarters and Killeaton House in Dunmurry, as well as the opening of a new modern branch in Downpatrick town centre. In the coming weeks we will also open a new City Hall facing corporate lobby at Donegall Square West, which will be used by both our staff and our tenants.”

Richard Gillan, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton in

Northern Ireland, commented: “Over the last two years we’ve witnessed remarkable growth across all business streams at Grant Thornton.

We’ve doubled our revenues and remain very optimistic about the future.

“Our move to this iconic building on Donegall Square reflects that confidence, and will provide a fitting and professional environment that will help facilitate our continued expansion.”

NEW HOME FOR ENTREPRENEURS IN EAST BELFAST The Foundry at City East Business Centre has opened its doors to offer entrepreneurs a new and unique vibrant working environment where they can share space, creativity and business ideas.

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he uniqueness of The Foundry is that it is the first social enterprise to offer independent business owners an opportunity to do business in a space perfect for blending privacy with collaboration.

The visionary behind The Foundry is Jonathan McAlpin, Chief Executive of East Belfast Enterprise, who has seen the concept come to life with all 10 available offices allocated before being officially launched to the market. Jonathan said: “Coworking spaces started springing up in Europe and America around 20 years ago and whilst it’s a relatively new concept for Northern Ireland, thousands of people can testify to billions of dollars being made through what is commonly known as the coworking movement.

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“We want to lead the coworking revolution in Northern Ireland from The Foundry; to be known for more than just providing a space with desks for people to rent. We will create a self-help enterprising community through a programme of workshops, mentoring sessions and networking events, for entrepreneurs to cowork and assist each other to develop their businesses and uncover the entrepreneurial talent, latent within east Belfast. We have designed The Foundry to acknowledge the industrial heritage of East Belfast, the historic heart of the Northern Ireland economy, through the colour scheme and industrial fit-out of the space.

“East Belfast is renowned for its hard working, entrepreneurial past and we’re confident that our

21st century entrepreneurs who make The Foundry their home, will succeed as their industrial predecessors did in the 19th and 20th centuries through engineering, ship building, rope making and aircraft manufacture.”

The Foundry offers 21 hot desks at a full, part time or daily rate with on and off peak memberships available. The space also provides free wifi, kitchen facilities and a private meeting room for hire.

There are also 10 fully furnished

offices suitable for one to two person start-up businesses.

Situated in East Belfast, on the edge of the city centre and accessible to public transport links close by, interested entrepreneurs can ‘try before you buy’ by availing of a free trial at The Foundry for a day. Contact Stevie at East Belfast Enterprise on tel 028 9094 2010 or stevie@ eastbelfast.org to arrange a visit. www.thefoundrybelfast.com, www.facebook.com/foundrybelfast

Eye on Law

DEUS LEX MACHINA WILL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY REPLACE LAWYERS ANY TIME SOON? Asks Andrew Kirke, Associate Director, Tughans

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couple of lawyers from Tughans were at a leading technology conference in Belfast recently and the discussion moved to the future of the legal sector and the potential for lawyers to be replaced by AI technology in the short to medium term.

The host asked if there were any lawyers present in the room.

Naively, the author of this article (unlike his much wiser colleague) thrust his hand into the air, hoping for commendation for the esteemed legal profession, before the host proceeded to earnestly describe just how much he was looking forward to lawyers being replaced by machines.

And he’s not the only one thinking it. Impressive advances in AI technology tailored for legal work have led many lawyers to wonder whether their profession will be the next victim of the fourth industrial revolution.

Many readers might also join the cheer for the zenith of the age of the software developer and the decline of the service provider, in not just the legal sector, but in professional services and industry more widely.

And for any legal practitioner likely to be involved in the sector in the medium to long term, this leads to two inevitable questions...

The first is obvious. How likely is it that lawyers will be replaced by AI in the short to medium term?

The second requires more introspection. Why is it that some clients are keen to see their lawyers replaced by robots?

When it comes to the first question, the consensus amongst those in the know appears to be that, (like it or not!), a robot is not about to replace your lawyer. At least, not anytime soon.

Recent research, and even statements from those most closely involved in developing software to automate legal work say the adoption of AI in law firms will be a slow and laborious process. Recent estimates from the States have predicted that even if all current AI technology were to be immediately and fully implemented (regardless of the costs and barriers to such implementation) then it would be likely to only result in a net 2.5% reduction in lawyers’ working hours annually.

One of the fundamental issues is that law, like anything, depends on the creation of meaning. When drafting a legal contract, for example, a lawyer has to think about a very particular set of potential outcomes, and draft a document, using the nuanced art form that is the human language, to provide for those potential outcomes.

Developers (working with lawyers) have had great success in developing so called “natural language processing” technology which, when properly programmed and “taught”, can scan and predict what documents will be relevant to particular cases, or pick out particular keywords in the midst of bulk document review.

They have not, however, been able to develop technology which can properly undertake the other tasks that make up the majority of a lawyer’s working day, such as

advising clients on the meaning of those documents or keywords, providing opinions on the legal risks, drafting contracts or negotiating cases and appearing in court.

These, it seems, are still far beyond the reach of computerization, for the time being. Where the technology is going to be in the next ten years is an interesting question, but if it reaches a stage where it can create and interpret meaning in the way that a lawyer routinely needs to, then the legal sector will certainly not be the only sector at risk.

By that point, it would seem that even our friend at the tech conference might need to re-assess what role a machine could play when it comes to creating and interpreting another type of language - the language of the coders themselves.

In terms of the second question, it is true that a negative perception of the work that lawyers do still persists in some quarters.

To address this, lawyers need to focus on continuing to provide a service to you that takes complex legal concepts and simplifies them, and on providing commercial solutions and not legal opinions.

Ultimately, there wouldn’t be a software industry without the law, as concepts like protection of personal data, protection of copyright in software code for which developers

“ One of the fundamental issues is that law, like anything, depends on the creation of meaning.

When drafting a legal contract, for example, a lawyer has to think about a very particular set of potential outcomes, and draft a document, using the nuanced art form that is the human language, to provide for those potential outcomes.” have spent time and effort coding for, the framework for licensing of that software, and the documents by which a software business achieves the hallowed “exit” all of which allow developers to make a living are all creations of the law.

It requires genuine experience and knowledge of the law to interpret and apply those concepts in a way which properly protects you and makes those concepts meaningful to you.

For the time being at least, it seems the case that this genuine experience and knowledge is something that properly advised clients will remain willing to pay for.

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BUSINESS EYE FIRST TRUST BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS

Book your table now at Northern Ireland’s only small business awards event The Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards take place on the evening of Thursday, 15th June, at Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel. Now in their third successful year, the Small Business Awards set out to recognise outstanding achievement by Northern Ireland-based companies across 13 key categories.

To reserve your table please call us on 90474490 or contact ciara@businesseye.co.uk

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Award Categories & Criteria

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

START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

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

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

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD Another specialist category, aimed at small business enterprises in the healthcare field here in Northern Ireland. This category is open to all business-led healthcare related organisations including opticians, dental practices and enterprises such as care homes for the elderly.

SPONSORED BY

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

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

SPONSORED BY

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

SPONSORED BY

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

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

CUSTOMER FOCUS AWARD

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

EXPORTER OF THE YEAR

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

The small business enterprise of 50 employees or less which, in the opinion of the judges, exemplifies best practice and achievement across the board.

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

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR AWARD A new category for 2017, this award will set out to recognise a leading player from Northern Ireland’s traditionally strong independentlyowned retail sector. The category is open to locally-owned retail businesses, including both single site retailers and independent retail groups who meet the overall Small Business Awards critera, ie 50 employeers or less.

The judging panel will look for evidence of innovation, strong business performance and both customer focus and customer satisfaction.

SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD A category open to all companies of 50 employees or less engaged directly in the manufacture of products for sale in Northern Ireland and in export markets. The judges will look for evidence of research and development and innovation in manufacturing.

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

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

SPONSORED BY

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

www.businesseyeawards.co.uk

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Eye on Recruitment

Non-Execs... What Can They Bring To The Boardroom Table? the next stage in their growth journey. How can a NED help?”

EM: “A NED will lift the business out of the realms of the day-to-day – encouraging its senior leadership team to stop thinking solely about the 9-5 and to think about the bigger picture. Whilst the owner/ director will ask themselves what needs to be done today, the NED will ask what needs to be done in years four, five and six.”

CC: “An effective NED will always identify new opportunities for a business that will lead to growth.

They will help a company to understand their USPs, and will then create discussions and opportunities around these.”

L-R Gary Irvine, Eileen Mullan, Gareth Hanna & Colin Coffey

In the latest phase of its ambitious growth strategy, Belfast-based 4c Executive recently announced the acquisition of competitor firm MSL Executive Search and Selection – with former MSL Managing Director, Ian Rainey, joining the 4c Board in a Non-Executive Director capacity. 4c’s expansion has also seen the launch of a number of new divisions, including 4c Boardroom – specialising in the recruitment of NEDs across the private, public and third sectors in Northern Ireland.

4c’s Founder and Managing Director, Gary Irvine and 4c Boardroom Search Consultant Gareth Hanna recently hosted a roundtable discussion on the role of NEDs in driving the growth and success of local businesses.

They were joined by Eileen Mullan and Colin Coffey – two of Northern Ireland’s leading Boardroom experts.

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NED ready?

GH: “What are some of the considerations that a company should take into account before appointing a NED?” CC: “Before investing in a NED or NEDs, a company must really understand its purpose. Only then can they assess whether or not they have the skillsets required to take them forward and identify any weaknesses or deficiencies that should be addressed with the appointment of a NED.” EM: “Absolutely, without that clarity of understanding, the structuring of a board becomes simply about putting people in seats – which is entirely the wrong reason to appoint a NED.”

bring strategic direction to an organisation. They are also there to hold a company’s leadership team to account and ensure the business is delivering against its primary role and targets.”

CC: “The role of challenging is particularly important. But a key role of the NED is also to support the CEO or MD to resolve difficulties or making important decisions.”

EM: “In my experience, most organisations are so focused on being brilliant at what they do that they do not give sufficient attention to the structures, systems and processes that go behind it – in fact it can be the last thing on their minds. But they absolutely need this if they are to grow and succeed, and this is where the NED can come in.”

The role of a NED GH: “How would you explain the role of a NED to a private sector company that hasn’t yet benefited from this expertise in their business?”

EM: “NEDs are primarily there to protect and serve, and to

Driving growth GI: “Every day in 4c we encounter companies in Northern Ireland that have hit a brick wall in terms of growth and need help to take their business to

GI: “So it stands to reason then that the importance of the NED will only grow as we enter unchartered territory in the run up to Brexit?”

CC: “Of course. For many companies, their current markets simply may no longer be relevant or may be much harder to trade with postBrexit. A NED will help a company to prepare for the impact of Brexit and to discover new opportunities outside of its normal markets.”

The effective NED GH: “So what is it that makes an effective NED, then?”

CC: “Well there are essentially two types of NED, both of which can be effective in their own right: the generalist and the specialist. The generalist will be an experienced individual who possesses a broad range of skills and expertise in corporate governance – bringing an element of credibility to a board.

The specialist, meanwhile, will be appointed to fill a particular skills gap on the board, usually with a strategic business objective in mind. The point is, a NED can only be effective if they

Eye on Recruitment are matched against a company’s vision, mission and values – which is where that understanding of purpose comes in again.”

EM: “Motivation is also hugely important. I often come across two types of NED candidates: the first asks ‘how much and how many days?’, whilst the second says ‘I’m really interested and would love to add value.’ Clearly, the first type is interested in the NED for all the wrong reasons, whereas the second type absolutely gets it and will make a much more effective NED.” CC: “An effective NED will help the senior leadership team to make better decisions – forcing them to be more strategic, rather than purely operational. Furthermore, a good NED will force a company to be a learning organisation – encouraging discussion around trends in the business, looking at what is being done well and what could be done better. They should be independent, with no equity in the business, but should be there with the company’s aims at heart.”

L-R Gary Irvine & Eileen Mullan

To pay or not to pay GI: “Would you agree that, if a private sector company is to benefit from the expertise of a NED, they must be prepared to acknowledge a cost involvement?”

CC: “Private sector NEDs absolutely should always be paid – they are there to add value to a commercial organisation, helping to drive profit and growth. What’s more, it’s about recognising the value of the NED given their wealth of knowledge and experience, and the transformative effect they will have on the business.

The modest monthly remuneration that the NED warrants is only a fraction of what they would be paid as a full-time member of staff, and only a fraction of how much they will deliver to the company in return.”

EM: “Absolutely – paying an excellent NED in the private sector is not a cost, it’s an investment. But I don’t think it can be a huge amount of money – that could attract the wrong type of NED, who really shouldn’t be at the table. For the investment a company makes, there needs to be

L-R Gareth Hanna & Colin Coffey

a return in the value added by the NED. That’s why it’s so important to determine the individual’s motivation at the recruitment stage – which is where a company like 4c Boardroom comes in.”

Recruitment GI: “How should an organisation go about ensuring that they get the best available NED to address their specific business need?”

EM: “For a start, it is absolutely imperative to treat the recruitment of NEDs in the same way that they

would with the recruitment of a CEO or MD. We invest significantly in recruiting a CEO because we believe that this is the most important role in an organisation – but the NED is equally important and will be critical to the growth of the organisation.”

CC: “An organisation must have absolute clarity around what they need from a NED in terms of the skillset to take the business forward.

Cultural fit is also important. But both of these elements can be hard to identify and hard to vet, which is why it can be important to call upon the expertise of a firm like 4c Boardroom – who

can help an organisation ensure that they are finding the best person in the market to fill this business-critical role.”

• For more information about 4c Boardroom, visit www.4cexecutive.com; phone 028 9043 4343 or email Gareth Hanna on gareth@4cexecutive.com • To contact Eileen Mullan, visit www.strictlyboardroom.com or email eileen@ strictlyboardroom.com • To contact Colin Coffey, email colin.coffey@ballyholme.co.uk

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Eye on Investment

Early stage and new start companies urged to ‘see sense’ and enter Seedcorn Connor Sweeney from InterTradeIreland is urging all earlystage and new start companies from Northern Ireland to make the right business move and enter the Seedcorn Investor readiness competition 2017 for a chance to win a share of the €280,000 cash prize fund with no equity taken.

This year InterTradeIreland is celebrating the 15th year of the Seedcorn Investor Readiness competition, the largest business competition on the island which offers a total cash prize fund of €280,000. This comprises €100,000 for the overall winner; €50,000 for the best category winner; six regional winners at €20,000 each and €10,000 for the best venture stemming from a university spin-out or support programme, all with no equity taken.

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he aim of the competition is to help young, innovative firms across the island get into a strong position to attract equity from investors and to move their business onto the next stage.

Connor Sweeney from InterTradeIreland explained: “As well as the substantial cash injection which is offered by the competition, we know that businesses also really value the experience of the Seedcorn process.

Entrants can get invaluable guidance, tips and advice from our experts, as well as investors and other entrepreneurs, on how to improve their business plan and investment pitch.”

To date, InterTradeIreland has supported nearly 2,600 companies through the Seedcorn competition with previous finalists going on to secure more than €218m worth of new equity.

“We have so many innovative companies in Northern Ireland and very talented people who have great ideas,” Connor added.

“However, over the history of the Seedcorn competition, we have only had a few local overall winners. So perhaps this is the time for companies here to step up to the challenge

See.Sense.from Newtownards receiving their Northern Ireland regional winner award for best early stage company, and a cash prize of 20,000 Euros, at the 2013 InterTradeIreland All Island Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition in Clontarf Castle, Dublin.

Presenting the award to Philip and Irene McAleese is Alastair Ross MLA the then Assembly Private Secretary to the DETI Minister.

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and bring the title back to Northern Ireland.”

Newtownards-based See.Sense is one of the local success stories of the Seedcorn competition. Set-up in 2013, the business, which specialises in the use of advanced technology to make cycling safer, took the title of best ‘Early Stage’ company in the Northern Ireland regional final of Seedcorn later that same year.

Before entering the competition, See.Sense, was at the pre-revenue stage of business with a good product concept and two employees.

Irene McAleese, co-founder of See. Sense explained: “Our business evolved very quickly and the Seedcorn competition really helped us to focus on the direction of our company. Following shortlisting, we attended a masterclass where we had the best minds in business around the table helping us refine our business plan. Their advice was invaluable and the feedback we received on our pitch really helped us to stand out from other start-ups.

“However, as cashflow is a big priority for young companies, the regional €20,000 cash prize was incredibly useful to us at that time. This boost certainly helped us to accelerate our sales growth and move the business forward considerably.”

Less than four years on, the exceptionally successful company has brought two innovative products to market and is selling them to thousands of cyclists right across the world with an ever-expanding team of 12 people. See.Sense has also recently raised more than £700,000 worth of equity which will help the company to realise ambitious growth plans.

Irene would advise other early stage companies to enter Seedcorn. “There are so many competitions for businesses to enter but Seedcorn is probably the most prestigious on the island and is very worthwhile. We found that it is especially respected in the Halo investor and VC world as when speaking to investors they put a high value on our Seedcorn success. The application process is very straightforward and I would say if there was one business competition that you should enter this year, make it Seedcorn.”

This year’s competition is now open for registration at www.intertradeireland.com/ seedcorn and the deadline for submissions is 26 May 2017.

Eye on Business Travel

Crowne Plaza… Brand New Hotel Choice For Belfast It is Belfast’s newest hotel, a luxury, four star, property located just a stone’s throw away from the city and close to all main arterial routes.

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nd in four short month’s since opening, the Crowne Plaza, Shaws Bridge has welcomed thousands of representatives from the world of politics, business, hospitality and tourism through its decadent doors, all seeking the ultimate in business and leisure.

Owned and operated by Belfast’s largest hotel group, Andras Hotels, the new hotel is dedicated to making business travel work.

Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts is the upscale, full service hotel brand from InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), and is designed with the modern business traveler in mind, with first class meeting facilities and complimentary high speed Wi-Fi throughout the new property. IHG is one of the world’s leading hotel companies with over 4,900* hotels worldwide, in nearly 100 countries with more than 1,200* hotels in its development pipeline. The Crowne Plaza® has over 400 hotels open globally.

Nestled in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Crowne Plaza is located within the Laganvalley Regional Park –perfect for the down-time of any business traveler seeking to enjoy the famous Northern Ireland scenery.

The hotel stands out from the crowd offering new Club Bedrooms and a Club Lounge complete with complimentary continental breakfast, snacks and drinks. The Crowne Plaza ‘Sleep Advantage’ programme has been installed, which includes new pocket-sprung mattresses and luxurious new bedding, quiet zone bedrooms and aromatherapy kits in every room.

Business travelers to the hotel can enjoy the absolute cuttingedge in conference facilities, with every single aspect of every

meeting, whether it’s a two person engagement or a conference for 900 delegates – every single detail is taken care of. Attention to detail is the Crowne Plaza’s forte.

Speaking about the conference facilities, Rajesh Rana, director, Andras Hotels said: “We are absolutely delighted with the reception we have had from business travelers on our new facilities here at the hotel.

“Every care has been taken to ensure that business travel works for all markets. We have the latest business services, a fantastic range of rooms to rival any in Northern Ireland, as well as fast and fresh meal options which are designed to help keep business travellers productive, connected and restored.

“We have over 20,000 square feet of events space which extends over 16 meeting rooms and are happy to say that our occupancy in these spaces has exceeded all targets.

“From event planning to execution, our team have undergone extensive training to ensure they offer the best that Northern Ireland has to offer. Our Meetings Director will handle offers one central point of contact to allow delegates to focus

on their event and the delegates.”

As Belfast’s largest conference hotel, the Great Oak Conference Centre is located on the top floor of the property, and has 12 superb meeting rooms with the latest AV technology and a dedicated business centre including ‘The Boardroom’ which boasts luxurious seating, a plasma screen TV and unlimited tea, coffee and refreshments.

The Grand Ballroom is one of Northern Ireland’s largest dedicated conference and banqueting spaces with capacity for 900 delegates or 550 dinner guests.

The elegant Malone Suite which can accommodate up to 200 guests and The Laganview Suite which is a dedicated stand-alone venue featuring two suites and pre-function areas for private and VIP events for up to 210 guests.

The restaurant also has a stunning new look, complete with an all new breakfast and a menu concept including Fast and Fresh menu items.

Guests can get active with the new Energy Station for joggers or free use of the onsite pool and health club, which has also been refurbished.

Rajesh continued: “Over the next eighteen months, we have plans to

roll-out a further £3.4million, which will further enhance our already exceptional facilities and allow a complete refurbishment of all 120 bedrooms and the creation of 34 new bedrooms. When the work is complete we will have invested £6million into our flagship property.”

Rajesh concluded: “The hotel has the perfect location, just minutes from the city centre, close to all main arterial routes and is a fantastic asset to the Belfast tourism and corporate market. Our leisure offering is the perfect compliement to the exceptional business facilities and we look forward to welcoming old and new business travellers to the hotel.”

IHG has awarded the Crowne Plaza franchise to Andras Hotels, which also owns and operates the group’s Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express in Belfast.

The Crowne Plaza Hotel is located at 117 Milltown Road, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast BT8 7XP. You can visit www. cpbelfast.com for a full list of facilities or the Meetings Director on 028 9092 3500.

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Eye on AgriFood

SUPERVALU ON MISSION TO GET NI COOKING AGAIN

New Research Shows ‘Foodie Culture’ is Developing in Northern Ireland but Consumers Need Inspiration to Get Back into the Kitchen

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eading foodmarket convenience retailer, SuperValu is on a mission to get Northern Ireland cooking again, with the launch of its new £1M ‘Let’s Cook’ campaign.

Announcing the major investment, SuperValu has released new research that shines a light on consumer cooking habits and attitudes to food in Northern Ireland.

According to the new report, only half of people (51%) are cooking at least one meal at home from scratch five times a week or more, with dinner the main driver. A worrying 18% say they cook no

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meals from scratch at all; whilst 13% cook one to two times per week and 17% three to four times.

We have a developing foodie culture, with over two thirds (68%) believing they have either very good or fairly good cooking skills, while 55% of the males surveyed and 79% of females ranked themselves at the ‘good’ end of the cooking skills scale.

In the contest for the coveted title of ‘national dish for Northern Ireland’, it’s almost neck and neck between Irish Stew (26%) and the Ulster Fry (24%).

Lack of time was cited as the largest barrier to cooking from

scratch (34%), whilst 20% said they ‘couldn’t be bothered’ and 13% cited a lack of inspiration.

There is also a desire for healthier inspiration, with 29% wanting inspiration for healthier lunches and 27% for the evening meal.

The new Let’s Cook campaign will encourage people to get back into the kitchen. Building on its work with leading NI chef, Noel McMeel (executive chef, Lough Erne Resort) over the last 12 months, SuperValu is bringing on board an expanded line-up of leading foodie ambassadors.

Working alongside McMeel, they will provide much-needed inspiration to aspiring cooks.

SuperValu’s new Wellness Ambassador, Estelle Wallace – a leading NI nutritional therapist and fitness professional - will

help educate and inspire customers on healthy eating, cooking and exercise.

Jilly Dougan, author of ‘Sow, Grow, Munch’ is SuperValu’s Innovation Ambassador. A passionate advocate of local produce, she will share her tips on growing your own herbs and veg, plus how to use home grown produce to add flavour and cook up simple dishes.

Sarah Patterson, owner of The Little Pink Kitchen and local food blogger completes the lineup as SuperValu’s Vegetarian Ambassador. Through sharing her favourite recipes, she hopes to inspire people to cook up tasty vegetarian cuisine that the whole family will love.

Commenting on the launch, SuperValu Lead Chef Ambassador

let’s

Eye on AgriFood

let’s

Noel McMeel said: “Great home cooking has been at the heart of my ethos as a chef. With increasingly hectic lifestyles, consumers are crying out for inspiration. I’m excited to join forces with SuperValu and new Let’s Cook Ambassadors, Estelle, Jilly and Sarah to help put home cooking back on the menu in homes across Northern Ireland.”

The Let’s Cook campaign will be supported by a full suite of in store and online activity including; the development of a new interactive online hub; impactful POS and in-store displays; and a Let’s Cook roadshow that will visit several key high profile events throughout 2017.

Recipe videos, Twittter tastings and engaging social content will encourage consumers to get cooking and to share their

experiences. In an exciting first for the SuperValu brand, an innovative ‘smelter’ bus shelter site on Foyle Street, Derry/Londonderry will create an immersive experience for commuters.

Desi Derby, Head of Marketing, Musgrave NI, said: “The new SuperValu Let’s Cook campaign supports our mission to help inspire customers to cook from scratch and create healthier alternatives.

“As leaders in local, quality food, we are committed to helping our customers to lead healthier lifestyles, providing them with the support and tools they need to make small, positive changes.

“We are proud to unveil this leading line-up of ambassadors – with their help, we’re looking forward to helping Northern Ireland get cooking from scratch again.”

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07/04/2017 15:54

Meet SuperValu’s Let’s Cook Ambassadors:

Lead Chef Ambassador:

Innovation Ambassador:

Wellness Ambassador:

Vegetarian Ambassador:

Noel McMeel

Jilly Dougan

Estelle Wallace

Sarah Patterson

Executive chef at Lough Erne Resort and SuperValu Ambassador Chef, Noel McMeel believes the key to great cooking is sourcing, preparing and serving local, fresh food in season.

Through the Let’s Cook campaign, Noel will share his favourite recipes, hoping to get people to fall in love with cooking again.

Author of ‘Sow, Grow, Munch’ and a passionate advocate of local produce, Jilly will share her tips on growing your own herbs and veg, plus how to use your own home grown produce to add flavour and cook up simple dishes.

Personal trainer, nutritional therapist and wellness coach, Estelle will share her knowledge on how to eat yourself healthy by making simple changes to your diet.

Owner of The Little Pink Kitchen and local food blogger, Sarah is passionate about vegetarian food. Sharing her recipes, she hopes to inspire people to cook up tasty vegetarian cuisine that the whole family will love.

For further information, visit www.supervalu.co.uk Follow SuperValu NI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @SuperValuNI or search #LetsCookNI

For further information, visit www.supervalu.co.uk Follow SuperValu NI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @ SuperValuNI or search #LetsCookNI

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Eye on Agri Food

Spirited Sounds From Derry’s Quiet Man Sam Butler talked to Ciaran Mulgrew, managing director of The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey in Derry, about the growing international success of the company’s malt whiskey.

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he Quiet Man in Derry city is now making a big noise in the global market for premium Irish whiskey.

The Quiet Man is reviving the tradition of distilling in Derry, once the home of Ireland’s biggest Irish whiskey distiller, and is now selling its spirits successfully in around 30 international markets including the US and many parts of Europe.

It’s fast becoming the most successful and best-known of the new generation of Irish whiskey products here.

Behind The Quiet Man is Ciaran Mulgrew, who has a wealth of experience in the industry and is managing director of Niche Drinks in Derry, a world leader in the production of Irish cream liqueurs.

Marketing director Michael Morris has been travelling the world over the past year to win business for the promising new brand.

Development of a new Irish

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whiskey distillery is also now well underway in Derry, the first in Northern Ireland’s second city for almost a century. Construction work to convert three existing buildings in what used to be a British Army base on the 26-acre Ebrington Square, one of the biggest development sites in Derry, is being driven by the affable and immensely knowledgeable Mulgrew.

As well as the refurbishment of existing buildings on the site to create a new state-of-the-art whiskey distillery, the project is developing additional linking structures on the huge square being transformed into a modern business and leisure facility.

The complex will be named The Quiet Man Craft Distillery.

The whiskey has already notched up an impressive number of international accolades, striking double gold twice at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits

Ciaran Mulgrew is the entrepreneur behind The Quiet Man Distillery in Derry and its developing portfolio of award winning Irish whiskies.

Competition. It gained a Double Gold for its eight-year-old Single Malt and also for its blended Irish whiskey. It has been named as ‘Dram of the Year’ by the Whisky Lounge.

The awards are a major recognition of the quality of the malt and premium blended whiskey launched last year and are now on sale in the US, Canada and 16 European markets including Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Poland and the Czech Republic as well as the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Derry was once home to the world’s biggest Irish whiskey distillery in the mid 19th century, the Watts Distillery, which was located in the city centre. The firm developed three major brands Tyrconnell, Favourite and Innishowen. Tyrconnell was, before Prohibition, one of the biggest selling whiskey brands in the United States. This distillery closed in 1925 after a serious fire and subsequent industrial difficulties.

Mulgrew says: “We are absolutely delighted to have been awarded double golds for both whiskey products. The Quiet Man was the only whiskey to achieve double golds in the awards, a tremendous endorsement of the product by expert judges and are proving immensely important as we

continue to drive global sales.

“What we’ve been doing is to establish a new Irish whiskey brand on the market ahead of our completion of a state-of-theart distillery at Ebrington. This represents a £10 million investment for Derry. We have already placed an order for three pot stills with a specialist manufacturer.”

The Quiet Man was named by Mr. Mulgrew in honour of his father, a well-known and respected figure in the bar trade in Belfast for 50 years and was known for his discretion.

“Sometimes he would bring me into work with him and so I grew up loving the sounds and smells of the bar, the craic, the laughter and the smell of the beer and whiskey, especially the whiskey,” he adds. “Now that I am making my own whiskey, I am naming it after my father. As a bartender, he saw a lot of things and heard a lot of stories, but like all good bartenders, he was true to his code and told no tales. My father, John Mulgrew is ‘The Quiet Man’, or as they say in Ireland ‘An Fear Ciuin.’”

The business is carrying forward the rich and colourful heritage of whiskey distilling in Derry/ An exciting new chapter in the history of Irish whiskey is now being written by Ciaran Mulgrew and The Quiet Man at Ebrington.

Eye on AgriFood

A Fresh way of thinking at Henderson Group

Paddy Doody and Neal Kelly from Henderson Group with winners of 2016 Local Supplier Awards.

When it comes to leading the field with fresh, local produce, Henderson Group have it in the bag. Here, Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director at Henderson Group, owners of the SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVO franchises in Northern Ireland, talks about their connections with local suppliers, and how they are investing in the agri-food industry here.

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hen it comes to fresh foods in our team, it is personal. We are trading with food producers, growers and suppliers who have generations of experience in providing only the best for our fresh meal solutions, and daily produce for shoppers.

“The agri-food industry in Northern Ireland has continued to flourish over the past many

years, with an extra focus on smaller, artisanal companies that are growing unique vegetables here, using our spectacular food heritage to create new products, and bringing the experience of local food to the masses.

“These are the people and companies we want to be working with. There is so much happening in Northern Ireland when it comes to agri-food, and our Fresh food team are at the front of the queue, creating bespoke products for our retail customers.”

In 2016, Henderson’s launched The Kitchen, an innovative new range of fresh meal solutions for quick and easy dinners, which was produced with the very best local suppliers in Northern Ireland.

“The 39-strong line of products is a collaboration between the Fresh Wholesale team, and four regular suppliers to the company; Armagh’s Daily Bake, Willowbrook Foods in Killinchy, Big Pot Co. in Cookstown and Quinfresh, based in Dungannon. We invested over £200,000 in these

companies to produce the range, which is already experiencing sales over £2M per year.”

The enjoy local range also continues to reign supreme in the fresh food category for SPAR and EUROSPAR customers. The line injected an investment of £25M in to the agri-food industry here, and the company recently announced a fresh food sales increase of 8 per cent in 2016, largely bolstered by the continued innovation of the enjoy local brand, helped by consistently high quality products from local producers.

“In 2014, we partnered with local butchers K&G McAtamney to create a specialised meat offering, particularly for barbeque season, which has performed well all year round.

“It is partnerships like this that allow us to be innovative, and local knowledge afforded to us by such companies as Fred C Robinson, Boconnell Mushrooms, McColgan’s and the likes of Genesis Crafty, allow us to bring a better range to the shopper.”

Every year, Henderson Wholesale further establishes its strong links with local food companies by holding the annual Local Supplier Awards at the Balmoral Show.

Established in 2012, the Local Supplier Awards celebrate the outstanding products, practises and ranges offered to SPAR and EUROSPAR stores in Northern Ireland and enables Henderson’s to applaud the companies who supply to its extensive Fresh ranges.

The Group also gives its suppliers the chance to interact with their shoppers, further highlighting their commitment to provenence, and at this year’s Balmoral Show, a series of suppliers will be sampling at the SPAR enjoy local marquee.

“We will have a host of our suppliers attending the Show to sample to the visitors throughout the four days, from Western Brand who supply some of our poultry products, to Clandeboye Yoghurt, who created the Great Taste Award winning enjoy local natural yoghurt with us.”

Henderson’s Fresh Team has also engaged with the Ulster University’s Food and Consumer Testing (FACT) Suite to heighten the quality of their products, in particular The Kitchen range.

“At Balmoral, the FACT team will be on hand to allow our visitors some taste-testing of their own, and will show them what they look for to make our quality products the best. We have had several of our products go through their blind taste tests, which has allowed us to continually make improvements to our range.”

The commitment to the local agri-food industry from the Henderson Group is clear, and will continue as the Group strives to make convenience better in Northern Ireland. “There is no reason why fresh foods can’t be affordable, convenient and local – the products on our shelves are testament to that.”

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Eye on Agri Food

STORMONT DOORS OPEN FOR TASTY MEALS Sam Butler talked to Colin Prentice, contract services manager of Compass Group at Stormont, about the commitment of the Members’ Dining Room at Parliament Buildings, Stormont to a superb dining experience.

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he windows open on a stunning vista. And looking out from the dining table at such a spectacular scene, especially in spring and summer, is surely among the very best places in Northern Ireland to enjoy a stylish lunch or relaxing afternoon tea.

The spectacular view is from the Members’ Dining Room in Parliament Buildings, Stormont, a restaurant reaching out to lovers of good food from Belfast and further afield.

The restaurant overlooks the famed Prince of Wales Avenue, a mile-long stretch down to ornate iron gates leading to Belfast’s busy Upper Newtownards Road and a long popular venue for families and dog walkers.

The ornate and high ceiling restaurant was once the preserve of MPs, MLAs, officials and their guests. But times have changed. It’s now open to the public and everyone is welcome to the hallowed halls of power.

Many foodies here probably don’t appreciate that the fine restaurant has been open to all for some time.

And it’s an initiative that’s backed enthusiastically by elected members and officials at the Northern Ireland Assembly in Parliament Buildings, one of the most architecturally impressive buildings in the UK. The politicians are keen to see the imposing building and its facilities experienced and enjoyed by local people and visitors to a much greater extent.

What can you expect? Simply delicious food that’s very professionally serviced by attentive and knowledgeable staff.

Catering throughout the historic building is the responsibility of Compass

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UK and Ireland, an internationally respected name in food, and is supervised by contract services manager Colin Prentice, who recently collected a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate in the prestigious Hudson’s Heritage Awards at the iconic Goldsmith’s Hall in London on behalf of the restaurant.

“Recognition in such an important award was a marvellous boost for everyone here,” Mr. Prentice says. “It was the first time that we had entered the event that celebrates high-quality experiences enjoyed by visitors to a wide range of heritage attractions.

“It was tremendously encouraging for us to be featured in the ‘Best Eating Out’ category along with Tintagel Castle in Cornwell, Durham Cathedral and Sherborne Castle, Dorset. Parliament Buildings, of course, is now a major tourism venue, and we are keen to work with Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland to encourage more visitors to use the excellent catering services readily available in the building,” he adds.

The stylish dining room, which can cater for around 50 people at

each setting, is now open 52 weeks each year for lunch and afternoon tea. Catering facilities include the appropriately named ‘Speaker’s Corner, a comfortable coffee bar on the first floor that’s also open to the public.

The corner includes a small shop of local produce supported by Food NI. And the restaurant within the building, designed in the Greek classical style

by Liverpool’s Sir Arnold Thornley and opened by Edward, Prince of Wales, in November 1932 in a spectacular ceremony, is proving an increasingly popular venue for weddings.

Brides and wedding planners are being drawn by the superb food and exceptional service…and, of course, the dramatic backdrop of the vast estate’s carefully maintained lawns which are ideal for stunning photography.

The restaurant is open to diners from noon to 2.30pm on weekdays.

The building’s colourful history and current role inevitably mean that all visitors are security checked, a rigorous but quick process using the latest technology. There’s also plenty

of secure and free parking within a few minutes of the vast building.

“Feedback from diners has been extremely encouraging,” continues Mr. Prentice. “We carry our regular monitoring surveys about our food and service to ensure everything we do is of the highest standard.

“Our occupancy rate last year averaged 92 percent. This translated into 96 percent of diners describing the quality of service as excellent, 100 percent saying the food was either excellent or very good and the same percentage saying that the choice of menu being either excellent or very good.”

Locally sourced food features strongly in the original dishes created by the team of chefs at Stormont. In addition, craft beers and spirits from local producers are also showcased.

Pricing is competitive with top restaurants in the city centre.

“Upwards of 90 percent of the food we serve uses ingredients from Northern Ireland suppliers,” he says. The dining room, in addition, has achieved ‘Taste of Ulster’ accreditation,” he adds.

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Eye on IT

Back To The Future As IT Celebrates Big 50 And the industry looks back to the beginning...

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he IT Industry, mostly known for looking to the future recently took a trip down memory lane to celebrate the birth of IT in Northern Ireland some fifty years ago.

Sir Desmond Lorimar, now 91 started the very first IT Company in NI – Independent Computing Services (Still trading today as Equiniti), along with Tom Winter, Nelson Millar, and Eric Allsop.

Over 150 past and present employees recently got together in Belfast to celebrate the momentous occasion. Speaking

at the event Sir Desmond Lorimar recalled how the company started after Harland &Wolff had purchased the hardware to run its own IT department, before deciding it didn’t need its own computer systems. Sir Desmond with the support of the IDB (Now Invest NI), purchased the equipment from H&W and Independent Computing Servces was born.

He paid tribute to the many staff who have worked at the company and credited them with the success it achieved.

l-r Nelson Millar, David Mawhinney OBE, Sir Desmond Lorimar, Eric Allsop, David Laird, Gordon Bell

l-r David Mawhinney OBE, Kenneth Acheson

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l-r Staff past & present…

l-r – Rita Kilpatrick, Elaine Bradley, Daphne Donnelly

l-r David Beattie, John Woollams, Julie Roulston, Stephen Gillespie, Ken Roulston, Doug Sturdy

Sir Desmond Lorimar, Nelson Millar

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY The BAILEYS, GORDON’S, CAPTAIN MORGAN, SMIRNOFF, GUINNESS, SMITHWICKS, CARLSBERG and HARP words and associated logos are trade marks © Diageo 2015.

Eye on Events

DERRY-STANSTED FLIGHT TAKES OFF

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mi Regional’s new flight from City of Derry Airport to London Stansted has commenced operations....replacing the former Ryanair service which was halted last year by the airline.

Guests on the inaugural flight included the Mayor of Derry, other VIP’s and local media. The new service, backed by government funding, uses a 49-seater Embraer

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aircraft and has a businessfriendly timetable, including an 06.45 weekday departure from Derry each morning, and a 19.25 service leaving Stanstead and arriving back into Derry at 20.45.

And, of course, London travellers can use the frequent Stansted Express rail service linking the airport with Liverpool Street Station in central London.

DIRECTORS FORUM LAUNCHED

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he Institute of Directors NI Young Directors Forum programme for 2017 has been launched in partnership with new sponsors Barclays.

Pictured ahead of the launch event at James Street South, from left, restaurateur Niall McKenna, James Street South; Gavin Campbell, Barclays Corporate Banking Relationship Director and Adrian Allen, Chair of the

of the IoD NI’s Young Directors Forum.

A series of events are planned during the year which includes the flagship Young Directors Conference, taking place on 6th October. Participants will also get the opportunity to hear from Paul Ettinger, co-founder of coffee shop chain Caffe Nero at a special event on 15 September which will be held at the new Barclays Eagle Lab in the former Ormeau Baths.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY The BAILEYS, GORDON’S, CAPTAIN MORGAN, SMIRNOFF, GUINNESS, SMITHWICKS, CARLSBERG and HARP words and associated logos are trade marks © Diageo 2015.

Eye on Events

ELECTRIC IRELAND POWERS IFA

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epresentatives from the Irish FA including Oonagh O’Reilly, Sales and Marketing Director for The Irish FA, teamed up with Clare McAllister, Sales and Marketing Manager of Electric Ireland, to announce a new partnership which will position Electric Ireland as the Official Energy Partner to Northern

Ireland Football and The National Football Stadium. The two year deal will also place Electric Ireland as the lead sponsor of Women’s Grassroots Football with highlights including sponsorship of the UEFA Women’s Under 19 Championship and The Electric Ireland Post Primary Schools Football and School Cup.

IMPROVING ONE MILLION FUTURES

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eloitte has launched a five year social impact strategy to help improve the lives of one million people. One Million Futures will see the firm work with more than 45 charities, schools and social enterprises across the UK to invest in a range of programmes that seek to raise aspirations, improve skills and develop leaders. In Belfast Deloitte

partner with NOW Group, Kinship Care NI and Hazelwood Integrated College.

Through a focus on education and training, One Million Futures aims to help one million people get to where they want to be; whether it’s in the classroom, the workplace or the boardroom.

Pictured are Mark McClintock, Impact Lead Partner at Deloitte Belfast; Maeve Monaghan, NOW Group CEO.

BVCA AWARD FOR RIVERRIDGE

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stand-out business in Northern Ireland was celebrated at the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA) Management Team Awards 2017, an annual celebration of UK companies supported by private equity and venture capital funds, produced in association with Grant Thornton UK LLP. Recycling and waste management specialists RiverRidge were announced and presented with an award in Belfast, as part of the BVCA National Dinner Series – the premier annual gatherings of regional private equity and venture capital professionals in the UK. The waste management

company now goes forward into the national final to compete against other regional winners, before the national winners are announced at the BVCA Gala Dinner on 30 November in London.

Initially acquired in 2011, RiverRidge has undergone significant investment, encouraging the company’s services and capabilities within its sector.

It works with 3,500 of Northern Ireland’s businesses, public bodies and local authorities, whilst employing over 240 staff across the region.

Brett Ross, CEO of RiverRidge receives an award as recognition as Mid Market team of the Year from Tim Hames, BVCA Director General (left) and Charlie Kerlin from Grant Thornton.

STENA LINE INVESTS £5M IN LOCAL FLEET REFIT

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tena Line has just completed the refit of all seven ships in its Irish Sea North ferry fleet with a total investment programme of £5m. The work was carried out at the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast over a 4-month period, with the carefully synchronised dry dock visits being managed by Stena Line’s Clyde-based sister company Northern Marine Ferries.

The 2017 refit programme was the first time that all seven Stena Line vessels went into dry dock sequentially, which represented a significant logistical

challenge for the company. As well as coordinating over 150 specialist onsite contractors, Stena Line also introduced temporary relief vessels to ensure that sailing schedules and customer service levels were maintained throughout the entire process.

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Eye on Education

You Get Experience, You Get A Qualification And You Set Yourself Up For A Career In IT

IT apprenticeships meeting growing demands of Northern Ireland IT sector, but more needed

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drive to address the welldocumented IT skills gap in Northern Ireland will soon see the 200th apprentice being delivered to the sector by Belfast Metropolitan College.

The Public Private Apprenticeship scheme, which has been running for five years, pairs apprentices with organisations such as Fujitsu, Capita, the Northern Ireland Civil Service, the PSNI, Dale Farm and Randox Laboratories.

The training allows apprentices to study one day a week in the college while gaining hands-on, paid experience in the organisations during the other four days.

Working closely with industry, Belfast Met has continually developed the curriculum to meet the changing demands of the employers. An impressive 96% of apprentices complete the Programme.

“Our apprenticeship scheme is reflective of our business requirements. We want applicants who are ready to embrace digital and the opportunities therein,” said Louise Hull, NI Apprenticeship Programme Manager at Fujitsu, which has

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taken on 45 apprenticeships.

“Digital transformation presents economic, social and cultural benefits. Our in-depth apprenticeship programme harnesses and develops the skills of innovators to capitalise on the benefits brought about by digitalisation. It provides participants with a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in a work environment while equipping them with the latest knowledge and key insights on ICT trends and advancements.”

Such is the huge demand for IT skills in the province, many companies which previously selected employees with a degree in IT are now recruiting following A’ Levels to allow more people a chance to break into the industry.

IT Growth Areas Of the nearly 200 apprentices that have passed through Belfast Met’s doors, there is an equal split in provision of software development and computing, and infrastructure and IT support roles.

However, as Philip Allen, Belfast Met Curriculum Area Manager – IT Services, Creative & Digital Industries, explains, there are other major

growth areas: “In Northern Ireland there is a huge demand for network operators, Data Analytics and Cloud skills. The positions are there – we just now need the talent to fill them.”

He continued, “Cyber security and digital forensics are also important growth areas. In fact, Northern Ireland now requires 2,500 cyber security professionals.

“As a result there will be an apprenticeship programme focusing solely on this speciality beginning next year. We are currently running classes in this area at Belfast Met and are main college in Northern Ireland involved in training people in this skillset.”

Changing Careers 31-year-old Sarah Gillespie is a qualified pharmacist from Derry~Londonderry. Despite having no previous experience in IT, she is now an apprentice at Fujitsu in the North West.

“For the past few years I knew I wanted a career in IT but wasn’t sure how I would get on to this

new path. I had thought about a foundation degree in my spare time. I saw the apprenticeship as a chance to get a job in the sector and also to ‘earn while you learn’.

“I was delighted to get on the apprenticeship and am now in the middle of the 2-year programme. I was in the workplace as early as Week 1.”

Sarah continued, “I’m currently working in Application Support and am due to start another project imminently. It’s been great working with staff who have been apprentices before me.

“If you were to ask me why I would encourage others, I would say, ‘you get experience, you get a qualification, you’re not in debt and you’ve set yourself up for your future career in IT.”

For more information on the IT Apprenticeships, please email: pallen@belfastmet.ac.uk / creativedigital@belfastmet.ac.uk

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Eye on Giving

Just Do It!...

A Lawyer’s Perspective on Giving A barrister since 2003 Orlagh Kelly ran her own legal practice for twelve years representing clients in almost two thousand court cases before starting a legal technology company and single handedly developing the first mobile practice management platform for barristers, Briefed, recently featured in Forbes magazine.

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uilding on her legal and technological expertise Orlagh has now launched her third successful business, THINK Data Protection, the only data protection training and consultancy agency in Northern Ireland.

1. What are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving?

I feel passionately that we live in a world where we should all be helping each other, be it financially or with our time. Simple things like calling to see an elderly neighbour with some buns can make all the difference to their day, so in that sense I feel ‘charitable giving’ should be an intrinsic part of all of us.

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

On reflection it’s a combination of both. In my personal life I have causes which are important to me, shaped most likely by my childhood.

Due to a close relationship with my grandparents until they passed away recently I have a huge respect and affection for older members of the community and prioritise giving to this section of the community. In my professional life I’m passionate about helping young people learn

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new skills and gain confidence to excel in their own professional life and am actively involved in a number of mentoring schemes, particularly for young entrepreneurs and female professionals.

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

Whilst donating money and participating in charity events is ongoing, I am keen to use my business to amplify my giving. My company regularly donates products to charity auctions or raffles, helping raising money for worthy causes.

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

I find that the causes I favour evolve depending on my own experiences.

Having set up three businesses in very different sectors, I have come to understand the value that experience can bring to others just starting out.

During my twelve years as a barrister I actively participated in training and mentoring a number of new barristers known as ‘pupils’. The programme is a great tradition within the Bar that I was delighted to participate in where older more experienced barristers train new barristers every day for

Orlagh Kelly, Barrister & Tech Entrepreneur.

six months and then continue as a mentor for the rest of their practice.

Personally I found it an extremely rewarding experience to train and mentor new barristers, which greatly enriched my professional life.

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

Having moved from a traditional profession of barrister to founder of a tech start-up in another male dominated industry I have continued the theme of engaging with and mentoring fellow female entrepreneurs through Women in Business, and am looking forward to speaking to leaders of education through CCEA to help schools encourage girls to enter the world of technology and consider careers in the digital sector.

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

Of course! We all need help at one time or another, and we should offer it willingly to others.

I myself had had great benefit from mentors who gave freely of their time and expertise to help me, and without whom I couldn’t

have achieved what I have. I feel it is my responsibility to pay that forward, and I enjoy doing so.

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

Just do it! In a world where business is competitive and sometimes cut throat, philanthropy is an opportunity to connect to the community around you, give something back and to engage meaningfully in the real world. It’s not all about the bottom line, it’s about people.

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?

I think it’s a wonderful idea. Giving Northern Ireland brings strategic thinking and a joined up approach to charitable giving, which ultimately means all donations - money, time, knowledge or even influence, can be maximised, and used to their full potential to make a difference in people’s lives.

Eye on Internet

Dave, Technology and the Power of People

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

Meet Dave. Dave was born in 1950 and kicked off his career as a sales junior fresh out of college in an ambitious retail firm in 1971. Dave thrived in his role; he relished dealing with his customers and what’s more he was good with them. He got people, people loved him and for the next few years he honed his sales technique as he grew into the top sales performer in his team.

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e realised the more he knew about the products he was selling, the more people trusted him, the better rapport he had with people, the more he sold. It was the ultimate win-win-win. He was happy as he hit his targets. His bosses were happy as their revenue increased.

And his customers were happy as they bought products they liked at a price they could afford from a person they liked.

So it was no surprise in 1975 when Dave got promoted to Sales Manager. Some of his peers were a little jealous as they wanted the role but deep down they knew Dave was the man for the job. He had been stuffing his targets for nearly half a decade and by now had supplemented his natural gift for selling by doing a masters and building his education.

As a result of this promotion Dave met his former customers less often. He knew that Alice always called by in June to buy something for her husband, and John would phone in a panic the day before Christmas Eve for presents for the family and that Mr Jones needed a call to prompt him about his anniversary and he would remind his sales team that these things were important.

What’s more, he would bump into his customers all the time.

He would see them on the shop floor when he called down. They went to the same golf club as him and his kids went to the same school and soccer club as their kids. If he went for a walk with the family, inevitably he would bump into a customer who he used to deal with.

“How are things John?” he would always ask “I hope that Janet on the sales desk is still looking after you OK?” and he would make sure that his team were still look after his customers. Usually they were but if he got a sniff that his customers weren’t getting looked after as well as they used to, Monday morning was not a happy one for Janet, or whoever was now looking after his customers.

John’s team thrived and as the early 1980s dawned, he inevitably got the Sales Director role. He was on the shop floor almost never, but many of his former customers were now at the golf club, or in the Rotary or business networking clubs, and he found this a really useful way of keeping in touch with them and making sure they were being well looked after. He cherished checking in on his old customers and was always keen to make sure they were being treated well.

The 1980s gave way to the 1990s and Dave’s son turned

out to be a chip off the old block.

Confident, happy and good with people, he naturally followed his father into the world of sales.

Dave Jnr joined an e-commerce company to help them sell more things to more people.

Dave Jnr never met his customers. They didn’t live in his town and he didn’t know their personal stories. He didn’t naturally pick up their buying motivations by chatting with them because he didn’t physically meet them. They weren’t in his rugby club, he didn’t bump into them in the street and they didn’t go to his business networking events.

But Dave Jnr inherited his Dad’s nose for understanding people. So he quickly realised that because his customers were physically removed from him, he had to work twice as hard as his father to get to know them. Subsequently, he invested heavily in them, observing their behaviours, understanding their needs and improving their experience.

Dave Jnr and his colleagues immerse themselves in surveys, behavioural analysis, split testing, usability tests, experimentation, empathy mapping, click tests and perception tests to try to understand the customers he serves as intimately as his Dad did a generation previously.

In the pre-digital world, the default position for all of us dealing with customers is that we would meet them most days, and even as careers progressed and people moved away from the front line, they still had lots of chances to check in with their customers.

In the digitally transforming world we live in, the default position is that we don’t meet them and so we are removed from all of the human cues that let us know how well we are treating them. In this new world it is doubly important that we commit ourselves to knowing our customers intimately, and the commercial performance of organisations such as Google, Amazon and eBay that do would suggest that such organisations will enjoy both victory and the spoils.

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 UX strategy, usability testing and customer journey planning, web accessibility and integrated online marketing. Clients include Three, Ordnance Survey Ireland, PSNI, Permanent TSB and Tesco Mobile.

Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

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Eye on Moving On 1 Law firm TLT has promoted Belfast-based real estate lawyer Sarah Ewing to legal director. Sarah’s promotion follows the recent arrival of experienced real estate partner Judith Allen from A&L Goodbody this year, and is part of a four-strong round of real estate legal director promotions across the UK. 2 Belfast-based backup power specialist company Continu has appointed Peter Watson to the position of Senior Field Service Engineer.

Peter has been with the company since 2012, during which time he has achieved specialist backup power qualifications including official certification from Continu’s global partner APC by Schneider Electric.

1 Sarah Ewing

4 Margaret Allen

2 Peter Watson

5 Caitriona Lennox

3 Stephen Magill

6 Clare Keenan

3 Stephen Magill, former regional manager for Tesco Express stores with Northern Ireland, has been appointed Tesco NI commercial manager. He joined Tesco in 1993 and during that time has held several different positions in management, including his most recent position, Tesco Express regional manager, responsible for 19 Express stores across Northern Ireland, including the recently opened University Street store in Belfast.

4 Margaret Allen has been promoted to Director of Procurement and Capital Projects at Mount Charles. She joined the company over 20 years ago as a chef before progressing to Regional Operations Manager in charge of Retail 5 Division. Also at Mount Charles, Caitriona Lennox has been promoted to Business Development and Retention Manager across the Catering, Vending, Beverage & Events 6 divisions at the company. Clare Keenan becomes Operations Manager for the Cleaning, Security and Support Services Diivision and 7 Nuala McNally has been appointed Business Development Manager for the Cleaning, Security and Support Services Division.

At the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry, 8 Stuart Hollinger has been appointed Finance & Assurance Manager. Stuart has joined NI Chamber from Titanic Belfast where he spent 5 years and has a further 13 years finance experience in various industries including telecommunications, recruitment and public transport.

7 Nuala McNally

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8 Stuart Hollinger

9 Lisa Maltman

9 Also at the Chamber, Lisa Maltman becomes Business Services Executive . She holds an MSc degree in International Business and has experiences in the local food and drink sector and its export markets.

Eye on Moving On 10 Taking on the same role is Nicola Woods, who has worked in public relations for both Armagh Camogie and as a technical 11 specialist with Apple. Denise Brice is appointed as Finance & Admin Officer at the 12 Chamber, while Andrew Smyth has been promoted to Business Services Manager.

10 Nicola Woods

11 Denise Brice

12 Andrew Smyth

13 Anne Daley joins Clarendon Executive as a Consultant and will work as a key part of the team on the identification of leadership competences within executive recruitment and leadership development processes.

14 Meanwhile, Mark Latuske joins Clarendon Executive as Head of Executive Coaching and Organisational Development. Mark’s HR and People Development career has taken in both big four consultancy and senior in-house roles, gaining significant experience across financial services, telecoms, education and health sectors.

15 Gerardine Kane has been appointed as Sales Administrator for the 1080o division of the Alpha Group, Northern Ireland’s largest office furniture provider. Also at Alpha Group, 16 Philip McCullough takes on a similar role for the Alpha Office Furniture Division. And 17 Alison Kane has been appointed as Group Human Resources Manager at Alpha Marketing.

As a member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and with more than 10 years’ experience in a range of Human Resources roles, Alison will lead all aspects of the Alpha Group’s Human Resources Management and Development functions.

13 Anne Daley

14 Mark Latuske

15 Gerardine Kane

16 Philip McCullough

17 Alison Kane

18 Labhaoise Glancy

18 Labhaoise Glancy has been appointed as a Solicitor in Banking and Finance with A&L Goodbody Belfast. Labhaoise trained with A&L Goodbody and qualified in 2014. She returned to A&L Goodbody in 2016 from Hong Kong where she worked for an international law firm.

19 Also at A&L Goodbody, Ryan Walker becomes a Solicitor in the Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate team. Prior to returning to Belfast, Ryan spent several years with the corporate team at Linklaters in London and holds qualifications for England & Wales.

19 Ryan Walker

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Eye on Culture

Richard Wigley...

New Thinking at the Ulster Orchestra We should all be proud of the fact that we have a symphony orchestra of our very own here in Northern Ireland....an orchestra that survives on a budget and turnover a fraction of those of other orchestras around these islands.

B

ut local pride doesn’t pay the bills and the Ulster Orchestra has had a well-documented fight for its life over recent years, particularly in the midst of recession when all-important private sector support took a nosedive.

Fresh thinking, though, can make a difference. And it has arrived in the shape of a new chairman in former senior civil servant Stephen Peover and a relatively

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new Managing Director in Richard Wigley, who was appointed to the role just over a year ago.

“This is a great orchestra and I’m delighted to be here,” says Wigley. “But times have changed and all orchestras need to think differently. They must invest more in connecting with their wider communities and they need to provide the kind of musical programmes that

broadens their public appeal.

“Most importantly, there’s no point in complaining about lack of funding. Here at the Ulster Orchestra we survive on a £4 million turnover while the turnover at a lot of other UK orchestras is double that. But it’s a fact of life and we get on with it, it’s a privilege to have the funding we have.”

Wigley’s innovative approach was displayed at the tail end of last year when the Orchestra marked its 50th birthday in a unique way.

Not by staging a gala concert at the Ulster Hall, not by entertaining black tied corporate guests in another formal setting.....but by performing live music at 50 different venues around Belfast in one day.

A remarkable feat, all things considered, and one which landed the Orchestra a nomination for a Royal Philharmonic Society award.

Richard Wigley is a musician turned orchestra chief. A New Zealander, he studied music in the United States, became a professional bassoon player and found his way to the British Isles (as so many Kiwis do) where he joined the Manchesterbased Hallé Orchestra.

It was at the Hallé that he progressed from player to artistic planner before moving to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for a 10-year spell fetching up as General Manager.

“In order to stay creatively

Eye on Culture

fresh I don’t think anyone should stay at the BBC for longer than ten years,” he smiles. “But I loved it and it was an honour to be part of the organisation.”

A spell as a form of orchestral management consultant followed, much of it spent helping out an orchestra in the Netherlands before he took a call from Trevor Green, who was advising the Ulster Orchestra in its search to recruit a leading manager to come to Belfast.

“It was a great opportunity and I didn’t have to think about it,” he says. “This is a brilliant city and I love the countryside here....it reminds me of home.” When he’s not managing orchestras, Wigley is a keen fell runner and Northern Ireland offers plenty of opportunities for him to pursue his hobby.

Getting down to business, he’s candid about the Ulster Orchestra’s finances. “The Orchestra’s problem has been that it has a very limited income and

it has tended to be about half a million pounds short every year.

Clearly, that’s not sustainable.

“So we have to take a businesslike approach, we have to cost our ideas, we have to assess the risks, and we have to try to work to budget but at the same time we also have to show ambition and to be innovative.”

If the 50 concerts in a day idea was one example of innovation, another example was the commissioning of Ulster-born composer Neil Martin to compose a piece based on the poetry of Seamus Heaney. To Richard Wigley, mixing music with some of Northern Ireland’s very best literature was an obvious direction to travel in.

“It’s about showing ambition and it’s also about taking some risks.

Orchestras can’t always fall back on Mozart and Beethoven. They need to look in different directions, particularly to reflect NI culture.”

The Ulster Orchestra is made

up of 63 professional musicians.

In business terms, that counts as a very high fixed cost. “And these people are highly talented artists....we can’t replace them with robots,” Wigley jokes.

Adding a spot of classical music showbiz to the picture is the Ulster Orchestra’s Music Director, Venezualan Rafael Payare, a 34-year old with rock star looks who is married to superstar American cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Anyone who was watched Amazon’s wonderful Mozart In The Jungle might see parallels between Payare and the New York orchestra’s maestro Rodrigo.

Wigley also pays tribute to the Orchestra’s backroom staff. “We have strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion, but we also have a group of people who don’t appear on stage but who work hard to play ahead and support the orchestra.... and who are just as passionate about every note played.”

On the income side of the balance sheet, the Orchestra’s largest slice of funding comes from the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (they’re the Council’s biggest clients), topped up by corporate sponsorship, ticket sales income and a strong partnership with the BBC as ‘their’ orchestra in NI. “Our aim stays the same. We want to produce beautiful music, music that lifts and inspires our audiences. But we have to look at different ways of doing that, and different places to do it.”

Under Wigley’s leadership, the Ulster Orchestra will be

performing more often than it used to away from its spiritual home – the Ulster Hall.

“We have to realise that not everyone loves Beethoven, but I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love the impact of the orchestral sound. So we will be playing popular programmes, including great movie themes, in the Belfast Waterfront - the kind of programmes that increase our audience base.

“We’ll also be increasing the number of times that we play in smaller venues outside of the city, bringing new musical experiences to places that maybe haven’t experienced it before.”

And Northern Ireland’s own classical music legend, Sir James Galway, will be back in his native city to play with the Orchestra on 1st June at the Belfast Waterfront.

“In some ways, we’ve not always delivered the obvious as an organisation. Innovation is important but so is playing to our strengths,” says Richard Wigley.

As a musician, he has few problems connecting with the Orchestra’s players as a non-musical MD might have. “I’m certainly not an accountant,” he jokes. “If you give an accountant £10, he’ll spent six and keep the rest in reserve. If you give the same £10 to a creative, he’ll spend £15. I’m somewhere in between, I suppose.”

But he’s clearly doing something right. Tickets sales for the Orchestra’s forthcoming programmes are clearly on the up. www.ulsterorchestra.org.uk

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What are some of the benefits to leasing I might not be aware of?

To find out the answer, visit: dfcbelfast.co.uk/resources/pch-faq-video-be.html

Eye on Motoring

DON’T JUST TAKE DFCs WORD FOR IT. DFC took the decision to install RAC Telematics into its business fleet just over 2 years ago.

T

hey have a lot of positive feedback from customers around the use of telematics, and they feel it makes their offering more competitive when tendering for new contracts.

CEO Uel Butler said “When you consider the combination of RAC Telematics, along with breakdown and accident management, it is a powerful proposition and the brand carries a lot of weight. It means we can offer the complete package.”

But don’t just take their word for it Andrew Ryan from Fleet news looked at how fleet managers can benefit from telematics Heres a snippet from his article Used correctly, telematics technology can have a transformational effect on many fleets. The potential impact of its data is far-reaching: businesses which use it often report significant savings in areas such as fuel and insurance, while others talk about the positive reduction in risk and increased productivity.

Benefits such as fuel savings can be a simple way to demonstrate how it will impact the company’s bottom line, others, such as the potential improvement in duty of care to drivers, are harder to put a figure to.

“For most fleets, telematics will typically deliver 15 to 20 different areas of benefit, but it will be three or four that deliver around 90% of the value,” says Steve Thomas, sales director at Ctrack.

“The challenge for fleet managers is to understand the biggest opportunities that should be focused on immediately and possess the flexibility to adapt priorities along the way.

“For example, a fleet we have been working with initially wanted to target a reduction in vehicle idling,

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but analysis of the early data showed that any savings were nominal.

“However, it instead found that drivers were making excessive mileage claims by an average of 28%, which represented a much more significant cost to the business.”

The RAC Telematics Report 2016 found that businesses which use telematics cite benefits such as lower fuel costs (55%), fewer collisions (43%) and a reduction in maintenance costs among the top reasons for introducing the technology to their fleets.

“Our original business case was based around making a 10% saving on fuel; we also knew it was going to have an effect on health and safety, but that was difficult to quantify,” Lightbody says.

“For me, it was kind of disappointing that fuel was the sole objective because I know telematics can do so much more, but the fuel savings grabbed the attention and since then we’ve been able to demonstrate significantly more benefits than that.”

As well as a typical 10-13% increase in fuel economy across the fleet, telematics has also

enabled Anglian Water to reduce its insurance premium significantly.

“If there’s enough opportunity on fuel alone to cover the cost of telematics, keep it simple and go for the low hanging fruit that is fuel, but know that you’ll also have a positive impact on other areas,” adds Lightbody.

“If you think making the case on fuel alone sounds borderline, add that if you drive up fuel efficiency then you will absolutely reduce wear and tear costs and accident costs: think about all of the opportunities.”

As fleet manager at Bristow & Sutor, Andrew Wearing introduced telematics in June last year after making the business case on health and safety grounds, as well as fuel savings.

“We’ve all got a duty of care to drivers,” says Wearing. “You’ve got to make sure they drive safely, so that was a key element of our process, but that doesn’t give you obvious financial savings and sometimes management may not want to spend money unless they can see some tangible benefits in their pocket.

“For example, I had some Peugeot 2008s on the fleet and some

were doing 40mpg and others were doing 65mpg, so clearly the difference was down to the way the vehicles were being driven.

Wearing says driver coaching and encouragement can often deliver an improvement, but this may only be short-lived before drivers revert to their old habits.

“If you go for the right telematics system you can get a step change in your fuel consumption. We introduced the technology last June and by July we’d seen a 10% improvement in fuel consumption data – it was almost instantaneous.”

Drivers could see from the RAC app what improvements they could make and adjust driving styles accordingly saving both the company and the drivers money.

So, if you’d like to know more contact DFCS RAC Telematics expert Pauline Nelmes on 02890 734222 or email pauline@dfcbelfast.co.uk To see the advantages and benefits of telematics visit www.dfc-rac.co.uk

Is it true that, the less miles I put on the car, the less I pay?

To find out the answer, visit: dfcbelfast.co.uk/resources/pch-faq-video-be.html

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

HONDA BIGS UP ITS CIVIC AND ADDS SMART NEW MOTORS The tenth generation of the Honda Civic sees it grow in size - clearly it hopes to muscle into the space vacated by the Accord, the long-running and much admired middleweight saloon. Significantly, they are also launching an estate version with even more space.

W

ith eye-catching styling, the new model now has a full glass rear window and the trademark spoiler which somehow seems less obtrusive. The newbie sits squat on the road and is full of attitude.

Under its svelte skin, there are some very clever engines and an advanced suspension system that makes it

feel very confident on any road.

Two turbocharged VTEC petrol engines lead the power line-up. The starter 1.0litre three cylinder has a perky output of 129PS, a level of power you would expect from a larger capacity. Depending on the model, it is good for 0-62mph in between 10.4 and 11.2 seconds. You get a claimed 55mpg, 117gm/km and a 22% tax rating.

Then there is the 1.5-litre four-cylinder VTEC with 177PS, which is a decidedly frisky performer that can do the sprint 62mph in 8.2 seconds. But most business buyers will wait until later this year when a 1.6 turbo diesel goes on sale. We also await the latest high performance Type R. Honda has always delivered great engines but a 1.0 litre in a decent sized car? Combined with the optional CVT automatic transmission I found it worked

well. Power seemed to be almost instantly available in all situations, such is the eagerness of the small engine.

The new Civic sits flat on twisting country roads thanks to a new suspension system. (This promises well for the more powerful Type R!) Ride comfort is better than previous Civics. Inside, the layout is simpler than before with supportive seats and a bigger boot than rivals.

Prices start from £18,335.

Has Alfa Cracked The German Dominance Of Driver’s Cars?

Alfa is back with its most credible ever alternative to the ubiquitous BMW 3-series. The new Giulia is a rear-drive sports saloon with all the ingredients of a true driver’s car.

There is even a flagship model with a biturbo V6 engine sourced from Ferrari to do battle with the M3.

T

he 503bhp Quadrifoglio is a worthy super saloon with volcanic performance and fine handling. It takes just 3.9 seconds to hit 62mph from rest and has a theoretical top speed of 191mph! As it is priced from over £60K, not to mention the 189g/km emissions, not many will be bought as fleet cars.

Still, there are more practical offerings further down the price list. The 2.2-litre diesels will catch the accountant’s eye. Its a new aluminium engine available with outputs of 148 or 177bhp. Later in the year an Eco model of the more powerful version will be available with emissions of 99g/km.

Neither of the so-called JTDM-2 diesels could be called a slouch with 0-62mph acceleration figures of 7.1 and 8.2 seconds respectively.

Whilst not as lithe as their big brother, they have a pleasantly balanced feel on the road, together with a sporty ethos. Curiously, all Giulia models come with a slick 8-speed automatic gearbox.

When it comes to doing the

business, the diesels are on the money with a claimed 67.3mpg and emissions of 109g/km.

Prior to the arrival of that Eco model, they are rated in the 23% company car tax bracket. This sounds reasonable given the Giulia’s spirited performance.

The Giulia impresses on most fronts. It drives precisely, has surprisingly compliant suspension

and stops sharply - emergency auto braking is standard. It has clean lines and a novelty value against the usual German suspects.

If Alfa Romeo can match the dynamics and technology with a quality of build that is also of the 21s century then the Giulia will be a game changer for them and the executive car line-up. Prices for the diesels start from £31,790.

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Is tax included in the monthly payments?

To find out the answer, visit: dfcbelfast.co.uk/resources/pch-faq-video-be.html

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

ANOTHER CLEVER LITTLE RUNABOUT FROM SUZUKI Suzuki seems to be systematically replacing its entire range and is getting plaudits from all directions. The Ignis follows the Celerio and the Baleno and is shortly to be followed by a new version of its star turn, the Swift.

T

he Ignis is a small, tall runabout aspiring to be SUV cross-over but not quite making the grade.

This little car is more spacious than it looks and it seemed to grow on me over a few days. You either love or hate its original styling but it gets on with the job without any fuss.

My test car was the ‘flagship’ SHVS SZ5 with all-wheel drive that is priced at a modest £14K, give or take. Powered by Suzuki’s established

1.2-litre petrol engine, it can manage 0-62mph in 11.1 seconds. Described as a ‘mild hybrid’, it has regenerative braking and stop start to bring some of the benefits. The saved energy helps give a mild boost to acceleration.

Combined economy is rated at 65.7mpg and emissions at 106g/km which puts the Inis in VED band A. While not a sports car, the Ignis feels nippy enough and its light and easy driving and small footprint make it ideal for the city.

The ALLGRIP is a simple all-wheel drive system that will keep you going in conditions where other cars start to falter. It now has hill descent and grip control that you can switch on in difficult condtions.

The SHVS comes with the generous SZ5 trim that runs to safety systems to warn the driver of hazards and ultimately apply the brakes if he or she does not

react. It has other technical aids such as lane departure warning that used to be the preserve of large executive cars.

The SZ5 also has automatic air conditioning, camera brake support, keyless entry, push button starter and LED headlamps making it one of the best equipped small cars out there. With prices from £11,639, the Ignis range has an appealing package to offer.

NEW MOKKA X

TECHNOLOGY WHERE IT COUNTS

P11D FROM £17,400 | UP TO 72.4MPG | CO 2 FROM 103G/KM

Vauxhall OnStar* with Vehicle Diagnostics and 4G Wi-Fi**.

7-inch colour touchscreen with Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™.

The New Mokka X. Go drive it.

SEARCH NEW MOKKA X FLEET

Fuel consumption information is official government environmental data, tested in accordance with the relevant EU directive. New Mokka X range fuel consumption figures mpg (litres/100km): Urban: 32.8 (8.6)-64.2 (4.4), Extra-urban: 49.6 (5.7)-78.5 (3.6), Combined: 42.2 (6.7)-72.4 (3.9).

CO2 emissions: 155-103g/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. 2016-17 tax year. General Motors UK Limited, trading as Vauxhall Motors, does not offer tax advice and recommends that all Company Car Drivers consult their own accountant with regards to their particular tax position. New Mokka X Design Nav (non-ecoFLEX) model illustrated features Amber Orange two-coat metallic paint (£555) and premium LED Adaptive Forward Lighting (£1160), optional at extra cost. * = Includes 12 months of OnStar services from date of first registration and a 3 month/3 GB Wi-Fi free trial period (whichever comes first) effective from the date the customer accepts the nominated network operator Wi-Fi T’s&C’s. Destination download feature only operates on models fitted with Navi 900 IntelliLink satellite navigation system. The OnStar Services require activation and are subject to mobile network coverage and availability. ** = Wi-Fi Hotspot service requires account with nominated network operator. 4G is subject to mobile network coverage and availability. Charges apply after the free trial period. The OnStar subscription packages could be different from the services included in the free trial package. Check www.vauxhall.co.uk/onstar for terms and conditions, details of availability, coverage and charges. Apple CarPlay and Apple are trademarks of Apple Inc. registered in the U.S. and other countries. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. All figures quoted correct at time of going to press (December 2016).

VOLVO NORTHERN IRELAND & YOU:

PERFECT BUSINESS PARTNERS.

BUSINESS OFFERS Business Contract Hire

V40 T2 Momentum

NonMaintained cost (per month)

Maintained cost (per month)

Initial rental (+ VAT)

Month agreement

Annual mileage

BHP

BIK%

CO2

P11d

£179

£199

£1,074

36

10,000

122

24%

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V40 D2 R Design

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XC90 D5 Powerpulse AWD R-Design Geartronic

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Stanley Motor Works (SMW) Belfast Greers of Antrim & Coleraine

Volvo Business Centre

028 9068 6000 www.volvocarsbelfast.co.uk

028 9446 0066 www.volvocarsantrim.co.uk

Fuel consumption and CO2 figures for the Volvo Range in mpg (I/100 km): Urban 68.9 (4.1) – 19.1 (14.8), Extra Urban 85.6 (3.3) – 37.7 (7.5), Combined 155.2 (1.8) – 27.7 (10.2). CO2 emissions 237 – 48g/km. MPG figures are obtained from laboratory testing intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results. *Important Information. Business users only. Offers available on Business Contract Hire agreement 6+35.

Subject to status. Costs exclusive of VAT unless indicated otherwise. Further charges may be made subject to the condition or mileage of the vehicle. 10,000 miles per annum.

Metallic Paint inclusive. Subject to availability at participating dealers for vehicles registered 01/04/17 to 30/06/17. Not available with other promotions. Excess mileage charges may apply. Provided by Lex Autolease Ltd trading as Volvo Car Leasing, SK3 0RB.