9 minute read
McKendry’s Bar Opens At Galgorm
EyeonEvents
Galgorm Toasts Opening of New Whiskey Lounge Bar
Galgorm Spa and Golf Resort has officially opened its doors to the Resort’s newly refurbished and refreshed entertainment offering, McKendry’s Lounge/Bar.
Formerly known as Gillies Bar & Grill, McKendry’s is now a whiskey lover’s haven, boasting an encyclopedic whiskey collection of over 300 blends from 21 countries, including a coveted limited-edition bottle of the most expensive Irish whiskey ever produced, “The Chosen”.
The new whiskey lounge/bar reflects the warm ambience and atmosphere of an eclectic Irish pub and draws on its local heritage, harking back to the muchloved McKendry’s bar of a bygone era, which served the local community from its premises in Broughshane Street, Ballymena before closing its doors. Welcoming Galgorm Spa & Golf Resort’s newest hospitality investment, Colin Johnston, Galgorm Collection Managing Director, said; “We are delighted to welcome guests to our brand new lounge bar, McKendry’s and showcase our extensive whiskey collection which we are proud to say is one of the most comprehensive in the island of Ireland.
The launch of McKendry’s represents the latest investment by Galgorm into its Resort offering and reflects our ambition to continually innovate and push boundaries to affirm our position as a world-leading spa and golf resort. We look forward to welcoming guests, locals and visitors alike to experience the warm hospitality of McKendry’s.”
Offering guests the warm welcome synonymous with Galgorm, the new name perfectly connects the Resort with its strong local heritage. Much of the décor consists of historical items from the original McKendry’s bar and provides guests with an authentic Irish bar experience.
As well as boasting some rare whiskies and stocking the finest mixers, Galgorm has devised a new signature whiskey cocktail list to complement its existing range of premium cocktails, wines, beers and spirits.
For a truly authentic taste, guests can also sample the Resort’s first premium own-label ‘Galgorm Estate Gin’, developed in partnership with Northern Ireland’s newest artisan gin producer, Copeland Distillery, and drink in the fantastic new line up of live entertainment. McKendry’s Lounge/Bar is open 12:00pm – 01:00am Sunday to Friday and 12:00pm – late on Saturdays, with live entertainment every evening, including traditional Irish music every Tuesday and Thursday night.
For more information on McKendry’s Lounge I Bar please visit www.galgorm.com
Richard Buckley, Heidi McAlpin from In Your Pocket and Angela Campbell from Bloom magazine, Brenda Buckley
Chris Suitor (Suitor Brothers Tailoring) and wife Nichola Catherine Moore, Kathryn O’Brien, and Emily Hancock
EyeonDiversity
Diversity & Inclusion...
A Whole Lot More Than Lip Service
“T he danger is obvious. That they see diversity is a box-ticking exercise. Once they sign up, they can move on,” she says. “But that’s not what embracing diversity is all about. It is about culture and the Charter must be supported and signed by the very top of the organisation which is very important to the awarding of the Charter Mark. It means hard work and it means real commitment. But it also bring real rewards.” Christine is Head of Business at Diversity Mark NI, an independent not for profit organisation spun out of Women In Business and now in its third year of operation as the awarding body for the Diversity charter mark.
Christine White is all too aware of the potential shortfall when it comes to encouraging companies here to take the diversity and inclusion agenda seriously.
EyeonDiversity
It’s also the driving force behind Northern Ireland’s inaugural Diversity And Inclusion Summit taken place at Titanic Belfast on Thursday, 20th February (9.00 am to 2.00 pm). The summit, with backing from Allstate, Danske Bank, Denroy and GilbertAsh, will be the first of its kind on these shores and has attracted a formidable line-up of speakers.
Lord Davies of Abersoch, a long time champion of diversity at UK level, will be the keynote speaker. As Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, Lord Davies spearheaded The Davies Review, which presented practical recommendations to address the gender imbalance on the boards of leading UK businesses.
Joining Lord Davies at Titanic Belfast will be Laura Bates, Founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and writer for The Guardian and New York Times as well as Ruth Sealy, Associate Professor of Management and Director of Impact at the University of Exeter Business School. “The theme for our inaugural summit is ‘Beyond A Tick Box’ and we’re setting out to encourage, educate and empower attendees to make a real difference when it comes to diversity and workplace culture,” says Christine White. Diversity Mark NI has worked with private and public sector organisations of all shapes and sizes since it was established. The organisation concentrates to a large degree on the issue of gender diversity, although its remit extends to all forms of diversity and inclusion as they impact on the workplace...including the other important areas such as Age Diversity, LGBTQ representation, Disabilities and BAME inclusivity.
The fact that it’s not offering a ‘tick box’ exercise to local companies and others is reflected in the fact that 65-70% are awarded the Charter Mark at the first assessment. It’s important for the rigour of the Charter that the targets are challenging.
“We have a very professional and prestigious group of independent assessors working on our behalf and they make sure that gaining a Charter Mark is something that has to be achieved, worked for and earned. It’s not a difficult process, but it is an exacting one and it calls for real commitment.” But there are clear benefits. “When an organisation’s culture feels fair and inclusive, women and underrepresented groups are happier and much more likely to thrive,” Christine adds. “The business case for diversity has been clearly made and is backed up by numerous academic studies which have shown that companies with greater diversity perform much better and have significantly lower staff turnover rates.” Christine joined Diversity Mark NI as its new Head of Business in August 2018 when the organisation has a group of 15 corporate members. Since then, that total has risen to 70 members and includes some of the biggest names in Northern Ireland business as well as big public sector organisations and a growing number of schools. More recently, Christine has been joined by Emma Lyttle as Membership Engagement Manager, working on communication with members as well as a range of events.
Diversity Mark NI’s board, meanwhile, reads like a Who’s Who of Northern Ireland corporate life. Chaired by Nichola Robinson of Bombardier Belfast (now Spirit Aerospace) and with Dr. Bryan Keating as vice-chairman, its membership includes Roseann Kelly MBE of Women in Business, David Gavaghan, Ray Hutchinson from Gilbert-Ash, Queen’s University’s Isabel Jennings, Caroline Van Der Feltz, Director of HR at Danske Bank, Lesley Miller fromn Allstate and Angela Byrne of STATSports. Christine is hoping that 250 business, public and voluntary sector representatives will make up the audience at Titanic Belfast on 20th February to hear the keynote speakers as well as panel discussions and to round off the morning with a gala lunch. Emma Lyttle (left) and Christine White (right) of Diversity Mark NI with independent assessor Fergal McFerran, vice-chair Dr. Bryan Keating, CBE and independent assessor Judith Gillespie, CBE. Bank of Ireland awarded the Charter Mark Northern Ireland Electricity Networks with their Charter Mark Deloitte receive the Charter Mark Learning Pool awarded the Charter Mark
EyeonNews
Celebrating the Career of 4c Executive’s Ian Rainey
At the end of last year, leading executive search firm 4c Executive invited the family, friends and former colleagues of its non-executive director Ian Rainey to celebrate his long and successful career, during which he worked both locally and globally, to officially mark his retirement.
Ian is best known to many in Northern Ireland as being the managing director of MSL Executive Search & Selection, a role in which he held for over 23 years until 2017. In 2017, following the acquisition of MSL Executive Search & Selection by 4c Executive, Ian joined the company as a nonexecutive director, where he sat on the board and played a pivotal role in developing the firm’s ambitious growth strategy.
Ian Rainey explained that the acquisition enabled him to pursue other business opportunities and gradually move towards his retirement, whilst also ensuring that the MSL business and clients remained in “safe hands”. Gordon Carson, 4c Executive’s Managing
Director, said that it had been a privilege knowing and working with Ian throughout his career in Northern Ireland.
He added: “Having grown an extensive and loyal client base of some of Northern Ireland’s leading organisations, particularly during his time at MSL, Ian’s unrivalled knowledge and experience of the private, public and third sectors brought an additional level of expertise to 4c Executive at a crucial time in our business growth and development.
“Beyond that, Ian has been a great mentor to me and many others throughout his career in Northern Ireland and further afield, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish him every success going forward in his retirement.”
LEAD THE FUTURE IN 2020
UPCOMING 2020 PROGRAMMES
“One of the best professional development experiences I’ve ever had.” Tommy Scott, Survitec
LEGAL MINI-MBA
“There was a great sense of learning and sharing of experiences within the group.” Enda Daly, Workspace Enterprises
FINANCE FOR NONFINANCIAL MANAGERS
Running: 20th – 24th April 2020 Duration: 5 days
A new specialist CPD programme in partnership with Institute of Legal Professional Studies (IPLS) exclusively designed for solicitors and barristers in Northern Ireland
Running: 21st & 22nd April 2020 Duration: 2 days
“The course highlighted key areas and disciplines which were transferrable to everyday business requirements” Melvyn Bacon, Gilfresh Produce
MINI-MBA
“A great opportunity for focused, intensive learning. The quality of the teaching was excellent.” Clare Watson, Epilepsy Action Northern Ireland Running: 11th – 15th May or 27th – 31st July 2020 Duration: 5 days Running: 26th & 27th May 2020 Duration: 2 days LEADERSHIP AND NEGOTIATION
“It was perfect for me because I took some really, really good things out of it” Noel McKeegan, Unitruck
How to get more information Visit our website for the latest availability, dates and fees: www.leadershipinstitute.co.uk or contact us on: 028 9097 4394 or e-mail: leadershipinstitute@qub.ac.uk
ASPIRING LEADERS
“A very personal course that has helped personally and professionally” Graeme Browne, Danske Bank Running: 25th February, 24th March and 28th April 2020 Duration: 3 days
GRIT AND GRACE - WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME
Running: 6th May, 29th May & 17th June 2020 Duration: 3 days
“I will be recommending the course to my colleagues and I hope that they get as much out of it as I did.” Carol O’Boyle, Dept of Agriculture NICS
