Identity…The Next Frontier

EyeonTechnology

Identity: The Next Frontier

By Gavin Woods Business Development Director at Nitec

IT and computers are a sphere of industry that is exceptionally dynamic, so we should all expect change. In fact, it is the one constant in computing, especially given the “us versus them” hacking arms race we are all part of.

Security is more important than you think This is hardly a new problem though. This is the same issue the banks have had for the last decade and, as we know, if you really want to be sure that a person is who they say they are, you give them a password and then you give them a little dongle that generates the right 4 or 6 digit code on queue.

Five years ago, most of us did our work in the office and, as such, most of the protection was focused on the firewall to keep what was outside, out and keep what was inside, in.

If only life was so simple today. Half of a company’s staff are outside, working remotely, and they expect every function of their job to be available as if they were inside. In addition, half your servers are outside too. Maybe servers is the wrong word but as companies use more services like Monday.com, OneDrive or Dropbox these services are on servers outside your firewall.

When you think about it the only way to sleep happy in this modern environment is to be absolutely certain that whoever is logging in is who they say they are. If you are on Office 365 (and let’s face it, who isn’t?) you can have access to this for nothing. Despite this bargain price however, less than 1 in 10 people have enabled this. In summary, it’s simple, it’s free, it’s absolutely critical and on balance of probability you haven’t done it yet.

I think at least part of the problem is that IT people are prone to hyperbole - we get very hot and bothered about stuff that Average Joe couldn’t care less about. I myself had a minor breakdown last week when presented with a client computer without a Solid-State Drive. The thing is though, this isn’t one of those occasions. Hyperbole be damned, this is 10 million times more important than the next security item on your list. Getting hurt by hacks In the first nine months in 2019 over 27 million accounts had been hacked on Office 365 and every time a person gets hacked it has a different personal story behind it. Many are stories of real pain and hurt. People are losing serious money through hackers getting access to email, for example, then using that access to tell all your customers that your bank account details have changed or something similar. Some of these are very targeted and very convincing, given that they can follow up on legitimate emails YOU already sent. Mark my words, if you don’t get ahead of this you WILL have a real personal story of loss and hurt all your own.

Some of you may think the answer is to avoid Office 365/Cloud Services. This sort of logic can get a fella into trouble. It’s sort of like deciding to live on the street because you heard people can get into your house if you don’t lock the door. Genius!

The real question for 2020 is: will you be bothered to take responsibility for your own security, fix this and lock your own door? At Nitec, helping you get your head around stuff like this is the reason we get up in the morning, so if you need a hand we would love to help.

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Business people, Lawyers and Accountants

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Patrick McAliskey Strategic Advisor to Novosco

McAliskey, alongside long-time business partner John Lennon, was at the centre of one of relatively few big M&A’s around these parts in the past year or so, the £70 million acquisition of Belfast-based IT services group Novosco by German IT giants Cancom. Novosco’s 300 or so employees provide services to range of clients, including some of the UK’s leading NHS trusts.

Nick Whelan Group Chief Executive, Dale Farm

Nick Whelan is a relative newcomer to business here in Northern Ireland, but he’s made quite an impact since he took over as Group CEO at our largest dairy processing company, Dale Farm (owned by the dairy farmers who produce its raw material). A native of County Wexford, Whelan cut his industry teeth witk Glanbia and Kerry Group before heading northwards.

Pete Boyle CEO, Argento

Pete Boyle’s back story as a market trader turned entrepreneur has been well documented. But the continued success of his Argento jewellery business has confounded more than one or two doubters. The jewellery chain continues to invest in its high street and shopping centre stores but has steadily built up its online business at the same time.

An effective business lobbyist in his role as President of Belfast Chamber of Trade, Rana is also one of the leaders of the hotel surge serving both Belfast’s growth and Northern Ireland’s place as a fast-emering tourist destination. Recent highlights include the opening of the city’s first Hampton By Hilton property in the city centre. Rajesh Rana President of Belfast Chamber, Director Andras Hotels

Rose Mary Stalker Invest NI

A mechanical engineer, Rose Mary Stalker went on to operate at a senior level in some of the world’s biggest engineering operations, including Ford, Boeing and Rolls-Royce, before returning to her native Northern Ireland. A board member at Invest NI for several years, she was announced late last year as the successor to outgoing Chairman Mark Ennis.

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Darragh McCarthy CEO & Founder FinTrU

The Cork man came north a few years ago with a vision for a software business serving some of the world’s biggest merchant banks. Today’s FinTrU employs 450 people across its two bases in Belfast and Derry/ Londonderry, and that figure is set to grow at a steady rate. FinTrU has firmly established itself as one of the success stories of the local tech sector.

Dr Terry Cross OBE Hinch Distillery

A serial entrepreneur by any measure, Terry Cross built up the Delta Packaging business in Belfast over many years into a company which counted the globe’s fast food giants amongst its key custoners. After selling the Delta business to Huhtamaki a few years ago, Cross has moved on. His latest venture is a multi-million whiskey and gin distillery and visitor centre in County Down.

Tracy Hamilton Director, Mash Direct

When Tracy Hamilton and his husband Martin first introduced home-produced convenience food products from their Comber farm, few would have thought that they’d end up producing and distributing a fast-growing range of vegetable product lines to supermarkers all over Ireland, Great Britain and beyond.

Joe O’Neill Chief Executive, Belfast Harbour

Belfast Harbour remains at the very heart of the Northern Ireland economy. Not just as one of the island’s and the UK’s busiest ports but also for its more recent achievements. Under O’Neill’s leadership and that of Roy Adair before him, Belfast Harbour has invested in property development around the city’s riverside and developed a fast-expanding cruise ship business.

John Healy Managing Director, Allstate

John Healy has been at the helm of not one but two of the groundbreaking US-owned businesses which have helped to transform the economy, and employment, here. The former head of Citi’s operations in Northern Ireland, he’s now in charge at Allstate, the US insurance giant employing 2,300+ across its three bases here.

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Adrian Doran Head of Barclays Bank & Chair of CBI NI

Canny banker becomes business group leader. Widely respected for his achievements at the helm of the Barclays Bank Northern Ireland operation, a key player in the local business and corporate finance marketplace, Adrian Doran is in the early days of his tenure as Chairman of CBI Northern Ireland and has the potential to be one of our more effective business spokesmen.

Kieran Hegarty President, Terex

Much has been written about the quarrying/materials handings ‘cluster’ around County Tyrone and the US-owned Terex operation, with Hegarty at the head of its operations here, is at the very forefront of large-scale heavy manufacturing, and not just in Tyrone. The company ranks as one of the world’s leaders in the production of material handling equipment.

Brian McConville Chairman, MJM Group

The 2019 AIB Business Eye Business Personality of the Year, Brian McConville’s journey has taken him from joiner to Chairman of a fast-growing cruise ship refurbishment and interior fit-out companies operating worldwide from its base in Newry, as well as the saviour of Antrim-based Mivan.

Alan Armstrong Chairman & CEO Almac

Almac has some 5,600 employees across its 18 global sites and is a world leader in pharmaceutical development and associated areas, but the company’s beating heart is in Craigavon’s Seagoe Industrial Estate from where the organisation is led by Group CEO Alan Armstrong. Armstrong heads up a highly experienced management team leading the company forward in global markets.

Chris Kirke President, Moy Park

Kirke is a relatively new name to business here, he’s been in the top job at Moy Park for less than two years since Janet McCollum’s departure. Moy Park might be US-owned now (it’s part of American giant Pilgrim’s) but it’s home grown and ranks as Northern Ireland’s largest private sector employer by quite some distance.

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Sean Coyle Chairman, Keystone Group

There’s more than a few entrepreneurs around Northern Ireland who’ve built their companies up from one man operations to multi-million pound operations, but Sean Coyle has done it in style. Cookstown-based Keystone Group, a designer and manufacturer of roofing and construction products, has grown from a single shed firm to a £170 million group with 23 sites across the UK, Ireland and Europe.

Suzanne Wylie Chief Executive, Belfast City Council

It’s not that often that a local council chief executive gets recognised as a key busines leader, but Suzanne Wylie has consistently been mentioned in dispatches since she took on the Chief Executive’s role at Belfast City Hall. During the years of non-government at Stormont, the Council regularly puts its hand up to lead economic development in Belfast.

Chris Conway Translink

With the Glider project hailed as a major success, a new Derry/ Londonderry Transport Hub and Belfast’s big Weavers Cross project about the kick off, Translink CEO Chris Conway might not be booking too many holidays for the next couple of years. Under his leadership, public transport here continues to be transformed for the better.

Michael Graham Group Executive Chairman, Graham Group

It hasn’t been all that easy for our construction companies over recent years, what with a distinct lack of investment in major capital projects around these parts. But GRAHAM has continued to develop and grow, with recent projects as diverse as a cruise ship terminal in Southampton and new building for London’s Kew Gardens.

Jackie Henry Senior Partner, Deloitte

Jackie Henry’s Deloitte is due to move into new offices in Belfast’s Bedford Street (currently under construction), the latest step forward for an accountancy and business advisory group which is also one of the key players in technology here through its dedicated tech operation at the Gasworks.

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Simon Hamilton CEO Belfast Chamber of Commerce

It’s always worth a story or two when a former Economy Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive hangs up his rosette, resigns his party membership and returns to the world of business. But that’s exactly what Simon Hamilton has done, and he’s off to an impressive start as Chief Executive of Belfast Chamber of Trade.

Paul Terrington Regional Chairman PWC Northern Ireland

PwC’s Belfast base, led by Terrington, ranks as PwC UK’s fastest-growing region and its largest regional office outside of London. In fact, Belfast is the firm’s recognised global centre for technology, digital advisory services and research and is a major exporter of tech and regulatory advisory services.

John McGrillen Chief Executive, Tourism NI

2019 was a momentous year for the continued growth of tourism in Northern Ireland, a year dominated by the staging of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The event is estimated to have delivered £100 million worth of economic benefit for the region. And, away from the fairways, tourism here continues to grow at a pace with new records set for hotel stays and cruise ship visits amongst other key indicators.

Martin Agnew Joint Chairman & MD, Henderson Group

Henderson Group continues to set the pace in the retail space in Northern Ireland with sustained investment in its network, particularly the fast-growing Eurospar brand. The company is a key contributor to the Northern Ireland economy, not just as one of our largest private sector employers, but as a retailer with a firm commitment to working with local suppliers and the agri-food sector here. The Agnew family continues to lead a highly experienced management team steering the fortunes of the group.

Brian Murphy Managing Partner, BDO Northern Ireland

The second accountancy firm chief in this Top 25, Brian Murphy has long been one of our more effective business community representatives and he heads up a strong senior team at BDO’s Belfast office. But he came into his own more recently when, alongside Michael Jennings as administrators, he helped save historic Harland & Wolff and its 79 jobs by negotiating a £6 million deal with London energy industry specialists InfraStrata.

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Chris Conway

Translink

Driving The Public Transport Revolution

The very fact that the Northern Ireland public took 84.5 million journeys on public transport last year, the highest level in 20 years, says a lot about the continued achievement of Translink. Translink’s Group Chief Executive Chris Conway describes it as a modal shift towards public transport and it’s driven in part by the group’s continued investment in new train carriages, in hybrid fuel buses and in hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicles. At the same time, Belfast’s Glider has completed an extremely successful first year of service, and Translink has completed and opened major new facilities including the North West Transport Hub in Derry/Londonderry and Portrush Train Station ahead of the 148th Open.

Planning permission has also been secured for the biggest transport project here for many years, the transformational Belfast Transport Hub & Weavers Cross project on the existing Great Victoria Street site. “Our core business objectives are to deliver excellent bus and rail services, outstanding customer satisfaction, value for money and passenger growth as we work hard to be everyone’s First Choice for Travel,” says Chris Conway. “Sustained investment in high quality public transport is critical for future economic, social and environmental wellbeing, supporting the Draft Programme for Government.

“But tackling climate change is a key priority for our business, not just in terms of a modal shift to public transport but also ensuring we invest in low emission fleet and technologies.”

Chris Conway reckons thart 2020 will be a critical year for the business. “We’re looking forward to progressing a wide range of key projects including the Belfast Transport Hub, our Future Ticketing System roll-out, rail infrastructure improvements, investment in low emission fleet, Glider Phase 2, reinforcing our corporate responsibility commitment and securing the funding required to deliver these projects.

“We’re also busy finalising our 10-year business strategy that we’ll be launching later this year to guide our transformation of public transport throughout the decade.” Like almost every business leader, he warmly welcomes the return of devolved government and the fact that important decisions can be made to address

climate change and crucial funding is made available to progress important public transport enhancements. “We’re working closely with the Department for Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon on sustainable transport priorities for NI and look forward to working closely with all Assembly members to secure a brighter future for the country’s economic, environmental and social wellbeing.”

“Over the past few years we’ve been working with key strategic partners to prepare for Brexit with robust plans now in place to ensure our customer experience is not impacted. Our post-Brexit measures are based on advice from the UK and Irish Government and the Department for Infrastructure. For example, a major concern was on cross-border bus and rail services, but we do not envisage any difficulties following careful planning with Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and government agencies.”

www.translink.co.uk

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Darragh McCarthy

CEO, FinTrU

Financial Services Firm Plots Continued Growth

Award-winning Financial Services firm FinTrU has continued to grow at pace during the past 12 months, reaching 450 employeers across its offices by 2019’s year end and significantly expanding its client footprint from five to 12 leading global investment banks.

The past year or so has also seen FinTrU successfully opening its second North West base at the City Factory in Derry/ Londonderry, adding extra space at The Gasworks in Belfast and unveiling a US subsidiary, FinTrU Inc, with a base in New York due to open its doors later in 2020. “FinTrU is a people business and the employees are a critical driver in achieving the company’s business objectives,” says Founder & CEO Darragh McCarthy. “FinTrU attracts new business by providing a local, significantly cost-effective solution, whilst maintaining the highest levels of quality, service management and risk control in comparison to services offered in London and New York. “This is down to the local talent that we employ in our Belfast and North West Offices. We continue to focus on our excellence in quality, CSR, brand raising activities, disruptive innovation and employee engagement. We are always striving to be the employer of choice to attract and retain the best talent.

“We see the development of our staff as a key driver to grow the business further. Numerous employees are currently undertaking professional and academic qualifications that are sponsored by FinTrU. Members of our Executive Leadership team also took part in Invest NI’s Ambition To Scale Programme to help us work on the business as we look to build the foundations that allow us to continue to grow.”

The company has made a number of key appointments at management level. Steven Murtland has joined as Chief Financial Officer, Roli Shaw as General Counsel and Head of FinTrU Legal and the promotion of Sinead Carville to Chief Human Resources Officer. “We’re also delighted to have won numerous business awards including ‘Best Place to Work’, ‘Right Place to Work’ and the AIB Business Eye ‘Fast Growth Business of the Year’. These really affirm the quality of work that FinTrU employees put into making this company a success. “Something that I take great pride in is the £60,000 that FinTrU employees raised for PIPS during 2019, all of it raised through employee led initiatives.”

Darragh McCarthy says that the much talked about war for talent is as challenging as ever. “But FinTrU is committed to being the employer of choice going into 2020. It is very important for us that FinTrU remains a progressive employer and maintain our social purpose as creating high quality employment right here in Northern Ireland. “We have placed a great deal of emphasis on the development of all our people with many bespoke programmes established as part of our learning and development strategy. FinTrU has heavily invested in many initiatives to facilitate further growth through employee hires and retention.”

“A clear career progression pathway is a high

priority for our employees and this year we introduced a new corporate title, Senior Vice President, to allow us to provide further clarity on progression throughout the organisation”. Another highlight of 2019 has been the expansion of FinTrU in the North West. “To do this we launched four North West Financial Services Academies along with lateral recruitment which included people returning from Belfast, Dublin, Paris, and London to join FinTrU. This was a particular highlight as all these people have brought great experience of different working environments with them.” Looking into 2020, he says that FinTrU’s objectives are multi-faceted. “We want to retain our focus on client penetration and look to increase our footprint within our existing clients as well as new opportunities. “As ever FinTrU wants to remain the employer of choice in the market place. We care deeply about our company values and it is imperative to us that we maintain our commitment to this along with being a progressive employer that reflects the fantastic people that work with us here at FinTrU.

“Our development of technology products is a big objective in 2020 with exciting plans for the year ahead. Our Technology team is undergoing a period of rapid expansion and will play a key role in the long term vision for FinTrU. “With our recruitment plans as fast paced as ever we are looking to continue to invest in infrastructure and real estate both in Belfast and the North West and are looking to continue expanding our market leading Executive Leadership team.”

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Dr. Terry Cross

Hinch Distillery

Raising A Glass To A Bright Future

What influenced his decision to invest in the Hinch Distillery project? Dr Terry Cross OBE is a serial entrepreneur and after selling his very successful and long-established business, Delta Print & Packaging Limited, had a keen interest in seeking out new and challenging investment opportunities. Already having a background in the drinks industry, with his French estate producing Château de La Ligne wines, Terry saw that the growth in the Irish whiskey and gin sectors could provide such a challenge. This was also another opportunity for Dr Cross to re-invest in the Northern Ireland economy, particularly in an export led category and ultimately to bring much needed and sustainable employment to his local community. “Several years of research and development have been undertaken prior to the launch of both the Hinch Whiskey and Ninth Wave Gin brands,” says Dr. Cross. “For the whiskey brand this included blending, tasting and developing the style of Irish whiskies that would comprise the range with the purpose of establishing Hinch Distillery as one of the most innovative whiskey distilleries on the island of Ireland.

With a range of premium quality whiskies this also required the parallel development of high quality and bespoke packaging which would attract the ever-increasing numbers of Irish Whiskey consumers worldwide. The Ninth Wave Gin development process was similar to that of Hinch Whiskey, again focusing on the creation of a stunning brand presentation, in a unique bespoke bottle design, while at the same time developing a recipe that would ultimately prove to be award winning.

“Both Hinch Whiskey and Ninth Wave Gin are targeting the evergrowing number of consumers who are attracted to premium spirits which deliver in both quality taste and high-level brand values. These consumers are also attracted to brands which deliver authenticity in their story and a provenance which can only be delivered from distillation at a real working, craft distillery.

“Hinch Distillery is targeting the international spirits market for distribution and while it will be important to establish excellent penetration into the local Irish and GB markets, their success will ultimately be measured against securing sales in over 50 other countries within the first three years. “To date the response to both Hinch Whiskey and Ninth Wave Gin has been phenomenal with distributors having been signed up in over half the target countries including the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, USA, Japan, Russia, Germany, France, Australia and New Zealand,” he adds. The craft gin and Irish Whiskey marketplace is an increasingly competitive one and shows no sign of slowing down in terms of growth. Dr Terry Cross OBE has invested heavily in his brands but also very importantly in a distillery which is state of the art, yet retains all of the important elements of craft production at its core.

The distillery and visitors’ centre on the site between Temple and Ballynahinch are both nearing completion with much of the distilling

equipment, including three hand crafted copper whiskey stills and one equally magnificent gin still, already in situ. The countdown to test distilling can now begin, to be measured in multiples of weeks rather than months. The final fit out of the spacious and bespoke visitors’ centre will commence in the next couple of weeks. The month of May has always been the target date to open to the public and with lots of late nights and long working weeks this is still very much achievable. Terry always believed from his earliest interest in developing an Irish Whiskey and Gin Distillery that attracting local visitors and tourists needed to be a fundamental part of the business plan. To that effect he has invested heavily in a visitors’ centre which will offer facilities that will be the envy of many and a tour experience that will be both unique and totally memorable for everyone. His ambition is simple - that every visitor who experiences the home of Hinch Distillery will leave as fully fledged ambassadors for their brands and spread the word to friends and family alike.

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Simon Hamilton

CEO Belfast Chamber of Commerce

A Confidence Boost For 2020

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Simon Hamilton has inhabited both sides of the politics/ business equation but it’s in his role as Chief Executive of Belfast Chamber of Trade that he’s looking forward to the future with an increased degree of confidence. “The combination of the General Election, certainty around Brexit and the restoration of the Executive has, regardless of anyone’s views on the issues themselves, instilled a greater sense of confidence amongst many business leaders in Belfast than has perhaps been there over the last few years,” he says. “There is also a growing feeling that investment decisions that have been delayed because of the uncertainty and the absence of our own administration may not start to be taken with a resultant boost in this city’s economic fortunes. Despite the challenges of the last while, Belfast has continued to grow with businesses in the city showing their customary resilience. Belfast is enjoying an increasingly good reputation as a great place to do business.”

But Hamilton is well aware that there challenges on and over the horizon. He singles out the issue of skills and the future vision for Belfast. “Much of Belfast’s recent economic success has been built upon the city’s ability to produce the kind of talent that companies are looking for. That supply of skilled workers has helped to turn Belfast into a global leader in sectors like financial technology and cyber security. Maintaining that pipeline of talent produced by our education system is essential for Belfast’s ongoing success, but so too is continuing to develop a city that is a great place to live, work, study, visit, socialise and invest. “Belfast Chamber is very much focused on working with our partners in Belfast City Council, Government and other city stakeholders to ensure that the ingredients like more city living, a well-functioning public transport system, better cycling infrastructure, more open and green space and a diverse and international outlook that attract and retain talent are in place. “A lot of Belfast Chamber’s concentration, including our BelFastForward Conference, is centred on ensuring that our city maximises the opportunities presented by the unprecedented phase of growth that we are in so that Belfast can reach its full potential.”

As a former Northern Ireland Executive Minister, Simon Hamilton appreciates the links between government and business. He’s been quick to welcome the return of the Executive and Assembly at Stormont. “The almost total transformation of Belfast over the last 20 years is something that we shouldn’t take for granted and needs to be built upon by the new Executive. Belfast Chamber members completely understand and support the need to generate growth in other parts of Northern Ireland, but that goal shouldn’t detract from the fact that Belfast is and will remain the driver of the entire region’s economy. Belfast accounts for ¼ of the region’s rates take and is where 30% of NI’s jobs are located. “In December, Belfast Chamber published its ‘Belfast Manifesto’ which sets out our 7 priorities for a better Belfast. Our focus on continuing to build Belfast’s economy isn’t just about the city itself. It’s about helping the whole of the region do better. Put simply, when Belfast succeeds, Northern Ireland succeeds. The new Executive can illustrate its confidence in Belfast as the engine room of the region’s economy by investing in infrastructure like the York Street Interchange and phase 2 of the Glider and empowering the city so that the level of investment and regeneration we need can be achieved”

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John McGrillen

Chief Executive, Tourism NI

Tourism... Building On The Achievements Of 2019

2019 was a landmark year for tourism in Northern Ireland, a year built around the success of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush, the biggest and most successful sporting event in the history of the region. But, as Tourism Northern Ireland Chief Executive John McGrillen points out, Northern Ireland has been reaping the benefits of the Open being hosted here since the official announcement back in 2015.

“Since then we have seen the number of golfers visiting our shores rise significantly and expenditure rise to over £40 million in 2018. That is twice the size of the entire annual cruise market for Northern Ireland,” he says. “Golfers coming to Northern Ireland are now staying longer, playing more courses and spending more as a result. That growth I set to continue into the future and will continue to fuel demand for additional accommodation along the North Coast.” Tourism NI’s challenge is to build on the short-term legacy of the Open. A delegation has just returned from a major PGA Trade Show in Orlando, Florida, where thirteen companies and golf clubs from Northern Ireland secured plenty of business on the back of the outstanding coverage which Northern Ireland enjoyed across the globe during the four days of the event. But 2019 also saw significant progress in other areas of tourism here. November saw the successful launch of the new tourism brand “Northern Ireland – Embrace Giant Spirit” which was showcased to global tour operators at the World Travel Market in London. Meanwhile, the importance of the investment in the new hotel stock cannot be underestimated, says John McGrillen. “The new investment has created a level of supply which will enable growth to continue into the future. It is also very encouraging to see investment in new properties outside of Belfast and Derry~Londonderry such as the Salthouse in Ballycastle and Killeavy Castle in South Armagh as this will enable our strategy of spreading the benefits of tourism beyond the usual destinations.

“The vast majority of visitors who come here still return because they want to explore our culture, landscape and heritage, however there are some new and very important audiences. We estimate that one in every six visitors in 2019 came specifically to visit Game of Thrones filming locations. Golf visitors have grown enormously and of course there has been an exponential growth in cruise ships visiting Belfast. “The investment in creating the conference facilities at ICC Belfast has resulted in a step change in Belfast’s ability to attract conference business which is very important for mid-week business in the hotel and hospitality sectors. We have also seen incentive travel, particularly from US corporations grow dramatically over the past few years with new properties like the Grand Central Hotel, Killeavy Castle and

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Bishops Gate Hotel in Derry~Londonderry allowing us to compete for business which has typically gone to Dublin and Kerry.

How does Tourism NI’s Chief Executive view the key priorities for tourism here? “The first is successful role out of the new experience brand “Northern Ireland – Embrace a Giant Spirit” across the industry in Northern Ireland and across the globe, in partnership with Tourism Ireland,” he says. “The new brand has the potential to help Northern Ireland stand out in the international market place. This will be important as I think we are facing into a few headwinds in 2020.

“The outbreak of the coronavirus has already led to large scale cancellations from the Chinese market and the relentless focus on the environmental impact of air travel is a major risk to an island destination like Northern Ireland. “Our focus needs to be on securing more business from visitors to the island of Ireland by giving them compelling reasons to travel here directly or across the border. Bringing the Open Championship back will also feature highly on our list of longer term objectives.”

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Rose Mary Stalker

Chair at Invest Northern Ireland

New Invest NI Chair Charts Future Plans

Rose Mary Stalker is clear about her short-term priorities as the new Chair at Invest Northern Ireland.

“My immediate priority is to ensure the successful delivery of Invest NI’s current 2017-21 Business Strategy against which good progress is being made. We are also beginning to develop our aims and ambitions for the next period.

Over the past five years, businesses we support have increased their employment by 21% and have grown their sales to GB by 47% and to wider export markets by 29%.

Currently, every £1 of support we offer results in £6 of investment in our economy. We should look at how we can multiply this impact working collaboratively with our partners. Invest NI, she adds, is uniquely placed to provide a convening role with Councils, Universities, Colleges, Business Organisations and Businesses to facilitate efforts in order to provide a coordinated focus as we work collaboratively to overcome challenges and seize opportunities that will promote economic growth in the region.

It’s not surprising that she welcomes to return of devolved governmet here. “We look forward to supporting Minister Dodds and the wider NI Executive as it develops the next Programme for Government and associated Industrial Strategy. We recognise there are big challenges for our economy and wider society but hopefully the clear commitment to closer partnerships evident in the “New Decade, New Approach” will flow into the Programme for Government and the Outcomes it aims to deliver. If we can support the Executive to increase our balance of trade and drive economic growth, we will help put more people in better jobs. And that’s important because, in turn, it will generate more revenue which can support the Executive to address the wider challenges we face in Health, in Education and in wider society.” “As a region we are small and currently unsustainable without significant additional funding. Whilst it is unrealistic to think this can be reversed in the short term, if we can focus on actions that build capability, stimulate innovation and increase exports, we will improve our global competitiveness and create better value jobs.

“With an unprecedented UK focus on trade and the potential for Northern Ireland to have a unique trading position, albeit with uncertain administrative burdens, we should be supporting and encouraging, particularly, our indigenous businesses to seize this as an opportunity and focus on export.” Can Northern Ireland re-establish itself as a location for foreign direct investment?

“We actually haven’t seen any drop-off in our attraction as an investment location. Indeed, it has grown, based on our strong proposition of talent and value.

“Figures from the Financial Times’ fDiMarkets.com show that over the past five years, Belfast has attracted more FDI jobs per head of population than any other city in the UK, with Northern Ireland performing equally as well on a UK regional basis. In particular, we have become an international location of choice for Financial Services technology, in software development and in cybersecurity. “Over the past ten years, we have helped bring 161 brand new overseas investors to Northern Ireland with the promise of almost 10,000 new jobs. The vast majority of these are well paid, high quality jobs.

“We have also seen interest from Republic of Ireland companies who are interested in the unique trading position of NI to establish a UK presence in order to protect, or grow, their interests in that market.”

“Of course, we are competing with many other regions and countries for internationally mobile investment so are constantly refining our proposition to keep us ahead.”

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Legal Eagles - Northern Ireland’s Top Corporate Lawyers TOP 25 EyeonTop25 Lawyers

Based on The Legal 500 Rankings 2019

Alastair Keith A&L Goodbody

Alastair Keith is Head of A&L Goodbody’s Corporate and M&A practice in Belfast. Alastair advises clients on corporate transactions, both in the domestic market and on international deals with a Northern Irish dimension. He specialises in acquisitions, venture capital, group reorganisations, joint ventures and initial public offers. In addition to transaction focused work, Alastair also advises on company law compliance and corporate governance.

Mark Thompson A&L Goodbody

Mark Thompson is a Corporate and M&A partner in A&L Goodbody’s Belfast office. Mark is widely experienced in company/ commercial law, with particular sectoral experience in the areas of energy and natural resources, healthcare, media, intellectual property and technology law. Mark’s corporate practice focuses on corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and management buyouts and strategic advice.

Peter Strafford A&L Goodbody

Peter Stafford is a partner in A&L Goodbody’s Corporate and M&A practice. He specialises in corporate finance work including company acquisitions and disposals, management buy outs, private equity transactions, inward investment and partnership and strategic advisory work. Peter served as Chairman of A&L Goodbody’s Belfast office from 2012 to 2019 and was previously Head of the Belfast office.

Chris is head of the corporate team. He joined Mills Selig in 2000 and has also been a member of the private equity team of leading Australian law firm Clayton Utz in Sydney, working on large private equity transactions. Chris Guy Mills Selig

Chris specialises in acquisitions, MBOs/MBIs, mergers and venture capital transactions. He also has significant experience in other corporate matters such as shareholder arrangements, joint ventures and corporate restructuring. Chris is a visiting lecturer in company law at the institute for professional legal studies.

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Alan deals with a broad range of corporate finance, corporate and commercial work on behalf of international and domestic clients. He leads on extensive due diligence reviews on multi-million pound transactions involving Northern Ireland targets and has Alan Taylor Arthur Cox

Paul Mc Bride Arthur Cox

Paul is a partner in the Arthur Cox corporate group and Head of the Belfast office. He has advised in numerous significant mergers and acquisitions, management buy-outs, venture capital investments and project financings in

Hilary Griffith Cleaver Fulton Rankin

Hilary is Head of Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s corporate team. Hilary has extensive experience in all types of corporate finance, transactional and commercial work. This includes mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture

co-ordinated the cross-jurisdictional aspects of transaction processes. Alan has extensive experience in negotiating and concluding transaction deals including, for example, as supervising partner on the Northern Ireland Network Services Tender, the acquisition of technology on an international basis as part of a negotiating team, telecommunications contract for a number of PLCs and dealing with legal risk analysis and quantification.

Lynsey Mallon Arthur Cox

Lynsey worked for a large award winning national firm in England before joining Arthur Cox in 2007 and specialises in corporate and commercial work. She has considerable experience across the full range of company/commercial law

Northern Ireland. Paul is named as a leading lawyer (band one) for corporate/mergers and acquisitions by ‘Chambers UK’ and ‘Chambers Europe Guide to the Legal Profession’. ‘Chambers’ comments that ‘Paul always provides clarity in any legal discussion and is “a super negotiator”’. ‘Chambers UK’ also ranks Paul as a lead partnership lawyer (band one) and with a growing profile in the energy sector.

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capital investment, corporate governance, reorganisations and restructurings, joint ventures and collaborations and commercial contracts.

areas including sales and acquisitions (including MBOs and MBIs), joint ventures, investment and shareholders agreements, private equity work and general commercial contract work which includes IP and information technology expertise.

Damian McParland Millar McCall Wylie

Damian heads up a corporate team at Millar McCall Wylie advising on a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions across a broad range of sectors including ICT, energy, manufacturing, construction and service industries and regularly acts in multi-jurisdictional projects. He has impressed clients with his ability to ‘focus on the issues that matter whilst maintaining an eye for the detail’ and is also praised for his ‘very strong commercial acumen’.

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Kevin McVeigh Elliott Duffy Garret

Kevin McVeigh is Head of Elliott Duffy Garrett’s Corporate & Commercial practice. Kevin advises clients on corporate transactions in Northern Ireland and on international deals with a Northern Ireland connection. He specialises in the sale and purchase of businesses. Kevin also advises on commercial contracts including investment and shareholder agreements and corporate governance.

John-George Willis Tughans

Also a consultant, John-George specialises in acting for corporate clients on corporate finance and M&A transactions, both in Northern Ireland and overseas. He also advises clients generally on day-to-day mergers and takeovers, private acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, restructuring and demergers. He has particular experience of M&A transactions in the technology, food and engineering sectors in Northern Ireland.

Neasa Quigley Carson McDowell

Neasa is Senior Partner and joint head of Carson McDowell’s corporate team. She specialises in mergers and acquisitions and also has considerable experience in management buyouts and buy-ins, private equity transactions,

Michael Johnston Carson McDowell

Now a Consultant at Carson McDowell having been Managing Partner for eight years, Michael’s experience includes: advising Evermore on the setting up of the £80m combined heat and power plant in Derry/Londonderry, general legal advice at a senior level to Belfast Harbour Commissioners team, advice to the shareholders on the sale of Foyleside and associated shopping centres, advising Fivemiletown Co-op on the sale to Glanbia, advising PFC on the sale to Davy and advising on the sale of Diamond Recruitment to Staffline.

Richard Gray Carson McDowell

Richard is a partner and heads Carson McDowell’s corporate team. His main areas of practice are in corporate and finance work. He has more than 20 years experience in mergers and acquisitions and corporate company reorganisations and corporate governance matters. She works across a range of sectors with particular experience in technology and renewable energy fields. Neasa also heads up the firm’s energy team.

finance work. He has advised on numerous high value transactions in recent years both in Northern Ireland and Britain and has been recognised as a leading figure in corporate law in Northern Ireland.

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Talking Talent: Will new immigration laws affect NI’s burgeoning start-up scene?

By Rob Tubman, solicitor at UK law firm TLT

The number of tech startups being established in Northern Ireland has increased greatly in recent years, yet while that trend continues as we move into 2020, impending new immigration laws could impact NI’s position as a hub for growth in the sector.

Northern Ireland has a longestablished public and private support framework for start-ups. Increased activity by angel investors has complimented the backing already provided by Invest NI, and this support likely plays a significant part in the region having above average proportions of start-ups achieving £1m+ in revenue after three years, when compared to the rest of the UK. In 2018 the Enterprise Research centre found that Belfast had the highest proportion in the UK at 3.3%. According to Tech City UK, 17.5% of Digital Tech businesses in Northern Ireland are classified as ‘high growth’, meaning they are in the top 10% of all companies nationally in terms of growth.

Talent supply In a 2017 survey of Belfast startups by Tech Nation, 42% of respondents cited talent supply as their biggest challenge to growth.

Despite an annual pool of graduates from Queens and Ulster universities, Northern Ireland’s relative small scale often requires local businesses to think globally in terms of attracting talent.

Employers who obtain a sponsor licence from the Home Office can employ skilled non-EEA nationals. However, the process is subject to strict rules, and successful sponsorship is not guaranteed.

In October 2019, the Government added a number of jobs to the Shortage Occupation List that sets out jobs where there is a recognised shortage of skills in the existing workforce. Jobs on the list receive preferential treatment when a UK company is trying to sponsor a non-EEA migrant to fill a corresponding vacancy. Web design, systems design, programming and software development roles have been added to the list, alongside IT business analyst roles. In addition, the ‘qualifying company’ criteria has been relaxed in many cases, allowing new businesses greater freedom when hiring for tech and IT roles. Thinking ahead As the UK prepares to leave the European Union, it will be important for entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their business in NI to have access to highly skilled staff from the EU and beyond. While the exact arrangements for Brexit are unclear, currently Non-EEA nationals who wish to work in the UK have to be sponsored by their employer in order to obtain a visa. EU/EEA/Swiss nationals will be subject to a new immigration system from January 2021 onwards. However Brexit is implemented, Northern Ireland will be the only part of the UK that shares a land border with the EU. The Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement, whereby British and Irish citizens can move freely between the islands will remain, however EU/ EEA/Swiss nationals will be subject to greater restrictions. This may present challenges for NI businesses, who are currently able to draw on EU/ EEA/Swiss nationals who live here or travel from the Republic of Ireland.

It remains to be seen if NI’s burgeoning start-ups are disadvantaged by the less restricted employment opportunities offered by the Republic of Ireland as an EU member state. Meanwhile, we would encourage start-ups to be mindful of how the new immigration processes will impact on their recruitment strategies post-Brexit and consider applying for an appropriate sponsor licence in order to attract qualified candidates from outside the EU/EEA.