Business Eye June 2017

Issue 170 June 2017 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

CARSON McDOWELL: HEAVY HITTERS OF THE LEGAL WORLD

Features: 06

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BEFTA’s ’17…

Small Business Champions Crowned

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Business Finance…

A Changing Landscape

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UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Emirates

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CONTENTS

June 2017 ISSUE 170

Cover Story

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Carson McDowell... Heavy Hitters Of The Legal World

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IoD NI Celebrates Sixty Years The Northern Ireland branch of the Institute of Directors is celebrating 60 years in existence during 2017, and recently held an anniversary gala ball.

Michael Johnston, Managing Partner at top Belfast law firm Carson McDowell, talks about expansion at the firm, the challenges of the legal marketplace and the challenges facing business clients in the current climate.

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Selective... At The Heart of Business Travel

Small Business Awards

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BEFTA’s 2017....NI’s Top Small Businesses Are Honoured

Belfast-based Selective Travel Management has grown to become a £41 million turnover operation with 110 staff providing round the clock travel solutions and assistance to a range of private and public sector clients.

Law Society... The President’s Vision The legal community here in Northern Ireland, in common with the business community, has plenty of challenges looming on the horizon, not least Brexit, local politics, and the day to day job of making sure that law firms here are represented as they should be. President Ian Huddleston outlines the challenges.

Carrickfergus-based high tech manufacturers Yelo took the top award of Small Business of the Year at the third annual BEFTA’s, the Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards, held in June at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast.

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Corporate Finance Growth & Challenges

Derry’s superb Bishop’s Gate Hotel adds a brand new dimension to the burgeoning city centre area. Business Eye pays its first visit to a hotel with a strong emphasis on comfort, service and individuality.

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Hospitality The Key At Titanic Belfast

Lloyd Jackson has brought years of hotel management experience to Titanic Belfast where he heads up hospitality, food and beverage operations, ensuring that tourists, visitors and corporate guests are well looked after at the iconic Belfast centre.

Business Eye and Upstream joined forces to stage a round table discussion in Belfast to look at how the financing options for local companies have changed and developed over recent years, and now the corporate finance stage is likely to re-invent itself in the years to come.

Culloden Celebrates 50 Years

Business Awards

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UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Emirates

One of Northern Ireland’s favourite hotels, the 5-star Culloden Estate & Spa at Cultra, has been celebrating 50 years since it was purchased by Sir William Hastings and Hastings Hotels.

Members of the Hastings family, guests and long-serving staff members enjoyed a Sunday garden party to mark the milestone.

New Look For The SSE Arena Experience The SSE Arena has been providing top flight entertainment for the past 17 years and it’s just stepped up its corporate hospitality offering in the suites and lounges overlooking the arena. We catch up with the SSE’s Commercial Manager, Clare Gallagher.

The 11th annual UTV Business Eye Awards in association with lead sponsors Emirates were officially launched this month at UTV Studios in Belfast. This year’s awards will take place on Thursday, 7th December, at Belfast Waterfront with a 27th October closing date for entries.

Eye on Lifestyle

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Eye on Finance

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Moving On

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Eye on Technology

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Eye on Further Education

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Eye on Motoring

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Eye on Telecommunications

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Eye on Wellbeing

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Eye on Law

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Eye on Events

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Bishop’s Gate...A Touch Of Class In The City

Corporate Finance

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At the time of writing (that well-worn excuse used by journalists through the years), negotiations are still ongoing between the DUP and the beleaguered Mrs. May with rumours, counter rumours, hopes of a final deal, disappointments and the rest.

Comment

“It would suit us best, in short, if the deal was signed and the DUP team sent back to Belfast with a bulging shopping bag full of goodies.”

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Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

e’re well used to that kind of thing here in Northern Ireland, where political negotiations are never a thing of beauty and nor are they ever concluded within what everyone else considers a reasonable time frame.

The period of time since a surprise general election result left Mrs. May clinging to power with her majority all but wiped out has been categorised by a remarable rise in the fortunes of Arlene Foster and the DUP, who’ve managed to go from a relatively poor Assembly election result back in March to a really good polling result this time around... which turned into a spectacular result when everyone realised that they effectively held the balance of power at Westminster.

Cue a frenzy of articles and reports in the London media about the DUP which ranged from ill-informed to bizarre and illustrates, if needed, the almost total lack of knowledge of Northern Ireland politics around Westminster.

Whatever your individual political beliefs, it’s almost impossible not to appreciate the potential benefits for Northern Ireland out of this situation. Even the DUP’s implacable political opponents have been silenced by what looks like a golden opportunity.

We hear talk of £1 billion packages for the health service here, a similar amount for infrastructure projects. Then there’s a lower rate of corporation tax for Northern Ireland, already agreed in effect but in need of a push forward, and high hopes for a modification or scrapping of air passenger duty (APD). All of these would be really good news for Northern Ireland.

So, while we are well used to lengthy and protracted political negotiations here, we need to be wary of the political doubters and widespread suspicion over in

Westminster around the deal. It would suit us best, in short, if the deal was signed and the DUP team sent back to Belfast with a bulging shopping bag full of goodies.

Meanwhile, the other political parties over here have been complaining that the DUP’s Westminster deal has taken the focus off the continuing talks up at Stormont. They have a fair point, but given the potential windfall from the Westminster deal, no one is listening to their complaints.

That said, assuming the DUP can get their Westminster deal over the line with Mrs. May and her colleagues (and Chancellor Philip Hammond is reckoned to be the potential stumbling block.....), the focus has to shift to Stormont fairly quickly.

Secretary of State James Brokenshire has applied an end of June deadline and, for all sorts of reasons, it’s crucial for Northern Ireland that it is met.

Whatever the benefits to come out of the DUP’s unexpected position of power in London – which is almost certain to be short term – we all need the Executive and Assembly up and running here in Belfast. And the mood music – again at the time of writing – is that this will happen.

The fact that we’re about the move into the July marching season, with all the potential risks that still brings, also means that Mr. Brokenshire’s deadline is an important one.

But think about it this way. Cast your mind back a few weeks or months, and there was little hope or prospect of Stormont being up and running, and the likelihood of direct rule from a rather distant Tory-dominated government at Westminster.

Now, we’ve been dealt a hand (via the DUP) which gives us a range of important economic benefits which could prove invaluable to Northern Ireland. And we look set to get our own devolved administration up and running again (….at the time of writing!).

Not a bad result all in all.

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Eye on News

Tony O’Connor Memorial Event Raises £100,000+ Local estate agent Gerry O’Connor’s high-profile fundraising event at Titanic Belfast before Christmas to celebrate the life of his brother Tony O’Connor has raised more than £100,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association.

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eading business figures from throughout Northern Ireland attended the event which was held at Titanic Belfast and attended by more than 500 guests.

The event was held in memory of Tony O’Connor, a respected businessman within the commercial property sector in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the event, Gerry O’Connor said, ‘This event was a tribute

to my brother Tony and was about raising much needed funds for both care and research. There will be a cure someday and we are determined to contribute towards that. Both myself and Christine O’Connor, Tony’s wife, are delighted at the amount of money raised at the event and we would like to thank everyone who supported and contributed to such a fantastic evening.’

The money raised will go towards

Gerry O’Connor with Tony’s widow, Christine.

both the Motor Neurone Disease Association(MNDA) and Project MinE. The Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) not only supports research into the disease but also contributes to patient care, including providing MND specialised equipment

to sufferers, which is not available from statutory sources but which may enhance the quality of life of someone coping with the illness. Project MinE is a large-scale research initiative, based at Trinity College Dublin, devoted to discovering the genetic cause of MND.

YOUNG RANDOX SCIENTISTS ARE REWARDED A female scientist who has been working on the development of a test that diagnoses sepsis is one of the award-winning students in this year’s university placement scheme with Randox Laboratories.

Sarah Louise Morrow with Michael Mulligan, Randox Marketing Executive.

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he breakthrough sepsis test is being created by the Randox Molecular Diagnostics team, which Sarah-Louise Morrow from Belfast joined in September. Her innovative work saw her win third place in the Science category at the company’s annual Pinnacle Placement Awards.

Sarah-Louise, a Biochemistry student from Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), said: “Sepsis is known as the ‘silent killer’,

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and the faster you can diagnose it the better for the patient. It was so inspiring working with a team here at Randox who are making such valuable contributions to global health and I couldn’t be happier that something I’ve worked on could save lives in the future.”

Now in its 26th year, the Randox placement programme is recognised internationally for providing worldclass opportunities for students and

graduates – one of the core reasons that the global diagnostics company was established in 1982. Thirty years on, its founder Dr Peter FitzGerald remains as committed as ever to championing new talent and driving innovation.

Between them, this year’s Randox placement students have spearheaded a number of new designs and projects which are being implemented across the company. Catherine McCooke, a QUB Electrical and Electronic Engineering student designed a new UV radiation exposure detection mechanism; Shannon McKee, a Business Studies student at Ulster University, conducted highly advantageous market research into emerging markets such as Jamaica and Puerto Rico; and Katie Lawther, a QUB Microbiology student introduced a new cellular tissue storage and tracking system.

The title of Randox Placement Student of the Year 2017 went to Robin Walsh, a QUB student from Lisburn who developed a new chemiluminescence signal reagent which is currently being validated and will be shortly released for production.

The 22 year old’s new product delivers significantly positive effects on the chemistry testing carried out by the Randox New Technology team. It increases test output by a factor of three, saving costs and time which ultimately enables the faster delivery of results for patients.

Congratulating Robin and his fellow placement students, Jolene Jamison, Randox Placement Co-Ordinator said; “Taking part in a meaningful placement scheme is one of the most important things a student can do.

The young people who are selected to join our programme are given the opportunity to carry out groundbreaking research and development, often working with pioneering technologies that are exported globally.

“The scheme is highly valued by the company so it’s important to take time at its end to celebrate our students.

We’re very proud of them all - their contributions are going to make a real difference to global health.”

For the first time two of the Randox Placement award winners were selected from the APEX scheme that Randox runs with UU and QUB. This innovative scheme, which enables applicants to submit “video CVS” on social media to showcase their own personalities, includes paid, full-time summer work experience after a student’s first year of studies, a year-long placement, and a full-time job offer upon graduating, should they obtain a 2:1 or above.

The incoming 2017 summer work experience marks the highest intake of APEX students in Randox so far. Anyone interested in applying for the 2018-19 scheme should email recruitment@randox.com

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Eye on News

St. George’s Market To Host NI’s First Social And Affordable Housing Conference St. George’s Market will act as the setting for NIFHA’s inaugural Development and Asset Management conference and exhibition on Wednesday 14th June, the first event of its kind in Northern Ireland.

Gordon Davidson, Ulster Bank Relationship Director and Ben Collins, NIFHA Chief Executive at the venue for NIFHA’s first Development and Asset Management conference and exhibition in St. George’s Market, Belfast.

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he event, which has been organised by NIFHA (the Northern Ireland Federation of Housing Associations), will combine a wide variety of exhibitions from construction, maintenance and product suppliers to the social housing sector

distributed throughout the historical venue along with an impressive list of guest-speakers offering an insight into the social housing sector.

Examples of exhibitors on the day are RICS, Garden Escapes Ireland, Creagh Concrete and Glen Dimplex,

who will host stands showcasing their businesses and engage with key influencers within the sector. The event will also act as a key networking opportunity for development and asset management leaders. For professionals supplying to the social housing sector, the conference offers an unrivalled opportunity to connect with NIFHA members.

NIFHA has highlighted that this is a particularly important time for the sector. Ben Collins, NIFHA Chief Executive said: “This is the first time an event like this has been organised in Northern Ireland and it comes at a crucially significant time for us as our members continue to strive to meet the challenges of constructing almost 2000 new homes each year. Against a backdrop of continued instability in the local and European political environments, this event will offer an ideal space for those developing and managing social housing across Northern Ireland to engage with suppliers bringing forward new and innovative products and services “We see this conference as a real opportunity for those who are involved in the social housing sector, whether it be an asset manager; a contractor or

a supplier of goods, to come together to avail of the relevant information on offer as part of the day. Delegates will be treated to a host of guestspeakers specialising in this sector, who are set to provide guidance on the sector as it currently stands.”

The event is sponsored by Ulster Bank. Gordon Davidson, Relationship Director, Ulster Bank, said: “The work of our local housing associations is of vital importance in powering housebuilding and meeting demand right across Northern Ireland. Having continued to actively support the sector in recent years, Ulster Bank has seen at first hand how associations have adapted to changes in their operating environment.

“NIFHA’s first Development and Asset Management conference is an excellent opportunity to share best practice and showcase the innovative thinking and planning that is well underway in the sector – meeting needs now and in the future.”

For those wishing to attend the day as a delegate, or to sign up as an exhibitor, visit NIFHA.org for further information.

The event is also supported by fire and CO detection company Aico; and maintenance and housing development software firm M3 Housing.

HAMILTON HAS DESIGNS ON £37.5M OF NEW NI ‘SCHOOLWORK’ Hamilton Architects are celebrating after winning the design contracts for £37.5m worth of new school building throughout Northern Ireland.

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he latest wins by the London, Belfast and Derrybased practice brings the construction value of business they have secured in the education sector in the past 12 months to £74.5m.

“We are delighted because the education sector is an important part of our portfolio, but we also deliver landmark projects in the leisure, health, culture and residential sectors,” said Partner Mark Haslett.

Hamilton’s sister company, Kriterion

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Conservation Architects, have just been awarded Tourism Project of the Year from the Irish Construction Industry Awards 2017 for their work on Enniskillen Castle Museum.

New education contracts include: Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus; North Coast Integrated College, Coleraine; Gaelscoil Aodha Rhua, Dungannon; Roe Valley Integrated Primary School, Limavady; Rowandale Integrated Primary School, Moira; and St Peter’s Primary School, Dungannon.

Mark Haslett (left), Partner at Hamilton Architects, pictured with Michael Houston, Principal of Ulidia Integrated College, Carrickfergus, and pupils who are excitedly looking forward to their new school building.

Hamilton’s is already working on a £7m redevelopment for Methodist College, a new campus in Enniskillen for South West College, an Irish language primary school in Omagh and a 600 pupil secondary school in Crossmaglen.

Projects delivered by the company include Kingspan Stadium, Dundalk Race Course, National Football Stadium NI, Riddel Hall, Crumlin Road Gaol, Ulster Museum, Mersey Ferry Terminal and greyhound stadiums in Cork and Dundalk.

Eye on Law

PROTECTING IP FROM CYBER RISK Recent cyber attacks have been widely publicised and most businesses are alert to the need to protect their customer data from hackers. Equally well publicised are the enhanced obligations and increased penalties that will arise from the new General Data Protection Regulation including the obligation to notify of a breach within 72 hours and the requirement for data portability.

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ntellectual Property (IP) such as trademarks, copyright, patents and design rights have long been used by businesses in the commercialisation of goods and services. The value of those IP assets was often underappreciated and the potential for profit from those assets underestimated.

It is now widely recognised that properly protected and utilised, IP assets can be one of a business’s most valuable assets, able to generate income from sale or licensing or by commercially exploiting the IP through protected products or services. The market for IP assets is growing as technology becomes more advanced.

While loss of company data can have a material impact on a business, attacks aimed at stealing company intellectual property are rising and the impact of such theft can be devastating. Loss of valuable trade secrets can, for example, lead to a flood of competitor products to the market.

Technology is changing and so are the methods used in perpetrating cybercrime. The threat to businesses is increasing as IP becomes more valuable and, simultaneously, more vulnerable to cyberattack.

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So what can you do?

Companies need to consider worst case scenarios and build a strategy to deal with any breach of its fundamental IP. Keeping IP safe from cybercriminals is no longer the task of the IT department. A topdown approach is needed led by the board and senior management as they are best placed to identify the IP to be protected, confirm where it should be stored and who should have access.

The culture of the business needs to be focused on being security-conscious with focus paid to educating employees and third parties on what is expected of them.

A combination defence system involving IT management, risk management and internal audits is needed.

Some of the steps you can take are: • Identify confidential IP and information, differentiating sensitive customer information and business critical IP, • Devise a clear strategy for IP governance – including how it is created and who has access to that IP – bearing in mind that employees often pose the

Kathryn Walls, Director, Mills Selig.

greatest risk to IP. Keep core IP separate from other data and limit access to key IP assets, • Ensure network and security measures are appropriate and keep them constantly updated and under review as new threats emerge. Included in this are stringent password policies and robust firewalls, • Ensure all employees (and contractors) sign contracts with confidentiality and non-disclosure provisions and make sure they know the importance of keeping key proprietary information secret – both while they are employees and after they leave, • Ensure access to core IP is restricted when an employee resigns, • Prepare a cyber policy for all employees and train all staff in how to keep data and IP safe and also how to respond in the event of an attack. Regularly update your employees on new cyber threats such as malware emails, phishing scams and social engineering; • Mobile devices pose one of the greatest threats to a business – consider whether you need to adopt policies for use and the information they can access.

Do you need a BYOD (bring your own device) policy?

• Regularly test and audit your IP governance systems.

• Undertake reviews on a regular basis with third parties involved in your data management (including cloud providers and record management companies).

Do their security standards meet your requirements?

• Adopt a formal procedure to be followed in the event of a breach – and test that procedure.

Cyber espionage is a burgeoning industry and is not restricted to sectors such as finance or defence. If your IP has significant commercial value – on a local or a global scale – then it is a potential target.

For further information, please contact Kathryn Walls on 028 9024 3878 or by email at kathryn.walls@millsselig.com

Eye on News

ANDRAS HOTELS INVEST £5M IN HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS Belfast’s biggest hotel Group, Andras Hotels, has announced commencement of a £5million extension to the Holiday Inn Express®.

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he Queen’s Quarter, Belfastbased property, which has been owned and operated by Andras Hotels since 1996, will benefit from 60 new bedrooms befitting of the new ‘4th generation’ Holiday Inn Express® bedroom standards.

The contractor appointed is MSM Contracts who are also building the Hampton by Hilton property in Belfast city centre for Andras Hotels. Both projects are being funded by Danske Bank.

Holiday Inn Express, part of the InterContinental Hotels Group

(IHG), is one of the worlds’ most recognisable budget hotel brands, with 2,507 properties featuring 249,142 rooms worldwide.

Director of Andras Hotels, Rajesh Rana, said the local company has “fostered an excellent partner relationship” with IHG, which dates back to 1991, and now sees Andras operating three IHG branded hotels in Belfast - Holiday Inn®, Belfast City Centre, Crowne Plaza Hotel at Shaw’s Bridge and Holiday Inn Express®.

The project, due for completion in April 2018, will see 60 additional

Lewis McCallan, Senior Corporate Manager, Danske Bank is pictured with Rajesh Rana, director, Andras Hotels and Robert Mackey, managing director of MSM Contracts.

bedrooms over three floors with 60 car parking spaces, provided over two underground car parking decks and at surface level. Each new bedroom will have air-conditioning, fresh modern decor, USB charging points, and stylish bathrooms. The hotel lobby and restaurant will be remodelled, complete with an all-

day café concept. The breakfast offering will also be upgraded to offer the Holiday Inn Express® new standard including Grab and Go items as well as a full Irish breakfast – all of which are free for every guest.

The hotel’s five meeting rooms will be refurbished with new decor and new audio visual equipment.

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Eye on Retail

MUSGRAVE INVESTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND Leading retailer announces multi-million investment into local food and drink industry and store network.

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eading retailer Musgrave has announced a £100M commitment into the local food and drink industry this year as well as a £10M investment into its store network across Northern Ireland.

This multi-million outlay is part of a province-wide campaign to demonstrate Musgrave’s commitment to the local community and industry across its SuperValu, Centra, Mace and MarketPlace brands.

In 2017 Musgrave will buy more than £100M worth of local food and drink, working in

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partnership with over 140 local suppliers, selling more than 3,000 local products across its stores and working with over 3,000 local farmers.

The company recently celebrated its 20th birthday in Northern Ireland and is a committed local employer of over 5,000 people across its business along with a dedicated partner of almost 130 retail families within the province.

This year saw a £2M investment into health initiatives in the Centra brand with the Live Every Day campaign and SuperValu’s Let’s Cook mission. Musgrave has also committed £250,000 into staff development in 2017.

Musgrave and its independent SuperValu and Centra retailers have invested significantly in Corporate Social Responsibility

initiatives across the province, having raised a massive £2.5M for charity partner Action Cancer since 2005, believed to be the biggest single donation by a Northern Ireland company. Mace retailers and the MarketPlace brand have raised more than £60,000 for NI Chest Heart and Stroke, since beginning the charity partnership in 2016.

Musgrave Managing Director, Michael McCormack said: “Musgrave recently celebrated 20 years of investment in Northern Ireland and this year alone, we’re committing £100M to the local food and drink industry and £10M to deliver the best in convenience retailing for consumers across our entire network of SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores.

“We pride ourselves on bringing great value and fresh food to

the heart of local communities.

Supporting retailers, local suppliers and communities remains a top priority for our business,” he continued.

“Our consumers know that when they shop with us, their money is invested back into their local community through wages, local sourcing, professional services and charitable contributions,” Michael added.

Food NI’s Chief Executive Michele Shirlow commented: “This significant commitment from Musgrave represents a huge vote of confidence in Northern Ireland’s innovative food and drink industry. We welcome this investment, which provides support and opportunity for the local producers who are growing our reputation as a great food region.”

Eye on News

CARSON McDOWELL ANNOUNCES FIVE NEW PARTNERS Northern Ireland’s largest independent law firm, Carson McDowell, has announced the appointment of five new partners.

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he new partners are Mary-Kim Doherty, Peter Guzhar, Grant McBurney, Olivia O’Kane and Kerry Teahan.

This year has seen further expansion for Carson McDowell in terms of headcount, with staff numbers now standing at over 150, including 29 partners.

Olivia O’Kane graduated with a first class honours degree from Queens University Belfast in 2004 and qualified as a solicitor in 2006 from the Institute of Professional Legal Studies QUB. She later qualified as a solicitor advocate in September 2012.

Her extensive Court of Appeal work includes privacy, data protection, anonymity and super injunctions.

Kerry Teahan, who recently

joined Carson McDowell, specialises in public procurement, advising on all aspects of the tender and contracting process.

Grant McBurney has been a member of the planning and environmental law team within Carson McDowell since 2005.

He is one of the few solicitors in Northern Ireland to specialise exclusively in the areas of planning and environmental law.

Mary-Kim Doherty joined the firm in 2002 as an apprentice whilst obtaining professional qualification at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies of Queens University.

In 2004 Mary-Kim qualified as a solicitor and joined the commercial property team. She has experience

in all areas of commercial property law including acting on behalf of many private developers, companies and public bodies in site assembly and disposal.

Peter Guzhar, who also joined the firm in 2002, works closely with partner, Declan Magee, in areas of commercial litigation and employers’ and public liability. He has gained experience across a broad spectrum of disciplines including intellectual property disputes and licensing law.

Carson McDowell has also promoted a number of solicitors to associate and senior associate level.

Michael Johnston, managing partner of Carson McDowell, said: “I would like to congratulate all those who have received a promotion,

Michael Johnston, managing partner at Carson McDowell with newly appointed partners Mary-Kim Doherty, Kerry Teahan, Peter Guzhar, Grant McBurney and Olivia O’Kane.

particularly those who have become partners. Carson McDowell has a long history of recognising and rewarding our colleagues who go above and beyond and we remain committed to retaining and appointing the brightest and the best in the legal profession.

“I would also like to welcome Kerry to the firm. We know that her experience in procurement will be a great asset to our clients.”

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Eye on News

WILSONS AUCTIONS’ BRANCHES AWARDED QUALITY ACCREDITATIONS Wilsons Auctions’ Belfast branch has successfully achieved a new ISO Standard accreditation, ensuring its continual improvement on its information security management.

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art of the largest independent auction company in the UK and Ireland, Wilsons Auctions Belfast successfully attained the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management Systems by assessor NQA whilst maintaining registration to Quality Management, Environmental Management and Health & Safety Management.

The accreditation acknowledges the Belfast branch’s ability in protecting its most vital assets, ensuring it meets the framework which enables continued accessibility, confidentiality and integrity of information as well as legal compliance.

The systematic approach

to managing sensitive company information so that it remains secure incorporates people, processes and IT systems by applying a risk assessment process.

Other branches across Wilsons Auctions have also achieved recent recognition with Portadown successful in maintaining the ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management standard.

The auction company’s current programme to roll out the Quality, Environmental and Health & Safety systems to three additional sites has proven successful, with Queensferry achieving all three accreditations, while Dalry and Maidstone is currently underway.

Speaking of the achievement

Peter Johnston

Peter Johnston, Group Operations Director for Wilsons Auctions said, “We are delighted to see branches across the Wilsons Auctions group achieve quality accreditation but in particularly Belfast which achieved the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management Systems, one of the only auction houses in the UK to achieve this certification.

“In an age when information

security measurements play a vital role in the daily operation of a business, we are thrilled to be commended for our dedication in continually aiming to improve our best practice. By committing to reach the highest level of information security we are not only constantly working to improve our systems but offering assurance to both customers and clients,” he added.

FIRSTSOURCE LAUNCHES MENTAL HEALTH TOOLKIT IN THE UK Firstsource Solutions, a leading customer experience expert and employer of 5,000 people in the UK – including over 500 employees in Belfast - is building on its commitment to tackling mental health in the workplace with the launch of a new mental health toolkit across its UK operations.

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he launch comes during Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, launched by the Mental Health Association.

Recent statistics indicate that one in four people will experience some form of mental health problem in their lifetime.

The toolkit will equip Firstsource managers with the information they need to recognise early triggers and symptoms of poor mental health in employees, as well as advice on next steps.

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Its nationwide launch comes after a successful trial in Firstsource operations in Derry, Northern Ireland. In one centre, the initiative received positive feedback from line managers and helped contribute to a 10% reduction in absences related to mental health. The toolkit will now be rolled out to Firstsource sites across the UK including Belfast, Cardiff, Derby, Middlesbrough and Warrington.

The toolkit was created for Firstsource employees in

Amy Kieran from BITC, Gary Kane from Action Mental Health, and Lauren McAreavey from Firstsource Solutions.

association with Action Mental HEALTH (amh), Business in the Community, and other leading organisations.

Speaking about the national rollout of the toolkit, Laura Hourican VP HR UK of Firstsource said; “As an employer, Firstsource has a duty of care for its employees, and we’re committed to being

proactive about tackling mental health challenges in the workplace.

As we roll out our mental health toolkit across our UK operations, we want to make sure that each and every one of our employees has access to the support and guidance they need when it comes to their, a colleague, a friend or a family member’s mental health.’’

Eye on News

FLYBE BEGINS NEW WEEKEND SUMMER SUN ROUTES VIA SOUTHAMPTON Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, has started operating nine new routes to regional France from George Best Belfast City Airport this weekend using its new weekend leisure hub via Southampton Airport as part of its 2017 Summer schedule.

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he seasonal flights operate each weekend through to 3rd September 2017 and can be booked at www.flybe.com with one way fares available from £46.98 including taxes and charges.

Operating on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer, the majority of routes are brand new services to some of Europe’s most sought-after holiday destinations - Avignon, Bergerac-Dordogne, Biarritz, Brest, Rennes, Limoges, Nantes, La Rochelle and Toulon-Hyères.

Flybe’s weekend leisure hub not only gives regional passengers the added benefits of extra choice but also the opportunity to seamlessly connect through Southampton

to their final destination with the minimum of fuss and with just one initial check-in at George Best Belfast City Airport.

The airline’s schedule is tailored to ensure that the connecting time at Southampton is kept to an absolute minimum and, from wheels up to touchdown, passengers will reach their final destination within a few hours. For example, a flight departing Belfast for La Rochelle at 13:15 on Saturday will connect through Southampton to arrive just under four hours later.

Vincent Hodder, Flybe’s Chief Revenue Officer comments: “We are delighted to introduce the new Southampton leisure hub to our Northern Ireland passengers this summer. It further enhances

The Honorary Consul for France in Northern Ireland, Regine McCullough (centre), welcomes the new Flybe through connections from Belfast City Airport to French destinations along with cabin crew Laura Stewart and Ingrid Heaney (left).

the ever growing number of connections available to our customers wanting to enjoy fast, convenient travel farther afield from their local airport.”

Northern Ireland’s Consul of France Mme. Regine McCullough welcomed the Flybe

announcement. “This is good news for people from here visiting France as much as it is for French people have greater access to Northern Ireland. I look forward to making use of the services myself!”

Full details of the schedule are available at www.flybe.com

TOP MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWYER JOINS O’REILLY STEWART O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors today announced it has hired high profile clinical negligence partner Patrick Mullarkey, securing the firm’s position as the leading healthcare plaintiff firm in Northern Ireland.

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Paddy Mullarkey with senior partner Imelda McMillan and managing partner Joe Moore.

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ullarkey, who has spent his career successfully bringing civil actions in medical cases of negligence on behalf of patients against both Trusts and doctors, leaves BLM Solicitors after 22 years.

The appointment bolsters the clinical negligence department at the May Street-based O’Reilly Stewart, further building on its track record of success in some of the largest medical compensation actions to be conducted in Northern Ireland.

Managing Partner at the firm, Joe Moore said; “As a Chambers and Partners Band 1 ranked Clinical Negligence lawyer, one of the

leaders in his field, we are immensely proud to welcome Paddy Mullarkey to O’Reilly Stewart. It is a hugely significant appointment for the firm.

“Paddy has a wealth of experience in providing advice to patients, specialising in cases of the utmost severity including cerebral palsy, quadriplegia and brain damage.

“We are very much looking forward to Paddy’s contribution to what is already one of the most capable and talented clinical negligence teams in Northern Ireland.”

Paddy Mullarkey said; “I am absolutely delighted to be joining O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors and I am very excited about further

developing the firm’s already excellent healthcare offering.

“I believe that we now offer, to our established and prospective clients, an unrivalled depth of experience and “know-how” in all matters touching upon the public’s interaction with healthcare services, from Litigation and Coronial Inquests, to professional regulation and Alternative Dispute Resolution/ Mediation.”

Paddy is a member of the Clinical Negligence SubCommittee, a Committee chaired by the Senior Queen’s Bench Judge and a co-opted member of the Law Society Committee on Clinical Negligence.

Eye on Anniversary

IoD NI CHARTING A STEADY COURSE THROUGH 60 YEARS OF HISTORY

Former IoD NI Chairman Howard Hastings raises a glass during an IoD event.

The Institute of Directors in Northern Ireland is celebrating its 60th anniversary in the region, with the anniversary marked by a glittering gala ball on the 1st of June.

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urrent and former members gathered for the event at Titanic Belfast which marked the milestone of the body, which promotes business leadership across all sectors in the economy.

The evening highlighted the ongoing relevance of the organisation as it evolves along with the Northern Ireland economy and its increasingly diverse network of business leaders.

First established in 1957, the Northern Ireland branch formed under the chairmanship of the then Lord Mayor of Belfast Alderman RJR Harcourt while Captain WH Wilson was its inaugural secretary.

At a national level, the IoD can chart its history back to 1903 and was incorporated

by Royal Charter in 1906 making it the longest standing representative body for professional leaders in the UK. In total, the IoD in Northern Ireland has had 23 chairs throughout its existence, including hotelier Howard Hastings who, at 33, was the youngest person to hold the position and Ann Shaw who became its first female chair in 1998.

These days, the body is made up by more than 800 members and is headquartered at Riddel Hall in Stranmillis, to which it relocated from the Ulster Reform Club in 2011.

Outgoing IoD NI Director Linda Brown and Noel Brady, who chaired the IoD NI Company of the Century steering group in 2003 marking 100 years of the IoD.

The organisation is led by Chair Ian Sheppard and will this summer welcome newly appointed Northern Ireland Director Kirsty McManus, following the retirement of Linda Brown, who has held the role for the past 23 years.

Linda said IoD NI is every bit as relevant today as when it was first set up: “As an organisation, we have played a key role in helping the business community thrive through difficult times and as they face emerging challenges such as Brexit.

“We are committed to supporting leaders through the promotion of continual professional development and good governance as they share our goal of improving conditions across the economy.”

Linda said the Northern Ireland division was established at a time of significant expansion of the IoD: “It was the 14th regional Branch to be inaugurated (there are 48 today) while the following year, the organisation expanded overseas with bodies set up in what are now called Zimbabwe and Malawi.

“It wasn’t until 1970 that more detailed records of the IoD in Northern Ireland emerge.

“Activity at the time included planning for an Annual Banquet and Ball in 1971.

But minutes show that the event was cancelled due to the danger of terrorist attacks at the time.”

That represented the beginning of a difficult period for the organisation and business in Northern Ireland generally.

However, the organisation’s oldest surviving Chair, John B McGuckian, who held the position from 1979 until 1982, said the support of fellow directors met through the organisation was instrumental in

Former BBC political correspondent John Sergeant with John Lunn of Lunns The Jewellers and Linda Brown at the 60th Anniversary Gala Ball.

helping business leaders cope with the issues faced by wider society.

John said: “Back in 1979, it’s difficult now to remember just how bad things were but there was sort of a communion between us all in the IoD. “We were able to comfort each other and no matter what was happening to our businesses, we were able to meet, chat and get on with life which was a help.

“It was a comfort just to see each other there and knowing that we were all just getting on with our businesses.”

With the Troubles now consigned to the history books, Northern Ireland has emerged as a serious destination for foreign direct investors, Linda added: “The economy in Northern Ireland today is unrecognisable to when I first took up the role as Director.

“The region has always had a worldclass reputation for the quality and ingenuity of its business leaders.

“And in the past decade especially that global renown has resulted in the region attracting numerous foreign direct investors to establish bases here.

“Northern Ireland is now a major centre for financial and legal services, not to mention the burgeoning digital, knowledge economy and film and television production sectors.”

Contemporary challenges still remain however such as subdued short term economic growth and Brexit.

Speaking at the IoD NI Annual Dinner in February, newly appointed IoD Director General Stephen Martin – who is from Northern Ireland – said the UK’s exit from the EU was a concern particularly for the local business community.

He told delegates that getting the

question of the Irish border right would be “the litmus test for a successful exit”.

Mr Martin joined a long list of influential speakers to have addressed IoD NI events.

Linda added: “Throughout the decades, IoD NI has always attracted a high calibre of speakers. These have included MP Enoch Powell, the first Secretary of State to Northern Ireland William Whitelaw and more recently Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern addressed the IoD in Belfast in 2005.”

Linda, who was the first woman to lead the IoD in Northern Ireland said the organisation seeks to reflect the diversity of the economy at large: “IoD NI represents businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietors to SMEs and large firms and our membership is just as diverse.

“Currently, 25 per cent of IoD NI members are aged under 43 and make up our Young Directors Forum.

“We also have a growing number of female members, now accounting for one-in-four of total membership, and in this respect the organisation has changed markedly since when I first joined.

“One of our most popular events is the Women’s Leadership Conference, held this year for the 10th time, and which showcases the depth and diversity of talent among female entrepreneurs in the IoD and the wider economy.

The elections at our Annual Members Meeting in May saw equal numbers of male and female leaders on the IoD Northern Ireland Committee.”

For more information on the Institute of Directors, visit www.iod.com/ni

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Eye on Travel Management

Selective Travel Management...

At The Heart Of Business Travel

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Eye on Travel Management We’re all aware of our local high street travel agencies, but it’s a lesser known fact Northern Ireland is home to one of the UK’s leading travel management companies (or TMC’s)... and they’re a very different animal to retail travel agencies.

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et Selective Travel Management, based at the restored Murray’s Exhange on Sandy Row, is a market-leading TMC with its roots in retail travel right here in Belfast.

These days, Selective Travel Management is a £41 million turnover travel operation with 110 staff and a wide range of public and private sector clients, all of which rely on Selective’s team to organise every aspect of their travel requirements.

“That can mean booking flights, hotels, private transfers or car hire, and a wide range of other travel add-ons,” says Selective Managing Director Keith Graham. “But what it means most of all is that we’re here at the end of a phone for them, wherever they happen to be in the world and whatever time it may be.”

We’re sitting down with Keith Graham at Murray’s Exchange on the day following the big British Airways’ IT meltdown on the late May Bank Holiday weekend. It was a weekend that left a number of Selective’s customers with their travel arrangements in disarray “It’s our job to have people here right through the weekend and people on call around the clock to sort out travel issues for our customers. This could be anything from simply booking an extra night’s accommodation, to complete changes of plans, including re-booking multiple flights, transfers, accommodation…… whatever we can do to help them,” he says.

Selective Travel Management has built its growing reputation on the back of some large public sector contracts. It found a niche for itself in the university sector, winning contracts from universities all over the UK. More recently, Selective also won a contract worth some £10 million to handle travel for the Northern Ireland Civil Service in all of its forms and branches. That means booking flights, hotels and transfers for everyone from Junior Civil Servants through to Permanent Secretaries and (in the days of the Executive) Stormont Ministers.

“The public sector continues to be very important for us as a company, and we’ve continued to develop an extensive client base, in the private sector. It’s

surprising how many SME’s are working in the global market and conducting business off these shores,” adds Keith.

Customer service, he emphasises time and time again, is central to what Selective Travel Management offers its customers. “All of our customers get access to the various layers of expertise available here,” he says, “from our Booking Teams through to Team Leaders and on to Account Managers and myself. I find myself taking calls from customers throughout the week....and at the weekends too.”

Selective Travel Management takes the business of new business seriously.

It has established a dedicated Bids and Tendering Team to prepare bids and tenders for new business opportunities, carefully selecting which contracts it will bid for....and which it will not.

Buying Business Travel, the UK’s leading publication for the TMC sector, recently ranked Selective Travel Management at No. 32 in the Top 50 TMC’s in the country, No. 7 for the new business that it has won and No. 1 on its Fast Track Listing.

To put that achievement into context, the Belfast-based firm with its 110 staff competes with much larger international travel management companies based in London and elsewhere in the UK, some of them household names in the travel industry.

The growth,” says Keith, “is about the strength of our people and how well they are able to service our entire customer base. Regardless if you are a small SME, or a large multi-national, with vast travel budgets, all clients are treated equally, each given the highest level of customer service available.”

The Selective MD is proud of how all employees are looked after. An

ambitious and wide-ranging reward and recognition policy supports initiatives spanning health and wellbeing to financial benefits. This includes free and confidential counselling, discounted travel insurance, gym memberships and a number of employees have signed up to the “ride to work” scheme.

The Belfast company has invested some £300,000 in IT development over the past year or so. This allows them to not only book and manage travel, but to integrate with various client systems, providing an electronic one-stop-shop for all travel quotes, itineraries through to invoicing.

Selective Travel Management has also launched two innovative customer facing products – an online profiling tool and a traveller tracking platform.

And the company has worked hard to become Cyber Essential accredited.

This government-backed cyber security certification scheme applies a baseline of cyber security suitable for organisations across a range of sectors.

The scheme addresses five key controls that, when implemented, can prevent the vast majority of cyber attacks.

Not surprisingly, Keith Graham is a keen observer of travel trends locally. He’s seen a definite rise in the number of travellers flying via Middle Eastern Airports. “Dublin has clear advantages in terms of choice,” he says. “Thanks to air passenger duty, our airports can’t compete on a level playing field. But there are plenty of longhaul customers”, he adds, “who prefer to travel from Belfast via Heathrow.”

“Whatever routes they want to take, whatever airline they prefer to fly with, and whatever hotel they want to stay in.... we’re ready to help. And we’re at the other end of the phone when problems strike.”

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Eye on Cover Story

CARSON McDOWELL:

Belfast’s Major League Law Firm Every law firm in Northern Ireland will tell you that they are the best at what they do. You’d expect nothing less. But for Carson McDowell, Northern Ireland’s largest independent law firm, there’s no need to make such claims off their own bat - the firm’s position as heavy hitters in Northern Ireland has been confirmed by the legal sector’s two most noted publications.

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arson McDowell is ranked as the leading Northern Irish firm in the 2017 edition of the Chambers UK guide, ranked as a “band one” firm in more practice areas than any other local firm and with 30 individual solicitors listed in the guide, including 26 of their partners.

Carson McDowell also holds the title of Regional Law Firm of the Year from the prestigious Legal 500 rankings and is ranked as a top tier firm in 11 practice areas, more than any other Northern Ireland firm. Fourteen Carson McDowell lawyers were also listed in the elite Leading Lawyers list, the Legal 500’s guide to outstanding lawyers nationwide.

Those accolades come as no surprise. The firm has long worked with many of Northern Ireland’s top 100 businesses as well as international companies that do business locally.

But Michael Johnston, the firm’s Managing Partner, says its advertising slogan “We do more, better” means its solicitors always have their eye on the ball.

“The firm has seen strong growth in recent years, both in terms of financial results and in our headcount. That has been achieved by constantly evolving and staying attuned to the needs of our clients, because we are only successful when they are successful,” he said.

“What we are seeing now is that clients need advice on

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more complicated and obscure issues than ever before.

The legal landscape has changed and is changing.

The breadth of what we need to do is much wider.”

One topical area is data protection and security, an issue that has been highlighted in recent months by a series of high profile data breaches and cyber attacks. Johnston says that the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) that come into force next year will force companies and organisations of all types to completely reassess how they handle, store and use data collected from customers and clients.

“Data protection is an subject that most business people wouldn’t have given a second thought to 10 years ago. But now, it is right up there as one of the burning issues,” he says.

“In response to this we have developed expertise in data protection and in fact formed our own Information Law team, bringing together all the specialists whose expertise clients might need to cope with issues thrown up by the vast amounts of information they handle.”

Johnston is aware that the onus is now also on law firms themselves to be hot on cyber security and Carson McDowell is investing in new IT systems and is keeping a close eye on the development of technology for the automation of functions such as document capture so it can be adopted at a time

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Eye on Cover Story

“ What we are seeing now is that clients need advice on more complicated and obscure issues than ever before. The legal landscape has changed and is changing.”

when it is advantageous to the firm’s clients.

Cross border issues are also high on the agenda for clients who seek out the firm’s expertise on commercial matters, though Mr Johnston believes businesses are, so far, carrying on as normal, regardless of any concerns over the impact of Brexit.

“It’s a cliché but it does seem as if most companies are currently just getting on with their normal business until they know more. However, we are concerned about the lack of leadership at Stormont and the potential for that vacuum to lead to a drop of confidence among NI-based companies and among external investors,” he says.

Many of the client companies Carson McDowell works with are already looking beyond NI and in fact beyond Great Britain, and as a result the firm is doing more work outside Northern Ireland, particularly in the corporate, commercial and property sectors.

“We are following our clients and as a result the firm is doing more work in London and with clients who have activities in the Republic of Ireland. They are looking through the uncertainty to what is being is being done in other markets further afield,” he explains.

“Some of the firm’s clients are not in Northern Ireland at all. We are currently working with some companies in England that don’t have a Northern Ireland element to their business. That is new.”

Recently the firm has been involved in transactions such as the ICT Managed Services Contract awarded

by Northern Ireland Electricity Networks Limited to Atos IT Services UK Limited with an estimated spend

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of £60 million over a 7 year term and Saint-Gobain Building Distribution in various acquisitions including the plumber’s merchant business of Clady Plumbing Supplies Ltd in Clady and the timber and builder’s merchant business of H. & T. Bellas Limited in Coleraine.

Mr Johnston sees a number of growth areas for the firm in the years ahead, not least in litigation. He notes that the firm is doing a lot more professional negligence work and expects to see further growth in cases against anyone in professional roles – from medical to other solicitors, architects, dentists, pharmacists, even estate agents.

It is this type of complex work that gives Michael Johnston confidence that the lawyers won’t be replaced by automation – or robots – any time soon.

He expects further growth in the firm’s headcount through organic growth and says it is open to taking on more new people beyond roles it currently has advertised. At some stage the firm will need to move to larger offices, but Mr Johnston says the firm is also focused on creating an attractive working environment.

“Our policy is to hire the best and also to hire people who buy into our culture. Particularly when we are recruiting younger solicitors – millennials – we know that their approach to work is very different to people of my generation,” he says.

“Quality of life is now as important a consideration for people as salary and we recognise that is now part of how we attract people to the firm in addition to the exciting work they will be doing in NI, the UK and beyond.”

Eye on Technology

Xperience Get Businesses Fit For Digital Transformation

Xperience IT Solutions, an Xperience Group business, has designed a new state-of-the-art Innovation Suite to showcase the latest technologies which assist businesses on their digital transformation journey. Cathriona Hallahan, Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland visited the company’s Lisburn premises to unveil and officially open the facility.

Innovation Driven Change Xperience understand exposure to pioneering technology is essential to digital transformation. The new Innovation Suite will provide its clients with the opportunity to immerse themselves in technology that can propel their business forward.

Iain O’Kane, Managing Director at Xperience, stated, “Digital transformation is a concept many local businesses are still getting to grips with. Having been in the IT industry for over 40 years, we understand technology can be challenging at times, especially when it comes to choosing the right solution for your business that will stand the test of time. We hope opening the Innovation Suite will make it easier for businesses to identify the solutions that will work for them, and empower them to digitally transform through a hands-on experience”.

Speaking at the official opening of the Innovation Suite, Cathriona

Hallahan, Managing Director, Microsoft Ireland said, “As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Xperience have the tools and experience to showcase the benefits of digital technology to the businesses across Northern Ireland, how they can benefit from solutions which will help them to Digitally Transform. Congratulations to the team here for their experiential approach to engaging customers.”

The brand new suite demonstrates how the Internet of Things has a place in a business environment.

Richard Kennedy, Director of Cloud at Xperience remarks, “We’ve really thought of everything when designing this suite. From virtual voice assistants, sophisticated call systems, to interconnected lighting and sound. And, the best part is it all integrates. Clients will be able to see how the Internet of Things can connect with their business applications to make them more productive, profitable and ultimately transform their business!”

Digital First Future Microsoft recognise the business landscape is changing rapidly; as such, its global vision is to empower every person and organisation to achieve more, through digital transformation. In the era of digital transformation, now businesses need to be more agile and transition from productcentric to customer-centric.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Xperience are breaking ground locally by making the latest digital transformation tools released by Microsoft available to businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Dynamics 365 Difference Digital transformation describes the application of technology to empower staff, engage customers, optimise operations and transform products. Dynamics 365 enables businesses to keep up with the pace of digital change by bringing all business functions together under one roof, available anytime, anywhere, on any device.

Gemma McAnally, Microsoft Solutions Specialist at Xperience,

comments, “When it comes to new technology we have found customers do not want to just read a proposal, or listen to a sales pitch. They want to see things in action and be able to experience the technology before making a decision”.

She concludes, “The innovation Suite will be key to helping our customers understand the capabilities of Dynamics 365, the latest offering from Microsoft which reinvents business management software as we know it. Added to this, being one of the first partners in Northern Ireland with the skillset to deploy Dynamics 365 should instil customers with the confidence that we can help them on their digital transformation journey.”

To speak to an Xperience Consultant about your IT security.

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

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Eye on Cyber Crime

Businesses Urged To Insure Digital Assets As Cybercrime Attacks Predicted To Rise The recent NHS cyber security chaos provides vital lessons for other UK companies operating in the digital age. Ransomware attacks like the one which recently impacted the NHS are not a new occurrence in the cyber world.

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n 2015 almost half of NHS trusts in England were hit by ransomware, and as they are becoming increasingly seen as an easy way for cyber criminals to make money, the frequency of these attacks is expected to rise in the coming years. All companies are potential targets, and unfortunately technology alone will not protect your company from the threat unless it is married to the right company culture and vigilance when it comes to maintaining and protecting your digital assets. John Tunnah, Vice President, Lockton Belfast and expert in insuring businesses’ digital assets provides some insight on protecting your company from cybercrime….

The huge disruption experienced by the NHS as a result of its recent cyber-attack resulted from inadequate computer systems maintenance and human error and has presented some vital lessons for other UK companies when it comes to ensuring that their

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digital assets are properly insured. While this cyber-attack was fairly simple, it caused widespread damage and expense which could be accrued by any company using an email system if left vulnerable.

In this instance, many NHS hospitals had not updated their Windows operating system to include a recently released security patch, meaning that NHS workers unwittingly spread a malware when they opened attachments in emails.

The impact was magnified because many Trusts were running outdated and unsupported Microsoft operating systems like Windows XP. The ransomware used was not particularly sophisticated – in fact, it emerged three months ago – and it wasn’t even specifically aimed at the NHS, but found vulnerabilities in the systems in place within the large network of Trusts, hospitals, and facilities.

Below are five tips that all companies

with digital assets should follow to minimise the likeliness and impact of cyber-attacks in the future.

1. Ensure your operating systems are supported and up to date. Apply patches as soon as they become available (for WannaCry ransomware specifically ensure MS17-010 has been deployed). Support for Microsoft’s Windows XP ended in 2014, so companies using this operating system should upgrade immediately.

2. Ensure you are using antivirus solutions. It’s debatable whether this would have stopped this particular incident, but it is good practice for preventing the spread of viruses and malware and could help to prevent similar incidents.

3. Ensure you have a current back-up which is not on the same network (what IT practitioners refer to as ‘out-of-brand’). There are a number of simple cloud-based solutions available for this to ensure that an up to date backup is stored in a second location.

4. Ensure staff are trained not to open suspicious emails, and – more

generally – that your team is trained to understand and be vigilant against different types of cyber-attack/ incident. Many successful cyberattacks occur because of common mistakes made by employees. Ensure that any ‘remove access’ capabilities are secure and that team are not sharing files via external hard drive devices (ie: pen drives). Computers should be logged off / locked or powered down each evening to ensure that only their designated users have access, especially in publicfacing workplace atmospheres.

5. Evaluate your cyber insurance options.

Insurance, while not designed to replace your organisation’s IT security, can assist in your risk mitigation. A specialist cyber insurance policy should pay the ransom, if deemed appropriate, and the associated costs incurred by you or the insurer’s breach response to remediate the ransomware attack.

To inquire about insuring your digital assets contact John Tunnah, Lockton Belfast, at: +44 (0) 2890 248989.

Eye on IT Security Rainbow’s Five-Point Cyber Protection Plan Be informed This is the key to preparing a plan. Ensure you have a strong understanding what your organisation faces and the terminology used so that you can identify the threats.

Embrace security Ensure that IT security is given the priority it deserves. It’s your responsibility to keep you and your customer’s information safe and secure. From bank details to customer names, addresses or dates of birth, the consequences of theft are extremely damaging.

There is a wide range of solid and inexpensive solutions and products available that can provide the security you need.

ALARMS RINGING OVER IT SECURITY Companies across Northern Ireland need to be vigilant as hackers strengthen their resolve.

Many have already experienced the fallout of poor preparation, says Stuart Carson of Rainbow.

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ast month, at least 24 NHS trusts across England, Wales and Scotland were hit by a crippling cyber-attack. Starting on a Friday, ransomware, a type of malware designed to extort money from victims by holding files or entire computer systems to ransom, was used to infect IT systems.

NHS Digital confirmed that the trusts affected were using outdated Microsoft tech system Windows XP which left them exposed.

Almost 100 countries across the world were affected which should act as a wake-up call for local companies and public sector bodies in Northern Ireland.

We work on a daily basis to ensure IT

systems and networks are fully secure from a variety of costly cyber-attacks and are now, more than ever, reinforcing the message that preparation is key.

Preparation helps minimise the risk of hacking or other attacks by enabling organisations to stay one step ahead of the plethora of worms, viruses, ransomware and other potential infection circulating the globe.

While Northern Ireland appeared better prepared in this instance, it isn’t immune. These attacks aren’t going to be isolated incidences so precautionary measures should be consistently evolving to combat new strains and developments in this technology.

There can be no comfort in the fact that larger organisations

appeared to be the target of this global attack. Lower-profile criminals go for lower-profile companies and every location is now within reach.

Companies across Northern Ireland need to be vigilant as hackers strengthen their resolve.

Many have already experienced the fallout of poor preparation.

With new threats emerging every day, it’s acutely important to put in place the right measures that will protect your company and your reputation. The looming threat of hackers on a mission to steal your information or hold you to ransom is real.

After this attack on the NHS, every organisation in Northern Ireland should now be acutely aware of the implications.

However, with the right steps and the right advice, you will be able to run your business securely in the confidence that you’re among those best prepared.

Get password savvy Don’t make it easy for cyber criminals to get inside your network. Simple passwords may be memorable for you but it makes their job easy. Make them strong and change them regularly. You should also advise staff to be wary of clicking links from unknown sources.

Hire an expert Given the consequences and the risk to your business, it’s surprising how companies still don’t call in the experts. They can quickly advise on where your vulnerabilities are and the best course of action.

Get insured Few businesses realise it, but you can now get cyber security insurance which can help to protect you from the damaging effects of a cyber-attack, particularly legal costs involved.

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. rainbowcomms.com

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OUT OF SITE

OUT OF YOUR L O R T N CO

Eye on News

CAPITAL MATCH IS LAUNCHED

From Left to Right: Conor Clarke – Eli Global, John Knapton - Catalyst Inc, Alan Watts – Director Capital Match, Andrew Sloane – ADV, Julia Groves – Downing LLP

Capital Match, a new service from Catalyst Inc to assist ambitious Northern Ireland companies with funding, has been officially launched.

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he launch event included a panel debate on ‘How to win Investment’ with a stellar panel of major investors. These

included Andrew Sloane, Investment Lead at Accelerated Digital Ventures, Julia Groves, partner and Head of Crowdfunding at Downing LLP,

Conor Clarke, Investment Associate at Eli Global and Nicola McClafferty Investment director at Draper Esprit.

Alan Watts, Director of Capital Match launched the new service saying “Capital Match provides intelligent and highly focused sources of fundmatching for high growth-potential knowledge economy companies, principally graduates from the Connect Springboard programme.

“Capital Match operates by building extensive personal relationships with multiple sources of funding largely outside Northern Ireland. These are venture capitalists, funds, family offices, syndicates, investor groups and selected experienced individual investors.

“The difference between Capital Match and say an angel network is in the laser focus of the introductions. Instead of time being wasted in meetings where it turns out investment was never likely, relatively few meetings are set up. But where they are, they are with funders who will be interested in the particular company. This saves huge amounts of time for the companies and also for the funders”.

Speaking at the launch event, Conor Clarke of Eli Global said, “As a USA based family office with a global focus, we are keen to invest in high quality companies from Northern Ireland. We see Capital Match as a great benefit as it will efficiently connect us with companies who exactly match what we are looking for.”

Fellow panelist Andrew Sloane from ADV added, ‘ADV is a venture platform, created by business builders to invest in generation-defining entrepreneurs across the UK. We’re delighted to see Capital Match launch and look forward to working with them as they match Northern Irish technology companies with the right sources of capital’ The level of ambition of companies supported by Capital Match is such that they will need £500k-£2m of initial funding. Workshops held during the formation of Capital Match showed that this is where the greatest funding gap exists in NI. Alan commented further, “We already have the relationships with funders so the really ambitious companies don’t have go out to make them”.

CULLODEN ESTATE & SPA COMPLETES £4.8M RENOVATION PROGRAMME The Culloden Estate & Spa has announced the completion of a renovation programme which has seen Hastings Hotels invest £4.8m in their leading 5 star property over the last three years.

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his week, the Estate’s General Manager Eoin O’Sullivan was joined by the group’s Managing Director, Howard Hastings, to unveil the complete redevelopment of two floors of bedrooms which has seen a selection of the smaller bedrooms remodelled to be augmented in size, bringing the hotel stock to 98.

Also included in the renovation programme has been the extensive redevelopment of the Mitre Restaurant, the Stuart Suite and the Spa which has ensured that the Culloden remains one of the top hotels in Ireland.

Eoin O’Sullivan, General Manager of the Culloden Estate & Spa said:

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“We are thrilled to have completed a three year renovation programme which has seen almost £5m spent on Northern Ireland’s premier 5-star hotel.

As part of this programme we now have a brand new facade to a wing of the hotel with larger rooms and magnificent bathrooms overlooking landscaped gardens, all with the aim of providing our guests with an even more enjoyable experience when they stay at the Culloden.

“As well as the bedroom project, we undertook a complete redesign of the Mitre restaurant together with new menus created by Chef McKnight, and an upgraded spa with

Howard Hastings, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels was joined by Eoin O’Sullivan General Manager of the Culloden Estate and Spa as the 5-star hotel announces the completion of a renovation programme which has seen Hastings Hotels invest £4.8m in their leading 5 star property over the last three years.

new quiet room, exclusive nail bar and remodelled gym facilities as well as a beautiful refurbishment of the Stuart Suite for our weddings, conferences, and banquets to enjoy. In addition we have installed a brand new lift allowing easier access to the new rooms and to the spa.

“It is continual investment like

this that has enabled us to pick up prestigious awards throughout Ireland. Most recently, this year we were delighted to have been named Luxury Hotel of the Year at the Irish Hotel Awards and highly commended at the first ever Georgina Campbell Breakfast Awards in the Best 5-Star Hotel category,” Eoin added.

The UK’s most discreet and effective non-surgical face-lift Our Principal Consultant Surgeon Mr Ashok Songra is also on the Anti-Wrinkle Validator panel of experts for the UK. Mr Ashok Songra is an expert in the area of noninvasive procedures. His specialities include bioresorbable threads (used in the jaw and neck lift) that pull up loose skin and redefine the facial silhouette. This method is based on the implantation of multiple threads, creating a vectorial network that acts to support the tissue. Mr Ashok Songra is renowned for creating a natural look.

Jaw and Neck Lift

Brow Lift

The jaw and neck are often the first things to betray our age. To improve the jawline and contour the area we insert bioresorbable threads into the skin, this will define and contour the jawline and stimulate the production of collagen. Resulting in a firmer contoured jawline.

Threads dissolve within eight months but the lifting effect can last up to two years. Prices start from £895- £2000.

Create a brow-lift with a combination treatment of dermal fillers and bioresorbable threads. This treatment is a procedure that can be very effective for people with mild to moderate heaviness due to ageing. It raises the brows a few millimetres higher and adds definition to the the brows creating a rejuvenated more youthful look.

READER OFFER Cosmetech is offering readers a complimentary consultation at the Cosmetech, Maypole Clinic in Holywood. To book call Tel:028 9042 3200 : frontdesk@cosmetech.com

Forehead Introducing Dr Lisa Neligan at Cosmetech; she’s available at 352 Lisburn Rd, Belfast. She’s known for keeping brow movement intact, so no risk of looking frozen. She believes in ‘restoring the face’ not recreating it. Prices from £230.

Dr Neligan has extensive experience in all aspects of GP care and has a specialist interest in anti-ageing treatments and is part of Cosmetech’s Consultant Surgeon led team providing anti-wrinkle injections, dermal fillers and skin peels.

3fivetwo.com

Other services include: Anti-ageing injectables,Skin rejuvenation Ultrasound ,Thermiva, Cosmetic Skin Tag and Mole Removal, Semipermanent Make up and Vein Clinic.

Vein Clinic at Cosmetech Maypole Clinic Holywood Veins come in a variety of types such as varicose veins, thread veins and spider veins. Depending on the type you suffer from, a number of treatment are available including surgical and non-surgical options. The key to success is careful assessment of your veins. Noninvasive treatments such as Thermal Ablation or Foam Sclerotherapy are often best to control symptoms or reducing skin complications. Surgical removal often offers the best cosmetic outcome.

Call 028 9042 3200 and book your consultation before 31st July to receive 10% discount on vein treatments using code COSVEIN17.

Cosmetech, Maypole Clinic 5-7 Shore Road Holywood BT18 9XH www.cosmetech.co.uk

PART OF THE 3FIVETWO GROUP

BECAUSE LIFE MATTERS

Eye on Law

Ian Huddleston...

Law Society President’s Future Vision 30

Eye on Law The legal community here in Northern Ireland, in common with the business community, has plenty of challenges looming on the horizon.

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here’s Brexit, its threats and opportunities, there’s the political vacuum at Stormont, plus the day to day job of making sure that solicitors and law firms here are being represented as they should be.

The representation of solicitors in one of two primary roles for the Law Society of Northern Ireland, the other being the regulation of those lawyers. Its current President is Belfast-based corporate lawyer Ian Huddleston.

A former Managing Partner in the now defunct Belfast firm of L’Estrange & Brett, Huddleston is an experienced real estate lawyer and currently works between London and Belfast.

A Trust & State Practitioner advising on inheritance and succession planning, he also sits as a judge on Charity Commission cases and on Tax Tribunals.

“We work hard as an organisation on the lobbying front, and we’ve also forged closer links with business groups and other representative bodies as we move towards Brexit. It’s vital that the legal sector plays its part in the wider process, and it’s also vital that our representatives bodies continue to work together,” he says.

“We’re non-political and we’re not taking any particular stance on Brexit or any other issue.

What’s important is that we get our key message across and that we work to help those in government as much as we can.

“Brexit brings with it plenty of legal challenges and some of them, like the proposed Great Repeal Bill, are very big legal challenges.

How is the government going to distil 40 years of jurisprudence into one body of new legislation?”

“We need to understand the direction of travel, and then we think that we can be central to the process. As things stand, though, it’s a very uncertain picture and the view amongst our members is that more certainty is needed.

“It’s reassuring to note that Northern Ireland is right up at the forefront of the debate at the moment. We are a red line in the negotiations over how the British Isles will operate even before they have even started, and that can only be a good thing.

Lawyers, says Huddleston, are the cement that helps to keep business and the economy, as well as government, together. But they’re also the professionals who take on other people’s burdens.

“Yes, we’re burden takers,” he says. “It’s a fact about solicitors that not everyone appreciates. In towns all over Northern Ireland, we’ve got solicitors talking to their clients about the issues they’re facing. But these are solicitors who create employment, who provide a crucial service and who are an integral part of their communities.”

His views are reflected in the Law Society’s recent advertising campaign urging members of the public to ‘Ask A Solicitor’ rather than carry their own burdens.....or seek advice from less qualified sources.

“Legal requirements across the board are changing all the time, and it’s important for business people and private individuals to be property advised.”

The Law Society of Northern Ireland’s lobbying role is limited – as is that of others – by the lack of a working Executive at Stormont.

“Having our own Justice Minister here in Northern Ireland was a big help to us. It’s much easier, of course, for us as a Society to lobby and communicate with locallybased Ministers. Like many others, we don’t want to find ourselves in a position where we’re having to work with Westminster.”

The Law Society here also works closely with Queen’s University and its Institute of Legal Studies, the main provider of legal qualifications in Northern Ireland.

“Over recent months and years, we’ve working hand in hand with Queen’s to make sure that the courses are refreshed and kept as up to date as possible. It’s always a challenge in an area like law.”

The Society supports its own Future Of The Law Group, made up of younger practitioners, looking at a wide range of issues, for example the increasing impact of technology and how it can best be harnessed to support lawyers and their clients.

“It’s important that we direct the technology and don’t let it direct us,” smiles Ian Huddleston.

Away from marketing challenges and broader political issues, the Society is also at the forefront of responding to cyber crime, an issue for law firms as much as any other outward-facing businesses.

As it continues to look to the future, the Law Society of Northern Ireland can’t be accused of not moving with the times.

As part of its wider promotion of the use of local solicitors, it has printed introductory information leaflets and online promotional material in a range of languages, including Polish, Lithuanian and Arabic, to make them accessible to the entire community.

“Our role is to protect, promote and foster the brand of law firms and solicitors. And we have to do that to every member of the community here in Northern Ireland.

“Research shows that 78% of people here do use their local solicitors and that’s a very positive finding as far as we are concerned.

“Also, as solicitors, we know that we’re in a very privileged position and we know how important confidentiality is to all of our clients. That’s something that’s ingrained into all of us.”

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Eye on Law

Managing Exposure In Financial Transactions In The Post-Recession Era new approach to how transactions are financed on the part of lenders and borrowers, many of whom sustained significant losses in the economic crash.

It is no surprise, therefore, that the use of derivatives as a means to avert risk when entering into financial arrangements has also grown in recent years.

An over-the-counter financial product, derivatives are used to manage and hedge risk when making transactions.

Stuart Mansfield, Finance Partner at leading law firm Arthur Cox, examines the opportunities presented by derivatives to mitigate exposure in financial transactions.

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n the years since the economic downturn, the borrowing landscape has changed markedly as traditional financial institutions such as banks have been joined by a growing number of alternative lenders.

Their presence is symptomatic of a

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Swaps Although they exist in many forms, some known as futures, options or forwards, among the most common type used by corporate borrowers in Northern Ireland are swaps.

Essentially a contract through which two parties exchange financial instruments, swaps are typically used, in the finance sector, to hedge against fluctuations in interest rates or changes in currency values.

For example, a borrower taking on debt at a variable rate of interest can seek protection against any suspected future increases in that interest rate by entering into a swap arrangement to effectively fix the rate of interest.

Similarly, a borrower with debt at a fixed rate of interest can enter into a swap arrangement to exploit declining variable rates of interest for the purpose of paying a lower interest rate.

This is particularly useful for those entering into a loan period of five years, or longer, given the difficulties in predicting future changes in interest rates.

In the case of a currency swap, this is appropriate if the debt is denominated in a currency other than that mainly used by the borrower and an unfavourable fluctuation in currency exchange rates is expected which could cause a significant decline in profits, with the worst cases resulting in an inability to repay and service the debt.

While many borrowers consider entering into a derivative product a prudent measure to mitigate

risk, it is just as common for banks or other lenders to insist one is in place before releasing funds.

The use of a derivative might not always be appropriate, however, as the costs associated with making the arrangement may outweigh the likely losses which could reasonably be expected if the transaction remained exposed.

The finance team at Arthur Cox works with banks, alternative funders and a broad range of corporate borrowers providing advice on the use of derivatives.

Outside of the finance sector, derivative products are also commonly used to hedge against exposures and to make speculative investments.

Mitigate risk Any business that has substantial input costs based on commodities is exposed to fluctuations in international commodity markets. Arthur Cox has advised local energy businesses and local logistics businesses on the use of derivative products to fix commodity prices over a defined time period to mitigate this risk.

Similarly, Arthur Cox has also advised local export businesses on appropriate derivative products to hedge exposure to fluctuating currency values.

With future economic stability remaining unpredictable, it is clear derivatives are set to play an increasingly prominent role in transactions going forward.

The experience of Arthur Cox’s finance team means they are well placed to advise clients on the use of derivatives to find stability amid the uncertainty.

The Finance Team at Arthur Cox is well positioned to advise businesses on the impact of emerging trends in the sector and on any aspect of banking and finance law in Northern Ireland. Call +44 28 9023 0007 for further information from Stuart or your regular Arthur Cox contact.

Eye on News

PKF-FPM LIFT TOP IRISH ACCOUNTANCY AWARDS Leading island based accountancy practice PKFFPM Accountants have won the Overall Practice of the year at the prestigious Irish Accountancy Awards Gala Banquet Ceremony which took place at the Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin.

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fter winning the Large Practice of the Year earlier in the evening against stiff competition, the final award of the evening, Overall Practice of the Year, was presented to PKF-FPM with acknowledgement from the judges that PKF-FPM were innovative, caring business advisors with global expertise and local knowledge along with a strong cross border focus.

The Awards Ceremony, hosted by Colm O’Regan, critically acclaimed stand-up

comedian, columnist and broadcaster, attracted a very influential audience, including high profile leaders from the Irish business and accountancy sectors.

Managing Director, Feargal McCormack, stated that he was “humbled and overjoyed for the recognition of the collective PKF-FPM team to win these two prestigious awards”. He added “PKFFPM always strive to exceed our client expectations by leveraging technology, the digital revolution and cloud

Gerry Devitt, Managing Director of Harvest Financial Services presents the Overall Practice of the Year award to PKF-FPM Directors, Feargal McCormack, Teresa Campbell and Malachy McLernon, at the Irish Accountancy Awards 2016, held in Dublin on 18 May 2017.

accounting as tools to be the business advisor of choice and help the businesses and people we work with become more successful. PKF-FPM will continue to build a strong integrated client focused team to ensure excellence in service delivery

through emphasis on collaboration, communications, innovation and creative thinking. We empower all TEAM members to live the PKF-FPM Ethos of positivity, enthusiasm and fun to ensure the best service for our clients!”

REMUS UOMO OPENS NEW FLAGSHIP STORE IN BELFAST Menswear Brand of the Year* REMUS UOMO has opened a new flagship store in Belfast, after relocating to a larger unit in Victoria Square, as part of a significant programme of ongoing investment.

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he new store, located on the Lower Ground Floor of Victoria Square (Corn Market entrance), features the brand’s new retail concept which will form the basis of future Remus Uomo flagship stores.

Remus Uomo has been a permanent resident in Victoria Square for almost ten years, and through this new flagship opening has committed to a further ten. The store which opened to the public on May 23, will host an official VIP launch event on May 31.

Managing Director of Douglas & Grahame, Donald Finlay said: “The Remus Uomo brand has grown substantially over the years, most recently celebrating its 25th anniversary and in the same year, winning Menswear Brand of the Year at our industry’s premier awards, the Drapers Independents.

“Investing in this bigger unit, our largest store to date, will give us the

opportunity to showcase to even greater effect the constant evolution of our collections and the distinctly Italian sense of cool which makes Remus Uomo unique. With additional space for merchandising and display units, the store is carefully designed to match the brand ethos of understated sophistication and to display our range of design-led tailoring and refined casual wear to greatest effect.”

The refit encompasses a custom designed lighting and sound system, bespoke Terrazzo flooring with furniture created and installed by Terry Design and based on an overall concept created by the brand in partnership with Jody Wylie Architects.

Retail Operations Manager for Douglas & Grahame, Simon Anderson, added: “Service and comfort are at the heart of our new retail concept.

We’ve expanded our fitting room

Pictured at the opening of the new Remus Uomo flagship store in Victoria Square are (l-r) Siobhan Eastwood (Remus Uomo Store Manager), Simon Anderson (Retail Operations Manager, Douglas & Grahame), Michelle Greeves (Centre Manager, Victoria Square) and Adam Finlay (Director, Douglas & Grahame)

area and added comfortable areas of contemporary seating to give space for the social aspect of fashion shopping and to accommodate larger groups, ideal for stylish grooms’ parties who want a higher level of style on their big day.

“We have created what we see as the Remus Uomo store of the future.

Comfort and personal service are key parts of the shopping experience which cannot be replicated online and our new store offers a stylish shopping experience which adds to and enhances the Remus Uomo brand experience.”

This flagship store concept will also be rolled out to Remus Uomo’s Dublin store, which opened its doors last November as a pop-up on the ground floor of a

converted coach house building on St Stephen’s Green. This unit will close for refurbishment over the summer months to allow for renovations and re-open over two floors in the Autumn as the brand’s flagship Irish store.

These developments are part of an ambitious retail development programme for the brand which will see growth in franchise and concession areas across the UK and Ireland as well as new store openings in the coming year.

Remus Uomo celebrated 25 successful years in menswear last year and is available through its own stores, online and through a large network of leading menswear retailers across the UK, Ireland and beyond.

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Eye on News

NEW HEAD OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IN NORTHERN IRELAND Zara Duffy has been appointed as the first Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland, representing and managing services for over 4,000 Chartered Accountants.

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rs Duffy previously held the position of Director of Finance and Operations with Employers for Childcare and has significant experience at senior finance director and board level within the professional services, voluntary and charity sector, financial services, retail and construction markets.

Welcoming Mrs Duffy to the role, Pat Costello, Chief Executive of Chartered Accountants Ireland said: “I am delighted to welcome Zara to the role of Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland.

“Her wealth of business experience and leadership skills

will ensure that we continue to meet the changing needs of our membership and indeed, represent the needs of the local business community to the very highest standard.”

On taking the new role, Mrs Duffy said: “I’m proud to be leading the largest and most long-established professional body of accountants in Northern Ireland and I look forward to making a significant contribution in terms of supporting local Chartered Accountants and firms.

“I am keen that our profession makes its voice heard and brings its expertise to bear for the

benefit of Northern Ireland. I want to encourage our membership to make a strong contribution to economic debate and to be a compelling advocate for the local business sector.”

Pamela McCreedy, Chair of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society said: “Zara is a key appointment for our Institute.

She will have a vital role in terms of representing members’ views and in tapping into the experience and ability of our membership throughout Northern Ireland.

“Our members do have concerns about the challenges which we face in Northern Ireland such as the effects of uncertainty over Brexit and the difficulties posed by political instability, but we are keen to play our part in making Northern Ireland a great place to do business, and a great place to live.”

Mrs Duffy is a Masters Graduate from Queen’s University, Belfast and Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. She began her career with Price Waterhouse, specialising in small business audit and advisory services.

FOOD PRODUCERS HAMPERED BY FUTURE SKILLS GAP A new collaborative network has been launched to tackle the skills shortage within the food and drink sector and drive future growth across the industry.

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arvesting Tomorrow’s Skills (HTS) which is funded by Invest Northern Ireland, is a two-year programme which supports the targets identified in the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s ‘Going for Growth’ action plan – specifically recruiting an additional 15,000 people to the sector by 2020.

Invest NI has offered £169,400 to support the HTS network which, led by NI Food & Drink Association (NIFDA) is focussed on improving knowledge, addressing the skills gap and enhancing the sector’s career appeal to young people. Businesses participating in the network include Dunbia, Thompsons, Linden Foods, Mash Direct and Moy Park.

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Targeting SMEs in particular, the network will engage with stakeholders such as schools, colleges, local councils and business support organisations to collaboratively tackle the skills deficit.

The initiative stems from a six month consultation with the sector – also supported by Invest NI and led by NIFDA - which clearly identified skills gaps, a lack of training, and negative perceptions of the food & drink sector as major stumbling blocks.

47% of employers surveyed said they were unable to recruit staff with the required level of skills, while 56% of school-leavers stated they were completely unaware of the range of career opportunities available across the sector.

Pictured at the launch of Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills – a new collaborative network which aims to tackle the skills shortage across the food and drink sector – are (clockwise from top left): Brian McElroy, Genesis Crafty, Joanne McMullan, Invest NI, Nigel McIlwaine and Leslie Otterson, Foyle Food Group, Linda Jamison, Invest NI, Angela Wilson, LP Associates, Sheree Totten, Irwin’s Bakery, Michael Bell and Harry Hamilton, NIFDA, Tracy Hamilton, Mash Direct, Tracy Blacker, Dunbia, Lucy Smyth, Mr Ben’s and Heather Smyth, Marty’s Baps.

Niall Casey, Invest NI’s Director of Skills & Competitiveness said: “A well trained workforce is critical to any business growth. The food and drink manufacturers participating in the Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills network are focused on addressing the areas which can help

safeguard the future development of our Agri Food industry.

“Invest NI’s funding through our Collaborative Growth Programme will help the companies and stakeholders involved to collectively explore ways to scope and exploit opportunities to enhance their competitive edge.”

Eye on Banking

City development continues at steady pace

By Geoff Sharpe, Head of Corporate Banking, Danske Bank

Markets hate uncertainty, and the property market is no exception. Events at a global and local level such as Brexit, corporation tax, the Trump administration and of course our own lack of stability at Stormont have created an increased amount of uncertainty in the market.

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espite this, evidence would suggest there is a high degree of optimism in the market. Belfast is on an upward trajectory, as evidenced by the increasing number of cranes on the skyline.

This pipeline of development activity, across hotel, student and office projects, is essential if Belfast City Council is to

achieve its 2035 objectives, which include 70,000 more residents and 50,000 more jobs in the city. Belfast has had over £3bn of investment in the last 10 years, and still offers one of the lowest occupational costs for Foreign Direct Investment occupiers in the UK and Europe.

Tourism also continues to be a key economic driver of

growth, with ‘Game of Thrones’ one of the most talked about attractions for Northern Ireland.

Other developments such as the Waterfront extension and the world leading attraction Titanic Belfast, which has hosted over 3 million customers, have contributed to the growth of tourism.

A number of new hotel projects are under construction including Hastings Hotels development of Windsor House (304 rooms), Andras House’s development of Hampton by Hilton (179 rooms), Titanic Quarter Limited’s boutique hotel in the former H&W headquarters (120 rooms) and Belfast Harbour’s AC

by Marriott (188 rooms).

The new University of Ulster campus and development of student accommodation schemes will also make a significant contribution to a vibrant city centre, bringing 18,000 students into the city core. Of particular note is the completed John Bell House, a converted Grade II listed building providing 413 student rooms.

The retail sector continues to flourish on the backdrop of the rates revaluation, with a number of new entrants on the High Street over the past 24 months. Outside of Belfast, in locations such as Newry and Enniskillen, retailers are reporting strong performance as sterling weakness against euro continues to attract cross border shoppers.

The office market continues to suffer from a lack of supply of new Grade A space, and the demand supply imbalance has driven an increased rental tone from £16 per sq ft to £21/£22 per sq ft.

Approximately 2 million sq ft of new space has been granted

planning consent, which should improve supply of new developments in 2017 and 2018.

In their Belfast Office Crane Survey 2017, Deloitte reports 209,000 sq ft was completed in 2016, 224,500 sq ft is due to be completed in 2017 and 140,000 is due to be completed in 2018.

There is demand for the stock that’s due to come to the market in the next 12 months, with those developers unveiling projects in the near term likely to be the ones who benefit from first mover advantage and pre-let potential.

When combined with a young, talented workforce, low unemployment, double-digit workforce, low unemployment, double-digit growth sectors, a booming tourism industry, Belfast offers attractive fundamentals for FDI occupiers and commercial property investment. It is worth noting that the primary driver for FDI investment continues to be access to the unrivalled talent pool in NI, and not access to markets or tax driven strategy.

This is important, particularly in the context of Brexit, as that stable, certain access to talent will continue to be a determining factor for large multinationals considering Belfast.

Office refurbishment, new project development, student accommodation and numerous hotel developments are all contributing towards a changing, and improving Belfast capable of competing for investment.

Danske Bank has funded £500m of new lending in the property sector in the last three years, with this investment across all sectors, investment and development based, and is supporting projects which are contributing towards economic growth and prosperity.

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Eye on News

NORTHERN IRELAND HOSPITALITY SHINES AT HOTEL RECEPTIONIST OF THE YEAR AWARDS Northern Ireland Hotels Federation hosted its annual ‘Hotel Receptionist of the Year’ gala awards ceremony in the Killyhevlin Lakeside Hotel & Lodges. Almost 80 entrants from Northern Ireland’s top venues were competing for gold in the various categories.

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iaran O’Neill, President of NI Hotels Federation discusses the awards: “It is great to see such enthusiasm for these awards. We had a record number of competition entries this year. The standard throughout the entire competition was particularly high with the judges commenting on the exceptional quality of the finalists.

“It is a pleasure for the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation to recognise the important role of the receptionist, reflect on the exceptional talent that we have in Northern Ireland and reward those who ensure the success of our hotels. Within the tourism industry, people are an essential part of our hotel product - we simply cannot function without them! The receptionist role is multi-faceted. It includes welcoming guests, dealing with queries, managing complaints and imparting information on

local attractions. Receptionists must have an excellent knowledge of not only their own hotel’s amenities but of attractions, sites and products in their local area.

Every day they deal with a wide range of requests and many miscellaneous issues.”

Ciaran added: “This competition is also a great example of working in partnership. The support of category sponsors: Tourism Northern Ireland, Net Affinity and Right Revenue coupled with the assistance of Omagh & Fermanagh District Council, Life – One Great Adventure and Frost Couture has been essential in making the event possible. I want to thank all of our generous sponsors.”

Scooping the title of ‘Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2017’ was Laura Curran of Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Derry-Londonderry.

The judges described Laura as “someone who has such passion for the job and

Compere Barra Best (right) congratulates this year’s category winners. ‘Hotel Receptionist of the Year’ 2017 Winner, Laura Curran, Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Derry; ‘Hotel Receptionist of the Year - Most Promising Category’ Winner, Adam Sweeney, Waterfoot Hotel, Derry; and ‘Hotel Reception of the Year 2017 - Team Category’ Winner, Bushmills Inn, Bushmills. Gillian Wilson from the Bushmills Inn team is pictured with the award.

the industry, she should be bottled and used as a global ambassador!”

Meanwhile, the accolade of ‘Most Promising Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2017’, supported by Net Affinity, was bestowed on Adam Sweeney, Waterfoot Hotel, Derry-Londonderry.

Adam was described by the judges as: “warm, energetic and enthusiastic with exceptional business acumen. This person’s passion for hospitality and their story of progression is a real inspiration”.

Finally, in the team category the title of ‘Hotel Reception of the Year 2017’, sponsored by Tourism Northern Ireland, went to Bushmills Inn, Bushmills. One of the judges summed up the interaction

they had with the team as: “Possibly one of the best check-in experiences I have ever had throughout my years of hotel inspecting. The experience was a perfect mix of genuine hospitality, very good systems and a well-trained team”.

Ciaran O’Neill concluded: “I would like to congratulate all of our award winners.

Personally, I think that everyone who entered is a winner. I’m very proud of the exceptional standard noted by the judges this year. Well done!”

The competition is kindly supported

by Tourism Northern Ireland, Right Revenue, Net Affinity with additional support from Fermanagh & Omagh District Council.

ICELAND FLIGHTS ARE LAUNCHED The Icelandair group has launched its new service from Belfast City to Reykjavik (Keflavik). The new year-round service will operate up to three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

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he new Belfast route is operated

by Air Iceland Connect on its 72 seat Bombardier Q400 aircraft in a code sharing partnership with Icelandair, offering great connections at Keflavik International Airport in Iceland to destinations in the US and Canada through Icelandair‘s network.

Brian Ambrose, Chief Executive of George Best Belfast City Airport, said: “This is a hugely exciting period for Belfast City Airport following

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our recent co-hosting of the Routes Europe conference, and the launch of our new three-times weekly flight to Reykjavik will help continue the positive momentum.

“We have a strong track record of forming successful partnerships with internationally-renowned airlines such as Icelandair.

“There has been strong demand for the flights since they were announced in December, with the route offering

Brian Ambrose of Belfast City Airport welcomes Arni Gunnarsson of Air Iceland Connect.

passengers an extremely convenient connection to a host of destinations in the USA and Canada, and we are confident this will continue to grow.”

Gerry Lennon, Visit Belfast Chief Executive, said: “Air connectivity is critical to us welcoming more international visitors to

Belfast and achieving the city’s ambition of doubling tourism spend by 2021.

“Icelandair’s new service and extensive global network enables Visit Belfast and our tourism partners to proactively engage with potential visitors, from not only Iceland but other key markets including North America.”

Eye on Law

GDPR... A Challenge On The Horizon For NI Businesses

Peter Hopkins BL, The Bar of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland businesses face a major challenge with the implementation of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which comes into force in May of next year.

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he new legislation means that every business, of whatever size, handling personal data must ensure it manages, protects and administers the data to prescribed standards. In the case of larger organisations, it may require the appointment of a dedicated Data Protection Officer.

The new GDPR will replace the old 1995 Data Protection Directive (enacted in the UK by the 1998 Data Protection Act) which was the only major piece of legislation protecting the rights of individuals.

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Consultancies, experts and training courses are already available on the marketplace to help guide companies through their responsibilities, and there is also substantial expertise to be found within the local legal profession.

Peter Hopkins BL, is a Belfast-based barrister with a particular interest in data protection and the emergence of the new European legislation.

“Almost every business uses some data,” he explains. “The data in question is really anything relating to an identified or identifiable individual so we’re talking about a very wide spectrum. And,

whilst this is an EU regulation and the UK is leaving the EU, it will become law in May 2018, before the UK will have officially left the European Union.

“So we all have to conform to it, and even when UK does leave the EU, it’s almost inevitable that a similar piece of domestic legislation will be adopted to permit us to trade with EU countries. Here in Northern Ireland, this is particularly important given the level of day-to-day trade across the land border.” Companies now have precisely 12 months to ensure their data protection house is in order.

“Back in 1995, when the existing legislation was drawn up, none of us were really using email and we certainly didn’t have any social media,” adds Hopkins. “So today is a very different environment as far as personal data is concerned and it is important that we have up to date legislation in place.

“It represents good news for us as individuals in the event that we want or need to protect our personal data, but there’s no doubt this represents a challenge for local businesses, especially with only 12 months to go until it comes into effect.”

In fact, there will have been in total a two-year period running up to the legislation being introduced, but most businesses are only now realising the existence of the new legislation and its implications.

“Effectively if it has a name on it, it is personal data. It encompasses data held by large businesses with complex customer databases, but also very small businesses, even sole traders with a simple list of customer names and addresses,” Peter Hopkins explains.

If the data protection environment has changed over the years since 1995, so have the punishments which can be applied to those failing to comply.

The old Data Protection legislation allowed for fines of up to £500,000.

GDPR, when it comes into force, will come with fines of up to €20 million or 4% of global turnover, whichever is greater.

Research by one local law firm showed that if the top 10 Northern Ireland companies by turnover were all to be fined for failing to comply with GDPR, the fines would total £300 million.

“Bear in mind, too, it is not all about monetary fines,” Hopkins adds.

“Businesses who are found to have poor data management practices in place may also incur reputational damage at the same time.”

Enforcement actions have always taken place, even under the existing legislation.

Just last year, a local nursing home group was fined £15,000 in a case where an employee’s laptop, containing personal data, was stolen in a burglary at her home.

“There is no doubt we will see enforcements being stepped up in the wake of the new legislation,” says Hopkins. “The ICO (Information Commissioners Office), the UK independent authority set up to spearhead data protection, will want to ensure their message and the compliance of companies is taken seriously.”

Businesses, he says, must ensure that they keep proper records and audit trails with full accountability for data management and the security of data. Businesses have to look in detail at both their internal and external practices. The onus is also on businesses to ensure that they have the right to process data and staff are trained in professional data management.

“This refers especially to staff who have access to company data through laptops and even mobile devices,” he emphasises. Data Protection Officers, with full time responsibility for the whole area, may need to be appointed by certain organisations. Others can seek help from consultants and legal advisers.

“What is important for all organisations is that they conduct a full audit and impact assessment on what needs to be done in their organisation to ensure full compliance. And they need to start doing that now.

“The education and information period will only last for a few more months. After that, the legislation will come into force and companies here will be caught out, and could face substantial fines, if they don’t comply.”

For more information please visit www.barofni.com

BUSINESS EYE FIRST TRUST BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS

Eye on Awards

It’s All Yelo At Small Business Awards • Local equipment manufacturer wins ‘Small Business of the Year’ crown.

• Top small business performers from across Northern Ireland recognised for innovation.

WINNER SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD

The Head of First Trust Bank Des Moore (left) and Brenda Buckley from Business Eye (right) present Yelo with the BEFTA for ‘Small Business of the Year’. Pictured from Yelo are: Dylan J Burke, Richard Furey, David Sinclair and Tracy Mearns.

A technology company based in Carrickfergus that manufacturing automated test equipment for the photonics and electronics industries, has been named Northern Ireland’s top small business.

Yelo, who export their test systems to markets across the world including the USA and Asia, lifted the ‘Small Business of the Year’ crown at the third annual Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards held recently at Belfast’s Crowne Plaza Hotel.

The Awards, which are organised by Business Eye magazine and sponsored by First Trust Bank, aims to shine a light on Northern Ireland’s small business sector and recognises its top performers across 13 different categories. The Awards are open to all businesses in Northern Ireland with less than 50 employees.

Yelo was also named ‘Manufacturing Business

of the Year’ while Belfast-based web solutions specialists Flint Studios came out on top in the ‘Technology Business of the Year’ category.

Bespoke interiors specialist, Lignum Interiors, was named ‘Exporter of the Year’ in recognition of their impressive growth in new markets and Montgomery Food Consulting lifted the ‘Agri-Food Business of the Year’ accolade.

The award for Customer Focus went to Craigavonbased Industry Training Services with Belfast recruitment agency, MCS, taking the Community Contribution title.

Speaking about the importance of the awards, Head of First Trust Bank, Des Moore, said; “Together, small and medium businesses and self-employed people account for more than 75% of turnover across NI’s private sector. As well as contributing significantly to Northern Ireland’s economic fortunes, they have a momentous impact on the social and cultural fabric of our local communities; supporting the supply chain, employing local people

Des Moore, First Trust Bank.

and engaging with schools and charities.”

“It was particularly gratifying to see not just a sectoral but a regional spread of businesses taking part. From Ballymena to Belfast and Armagh to Aughnacloy, we received entries from companies working across many industries. While they may have come from different parts of the province and from different sectors, they all shared a common denominator; namely an appetite to innovate and grow. On behalf of First Trust Bank, I offer my congratulations to all the entrants and winners.”

Brenda Buckley, Publisher of Business Eye, added: “We have been delighted with the success of the Small Business Awards over the past two years, and we’re even more pleased with how they’ve grown year on year.

We received a really strong entry from a wide variety of companies based right across Northern Ireland.

“They are already an integral part of the business calendar here, and we’ve every reason to believe that they will go from strength to strength.”

Full List of Winners – Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards

SPONSORED BY FSB WINNER: KUKOON.COM

AGRI FOOD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SMALL BUSINESS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR

INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

HIGHLY COMMENDED I3 DIGITAL

SPONSORED BY BDO

SPONSOR: ULSTER UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL

SPONSORED BY RETAIL NI

START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER: MONTGOMERY FOOD CONSULTING

WINNER: LIGNUM INTERIORS

WINNER: CUNNINGHAM BUTCHERS

SPONSORED BY U105

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD

HIGHLY COMMENDED: AES GLOBAL

HIGHLY COMMENDED: OASIS TRAVEL

SPONSORED BY SIGNATURE GROUP

HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER: COPELAND SPIRITS HIGHLY COMMENDED: BLUEZONE TECHNOLOGIES

WINNER: MCS GROUP HIGHLY COMMENDED: QUEEN’S FILM THEATRE

SPONSORED BY AC AUTOMATION

SPONSORED BY BUSINESS EYE

TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER: CATHEDRAL EYE CLINIC HIGHLY COMMENDED: HEALTHCARE IRELAND GROUP

WINNER: SALT DNA

SPONSORED BY FIRST TRUST BANK

HIGHLY COMMENDED: AC AUTOMATION & FAST ENGINEERING

WINNER: FLINT STUDIOS HIGHLY COMMENDED: LEAF

CUSTOMER FOCUS AWARD SPONSORED BY CMI

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SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD

WINNER: INDUSTRY TRAINING SERVICES

HOSPITALITY & TOURISM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

SPONSORED BY TOURISM IRELAND

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

HIGHLY COMMENDED: LARCHFIELD ESTATE

SPONSORED BY LOCKTON

WINNER: THE BULL & RAM

SPONSORED BY FIRST TRUST BANK

WINNER: YELO

HIGHLY COMMENDED: LARCHFIELD ESTATE

HIGHLY COMMENDED: FRANCIS DINSMORE

WINNER: YELO HIGHLY COMMENDED: KUKOON.COM

Eye on Awards

HIGHLY COMMENDED SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD Paul & Clare Vallely from Kukoon.com receive a highly commended award in the Small Business of the Year category. Also pictured is Des Moore, First Trust Bank (left) & Brenda Buckley, Business Eye.

WINNER AGRI FOOD BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD Rhonda Montgomery, Montgomery Food Consulting receives the Agrifood Business of the Year Award from sponsor Francis Martin, BDO.

HIGHLY COMMENDED COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD Emma Bainbridge from Queen’s Film Theatre receives a highly commended award in Community Contribution category from sponsor John Richie, Signature Group.

WINNER COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION AWARD John Richie (centre) from category sponsors Signature Group presents the Community Contribution Award to Sean Devlin and Barry Smyth from MCS Group.

HIGHLY COMMENDED CUSTOMER FOCUS AWARD Ken Roulston of sponsors New CMI presents a highly commended award in the Customer Focus category to Gavin Mackie of Larchfield Estate.

WINNER CUSTOMER FOCUS AWARD Brendan Crealey & Ciara Judge from Industry Training Services receive the Customer Focus Award from category sponsor Ken Roulston, New CMI.

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Eye on Awards

WINNER SMALL BUSINESS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of Ulster University Business School, presents the Exporter of the Year Award to Ciaran McMenamin & Simon McAllister of Lignum Interiors.

WINNER HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Andrew Spence, Gary McArdle & Kelsey McKeown from Cathedral Eye Clinic receive the Healthcare Business of the Year from sponsor David Callaghan, AC Automation.

WINNER HOSPITALITY & TOURISM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Hannah & Kelan McMichael from Bull & Ram receive the Tourism & Hospitality Business of the Year Award from Terence Brannigan of sponsors Tourism Northern Ireland.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED SMALL BUSINESS EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Kyle Loughran receives a highly commended award in the Exporter of the Year Category on behalf of AES Global from Mark Durkin, Ulster University Business School.

HIGHLY COMMENDED HEALTHCARE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR David Callaghan, AC Automation (sponsor) presents a highly commended award in the Healthcare Business of the Year category to Mandy Mitchell & Karen Fleming of Healthcare Ireland Group.

HIGHLY COMMENDED HOSPITALITY & TOURISM BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Sarah Mackie, Larchfield Estate receives a highly commended award in the Hospitality & Tourism Business of the Year category from sponsor Terence Brannigan, Tourism Northern Ireland.

Eye on Awards

HIGHLY COMMENDED INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR Sandra Corkin, Oasis Travel receives a highly commended award in the Independent Retailer of the Year category from Pat Lenehan, of sponsors Retail NI.

HIGHLY COMMENDED INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Coleen Shanks & David Callaghan from AC Automation receive a highly commended award in the Innovative Business of the Year Category from Brenda Buckley, Business Eye.

WINNER INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Brenda Buckley, Business Eye presents the Innovative Business of the Year Award to Richard Wilson, John Bailie & Damian Horner, Salt DNA.

WINNER INDEPENDENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR James Cunningham, Cunningham Butchers receives the Independent Retailer of the Year Award from Pat Lenehan, of sponsors Retail NI.

HIGHLY COMMENDED INNOVATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Adam Holland from Fast Engineering picks up a highly commended award in the Innovative Business of the Year Category from Brenda Buckley, Business Eye.

HIGHLY COMMENDED MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Barry Corrigan & Sinead McAllister, Francis Dinsmore receive a highly commended award in the Manufacturing Business of the Year category from Gary Ennis, of sponsors Lockton.

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Eye on Awards

WINNER MANUFACTURING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Gary Ennis, Lockton (sponsor) presents the Manufacturing Business of the Year Award to Dylan Burke, Tracy Mearns, richard Furey & David Sinclair of Yelo.

WINNER SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD John Friel, Federation of Small Businesses (sponsor) presents the Small Business Marketing Award to Clare & Paul Vallely of Kukoon.com

WINNER START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Peter McVerry, U105 (sponsor) presents the Start Up Business of the Year Award to Gareth Irvine, Copeland Spirits.

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HIGHLY COMMENDED SMALL BUSINESS MARKETING AWARD Adrian Bradley, i3 Digital, receives a highly commended award in the Small Business Marketing category from John Friel, Federation of Small Businesses.

HIGHLY COMMENDED START-UP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Adrian Byrne, Bluezone Technologies, receives a highly commended award in the Start Up Business of the Year category from sponsor Peter McVerry, U105.

HIGHLY COMMENDED TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Darryl Heanen, Rachael Weir & Steven Goldblatt, Leaf receive a highly commended award in the Technology Business of the Year category from sponsor Brian Gillan, First Trust Bank.

Eye on Awards

Philip Miley, Fleet Financial, and guests.

WINNER TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR Brian Gillan, First Trust Bank, presents the Technology Business of the Year to Mark McCann, Jeremy Biggerstaff, Willian Mathers & Pete Hanlon from Flint Studios.

Geraldine Ward, Mairead King, Maoliosa McGarvey, Amanda Robinson and Joan Irwin.

Barry Smyth, MCS, and guests.

Jake Langley, Patrick Liggett, Kirsty Shanks and John Murray.

Una Quinn, Des Moore and Ciara Donnelly.

Gareth McKee, Jacinta McKeating, Marie-Theresa Kane, Gemma McAnally and Carleen Hughes.

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Eye on Awards

Marc Mallet entertains the crowd.

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Slide Step Dance Company.

Richard Buckley.

Roger McCracken, Campbell Tweedie, Richard Peoples, Gary Tyre and Andrew McCracken .

Slide Step Dance Company.

LED Drummers.

Anthem.

Cathy Martin and Paul McErlean.

Michael Avery, Sally Guertter, Judith Totten and Brenda Buckley pictured at the Business Eye First Trust Small Business Awards.

Eye on Awards

Ciara Donnelly, Brenda Buckley, Sam Buckley, Siobhan Matthewson and Debby Wilson.

Gareth Irvine and Yasmin Patterson.

Clare Watson and Sharyn Dundee.

David Nellis and Lesley Delaney.

Judith Wylie and Gary Ormsby.

Aoife Kelly.

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48 HOUR DECISION

*

ON NEW BUSINESS LOAN AND OVERDRAFT REQUESTS UP TO ÂŁ25,000 ** FOR NEW AND EXISTING CUSTOMERS

**Ask in branch or call 0345 6005 925*** for details.

Exclusions apply.

BRANCH. PHONE. ONLINE.

Lending criteria, terms and conditions apply. Credit facilities are subject to repayment capacity and financial status and are not available to persons under 18 years of age. Security may be required.We aim to provide a decision within 48 hours upon receipt of all required information (48hrs excludes Sat., Sun. & Bank Holidays) to fully assess and process each lending application.

First Trust Bank is a trade mark of AIB Group (UK) p.l.c. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c.), incorporated in Northern Ireland. Registered Office 92 Ann Street, Belfast BT1 3HH. Registered Number NI018800. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. *Sampled on 75 cases from 11.4.16 to 3.6.16. ***Call charges may vary please refer to your service provider.

Eye on Finance

5 GOLDEN RULES FOR A SUSTAINABLE INCOME IN RETIREMENT Another election has come and gone and whilst the main headlines were all about Brexit the agenda item which came a close second centred around how to deal with a population which is living longer.

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here was a lot of political bluster with the usual soundbites. Longevity will have implications in terms of State Pension Age and Care Home Provision.

These behaviours will be set in statute and pre -determined by legislation. Our ability to influence these is therefore limited.

Where control can be exercised is in how we can manage our personal income stream in retirement.

The 5 Golden Rules to be used as a guide to a more prosperous retirement are 1) DIVERSIFICATION This takes two forms a) The underlying treatment of the Tax Structure to take advantage of allowances and reliefs and b) Spreading of Investment Risk from the assets underpinning the Tax Structure.

The old saying “Do not put all your eggs in the one basket” is particularly pertinent when looking at historical events which have impacted stock markets, house prices, bond yields and Cash Returns.

Some of us are old enough to remember the Stock Market Crash in 1987, The Housing Crash of 1989/90 the Bond Market sell off in 1994 and most recently the meltdown in 2008.

2) MAINTAIN LIQUIDITY It is vital to plan ahead to cater for short term income needs. Short term being defined as a period of up to 2 years. Provision

Carol Malcolmson, Partner, BDO.

also needs to be made for an emergency fund to cater for unexpected “life” events.

There is nothing worse than having to liquidate assets on “fire sale” terms.

3) STAY INVESTED The table below illustrates the impact of life expectancy on investment thinking post retirement. The chances of a healthy 65 year old surviving beyond age 90 is now 50% AGE

Probability of Survival Beyond Age

90

50%

92

40%

94

30%

Source IWC Actuarial

In the current investment environment where inflation exceeds cash return rates it is therefore important to invest in assets in excess of short term income and emergency funds which provide a real rate of return over a 25-30 year period.

4) MANAGE THE TAX Members of Defined Benefit Schemes,who primarily work in the Public Sector are in a strong position in terms of Retirement Income. They benefit from a guaranteed income normally with a hedge against inflation. However because this income tap cannot be switched on and off tax is volunteered automatically.

Since April 2015 Clients in Defined Contribution Pension Schemes where the individual is simply building up a pot of money in a tax efficient way have the ability to take whatever they want whenever they want from their pension assuming they have reached age 55. This means the tax

payable can be managed in conjunction with income from other tax wrappers such as ISAS,OEICS and Investment bonds to generate a requisite income at favourable rates.

I recently met with a new client who was simply taking income from his pension pot. By restructuring where the income was being generated we saved the client a significant amount of Income Tax and started to address his Inheritance Tax Liability at the same time.

5) REVIEW YOUR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS REGULARLY It is incumbent on clients to meet with their Financial Adviser on a regular basis.

In the same way as you get your car serviced, update your phone contract or go to the dentist for a check- up. Regular interaction with your adviser will keep you up to date with legislation and tax changes and give you an opportunity to update your personal circumstances.

Unfortunately Death and Divorce do happen. These events will have a major bearing on income requirements and the ability to pass assets down through the generations in a tax efficient manner.

I would suggest interaction with your adviser at least once a year to evaluate your circumstances and ensure you are utilising tax efficiency whilst meeting your income requirements.

If you need investment advice, BDO can help through a unique combined Tax & Wealth Management service offering to corporate and individual clients alike.

Contact Carol.malcolmson@bdo.co.uk or call 028 9043 9009 and speak to one of our advisory team.

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Eye on Banking

David Bell, Managing Director of GPS Colour Graphics with Gavin Kennedy, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK and Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

BANK OF IRELAND UK ENTERPRISE WEEK -

Supporting Dynamic Scale and Growth ‘Scaling for Business Growth’ was the theme of Bank of Ireland UK’s latest Enterprise Week held 12 – 19 May and it was brought to life with a comprehensive line-up of events that shared expertise, delivered inspirational speakers, heard powerful customer testimonials, offered practical advice and above all demonstrated the bank’s active support for ambitious growth companies.

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T

o launch the latest initiative, the bank announced it has further strengthened its partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry with a new ‘Scaling for Growth’ programme, designed to support small and medium sized businesses who have ambitions to expand their operations.

Gavin Kennedy, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK said: “As a leading business bank we provide much more than finance to local companies who

want to develop new products and explore new markets.

“The new Scaling for Growth programme will take a practical approach on how to scale and provide access to networks of those who have already done it, to help build confidence within businesses to seize new opportunities for growth and to meet their expansion objectives.”

The banks active support in nurturing local companies to scale and grow was evident throughout Enterprise Week.

A focus on exporting and trade finance was the theme of an event in Cookstown. Among several speakers, Adrian McCutcheon, formerly of Omagh based engineering company Telestack spoke about the crucial support Bank Ireland UK provided to that exporting business as it grew its world-wide presence.

In Lisburn guests heard the stories of two successful local entrepreneurs, Philip Bain, co-owner of Shredbank, the award-winning on-site document shredding company and David Wilson, owner

Eye on Banking

Mark Turbitt of Nine Degrees Nitro Coffee Company prepares a coffee for William Thompson, Head of Consumer Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK, at the Spring Picnic Twilight Market.

of Rise 2 Shine Cleaning Services whose business now fulfils contracts across the UK and Ireland.

Both speakers shared their wealth of experience and provided practical tips for establishing and growing a successful business.

In Newry Alan Bridle, UK Economist, Bank of Ireland UK discussed managing risk, challenges and change with particular reference to cross-border trade. While, Les Walker, Global Markets, Bank of Ireland set out the way his team can help to manage currency risks for those considering international trade. He encouraged businesses to engage at an early stage so that working together they can agree the right approach for the business.

Ian Sheppard, Regional Director NI, Bank of Ireland UK and Chairman of the Institute of Directors (IoD) hosted a well-received Brexit workshop with presentations on

David Wilson, Philip Bain and Gareth Williamson, Senior Branch Manager, Portadown, Bank of Ireland UK at the Civic Centre in Lisburn.

skills and employment, import and exporting and the management of foreign exchange risk.

Along with sharing experience, insight and learnings there was plenty to celebrate during Enterprise Week as INVENT 2017 announced its twelve finalists.

The bank sponsored competition, run by Connect at Catalyst Inc. is Northern Ireland’s showcase competition for the rapidly developing knowledge economy and aims to discover and maximise the commercial potential of ideas from inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists and start-ups.

Bank of Ireland UK was delighted to be winning accolades of its own during Enterprise Week as Moneyfacts, the UK’s leading independent provider of personal financial information awarded 5 Star Ratings to three of the banks business current accounts

Geraldine O¹Hagan, Senior Branch Manager, Bank of Ireland UK, Newry is pictured with Margaret Hearty, Director of Programmes and Business Services, Intertrade Ireland, Alan Bridle, UK Economist, Bank of Ireland UK and Les Walker, Global Markets, Bank of Ireland.

in Northern Ireland including the Agri Package; Small Business Growth; and the Small Business Start Up accounts. It was the only local bank to achieve three awards from the organisation.

During Enterprise Week Bank of Ireland UK also gave ten start-up and small growth businesses the opportunity to trade at the awardwinning Spring Picnic Twilight Market held at St. George’s Market, Belfast to help raise their profile and drive sales.

Among those taking part was Mark Turbitt of Nine Degrees Nitro who developed his draft coffee business from scratch after creating the idea for a university project. In just 9 months the young and ambitious brand has enjoyed impressive growth and is in discussions with a local company about becoming its distributor across Northern Ireland.

Over the course of the week, more than 1,200 companies benefitted

from over 30 wide-ranging events. In fact, over the last five years, some 14,000 businesses across Northern Ireland have been helped by in excess of 500 Enterprise programme activities.

Gavin Kennedy closed by saying: “Enterprise Week has proven its value over the last number of years in sharing our experience, our far-reaching networks and the financial know-how to deliver real and lasting benefits to our much valued customers that will help them to grow and succeed.”

If you would like to participate in any of the various events and opportunities in the next Enterprise Week taking place in November, please contact orlagh.mcgrath@boi.com for further information.

Willie McCoy and Alan Bridle from Bank of Ireland UK are pictured with Liz McCrory from UK Export Finance, Caitriona McNeill from Invest NI, Alastair Kane from Bank of Ireland UK and Adrian McCutcheon formerly of Telestack.

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Eye on Education

Collaborating for Success Universities and colleges have so much to offer the business world that it is hard to know where to begin. Working in collaboration with universities and colleges can bring real and measurable benefits to your bottom line.

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Driving innovation at North West Regional College:Meeting the needs of industry through strong collaborative networks North West Regional College (NWRC) has been at the heart of life in the North West of Northern Ireland for more than 100 years. From its main campuses in Derry-Londonderry, Limavady and Strabane, the College supports over 20,000 student enrolments each year, helping learners from all parts of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to undertake full-time and part-time study programmes in a range of vocational and non-vocational areas.

Business Support Centre Working under the banner that ‘Assisting your business is our business’ the NWRC’s Business Support Centre (BSC) continues to make great strides in supporting the business development requirements of companies across the region.

This reflects the Centre’s focus on innovative, intelligent engagement with industry that is relevant both to learners and to the economic needs of businesses. The Centre delivers a range of support services, including bespoke training and skills development, innovation and applied research & development.

To deliver its support, the BSC is able to draw on a range of support programmes, including Connected, Innovation Vouchers, InnovateUs, Skills Focus and KTPs, but according to Fergal Tuffy, Technology Innovation Manager in the BSC, it is the outputs from support that matter to client businesses, not their source.

“We meet with businesses, identify the sort of support they’re looking for and then develop and implement solutions. Usually the companies we work with don’t need to know the exact nature of the programme that we are drawing on to support them. All they need to know is that we are here to provide the support they need.”

An agent for growth NWRC plays an integral role in supporting the social, economic and cultural development of the North West Region. Increasingly too, the College is an agent for growth, playing a central role in the economic engagement and strategy in the city and the region by aligning its offer to the needs of industry through strong collaborative networks.

Food Innovation Foodovation, the NI Year of Food award winning Centre is a superbly equipped £500K food innovation facility within NWRC, is paving the way for innovation and growth in the food sector by helping local businesses produce new food products in a safe and commercially viable manner. In so doing, BSC is helping to forge strong relationships between

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

North West Regional College is one of Northern Ireland’s six further education colleges that is working through the Connected project to ease the way for business to engage with the academic world.

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food businesses and colleges and universities in the North West.

Innovation in food innovation is seen as a key driver for growth in the area, and the Foodovation team (which includes Centre Manager, chef Brian McDermott) is currently helping numerous SME food entrepreneurs to improve their businesses and develop new products, by delivering help in such areas as new product development, market research, operational and process improvement and food safety.

“Food innovation is a key driver for growth in this area. Over the years we have helped hundreds of companies improve their business and develop new products, by delivering help in such areas as new product development, operational and process improvement and food safety. We also conduct taste panels and give guidance on menu development and recipe engineering, as well as packaging design, labelling and diet and nutrition.

We’ve worked on some exceptional new local foodstuffs, but sometimes too, we have to be blunt about how we see the viability of a new food product” Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil and Corndale Chorizo are two local companies who have availed of the services of Foodovation at NWRC.

Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil Leona Kane is the owner of Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oli, based on the flat, fertile reclaimed land at the foot of Binevenagh in County Londonderry.

The company started pressing rapeseed oil around 2011, and has expanded every year since. As Leona freely admits, a key driver in the company’s success has been the support given by Brian McDermott and the technical team at BSC. “I would definitely advise any new food business starting up to take advantage of the superb resource that is available on our doorstep,” says Leona. “The staff and students were there to help us, not just in areas of production and product development, but in market research too.”

Contact NWRC: Dr Fergal Tuffy T: 028 71 276170 E: fergal.tuffy@nwrc.ac.uk

Eye on Motoring

Fleet Financial Drives Home New Awareness Campaign For NI Businesses Fleet Financial urges NI businesses to steer clear of myths and take back control.

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leet Financial has kicked off a major awareness-raising campaign, to bring Northern Ireland businesses up to speed on the range of vehicle management solutions available to them which are designed to underline growth and create new operational efficiencies.

The information-driven campaign is designed to put an end to some of the costly misconceptions and myths among business decision-makers which are preventing them from steering their way to new and innovative solutions that could transform their businesses.

Research undertaken by Fleet Financial showed that more than half (56%) of SMEs in Northern Ireland recognised that managing their fleet effectively

and efficiently should be a priority. Less than one third (27%) had enquired about the solutions available or acted on the information available to them.

Almost two-thirds of NI businesses (67%) believed embracing a fleet management company for solutions might cost them more money and time.

Damian Campbell, Sales Manager, Fleet Financial, said: “We encourage business managers in Northern Ireland to regularly think about the vehicles they use, how they can manage them better and increase efficiency to reduce outgoings. The survey highlights that most businesses know what they need to do to tackle these issues but aren’t confident about their knowledge of this area.

“Our campaign is designed to urge NI businesses to realise that fleet management is a critical area within a modern, forward-looking business and needs to be reviewed regularly.

We would like local businesses to know

their options, move towards engaging the services offered by Fleet Financial and fully understand the benefits and savings to their business.”

“We have evolved to be much more than a contract hire provider. Our business model continues to evolve and innovate, keeping us at the forefront of our sector and providing local businesses with choice and flexible options when managing their company vehicles.”

The survey showed that most NI businesses (92%) wanted clear and costed solutions to upgrading and managing their fleet, including full certainty around servicing, maintenance and repairs.

“We recognise that Northern Ireland’s business owners have multiple priorities but many remain in the dark about the advantages we can offer on vehicle procurement, management or how our innovative new technology can be easily deployed to save thousands of pounds in time and energy.”

“It’s why we’re embarking on a focused campaign to inform and educate the sector on the options available to them and how practically they can be utilised for their benefit.

Using clear explanations and simple calculations, we want to dispel the myths that many business owners have so that they can make decisions based on fact.”

As Northern Ireland’s leader in contract hire and vehicle management with more than 1200 business users and over 4,200 vehicles under management across the UK and Ireland, Fleet Financial delivers solutions for businesses of any size – from one small van or company car to larger fleets.

For more information, visit www.fleetfinancial.co.uk.

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Eye on Hospitality

Bishops Gate... A Touch Of Class In The City

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Eye on Hospitality If ever a new hotel has made an impact since it opened its doors to the paying public, then it has to be Derry’s Bishop’s Gate Hotel. Yet this is a small 30-bedroom property in the middle of the walled city centre....so why does it seem to be punching so far ahead of its weight?

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ere’s the thing. You need to go there to find out what makes the Bishop’s Gate tick. And it turns out to be a heady mix of ingredients.....

There’s a generous dose of Derry hospitality, for starters, delivered by a genuinely friendly, smiling, warm team of people right from the reception desk to the bar, the restaurant and the rooms.

In our years of staying at hotels, we’ve never been greeted by a hotel manager (no less) striding across the road with an umbrella to welcome us from our car. Until we encountered Ciaran O’Neill at Bishop’s Gate (and, before any cynicism kicks in, he had no idea that we were visiting media).

But there’s also a uniqueness about the hotel and the building that houses it. If you’re going to create a boutique hotel, you might as well to it properly. And the Inner City Trust, the Derry charity behind the hotel’s birth, didn’t do things by halves.

The Trust, driven forward for many years by the remarkable Paddy Doherty (better known as Paddy Bogside around Derry), deserves an enormous amount of credit for a series of developments

which have helped to revitalise the city centre....including the Tower Museum and the excellent Craft Village.

The Trust, and the development team, took over the old Northern Counties Building on Bishop Street, once a thriving Gentlemens’ Club, gutted it and transformed it into an urban boutique hotel and it’s a transformation job that left few details to chance.

The result is that there’s something about the Bishop’s Gate. It’s got an atmosphere, a warmth of its own and the kind of feeling that a unique small hotel should have. Then there’s the details....the original revolving door from the old Northern Counties, the restored grand staircase, the Bishop’s Gate’s unique first floor ballroom and a wonderfully cosy bar and restaurant area.

We stayed in a junior suite – bedroom and spacious living room – overlooking the back of the hotel, St. Columb’s Cathedral and the city walls where they flank Artillery Street. It was elegant, it was warm, it was comfortable and it was that little bit different.....right down to fresh

flowers, a vintage telephone and touches like a cast iron doorstop in the bathroom.

The hotel, opened just over a year ago, could hardly be in a better spot. A stone’s throw from the Diamond and Shipquay Street, right next door to the Walls and the Tower Museum, an easy stroll to the river and the Peace Bridge, and in the midst of some of Derry’s very best pubs and eating places.

Hotel Manager Ciaran O’Neill talks about it being in Derry’s very own Cathedral Quarter. And, size and scale apart, it’s easy to draw comparisons with Belfast’s Merchant Hotel. The popular traditional afternoon tea – and the bar’s cocktail list – provide a couple of ready links.

“We see this hotel being an important part of the new Cathedral Quarter here in Derry,” he says. “It’s an area that is already seeing the development of new craft shops, cafes and the like and I think we’ll see it maturing even more in the years to come.

A chef by training, he is a former head chef at the Slieve Russell Hotel in County Cavan before turning his hand to hotel management. He has worked as a regional hotel manager in Scotland as well as managing a couple of Derry hotels – Da Vinci’s and the City Hotel.

Ciaran was quick to accept the challenge of opening and running the Bishop’s Gate. “It’s a unique project and a unique hotel product,” he says. “This is a true high-end boutique offering, and we’ve already established ourselves as a wedding venue as well as a place for

private dining and that’s not to mention our restaurant and the afternoon teas.”

The hotel certainly hasn’t been slow to get noticed. It won the Most Promising New Tourism Business category at the NI Tourism Awards staged in Enniskillen during May, as well as being Highly Commended in the Hotel of the Year competition.

And, a week later, the Bishop’s Gate won the Tourism & Leisure Award at the RICS Construction Industry Awards in Belfast. Closer to home, the hotel lifted the accommodation category at the North West Business Awards.

But perhaps an even bigger achievement came when TripAdvisor unveiled the UK’s Top Rated 25 Hotels for the whole of UK, and the Bishop’s Gate was ranked second.

“That’s something we are very proud of simply because it is feedback that comes directly from our customers,” adds Ciaran O’Neill.

It’s not hard to see why those customers take to TripAdvisor with their positive comments. The Bishop’s Gate, put simply, is a hotel that does everything extremely well. From a welcome at reception through to a beautifully presented room and a well-poured pint of Guinness.

And the breakfast... what a breakfast!

We could tackle one of those every day, before it all got too much for us. But what a way to go...... www.bishopsgatehotelderry.com

Laura Curran – The Best Of The Best

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aura Curren, a receptionist at the Bishop’s Gate, has been crowned as Northern Ireland’s Hotel Receptionist of the Year for 2017 at the recent HI Hotel Federation Annual Awards. And her colleague Stephanie McCarron took one of the runners-up awards.

Meeting up with Laura, it’s easy to see how she impressed the judges during a rigorous interview

process running up to the awards.

A former receptionist at two other Derry hotels, the City & the Maldron, she moved to the Bishop’s Gate when it opened. She’s got a passion for her home city and a passion for what the Bishop’s Gate has to offer......as well as the kind of engaging and open personality that make a good receptionist into a great one.

“I love reading and one of my favourite books from childhood was Roald

Dahl’s Matilda. The book talks about Matilda’s book ‘transporting her into new worlds and introducing her to amazing people who lived exciting lives’.

“It’s a bit like that working here. I get to meet so many really interesting people from all walks of life and from all over the world. It’s a great job.”

Laura Curran with Stephanie McCarron, voted joint runner up in the ‘Hotel Receptionist of the Year 2017’ category.

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Eye on Round Table

SME Finance, Growth & Challenges In Northern Ireland Business Eye joined forces with leading asset, invoice and trade finance providers Upstream to stage a Round Table Discussion event at Upstream’s Linenhall

Street headqaurters in Belfast, with an influential panel looking at SME finance, its growth and the challenges facing companies in Northern Ireland.

It is important to note that the discussion took place prior to the June 8th General Election.

The Participants

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Richard Buckley, Business Eye (Chairman)

Judith Totten, Managing Director, Upstream

Alan Wardlow, Head of New Business, Upstream

James Neill, Managing Director, HNH

Paul Millar, Chief Executive, WhiteRock Capital Partners

Brian Murphy, Lead Advisory Partner, BDO Northern Ireland

Liam O’Hagan, Director, Delap & Waller Chartered Engineers

Fearghal O’Loan, Partner, Finance & Restructuring, Tughans Solicitors

Eye on Round Table but, all too often, there is an unwillingness to step outside of what companies know.

AW – There is also a real lack of understanding around the pricing of the risk model. Once you go through the funding chain from senior debt to alternative funding, mezz and equity, there’s a real lack of clarity around how it is priced.

RB – Judith, can you set the scene from your perspective on SME funding, how it has changed and what the challenges are?

JT – Back in the day, every customer going into a bank got what they wanted - more or less. It became known as casino banking. So the customers didn’t need to look anywhere else. Since 2008/2009, there has been more need for alternative funding. That’s what created Upstream and others like WhiteRock. The challenge in the market is that the institutions really haven’t moved with the times.

They don’t always understand the need for alternative funding routes and methods. But changes like that won’t happen overnight.

PM – Banks are doing, in senior debt terms, what banks should be doing. Perhaps the model just wasn’t right before and this is the way it will be....banks lending 65% or 70% and charging a 2%-3% margin. They want to take the appropriate risk for that level of pricing. They used to do everything but now they’re just doing the senior debt piece. They’ll go against each other to fund a factory at 70% but none of them will go to 90%.

It’s how the market has matured.

And it leaves us to work out who is going to fund the other 30%..... mezzanine, equity or whatever.

JN – The market has definitely become a bit more sophisticated.

Clients are certainly more savvy as to the availability of alternative sources of finance. They know a lot more about the different types of debt that are out there.

It’s a natural evolution given the restricted banking environment of the recessionary period. In many instance, they’ve had to look at all the alternatives and now they know that’s it not necessarily a one stop shop when it comes to lending.

FOL – There are now a huge number of alternative finance providers available in the market. There wasn’t always that choice. Is it better that banks stick to a vanilla lending product? Maybe, if, alongside that, you have alternative funders who are interested in more niche products. I think that’s good. When I think of our clients, they’re looking for specific solutions to fit their business needs..

BM – Companies here have to overcome their natural conservatism. Moving from one banking relationship to potentially multiple funders is a big step and it can be outside of some comfort zones. But the advantages that the new environment brings should outweigh this. It’s all about what suits each individual business.

LOH – I agree with Brian. I used to have one bank manager and that was it. Then the banks started to change the people around and it became more difficult. I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else in the

past but now I do. And the good thing is that I’m back to building relationships and dealing with people that I like dealing with.

Frankly, if it hadn’t been for Judith and the team at Upstream, I wonder if Delap & Waller would be here today. We came through some distress a few years back and their empathy and understanding far surpassed anything I could have expected from a mere funder. With their help, we have come back stronger and more confident.

AW – One thing we don’t have here is a brokerage network. In GB and in ROI, there is a market of advisers who are out there working to source funding for their clients. That’s a gap that we might need to look at filling.

JT – It’s a good point. A lot of business owners here go to their accountants as a first port of call rather than a specialist finance adviser. Business owners should realise that it’s good to ask around and it’s good to look for the best deal.

RB – So has corporate Northern Ireland really grown in sophistication when it comes to finance?

JT – The corporate body has grown in sophistication but the advisory community has not. Smaller advisory firms and others are still stuck in the ‘go to the bank’ mentality.

BM – I don’t want to hark back to the conservative thing again

PM – The internal accountant (and I am one myself) can sometimes be the deal blocker for us. We’ll speak to the company, they’ll be willing to do a deal but our pricing is obviously higher than the bank and the accountant will tell them that it’s more expensive than bank debt.

But often it’s bank debt that they can’t actually get due to the lack of security. What they fail to think about is what profit they can generate out of the funding that they’re receiving against the cost of that funding.

JN – It’s fundamentally all about the relationship between client and adviser. If you’ve got a solid relationship with your client built on mutual trust and integrity then they should trust your judgement, even if you’re recommending a funding solution that may be further up the price chain. A good adviser will only be recommending it if they think it will benefit your business.

Northern Ireland has this thing about talking to friends and contacts before deciding what to do....this is often at a high level though and the reality is that the devil is in the detail in any transaction.

PM – It’s important to draw a distinction between an accountant and an adviser. One can talk to you about P&L, tax and the like, the other can actually advise you and guide you on funding options.

LOH – I think that’s right.

Accountants at smaller firms aren’t always in a position to give you the right kind of advice. It’s not what they do, and they’re not aware of all the alternatives.

BM – But the market has changed and it has changed for the better. We are beginning to see the benefits of that and, once people see more transactions completing, then that will become the new norm.

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Eye on Round Table increasing, into housing, health and education. That’s a healthy development and an important one. Private investment can work in the public sector. More collaboration is never a bad thing.

JT – We wouldn’t be here in Upstream if that evolution wasn’t happening.

JN – And it was the market itself that dictated the evolution. As we go on, it’s inevitable we’ll see more and more success stories of companies using alternative forms of finance and that’s what the market needs to see in order to develop further.

RB – As companies have become more sophisticated, has the sector serving them become more sophisticated too? And where are the gaps?

JT – I think we have become more sophisticated. When we started out, it was all a bit clunky.

We’ve got much better at what we do, and our pricing has come down to a really competitive level. But there are still more gaps. There is room for more investment and more funding.

Trade and supply chain finance is one area that I’d highlight.

PM – We’re close to launching another fund that will take us up to £2 million per transaction or so, and we think that was a gap in the market. I think we’re all looking for new opportunities in the market.

BM – That kind of proactivity is very attractive to businesses and their advisers. The message is that there is flexibility, that solutions can be found to match the need.

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JN – There are still gaps in the market. MBO’s are one specialist area and I think we’ll be seeing more of those in the coming years as existing business owners, who are now emerging from one of the hardest trading periods in their careers, start to look at succession, FOL – Let me be the first to mention Brexit. Looking at its from a profession advisers’ point of view, Brexit might offer us (by which I mean ‘Corporate NI’) an opportunity to try and influence the Brexit road map in a way that benefits Northern Ireland, or we can be very compliant and follow suit with what Westminster decides is best for the UK as a whole. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could do something different and something special.... something that would be tailored to Northern Ireland? If that was achievable, then I think there are lots of opportunities for funders.

RB – We tend to look at Brexit negatively, but perhaps it doesn’t have to be like that.

PM – We’re dealing with the British Business Bank and they’ve told us that they see a huge opportunity.

SME’s might be a big focus, and Brexit might open up direct funding routes without any EU constraints.

JT – The level of FDI is not diminishing. And Northern Ireland has plenty of advantages. So I think we’ll see private investment

LOH – As a company with sites in Belfast and Dublin, we’re deciding whether to invest more in Dublin than Belfast or vice versa. And everyone is guessing on Brexit. I know as much about it as most of the advisers out there. I was talking to a contractor the other day and he told me that he’s paying his electricians £14.50 an hour here. In Dublin, the same electricians are getting €50 an hour. So where are they choosing to work? There is a clear imbalance between North and South, and its getting more pronounced. Here, it sometimes seems that profit is a dirty word.

It certainly isn’t in the South.

JT – Post-Brexit, it there are passport and visa issues, certain sector will definitely start to struggle....hotels and leisure and agri food among them. Already, we haven’t got enough bodies to fill the roles in a number of areas.

We need to be mindful of the skills gap and our talent pool.

BM – There’s no doubt that our economy had become somewhat stagnant during the downturn.

Brexit, in some ways, is a further distraction. The word ‘uncertainty’ is used all the time, far too much in my opinion. But is there anyone out there who is certain about anything? Is business not all about managing uncertainty? Brexit isn’t a brick wall that we can go over or around. The market will adapt and given time Brexit will be progressed to a conclusion.

In the meantime, too much speculation really isn’t good for us. Northern Ireland is a positive and viable business location, so let’s go out there and sell it.

JT – Maybe Brexit is a bit like C2K. Remember that? But no planes crashed and nobody died. I know this is flippant but we will adapt and evolve. We always do.

RB – How big a problem is the lack of political progress at Stormont?

JT – I don’t think it affects how people run their businesses day by day, but planning has been affected and so have the likes of public sector budgets. That can only go on for so long. You need governance. We need to have confidence in our Executive.

PM – As a priority, we need to see the local Assembly up and running again. SME’s want political stability and some system is better than nothing, which we’ve currently got.

LOH – I travel quite a bit, and I get asked what’s going on here. It does make people a bit nervous. People don’t like uncertainty. As we all know, it’s hard to explain that 99% of us get on without any problems.

That’s not what they see or read.

JN – Post-recession, Brexit, Trump....what do we need locally? A bit of leadership and stability would be good.

PM – And there’s no doubt that there is a change of atmosphere.

The British, Irish and even US government have treated us as a special case for years. They’ve treated us with kid gloves. But now they’re telling us to get on with it.

FOL – And the truth is that business has always got on with it, whatever happened in politics. The continuing inertia in our local political arena is exceptionally embarrassing.

We’re all used to laughing at it, but our dysfunctional Stormont Executive is not a laughing matter.

BM – Business is still stepping up to fill the void. Look at the hotel developments and the office projects. There is a confidence out there, as well as frustration that we’re lagging behind the Republic of Ireland. The challenge to our politicians is to keep pace with this momentum.

JN – Yes, we need to stop giving FDI a reason not to come here. We’ve got plenty of reasons why they should come but instead of focusing on marketing this message, we always seem to get distracted by political uncertainty of one form or another.

PM – Ireland is one of the best performing economies in Europe with 5% growth. The

Eye on Round Table JT – We could have the Chuckle Sisters instead of the Chuckle Brothers, but the dynamic between those two ladies would need to change.....we do seem to have lost some goodwill, which is a shame.

BM – Aside from corporation tax, we also need to look at infrastructure.

This is an area where we are lagging behind the Republic. The road network is a very visible example of this. A number of key infrastructure projects could make a big difference.

entrepreneurial spirit of people there isn’t different to here. The culture is similar, education is similar. But they have a really good rate of corporation tax which we’ve campaigned long and hard for but still can’t get. So let’s emulate what they’re doing, stop harping on about the past and sort out problems like our over reliance on the public sector.

BM – There’s no doubt that the restructuring that has been talked about within the public sector will have a significant impact on Northern Ireland. However, if we are successful in selling NI as a viable and conducive place for external companies to do business in, then there is an obvious opportunity for the new demand for staff to be met

from the public sector. We could effectively have a win:win situation.

RB – Do we think we could still get corporation tax over the line?

JT – It’s still possible but we need governance. And there’s the worry that the UK Government will decide to drop corporation tax of its own right. But let’s remember that, when it comes to FDI, corporation tax is just one item on the Invest NI agenda. Other advantages that we have here can be just as important.

PM – I sat beside someone at dinner recently and he said that dropping corporation tax was a waste of time because local business owners would take the savings and go out

an buy a car.....! The truth is that most entrepreneurs will re-invest savings into their businesses. SME’s here can benefit substantially from a lower corporation tax rate.

It’s certainly not all about FDI. BM – I’ve heard the view from within the civil service that a lot of the hard work has already been done on corporation tax and that there is a mechanism in place to get it moving. So I think that if we have government back, we can do it. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any desire to help us emanating from London.

RB – Let’s assume that we get an Assembly and Executive back up. How do we move forward?

JT – I think we put corporation tax at the top of the list. If the work is all done, as Brian says, then it’s achievable. It should be part of our overall sales pitch. And let’s remember that our local Ministers were good at selling Northern Ireland overseas. We can do that again.

BM – Yes, Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness worked really well together. That was a selling point in itself. And we all took great encouragement from it.

LOH – I’d back that up. I watched McGuinness and Robinson operating in the States, and everyone they spoke to was impressed and changed their view of Northern Ireland.

LOH – Office space is worth mentioning too. Back in the days of the old IDB, the agency developed office space speculatively and had it waiting for tenants. Not only do we not have that today, but we have no Grade A office accommodation available as we speak.

JT – But it think that it need joined up thinking. If government agencies, developers, planners and funders were to able to work together, a lot of the risk could be taken out of office development. When you get people singing off the same hymn sheet, collaborating and trusting each other, it works. And we’ve shown that in some of our specific sectors. It’s about talking.... but it’s also about delivering.

FOL – We’ve talked about uncertainty a few times today, and there’s no doubt that this is a real difficulty. It’s what leads to people holding back from making decisions and holding back from investing. We need to overcome that obstacle and get on with it. My advice to my clients has always been to identify a plan of action and then execute it. Hindsight is 20:20 and it may transpire that your plan was not the best plan but I think it is important that local business doesn’t get bogged down in a quagmire of perpetual inacton.

BM – True. There is a real risk that we could allow uncertainty to hold us back. However, the reality is that many of our businesses in NI are in fact growing and their confidence in their markets is on the up. It is performance such as this that provides the best foundation for continued success. We all need to capitalise on this hard-earned opportunity and make it work for NI Plc.

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Eye on News

LIDL PACKS A PUNCH WITH COMMUNITY INVESTMENT World Champion Boxer Carl Frampton backs supermarket heavyweight Lidl in its search to find Northern Ireland’s most deserving community groups through Lidl Community Works.

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idl is once again demonstrating its ongoing commitment to communities across Northern Ireland with the Lidl Community Works initiative. This year, Lidl will be offering £6,000 in funding to local groups and large scale projects through each of its 38 stores across Northern Ireland.

That’s a total of £228,000 which will be invested back into the community.

Since the initial launch of Lidl Community Works, Lidl has donated funding and given practical help to over 700 community groups and charities across the country, including Portrush RNLI, Mourne Mountain Rescue, Carrick Chargers Special Olympic Basketball Club and the

Doghouse Sanctuary in Banbridge.

Conor Boyle, Regional Director at Lidl Northern Ireland said “We have received incredible support in Northern Ireland since we opened our first store and this is our way of giving back. It gives us great pleasure to re-launch Lidl Community Works as we have clearly seen how our communities have flourished with the support we have been able to offer in the last few years.”

Lidl is calling for its customers to get behind the campaign and nominate worthy causes that could be in with a fighting chance; groups from every background and all projects with a strong purpose are encouraged to apply for funding.

Carl Frampton pictured at Lidl’s Regional Distribution Centre with Conor Boyle, Regional Director at Lidl Northern Ireland

Carl Frampton commented, “There are so many groups who are making a really positive impact in their community and Lidl is providing a fantastic opportunity to those who are willing to step forward and share their dreams, so please start nominating! I am so grateful for the support I have had from everyone at home throughout my career, I love to see communities looking out for each other so I’m thrilled to get behind a cause that encourages that.”

Customers across the province are

being invited to nominate groups or projects in their local area that could benefit from Lidl’s support by downloading a nomination form from www.lidl-ni.co.uk or calling into a local Lidl Store to pick up a copy. The deadline for applications is June 25th 2017.

Customers in each store across Northern Ireland will then have the opportunity to decide from a shortlist of three which local community group or project should receive a £4,000 investment with the two runners up each receiving £1,000.

ROE PARK RESORT COMPLETES £1MILLION INVESTMENT AHEAD OF IRISH OPEN

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Pictured on the Roe Park Resort golf course is Terry Kelly, Golf & Spa Manager, with Golf Captain Arnold Simpson and Lady Golf Captain Christine Wilson.

The four-star Roe Park Resort in Limavady has completed a major investment programme in its golf course totalling £1million ahead of the Irish Open, which takes place at the North Coast in July this year.

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he investment programme has seen major redevelopment of the Roe Park Resort golf course and facilities which was completed with the opening of the 6th hole this month at a cost of £100,000.

According to the resort’s Golf & Spa Manager, Terry Kelly, the investment in redesigning and remodelling the 18 hole parkland course brings it to world-class standards ahead of the prestigious Irish Open tournament coming to the area once again this summer.

Mr Kelly said, “We are delighted to complete these further developments of the golf course as the changes have transformed the course following a significant investment programme over the past number of years. The investment in the golf course not only makes it an award-winning course today, but also ensures it will remain a

prestige course in the years to come.

“We would like to thank all of our members and visiting golfers for their support and patience as we made these course enhancements.

This development would not have been possible without their continued cooperation.”

The Roe Park Resort golf course was recently recognised at the 2017 Irish Hotel Awards being named ‘Golf Hotel of the Year’. The resort also picked up the ‘Best Golf Resort in Ulster’ accolade at the 2017 Golfers’ Guide to Ireland Awards, for the second time.

Over the past number of years the golf offering at the Roe Park Resort has developed not only on the golf course, but also with state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor teaching facilities for both the professional golfer and the beginner golfer looking to learn more and get hooked on the game.

Eye on Energy

What next for the NI Energy Sector?

By Andrew Ryan, Energy & Renewables Partner, TLT Solicitors

Uncertainty reigns in the Northern Ireland electricity sector, with three of the pressing concerns being generation capacity post-2021, lack of any new renewables subsidies and the threat of increasing electricity prices.

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ooming large over all of these is the big question about the likely effects of Brexit. That said, rapidly changing technology and the willingness for innovation and finding new opportunities means this sector keeps on moving.

The last few years have seen rapid and significant changes to the electricity sector in NI, not least the huge increase in renewable generation.

In 2010 the NI Executive set an ambitious target of reaching 40% generation from renewables by 2020.

Estimates of the final likely total vary with around 35-38% considered realistic, although the Department for the Economy considers that 40%

can be achieved if all grid connections offered are taken up. With subsidies no longer available save for some “grace period” projects running up to 2019, meeting the target does seem overly optimistic. But, getting so close within a comparatively short period of time is a significant achievement.

The problem for future renewables development, however, is that subsidy-free projects still seem, for the most part, to be challenging.

In Great Britain there may be new subsidies available through “Contracts for Difference” (CFD), but questions hang over NI’s participation.

If a new round of CfDs is announced, they will be available in limited supply

through a competitive auction. Opinions vary, with some commentators stating that NI projects could not compete on price. Others consider that large-scale wind in particular could compete because of the higher than average wind speeds in NI. However, if NI participates and no projects are successful in a CfD auction, NI consumers would still bear the costs of supporting the CfD in GB. In a post Renewable Heat Incentive world this may be politically unpopular, particularly as electricity prices in NI are already above the EU average.

Reducing electricity prices is a major challenge in NI both at a residential and perhaps more importantly, commercial scale. Large energy users in NI are effectively penalised by higher energy prices and this is recognised as a chilling factor for inward investment.

Brexit also creates further uncertainty. In 2018 the all island energy market is to transition from the established Single Electricity Market (“SEM”) to the new I-SEM. The aim of the I-SEM is to facilitate greater interconnectivity with the EU energy market, which in time it is hoped will help to mitigate electricity costs.

NI has benefited hugely from the SEM through the economies of scale of participating in an all-island market.

Depending on the type of Brexit the UK ends up with, there is a clear danger that the I-SEM will be incompatible with the UK’s non-EU status.

This raises major concerns over how the NI electricity market could operate.

The general consensus seems to be that an all-island market must prevail and “special arrangements” should be a priority in Brexit negotiations. Hopefully Westminster will be mindful of this.

A further challenge for NI is literally keeping the lights on. A number of major fossil-fuel power stations are due to be decommissioned in the early 2020s, due to changes in emissions standards. This has led to concerns that, particularly if the North-South electricity interconnector is not built (and this still awaits planning consent), generation capacity will

fall below a safe threshold to ensure peak power demands can be met.

But amidst this uncertainty, significant opportunities are still being seized upon. No doubt the renewables industry is going through major changes, but as the final projects are built out under current subsidies there will be new and existing players in the market looking at acquiring generation portfolios.

For banks and other funders, there will be opportunities for refinancing operational projects. As the technology advances and becomes cheaper, energy storage presents huge opportunities both for individual consumers (so-called “behind the meter” installations) but also on a grid-scale as a means of balancing intermittent renewable generation against periods where demand peaks. This could start to make subsidy-free projects economically viable and help more businesses mitigate rising electricity prices through increased on-site generation.

At TLT we are focused on where the future opportunities lie. As a UK-wide business we are already heavily involved in storage projects in GB and the financing and acquisition of renewables portfolios. We see these opportunities emerging in NI as the market adjusts to new conditions and are bringing our specialist skills in areas like finance, real estate, energy regulatory matters and planning/environmental to support from our growing Belfast office.

Undoubtedly the market is changing and significant challenges lie ahead, but we are already seeing NI businesses adapt to the new opportunities and, we aim to be at the forefront helping to drive success in this thriving sector.

If you would like to discuss any of the issues or opportunities raised in this article, please get in touch with Andrew Ryan in TLT’s Belfast office on: t: 0333 006 0967 or e: andrew.ryan@ TLTsolicitors.com

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Eye on News

I Ireland To Host Karate World Championship Event

reland plays host to one of the most prestigious events in the sport of karate this summer when the University of Limerick’s world-class sports complex will be home to the 14th Funakoshi Gichin Cup, the world karate-do championships.

The entire event runs from 15th through to the 20th August at UCL, and no less than 10 karate association masters will be flying in from Japan. It’s the first time that the event, which only leaves Japanese shores every six years, has been held in Ireland.

Competitors from more than 100 countries are expected to travel to Limerick to take part.

Ireland won a competitive bid process against a number of other European countries to host the event, with important support from this country’s large and enthusiastic martial arts community. The Japanese Embassy in Dublin has endorsed the karate event as part of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Ireland and Japan.

Full details are available on the event’s official website – www.jkaworldchampionships2017. com In addition, the organisers of the event have set up a fundraising campaign to help raise funds to cover the considerable costs of bringing the event to Ireland. www.ifundraise.ie/Jkaireland

WORLD CHAMPION PARA ATHLETE CONVERTS TO FLOGAS AUTOGAS Flogas is delighted to announce that its brand ambassador and multi-gold medal winning Paralympian and World Champion Michael McKillop has now converted his car to Flogas Autogas.

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ichael said, “I’m very pleased with the move to Flogas Autogas because I would drive over 1,000 miles a month for training and race meetings in Ireland and the UK. As Autogas is far cheaper than petrol, I’ll certainly notice the positive impact on my wallet!”

2017 is a busy year for Michael, the reigning world champion in the 800 and 1500 metres (T37), who will be

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attending race meetings across Ireland, including the Belfast International T&F Meet on 24th June as well as defending his titles at the 2017 IPC Para Athletics World Championships in London in July.

The World Para Athletics Championships will include 213 medal events, featuring approximately 1,300 athletes, and will be held across 10 days of competition. The event will form part of London’s Summer of World

Michael McKillop with Paul Ruegg of Flogas

Athletics when for the first time the World Para Athletics Championships and the IAAF World Championships will be held in the same city.

Paul Ruegg, senior marketing executive, Flogas, said “In addition to his world-renowned achievements, Michael is an excellent role model for up and coming young athletes and Flogas is delighted and proud to have him as their brand ambassador. We wish him the very

best of luck at the World Championships.”

LPG Autogas, a cleaner, greener and cheaper alternative to petrol and diesel, is currently used in more than 13 million vehicles operating worldwide.

As well as being cheaper than petrol or diesel, it generates considerably fewer emissions than fossil fuels, contributing to the protection of the environment and human health while also mitigating the threat of climate change.

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Eye on Welfare

Mental Health...

An Ongoing Challenge For Business

A recent Business in the Community report into business’ attitude to employee mental health across the UK made for sobering reading. The report found that although some progress has been made, ‘the stigma of mental health remains deeply entrenched in UK business. There is greater awareness of the issue, but a devastating disconnect exists between employers’ intentions and perceptions and what is actually happening in the workplace. This means that employees are not getting the help they need to maintain a fulfilling and productive working life, and managers are frustrated by the lack of support to do what they know is right.’

Danske Bank’s Simon Little.

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he report found that the majority of employees had experienced a mental health issue at some stage in their lives, while 29% of all employees have been diagnosed with a mental illness. 76% of line managers believe they are responsible for employee wellbeing, but only 22% had received training.

However, attitudes in Northern Ireland are changing. Danske Bank recently appointed Action Mental Health as its charity partner. Simon Little, Head of Communications at Danske Bank, reflected: “This is a cross-cutting issue in Northern Ireland, with one in five adults affected by mental ill-health and one in ten children, aged 5-16, being diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Our formal partnership with Action Mental Health not only offers an important opportunity for us to raise awareness of the issue of mental health and raise vital funds for the

charity’s work, but it also provides us with an opportunity to support our staff. Together with Action Mental Health we are working on an education programme for our employees that will highlight the need for interventions and offer welcome additional guidance for both people managers and staff.”

Businesses are turning in record numbers to Action Mental Health’s business training wing, AMH Works, which is celebrating its fifth birthday with a growing, and impressive client list. Some of the businesses AMH Works has worked with are Allen & Overy, and Henderson Group, along with a number of smaller but no less important organisations such as P Keenan Roads, Henry Brothers and Mercer.

Allen & Overy – In the last year AMH Works has delivered a range of different corporate learning interventions to the Belfast office of Allen & Overy. Courses called ‘Mindful Manager’ and ‘Personal

Louise Magee of with Sita sharing a joke with AMH Works Gary Kane and Brendan Miskelly of PWC.

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Resilience’ in particular have been well received and attended by a large number of staff, and the company has reaped the benefits of this increased proactivity around staff mental health and well-being.

Ciaran McCallion, Head of HR, said, “It is important that we support our people to manage workloads and stress as a normal part of a daily routine and also to take responsibility for their own health.

We place equal value on physical and mental wellbeing and take time to know our people, invest in their careers and encourage a positive work-life balance.

“Our partnership with Action Mental Health has helped us enhance our workplace so our people perform at the top of their game. Our own initiatives have benefitted from expert guidance and events that assist staff to better negotiate life’s challenges and understand how to support colleagues.”

Henderson Group – AMH Works has built a very close working relationship with Henderson Group in recent years, with delivery of training and attendance at health and well-being events.

Again ‘Mindful Manager’ and ‘Personal Resilience’ have been the most popular programmes for Henderson’s and the benefits are being seen in how managers are managing their own mental health and also that of their staff. Caroline Sweeney, HR says about the work

AMH Works has been very useful “Having attended the mental health training this has given me a greater insight and understanding of the impact poor mental health can have amongst our employees.

Working within HR, the training has given me the confidence and knowledge to better support employees or colleagues who are experiencing poor mental health.”

P Keenan Roads – A local, family run business from Magherfelt, operating since the 1940s has been at the forefront recently of mental health training for staff... delivered

by AMH Works. So far P Keenan has provided Personal Resilience for all of its staff and a number of managers have also undertaken the Mental Health First Aid programme.

AMH Works has worked very closely with the management and owners of P Keenan Roads to deliver a bespoke service to an industry where mental health is an issue and this relationship has been extremely fruitful.

To find out more about the services AMH Works can provide your business, please contact Amanda Jones by emailing aallen@amh.org.uk or calling 028 3839 2314.

You can also get further information on our website www.amh.org.uk.

Eye on Awards For more info or to enter, please visit: utvawards.businesseye.co.uk

PREMIER BUSINESS AWARDS LAUNCHED FOR 2017

Northern Ireland’s premier business awards, the annual UTV Business Eye Awards, will be staged for their 11th successive year in 2017 with the backing of global airline brand Emirates.

Business Eye’s Brenda Buckley is joined at the launch of the UTV Business Eye Awards 2017 in association with Emirates by Enda Corneille (left), Ireland Country Manager for Emirates and Terry Brennan, Head of News & Programmes, UTV.

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his year’s UTV Business Eye Awards in association with Emirates will be held on Thursday, 7th December, 2017, at the Belfast Waterfront, the city’s most spectacular venue.

As in previous years, hundreds of entries are anticipated across a provisional line-up of 16 different categories and the winners in each case will be chosen by a panel of judges and will receive their trophies in early December at Belfast Waterfront.

Last year’s awards ceremony named Cookstown-based Keystone Group as Northern Ireland’s Company of the Year, with other key winners on the night including Merchant Hotel founder Bill Wolsey (Business Personality of the Year); The Deluxe Group (SME Award); Brookvent (International Award)

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and brothers Jack & Jim Dobson, founders of the Dunbia Group (Lifetime Achievement Award).

The closing date for entries will be Friday, 27th October, 2017 and judging will take place shortly afterwards.

Companies can enter online by visiting utvawards.businesseye.co.uk.

Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye says: “We’re delighted that the UTV Business Eye Awards are moving into their 11th year and that they are more popular and more recognised than ever before. Over the past years, they’ve grown to become by far the biggest and most important business awards on the local stage.

“We’re also delighted to have for the second year one of the world’s most recognised travel brand, Emirates, as our main sponsors.

“With the help of Emirates and UTV, we’re continuing to develop the Awards

for 2017 and we’re really looking forward to welcoming a bigger audience than ever before to the excellent Belfast Waterfront on the 7th of December.

“Once again we’ll be honouring the best businesses and the best business leaders here in Northern Ireland and we can promise a preChristmas night to remember.”

Terry Brennan, Head of News & Programmes at UTV, says: “UTV is very proud of its association with the Business Eye Awards, now in their 11th year. I commend the team at Business Eye for continually refreshing the Awards and making them accessible to such a broad range of businesses, from all sectors of the economy, which is reflected in the continued year on year growth in entry numbers.

“UTV once again looks forward to featuring the key businesses and people making the news in these Awards on

UTV Live, the most watched news programme here in Northern Ireland.”

Enda Corneille, Country Manager (Ireland) for Emirates, said: “Our sponsorship of these awards is indicative of our commitment to the Northern Ireland market and the high regard with which we hold the business community in the region. Last year’s event, our first, was a fantastic occasion recognising business leaders, leading lights of industry, innovators and future stars.”

“Being part of Northern Ireland’s business community is very important to us. We have a dedicated presence in Belfast and help connect our business and corporate customers with more than 150 markets, offering double daily direct flights to Dubai with great onward connections to markets where people are doing business. We are very much looking forward to the 2017 awards and wish all entrants the very best of luck.”

Eye on Awards For more info or to enter, please visit: utvawards.businesseye.co.uk (1)

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(1) Barry Smyth MCS Group, Brenda Buckley and Ciara Donnelly Business Eye with Paul Clark UTV. (2) Andrew Maybin of Simply Zesty, Brenda Buckley, Enda Corneille Ireland Country Manager Emirates, Kathryn McIntosh (Simply Zesty). (3) Paul Clark, Vicki Hawthorne and Terry Brennan UTV with Enda Corneille. (4) Erin Miley, Callow Events.

(5) Lynsey Hughes, First Trust Bank. (6) Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive, Retail NI; Lynsey Hughes, First Trust Bank; Mark McKeown,First Trust Bank and Carmel Mullan, UTV.

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Eye on Awards For more info or to enter, please visit: utvawards.businesseye.co.uk (7)

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(7) Paul Clark entertains the audience. (8) Enda Corneille Ireland Country Manager Emirates. (9) Orla McKibben UTV, Claire Trainor and Olivia Johnston UTV. (10) Gerry Lennon, Chief Executive, Visit Belfast & Barry Smyth, Managing Director, MCS. (11) Bronagh Cathcart, MCS. (12) Matt Sinclair, SAP Business One; Trevor Bingham & Paul Trouton, FUEL.

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Eye on Awards For more info or to enter, please visit: utvawards.businesseye.co.uk (13)

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(13) Terry Brennan, UTV. (14) Matt Sinclair, SAP. (15) Richard Buckley, Brenda Buckley and Sam Buckley Business Eye. (16) Richard Buckley, Business Eye. (17) Lynsey Lamont, NI Sales Executive, Emirates. (18) Treena Clarke (Harbinson Mulholland) with Paul Clark (UTV) and Joanne McNeill (McNeill Communications).

(19) Scott Goldblatt Charles Hurst Group, Paul Clark UTV and Philip Miley Fleet Financial.

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Eye on Technology

Equiniti – 50 Years On And Still Ahead Of The IT Curve 70

Eye on Technology Equiniti is one of the big names of the Belfastbased IT services community. London-based, established in 2007 and born out of Lloyds Banking Group’s share registration business, it’s a leading provider of sophisticated technology administration processing and payments services. Working with c70% of the FTSE 100, it has 4,300 employees across 26 locations.

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ut this is also a company with a unique Northern Ireland pedigree. Equiniti’s Belfast operation was once ICS – Independent Computer Services – formed in 1967 as a carve out of the Harland and Wolff Computer department. Founded by Sir Desmond Lorimer and now celebrating its half-centenary it was one of Ireland’s first real IT Services businesses. It was a truly pioneering deal for a man known as a visionary: an IT outsourcing deal, some 30 years before such transactions became common place in the IT industry.

The company started out as a “Bureau Services” provider whereby it processed payroll and various transactional services such as Debtors and Creditors invoicing on behalf of clients, including H & W. In the 1980s and 1990s ICS tracked the changing IT market transforming itself into a supplier of mini-computers and PCs and associated software products and services. Around the turn of the millennium the market started to change, back to the 1960s and businesses once again began to outsource their IT. The market had turned full circle.

Today, the original ICS business which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Equiniti Group plc employs 250 people at its Airport Road base in Belfast and a further 300 at its offshore facility in Chennai, India, set up in 2004. It specialises in a number of distinct offerings:Case Management – The Perito Case Management Solution is a technology platform that incorporates all of the key features for case and document management and includes functionality for investigative, forensic, complaints and ombudsman case management.

Biometrics – A frictionless end-toend biometric, mobile authentication

and identity lifecycle management platform including powerful new facial and voice recognition software.

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) – providing consultancy and systems to assist clients to understand the implications of GDPR, which comes into effect in May of 2018.

Cyber Security – Equiniti’s Zero platform takes an innovative approach to identifying targeted email attacks and helps to prevent phishing and malware emails from being delivered.

“The team here in Belfast is working with a wide range of different clients across the public and financial services sectors” says Clare Patterson, Head of Marketing at Equiniti. “We don’t just deliver the software. We deliver comprehensive solutions designed to meet customers’ requirements through the use of technology, people and data.”

The company’s key customers are public sector organisations and financial services companies. “Heavily regulated markets suit what we do very well,” she adds.

Patterson is quick to emphasise some of the key areas she sees as being crucial to Equiniti’s activities.

GDPR is one. GDPR, in short, requires that any company doing business in the EU – no matter the size – has to securely collect, store and use personal information. And, just like the big guys, smaller companies can face fines for any violations.

“It’s another worry for companies to add to the list,” says Clare Patterson. “But we can help. Our customers have the peace of mind of knowing that we can look after this kind of problem on their behalf.”

Equiniti, she says, also excels in the rapid deployment of Sharepoint technologies. In

At the official opening of Independent Computer Services in 1967, photographed left to right, Sir Desmond Lorimer, Founder, Tom Winter ICS’s first CEO and Brian Faulkner, N. Ireland Minister of Commerce in 1967.

fact, the company reckons that it can roll out a Sharepoint solution in significantly less time than most of its competitors.

Sharepoint is a web-based document management and storage system that can be integrated with Microsoft Office.

“Then there is digital government,” she continues. “We help to transform the public sector and enable it to meet the demands of today by utilising the very best digital technologies. In a nutshell, our solutions allow citizens access to the public services they want, when they want and on the devices they want to use while at the same time satisfying the very real need for data security.”

The company’s work in the field of biometrics isn’t its only interface with the more futuristic side of technology. It’s also at the forefront of innovation when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence... the use of intelligent automation for processing jobs, for example.

Looking to the future, Patterson reflects on what she thinks the next 50 years will bring. Mobile computing will still be an important topic, everyone will probably have wearable if not implanted technologies. Voice activated technologies will be mainstream and energy hungry data centres will be powered by the sun and located in parts of the world that receive the maximum amount of light. Oh, and yes hopefully Viruses will have become a thing of the past.

As far as Equiniti is concerned “We won’t stand still. We can’t stand still,” she says simply. “We have to move quickly, and we’re always ready to do that.. It’s about a real in-depth knowledge of technology and how it can help our clients.”

And, in a near link back to the company’s past here in Belfast, Equiniti is still providing payroll solutions to its customer base... just as Sir Desmond Lorimer’s ICS did back at the end of the 1960’s.

Clare Patterson is Head of Marketing for Equiniti Digital and can be contacted on tel: 02890 454166.

Email: clare.patterson@equiniti-ics.com Web: equiniti-assured.com

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Eye on News

Euro Auctions Delivers Multi-Record Breaking Hewden Crane Disposal Sale

Multiple world records were achieved at the unique oneday Hewden crane disposal sale organised by Euro Auctions, Europe’s largest auctioneers of industrial plant, construction machinery and agricultural equipment, at the Newark showground on Friday 03 March.

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lready recognised as the world’s largest single oneday mobile crane sale, this was a truly impressive spectacle, with the 127 cranes lined up either side of a 300m+ long stretch of the disused runway at the Newark showground. The auctioneers proceeded down the runway during the course of the day, moving to each lot in turn; with the final hammer price exceeding £27.4m.

It was a unique day for Euro Auctions with the company achieving several firsts.

• At €32m (£27.4m) this was the biggest single one-day sale delivered by Euro Auctions in revenue terms – ever!

• With all 127 cranes being sold in just four hours this equates to revenue generation of around €133k / £114k per minute – again the fastest ever achieved.

• The two 220 tonnes cranes each went for €877.500 / £725, 000, the single largest ticket item price ever achieved at a Euro Auctions sale for used pieces of equipment.

“This unique record breaking sale, the likes of which will never be seen again, attracted massive global interest and generated some really impressive records,” enthused Jonnie Keys, Operations Manager for Euro Auctions.

“Bidders registering to receive information and to participate

in this sale was at one of the fastest rates we’ve ever seen for an auction and the turn out on the day was phenomenal – creating a real buzz.

Euro Auctions has a rolling programme of auctions scheduled over coming months at its fixed auction sites around the globe plus is running a programme of bespoke events for individual clients.

For details of other agricultural machinery and construction equipment being auctioned by Euro Auctions contact them at www.euroauctions.com

Eye on Finance

Inflating The Cash Flow Crisis With invoice finance and ABL, you raise funds against your assets and unpaid invoices.

Invoice finance, for example, can provide an immediate cash injection of up to 90% of the value of your unpaid invoices, giving you the opportunity to turn them into working capital.

Today, strong relationships and reliable delivery are more important than ever as businesses look at the whole value proposition when choosing a financier.

The Invoice and Asset Based Lending industry has remained consistent in its relationshipbased approach, bridging the funding gap by offering sustainable finance that many businesses are finding more appropriate to their needs today and ultimately help them weather whatever financial shocks come their way.

No matter what size of business or what challenges you face, successful firms will be those who achieve a balance between maintaining healthy levels of cash flow and balancing this with investment in the business.

For larger businesses keen to preserve cash but recognising the importance of continued investment in order to stay competitive, seeking to leverage their assets via asset backed lending is a sensible option.

Other critical measures companies might take to successfully navigate inflationary fluctuations and other cost pressures include::

Marc Hawthorne, Sales Director, Capitalflow Commercial Finance

With inflation at a three-year high, Sales Director at Capitalflow Commercial Finance, Marc Hawthorne examines what SMEs can do to successfully manage their liquidity and maintain competitiveness.

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s 2017 marches on it is clear that firms are facing an increasingly toxic mix of rising inflation, spiralling operating costs and squeezed margins.

The negative effects of sterling’s slide since the EU referendum almost a year ago appear to be outweighing the positive effects – a boost to exports. The weaker pound has raised the cost of imported materials and pushed inflation to a three-year high of 2.3%.

It is of course the smaller, more vulnerable organisations whose lack of negotiation and purchasing power mean they can often find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place - forced into above inflation cost increases by suppliers but feeling unable to increase their own prices. They face the tricky challenge of maintaining profitability while remaining price competitive.

When you sit these inflationary pressures alongside other costs such as auto-enrolment and the apprenticeship levy it is clear that cash flow problems will continue to dominate as one of the biggest headaches for businesses in the months ahead.

Some businesses will have already been building up their cash reserves and holding off on significant investments in response to uncertainties over the short to medium term economic environment, but others, particularly small firms won’t have any contingencies in place to combat rising costs.

With the business environment expected to become even harsher in the next 12 months, what can companies do to protect themselves?

It may seem obvious but it’s surprising how many businesses fail to regularly review cash flow and access to capital. This will allow you to check how much headroom you have and whether more should be done to put your business in a stronger position and make it more able to cope with dips in revenue, rising costs or unexpected bills.

Naturally finance can play a major role in this but this needs to be carefully considered.

Rather than commit a lot of cash upfront or perhaps taking out and expensive overdraft with the bank, invoice finance or asset based lending (ABL) can be a good option.

Reviewing relationships with suppliers Better negotiations and trade offs are crucial.

If a supplier puts prices up, try to find another supplier. This should be easier in some ways for the small business owner, as they can react more quickly than the larger businesses.

Eliminating unnecessary costs Get rid of obvious overcapacity such as unused telephone lines and computers on after hours.

Monitoring the market Keep up-to-date with economic forecasts and current trends so that you can identify and quickly adapt to any changes in the market.

Planning ahead Regularly review your business plan to ensure it is up-to-date and fits in with the current market environment.

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

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Eye on Management

David Sales Chair of CMI NI Board presenting Professor Margaret Topping Queens University Graduate School with a plaque to mark their partnership.

Chartered Management Institute: Increasing The Number Of Professional Managers CMI has just completed a record year, increasing the number and standard of professionally qualified managers and leaders through growing the number of institutions it partners with, now reaching a member community of over 140,000.

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egistrations for CMI qualifications in management and leadership achieved a new high of 39,000 student registrations a growth of 23% year-on-year, attracting a record number of Chartered Managers and over 100 new Companions.

Growing partnerships to extend our reach and impact CMI accredits and supports over 20,000 young people who are studying at over 100 universities and 500 training providers. Nine out of 10 education partners report that CMI has a high level of impact on student employability.

Customer satisfaction levels amongst CMI’s learners and education partners is over 90%. CMI actively engages with students through mentoring,

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career development and Companions on Campus programmes, as well as their Future Leaders and Student Ambassador Initiatives. CMI has expanded internationally and has established a partnership with AIM, the Australian Institute of Management, to export Chartered Manager and British University qualifications, and is establishing university partnerships in Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Singapore.

Trailblazing new employer-led apprenticeship standards CMI led the development of the new trailblazer Apprenticeships in Management and Leadership with a group of over 50 employers from entry to senior management level. These have achieved the fastest approval of any

of the Government’s Trailblazers. CMI’s flagship, the Chartered Management Degree Apprenticeship, is currently being offered by over 30 universities.

According to Universities UK, it is on track to be the most popular degree apprenticeship. In Northern Ireland, CMI partners with Queen’s University Belfast, making them the first university in the UK to offer CMI’s Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership and Management programme as a standalone qualification for postgraduate students.

For its work in apprenticeships, CMI was awarded the most valuable support organisation by Apprenticeships England, as well as Awarding Body of the Year.

Promoting best practice – driving up productivity and inclusive business cultures CMI has worked with Government, the media and employers to highlight the role of good management and leadership in closing Britain’s productivity gap. CMI’s research shows good management and leadership boosts productivity by up to 32%, whilst poor management

costs over £84 billion per year. CMI has also researched the top five trust behaviours amongst managers and leaders and established a correlation between trust and growth.

CMI has played an active role in championing gender equality in the media and through various programmes and has supported the Government in the research and creation of the Gender Pay Gap reporting requirements and launched numerous initiatives aimed at achieving gender balance in the workplace. This includes supporting more women in middle management, celebrating men as role models and encouraging young women to study STEM (Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology) subjects.

Meet some of CMI’s Northern Ireland Members Here are some examples of CMI’s Northern Ireland regional board members, explaining why they are members of the only chartered professional body dedicated to promoting the highest standards in management and leadership excellence.

Eye on Management David Sales, Chair of CMI’s Northern Ireland Regional Board

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have been a member of CMI for over thirty years and realised at the outset of my career in management that I needed support and advice in my leadership roles.

CMI have provided this in terms of courses and ongoing Career Personal Development. I am

currently a Fellow of the Institute and also a Chartered Manager.

Last year I was appointed Chair of the Northern Ireland Board and together with twelve other board members we engage with universities, higher education providers, public and private

businesses to promote the aims of CMI in Leadership and Management.

With businesses operating in volatile markets it is essential that companies and organisations perform to the best of their abilities. Leadership and Management play a critical role.

Tom Doran CMgr FCMI FIC Learning & Development Manager NIE Networks

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ecoming a Chartered Manager represented to me all that is good about being a professional manager. It was professional recognition of achieving the highest standard in management as well as recognition

that my business NIE Networks was committed to developing and nurturing effective teams and high performing managers in order to support and deliver their goals.

Achieving Chartered Manager was instrumental to my management

and career development and has opened doors and brought me into contact with an amazing network of managers and friends.

Joe McCormack Co-opted board member of CMI’s N. Ireland Regional Board and Fellow of the Institute of Consulting

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embership of the Chartered Management Institute/Institute of Consulting continues to be a valuable professional asset.

As a self-employed consultant, membership has been an important tool in establishing

proven professional competency, experience and expertise. It has also been a major factor in building a peer network of trusted associates who share a common bond and a professional code of practice which guarantees client confidentiality and redress

if ever required. CMI has also provided business and training resources which otherwise would have been difficult for a small consultancy practice to access.

Karolyn Gaston, CMI’s N. Ireland Regional Board Student Ambassador, Ulster University Business School

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s a CMI member, I’m part of a professional community that connects with peers through online networks, regional events and mentoring to create better-led and better-managed organisations.

CMI shares best practice and

experiences with other student ambassadors via a virtual network.

CMI’s wide range of professional programmes give both undergraduate and postgraduate students a competitive advantage in the job market and effective routes to career progression.

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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

THE BUSINESS OF RUGBY LOCAL CIDER TAKES

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t the recent Grant Thornton Young Professionals ‘Business of Rugby’ event are Dick Milliken, former British and Irish Lion, Hannah McHugh, Grant Thornton NI Marketing Manager, Ulster Rugby Operations Director and former player Bryn Cunningham, and Shane Logan, Ulster Rugby Chief Executive. More than 100 young business men and women attended the event

at the Dark Horse, Belfast, where they heard how lessons learned in sport such as teamwork and commitment can contribute to success in the corporate world. The Grant Thornton Young Professionals series, now in its third year, is one of the most dynamic networking events on the business calendar, attracting attendees from a wide range of sectors including legal and finance.

AIRPORT AWARD

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eorge Best Belfast City Airport has announced that a cider product from Portadown has been crowned the winner of a competition offering one local food and drink producer £30,000 of marketing support and brand visibility at the airport.

Pictured from left are Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI, Catherine McKeever and Pat McKeever of Long Meadow Cider, Joanne Deighan, Commercial Manager at Belfast City Airport and Charlie Kerlin, Director of Corporate Finance at Grant Thornton NI.

TIME FOR INVENTION MET’S WINNERS

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he 12 finalists competing in the prestigious Invent Awards from Connect at Catalyst Inc, are now gearing up for the final hurdle of the competition after a mentor day in Belfast featuring some of our brightest entrepreneurial talent. Sponsored and hosted by

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leading law firm Arthur Cox, the recent event involved more than 20 of the entrepreneurs and investors involved in the Connect programmes.

Engineering Category Finalist Fiona Bennington is pictured showing her innovation ‘Hug’ to Lynsey Mallon from Sponsor Arthur Cox .

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elfast Met Tutor, Heather Houston (right) and student Lucy Drummond (centre) picked up prestigious awards at the 2017 Career Ready Awards. Heather Houston from Newtownards fought off stiff competition from Career Ready tutors across the UK to win

the Northern Ireland and United Kingdom Santander Employability Champion 2017 Awards. Heather’s student Lucy Drummond, who is working towards her BTEC Extended Diploma in Business Level 3 won the Sir Win Bischoff Career Ready Student of the Year for Northern Ireland.

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

ACCOUNTING FOR THE FUTURE

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orthern Regional College has opened applications for the increasingly popular and competitive Higher Level Apprenticeship in Accountancy. Now in its third year this qualification provides a proven alternative route to a career in the Accountancy and Finance profession. After successful completion of the two year programme students can progress to either Chartered Accountancy exams or Chartered Management exams (CIMA).

Pictured is Laura Todd (centre) from Ballycastle who is studying on the Higher Level Apprenticeship

in Accountancy programme. She is pictured with her employer Ian Donaghey from Irwin Donaghey Stockman chartered accountants and Anne McCallum, course co-ordinator.

PHILANTHROPISTS SPREAD THE WORD

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wo major philanthropic donors discussed the importance of charities building better relationships with businesses and individuals. With increasing economic pressures on charitable organisations, funding from philanthropic sources is more crucial than ever. As part of Philanthropy Fortnight, a panel discussion took place at Queen’s University Belfast on how to nurture this relationship. On the panel were

Norma Sinte, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Queen’s University Belfast Peter Anderson, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Royal Belfast Academical Institution; Mervyn McCall, owner of MNV Ltd and founder of The McCall Foundation through the Community Foundation; Sandara KelsoRobb, Chief Executive of Giving Northern Ireland and Dr Ed Vernon, a donor and member of the Board of the Queen’s University of Belfast Foundation.

WOMEN & CHARITABLE GIVING

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special event during Philanthropy Fortnight focused on women and charitable giving. The event at PWC was held by Giving Northern Ireland and Women in Business and discussed ways to look at a more planned approach to giving and to hear the personal experiences of three women who are leaders in philanthropy in Northern Ireland. The speakers, pictured here with Lynne Rainey from PWC (third

from left) are Professor Jackie McCoy Associate Dean, Global Engagement, Ulster University and Co-Founder of the Give Inc. Giving Circle; Sandara KelsoRobb MBE CEO Giving Northern Ireland and Founder of The Hope For More Foundation; and Angila Chada Executive Director, Springboard and Founder Raj Darshna Foundation. For more information on strategic charitable giving go to www.givingnorthernireland.org.

PERFECT 10

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elfast-based Pinsent Masons lawyers Ed Kelly & Ciaran McNamara celebrate being named ‘Construction Firm of the year’ in the ‘Who’s Who Legal Awards’ for the 10th year in a row. The pair are part of

an award-winning team that has worked on landmark regional projects such as a new School of Biological Sciences and student accommodation facilities for Queen’s University Belfast, and new NI developments for Concentrix and Allstate.

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Eye on Law

Hilary Griffith (left), Stephen Cross and Deborah Archer from Cleaver Fulton Rankin.

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Eye on Law

Cleaver Fulton Rankin Supporting Northern Ireland’s growth economy C

leaver Fulton and Rankin, one of Northern Ireland’s oldest corporate law firms boasting a legacy of almost 125 years, is being steered into the future by an energetic generation of legal experts who take an innovative approach to legal services for commercial and private clients.

With established links in London and Dublin, the firm champions clients’ interests across all its sectors of expertise, from corporate and commercial law, property, banking and business restructuring to planning and environmental law and private client legal services.

Bolstered by recent growth the flourishing law firm is keen to capitalise on its strengths to build on the role it plays supporting businesses bring prosperity to the Northern Ireland economy. To do this Cleaver Fulton Rankin is investing in its Corporate and Banking teams led by Stephen Cross, Hilary Griffith and Deborah Archer.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin offers a collaborative approach to support Northern Ireland’s economy, servicing a number of key sectors including the tourist industry, agri-food businesses, sustainable energy, business and financial services including life and health sciences.

Director Stephen Cross explained that the experience

of the firm’s corporate lawyers and banking lawyers placed it in a unique position to play a key part in supporting businesses as they capitalise on the growth areas of the Northern Irish economy, together with the support of specialist lawyers throughout the firm and its strategic alliances with leading law firms around the world.

Ireland from global investors and businesses we have developed our capabilities and our services.

“This has equal benefits for our Northern Irish clients looking to export and expand overseas.

“We are focusing on our existing strengths to offer expert and targeted service as Northern Irish firm that meets global standards,” she added.

“ The Corporate and Banking team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin has long been known for its breadth of expertise and technical flair. This expertise has really come to prominence in working with clients who are themselves expanding through acquisitions and attraction of significant investment.”

Mr Cross commented: “The Corporate and Banking team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin has long been known for its breadth of expertise and technical flair.

This expertise has really come to prominence in working with clients who are themselves expanding through acquisitions and attraction of significant investment particularly in the agri-food, construction and engineering, clean energy and tourism sectors.”

Heading the firm’s Corporate team, Director Hilary Griffith is looking forward to supporting international investors: “As we continue to see greater levels of FDI come in to Northern

Stephen, Hilary and Deborah pointed to some examples of the work done in their teams that demonstrate the sectorial expertise and international reach of their services: Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Banking team supported HSBC Bank Plc on the provision of £95m funding to the Wiggle Group to acquire the locally based Chain Reaction Cycles Group.

The firm has recently serviced the Royal Bank of Scotland’s financing for Lightsource Renewables’ large scale solar farm at Belfast International Airport, as part of an RBS

Facility of £94m for a portfolio of solar farms across the UK. The firm has also been acting for Wirsol Solar Energy in its development of solar farms across Northern Ireland.

The Corporate and Banking teams successfully led and negotiated a £75m restructuring and refinancing deal for the Titanic Quarter group to help boost its ongoing development of hotels and offices as part of the regeneration of this historic region of Belfast. The project involved the refinancing of its investment assets and the release of development lands into the control of the shareholders, with Cleaver Fulton Rankin also advising on a complex Group restructure.

The Belfast legal firm also advised Danske Bank in a £30m transaction on behalf of LacPatrick Dairies NI designed to enable the Co-op grow its added-value product range and drive exports to the Far East.

Deborah Archer, Director and head of the new-look Banking and Finance team said Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s work on transactions involving Westland Horticulture, LacPatrick Co-Op and JMW Farms were just highlights in a remarkably busy period of investment in Agri business and food processing businesses in Northern Ireland.

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Eye on Export

Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council Eye on the World

At the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Opportunity Export event (L-R) Nicola Wilson, Head of Department: Economic Development, Simon Devlin, Full Circle Management Solutions with Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Garath Keating and Chief Executive, Roger Wilson.

From its very inception, Armagh City Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council made growing the local economy its number one priority.

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ith over 8,000 businesses, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and a track record of setting up and developing excellent companies; the borough

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of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon is vibrant and outward-looking with a strong international focus.

In Autumn 2016 council hosted Opportunity Export in Craigavon Civic Centre, highlighting to our business community the potential of new global export markets. The global economic landscape is changing and there is much speculation on the part of many commentators about the likely impact of UK withdrawal from the EU on the export performance of UK companies.

Whilst the extent to which our ability to export to EU markets post-withdrawal remains unclear, this event highlighted the range of exporting opportunities for local businesses over the next few years and beyond.

Opportunity Export was a great success, attended by over 100 business people who participated in workshops delivered by global export experts on specific markets including; ROI, GB, India, China, America as well as opportunities in doing

business with International Financial Institutions.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon, Councillor Garath Keating said “The purpose of this event was twofold. Firstly, we launched our Invest brochure, aimed at attracting new investment from across the globe into the borough. Secondly, Opportunity Export was a call to action as local businesses reaffirmed their forward-thinking, proactive and ambitious plans to grow export sales.�

Eye on Export

At the launch of the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Export GB Programme (L-R) Simon Devlin, Full Circle Management Solutions, Councillor Colin McCusker, Chair of Economic Development and Regeneration Committee, Olga Murtagh, Strategic Director – Place and Nicola Wilson, Head of Department: Economic Development.

Grasping opportunities Central to the work of the council is our commitment to grow the local economy and to do this the organisation has taken a proactive and innovative approach to economic development by responding to business needs by developing a suite of trade missions to new global markets.

The ambitious programme of trade missions will support almost 70 local businesses to export over the coming months to key markets, namely: Republic of Ireland, Great Britain, North America and India.

Each mission will be delivered in partnership with key industry experts and export organisations to ensure each participant receives the maximum benefit and opportunity to develop new networks and new customers.

Go South: ROI Export Programme The ROI market is an ideal starter market for first time exporters in NI. Last year, NI businesses generated sales of over £3.5 billion from the Republic of Ireland market and further growth in this market is expected as a result of the recent

strength of the Euro v Sterling.

Despite concerns over the changing economic landscape and future exchange rate fluctuations, many local businesses continue to see the ROI market as their principal export market, not least because of its geographical proximity to Northern Ireland.

Export ROI Programme, delivered in partnership with InterTradeIreland is supporting 15 local companies to find new business in ROI.

Go West: Identifying, targeting and exploiting new business opportunities in North America The North American market – comprising USA and Canada, has long been the UK’s most important trading partner with strong historical and cultural links to NI. Many local companies have traditionally looked to USA and Canada for export sales growth.

These markets remain very attractive to local exporters, not least because of the size of the market opportunity, the availability of direct flights from both Belfast

and Dublin and because of the absence of a language barrier.

Go West Export Programme delivered in partnership with OCO Global will support 20 local businesses to export to North America.

Go East: Fast-tracking business growth in India With a population of 1.2 billion people, India has more people than USA, EU, Russia and Indonesia combined.

It has the world’s 7th largest economy and has enjoyed an annual economic growth rate of 7% per annum on average over the last decade. As a former member of the Commonwealth, Indian buyers still gravitate towards products and services from UK. As a result, many NI companies have already established strong trading links – both buying and selling with Indian partners and are enjoying massive commercial growth as a result.

Go East Export Programme will support 15 local companies to export and develop new business linkages in India.

Going Great: Export Great Britain Last year, NI businesses generated sales in excess of £13 billion from other regions in the UK, dwarfing sales to Republic of Ireland and other parts of EU. As a result of Brexit, many NI businesses are already seeking to proactively identify, target and exploit new business opportunities in England, Scotland and Wales in order to avoid the risk of adverse exchange rate fluctuations.

Export GB Programme is supporting 18 local businesses to find new business customers in what remains one of our key business markets.

To find out more about doing business in this area contact: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Economic Development team on 0300 0300 900 or email: info@ armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk

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Eye on Awards

Team PKF-FPM receiving the Small/Medium Managing Talent Irish News Workplace and Employment Award, from Sponsor Cathal Geoghegan of Mount Charles.

The Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards 2017 From companies with a global footprint to those taking their first tentative steps in the business world... Every box was ticked on election night as the winners were declared at the 11th running of the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards. It was a high-octane evening at Titanic Belfast, comprising music, comedy and the sheer drama of announcing the 21 winners of the unique WEA award gong, which has become the ‘must-have’ accolade for corporate Northern Ireland.

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nd the general consensus among the 600-strong audience was that the 2017 awards eclipsed everything that has gone before. From the moment the sublimely accomplished St Patrick’s Junior Choir opened proceedings with two rousing renditions of the songs – including Roar – which wowed the public on Britain’s

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Got Talent, to the announcement of winners for the Victoria Square, Lough Eske and Aer Lingus draw prizes, the night went off without a hitch.

It was Belfast-based cloud solutions provider Novosco, which clinched a notable double by winning the Best Place to Work and Workplace Wellbeing categories. Indeed ‘wellbeing’ was

front and centre of the whole evening, with guest speaker Brian Higgins, chief executive of suicide and self-harm crisis centre Pieta House in Dublin, bringing an uplifting message to the audience. The Co Antrim man said: “Our vision is of a world where suicide, self-harm and stigma are replaced by hope, self-care and acceptance. “We should treat everyone with dignity and respect and should be rooted in compassion and care, and we should generate and nourish hope. “We need to engender a community of people who support each other. We can do our work in the therapy rooms – but you can do your bit in the workplace.” And he challenged businesses: “Do you

want to add to society’s cracks and fractures through what you do and what you fail to do, or do you want to strengthen bonds and make a positive impact? “We need to celebrate diversity in the workplace. You have teams of staff depending on you to set an example. It’s your responsibility to make an impact.” There was a special twist at the end of Brian’s speech when he introduced a video message from Irish rugby star Jack McGrath, an ambassador for Pieta House, who is in New Zealand as part of the British and Irish Lions squad preparing to face the All Blacks. His message said: “Hi to everyone at the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards. I’m Jack McGrath and I’m currently in New Zealand playing

Eye on Awards RESULTS Workplace Wellbeing – Large Organisation Winner: Kainos Workplace Wellbeing – Medium Organisation Winner: Novosco Ltd Workplace Wellbeing – Small Organisation Winner: MACS (Supporting Children & Young People) Right Place To Work – Large Organisation Winner: SSE Airtricity Highly Commended: Thales UK Right Place To Work – Small/Medium Organisation Winner: George Best Belfast City Airport Entrepreneurial Spirit – Large/Medium Organisation Winner: Around Noon HR Director Michelle Hatfield and Environmental Manager Laura Duggan from George Best Belfast City Airport, receiving the Small/Medium Organisation Right Place To Work Irish News Workplace and Employment Award, from Sponsor Ruth Cleland of Titanic Belfast.

for the Lions. For us, it is about working together, accepting differences, incredible teamwork, and celebrating diversity. “In fact, the diversity of the Lions is what makes us the Lions. My message is that you take the values of Pieta House of treating everyone with dignity and respect, of being routed in compassion and care, of generating and nourishing hope into your workplace. “Be leaders. As business leaders you have a team of staff depending on you. As Brian Higgins has said, it’s your responsibility to

make an impact, to tackle issues head on, and to play your part in creating a workplace and a world free from suicide and self harm.” Last night’s presentation ceremony was overseen by BBC broadcaster Jim Fitzpatrick, assisted in his own inimitable way by top comic Paddy Kielty – his third time fronting the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards.

A full list of all the successful companies and organisations – which include the likes of Kainos, First Derivatives, Coca Cola, PKFFPM, the north’s two

Team Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company receiving the Team of the Year Large Winner Irish News Workplace and Employment Award, from Orlagh O’Neill of Carson McDowell and Patrick Kielty

main airports and previous multiwinner Allstate – is included on the opposite page. Last night’s awards were supported by eight key business partners in Carson McDowell, Mount Charles, Phoenix Natural Gas, Queen’s University, Ulster University, Henderson Group, Armagh City Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council and Titanic Belfast. For galleries, coverage, all the winners and those highly commended at the 2017 Workplace & Employment Awards see www.irishnews.com/wea

Entrepreneurial Spirit – Small Organisation Winner: Ireland Craft Beers Ltd Managing Talent – Large Organisation Winner: First Derivatives Highly Commended: Autism Initiatives Highly Commended: Newell Stores Ltd Managing Talent – Small/Medium Organisation Winner: PKF-FPM Highly Commended: Cayan Employer for the Future – Large Organisation Winner: Allstate Employer for the Future – Small/Medium Organisation Winner: CDEnviro Workplace Excellence – Large/Medium Organisation Winner: St Patrick’s High School, Keady Workplace Excellence – Small Organisation Winner: St Mary’s College, Derry Best Place To Work – Large Organisation Winner: The Keystone Group Best Place To Work – Medium Organisation Winner: Novosco Ltd Highly Commended: Texthelp Ltd Best Place To Work – Small Organisation Winner: TODD Architects Career Inspiration – Large/Medium Organisation Winner: Belfast International Airport Highly Commended: Gilbert-Ash Highly Commended: Flynn Career Inspiration – Small Organisation Winner: St Cecilia’s College, Derry Highly Commended: St Columb’s College, Derry Team of the Year – Large Organisation Winner: Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company Team of the Year – Medium Organisation Winner: Southern Area Hospice Services Team of the Year – Small Organisation Winner: The Mac

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Eye on Hospitality

Ensuring A Quality Hospitality Experience at Titanic Belfast

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Over the past five years alone, Titanic Belfast has hosted over 1,500 business and leisure events including the G8 summit reception, MTV Sounds, World Police and Fire Games, the World Championship Boxing, the Giro d’Italia Big Start and BBC Proms in the Park. It has served guests including Her Majesty The Queen, David Cameron, former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, TITANIC director James Cameron and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and that is only upstairs in its Banqueting Suites. The Visitor Experience and the catering outlets, Bistro 401 and the Galley CafÊ has catered for 3.5million visitors.

Eye on Hospitality

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ur editor, Richard, speaks to Titanic Belfast’s Head of Hospitality Lloyd Jackson, who last year brought the world-class hospitality offering in-house with Executive Head Chef, Alastair Fullerton. Over the last five years, Titanic Belfast as a business has gone from strength to strength on a local, national and international level and this year looks to be much the same, especially for the Hospitality team.

“Industry indicators predict that the UK hospitality industry is set for a bumper year with an expected rise in staycations and increasing interest in the UK as a holiday destination. At Titanic Belfast, we have definitely seen a substantial uplift of both ‘home’ and international visitors, for example, this year’s Easter period was our busiest to date.

“With the increasing visitor numbers coupled with the global awareness of Northern Ireland’s incredible hospitality offering,

thanks to Tourism NI’s Year of Food and Drink, we are constantly developing and not resting on our laurels, this year we have had to really scale up our operations.

“We have just redeveloped our Galley Café as an Express Food Bar, with a new grab and go offering. Using local produce and supporting the supply chain, this enables us to change quickly to reflect seasonal change and appeal to our global customer base. For our high season, we have also introduced a new pop-up catering space in our Andrews Gallery for the summer period, with other new developments in the pipeline.”

However, this is just Titanic Belfast’s outlets. It continues to offer five-star customer service in its banqueting suites and ensure seamless service, but it appears to be constantly evolving too.

“In the last two years we have added two new venues increasing our offering for clients. The SS

Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel is now available for exclusive hire for a range of private and corporate events, from drinks receptions to fine dining.

The Titanic Exhibition Centre is a 6,000 square metre venue with space for exhibitions, community, sporting events and large scale banquets for over 3,000 people in a central location. Both of which have proved exceedingly popular.

“The Hospitality on-board SS Nomadic has also been taken in-house to ensure that our worldclass standards that we are renown for is across the board and we continue to push the boundaries in service and innovation, following an £80,000 investment in catering facilities. It also ensures seamless cross-over between the two venues.

However, the constant development is not without its challenges, “With increasing visitor numbers, interest in local produce and more

catering and hospitality outlets, we face the same challenges as the industry with staff and skill shortages. We are constantly working to build and maintain our current team as well as scaling up to meet these challenges.

We have introduced in-house five-star training, ongoing coaching and mentoring and flexible working to ensure we meet the demand needed.”

Looking ahead, despite the challenges, Lloyd believes in the increasing importance of the hospitality, tourism and leisure industry. With huge investment in Belfast’s hotel infrastructure, the increasing popularity of Belfast as a destination, married with success of recent large scale events, which show Northern Ireland’s ‘can-do’ attitude, he believes in Belfast’s presence on the national and international hospitality stage. For more information on Titanic Belfast, visit www.titanicbelfast.com.

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Paul Tweed

New Venture For Belfast’s Most Famous Lawyer 86

Eye on Law Paul Tweed needs no introduction to those of us who toil in the media, either here or elsewhere.

He might be a proud Northern Irishman and remains firmly rooted in his native city of Belfast, but he’s a media lawyer with a reputation well beyond these shores.

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is very name can strike fear into publishers and editors everywhere from London to Los Angeles.

Why? Because he’s won millions of pounds worth of damages in libel cases representing a plethora of A-List clients, among them Liam Neeson, Britney Spears, Jennifer Lopez, Johnny Depp, Nicholas Cage and (most recently) Justin Timberlake. He also represents David Miscavige, Scientology’s global leader, and locally, he’s been the ‘go to’ defamation lawyer for politicians across the spectrum from Peter Robinson to Gerry Adams. And, away from libel and reputation management, Tweed is in the throes of assembling a multi-million pound group action against a number of international tobacco giants.

He’s throwing his weight behind the litigation, for one very simple and heartfelt reason.

“I watched my mother die slowly from emphysema.

In her later years she had to use an oxygen mask but used to take it off to have a puff of her cigarette. The kind of addiction was just terrible to watch,” he says.

“Class and Group actions are a big deal. They take a lot of organising, a lot of time and a lot of commitment. But I have to say that I enjoy the challenge and I enjoy being the underdog... the Belfast lawyer up against the rest of the world!”

It’s not the only major legal action that Paul Tweed is involved in. He’s also part of a team considering legal action for a group of clients against Facebook around its alleged responsibility for what’s known as schoolyard revenge porn..... whereby schoolchildren can fall victim to indecent images of

themselves being posted online.

So Paul Tweed, despite the hectic pace of his existing lifestyle, looks set to be even busier. Come this September, he’ll be stepping back from his ‘dayto-day’ role as Senior Partner at Belfast law firm Johnsons to set up his own branded firm, Tweed International, with offices in Belfast, Dublin and London.

There are many in the legal world both here and elsewhere who’ll suggest that it’s a move he could have taken some time ago, such is the value of the Paul Tweed brand, particularly on the media law front. The man himself argues that he had to feel that the time was right.

“I’ll continue to work closely in conjunction with Johnsons so it’s definitely not a divorce,” he explains. “But I’m really looking forward to concentrating entirely on the work that I’m doing, be it media or multi Plaintiff actions.”

Paul Tweed’s mobile phone is rarely silent. He finds himself taking calls from clients late in the evening, throughout the weekend and early in the morning. Fortunately, then, he’s a 4.30 or 5.00 am starter, and those kind of hours allow him to catch the end of the day on the West Coast of the United States... where his

“ I’ll continue to work closely in conjunction with Johnsons so it’s definitely not a divorce. But I’m really looking forward to concentrating entirely on the work that I’m doing, be it media or multi Plaintiff actions.” celebrity clients tend to live.

Tweed International will see Paul Tweed being joined by a team of lawyers based across the three offices. As well as media law, the area in which he is most accomplished, there will be other key areas of specialisation.

Among these will be corporate brand protection, the legal processes by which companies and their brands can effectively be protected against threats from disaffected former employees, for instance.

Tweed has never seen any reason to move away from Belfast because of the international dimension to his work. “Why would I?” he says simply. “There’s a much better quality of life here and it’s still a great place to live. And, from a business and office perspective, costs are lower than just

about anywhere else.”

The low-cost scenario has contributed, of course, to Belfast doing well on the so-called ‘legal tourism’ front, with cases being brought here and settled here at a fraction of the cost of doing the same thing in London, for example.

On the media front, Paul Tweed has seen plenty of change in the landscape over the years. But the rapid growth of social media has been the most seismic of all the changes.

“It’s alarming to know that 70% of the population get their news, or all the news they need, from Facebook.

That represents a major, major challenge for all of us, and particularly for those of us who are working to protect reputations.”

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Eye on Hospitality

Hastings Hotels Celebrate 50 Years Of The Culloden Northern Ireland’s leading collection of hotels is celebrating 50 years of the ownership of the jewel in its crown, the Culloden Estate & Spa.

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astings Hotels purchased the luxurious property in June 1967, and over the course of the last 50 years, under the direction of Sir William Hastings, has transformed the Culloden in size and luxury.

“I purchased The Culloden in 1967 for £100,000, which was an extensive purchase for me back then. The 1960’s were properly named the ‘Swinging 60’s’, having left the legacy of wartime rationing and other restrictions well behind. My company was engaged in reinventing itself from a major licenced trader into the hotel business, an enterprise which required knowledge of a very different type of operation.

“Once a Bishop’s Palace, when I purchased it in 1967 the Culloden was a 13 bedroom boutique hotel with a splendid reputation for luxury and was by far the best in the province. 50 years on, I am proud to say this reputation has stood the test of time and the Culloden Estate & Spa remains Northern Ireland’s foremost five star hotel with 98 bedrooms and suites, an ESPA spa and health-club, a superb ballroom,

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conference facilities and meeting rooms and the Cultra Inn,” Sir William continued.

“I would like to pay tribute to the wonderful staff who have worked tirelessly over the last 50 years. To my first general manager Hugh Margey, a young hospitality graduate from the University College Dublin and to the current general manager, Eoin O’Sullivan and his wonderful team who I am indebted to for their hard work and dedication. It is by their efforts that ensures the Culloden continues to attract guests from around the world and pick up prestigious accolades most recently being named Luxury Hotel of the Year at this year’s Irish Hotel Awards and highly commended at the first ever Georgina Campbell Breakfast Awards in the Best 5-Star Hotel category,” Sir William said.

“My marriage in 1960 produced four children and I am thrilled to be celebrating the golden years of this splendid hotel with my family, who are all now fully engaged in the management of Hastings Hotels. My four children, Julie, Howard, Allyson and Aileen each have their own

responsibilities within the company and work determinedly for the six hotels.

“Over the last 50 years we have continuously invested in the Culloden and are delighted to mark its golden anniversary. The last 50 years have shown good and bad times and so it is a delight for me to enjoy the wonderful celebratory occasion and to stand proud

in the knowledge that the Culloden is trading well and trading profitability with a well-grounded reputation that will allow it to be successful in our fast moving industry today and the years ahead.

“I am proud to say that the Culloden Estate & Spa was once built for a Bishop but is now truly fit for a king,” Sir William concluded.

Richard and Brenda Buckley are pictured at a garden party at the Culloden Estate & Spa to mark 50 years of ownership by Hastings Hotels of Northern Ireland’s foremost five star hotel.

Eye on Hospitality

Julie Hastings (right), director of Hastings Hotels was joined by Peter Woolnough and Anne McMullan at a garden party at the Culloden Estate & Spa to mark 50 years of ownership by Hastings Hotels of Northern Ireland’s foremost five star hotel.

Philippa Hastings, Matthew Stevens, Anne Stevens and Tony Stevens are pictured at a garden party at the Culloden Estate & Spa to mark 50 years of ownership by Hastings Hotels of Northern Ireland’s foremost five star hotel.

Trevor Marshall, David Ringland and Declan Morgan are pictured at a garden party at the Culloden Estate & Spa.

Christine Marshall, Maureen Ringland and Adrienne Morgan are pictured at a garden party at the Culloden Estate & Spa.

Linda and William Campbell.

Seamus and Regina Heron.

Victoria Mann and Sara Booth.

Christine Wright and Jullian Simmons.

Kasao Learat, Siobhan Byrne Learat, Armando Borgatta and Mary Kelly Borgatta.

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Eye on Export

Tasting Success: Margaret Hearty from InterTradeIreland and Anna Taggart of Yummy Bakes.

InterTradeIreland Urges MicroBusinesses to Grow Exports Micro-businesses should not be limited by their size as support is available to help the very smallest of businesses thrive in the cross-border export market. InterTradeIreland’s Elevate programme, has helped many companies to get a foothold in this lucrative market, and for one, Yummy Bakes from Newtownabbey, success has never tasted sweeter.

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nna Taggart, owner of Yummy Bakes, comments: “Since taking part in Elevate in 2013, my ready to bake scones, biscuits, cakes and shortbread business has gone from strength to strength. I’ve trebled production; invested in new equipment; won various awards and employ two full-time staff. I’m successfully trading in Ireland and across GB, with my products recently enjoyed at the Chelsea Flower Show, Royal Ascot and the British Open Golf. I’ve also

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had interest from buyers further afield, including the Netherlands.

“I couldn’t be happier with this success and there is no doubt that Elevate helped to take my business to the next level. While I’d had local success, exporting seemed out of reach. However, through Elevate, I worked with a consultant who specialised in the food industry. He leveraged his network of contacts across Ireland to bring my range to key decision-makers, which resulted in Yummy Bakes being taken on by three distributors, supplying cafes, hotels, retail and catering organisations.

“Demand for my range continues to increase and, as an artisan producer creating authenticallyIrish, high-quality fare in a blast frozen ready to bake state, I believe that Yummy Bakes is unique as direct competitors don’t exist. One Belfast-based hotel, which uses my shortbread, commented it saves their chefs three and a half hours a day!

“I owe a lot to Elevate; InterTradeIreland believed in me from the start and for that, I’m truly thankful. Through the programme’s consultancy support, I’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible.

“Ireland was the first exporting step for Yummy Bakes and partnerships with GB distributors soon followed.

Margaret Hearty from InterTradeIreland explains: “I would like to congratulate Anna on her continued success. She is a great example of how the crossborder market can be capitalised upon and shows just what is possible with the right product.

“We know resources are tight for micro-businesses and so the Elevate programme is 100% funded by InterTradeIreland.

Eligible businesses are given access to an expert consultant who can get them export ready, develop a sales strategy, identify leads and negotiate with potential customers in the cross-border market.

“With Brexit on the horizon, businesses should start to get a foothold in the cross-border market now. That way, they will be better placed to adapt if and when any new trade agreements take effect. We would urge all microbusinesses with less than £1million turnover and fewer than 10 employees to get in touch and find out more about this opportunity!”

Anna concluded: “I believe my range is even more attractive to the Irish market at present as the value of sterling is low whereas the euro remains strong. I appreciate that trading conditions may change when Brexit is in full effect but for now I’m going to continue to drive Yummy Bakes’ customer base and take as many bites of accessible markets that I can.”

The Elevate programme is open and ready to provide up to £5000 worth of sales support to eligible firms. For more information, visit www. intertradeireland.com/elevate.

Eye on Social Media Marketing

Holywood Coffee Shops are like Digital Marketing only on the Street!

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here are so many places in Holywood for coffee that the whole town seems to be jittery on occasion. From The Bay Tree and The The Yard at one end to the cluster of Home Bird, Camp Hill, Penini and Loganberry at the other, the choice is amazing. At the last count there were over thirty places serving coffee in this small seaside town six miles from Belfast.

So how do people find their destination of choice?

There is branded search.

This is when the location is known and a meeting arranged.

One person says to another.

“I’ll see you in Homebird” to be met with the reply “Which one is that?” whereupon a description follows, and they meet at the arranged time.

The solo run is when a person happens to be in Holywood, through work, or they live in the village, they may have had their hair cut in Gary’s Barbour Shop or blow dried in Patrick Mulholland’s.

They wander about and then decide to have a coffee. The nearest one, or a favourite? They look in the windows of the cafes and see if they are busy. They may have heard that the flat white in Nero’s is good, but the latte in The Yard is worth the extra 80 yards.

Workers go to cafes based on the availability of space to sit and

the free wifi. Free wifi is a must for a cafe to succeed these days.

The word goes around that you can sit for an hour over one coffee here, but over there they start to look at you after 30 minutes, until you buy a second cup.

Age is also a decision maker.

Older people like a place with good tea and traditional buns, and are more price sensitive.

Skinner’s does well. And they don’t like being swamped by young after school kids, other the mother and child brigade. They all go elsewhere. Young people don’t get price and value, yet.

This is all like Google Search, the live action version. People on Google want something, so they search. The know the brand, so they put that into Google and find the store or product they want.

They also get a glimpse of the other products or retailers that are interested in selling to them. Just like walking to Home Bird from our office means passing three other cafes. We end up at Home Bird, but the thought is prompted to go to an alternative another day.

The more general search is unbranded. The product. The equivalent of thinking - “Let’s go to Holywood for coffee”, and then waiting until you arrive to decide which cafe to grace with your custom, based on a wander around. A shop is visited

followed by a cafe beside it, or a look around reminds them when they see the sign that a friend recommended Camphill.

Then there is a cafe that gets no business. Called Invisible. It’s the one that has decided to locate in an attic, not put up a sign, not have a window. The proprietors look out the window from behind a curtain wondering why no-one is coming in to buy their wonderful home made scones and freshly made coffee and tea. They have a lower rent, they are saving money, their staff costs are kept down as there are no customers to serve, and the heating and lighting are next to nothing. They don’t have to spend with suppliers as their stock lasts for ever. The business model revolves around three customers becoming regulars.

They are also employing a recent graduate to make the coffee with no real training, so the word barista is not on their radar. A friend will drop in now and again, but not very often as it is lonely.

This cafe is the model for a lot of businesses in Northern Ireland.

By not taking digital marketing seriously they are avoiding the customers that are out there looking. The other cafes are all getting the business because they are visible on the street. Google is the online street.

We meet so many companies that we show that people are searching for their products. They are not convinced. They are sure that those people on the High Street will find them somehow.

By word of mouth, by the ad they put in the Church Magazine .

There are a lot of cafes that are doing well in Holywood, but there are also those that have disappeared, closed because they were Invisible. Are you Homebird or are you Cafe Invisible?

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Eye on Events

The SSE Arena, Belfast Introduces Essence, The Ultimate Hospitality Experience The SSE Arena, Belfast Northern Irelands premier Indoor Sports and Entertainment venue have uplifted, enthralled and entertained corporate guests at world class events over the past 17 years. Keeping at the forefront of corporate entertainment the venue have launched an exciting look and feel to their VIP Suite and Lounge experiences… Essence.

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ommercial Manager, Clare Gallagher gives an insight into the new developments that Essence has brought to the venue’s Suite and Lounge Areas. “The nature of our guest experience is essentially intangible and dependant on a unique encounter at an event.

The Essence experience will provide our guests with added value in the form of a high end service and delivery. We have worked vigorously to create a

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good mix of hospitality with regards to new menu options to produce quality sharing ideas and a surprise and delight style focus on presentation.” ”Companies worry about organising corporate events and making sure guests are catered for. At The SSE Arena we provide a first class corporate service from beginning of booking right through to a dedicated concierge to meet guests and hospitality waiting

staff to look after everyone in the private suite. This enables the host to relax and enjoy the evening with their clients.”

“We have looked at opportunities to come up with creative ways to ensure guests feel they have experienced something different at The SSE Arena and to this end we have added on an extra hour for guests to stay and enjoy the end of the evening. There’s no rush to leave. We really want our corporate guests to have that added value and have the opportunity to chat with clients and get the most out of the hospitality experience.”

What sets The SSE Arena apart from other corporate hospitality venues in Belfast is the wide variety of events. The SSE Arena have looked at ways of providing their services to

various customer profiles and have been quite imaginative in marketing their services in order to facilitate various markets.

Annual Suite Hire At the pinnacle of their impressive Hospitality services lie Annual Suite Hire Packages. A VIP suite at The SSE Arena, Belfast brings corporate entertainment to a whole new level. Each suite enjoys unrestricted views of the stage.

Annual VIP Suite holders receive a full array of exclusive VIP benefits and special privileges and the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of world class events. With artists from the world of Rock, Pop and Classical music along with comedy and indoor sports, sponsors can entertain clients at a variety of events throughout the year.

Eye on Events

Exclusive Suite Hire – Per Event Looking to entertain for one event only? The SSE Arena have an option to hire a suite and entertain on a per event basis. If clients have an entertainment budget and want to plan a one night only event, this option is just the ticket.

Booking on a per event basis hospitality suites are available catering from 12 to 28 guests.

Shared Suite Hire – Per Event The SSE Arena have created a new share a suite option ideal for smaller groups and individual seat purchases. This is the perfect way to enjoy a show in luxury surroundings sharing the suite with a small number of customers and availing of the hospitality perks.

Lounges The SSE Arena have also developed that bit extra comfort and relaxation for customer’s pre and post show with the ever popular Heineken Lounge and West Lounge Experience. Guests can enjoy a pre-show meal and drinks before taking their seats to enjoy the entertainment. The lounge stays open post show for guests to come back to and finish off the evening in style.

Conclusion Corporate entertaining continues to be an integral part of the Marketing mix as companies try to secure the loyalty of their clients in the face of difficult economic conditions.

Selecting the right experience, at the right time, targeting the

right audience is becoming an increasingly essential part of any company’s strategy.

The SSE Arena has taken the intangible experience and really made it real for their guests to receive first class hospitality at World Class events.

Testimonial “Our company CB Contracts attended Micky Flanagan last night and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Also I just want to say all the staff who were attending to all the suites were exceptionally welcoming, friendly and were so obliging to help. It’s not often you get customer service like that anymore. I personally have never been up at suite level before but every member of staff from the front door up to the suite were hospitable and had a smile and made the experience very enjoyable. Thanks again!

I know it’s not often that praise is given in customer service but credit is due! Especially when the staff were all of a young age, you are now used to a don’t care attitude to get some pocket money every week. I was pleasantly surprised at their positive attitudes and confidence in themselves. It certainly shows they work as a team and they should be proud of themselves. I will certainly have nothing but good things to say about the service you provide.”

” Companies worry about organising corporate events and making sure guests are catered for. At The SSE Arena we provide a first class corporate service from beginning of booking right through to a dedicated concierge to meet guests and hospitality waiting staff to look after everyone in the private suite. This enables the host to relax and enjoy the evening with their clients.”

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Eye on Internet

Before Facebook, Google et al there was SONY, Toyota et al

By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

Those of us involved in the discipline of experience design do well to remind ourselves that it wasn’t conceived when Tim BernersLee invented the World Wide Web in the early 1990s. According to Google Trends, the term “user experience” has been growing steadily in search popularity since 2004, however, its philosophy and processes didn’t fall out of the sky – they were founded on product design theory pioneered in the previous decades.

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ure, the processes which underpin it have evolved considerably since those early web days, however, the commitment to solving customer problems through design long pre-dates the internet.

When SONY’s export sales started to accelerate in the late 1960s, the distinct feedback coming from global markets was that their products were keenly priced but weren’t of adequate quality to make the necessary impact. Internally, SONY’s response wasn’t to do design better, but to do it differently.

They committed to define design as a different thing to what it had previously been understood to be.

Around the same time, Toyota too were beginning to learn that the dynamics of overseas markets needed to affecft how they thought about quality and what drove design decision-making. The quality of their process thinking at that time led their pursuit and successful achievement of being the largest automotive manufacturer in the world, a title they have shared intermittently with Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen in recent years.

These and many other manufacturers across a range of product types and sectors evolved what became known as the product design process. At its heart, this process seeks to achieve two

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important things; firstly it determines to humanise design by putting people at its centre and secondly it founds design in research and testing, to plug it into the people and marketplaces it is there to serve.

From these challenges and experiences came the classic product design process – striking in its simplicity – research / design / build / test. For some challenges it is more beneficial to understand it as defining a problem / solving a problem / building a solution / testing a solution. Regardless of the specific labels used to describe it, it expresses an important design philosophy, namely the centrality of customer validation and direction in good design.

Moreover, it ensures that the design process starts and ends with the people that the design is for. It commences by committing to ensure that design is fixing a real problem, well, and finishes by pledging to ensure that the problem has been solved, well.

Because of its power I find it astonishing that when design projects are under time or investment pressures that the first activities to be shelved are those which plug the design into the people that the design is for. This leaves the design process open to the danger of merely prettying up guesswork.

The process has the additional benefit of helping to establish project “True North” because it sets the immovable compass on the reason the design is being undertaken. This immediately casts a light on any subsequent decisions which might either enhance or dilute the project objective.

Imagine for instance a bank decided that their True North was to be the most digitally connected and capable bank in a certain marketplace based on a series of agreed KPIs such as quality of user experience, empirically measured user satisfaction and market penetration. Such a project vision would then provide a benchmark for what was required and the ability to readily identify compromises or diluting short-cuts which would de facto mean they fell short of the aspiration. Its power is in the focus it brings to a project team to design for outcomes.

I had the pleasure of attending the opening match at the Aviva stadium (formerly Lansdowne Road, Ireland’s national rugby stadium) in May 2010, an under-20s game played in front of a half-full stadium.

This is another example of the product design process in action, as the IRFU wanted to ensure that the stadium was fit for purpose, and iron out any niggles before

the autumn internationals and the Six Nations rolled round. Having designed the stadium to solve a problem they wanted to validate that they had indeed solved that problem before fully launching it.

That SONY is one of the world’s most successful electronics brands is no accident, nor is Toyota’s dominance in the field of automotive manufacturing.

Culturally they both redefined how they understood design and had the humility to put their customers at the centre of the process.

Google, Amazon, Facebook et al have continued the evolution of that design thinking since the mid-1990s and we do well to stand on their shoulders, just as they stood on the shoulders of SONY, Toyota and others before them.

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, Energia, PSNI, Permanent TSB and Tesco Mobile. Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

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Eye on News

Decora Blinds Opens Window For Fresh Growth Rainbow Communications puts Decora in the frame as part of significant company investment.

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isburn’s award-winning business innovator Decora Blind Systems has unveiled a major new investment in its business telecommunications infrastructure after getting better equipped for the future with the latest technology to power a fresh burst of growth.

Rainbow Communications, Northern Ireland’s largest independent business telecoms supplier, completed the project on behalf of their long-term customer, Decora Blind Systems, by installing multiple new connections, switching from O2 mobile to EE, replacing outdated equipment.

A forward-thinking, growing local business 1979, Decora has a workforce of over 800 across sites in Lisburn and Birmingham, England.

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Following a proactive six-year period of exponential growth and investment, Decora continues to support jobs and innovation across its divisions as it maintains its position as one of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 Companies.

Decora Blind Systems’ Financial Director, Jonathan McCluggage, said: “Decora is dedicated to ensuring that all our operations are functioning to the highest possible standard and ability. With two key sites in Northern Ireland and England, connectivity is important.

“The introduction of this new telecommunications infrastructure from Rainbow will allow us to more effectively manage all our current activity while better managing plans and capacity for our future expansion.

“Communicating well with customers and clients is the bedrock of our business and the enhanced connectivity and confidence in our systems which we now enjoy provides great benefits going forward.”

A similar local Northern Ireland success story, Rainbow Communications is the region’s largest independent telecommunications provider.

Rainbow Communications currently works with over 10,000 business customers and partners and counts more than 45% of Northern Ireland’s Top 200 companies as key clients.

Stuart Carson, Sales and Marketing Director, Rainbow, said; “Our client portfolio relies on the industry-leading technology and service provision that Rainbow has become renowned and respected for and we are proud to be working with Decora Blind Systems for 10 years in bringing its connectivity to customers and suppliers to the highest possible standard.”

Decora Blind Systems was founded in 1979 by Michael and Lynda Dickson who started selling external awnings to trade in Northern Ireland.

In 1981, it invested in machinery to make internal blinds and has developed that end of the business ever since.

The company was among 20 from Northern Ireland to recently be recognised among the UK’s fastest growing and most dynamic firms.

Decora was listed in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report alongside other high-profile businesses including CDE Global and Thompson Aero Seating.

For more information on Rainbow’s full range of services, including bespoke product solutions, visit www.rainbowcomms.com

Eye on Technology

High Performance NetworksCommunication, Faster Trading since May 2016, High Performance Networks (HPN) was founded by telecommunications professional Paul Hagan, formerly of EOS Unified Solutions and B4B Telecoms.

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PN is a Managed services company, specialising in the use of broadband technologies (mainly Leased Lines), delivering High Speed Internet Connectivity, WAN, MPLS and Managed Communication Services.

Paul gained a passion for broadband technologies from his days at EOS Unified Solutions where he was Cisco certified, and leading many Cisco Telepresence projects in Europe, South Africa and the USA. Paul’s experience and knowledge of how the traditional broadband network in the UK had been changing (with contention moving from the cabinet level to network wide), coupled with businesses increasingly moving toward cloud computing, highlighted the necessity of broadband alongside a fit for purpose stable solution which would allow businesses to perform at an efficient and productive level.

This provided Paul with the confidence to form High Performance Networks, knowing that there was a need for a UK & Ireland wide company specialising in broadband technologies. High Performance Networks meets much of this need through the installation and management of leased lines.

Paul talked to us about the benefits of leased lines in today’s competitive business environment; “One of the main benefits of leased lines is the uncontended internet access, and, I am often asked to explain what

this means. In lay man’s terms, the best way I can describe it is if you can imagine driving up the M1 and trying to get through the Westlink to the M2/M3. Uncontended internet access is like hitting the Westlink at 6am and driving straight through to the M2/M3 without stopping. Contended internet access is like hitting the Westlink at rush hour, it’s unpredictable and frustrating.”

HPN are currently delivering leased lines UK & Ireland wide, with customers in Edinburgh, London, Liverpool and Limerick.

Some of NI’s leading haulage and engineering companies are experiencing the benefits of partnering with HPN, including; Morgan McLernon, Hireco T&L, and D-MAC Engineering/ Blue Mac Manufacturing.

What are leased lines?

Leased lines provide a dedicated connection that allows for uncontended communication.

Businesses using leased lines benefit from uncontended symmetrical speeds, ranging from 10Mb to 10GB. The bandwidth delivered is not shared with other businesses or residents, with bandwidth reserved exclusively for your use, so you can experience a consistently high data throughput at all times - even during peak usage periods.

From as little as £300 per month for 100MB leased lines are now at a price achievable for most businesses now as well.

Using a dedicated leased line is like an insurance policy for your business, with many

businesses moving to the Cloud for business-critical applications, emails and their phone system every minute of downtime or decreased productivity from sharing bandwidth with others costing your business money.

A reliable, high performing broadband connection is working for your business, just like your best sales person or key worker and we take out a policy on those Key People, to see how a dedicated leased line can protect and enhance your business contact High Performance Networks by emailinfo@hpnetworks.net or 02890538411 today.

“ One of the main benefits of leased lines is the uncontended internet access, and, I am often asked to explain what this means. In lay man’s terms, the best way I can describe it is if you can imagine driving up the M1 and trying to get through the Westlink to the M2/M3. Uncontended internet access is like hitting the Westlink at 6am and driving straight through to the M2/M3 without stopping. Contended internet access is like hitting the Westlink at rush hour, it’s unpredictable and frustrating.”

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Eye on Giving

A FOCUS ON YOUTH Graham Glover, Director, Johnston Campbell 1. What are your thoughts, in general, on charitable giving?

Charitable giving has always been important to me. For example, I’m based in the Gasworks, a prosperous business park with plenty of opportunities yet I’m conscious you don’t have to look too far from my window to find very deprived areas full of young people with plenty of potential yet with little by way of opportunity.

I feel it’s important to be aware of this and assist if we can. At JohnstonCampbell we have our own charitable trust. It really encourages us to strive as we put a percentage of profit into our trust.

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

I use our charitable trust as my preferred means of giving. On a company level we commit to a percentage of profit as stated above. On a personal level, we can forgo some earnings etc to make further contributions to our charitable trust for giving.

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

My focus is to spend my time and expertise in areas I can influence, ie as a company director. Through our charitable trust we try to find organisations already doing excellent work in areas we want to support, we then assist financially and with a few ideas, as relevant.

For example, we linked an excellent community organisation with a commonwealth gold medallist boxer and boxing programme. As a result some young fellas from difficult backgrounds had somewhere to go, it was cross community based, they were welcomed, they were allowed to continue

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the boxing programme if they attended the Belfast Met (Maths/ English/ Welding etc) and over time improved their opportunity for employment with increased self-esteem along the way.

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

For me, I’m particularly keen to support local charities and initiatives aimed at younger, disadvantaged teenagers & youth. Kids from difficult backgrounds, being given the opportunity to gain skills and improve their prospects for employment would be something I particularly take an interest in.

That said, our board directors favour various causes, both here and overseas ie from humanitarian projects in Africa to church related programmes in UK and Europe.

5. Are there specific charities or causes that you give to regularly? How do you choose which to support?

Yes, we support a number of charities on a regular basis, assuming they continue to work in the area we aim to support.

Having identified areas we’d like to support we then try to find ‘best practice’ in this area ie charities already working effectively in delivering their objectives.

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

If yes, why?

Yes, if we are fortunate enough to have the time or resources, we feel obliged to do what we can to support others. As company directors we’re very conscious of all our stakeholders.

Charities and charitable giving remains important for us.

Even organisations like the Grand Opera House are opening their

doors in July for days of community based events for young people.

For an organisation like this, surviving so much over the years I think these sorts of initiatives are great and we like to support them if we can. There is a lot we hope to do and we strive to do more.

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

Successful business people inevitably have skills and acumen in building and shaping their companies. Even a small amount of this time or resource redirected can make a big difference in supporting worthwhile projects and charities in our community.

It’s very worthwhile albeit we’d always like to do a lot more.

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’m a fan of Giving Northern Ireland.

It is very well positioned to broaden awareness of philanthropy and charitable giving especially amongst companies and high net worth individuals. Giving Northern Ireland can provide insight and ideas in this area. A very worthwhile organisation to work with.

Eye on Social Innovation

Business Model Used To Tackle Big Social Problems A popular and highly successful business model is being used to help solve some of Northern Ireland’s most difficult social problems.

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esign Thinking is applied by a huge range of companies to find solutions to business problems and to increase creativity and collaboration. It’s been used by Apple, Nike, Lego, Coca-Cola, IBM, Infosys, SAP and Google among many others.

Now, as part of the ambitious Social Innovation NI project, the practice of Design Thinking is being utilised to tackle big issues through the Building Change Trust’s Social Innovation Skills project which is being delivered by Work West.

The Building Change Trust was established in 2008 by the Big Lottery Fund with a National Lottery grant of £10million.

The programme is working with five different groups looking at potential ways to improve massive issues such as reducing re-offending rates for ex-prisoners, tackling the childcare crisis and making the lives of children in care better.

“Business models can be highly effective when adapted to solving social problems. We want to really inspire the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise sector to look at new ways to innovate.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed by big issues – where do you start?

How can it be funded? It can seem insurmountable. But Design Thinking looks at the problems – it allows a process where we think of ways to fix problems and work out the steps to make these changes,” explained Building Change Trust’s Paul Braithwaite.

Design Thinking is a set of principles and processes that mimics how a designer works. It allows creativity and empowers people to think differently about the challenges they are facing.

Apple’s Steve Jobs famously said: “Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like.

People think it’s this veneer — that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’

That’s not what we think design is.

It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.”

The Social Innovation Skills Programme has employed a five stage Design Thinking process that includes: understanding the end user; defining the problem; ideating; developing a prototype; and finally testing the best solutions.

Teams are encouraged to consider “wild” ideas; The participating groups were told to “leave ‘no’ at the door” and to consider every single possible

option which develops a mindset of positivity and a can-do attitude that will benefit the organisations in the long term.

“The process is excellent in tackling “wicked” problems that aren’t always well-defined at the start. It also allows collaboration with a range of stakeholders to really develop a valuable shared approach. This could involve third sector groups along with academics, local people, government and entrepreneurs,” Work West’s Patricia Flanagan she explained.

All five of the groups taking part in the Social Innovation Skills Programme began the process with a challenge and some preconceived ideas of how they would approach these major social problems but in the end all changed their understanding of the challenge and - to differing degrees – the solutions they generated.

Building Change Trust’s Paul Braithwaite added: “Each group came up with exciting ways that they themselves could help to tackle social issues in Northern Ireland. It’s not about solving the problem in its entirety but about doing things differently in order to really create social innovation.”

WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? Five groups participated in the Building Change Trust’s Social Innovation Skills Programme .

MACS Supporting Children and Young People want to find ways of improving the lives of children in the care system by offering care in a less institutionalised home-from-home type of setting.

NIACRO (the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders) wants to reduce the impact of crime on people and communities. It is seeking to create a new multi-agency model to help people from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities who encounter the criminal justice system.

The Northern Ireland Child Minding Association realises that there is a lack of provision for child minding in Northern Ireland.

To improve the system it’s looking at ways to effectively match parents with child minders.

The Turnaround Project seeks to reduce re-offending rates of former prisoners by supporting those as they are about to leave prison, particularly in finding work and re-settling into the community.

Kippie CIC assists people with a range of mental health issues; for this project they looked at young LGBT people aged 10-14 to help them cope with social pressures using game design and development.

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Eye on Moving On 1 Shane Conlan has joined Cleaver Fulton Rankin as a Solicitor in the Commercial Property Department. He is a law graduate of Queen’s University, and has also studied business and management in USA. He qualified as a solicitor in 2015, and worked for an English law firm for 18 months before returning to Belfast earlier this year.

2 Trevor Kennedy has been appointed as Director of Construction at Hagan Homes.

He has previously worked as a Construction Director with a medium sized principal contractor overseeing the design and construction of various schemes throughout the UK.

1 Shane Conlan

4 Anthony Van Damme

2 Trevor Kennedy

5 Alan Moneypenny

3 Michael Callaghan

6 Damian McAteer

3 P&O Ferries has promoted Michael Callaghan to the position of Sales Development Manager for the Irish Sea. He has been employed by P&O Ferries for more than 10 years having previously held roles in Operations and as a Sales Executive.

4 P&O Ferries has also appointed Anthony Van Damme as Harbour Master at Larne Port.

Anthony has more than ten years’ experience in the marine industry and joins the company from Aberdeen where he was Port Manager.

5 Alan Moneypenny has been appointed as Chairman of the Ulster Community Investment Trust, Northern Ireland’s leading specialist in social finance. Alan has had an extensive career in the private, public and community sectors, and is currently a Board Member of Belfast Charitable Society and Groundworks NI. Previous roles have included Odyssey Trust, Sport NI and the Irish Football Association. Joining him as Vice-Chairman 6 is Damian McAteer. He has 40-years’ experience in private and third-sector organisations as well as public service, including directorships in organisations such as the Waterside Trust and Inner City Trust. Damian is currently a director of Age NI Enterprises and Age NI Trading.

7 Cecil Russell has been appointed as Regional Director of Capitalflow Commercial Finance. With over 30 years experience in the asset finance industry, Cecil is responsible for driving forward Capitalflow’s asset finance business throughout Ulster. This includes corporate and commercial companies as well as SMEs and sole traders.

7 Cecil Russell

8 Peter Russell

9 Brendan Duffy

Belfast-based digital transformation company 8 Neueda has appointed Peter Russell as Director of Sales and Marketing. Peter is responsible for the growth of Neueda’s business on a local and international scale. Peter was previously Regional Director of BT Business NI and held management positions with Microsoft and Steria.

9 Neueda has also appointed Brendan Duffy as Chief Technical Officer. Brendan is responsible for driving Neueda’s digital transformation services through innovative technology. Brendan previously held the role of CTO with First Derivatives and helped build several tech startups including Datactics and Wombat Financial Software.

10 Jonathan Buick

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11 Matthew Madden

12 Laura Shearer

ASM Chartered Accountants has made a series 10 of appointments. Jonathan Buick becomes Internal Audit Manager responsible for a portfolio 11 of private and public sector clients. Matthew Madden joins as a Trainee Chartered Accountant 12 from Queen’s University while Laura Shearer 13 is appointed as a Tax Senior. Jonathan McNeill becomes Assistant Manager responsible for delivering audit and accounts preparation services to a portfolio of clients, with focus in the manufacturing, engineering and transport 14 sectors. Jenny McGuckin also joins as a Trainee 15 Chartered Accountant while Simon McKeown is appointed as AAA Assistant Manager at ASM. His new role will involve him managing a portfolio of clients within the AAA department.

Eye on Moving On 16 Lisa Bailie and Katrina Anderson have been 17 appointed Business Ecosystem Managers at Barclays PLC. They will be permanently based at the new Barclays Eagle Labs at Ormeau Baths, a 150-seat co-working site in Belfast city centre, providing access to resources including expert mentoring, event space, and workshops. Lisa and Katrina, who have fifteen and seven years of business banking experience respectively, will be working to give Northern Ireland’s start-up and scale-up communities a crucial boost, through collaborative innovation and digital empowerment.

13 Jonathan McNeill

14 Jenny McGuckin

15 Simon McKeown

18 David Sinnamon has been appointed Risk Manager at Willis Insurance and Risk Management. David has extensive experience within the safety and risk management industry and has worked with a broad base of clients including large public sector organisations and multi-national private sector firms to identify, manage and mitigate the risks relevant to their business, relating to health and safety, transportation, property management, environmental risk or business continuity.

Also at Willis Insurance & Risk Management, 19 Leslie Dick has been appointed Management Risks Client Director. He will be in charge of identifying new risks faced by firms and increasing personal liability risks imposed on directors. These include Professional Indemnity, Management Liability, Cyber and Crime Insurance. Leslie has more than 28 years’ experience in the insurance industry.

16 Lisa Bailie

17 Katrina Anderson

18 David Sinnamon

Four new partners have been appointed at 20 Belfast law firm Carson McDowell. Kerry Teahan has been appointed head of procurement and partner at Carson McDowell.

Kerry recently joined the law firm and will specialise in public procurement, advising on all aspects of the tender and contracting process.

21 Olivia O’Kane has extensive High Court and Court of Appeal work includes defamation, privacy, data protection, copyright, contempt, anonymity and injunctions.

She represents private clients, print and broadcast outlets as well as social media companies and internet service providers.

19 Leslie Dick

20 Kerry Teahan

21 Olivia O’Kane

22 Mary-Kim Doherty has experience in all areas of commercial property law and in particular acting on behalf of many private developers, companies and public bodies in large scale site assembly and disposal.

23 And Peter Guzhar has extensive experience advising on and/or litigating in complex contractual breach disputes relating to supply and manufacturing defect issues and disputes regarding nonperformance of contractual obligations in the services and manufacturing sectors.

24 Patrick Mullarkey has been appointed clinical negligence partner at O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors. Mullarkey has spent his career successfully bringing civil actions in medical cases of negligence on behalf of patients against both Trusts and doctors and has a wealth of experience in cases of the utmost severity including cerebral palsy, quadriplegia and brain damage.

22 Mary-Kim Doherty

23 Peter Guzhar

24 Patrick Mullarkey

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Eye on Agri Food

FASHION LEADER WINNIE MAGEE HAS GREAT TASTE Sam Butler talked to fashion designer Winnie Magee who has designs on greater success by investing in local food.

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he’s already among Ireland’s best-known fashion designers and now she’s winning acclaim for the quality of her food. Winnie Magee, renowned across the British Isles for her luxury Irish Linen garments, especially her women’s coats, has turned her business in Comber, Co Down into something of a food destination through a sharp focus on fresh ingredients sourced from local suppliers and prepared by a talented chef.

Winnie runs the popular and fittingly named Coat Maker’s Café at High Street in Comber, once a centre of linen production and home of the historic Andrew’s Mill.

The unique café is now part of her successful fashion boutique.

The stylish café, which has also hosted a range of community events including a wedding and a book launch, was shaped by Winnie within a complex of village houses she owns and has been transformed into the boutique and her workshop for the design and manufacture of her stunning portfolio of women’s, men’s and children’s rainwear. She shows the garments across the UK and Ireland at high-profile events such as the Cheltenham Gold Cup. “I decided to set up the café because the boutique has become a destination for customers from many parts of Ireland. They come to look at the coats and other garments. And it made sense to offer them somewhere they could enjoy coffee and fresh snacks, including soup, paninis and our famed traditional Irish bread and cakes,” Winnie says. “I am delighted to say that the café is proving immensely popular with local people especially those from local offices and factories,” she adds.

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The café has a colourful history stretching back more than a century when it was once the Paragon Bar that sold the famed Comber Irish Whiskey, as well as a spirit grocery business, a hardware shop and even an undertaker’s parlour!

“The houses were owned by John Ritchie at the turn of the last century,” Winnie continues. “There’s even a connection between Ritchie and my business in the shape of linen coats. Ritchie owned an Ulster Coat made from Irish Linen

by John Magee in Belfast’s High Street. The local newspaper records that the pricey coat was pinched from his horse and trap while he was worshipping at Second Comber Presbyterian Church. It created quite a furore at the time!

Now we are making quality linen coats near his bar,” she laughs.

If local folklore is to be believed, Ritchie may well be aware of Winnie’s hugely successful enterprise because one of the houses is rumoured to have a male ghost! Probably still searching for the missing coat!

A more substantial link with the past is the colourful mosaic

floor from the old bar. Winnie and father Sean, a retired engineer from Langford Lodge in Crumlin, scraped off a century of grime to reveal the tiles. “We’d noticed parts of the tiles and got scrubbing with acid to restore the beautiful floor,” she remembers. It is now a feature of the small café. Her remodelling of the building has also included transforming a craggy Scrabo Stone wall into another eye-catching feature.

Winnie hired Jennifer Sherwood, a creative and experienced chef, to come up with tasty meals cooked fresh daily and using local ingredients including rhubarb, vegetables, and herbs, mostly grown by her father at the family home near Glenavy. She even sources fresh eggs from hens she keeps in a field behind the premises.

A hugely talented and respected designer, Winnie spends much of her time on the road showcasing her fashions at international events.

She counts TV sports personality Clare Balding among her customers.

She set up Winnie Magee Designs in 1990 on the back of extensive experience in the local

textile industry. A graduate of the London College of Fashion in design and manufacturing, Winnie subsequently sharpened her design and management skills with Desmonds and Daintyfit, then cornerstones of Londonderry economy. She designed lingerie and swimwear for Marks and Spencer.

She subsequently decided to start her own small business. “I was working with Irish Linen when the idea about designing fashionable rainwear for women came to me,” she continues. “I wanted to stay here and was fascinated by coats.

It made sense to take a traditional fabric, Irish Linen, in Northern Ireland and shape it for one of the features of our climate, rain!”

As well as the distinctive designs, Winnie devised and patented the unique formula to ensure the water-repellent characteristic of her coats. Her plans for the future include cutting back on travelling and focusing more on retail outlets and online sales. “I’ll be developing my garment portfolio. There’s also quite a bit of work to do to restore the buildings to reflect the character of the town,” she adds.

Eye on Agri Food

Dunbia’s butchery academy has won national acclaim.

BACK TO SCHOOL WORKS FOR DUNBIA A recent survey indicated that many food processors are experiencing difficulties in recruiting skilled staff. Sam Butler looks at how Dunbia, Northern Ireland’s biggest red meat processor, has responded to a shortage of skilled butchers.

H

undreds of young people have taken part in a unique training scheme that has won Dunbia Group, Northern Ireland’s leading red meat processor, national recognition for innovation. The Dungannon processor will bring this innovative approach to its recently announced joint venture with the Republic’s Dawn Meats.

The prestigious Institute of Meat and Worshipful Company of Butchers has named Dunbia’s innovative Butchery Academy as the UK’s ‘Best Company Training Scheme’.

The Institute said the Butchery Academy, launched in Dungannon in 2009, demonstrated Dunbia’s strategic approach “to attracting, developing and retaining new talent to the craft of butchery”. And two of Dunbia’s management team, Steven Dobson and Richard Jones, the latter based in Wales, have all been named as Master Butcher by the institute.

The academy initiative has since been extended to Dunbia’s processing plants in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Glenn Patterson, Dunbia training manager, says the academy was established by the company to “help sustain the butchery craft by creating a pipeline of talented and skilled butchers”.

“We had been experiencing difficulty in attracting young men and women to train as butchers because the craft was perceived as being hard and heavy work and the working conditions difficult.

We decided to address this perception through an initiative with local schools and colleges that enabled us to talk to students and careers’ teachers about the craft and our business, then enabling them to see our butchery operations for themselves.”

Steven Dobson, the academy manager, a graduate of the

apprenticeship programme and Northern Ireland’s first Master Butcher, continues: “We have invested heavily in our academy with the aim of providing the best possible mentor-based training and developing young raw talent into the best butchers in the country.

“The academy provides trainees with long-term career opportunities and the potential to reach the pinnacle especially in the craft of butchery. While the main focus is, of course, on butchery skills, trainees also have opportunities to find out about and move to other parts of what has become one of the UK’s most progressive and successful business.

“It’s essentially a very effective career ladder. And there are opportunities developing all the time across the Dunbia Group. If a trainee isn’t suited to butchery operations, we will work with them to see if they

are better suited to a different role.

We’ve helped a number of trainees to develop worthwhile careers into other areas of our operations.

The award-winning apprenticeship programme, which is open to young men and women aged 16 years and over, provides a mix of practical and theory-based training and a Proficiency Based Qualification accredited by FDQ (Food and Drink Qualification).

Trainees also work closely with experienced mentors in developing skills and overall knowledge.

“Dunbia has some of the best trainers and mentors in the country who support young trainees to become outstanding butchers and set them on a long–term career path.

I was fortunate to be one of those trainees 20-odd years ago. Receiving the highest butchery accolade is a dream come true,” Steven adds.

The year-long apprenticeship programme provides a recognised and structured career path for young people wishing to pursue a long–term career in butchery. It gives trainees a solid grounding in all aspects of the butchery business including the identification of meat cuts, deboning, knife skills, hygiene and safety. They also learn about the wider meat industry and the importance of the supply chain and Dunbia’s extensive network of livestock farmers.

There are’ ‘field to fork’ opportunities for trainees to visit farms as well as supermarkets. They are shown how offal and other ‘fifth quarter products’ are harvested and prepared mostly for export to Asia and Africa.

Dunbia, of course, is a major exporter of beef and lamb to around 20 markets in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. The group is also a major supplier of meat products to many of the UK and Ireland’s biggest and most demanding supermarkets.

The Dungannon operation is also an approved NVQ assessment centre and offers employees at all levels access to whatever training they require to enhance their career. Dunbia, in addition, is an approved IOSH (Institute of Safety & Health) Centre.

Dunbia was formed in 1976 by brothers Jim and Jack Dobson and currently employs 3,200 people across a wide range of disciplines at 10 sites and sales offices throughout Europe. It employs around 1,000 people here and is now one of Northern Ireland’s biggest employers.

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Eye on Food

Cook It Fresh founder Rosanna McComish

Cooking It Fresh...

Rosanna’s Culinary Journey A young Northern Ireland entrepreneur has launched a new culinary venture combining convenience with the best of local ingredients.

C

ook It Fresh delivers chef-inspired recipe cards accompanied with fresh, exciting ingredients that are measured and prepared specifically for your order. According to founder Rosanna McComish, it

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injects foodie inspiration to meal times bringing together all of the ingredients required for tasty dishes, making it much easier for users to cook nutritious, seasonal food from scratch.

And Northern Ireland ingredients count for a lot, it seems.

“We lovel local and proudly support our local farmers, fishermen, artisan producers and suppliers. We don’t see the sense in importing ingredients from around the world that can be found on our own doorstep so we try our best

to keep the distance from farm to fork to an absolute minimum.

“All you have to do is sign up or log in to choose your week’s meals by midnight on the Wednesday of every week to ensure that you receive the freshest of ingredients the following week to cook your delicious meals,” Rosanna explains.

“We put our customers first and offer free delivery without the requirement of a minimum spend, removing the time and money spent travelling to the shops as well as the temptation of buying

unnecessary extra items. We deliver on quality, taste and convenience and we believe our service provides great value for money.

“The Cook it Fresh ethos is to bring delicious balanced recipes that are fun and simple to cook.

We truly believe that good health is a side effect of food.

For more information on Cook It Fresh, visit www.cookitfresh.co.uk

Eye on News

FABULOUS FIELD FOR MAGNERS DERBY It’s the richest and best-loved flat race in Northern Ireland and, on Saturday 24th June, all eyes will be on the prize at the line-up of the 81st Magners Ulster Derby, the climax of the two-day Summer Festival of Racing at Down Royal.

T

he €100,000 prize fund will attract a top quality field, featuring some of the most talked-about runners and riders of the season.

Keenly watched by tipsters, the Magners Ulster Derby is, famously, a showcase for top talent: the 2016 Magners Derby winner, Stellar Mass, trained by J.S. Bolger, went on to come 3rd in his next run in the Group 1 Irish Derby at the Curragh and then returned to Down Royal to win Her Majesty’s Plate (Listed Race) on the Magners Race Evening in July.

Thousands of spectators will be at Down Royal to take in the excitement of the €100,000 flagship flat race, which is a major social as well as sporting affair.

Looking forward to another fabulous Summer Festival of Racing, Mike Todd,

General Manager of Down Royal, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Magners back on board for a day which is like no other: a race which combines stunning sport and great heritage.

There’s a unique sense of occasion about Magner’s Derby Day and the excitement on and off the track ensures that this is a race which holds a very special place in local affections.

“Working with Magners supports Down Royal in making the ‘Sport of Kings’ even more accessible and to new, younger, audiences. It has long been a highpoint of the racing season for die-hard racing enthusiasts, but increasingly the Magners Ulster Derby with its air of Summer sociability is encouraging newcomers to come along to share in the excitement and discover for themselves the delights of horse-racing.”

Julia Galbraith, (right) Magners Brand Manager is pictured with Mike Todd General Manager Down Royal and former Miss Northern Ireland Emma Carswell at the launch of this year’s Magners Ulster Derby which takes place on 24th June 2017 at Down Royal Racecourse.

Support from Magners Forbidden Flavours is also adding to the thrill of the chase with its support for the hotly contested annual Best Dressed competition. Julia Galbraith, Magners Brand Manager said; “This is always a fun sidebar to the serious business of racing at Down Royal, and this year the fashion stakes couldn’t be higher as elegant lady race-goers line up in hot pursuit of a dream Caribbean cruise.

“The Magners Forbidden Flavours Best Dressed Lady competition is always a runaway success with fashionistas whose incredible head-turning looks add to the glamour and fun of the day’s trackside entertainment.

“The fantastic prize on offer for the Magners Forbidden Flavours Best Dressed winner is sure to attract record entries, but a great day out for all is

a racing certainty at Down Royal as, once more, we gather to celebrate the magic of Magners Ulster Derby Day.” The winner of the 2017 Magners Forbidden Flavours Best Dressed competition will be able to look forward to a prize package for two comprising return flights BelfastMiami; three nights staying at the fantastic four star Casablanca Of The Ocean Hotel in stylish Miami, followed by an amazing seven night cruise on board the fabulous MSC Divina.

For more information on this year’s Down Royal Summer Festival of Racing on 23rd and the Magners Ulster Derby on 24th of June visit: www.downroyal.com

NEW RECRUITMENT AGENCY LAUNCHED IN BELFAST A new recruitment consultancy backed by one of Northern Ireland’s most experienced recruiters has opened its doors in Belfast, allowing it to take advantage of an increasingly busy market for roles in business and office support.

B

ased at Donegall Square, Honeycomb is Northern Ireland’s only boutique agency focused solely on the business support and administration sectors, linking innovative employers seeking full, part-time and temporary staff with an experienced bank of candidates.

Recognising the specialist nature of the business and how important it is to find exceptional staff who can help propel local business growth, Honeycomb takes a targeted

approach to matching the right skill sets and talent to business needs.

Mairead Scott, Managing Director, said: “Today’s employers need a wealth of knowledge and tactical support to navigate their way through the recruitment process to make sure that they can maintain and grow their business into the future.

“With over 50 years’ combined experience, Honeycomb recognises the pivotal role which support teams play in the success of every business. Within

Pictured at the company’s launch with Honeycomb managing director Mairead Scott (centre) are team members Briony Cowell, Stacey McClurg, Erin Butler and Louise Quinn.

Belfast and further afield, demand for business support roles is buoyant and our clients are optimistic for the future.”

The company operates across a variety of industry sectors, providing skilled staff to companies in professional services, IT and telecoms, retail banking, creative agencies, manufacturing and distribution as well as the public sector.

“Recruitment activity levels are

high overall and we’re confident we’re already playing a strong, functional role in helping to further strengthen both our local businesses and the economy,” Mairead added.

Honeycomb currently employs five professional staff and plans to double this as part of its plan for growth.

For more information, visit www.honeycomb.jobs

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Summer Driving Tips from DFC • Less power - If your car seems more lethargic in summer, this is probably because the air is warmer and less dense, giving the engine a little less “oomph”.

DFC are Northern Ireland’s premier vehicle management company and we know a thing or two about cars.

I

t’s now the time of year when we start making long journeys in hot weather and we know that driving in the summer can have its challenges... high temperatures can make your car behave differently.

Roads are also often busier, especially during school holidays, on airport and port approaches, and in and around popular tourist

destinations. So before you head off here’s a few driving tips to keep you safe and moving.

Modern cars largely cope fine with summer weather and driving conditions.

However, a few things can crop up – some are nothing to worry about, while others you should be mindful of.

Don’t worry about: • Pools of water under your car These are caused by condensed water from the air conditioning system • Smoke from air vents - Unless the smoke is acrid, it’s just water vapour produced by the air conditioning unit that hasn’t had time to condense.

• Roaring from the engine bay - This is the cooling fan turning on and off

Local Company Local People Local Service

If you have a DFC vehicle and need any advice please contact our Operations Department on 02890 734222 or Annette in the Customer Care Department. If you don’t have a DFC vehicle why not let us quote for your next car or van? We supply all makes and models at great monthly rentals.

Give us a call to find out more or visit our website at dfcbelfast.co.uk

DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle Management Company.

For over 25 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans.

We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs.

Call us today for more information on our car and van offers on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk

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On the flipside, you should be aware of the following: • Tyres – high temperatures and under-inflation exacerbate existing damage and weak spots, increasing the risk of punctures. Before setting off, check tyre condition and pressures on your vehicle, as well as anything you might be towing.

• Overheating – check your coolant reservoir, look for wet or white marks on coolant hoses and listen for the fan when your engine is idle. If you think anything’s amiss, have it looked at ASAP. • Fuel efficiency – use a roof box and close windows on the motorway to reduce drag; start air conditioning when doors and windows are closed, and turn it off when the car has cooled; and increase tyre pressure if you’re carrying extra passengers.

• Glare – keep glass clean, repair scratches and chips, and wear non light-reactive sunglasses.

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Summer’s Here At DFC BMW 4 Series Diesel Convertible 420d 190 M Sport 2dr Auto

Mercedes C Class Diesel Cabriolet C220d AMG Line 2dr Auto

£389 + vat/month

£349 + vat/month

(6+47, 8k pa)

(6+47, 8k pa)

BMW 2 Series Diesel Convertible 218d 150 SE 2dr Nav

Audi A3 Diesel Cabriolet 2dr 1.6 TDI 116 SE

£319 + vat/month

£269 + vat/month

(6+47, 8k pa)

(6+47, 8k pa)

Mazda MX-5 2dr Convertible 1.5 131ps Sport Nav

Mini Convertible Diesel 1.5 Cooper D 2dr [Chili Pack]

£249 + vat/month

£219 + vat/month

(6+47, 8k pa)

(6+47, 8k pa)

All makes, models and payment profiles to suit your personal or business driving needs available on request. To find out more about these or any of our other special offers give us a call on 02890 734 222 , email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk or you can check out our offers at dfcbelfast.co.uk 107

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

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

LOW PRICE DACIA SANDERO DELIVERS BASIC TRANSPORT Dacia, the budget brand of Renault, offers just about the cheapest cars on the market. The Sandero fulfils the old cliche ‘a lot of car for your money’ to the letter. For less than the price of some small city cars, it offers a fivedoor boxy hatchback with loads of space.

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ctually, it doesn’t look that bad either with chunky lines and metallic colours. Just as supermarket own brands have improved in quality over the years, so has Dacia. Okay there is a hand-medown feel to the Sandero but it carries out its functions without complaint.

The car I drove had a 900cc turbo petrol engine which was perky enough

to accelerate from 0-62mph in just over 11 seconds. Fuel consumption is a claimed 55mpg combined and emissions are rated at 115g/km putting it in the 23% company car tax bracket.

Most company buyers, I suspect, will opt for the well-proven Renault derived 1.5-litre dCi turbo diesel. This is a fairly decent cooking diesel and adds a shade more beef to the performance.

It is more frugal with a claimed 74mpg combined and 98g/km emissions which puts it in the 21% tax bracket.

The Stepway version of the Sandero is a not terribly successful attempt to raise it into the oh so popular SUV category. While it lacks the drivability and refinement of the latest cross-overs, it makes a sterling argument with its £8,955 price tag.

Despite its dated interior, the Stepway has some surprising technology such as stop-start, stability control,

hill start assist, traction control and emergency brake assist. These go some way - plus cosmetics such as 16-inch alloys, roof bars, skid plates and tinted windows - to justify its higher price.

But anyone looking for a bargain basement company car need go no further than the Sandero hatchbacks these are prices from £6.155 for a 1.0 litre petrol model! Diesels, however, cost from £9K upwards - still something of a snip. These low buying prices should offset the depreciation factor!

LOTUS TAKES A BOW AT LISBURN PLANT

Staff at Creative Composites, Lisburn, recently had the opportunity to see the fruits of their labours in the flesh, or, more correctly, in its predominantly composite form.

C

reative Composites manufactures a range of composite components for Lotus Cars, the Norfolk-based sports car manufacturer, including the entire exterior of the Exige Sport

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350, and it was therefore a pleasure for all staff, and particularly the manufacturing team, that Ballyrobert Cars provided a new Lotus Exige Sport 350 from their Mallusk showroom to showcase at their Lisburn facility.

Managing Director of Creative Composites, Jonathan Holmes commented, “Creative Composites is currently enjoying a period of growth, as we invest in our factory and expand into a diverse range of sectors where the applications for composites are endless, however customers such as Lotus Cars, one of our most loyal and important Tier 1 automotive clients, remain at the heart of what we do. Our partnership has been based on innovative design and an excellent working relationship over many years and we are excited to be collaborating on new projects with Lotus, as well as continuing to supply their current manufacture, including the agile and powerful Exige Sport 350.”

Creative Composites is the main supplier of composite components to Lotus Cars, one of the UK’s leading sports car manufacturers, manufacturing a range of components from durable and lightweight composite materials. Lotus builds some of the world’s best respected, and highest performing sports cars, including the benchmark Evora 400, the iconic Elise, and the revered Exige. The fact that Lisburn-based Creative Composites makes such a significant

contribution to the manufacture of these globally-renowned models underlines the success and expertise of a highlyskilled and ambitious local company.

With reference to the car on-site, Jonathan continued, “Many thanks to John Lyle and team at Ballyrobert Cars for supplying the Exige Sport 350 for our factory showcase. A unique sports-car, in an unique colour, in our factory, surrounded by the skilled people involved in producing the parts, the goodwill and pride generated was palpable and served to highlight the positive strides Creative Composites has taken in recent times, and continues to take with a bright future ahead.”

With design, R&D, manufacture and sales all based in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, Creative Composites serves global OEMs and blue-chip companies with composite materials which have advantageous properties over traditional metals and plastics. The company is served by a purposebuilt manufacturing facility and has expertise across a range of manufacturing technologies serving a diverse range of industries including automotive, rail, bus & coach, off-highway and medical.

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

PEUGEOT INFLUENCE STARTS TO SHOW IN VAUXHALL’S NEWBIE The ink has hardly dried on the surprise takeover of Vauxhall by the Peugeot group and the badge engineering has begun! Vauxhall’s new Crossland X is built on the same platform as the forthcoming Peugeot 2008 and Citroen C4 and even uses some of their engines.

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lthough it comes only with front-wheel drive, the Crossland X is rather close to the Mokka in the Vauxhall line-up.

As it is due to replace the Meriva, perhaps they should have labelled it as an mpv rather than a SUV crossover. That would be less confusing.

About all it shares with an SUV is a higher driving position which makes the Crossland easier to access. It is also roomier than the Mokka which could be important if you carry samples or

do light deliveries. As a business proposition it is cheaper to buy and has some low emission engines to keep the tax man at bay.

There is the choice of 1.2 petrol and 1.6 diesels with various power outputs from their new French partners, both well proven. They claim combined consumption figures in the 54 to 58mpg range for the petrol engines and up to 78mpg for the diesels. Emissions range from 93g/km to 116g/km.

Prices start from £16,555 for the

1.2 petrol in SE trim with diesels coming in the higher Elite trim from just over £19k. These prices reflect the fact that Crossland specifications are higher than the competition. For example entry-level cars come with alloy wheels, a leather-covered steering wheel, cruise control, automatic headlights and windscreen wipers and dual-zone climate control.

Tech Line Nav trim adds a builtin satellite navigation system and an alarm. Aimed at company car buyers, it gets smaller 16in alloys to help fuel economy.

Whether you call it an suv or a mph, the Crossland X is a competent and fairly frugal addition to the ranks of the highriding cars that are enjoying great popularity at the moment.

a fairly big SUV with four-wheel drive. Emissions are on the high side however, with 148g/km putting it into the 29% company car tax bracket there is a price for all that capability.

I must say my admiration for the Forester grew the more I drove it.

There is a great feeling of solidity and durability about it. The XC Premium is

as well togged out as more expensive rivals with heated leather seats, auto-levelling headlamps, power adjustable driver seat and a load of other refinements. All very nice but it pushes the price up to £32K. If you just want a workhorse then there are lower spec diesels starting from £23,850 before discount.

SOLID VALUE FROM THE SUBARU FORESTER ON OR OFF ROAD It may not be the most flamboyant of the SUV pack but there is a certain purity of engineering about the Subaru Forester. The mix of the lowslung boxer engine and all-wheel drive give a more precise feel on the road. I am not saying it is an Evo on wheels, just that it feels more biddable.

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t surprised myself earlier in the year with how well this Subaru coped with deeply rutted fields, muddy hollows and river beds. The latest technology allows you to drive down slippy slopes without fear of locking up and losing control.

More recently I tried out a wellequipped XC Premium model on the road which is where even the most expensive SUV will spend most of its time. It took Subaru some time to come up with a diesel version

of its unusual boxer engine. Now that it is here there is good news and bad (for business users).

The 2.0-litre diesel produces a very useful 147PS that translates into lusty performance. It can reach 62mph in 9.9 seconds and has a pleasing spread of torque at low engine speeds. Add Lineartronic automatic transmission and this is a car that practically drives itself.

The Forester diesel returns 49mpg combined, which is not bad for

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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

SPORTING NEW VELAR REFINES THE RANGE ROVER PACKAGE The Velar is the fourth member of the Range Rover family and sits between the Evoque and the Range Rover Sport. It is claimed to be the most car-like but still features permanent four-wheel drive and the terrain response controls expected from a serious off-roader.

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would also say that this is the most stylish Range Rover we have seen with a smooth and sporting new profile. The door handles sit flush and only open up when you approach with the remote control. Inside, the finish is significantly upgraded with a screen that bevels out and a much improved sound and navigation system.

As it is a sister car to the Jaguar F-Pace

SUV you get a more dynamic driving experience on the road. The most potent engine, a supercharged 375bhp 3.0-litre V6 petrol, takes full advantage of the added litheness. This makes it a direct rival to the Porsche Macan.

Of the diesel engine options, the familiar 3.0 V6 with 296bhp is the quietest and most drivable with 44mpg claimed on the combined cycle. For

business users, however, the most taxfriendly option is the 178bhp 2.0-litre unit that also powers most Land Rovers.

It may be a bit less refined than the sixes but the 2.0 turbo diesel does the business with a claimed 52mpg combined and emissions of 142g/km putting it in the 30% tax band. Priced from £44,830 - before you dip into the extras bin - it is competitive with the German rival.

Among the options are a drowsiness monitor, adaptive cruise control, all-

round cameras, emergency braking and a towing system that makes it easer to reverse with a trailer.

All Velar models come with the eight speed automatic gearbox and the V6 models have air suspension giving them a towing capacity of 2500 kg.

They all have the 650mm wading depth of the Range Rover Sport.

The Velar gives Range Rover a very useful mid-range model with all the luxury and ability you expect from them - plus more style and sportiness.

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).

THE HEAD SAYS YES THE HEART SAYS DEFINITELY, YES

MASERATI GHIBLI. FROM £445 PER MONTH* The Maserati Ghibli is powered by a range of advanced 3.0 Litre V6 engines with 8-speed ZF automatic transmission including, a V6 turbodiesel engine.

Please call us to arrange your test drive.

CHARLES HURST MASERATI 62 BOUCHER ROAD, BELFAST BT12 6LR Phone: 0844 659 9327 | www.charleshurstgroup.co.uk/maserati

Official fuel consumption figures for the Maserati Ghibli Diesel MY17 in mpg (l/100 km): Urban 36.7 (7.7), Extra Urban 57.6 (4.9), Combined 47.9 (5.9). CO2 emissions on combined cycle: 158 g/km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures are based on standard EU tests for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results.*Business Contract Hire. Maserati Ghibli MY17 V6d 4dr Auto (including mica paint at £660 and Urano alloy wheels at £2,205). Initial rental of £5,785, followed by 47 monthly rentals of £445, excl.

VAT & maintenance. Based on 9,000 miles pa. Excess mileage charges apply. Vehicles must be ordered and registered between 01/04/17 and 30/06/17. Subject to status. Guarantees may be required. Ts&Cs apply. Maserati Contract Hire, SL1 0WU.

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