Business Eye March April 2019

Issue 187 Mar/April 2019 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

The Barclay Group Deliver Super Fast VoIP to Wilsons Auctions Features:

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Openreach… Plotting NI’s Digital Future

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BDO… At The Sharp End Of M&A Activity

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HISTORIC

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Jonny Petrie… Ulster Rugby’s New Chief

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Contents

Mar/April 2019 ISSUE 187

Cover Story

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Barclay Communications & The VoIP Revolution

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The Games Of Thrones Legacy It’s vital that Northern Ireland capitalises on the Game of Thrones factor, the region’s place as a key filming location for the smash hit HBO series. As the final season airs on our screens, ut has been announced that Banbridge will play host to the Game of Thrones Studio Tour from next summer.

Britt Megahay, Managing Director of our leading independent telecommunications company Barclay Communications, talks about the VoIP (voice over internet protocol) revolution and how his company has transformed itself over the years from a mobile phone dealer to an all-encompassing communications provider for business customers.

Tribute To Senator George Mitchell

Communications Infrastructure

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Openreach NI… Driving NI’s Digital Future Openreach is the new name for the large-scale engineering team that builds and maintains our broadband network in Northern Ireland. Business Eye meets Mairead Meyer, whose role as Managing Director here in Northern Ireland puts her at the head of a 750-strong team of engineers and support staff.

The American statesman who brokered the Good Friday Agreement will be feted at a special awards ceremony in Belfast on 14 May. The event takes place at La Mon House Hotel from 7.15 pm and is being organised by Co3, the leadership organisation for the third sector here in Northern Ireland.

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Cara Network Solutions….Connectivity Without Complexity

There’s a unique buzz of energy around the first floor of Danske Bank’s iconic headquarters building on Donegall Square West in the centre of Belfast. Once home to the bank’s largest Belfast branch, the ground floor area still plays host to a 21st century flagship branch operation but it’s also home to a centre which leads the way when it comes to developing new tech companies here in Northern Ireland.

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NIAVAC… Technology & The Art Of Presentation Belfast company NIAVAC has been at the forefront of audio-visual technology in Northern Ireland for many years, but continues to lead from the front when it comes to the very latest innovations in a fast-moving field.

Experienced operators Richard Finlay and Bertie Notley have teamed up to resurrect the tried and trusted Cara brand name (the old Cara was acquired by the BT Group back in 2006) to deliver a new breed of innovative network solutions to both business and the private sector across Northern Ireland.

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Belfast Cathedral… A Venue With A Difference

Young Enterprise

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BDO Northern Ireland… At The Leading Edge For M&A’s Mergers and acquisitions activity in the Northern Ireland corporate marketplace continues at a steady pace despite the obvious challenges of the wider economy.That’s according to Francis Martin and Shane Hall, the two men leading a dedicated eight-strong Corporate Finance team at BDO’s busy Belfast office.

A bold and brave step by the Church of Ireland has meant that Belfast’s St. Anne’s Cathedral is now welcoming more people than ever before. It has become the city’s latest and more innovative events venue, and it has already played unique host to a range of dinners, gala evenings and award events.

Holly Wilson is Belfast Cathedral’s youthful Events & Marketing Manager, responsible for promoting the building as a unique events space to the Northern Ireland business community.

Urolift… Relief For Prostate Sufferers Prostate problems can affect business and personal life for a wide age range of men here in Northern Ireland, but an effective remedy for some conditions is on offer from the area’s leading private health provider, Kingsbridge Private Hospital. Business Eye chats to a consultant urologist and one of his patients.

Eye on Communications

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Eye on Offices

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Eye on Sports Management

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Eye on Finance

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Eye on Personal Finance

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Eye on Leadership

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Eye on Events

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Eye on Technology

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Moving On

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Eye on Digital

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Eye on Transport

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Eye on Motoring

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

Editor Richard Buckley Commercial Director Brenda Buckley

Business Development Manager Ciara Donnelly

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

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Catalyst Fintech Hub…Setting A New Agenda

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As each month passes, it would be nice to be able to reflect on the future of Northern Ireland post-Brexit. To be able to mention the prospect of a return to the Stormont administration perhaps.

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“It does look as though we’re going to be stuck with a climate of uncertainty through the spring, into the summer and beyond.

And there ain’t nothing we can do about it.”

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o be able to think about how we might apply ourselves once again to growing and developing the local economy.

But it’s not to be. Brexit continues to dominate as the expense of everything else. There are no cross-party talks. There are no talks of any kind. Parliament Buildings at Stormont stands like a giant white elephant of a building overlooking the city of Belfast. And the Brexit shambles rumbles on... and on... and on.

However, for those of us in the Northern Ireland business community who are in no rush to see Brexit transpiring (…and that’s the vast, vast majority of us), things could be a whole lot worse this April.

Had the Brexiteers and our own DUP MP’s had their way, we would have been a couple of weeks into a new future out of the European Union. But the 29th of March, in the end, turned out to be just like any other Friday. And 11 pm came and went without any fanfare or any fireworks.

As things stand, April 12th will pass in very much the same way, and all likelihood, the 22nd May will be no different. Whilst the disaster that is a No Deal Brexit can’t officially be discounted as a possibility, other scenarios look most likely.

Almost inevitably now, Brexit will be postponed in some way or another. If Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn can cobble together a deal that can get through the House of Commons, then there’s a chance that we could have a soft Brexit sooner rather than later. But this continues to look like an outside bet.

A more likely scenario, unfortunately, is a General Election. It’s not really what anyone wants or needs, unless you’re Mr. Corbyn. But it’s looming ever larger on the political horizon.

What happens at any election and what happens after an election really is anyone’s guess.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

Uncertainty like this, as business organisations have been saying until they’re blue in the face, really isn’t good for business and the economy.

It presents business and the economy with the worst of all worlds. But it does look as though we’re going to be stuck with a climate of uncertainty through the spring, into the summer and beyond.

And there ain’t nothing we can do about it.

What’s the best option? A May/Corbyn agreement followed by a nice, comfy kind of Brexit over the next couple of months and a continuing close relationship with Europe. Probably. In that it offers the kind of feelgood factor that the economy is crying out for at the moment.

Or some might argue that a really long postponement of Brexit is preferable. And they might well be right. A second referendum, or People’s Vote, still has plenty of supporters.

But it’s hard to see how that option delivers any kind of certainty or stability.

And the same can be said of the most likely outcome, a General Election. It might change things, it might prove decisive... but it might not.

That said, while we wouldn’t wish yet another election of any kind on the people of Northern Ireland, it would give us one opportunity.

To tell the political party that has failed us so badly at Westminster in recent months what we think of them.

But would enough of us think that way? Probably not.

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T I TA N I C B E L F A S T. C O M

Eye on News

GLOBAL ACCOUNTING LEADER WELCOMED BACK TO BELFAST

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Feargal McCormack, President, Chartered Accountants Ireland; Shaun Kelly, COO, KPMG International; and Gerry Kelly, Broadcaster and Interviewerpictured at the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leadership Symposium in Belfast.

One of Northern Ireland’s most successful business leaders was welcomed back to Belfast to discuss leadership values, as well as the impact of Brexit and its potential effect on investment from the US.

haun Kelly, Chief Operating Officer of KPMG International, based in New York, spoke to an audience of 250 business leaders at the Chartered Accountants Ireland Leadership Symposium at the ICC in Belfast this morning.

Originally from Belfast, Mr Kelly is part of KPMG’s Global management team with responsibility for KPMG’s operations in 150 countries and their more than 200,000 people.

Speaking in Belfast this morning he said: “Leadership and ethics in business are more important now than they have ever been. The bedrock of business has to be trust and integrity.”

On the issue of Brexit, Mr Kelly said: “This is where leaders have to step up.

Leaders are elected or appointed to make the right decisions and I believe that Chartered Accountants have an important role to play in helping people to plan ahead and helping businesses to adapt.

“Whatever the political solution to

Brexit may be, my strong belief from a business standpoint is that the more we can have open borders, mobility of capital and mobility of people, the easier it is to drive economic growth and create jobs”.

On the prospects of US investment into Northern Ireland Mr Kelly said: “We are still seeing a good stream of investment coming into Northern Ireland from the US. Local politicians can do a very powerful job of communicating the opportunity for global businesses. The uncertainty of not having a Northern Ireland Executive does make it more difficult to show that Northern Ireland politicians are focused on business and supporting business investment.

“There are tremendous opportunities for Northern Ireland as an investment location. We must ensure that we invest in education at all levels to make sure that Northern Ireland has the people with the relevant skills that overseas investors are looking for.”

Phoenix Accredited a Responsible Business to its CORE Phoenix Natural Gas has achieved silver CORE accreditation from Business in the Community.

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Managing Director of Business in the Community, Kieran Harding, is pictured presenting the accreditation to Phoenix Natural Gas Chief Executive, Michael McKinstry.

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ORE is Northern Ireland’s only corporate responsibility standard and is a framework for identifying and measuring corporate responsibility activity and performance across organisations.

In achieving the accreditation, Phoenix Natural Gas has shown evidence of strong procedures that drive performance forward in all the key corporate responsibility areas of People, Planet and Place.

Phoenix Natural Gas is among five companies to achieve the CORE accreditation this year.

Michael McKinstry, Phoenix Natural Gas Chief Executive Officer, said, “Since arriving in Northern Ireland just over 20 years ago, natural gas has lit up the path to a greener future for local energy consumers. Today, Phoenix provides over 210,000 households with an energy source that has removed over 7.5 million tonnes of CO2 from the environment, the equivalent carbon saving of 350,000 cars removed from Northern Ireland’s roads.

“Phoenix is proud of its environmental credentials as is the focus it puts on corporate social responsibility. For us, CSR

is entwined with the business strategy, sitting comfortably alongside a long-term, sustainable business which is creating real economic, social and environmental value.

“Driven from the top, corporate responsibility is embedded at every level in the organisation and embraced by all staff. It’s this transformational approach that we believe identifies us as an organisation that embodies responsible business, as evidenced by Phoenix being a dominant award winner in previous accolades from Business in the Community for Corporate Responsibility excellence.

“We are delighted to now add CORE accreditation to our achievements in responsible business and to have our work in this area recognised as being among the very best in Northern Ireland. Through our membership with Business in the Community and the CORE Standard for Responsible Business, we will continue to benchmark ourselves and seek additional new ways to add real value to the people, planet and places that we serve.”

Eye on News

McConville Makes His Mark In Local Property Scene

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rian McConville, Chairman of local businesses MJM Marine, Mivan and Topglass is set to make his mark in the local property scene.

He has ambitious plans for an iconic building on the corner of Donegall Square East in Belfast City Centre which was originally built in 1830 by ship-owner John Workman and now has come full circle in the ownership of a family who specialise in refitting some of the world’s largest cruise ships.

The new scheme at Clarence Chambers will see the town houses restored to their former glory, retaining the historic existing feature of the building but allowing for a sensitive modernisation to meet current office and retail needs.

Building on Belfast’s rich legacy of heritage architecture, the McConville’s plan to deliver premium office accommodation in

Clarence Chambers as well as restaurants, cafes and leisure offerings. This will also be the case in Pearl Assurance House at the opposite side of the square with both buildings aiming to support the core of Belfast centre as a premier destination.

Plans for the refurbishment and restoration of Pearl Assurance House were submitted to Planning in the last couple of weeks.

This building will be fully restored and reconfigured to offer a mix of retail, office and residential accommodation.

Brian McConville said, “We are very excited at the prospect of bringing these two extremely important heritage buildings in Belfast City Centre back to life. The maritime history associated with Clarence is one of the things that first drew our attention to it. This history is in our blood as we recently celebrated 35 years in MJM delivering refit services to the marine sector. Last year we

brought our first cruise ship refit to Belfast which was another personal project I have pursued for a long time. We have very ambitious plans to continue to be part of bringing the ship repair and refit business back to being synonymous with Belfast.”

He continued, “This week we also submitted plans for a Medical Village in Rathfriland to Armagh Banbridge Craigavon Council. This project, to deliver first class healthcare facilities, in my home town is one which I am particularly proud of and which, if successful, will transform the locality.

“In Newry we are waiting on final sign off from DFI Roads Service for a housing scheme comprising 200 homes which was passed by Newry Mourne and Down Council before Christmas. These are exciting times for us and our team and we continue to invest in Northern Ireland despite the political uncertainty.”

Brian McConville is Chairman of global marine outfitting business, MJM Marine, Mivan specialist joinery and high-end interior fitout business and Topglass specialist glass company which he and his family acquired in 2018.

Eye on News

5G Technology to Boost Northern Ireland Economy by up to £283m by 2025

New research from Barclays Corporate Banking shows that 5G could supercharge Northern Ireland’s economy by up to £283m per year by 2025 – but the opportunity could be missed because industry leaders still do not know enough about the benefits of investing in the technology.

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he report 5G: A Transformative Technology analyses a series of potential scenarios that businesses across the UK could face when implementing 5G. Under an ‘optimistic scenario’, which anticipates an accelerated rollout of 5G and an enhanced uptake amongst UK businesses and consumers, Northern Ireland will see a £283m increase in business revenue by 2025.

A slower-than-anticipated rollout and limited use would deliver around £141m of added revenue to Northern Ireland, while with the expected

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pace of development added revenue would reach £229m.

Meanwhile, under the optimistic scenario, the business areas set to see the largest revenue increases across the UK are distribution (£3.6bn), manufacturing (£2bn), professional services (£1.1bn) and business services (£1bn).

The diverse range of sectors set to see a boost to revenue is a testament to the wide applications of 5G technology.

The optimistic scenario could be a reality for UK businesses, as mobile providers are already beginning to introduce 5G capabilities on a large scale

this year, with BT’s mobile network EE aiming for a Belfast launch later this year.

The UK Government is also supporting 5G by incorporating it into its Industrial Strategy, having pledged £1bn towards digital infrastructure. The bidding process for 5G licences, meanwhile, opened to the telecoms industry last year.

According to recent CBI statistics, superfast coverage, based on a minimum 30Mbps download speed, presently stands at 88% in Northern Ireland. This is behind other regions in the UK: England has the highest superfast coverage (94%), followed by Wales (92%) and Scotland (91%). All regions fall short of the 95% coverage target set by UK Government.

5G can further enhance business operations through benefits including peak data rates 20 times faster

than 4G and simultaneous connections for one million devices per square kilometre.

The extreme speed paves the way for innovations in artificial intelligence, robotics and largescale Internet of Things (IoT) usage. For businesses, this means more extensive machineto-machine communications, using self-driving vehicles and better overall infrastructure – amongst other new applications.

Despite the demand for current communications technologies and the potential applications for 5G, the Barclays survey found just 33% of business decision makers in Northern Ireland know how their business s can make the most of 5G. When it comes to preparing for 5G, only20% of Northern Ireland businesses are actively considering how they will harness the new technology.

Adrian Doran, Head of Corporate Banking at Barclays Northern Ireland, comments: “The rollout of 5G offers a huge opportunity for Northern Ireland. We are seeing massive potential for business growth, which ultimately delivers a positive knock-on effect for the whole region. It is really encouraging to see that Belfast has been hand-picked as one of the first UK cities to benefit from the roll-out of BT’s EE 5G network later this year, however our research indicates that businesses do not yet clearly understand how this could benefit them in the long-run.

“Some of the key sectors investigated: manufacturing, professional services and business services are high growth sectors in Northern Ireland so it’s easy to see the potential benefits 5G could bring to our local economy.

“To ensure Northern Ireland can realise the full potential of an accelerated rollout, the Government, mobile operators and other corporate partners – including financial institutions – have a job to do to raise awareness amongst businesses so they can harness the economic benefits of 5G.”

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Eye on News

Local Schools Take On The ‘Moy Park Enterprise Challenge’ For The Ninth Year

Northern Ireland’s leading education charity, Young Enterprise NI, has teamed up with top food company Moy Park to inspire primary school students to get involved in business and enterprise.

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ow in its ninth year, ‘the Moy Park Challenge’ sees Young Enterprise and Moy Park partner to deliver an entrepreneurship masterclass to students. The programme allows young people to participate in an interactive, business-related competition designed to inspire their creativity and entrepreneurial skills while also testing their marketing skills and learning how to formulate business plans.

During the events, pupils from schools in the Craigavon and Dungannon areas presented their marketing campaign, took part in interactive business challenges and learned more about the food industry.

Commenting on the partnership

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with Young Enterprise, Brian Moreland, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Moy Park said: “We are delighted to support young people in our local communities and to be working with Young Enterprise on the Moy Park Challenge again this year.

This venture is a great opportunity to engage with local children in a positive and productive way, and the Moy Park Challenge helps educate them on how business works and the vast range of interesting, rewarding careers

available in the agri-food industry.”

Carol Fitzsimons MBE, Chief Executive at Young Enterprise Northern Ireland, added: “We are delighted once again to partner with Moy Park in delivering this programme. It is fantastic to see such a successful local business encouraging innovation and we hope that the competition will inspire the next generation of young entrepreneurs and help them consider self-employment or a career within the Agri food Industry as viable and rewarding options.”

honeycomb.jobs

Eye on News

Titanic Belfast Named First In Ireland Titanic Belfast has won the Ireland Excellence Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM).

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he EFQM Excellence Award is one of Europe’s most prestigious award for organisational excellence and is awarded only to organisations who can demonstrate the highest operational standards across all facets of its business. Titanic Belfast is now recognised amongst the leading companies in Europe.

A team of 3 assessors from EFQM visited Titanic Belfast to review its procedures and practices in innovation, excellence, continuous development and policies to maintain its achievements. The team commended Titanic Belfast’s efforts which

contribute to realising its vision.

The Centre for Competitiveness’ Chief Executive Bob Barbour commented: “We are delighted to award Titanic Belfast with the Ireland Excellence Award, as it recognises its success at building best practice and embedding excellence into their organisation. It also showcases the company as a role model to other organisations within the tourism and hospitality sector.”

TBL International’s Chief Executive, Judith Owens, commented, “In seven years, Titanic Belfast has welcomed over 5 million visitors from over 145 countries, including Her Majesty The Queen, USA Presidential candidate of State Hillary Clinton and the discoverer of Titanic, Dr Robert Ballard, hosted 2,000 events, and won the prestigious World Leading Tourist Attraction title bringing the title to Ireland for the first time ever. This award is very special to us as it recognises the company, our practices internally

and externally across all areas as our business, as best practice nationally and internationally, therefore we are extremely proud of this.”

The tourist attraction in the

first five years, generated £160 million in additional tourism spend for the Northern Ireland economy. For more information, visit www.titanicbelfast.com.

TBL International Directors, Judith Owens, Siobhan Lynch and Michele Scott celebrate the EFQM Excellence Ireland Award with Titanic Belfast’s Senior Executive Team.

For more info: email Apprenticeships@belfastmet.ac.uk, call 028 9026 5219 or visit www.belfastmet.ac.uk/apprenticeships

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Eye on News

Game Of Thrones Attraction Set For Banbridge The first attraction from the Game of Thrones Legacy project in Northern Ireland, The Game of Thrones Studio Tour at Linen Mill Studios, Banbridge, Co. Down, is due to open its gates for visitors in Spring 2020.

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he Game of Thrones Studio Tour, comprising the breathtaking imagery, captivating sets, original props and costumes, and other behind-the-scenes items from the hit HBO series Game of Thrones, will drop fans in the very heart of the Seven Kingdoms. Guests will be treated to an up-close and personal look at a wide selection of items pulled straight from the screen and have the opportunity to walk through authentic set pieces from some of the show’s most iconic scenes.

In collaboration with HBO Licensing & Retail, Linen Mill Studios are designing and building the new 110,000-squarefoot interactive experience.

In anticipation of the tour’s opening in Spring 2020, a world-class creative team are working closely with Linen Mill Studios and HBO to bring the dynamic environments of both Westeros and Essos to life in a new format. The deeply immersive and sensory experience will evoke the show’s magnificence from King’s Landing, Winterfell, Dragonstone, The Wall and the lands beyond, to kingdoms across the Narrow Sea like Mereen and Braavos. The Game of

Thrones Studio Tour will allow fans from around the world to experience the craftsmanship and artistry of the Game of Thrones production team as part of the largest authentic public display of Game Of Thrones artifacts in the world.

The Studio Tour will also feature a first-of-its-kind collection of informative displays highlighting the production spaces and the craftsmanship and artistry of the creative teams who brought the epic series to life. Information about Production Design and the Art Department workshops will enhance the visitor experience along with an interactive Costume Department station, displays about the Make-up and Prosthetics Shop, The Armoury, and others.

“It is our sincere pleasure to announce the first attraction from the Game of Thrones Legacy project in Northern Ireland. Some of the most iconic scenes from Game of Thrones were filmed at Linen Mill Studios and our fans will soon have an opportunity to visit and see the work of the show’s incredible crew in the museum setting it deserves,” said Jeff Peters, vice president, licensing & retail, HBO.

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WH O’S W RI T I N G T H E N EXT C H A P T E R O F YO U R COMPA N Y’S SUCC ESS?

Eye on News

Employers Urged To Sign-Up To The Active Travel Challenge

Lynda Hurley, Safe and Sustainable Travel Division, Department for Infrastructure, David Tumilty, Health & Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager, PHA, Una Carson, Employee Support Officer, Translink and Krysten Maier, Active Travel Officer, Sustans are pictured at the launch of the Active Travel Challenge.

Employers across Northern Ireland are being encouraged to sign-up to the Active Travel Challenge for a healthier and more environmentallyfriendly commute.

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he Department for Infrastructure, Public Health Agency, Sustrans and Translink have joined forces to launch the new initiative.

Throughout June, employers are asked to encourage staff to leave the car at home and walk, cycle or take public transport for some of their journeys to, from and during work.

Participants log their ‘active travel’ journeys online and can compete with colleagues and other companies to see who makes the most journeys.

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Each week of the month will have a different ‘active travel’ theme with a range of prizes and incentives up for grabs to motivate employees to join the challenge. Encouraging organisations to get involved, Translink’s Employee Support Officer Una Carson said: “Following the success of Translink’s Corporate Challenge over the past 3 years which saw employers encourage staff to use the bus or train for their daily commute, we have set the bar even higher in 2019, joining with partner agencies to deliver a monthlong active travel challenge that kicks off with Bus + Train Week.

“Research shows that people who take public transport are more active, clocking up additional steps and burning more calories as they walk to and from the bus or train.

By incentivising staff to travel more actively throughout June, employers can help improve the health and wellbeing of workers, whilst reducing traffic congestion and creating better air quality for everyone who lives here.”

Steven Patterson, Sustrans Delivery Manager, added: “Many commuters spend a large chunk of their day sitting in traffic jams. We believe you can combine active travel into all or part of your daily commute. We are really keen to attract the ordinary, mainly sedentary worker to take part and enjoy the difference getting active as part of your daily routine can make to your life. The Active Travel Challenge is a great way to get started.”

Brendan Bonner, Assistant Director of Public Health, Health Improvement at the PHA, said: “This partnership initiative is a fantastic opportunity for workers across NI to use the month of June to try out active travel as a means of commuting to work and we would encourage people to embrace active travel as part of their daily lives.

“Building active travel into your working day through walking and cycling can help contribute to meeting the Chief Medical Officers’ recommended amount of physical

activity of 150 minutes each week.

“Research shows that people who are physically active can reduce their risk of developing chronic conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer and respiratory conditions. It can also improve sleep, help maintain a healthy weight and reduce stress and anxiety.”

Find out more about signing-up to the Active Travel Challenge by visiting https://atc.getmeactive.org.uk/ or emailchallenge@sustrans.org.uk.

Keep up-to-date with all the latest ATC action on social media using #GetMeActiveNI.

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Eye on Apprenticeships

Employers to Tap Into Future Talent Pool at Belfast Met Apprenticeship Careers Fair

With a vision to nurture the talent and ambition of local students, Belfast Met is engaging employers and students at an upcoming apprenticeship careers event to be hosted jointly by the College’s Centre for Skills & Apprenticeships and Careers Service.

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aking place at the College’s e3 campus at Springvale on 28th March from 4-7pm, the Apprenticeship Careers Fair and Open Day will provide employers with the opportunity to meet their future talent pool as well as increase awareness of the career prospects and live apprenticeship vacancies they have available to those seeking career options.

With 25-30 companies in attendance, the event provides an ideal opportunity for students to meet face-to-face

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with employers who recruit apprentices and talk to them directly about career opportunities within their organisation.

Students will also have the chance to meet College Skills Support Coaches and staff who will support them throughout the duration of their apprenticeship course, as well as get further advice on minimum entry requirements for individual courses, what to expect in relation to the admission process and next steps.

A mix of Apprenticeship and

Higher Level Apprenticeships courses, fully funded by the Department of Economy NI, will be on offer across a range of industry areas including IT, Accountancy, Business Administration, Bakery, Hospitality and Construction.

Mark Dorman, Belfast Met Employer Engagement Manager said: “Apprenticeships combine all the key components students need to successfully kick start their career and set the foundations for future progression. Each apprenticeship course combines relevant qualifications and skills development with ‘on the job’ training, allowing students to ‘earn as they learn’ from day one.

“As well as our students, we’re inviting local schools to attend with the aim of reaching those who may not yet have made a decision on post GCSE or A level options.

Apprenticeships can be a very

valid post degree option for those whose academic profile does not match their career ambition.”

All Apprenticeship courses are open to 16-24 year olds with some options such as Higher Level Apprenticeships open to all who have achieved minimum school leaving age and upwards. For those still not sure of their options or what course to apply for, Belfast Met Careers Service will be available on the day to give advice.

Employers attending the open day include Hastings Hotel Group, Mivan, Black Box Fitness, NIE Networks, BDO, Deloitte, Translink, Ulster Bank, Allen & Overy and French Village Bakery.

For further information about the event please email apprenticeships@belfastmet.ac.uk

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Eye on News

Power NI Throws A Spotlight On Young Athletes Pictured launching the initiative are (l-r) Gemma-Louise Bond and Stephen McCully from Power NI with Lady Mary Peters.

Sports charity The Mary Peters Trust, has joined forces with leading energy company Power NI to launch a new community athletes programme which will provide funding bursaries for three young athletes, helping them get on track to achieve their sporting ambitions.

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ewly appointed as a Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Lady Mary explained the background to the six-month Power NI partnership: “We’re thrilled to partner with Power NI for this new community initiative which will provide three of our young people with a £2000 funding award each to help them further develop and improve their training and preparations for competitions and races in their various sporting disciplines.

“Funding support to help talented and hard-working athletes reach their potential has never been more important and I’m immensely grateful to Power NI for their financial contributions. A selection process is underway, and our three recipients,

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who will also become Power NI community sporting ambassadors, will be announced during April.”

In addition to the athletes support programme, the Power NI partnership also provides financial support to ongoing Mary Peters Trust fundraising activities including a Sport Inspires lunch event and Lady Mary’s upcoming 80th Birthday Gala Dinner at Titanic Belfast on Friday 31st May. The Grand Ball is one of a series of events to raise cash for ‘Mary’s Race to a Million’ campaign. Launched two years ago, the initiative is more than two thirds of the way to reaching the £1million target which will safeguard funding and support for Northern Ireland’s future high-performance sports people and medal hopefuls.

Since its inception after Mary Peter’s Olympic gold medal win at the 1972 Munich games, the Mary Peters Trust has impacted hugely on the sporting lives of thousands of young sports men and women both able-bodied and disabled. ‘Mary’s Race to a Million’ will help to continue that legacy for future decades.

Stephen McCully, Managing Director of Power NI said, supporting the Mary Peters Trust was a wonderful opportunity and represented a real synergy alongside Power NI’s existing community programmes.

“We already reach out to local communities through our new Brighter Communities funding programme and our staff led Helping Hands initiative and to partner this year with the Mary Peters Trust is providing us with a mechanism to give practical help to young sporting talent of the future.

“Lady Mary and the Trust Board have done an excellent job over the past four decades giving young people a real step up to various sporting podiums. The Mary Peters Trust alumni is amazing, featuring incredible names such as gymnast

Rhys McClenaghan, golf icon Graeme McDowell, swimmer Bethany Firth, Paralympians Michael McKillop and Kelly Gallagher, hockey star Zoe Wilson and boxers Michael Conlan, Paddy Barnes and Carl Frampton.

“At Power NI we want to play our part in helping three young people realise their sporting ambitions as well as support Lady Mary in all the work that she does for her Trust.

Sport plays such an important role in any society whether at grass roots or Olympic champion level. Northern Ireland sporting successes in recent years really has helped inspire everyone from businesses to the general public and we do reap the economic benefits of sport through tournaments such as this July’s Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush.”

For more information on the Mary Peters Trust visit https:// marypeterstrust.org/ and to apply for Power NI’s Brighter Communities funding programme go to https:// powerni.co.uk/brightercommunities/

Eye on Cover Story

The Barclay Group brings Super-Fast VoIP to Wilsons Auctions With the official demise of traditional fixed line systems on the horizon, it’s hardly surprising that more and more NI businesses are switching to VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone systems.

T

he Barclay Group, Northern Ireland’s largest independent telecommunications company is at the forefront of this revolution.

As a £22 million turnover operation with more than 200 staff, Barclay offers VoIP systems to a wide range of business customers with demand rising rapidly.

“There is no doubt that VoIP is the future when it comes to company communications systems,” says The Barclay Group’s Managing Director Britt Megahey. “Companies here, like everywhere else, are changing the way they manage their communication requirements, moving towards mobility, ease of use and flexibility. Traditional fixed line systems, increasingly, are becoming a thing of the past.”

Megahey is one of the industries most experienced. He set up his first mobile phone shop in Larne, Co. Antrim, more than 23 years ago and the company has experienced impressive growth.

The ability to diversify its product range from mobile services to becoming a leading VoIP supplier, whilst introducing solutions such as WorkPal ( a workflow management software) shows the award winning

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company has chosen wisely and strategically throughout its years.

The Group is headquartered in Belfast but has offices in both Glasgow and Dublin, and some 60% of its business is now acquired outside of Northern Ireland. With the ongoing company expansion, it has created 35 new jobs within the past couple of months to help cope with increasing demand.

“VoIP is designed to replace the phone systems that organisations use to connect internally and externally to the public network.”

In a nutshell, a VoIP phone system routes telephone calls via the internet rather than traditional phone lines. That means a clear cost saving (on average 60%), is only one major advantage of switching to VoIP for business customers.

But, as William Redpath, one of several experienced Product Managers at Barclay, explains, it’s

the flexibility and added features of our VoIP system that adds even more value for businesses.

“VoIP is designed to replace the phone systems that organisations use to connect internally and externally to the public network,” he says. “But our systems come with a host of features like call recording, conference calling, reliable video conferencing, auto attendant, detailed call reporting, phone directories to name but a few.

“Remote users, such as employees who telecommute or work at client locations, can easily access the system and it integrates with mobile devices so that users are not tied down or feel disconnected to their office.”

There’s not only a commercial imperative behind the increasing number of companies switching to VoIP technology.

The announced plans to cease analogue lines in the UK by 2025, effectively shutting the traditional telephone network and moving customers towards data technology poses exciting times.

All phone calls will eventually be made over broadband using a VoIP system, and the old system of wholesale line rental and associated products will be phased out.

Mitchell Millar also a Product Manager for The Group advises: “It’s all part of the move from analogue to digital which has been ongoing for several years. In fact, from later next year, BT plan to not sell any new fixed lines as part of the build up towards 2025.”

John Ardill, General Manager at Wilsons Auctions and Britt Megahey, Managing Director at The Barclay Group

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Eye on Cover Story

An auction from Wilsons Auctions

“Many of the UK and Europe’s largest organisations have already moved towards VoIP telephony systems. In some cases their employees don’t have any hard plastic on their desks at all... in other words no physical landline presence and instead utilise the software and softphone applications in totality.”

benefits and extra features that are available to them once their Gamma systems are up and running.”

Mitchell continues to explain: “It is a fast and reliable system first and foremost, it can cut phone costs by more than half and it can also be deployed as a very effective management information tool for

“Wilsons Auctions can handle some 1300 or more phone calls each and every day.

So what is important for them is that they have a fast, reliable, effective phone system which means every call is answered and managed in the right way.”

The Barclay Group supplies, installs and maintains IP systems from the UK’s market-leading cloud communications specialists Gamma, whose Horizon systems deliver an extensive range of telephony capabilities via an easy to use web portal.

“When we say that these systems are easy to understand and use, we mean it. Our customers have quickly discovered the many

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call recording, reporting and analysis.

A system and solution designed to appeal to all levels of any business.”

A high profile company making use of The Barclay Group’s VoIP technology is Wilsons Auctions, a Mallusk based company with operations across 18 sites throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland.

Very similar to The Barclay Group, the company has grown rapidly

over recent years, becoming the largest independent auction company in the British Isles, and has developed an area of specialisation in the field of storage and sale of criminal and government assets.

“Wilsons Auctions can handle some 1300 or more phone calls each and every day,” says Britt Megahey. “So what is important for them is that they have a fast, reliable, effective phone system which means every call is answered and managed in the right way.

“Our VoIP solution puts the customer back in control of their phone systems. The technology can be customised exactly how the customer wants it in each and every situation.”

John Ardill General Manager of Wilsons Auctions Head Office continues to elaborate: “Britt and the Barclay team have been trusted suppliers, across several solutions to Wilsons Auctions for many years. Their attention to detail, clear price delivery and exceptional service meant Barclay were an easy choice as our new VoIP supplier” “As we have become more reliant on our landline system it

was imperative that everything ran smoothly and efficiently.

William, Mitchell and the team at Barclay were fantastic. From planning the flow of how we wanted calls routed, liaising with different managers and staff through to being on each site via a strategic rollout to ensure systems were operational and staff trained on their new solution. I really couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

The Barclay Group’s Managing Director explains that these are exciting times for his company.

“Telecoms has always been a fast-moving industry, but it’s changing faster now than it has ever done,” he says. “We’re at the cutting edge of today’s business communications technology. The VoIP revolution is a case in point.

Therefore we’re very well placed to help any size of business, across any sector, maximise their business communications seamlessly from mobile through to office systems.

We believe once you see and integrate with this new technology you too will become an ambassador and in doing so will change the way you do business for the better.

Eye on Awards

Join the Celebrations as we honour Senator George Mitchell The American statesman who brokered the Good Friday Agreement will be feted at a special awards ceremony in Belfast on 14 May.

S

enator George Mitchell is to receive an Honorary Award for Leadership and Peacebuilding in Northern Ireland from CO3, the leadership organisation for the Third Sector.

The event, which is sponsored

by Ecclesiastical Insurance will be held at the La Mon House Hotel from 7.15pm. It is open to all and tables are now available.

At the dinner he will be sharing his insights into leadership and peace-making and there will be the opportunity for guests to ask him for his reflections on both past and present challenges.

Senator Mitchell was appointed US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland in 1995.

Following the failure to set up devolution, he acted as a facilitator in the review of the deadlocked process, helping to find a way to implement an inclusive power-sharing executive and the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons.

He was universally praised for his patience, charm and scrupulous impartiality and also for how quickly he grasped the intricacies and nuances of Northern Ireland politics.

He brought all of his skills to the process, devoting years of his life to helping to promote peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

He later wrote that when the Good Friday Agreement

was signed: “I took a deep breath and felt tears welling in my eyes. I had to sit down.”

Nora Smith, chief executive of CO3 said: “This is a unique opportunity for civic and business leaders to honour, hear from and engage with one of the world’s most distinguished statesmen. And as we lurch into further uncertainty, with no Executive or Assembly and with Brexit, he could not be coming at a more appropriate time.

When we look back at what Senator Mitchell played such a leading part in achieving, his extraordinary ability to bring people together seems even more remarkable. We owe him a great debt of gratitude and we need leaders like that today.

“As we lurch into further uncertainty, with no Executive or Assembly and with Brexit, he could not be coming at a more appropriate time.”

This will be a very special night and there will be other special guests with insights and memories to share of his wonderful work here.

There are still tables available for this unique and wonderful black tie dinner with Senator George Mitchell. It is a fantastic opportunity to engage with leaders from across the private and public sectors and to hear first-hand the leadership journey of a global statesman”.

To book your table or individual tickets please contact us at rachel@co3.bz or tel 028 90 245356 for further information.

For further information please visit the CO3 website www.co3.bz

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Eye on Finance

CLOSE - alternative finance knowledge Close Brothers Commercial Finance is a well-established provider of business funding. Since opening their doors in Ireland over a decade ago, the lender has enabled thousands of SMEs to keep trading and achieve their growth ambitions.

H

owever, many small and medium sized businesses remain unaware of funding options outside of traditional banking methods, says Ciaran McAreavey, Managing Director.

“While invoice finance and asset based lending solutions are gaining traction, there remains a proportion of businesses who are unable to benefit from these funding options simply because they are unaware of them,” he says.

Close Brothers research recently found that less than half of SME decision makers in the UK and Ireland are aware of invoice finance and less than a third know about asset based lending. Furthermore, 27% admitted they were not familiar with any alternatives to traditional banking at all.

“We’re focused on increasing knowledge so that we can extend support to new companies and encourage the Irish market to thrive,” McAreavey explains.

“In these uncertain times, it is vital to maintain momentum, and we are well placed to help businesses keep pushing forward.”

“We know from experience that every SME is unique and that there is no one-size-fits-all product when it comes to commercial funding. Once businesses have a basic understanding of all their finance options, we can work together to ensure they choose the one that will work hardest for them. All of our products

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are designed to be flexible, and we can tailor solutions to meet specific client needs.”

The products that Close Brothers offers often prove popular during more turbulent periods. By securing borrowing against existing assets, companies can ensure that their finances are manageable and will adapt with their commercial needs.

“In these uncertain times, it is vital to maintain momentum, and we are well placed to help businesses keep pushing forward.”

Invoice finance gives B2B companies access to cash tied up in their unpaid customer invoices. Close Brothers pays the borrower up to 90% of the value of their invoices as soon as they are raised, and once the invoice has been settled, they pay out the remaining balance less an agreed fee. This increases cash flow as required, and grows in line with turnover, so the same facility can sustain a firm as its business expands.

Asset based lending takes the borrowing a step further. It combines invoice finance with

cash released against other assets, such as property, plant and machinery, and stock. By doing this, it offers higher levels of funding than many other lending products and is commonly used by larger companies for facilitating strategic plans such as an acquisition or merger.

“It’s incredibly rewarding to see businesses succeed using the funding methods we offer.

Our research highlights a lack of knowledge regarding alternative finance, but it also suggests that there are more SMEs in Ireland that we can support,” McAreavey adds.

“Anyone who is interested in finding out more should arrange a meeting with one of our experienced specialists who will take time to understand your goals and explain your options. We can give you the information and solutions you need to thrive both today and over the long-term.”

Close Brothers Close Brothers is a UK merchant banking group providing lending, deposit taking, wealth management services, and securities trading. Close Brothers Group plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a member of the FTSE 250. Close Brothers Commercial Finance is a trading style of Close Brothers Limited in Ireland.

Find out more about Close Brothers’ specialist finance options today at www. closecommercialfinance.ie

ARE YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS CAUSING YOU STRESS? We understand how difficult it is to stay ahead of the competition and to keep driving the bottom line. Everything we do is based on overcoming our customers’ challenges, bringing fresh ideas to position businesses for growth.

So that’s one less thing for you to worry about.

(P.S. Stop chewing that pencil!)

Eye on Communications

Openreach...

Driving Northern Ireland’s Digital Future

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Eye on Communications

Driving Northern Ireland’s Digital Future. It’s a bold claim, but it’s one that Openreach feels confident in making as the organisation continues to roll out Superfast and Ultrafast fibre broadband across the region.

I

f Openreach is a new name to you, or a relatively new name, you’re not alone.

It’s been used across the Irish Sea for some years, but it’s only now that the Openreach name is being deployed here.

We’re meeting with Openreach’s Managing Director six months on since the rollout of a major rebrand programme to launch the Openreach brand in Northern Ireland, following a long history operating as the engineering division of BT in the region.

“Openreach is the new name for the large-scale engineering team that builds and maintains our broadband network in Northern Ireland. Same people as before, but a new name,” says Mairead Meyer, whose role as Managing Director here in Northern Ireland puts her at the head of a 750-strong team of engineers and support staff.

“Whichever communications supplier you buy your broadband, data and TV services from, you’ll probably be using the Openreach network,” Mairead explains. “It’s up to us to bring the fibre or copper lines to local homes and businesses, and most of the main communications providers use this open access network to connect their customers to the services.”

So, whether you’re paying bills to Sky, BT or any of a host of others, you’ll be reliant on the Openreach network, its technology and its engineering team. It’s something to bear in mind when you spot a freshly-branded Openreach van out on the road in your area.

we’re still ahead of the game. But it’s crucial that we stay there.”

Superfast Fibre Broadband coverage in NI is now at more than 88% and Openreach is now building even faster more reliable, more future-proofed next generation Fibre-to-thePremises (FTTP) broadband technology – where fibre optic cables are laid from a local exchange directly to customers’ front doors. The company is on track to equip 25% of homes and businesses with FTTP by the end of the calendar year.

Belfast, meanwhile, is one of the first cities of its size to benefit from Openreach’s Fibre

“Today’s digital economy is all about being competitive and having the best available technology at our fingertips and that’s exactly what we’re working hard to deliver for Northern Ireland.”

“We are committed to building the infrastructure that this region needs to stay at the forefront of broadband innovation and to compete in the global digital economy. Northern Ireland has long been ahead of the game, and

First programme, which will see FTTP or ‘full fibre’ reach 3million homes and businesses across the UK by 2020.

The Crumlin, Falls, Shankill, Shore Road, Malone Road, Ormeau Road, Lisburn Road and

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Eye on Communications Upper Newtownards Road areas in Belfast will be the first in the city to be hooked up with fibre connections providing speeds of up to 1Gbps... and that’s more than 20 times faster than the current UK average of 46Mbps.

“The advantages for businesses here are fairly obvious,” says Mairead Meyer. “Today’s digital economy is all about being competitive and having the best available technology at our fingertips and that’s exactly what we’re working hard to deliver for Northern Ireland.”

A graduate in electronics and electrical engineering from Queen’s University, Mairead joined the BT group as a graduate engineer in 2004 and has worked across a number of departments, including a three-year spell based in Dublin with BT Ireland.

In more recent years, she headed up the group’s field engineering teams before becoming Managing Director of the newly renamed Openreach organisation based at the landmark Riverside Tower in the centre of Belfast.

Mairead’s office on the building’s 11th floor gives her a panoramic view of Belfast and its suburbs and it’s a view that is more relevant to her than to most other MD’s around the city. She can gaze out over the city and beyond and consider the job that lies in front of Openreach and its teams on the ground below.

“This is a job with plenty of challenges,” she smiles. “We’re in the midst of a big investment by any standards and a big-scale engineering challenge and that brings with it plenty of day to day challenges. A spell of really bad weather, maybe a big storm, and our agenda changes immediately.

And that’s just the start of it.

“But, on the other side of the coin, the end users out there expect their data-hungry devices to work.... their HD TV’s, their phones, tablets, their Alexas..... and everything else. They don’t want to hear the excuses. And no one, these days, has any patience for buffering or a service failure.”

She doesn’t come across as someone who is likely to baulk at the challenge. Mairead Meyer might be relatively young for

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“We’re proud that we’re delivering world-class digital infrastructure that can help form the backbone or economic growth and future investment in the economy here.”

a role of this nature, but she comes across as someone who knows exactly what she wants to achieve. And, unlike most of us, she understands how it can be delivered.

“It’s very exciting,” she says with obvious enthusiasm.

“With a large-scale project like this one, it’s relatively easy to see the results and chart the progress as it happens.”

The picture isn’t complete and nor is it likely to be for some time. Gaps remain when it comes to reliable broadband coverage in some of Northern Ireland’s more remote rural areas.

However, increasing the availability and speeds of the fibre broadband network is a priority for the business and Openreach is continuing to focus on delivering broadband in rural areas.

“I grew up in a rural community outside Maghera and understand not only the scale of the task in rural areas but how important connectivity is to many small businesses operating in rural

environments. We run several initiatives to address this and one such programme is our Community Fibre Partnership which aims to turn broadband black spots into hot spots by providing Ultrafast broadband to local communities.”

Whilst Openreach has invested heavily here, and will continue to do so, there is also significant government support for the broadband network investment.

That was boosted recently when Westminster announced a further £150 million for broadband provision under its Confidence & Supply Agreement with the DUP. Nationally, Belfast joins dozens of other locations across the UK that are part of Openreach’s multi-million-pound fibre investment programme.

Openreach is a £5.1 billion business with a headcount of more than 32,000 people across the UK and works on behalf of a staggering 620 communications suppliers, including big brand names like Sky, Talk Talk, Vodafone and BT.

That means managing 173 million kilometres of cable from the north of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall.....an inventory still growing and including cabling here running from the Causeway Coast to the border and from the Ards Peninsula to Fermanagh’s lakes.

“We’re proud that we’re delivering world-class digital infrastructure that can help form the backbone or economic growth and future investment in the economy here,” says Mairead Meyer.

“And we’re also very proud of the fact that we are recruiting from the local marketplace and providing talented people with good jobs and competitive salaries. We’re particularly proud of the fact that we’re employing more and more apprentices within Openreach.

“They’ll be here to help us continue to build a broadband network that Northern Ireland can be proud of.”

EXPAND YOUR SKILLS IN 2019 UPCOMING SPRING 2019 PROGRAMMES GRIT AND GRACE

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LEADERSHIP & NEGOTIATION

NEXT GENERATION LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME

Running: Duration:

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9th and 10th April 2019 2 days

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DRIVING BUSINESS GROWTH

MINI-MBA PROGRAMME

Running: Duration:

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28th and 29th May 2019 2 days

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“Fantastic course, very insightful and excellent delivery.”

How to get more information

Visit our website for the latest availability, dates and fees: www.leadershipinstitute.co.uk or contact us on: 028 9097 4394 or e-mail: leadershipinstitute@qub.ac.uk

Eye on Hospitality

Mount Juliet Estate Awarded 5 Stars

By Failte Ireland

Mount Juliet Estate, the magnificent 18th century walled estate overlooking the River Nore, is very proud to have been awarded a 5-star rating by Fáilte Ireland.

T

he accreditation reflects exceptional standards across its two properties, the 32-bedroom Manor House and newly-opened, 93-bedroom Hunter’s Yard hotel, Michelinstarred restaurant, the Lady Helen, Jack Nicklaus designed signature championship golf and activities such as fishing, falconry and stateof-the-art equestrian centre.

Mark Dunne, the newlyappointed general manager of Mount Juliet Estate, said: “We are extremely proud to have obtained a five star classification from Fáilte Ireland. This recognises the highest standards of excellence within the hospitality industry and it is a testament to the work of the entire team and exceptional

30

level of service that Mount Juliet Estate delivers on a daily basis.”

Under the command of Mount Juliet Estate’s Executive Chef Ken Harker and Head Chef John Kelly, contemporary fine dining restaurant, the Lady Helen, has retained its Michelin Star for 5 years in a row while The Hound in Hunter’s Yard, awarded a Michelin Plate, offers an informal dining experience. Sit for Afternoon Tea in the beautiful surroundings of the Manor House with views of Ballylinch Stud or a pre-dinner drink by the fire in the Major’s Bar. For nearly 300 years, Mount Juliet Estate has been recognised as one of Ireland’s finest country estates, a 5-star escape in the heart of Kilkenny’s beautiful countryside.

Eye on News

Paddy Power Chief Bets on Gender Diversity

Christine White, Head of Business at Diversity Mark NI, Gary McGann, Chairman of Paddy Power Betfair plc and Nichola Robinson, Chair of Diversity Mark NI at the Business of Diversity Lunch at the iconic Belfast Harbour Commissioners Harbour Office.

Over 160 of Northern Ireland’s CEO’s and senior business men and women, gathered on the 2nd of April, to attend The Business of Diversity Lunch, sponsored by All State at the iconic Belfast Harbour Commissioners Harbour Office.

T

he lunch, hosted by Diversity Mark NI and Women in Business NI, was an opportunity to highlight the significance of gender diversity and encourage organisations to make the changes necessary to bring about sustainable and significant improvements in women’s career progression and create environments that are fair and positive for everyone.

Gary McGann, Chairman of Paddy Power Betfair plc, former CEO of Aer Lingus and Smurfit Kappa, and former Non-Executive Director of the Anglo Irish Bank, was the keynote speaker who shared his passion and insights into the benefits of promoting gender diversity in businesses.

Recognised as one of Ireland’s most successful CEO’S, McGann spoke passionately on how changes in organisations are necessary if gender diversity is going to be implemented successfully into organisations.

Speaking at the event McGann said, “Seeking gender diversity in businesses is not simply about making up numbers, it is logical. There is a wealth of incredible talent on offer from women and there is no sense in businesses limiting their talent seeking to a tighter market.

“In all aspects of life, women are instrumental in making decisions.

Females have a huge input in the end market, so why are they missing in action in middle level decision making process? The reasons are threefold: there are not enough women putting themselves forward; females tend to hold themselves to higher standards; and the education process is preordained to position men in senior business roles.

“To tackle this imbalance, the tone must be set from the top.

Procedural processes must be implemented in the workplace to challenge inequality, to enable people to overcome barriers to gender equality.”

Speaking at the lunch event, Head of Business at Diversity Mark NI Christine White commented, “The time to act on gender inequality is now and we are calling on all businesses to assess their gender equality procedures. Organisations must seek to remove obstacles

faced by women at key points of career development and progression, implementing structural and cultural changes that help advance gender equality and put in place a strategy and an action plan to effect meaningful change.

“Diversity Mark NI’s Charter recognises that organisations cannot reach their full potential unless they benefit fully from the rich and wide-ranging talents and abilities of all their employees. A balanced workforce is good for business: it is good for customers; for profitability; and workplace culture.

“With 38 organisations now signed up for a Gender Diversity Charter Mark we are making strides to tackle disparity in the workplace and events such as todays are crucial in encouraging others to make the steps to developing an unbiased workplace to benefit everyone.”

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Eye on Events

IoD Women’s Leadership Conference Barclays Corporate Bank were proud to be an associate sponsor of the IoD’s Women’s Leadership Conference, held on International Women’s Day at Titanic Belfast.

Helen Kelly, Managing Director, Corporate Banking Ireland discussed leadership in hard times with a panel of female business leaders. This was a thoroughly inspirational event and Barclays were proud to be involved.

Left to right, Kirsty McManus - IoD, Lisa Bailie - Barclays Eagle Lab, Helen Kelly – Barclays Corporate Banking, Louise Tiffney – Barclays Corporate Banking.

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Eye on Communications

Telecoms and the CapEx OpEx Conundrum The UK telecom’s industry is currently undergoing a seismic change, that challenges the traditional CapEx investment model.

By Stuart Carson, Rainbow Communications

C

apital Expenditure, known as CapEx for short, is an investment in assets within a business that depreciate over time, whilst Operating Expenditure (OpEx) are the costs associated with the day to day running of same.

The demise of the CapEx model has been driven by improving connectivity and the continuing virtualisation of telephony services. And so, Finance and IT Directors are now left in a conundrum; should telecoms actually be an OpEx expenditure?

The CapEx Telecoms Model Is Dead Onsite phone systems cost thousands, are expected to last forever and are normally only purchased after a lengthy procurement process, which can be fraught with issues.

Using this model, IT managers are expected to consider and ensure that the winning telecoms system fits the needs of the business in five, ten and even fifteen years to come, which can mean the CapEx model feels unnecessarily old, wieldy and unfit for purpose.

The OpEx Model in Telecoms Instead of the CapEx investment model, the OpEx model considers telecoms as a day-to-day service.

The main benefit of this model is that it makes communications easier to procure and companies can adapt to fit future business requirements at no extra cost.

Built around individual users, hosted telephony is modular which allows businesses to scale up their telephony services as and when required

and only pay for the services used. Being cloud-based also allows features and users to be simply added or removed, again allowing the business to manage its costs and user needs.

This allows for a cost neutral futureproofed communications system, which doesn’t need to be maintained, to be built around the needs of the business.

major appeal is its ability to free up capital. This capital can then be redirected into business growth or other areas of the business, without the telecommunications system suffering. And even better, this allow companies to truly harness the communications system for their business and ensure it performs!

The CapEx OpEx Conundrum Hosted telephony (VoIP) services have revolutionized the purchasing model for many businesses. No matter their size, businesses can now access affordable, advanced and flexible phone systems that enable them to communicate effectively and efficiently with both their customers and staff.

The shift from CapEx to OpEx model has many benefits, but the

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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Eye on Networks

Cara Network Solutions...

Connectivity Without Complexity

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Richard Finlay and Bertie Notley could talk about cabling and network solutions all day. That much is clear when you meet the two men who, between them, can boast some 50 years worth of experience in the wider telecommunications industry.

F

inlay is an entrepreneur and Group CEO of the Crown Industries portfolio of companies and a man who set up and manages one of the Northern Ireland’s leading providers of network services. Notley cut his teeth in the technology department of a local bank before joining the original Cara company,

Eye on Networks back in 2003. He’s one of the region’s leading experts in secure networks and has worked in a variety of government departments and in the justice system.

The pair, in 2013 teamed up to form Cara Network Solutions to deliver a new breed of innovative network solutions to both private and public sectors across Northern Ireland, GB & ROI. Both are keen to emphasise the limitations of traditional network architectures. They can and do produce photographs of traditional company comms rooms where metres of haphazard wiring bulge out of overflowing cabinets.

And they talk about industry specifics like the 90-metre rule.

“The 90-metre rule means that cabling had to be constrained to 90 metres in length,” says Richard Finlay. “That means that larger building and larger sites have inefficient infrastructure

issues. The solutions, in each and every case, had to be a myriad of communications rooms, switches and cabling.”

He produces a tightly-bound bunch of 48 copper data cables to illustrate the weight and complexity of traditional cabling networks and compares the hefty bunch to a length of the very latest fibre optic cable used for a blown fibre architecture.

The team at Cara Network Solutions believe that fibre to the outlet is the answer to all of the downsides of traditional networks – their inefficient use of space, the need for many comms rooms, the cost and the sheer inefficiency of complex networking installations.

“Our vision is to effectively do away with the need for comms rooms and messy architecture,” says Bertie Notley. “We’re talking about much better

and more efficient technology, but also an architecture that frees up space in any building and delivers the highest possible network availability, with the lowest possible network latency.

“In airports, where we’ve worked, that can mean more valuable retail space. In hotels, it means more bedrooms, and in a school or hospital, the advantages are just as obvious.”

The Cara Network Solutions product is based around Fibre To The Office/Outlet (FTTO).

A significant benefit of FTTO is the scalability providing the ideal basis for the ever increasing bandwidth needs of modern buildings. By any measure, FTTO has a series of distinct

advantages over the obsolete legacy systems of structured cabling.

“FTTO cabling is minute in size compared to traditional cabling.

But space saving isn’t the only advantage by a long way,” adds Richard Finlay. “Our solutions is also more eco-friendly in that it reduces the amount of copper and petroleum-based products being used in any data communications infrastructure solution.”

The advantages become all the more significant in largerscale installations. The Belfast company has recently completed Ireland’s first FTTO networking architecture for CDE Global’s brand

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Eye on Networks

new Cookstown HQ building.

CDE Global stands for innovation and the latter requires an optimal, high-performance infrastructure based on state-ofthe-art technology. Looking for an innovative, smart solution, Michael Morrow, Head of IT and Facilities at CDE Global found this solution with Cara Network Solutions.

The result: Space-saving singlemode optical fibres instead of copper cabling with high space requirements and additional heat development, two server rooms instead of six, and a fast connection of all workplaces.

Where FTTO also comes into its own is in planning and future proofing. “The traditional way of doing things has been to install a lot more structured cabling than is actually required to make sure that a system could cope with demand in the future,” adds Notley. “In effect, a lot more cabling

Image above depicts the complete FTTO network for 330 users.

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was installed that was ever likely to be used. A waste of time, money, space and materials.”

“FTTO technology uses multiroute trunking to which extra fibre optic wiring can be added later without the need to open up walls.

But that doesn’t often come into play. One of the big pluses of this technology is that we can right size your data network from day one.”

FTTO has almost no length limitations, only one or two wiring cabinets are needed for even the largest of installations, there is a clear increase in network reliability, and a typical system doesn’t need expensive cooling systems.

“It is all scalable and it is extremely versatile and easy to work with and the installation work can be carried out with the minimum of

disruption of business or operations.

What’s more, as we’ve said, the network footprint within any building is tiny,” Richard Finlay adds.

The whole approach to network solutions has shifted focus, according to Bertie Notley. “This business used to be about the end users,” he says. “Nowadays, it’s about the buildings. It’s about the right architecture, an architecture that fits in with wi-fi, sound, lighting and the wider building environment.

“So it’s an architectural change process rather than a technology change process.

But it is still a process that is focused on standards, and that’s how it should be.”

There is another key advantage of FTTO technology that both Richard Finlay and Bertie Notley

are keen to mention. And that’s the key question of cost. FTTO – thanks to its reduced need for cabling and comms rooms – typically comes in at 20% or more cheaper than traditional structured cabling solutions.

What’s more, FTTO also scores well on the important measure of security. Its networks are widely recognised as being more secure than traditional networks due to their lack of complexity and reduced number of potential threat points.

“The best rule of thumb in this industry is that everything is potentially hackable,” says Richard Finlay. “But the very latest networking technology goes a long way to cut down on that threat.”

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Eye on Start-ups

Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub...

Setting A New Agenda

Back row Laura Wilson and David Allister. Front Row Susan McKane and Conall Keenan.

There’s a unique buzz of energy around the ground floor of Danske Bank’s iconic headquarters building on Donegall Square West in the centre of Belfast.

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ome to the bank’s largest branch, the ground floor now also includes a centre which leads the way when it comes to

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developing new tech companies here in Northern Ireland.

Right beside a new-look bank branch is Belfast’s first dedicated fintech co-working space developed by Danske Bank in partnership with Catalyst Inc. It’s intended as a home to the growing cluster of local early stage tech companies, with a particular focus on those operating in the finance space.

The Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub, opened in the autumn and features dedicated office rooms,

permanent desks, hot desking spaces, a break out coffee area and one of Belfast’s more unique events spaces for up to 50 people, located inside a former safe which still boasts its original giant door.

David Allister, Danske Bank’s Head of Digital Partnerships & Alliances, has been involved in the project from the embryo of an idea through to its current status as a fast-growing base for some of Northern Ireland’s most exciting early-stage tech companies.

Step through the doors of

the new space – either through the Danske Bank branch during its opening hours or via the dedicated entrance on Howard Street – and there’s a real sense of energy. The desks are populated largely – but not exclusively – by young entrepreneurs and the pace is anything but sedentary.

“The dynamic here is all about mixing and about communicating,” says David. “One of the key aims of the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub is to encourage companies and individuals to collaborate with

Eye on Start-ups each other, and we see evidence of that each and every day.

“But it goes further than that.

Danske Bank has put its money where its mouth is on this unique project, and there is no doubt that we as a business are learning from the people who are working here.”

The project has involved significant investment from the bank. Not only did Danske Bank decide to give up a significant amount of prime city centre space, but it also invested in a major conversion project that ripped the ground floor of the building apart for a few months last summer.

As things stand, though, the marriage of an ultra-modern new branch – complete with a ‘living wall’, self service automation, roving customer advisers and comfortable meeting areas – and the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub looks like an entirely happy one.

David estimates that some 3,500 people have set foot in the new Hub since it opened its doors in September after a construction and fit-out phase that was completed in just five months.

The space currently accommodates 75 members, a total that is likely to increase going forward, and interest has grown as the hub’s reputation has become more and more established.

“We listen to what our members say, we listen to what our visitors say, we talk to companies in the tech sector, and we’re in close contact with the management team here at Danske,” says David.

“We’ll develop going forward in accordance with that feedback.”

Current members range from fintechs such as LoyalBe, Finmondo and Yomo, to the winners of a recent competition in partnership with Women in Business; Afterbook, Jadeblok, Senergy NI and Health Gainz.

Members are supported by a dedicated team, including a Community Manager who is responsible for looking after members’ day to day needs and managing events, while a dedicated Growth Adviser supports members throughout their lifecycle and connects them to relevant experts within Danske’s local and global networks.

“We believe the potential for the fintech sector is yet to be fully realised and see a real opportunity for local start-ups and financial institutions to work together to put the sector on the global map.”

In fact, several members are currently being mentored by senior executives and subject matter experts within Danske Bank.

Outside of the bank, there has been strong interest in the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub from the industry itself and its well established local players, companies like First Derivatives and FSCom. “Belfast has made significant progress and is really establishing a niche for itself in cyber security.

We believe the potential for the fintech sector is yet to be fully realised and see a real opportunity for local start-ups and financial institutions to work together to put the sector on the global map,” David adds.

Amongst the short term plans are a series of Fintech ‘Boot Camp’ events aimed at introducing the sector to those interested, and facilitating networking opportunities.

Close links have already been established with the two main universities and with the regional colleges network as well as with technology teachers throughout the region.

And the fact that the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub is being used as a venue for business events provides more energy for its continued development. “We’ve had a group of 40 or 50 local CEOs here very recently as well as a wide range of other events, not all of them limited to the tech sector,” he adds. “The more people we can get through the doors to see what we’re doing here, the better.”

Bridges have also been built with the wider Danske Bank network. Members of the Belfast Fintech Hub now have access to desk and meeting facilities at Danske’s City of London office and at the bank’s centres in the Scandinavian capital cities of Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo and Helsinki.

The Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub also marks a city centre first for Catalyst Inc. The organisation has its main site in Titanic Quarter but also has bases in Derry, Letterkenny and Ballymena. Participants on Catalyst Inc’s programmes can use the space for free.

The hub concept, by its nature, means that it is intended as a base for start-up companies who are at

the point in their lifecycle where they need to scale up but don’t yet need their own office. Typically, start-ups needing between 1-6 desks are interested in this space.

“A turnover of companies and members is something that should be in the lifeblood of a centre like this one,” adds David.

As part of the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub offering, a new digital platform, TheHub.io, has also been launched. It’s a community platform tailored to the growth needs of NI start-ups, where they can get assistance with their recruitment of talent, connection with investors and access best practice tools, such as a pitch deck.

It also caters for applicants who want to join a start-up - those who are already a part of the start-up ecosystem, students with the dream of becoming entrepreneurs, or anyone else who wants to be a part of a start-up journey.

TheHub.io is completely free to use for both groups; startups and applicants. There are currently about 137 start-ups, 30+ investors and 340 jobs on the site.

“It opens the door for people here to apply to some of the most exciting start-up jobs here in Northern Ireland, and further afield, especially in the Nordics. It allows companies to look for talent, and it allows them to seek investment.

“It also means that here at the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub, we’re offering a double edged approach – physical space alongside a strong online resource.”

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Eye on Venues

Granite Exchange The ideal choice for any business requiring city centre office or meeting space in Newry.

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ccommodation costs are one of the biggest expenses you will have in your business. There are always hidden and unexpected charges like electricity, increasing property rates, water charges, repairs and maintenance. At Granite Exchange, your monthly fee is all-inclusive giving you peace of mind that you can just get on with running your business.

Our private offices and co-working desks are provided with high speed internet and Wi-Fi access as well as having the availability of print, copy and scan facilities, access to two ultra-modern fully fitted kitchens, electricity, rates, air conditioning and heating, dedicated phoneline which includes free calls to UK Landlines and UK Mobiles plus much more.

Why choose to be part of our serviced office environment?

Simple Pricing – your allinclusive monthly fee for our office includes all the essentials you need to run your business.

No long-term commitment – Whilst we know you will want to reserve your office at Granite Exchange forever, should you need to terminate you can do so at a month’s notice, there are no long leases to sign!

Support staff – Between the hours of 8.45am – 5.15pm our reception team will welcome your clients to the building and work as a support agent for you and your business.

We take care of it all – from opening and closing the premises each day, cleaning, maintenance and everything in between, you will have no worries – just the base from which to make your business a success!

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Whether you need a large room for an interview, a consultation or group meeting, Granite Exchange has three large conference rooms for our clients to avail of on either a half or full day basis.

With the use of hi-tech sound/ visual equipment and our support team on hand to ensure everything runs seamlessly, our meeting rooms are perfect for you to impress potential clients or future business partners.

With Newry perfectly situated just off the M1 between Dublin and Belfast, this makes Granite Exchange the ideal meeting location.

To arrange a tour or to enquire about Granite Exchanges services call Colleen on (028) 3044 2500 or email colleen.ohare@graniteexchange.com

Eye on Inheritance

BLOODLINE PLANNING THE QUESTIONS YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF

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loodline planning helps ensure that the assets you have accumulated during your lifetime can pass down to your family in a protective manner, helping to minimise any potential risks of these being depleted through unnecessary taxation, marital disputes or financial difficulties.

Getting ‘your house in order’ can also help to ensure a smooth transition at this time. Remember that bloodline planning applies to your business too.

It is especially important for business owners as your company is one of your biggest assets and something that you’ve worked very hard on.

However, talking about bloodline planning can be difficult. Yet, these conversations can also be some of the most important ones you will have.

There are questions you need to ask yourself to ensure you have prepared for the next stage of your life, as well as helping you to know about any areas where you might need support in the future, as early as possible. Here are five important bloodline planning questions you should ask yourself:

1. Do you have records of your investments, property and important documents?

Not telling your spouse or children where all your assets are is often one of the biggest mistakes made by individuals when planning their estate. Put everything in one folder, in a safe place that’s easy to locate is a good idea, if you haven’t already done so. This should include bank, investment and pension accounts, including account numbers. Digital and online storage is increasingly popular and can help prevent files from becoming lost or damaged.

2. When did you last review your financial plan?

Assuming that you have a financial plan, you should be reviewing this regularly. If you have planned for a certain life expectancy during your working life, this may now be a significant number of years longer. You need to understand the sources of your income when you retire. It’s also a good idea to know how to contact your solicitor, accountant or financial adviser if applicable.

3. Have you made a will?

Make sure you have a will in place and that it is up to date. A will more than five years old should be reviewed to ensure it reflects your wishes.

It’s also a good idea to go over any unusual or specific requests you may have. It’s especially important for cohabitating couples to have a Will, as the surviving partner does not automatically inherit any estate or possessions left behind.

4. Have you considered an enduring power of attorney?

An enduring power of attorney, or EPA is a legal document which nominates a trusted friend or relative to look after your affairs if you are unable to do so yourself. It’s a sensitive issue to know when the time is right, but it is worth putting an EPA in place long before you think you may need it, so loved ones can make the right choices on your behalf.

5. Have you considered the effects of inheritance tax (IHT)?

Without appropriate provision, IHT could become payable on your taxable estate that you leave behind when you pass away.

TAX PLANNING, ESTATE PLANNING AND WILLS ARE NOT REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY (FCA)

Careful planning can reduce or even eliminate the IHT payable. There are legitimate ways to plan to reduce the amount of IHT you may have to pay, such as setting up a trust. IHT is not payable on the first part of the value of your estate – the ‘nil-rate band’ (NRB). The NRB is currently £325,000. If the total value of your estate does not exceed the NRB, no IHT is payable. From 6 April 2017, an additional ‘residence nil-rate band’ (RNRB) allowance became available, but only applies to your main home.

It’s an old saying that you should look at protecting before investing, and they are wise words because it’s more important to make sure that your family are covered against the financial impact of your premature death than it is to invest for an uncertain future.

If you would like to speak with a member of the team, further information is available by telephoning 02892 605 088 or emailing info@fairstoneni.co.uk

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Eye on AV xxx

NIAVAC… A Sound Vision When it comes to the very latest innovations in a fast-moving field, Belfast company NIAVAC has been at the forefront of audio-visual technology in Northern Ireland for many years.

NIAVAC provides audio-visual and presentation technology for major companies throughout Northern Ireland, GB, ROI and further afield. They supply, install and maintain presentation tools increasingly used in schools and businesses alike. Walking into any boardroom or conference room around Northern Ireland and the likelihood is that the state-of-the-art touchscreen technology being used has a Niavac logo in the bottom corner.

NIAVAC’s Managing Director, James Conlon, says “We work alongside architects, consultants and end users when it comes to designing and installing our technology. We listen carefully to what our customers need before we do anything.” This was evident in the recently completed major £250,000 contract at the new St. Patrick’s Academy in Dungannon, a school now equipped with the latest in classroom technology as well as digital signage. The school had its official opening recently and was attended by the Irish President, Michael D. Higgins. James, who also attended said “It’s a contract that was very close to my heart as a past pupil of St. Patrick’s, it gave me a lot of pleasure to see my old school leading the way when it comes to the use of technology.”

The company has also recently completed a contract which involved the installation of almost 100 classroom touchscreen units at Foyle College in Derry/Londonderry.

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Back in Belfast, NIAVAC’s team is also responsible for the largest static video wall in Ireland, a 29-screen installation at Queen’s University, Belfast.

NIAVAC’s state of the art digital signage is increasingly in view in schools, tourist sites and commercial buildings. Danske Bank and Progressive Building Society, for example, have put the signage to good use in their retail branches while organisations such as Henderson Group and Terex utilise it enhance employee communication and direction.

On the event hire side of the business, NIAVAC’s engineers can be seen at many of the leading business conferences, award ceremonies and a wide range of major public events. The Belfast company is one of very few around the British Isles to offer a 30-square metre video wall....a remarkable piece of technology employed at the recent Business Eye Awards and other major events here. “Our strategic acquisition last year of Loft Sound have increased our capability in the events space, and we’re looking forward to working with companies and event organisers at a wide range of events going forward,” adds James Conlon.

The company recently held a showcase at its Belfast premises to promote the 30-square metre video wall and state-of-the-art technology from NEC, Panasonic, Clevertouch, Extron, Sennheiser and B-Tech. Hosted by Adrian Logan, guests included NIAVAC’s very own brand ambassador, Tyrone football legend Peter Canavan and “The Boss” at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Wilma Erskine.

creating innovative solutions that enable effective communication and collaboration throughout any environment.

Interactive Touchscreens

Digital Signage

Niavac Limited Conlavon House, 5 Prince Regent Road, Belfast BT5 6QR

Video Conferencing

Phone (028) 9079 3000 Email info@niavac.com

Event Hire

www.niavac.com 43

Eye on Venues

Belfast Cathedral...

A Venue With A Difference 44

Eye on Venues

There are few more impressive buildings in Belfast than the city’s Church of Ireland cathedral on Donegall Street in the heart of the quarter that bears its name. It’s a pity, then, that a surprisingly high proportion of Belfast citizens have yet to set foot inside its hallowed doors.

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ut a bold and brave step by the Church of Ireland has meant that the cathedral is now welcoming more people than ever before. It has become the city’s latest and most innovative events venue, and it has already played unique host to a range of dinners, gala evenings and award events.

Holly Wilson is Belfast Cathedral’s youthful Events & Marketing Manager, responsible for promoting the building as a unique events space to the Northern Ireland business community.

“This is an absolutely unique venue, and one which offers event organisers the opportunity to choose somewhere completely different from the hotels and conference venues that already exist here in Belfast,” she says.

It’s important to stress from the outset that the building is and will remain a working cathedral, a fact which adds to the appeal of the place.

“We hold services every day including Evensong, sung by the

Cathedral Choir, at 5.30 in the evening,” Holly points out. “And the building also opens its doors to tourists and local visitors each day, with a team of volunteers acting as tour guides.”

Built and first opened in 1904, Belfast Cathedral is unusual in that it acts as the seat for not one but two Church of Ireland bishops – the Bishop of Connor and the Bishop of Down & Dromore. It’s also well known to the public as the venue for the Dean of Belfast’s annual Black Santa Charity Sit-Out, a tradition started by the late Dean Samuel Crooks.

Like most cathedrals, it’s a vast and spacious building, especially when the seats in the body of the cathedral is removed and stored. “All of the furniture is easy to remove to clear space, and once that’s done, we can easily accommodate 500 guests seated at circular tables,” says Holly Wilson.

“We can organise set-up during the day before any evening events, and we’ll also liaise with the caterer of the

organiser’s choice. Because we can work with a range of different catering companies, the choice of potential menu options is huge. On the night, as we’ve demonstrated at previous events, the caterers can work effectively behind the scenes and out of sight.”

“We’ve found, at the events we’ve staged here, that all of

our guests are very respectful of the building. They’re very aware that they are in a cathedral and they treat everything around them with care and respect.

“There is certainly a curiosity factor with the Cathedral as an events venue and guests are wowed as soon as they step through the doors.” adds Holly.

“It’s also a space which

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Eye on Venues

“It’s also a space which doesn’t require a lot of room dressing or decoration. We’ve found that a clever use of lighting can create a really spectacular atmosphere and that not a lot else is required.”

doesn’t require a lot of room dressing or decoration. We’ve found that a clever use of lighting can create a really spectacular atmosphere and that not a lot else is required.”

Major events which have already taken place at Belfast Cathedral include the key event for the local technology sector, the Digital DNA Awards, as well as events held around Belfast Fashion Week. Tourism Northern Ireland has also hosted a couple of hundred key travel bloggers for a dinner event and the venue has also been used by other local companies for a variety of set pieces.

“It’s a very popular venue with guests, not just because it’s somewhere entirely different and possibly somewhere they haven’t visited before. But also because, at the end of the event here, Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter is right on their doorstep.

“It’s been really satisfying to see events taking shape

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and to watch them take place successfully. The best advertisement we can hope for is to be talked about by those who’ve been here.”

All funds raised from the use of the building as an events venue go directly back into the day to day running of the cathedral, so it is an important source of revenue for an institution which otherwise would receive next to no external funding.

Belfast Cathedral isn’t the only property in the Church of Ireland’s estate which has taken the bold step of opening up its doors to events. The two main Church of Ireland cathedrals in Dublin, Christ Church and St. Patrick’s, have both hosted business events successfully for several years.

“It’s been estimated that this building and its surroundings cost about £1200 a day to maintain. That’s a lot of money and it helps to explain why

this venture is an important one for the future of the cathedral,” says Holly.

“It can’t be a best-kept secret any more. We’re determined to welcome more people through the doors to see the beautiful building that lies inside. It might have 115 years of history behind it, but this place is a new venue for most of the people of the city.”

Eye on Digital

Zesty Expands Team to offer Innovative Digital Marketing Services Digital disruption is becoming impossible to resist.

Emerging technologies and adaptive business models are transforming how organisations operate, and the value of their products and services.

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ow, even the most traditional industries are embracing data and innovation; according to Forbes, start-ups can increase revenue by 34% relying on digital-first strategies, with all enterprises increasing revenue by 23%.

One company who recognises the profound value of a digital-first business model - and is increasingly leveraging data and insights to drive digital engagements - is full-service creative and technical agency Zesty.

Zesty is a part of Wireless, home to Dublin’s FM104, local station U105, talkSPORT and of course The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio.

With over 400 years of experience gained across 2,000+ client engagements and with a 35 strong team, Zesty has worked with some of the bestknown companies and public sector organisations in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Their varied portfolio of current clients includes: NIE Networks, Fáilte Ireland, GAA and Ulster Orchestra.

Recent client engagements include EURORDIS-Rare Diseases Europe in Paris, Shannon Heritage, based in Limerick and the National Museum of Ireland.

The company has recently broadened its digital service offering, making two key appointments to support and deliver on this expansion.

Managing Director Andrew Maybin said, “The scale of the digital engagements we are securing is driving the agency’s growth here at home, GB, in southern Ireland and in Europe. These two senior hires allow us to offer our clients the ability to increase sales and grow their target audiences online. That capability complements our award-winning design, UX and development teams beautifully”.

The agency’s work is regularly recognised by industry awards, most recently winning a Spider Award in the highly competitive ‘Best in Travel, Tourism & Sport’ category for their ‘Meet in Ireland’ website project…beating the All Blacks website in the process!

They also picked up a DANI Award for Best Online Experience for the Visit Blackpool website and have secured a finalist spot in the Digital DNA Awards.

Zesty will be capitalising upon extensive skill and experience in creating and implementing bespoke, scalable digital strategies for clients. From maximising brand visibility to generating online revenue, the agency will tailor their digital marketing activity to a variety of commercial objectives and support new and existing clients across all industries.

The newly-expanded service offering includes: digital advertising (on Google and social channels such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), social media marketing, email marketing, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), content creation (from blogs, to brochures, to ebooks) and digital data analysis, which will help businesses to benchmark their digital performance.

Tara Leathem, Head of Business Development said; “We’re delighted to welcome Sophie and Pamela to the team, their agency background and wealth of digital experience will strengthen our service offering and provide our current and prospective clients with an integrated approach to support their business objectives and deliver result driven campaigns.”

Sophie, Digital Strategy Lead Sophie has over 7 years’ experience creating and implementing multi-channel digital strategies. She worked with the Digital Marketing Institute in Dublin for over three years, helping to create the curriculum for a variety of accredited digital marketing diplomas, which have been studied by over 28,000 alumni members worldwide. She was involved in the creation of bespoke digital marketing training courses for global corporate clients including IBM and Vodafone and collaborated with senior stakeholders in leading tech companies including Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to

L-R: Tara Leathem, Pamela Harte, Sophie Smith

define and set the industry standard for digital marketing skills and capabilities.

Sophie has worked across a variety of sectors, from biotech to construction, demonstrating the transferable benefits of a solid digital strategy, regardless of company size or industry.

What are you looking forward to about working with Zesty?

“Zesty is an award-winning agency with global clients and an unmatched reputation. Their commitment to delivering the best solutions has been reflected in their recognition that digital marketing services are in demand now more than ever and I’m so excited to help them expand their service offering to provide value and support to their clients.”

Pamela, Digital Campaign Manager Pamela has over 7 years’ experience delivering and implementing paid digital advertising campaigns across a wide variety of industries with B2B and B2C clients.

She has delivered training in Google Analytics, Search Engine Optimisation and social advertising platforms including Facebook & LinkedIn for B2B & B2C clients in an array of industries.

What are you looking forward to about working with Zesty?

“There is a fantastic base of existing clients currently working within the Zesty. My goal is to take these clients a step further and drive successful online campaigns.”

About Zesty Zesty is a full service strategic, creative and technical digital agency with offices in Belfast, Dublin and London. The service offering includes Strategy, Digital Marketing, UX / CX, Insights & Analytics, UI Design and Development. The core business was formed in 1996, making Zesty one of the longest established agencies still in existence in Ireland and the UK. Visit www.simplyzesty.com to find out more.

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Eye on Transport

Translink... Investing in Your Public Transport

by Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive.

As Northern Ireland’s main public transport provider, Translink services impact on everyone, helping to support economic growth, social inclusion and the welfare of our communities.

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he provision of high quality public transport enables Northern Ireland to thrive, as well as helping address the challenge of congestion and air quality.

On an individual level, it gives people more choice and opens up more opportunities in relation to

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business, education, shopping, travel, tourism and leisure.

Translink’s investment in public transport in Northern Ireland is paying off, with record numbers of passengers across all services.

Encouraging more people onto our services delivers on the outcomes of the draft Programme

for Government and one of the key indicators; to increase the use of public transport.

Our headline investment during the past 12 months has been Glider, linking East and West Belfast via the city centre and running to Titanic Quarter. Funded by the Department for Infrastructure, the service is a £90m investment in modern public transport, an innovative, high-spec, low emission system helping to connect the city.

The figures speak for themselves - over 40,000 additional passenger journeys are being made per week,

with high levels of frequency and reliability. Two additional Glider vehicles will arrive later this year in order to provide further capacity.

We’ve also invested in our new Milewater Service Centre in north Belfast, which serves as the main base for our Glider fleet as well as a world-class bus engineering facility.

Glider’s success has given local public transport a real boost, as has the ongoing success of other Translink brands, such as our highspec, low emission Ulsterbus Urby services, which have been rolled out across the Belfast commuter

Eye on Transport

belt, with a 10% increase in passengers since September 2018.

NI Railways, Metro, Goldline and Ulsterbus also continue to perform well, with growing passenger numbers right across the network.

This success means that we are on course to increase passenger journeys again this year, highlighting the need for ongoing investment in our public transport infrastructure. As part of this programme, Translink announced a £50m contract with Spanish rail manufacturer CAF in December 2018 to supply 21 new train carriages. Fully compatible with our existing Class 4000 trains, these new carriages will arrive by 2021 and will create additional seating capacity for 1400 people, helping to accommodate the growing number of passengers using NI Railways services.

A major development is ongoing at the Grade B-listed former Waterside Train Station in Derry~Londonderry. This facility will form part of an innovative cross-border North-West MultiModal Transport Hub, giving additional capacity and integrating with public transport services in the city, as well as acting as a catalyst towards regeneration in the Waterside area. With significant funding from the EU’s INTERREG VA programme, the new facility will be ready for use by late 2019.

Along the coast at Portrush, a new train station is being completed ahead of The 148th Open, taking place at Royal

Portrush this summer. This replaces the existing facility and will accommodate evergrowing passenger numbers passing through the coastal town during the all-important summer months, acting as the town’s gateway for visitors.

The Belfast Transport Hub is a major project which will transform public transport in Northern Ireland, creating a world-class transport interchange and surrounding master plan development at Weavers Cross.

It will provide a new gateway to Belfast and a main bus and rail connection point reaching out to every corner of Northern Ireland and beyond, replacing Great Victoria Street Train Station and Europa Bus Centre.

The proposed Weavers Cross master plan development will present significant regeneration opportunities for this part of Belfast.

With plans to transfer the Enterprise service to the new Hub upon completion, Translink and Iarnród Éireann will continue to jointly develop our Enterprise Strategic Development Plan in order to achieve an hourly service on the key cross-border route, alongside a reduction in journey time. This will require significant investment, but it is essential if rail is to be developed along this important economic corridor.

Translink sees the need to continue to maintain our assets on an ongoing basis, for example with Belfast Central Station being given a refurbishment and renamed Lanyon Place Station to better reflect the commercial area that has grown up around it. We’re also maintaining and enhancing services across the network, with new/replacement Metro and Ulsterbus fleet due to be delivered this year, alongside major track relay works in

Lurgan this summer in order to maintain overall performance and high safety standards on the vital southern rail corridor for both local and cross-border rail services. Other areas for focus include the extension of our park and ride capacity, building on the success of our recently opened facilities in Portadown and Black’s Road.

Delivering on the outcomes of the draft Programme for Government will require sustained investment in public transport infrastructure going forward. Translink will continue to work with partners and stakeholders to deliver the investment required, ensuring Northern Ireland continues to develop and prosper. We want to encourage everyone in Northern Ireland to make public transport ‘your first choice for travel’, helping address the challenges of congestion and air quality.

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Eye on Men’s Health

Urolift...

An Effective Remedy For Prostate Issues

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Eye on Men’s Health

Prostate problems can affect business and personal life for a wide age range of men here in Northern Ireland, but an effective remedy for some conditions is on offer from the area’s leading private health provider, Kingsbridge Private Hospital.

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he hospital is promoting treatment using the Urolift system, a one-time solution that provides rapid relief and recovery from the urinary symptoms of BPH – Benign Prostatic Hyperlasia, better known as an enlarged prostate.

Consultant Urologist Mr. Ajay Pahuja has treated more than 50 patients in Northern Ireland using the Urolift procedure, and he’s keen to emphasise its advantages.

“It is normal for the prostate gland to get larger with age, but because of this enlargement, it can tighten around the urethra, blocking the flow of urine to the bladder,” he explains.

Through a Urolift procedure, the urologist places permanent implants that hold and lift the prostate lobes, relieving the pressure from the urethra and allowing the urine to flow normally. The procedure is conducted under either local and general anaesthesia.

“It is a realistic alternative to those who are looking for or need an alternative to long-term medication, but also don’t want to undergo invasive surgery,” adds.

Mr. Pahuja. “The procedure is minimally invasive, it provides relief as early as two weeks afterwards, it preserves the erectile and ejaculatory functions and it has long-lasting results.

“What’s more, it doesn’t require the use of a catheter, the patient doesn’t have to stay in hospital overnight and

the recovery time is very quick.”

The benefits, of course, can vary from patient to patient. “It’s crucial to consult with a urologist. Urinary problems can be due to bladder or prostate problems and sometimes other causes, so a proper assessment is crucial.

“But, in my experience, the vast majority of patients with prostate issues will qualify after an appropriate assessment of their urinary symptoms and perhaps a flexible cystoscopy under local anaesthetic to determine suitability.”

One local patient delighted with the results of the Urolift procedure is Co. Down businessman Bill Kennedy. Aged 57 and with two grown-up daughters, Bill is Managing Director of ITMS Ireland, a firm providing IT services throughout Ireland from its offices in both Belfast and Dublin.

His problems started when he began to need to go the loo on a more and more regular basis, eventually reaching the stage where he felt he had to be close to a loo at all times.

“I was travelling back and forth to Dublin, I was flying to London two or three times a month, I was entertaining clients, and to be honest, it became a complete nightmare,” says Bill. “Meeting and boardroom scenarios were really difficult. I had to keep excusing myself. And airports and aircraft, as you can imagine, were really difficult.

“Not to put too fine a point on it, I felt like a little boy on the verge of wetting himself all the time. And, even at home, it wasn’t easy. I’d be up five or six times every night to run to the loo.”

Long-term private medical insurance meant that, once he’d spoken to his GP, a referral to Kingsbridge Private Hospital was fairly immediate. And, once he’d consulted with Mr. Ajay Pahuja and undergone the initial assessments, the decision to go ahead with the Urolift procedure was an easy one.

“Absolutely. I was in so much discomfort almost all of the time that it really was a no brainer,” he says. And the experience of the procedure was an entirely positive one.

“I went in to Kingsbridge in the morning, and by early afternoon I was sitting up in bed having tea and toast.

And I was in front of the television at home the same evening. So it was all very easy. In fact, the whole experience was very smooth from start to finish.

“Urolift doesn’t offer a lifetime guarantee, of course. But I found that symptoms were a whole lot better within a week or two, and I’ve been so much better ever since. It really has taken a lot of the stress and discomfort out of my life, and I’d have no hesitation in recommending the procedure to anyone whose day to day life is being affected by prostate problems.”

If you’d like to find out more about Urolift or to book a consultation please visit www.3fivetwo.com or call 02890 667878

www.youtube.com/ watch?v=JlCVifJz9a0

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Eye on Mergers & Acquisitions

BDO Northern Ireland...

At The Leading Edge For M&A Mergers and acquisitions activity in the Northern Ireland corporate marketplace continues at a steady pace despite the obvious challenges of the wider economy.

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hat’s according to the two men leading a dedicated eight-strong Corporate Finance team at BDO’s busy Belfast office.

“Northern Ireland is a relatively small market when it comes to M&A activity, but it is a busy one,” says Francis Martin, the BDO Partner in charge of corporate

finance at the Belfast office.

“We’re talking about less than 70 pure M&A transactions in any given year, but they are an important driver of growth and dynamism in the NI economy”.

Even at a UK national level, the transaction numbers aren’t as high as some might expect.

BDO Northern Ireland in a given

year will usually lead between 10-12 M&A transactions, a number which excludes Transaction Service projects and NI Companies acquiring in GB. “The transactions that we’re involved in as a team range in value from single millions up to deals of significant value,” adds Shane Hall, Principal in

Eye on Mergers & Acquisitions the BDO NI Corporate Finance team. “It’s a well-known fact that Northern Ireland has a very large family business base, and a good proportion of the deals we’ve worked on over the years have involved local family businesses, either wishing to acquire as they move forward and execute their strategic growth plans, or alternatively looking to realise value through a full or partial sale. We have been very privileged to act for a number of Northern Ireland’s largest family Businesses”.

Both Francis Martin and Shane Hall say that there is a clearly defined process in place when it comes to M&A transactions.

“We will work with our clients from start to finish in an M&A process,” Francis Martin explains. “That means being involved from the outset, in helping a client to identify potential targets for acquisition, in valuing and negotiating the deal, and in overseeing completion of the deal itself”.

“On a sale, or indeed a partial sale, we’ll work with clients to prepare their business which can sometimes be a lengthy process” adds Shane Hall.

“In the majority of cases there is required planning and grooming for sale prior to commencing the sales process itself, and we understand a lot of businesses can be cautious when it comes to embarking on what can be a challenging and unfamiliar journey to complete a sale”.

“In short, we’re committed to adding value to our clients and to the transactions that they’re involved in’.

BDO Northern Ireland, in recent years, has worked on a number of deals which have seen GB and international firms moving into Northern Ireland.

In recent months, the team has acted for a listed company based in Mumbai, India, which acquired a Co. Down-based manufacturer, giving it a second foothold on the island of Ireland to serve the UK and European markets.

“The Northern Ireland market is very active and continues to perform above expectations.

Indigenous companies here continue to grow and some

“It’s interesting to note that the local economy isn’t nearly as dependant on government support for growth as it used to be. The Northern Ireland business community has a great ‘get on with it’ ethos.” are looking outward for opportunities. At the same time, international companies are seeking to develop a presence in the local market,” says Francis Martin. “So we think that the outlook remains positive, despite the challenges.”

Sectoral consolidation has taken on a growing importance in Northern Ireland. “We’ve seen scenarios where cash rich companies have swooped to purchase a supplier or customer, known as vertical consolidation, or a competing company for that matter, referred to as horizontal consolidation. In almost every case, it’s about building market share.”

“Every sector has its own

story to tell,” says Shane Hall.

“Here at BDO, we’ve built a specialist edge in sectors like healthcare, IT, infrastructure and specialist manufacturing’.

“Within those key sectors there are a lot of very good companies, which continually strive for further growth through further sectoral consolidation, evidenced, for example, by the acquisitions of food service companies by the Henderson Group. Furthermore, many businesses are looking towards horizontal consolidation as they seek to widen their offering or service to their customer base. Both horizontal and vertical consolidation have been central themes of M&A activity over recent years, and, no doubt, will continue to be so through 2019 and beyond”.

“At the same time, it’s interesting to note that the local economy isn’t nearly as dependant on government support for growth as it used to be. The Northern Ireland business community has a great ‘get on with it’ ethos, and the funding community is very much stepping up to assist in making funds available to support M&A activity.”

Both Francis Martin and Shane Hall go on to note the important role played by mezzanine finance providers as well as higher level private

equity funders in assisting business growth. Private equity is particularly appropriate for partial investments, whereby owners realise some equity, whilst also bringing in further capital and strategic support to underpin the next stage of the growth journey.

“I think it is the case that we can now say that we have a normalised funding landscape in Northern Ireland. And that hasn’t always been the case in the past. Businesses here want to grow, and they want to grow, in many cases, by acquisition”.

“The key to M&A growth, in a lot of ways, lies with education.

Businesses here aren’t always aware of the funding for growth options that are available to them. And they’re also not always aware that for those who wish to sell, it is definitely a sellers’ market, particularly in certain key sectors”.

“Here at BDO, we are adding value to our clients on both the buy and sell side of deals. We continue to see opportunities in the Province and are greatly encouraged by the number of outside investors who wish to invest in the region. The drive for growth through M&A and the appetite of funders and investors to support this growth provides a solid platform for Northern Ireland business.

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Eye on Men’s Health

Face Time Looking good isn’t just for girls.

BROTOX They Say: Emotional Botox is a means of working on the physiology of the face so that you maintain movement in the areas

Introducing the tried and tested treatments for men to book in for now.

that display essential expression.

We Say:

a light hand and clever needle placement delivers a fresh, wrinkle - free face.

There’s no downtime and it’s virtually pain free from £230 at Cosmetech (Dr Lisa Neligan).

CHISELLED JAWLINE with PDO Thread-lifts .

They say: PDO Thread-lifts can define and tighten a sagging jawline.

We say: This procedure involves injecting threads with topical numbing cream to create a masculine jawline results are worth it.

Book in with Consultant Surgeon Mr Gerard Smith @ Cosmetech.

Before Brotox

After Brotox

Call Cosmetech in Holywood on 028 90423200 to book an appointment or visit www.cosmetech.co.uk for further information

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AGE-MANAGEMENT PDO THREAD-LIFT TREATMENT by

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he PDO Thread-lift treatment will stimulate the growth of new collagen over 1-8 months to gradually thicken and improve skin quality.

During the Thread-lift treatment PDO threads are inserted under the skin to tighten and add threads will encourage the natural rejuvenation process and stimulate your skin to produce its tighter and improve tone.

The treatment can be completed in less than an hour with immediate results.

Hi Debbie, why did you decide to get a PDO Thread-lift treatment?

Are you happy with the results of the PDO Thread Lift?

Debbie: I turned 43 this year and I wanted to maintain my skin quality and to rejuvenate my skin. I wanted a subtle natural looking treatment and I had read about the PDO Thread-lifts at Cosmetech which is a Consultant Surgeon led clinic. They have two clinics, the Maypole Clinic in Holywood, Northern Ireland and the Chelsea Private Clinic in London. The company has built a good reputation with a track record of over 15 years.

Debbie: Yes. Once the procedure was over I followed the aftercare instructions and apart from some minor bruising the next day you would not know that I had any treatment at all. I am now a month post-procedure and have had a lot of compliments about how good my skin looks. It is a very subtle treatment and people big changes I have noticed is that I don’t need to wear as much make up as before because my skin quality has improved. I also feel like

CONSULTANT OTORHINOLARYNGOLOGIST AND FACIAL PLASTIC SURGEON Mr Philip Bell is a Consultant Otorhinolaryngologist and Facial Plastic University Belfast and completed his Higher Surgical Training in Northern Ireland. He has completed a prestigious Fellowship in Reconstructive Cosmetic Surgery with Past President of The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons Mr Michael Cadier.

What happened at your consultation?

Debbie: I booked a complimentary consultation with Consultant Surgeon Mr Philip Bell, one of the doctors at Cosmetech. He checked my medical history to determine if I was a suitable patient for the treatment and discussed the different treatment options available to achieve a fresher look. He answered any questions I had about the procedure and I felt I was in safe hands.

fantastic!

Mr Bell has also spent time training in Facial Plastic Surgery in Paris and Nice with Dr Frederic Braccini. During this time, he has gained expertise in both surgical and non-surgical facial treatments including anti-wrinkle injections, Dermal Fillers, PDO Thread-Lifts and Removal of skin lesions.

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Debbie: An hour before the treatment the nurse cleansed my skin and applied a numbing cream. During the treatment the doctor made me feel very relaxed and talked me through the procedure. I had a series of PDO Threads inserted into the mid-face area which felt surprisingly pain free.

Cosmetech.* To book a complimentary consultation at Cosmetech please call 028 9042 3200 or visit www.cosmetech.co.uk .

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Cosmetech Maypole Clinic 5-7 Shore Road, Holywood BT18 9HX T: 028 9042 3200 | E: frontdesk@cosmetech.co.uk

Cosmetech Chelsea Private Clinic The Courtyard, 250 Kings Road, London, SW3 5UE

Eye on Sport

A Football Strategy That is Full of Ambition The Irish Football Association’s vision is to promote, foster and develop football for all in Northern Ireland.

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Eye on Sport

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nd we have a five-year strategy in place to ensure we deliver on that mantra.

We also have an inspirational dream: to inspire every child in Northern Ireland to be a part of our football family and to dream of wearing the green and white.

The strategy, which runs until 2022 and is subject to annual reviews, followed on from a previous plan which resulted in the delivery of the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, a fitting new £30m-plus home for football in Northern Ireland.

Qualification for a major tournament was among the objectives in the previous strategy and that was achieved through Northern Ireland reaching EURO 2016 in France, the first time in 30 years that the country had made it to a major tournament.

We saw global media interest in Northern Ireland, huge increases in participation, our kit was the best selling item of apparel in JD Sports for three weeks running and qualification saw an £8 million economic benefit to the country. In short the effect of qualification was game-changing.

The latest strategy has six main objectives. These are:

1. Challenge every time/ qualify every other time We want every team that represents Northern Ireland, men and women, to compete in qualification and to aim to qualify every other time.

2. Rebuild the football estate The Department for Communities is set to deliver £36 million of capital investment into the game. We want to be at the forefront of delivering that spend and maximising it for the benefit of all of football in Northern Ireland.

3. Break the top 40 in European Leagues Qualification for the group stages of the Europa League or Champions League can result in a hugely significant windfall of UEFA funding – both for a successful club and for the league. We want to support our NIFL Premiership clubs to achieve more in European competition.

4. Reinvigorate the everyday game We are aiming to do this by encouraging greater participation at all levels in football, by restructuring intermediate football and supporting clubs in deprived areas.

5. Build a thriving stadium business We want to improve the profitability of the stadium business through hosting club finals, retail and merchandising, running stadium tours, office rentals, organising concerts and major non-football events and maximising commercial opportunities.

6. Serve the community better Having established a charitable arm, The Irish FA Foundation, to undertake a variety of work in the community, we are also seeking to introduce a measured annual corporate social responsibility programme.

As the association’s Chief Executive it is my responsibility to deliver on the strategy.

It’s a strategy which shows plenty of ambition. Between now and 2022 we are aiming to build a new state-of-theart national training centre that will serve as a centre of excellence for every Northern Ireland team, from the senior men’s and women’s international sides to representative teams for JD Club NI, our elite player development programme, which has teams from Under-12 to U16 level.

We also want to establish performance academies and performance schools, develop an elite coaching methodology, build relationships with clubs across the country, deliver improvements to stadiums in Northern Ireland and host more UEFA tournaments.

In rolling out these and other plans we will adhere to our five core values. We strive to be professional and inclusive, to work as a team, to be caring and confident and to be honest. We call these our PITCH values.

We must be professional in all we do, meticulous in our planning and execution, leaving no stone unturned and nothing to chance.

We also believe football is truly for all and must be inclusive. Everyone loves the game regardless of gender, religion, politics, race or sexual orientation. We will continue to work to ensure all individuals and groups feel comfortable and welcome within the game in whatever role they fulfil.

We believe working together as a team is key to a successful organisation, We must work as a team, each with his or her own task as part of a greater whole, knowing our roles and supporting and encouraging other members of the team as we seek to achieve our winning goals.

Our association also recognises its duty of care for all involved in the game - players, officials, supporters, referees, administrators.

We have a responsibility to lead by example and ensure that all children and young people who participate in our programmes do so in a positive, secure environment that is free from abuse and harm. The Irish FA must be confident that what we are doing is correct in all aspects of our work and that appropriate safeguards are in place.

Honesty and integrity must be watch words for the Irish FA, too.

Patrick Nelson Chief Executive Irish Football Association

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Eye on Sport

Jonny Petrie...

Fronting Up To The Ulster Challenge There was no shortage of experts ready to offer an opinion during the recruitment process for Ulster Rugby’s new Chief Executive. And, as a result, just about every ex-player on the local scene with a business pedigree was being tipped as the new CEO.

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Eye on Sport

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eanwhile, Ulster Rugby chairman Paul Terrington and his senior colleagues had other ideas. Against the backdrop of the Jackson/Olding saga, a couple of departed head coaches, and murmurings of discontent from the support base, a Chief Executive with no previous connection to Ulster seemed eminently sensible.

And when Jonny Petrie’s name was announced before Christmas, the announcement was greeted with widespread approval. Petrie’s rugby pedigree, after all, is beyond question. He played 45 times for Scotland including a spell as captain, before going on to become Managing Director of Edinburgh Rugby in 2015.

He started his new role officially at the start of January, but arrived in Belfast in midDecember to start the settling in process.

“It’s been pretty much full on since then,” he says in his office at the Kingspan Stadium. “There’s a lot to get to grips with in any new role, and this one is no different.

Ulster Rugby is going through a rebuilding process after a difficult couple of years, but we’ve got a fantastic platform to build on.

“We’ve underperformed, everyone is aware of that, but we can see where we’re aiming for...the direction that we’re going in.”

The Ulster role, he says, is a much wider one than the MD’s job at Edinburgh. “There, it was a role limited to the professional club and linked in to Scottish Rugby.

Here, it’s much broader. The professional team is at the centre of everything, but what I liked about this role from the start is that Ulster Rugby is central to the sport as a whole across the region.

“I’ve been around various clubs and I’ve been on the touchline for a few schools games since I came over here, and the enthusiasm for rugby here is obvious,” he says. “Ulster Rugby has more than 40 development staff working with clubs and schools throughout the region and the impact of their work is clear.

“For example, Ulster has seen a 50% growth in female rugby participation over the past two seasons.”

Ulster Rugby is a not for profit organisation with revenues re-invested into rugby at all levels in the region.

But that’s not all that Ulster Rugby has going for it, according to the new Chief Executive. “We’ve got the best club stadium in the Pro14, a stadium with unique conferencing and events space, and we’ve got a really impressive support base.

“It’s important to remember that this is the only full-time professional sports team here in Northern Ireland.

“But Ulster Rugby, like the other Irish clubs, is different. It’s more than

just a club formed for the professional rugby era. It’s also a region and it has a real sporting history behind it. And it has a strong emotional connection to the people of Northern Ireland and the border counties. It’s definitely not just another rugby franchise.

“So, while it was a difficult enough decision to move away from Scotland, why would I not want to come to somewhere like this and to a club with a great stadium, real history and passionate supporters?”

He’s the first to admit that he’s not facing what he describes as an ‘overwhelmingly simple task’. “But I’ll say at the outset that I’m going into this with my eyes wide open,” says Petrie. “There’s no point in glossing over the fact that we’re coming out of a negative situation, but the emphasis now has to be on moving forward.

“On the professional team front, we’ve got a new head coach in Dan McFarland who has made a real difference, we’ve got a settled group of players, we’ve been able to make new signings and we’re delighted with the fact that a number of young players are coming through the system to become part of the senior squad.”

In common with the supporters of Ulster Rugby, he’s delighted with the fact that the club ended a lean spell by qualifying for the quarter finals of the European Champions Cup. Ulster Rugby also announced its first big name signings for a while recently, with Australian lock Sam Carter coming here next season along with British & Irish Lions prop Jack McGrath.

“This is a diverse business, but the oxygen that keeps us all going always comes from the professional team and how it is doing on the pitch. That’s what we all look towards.

“It’s a fact that ticket revenues did drop off over the past couple of years, and it’s a major priority for us to address that. But, as I’ve said, ticket sales are linked to performance on the rugby pitch.

The fact that we have 8,600 current season ticket holders is really impressive.

There is a very strong connection between supporters and the team.

“And we also have to engage with our audiences. We know that we haven’t always done that as a well as we might have

done. By audiences, I mean the support base and I mean sponsors and the wider business community. We’re competing with other sports in a relatively small region, so engagement has been a major priority for me right from the start,” he says.

On that front, Ulster Rugby has a social media audience of more than 400,000 followers, and prides itself in taking an inclusive approach to working with all communities locally.

The Irish Rugby Football Union’s role in the running of Ulster Rugby has long been a thorn of contention for supporters. Jonny Petrie is open about how he sees it. “First up, I’m not here as a puppet of the IRFU. Best to knock that one on the head straight away. I am here to look after Ulster Rugby’s best interests and that’s what I’ll be doing.

“But it’s important to stress that the IRFU wants to see Ulster doing well. They’re very supportive of all that we’re doing here at the moment. But, if we have to have the odd robust conversation, I’ll be up for it.”

His biggest challenge, he says simply, will be to ensure that Ulster Rugby can pay for the players and the staff that it wants to invest in. It’s a simple enough equation, but one that doesn’t tell even a fraction of the story.

“This has to be a sustainable business.

That’s stating the obvious, but it’s something that’s important to say nonetheless. We have to invest longer term, not just for short term gain. We have to manage our operational costs. But we also have to attract the right talent.

“We have a very strong portfolio of long-term sponsors and we continue to work with some of the top companies and organisations in Northern Ireland in a true sense of partnership.”

Now that he’s in position, he continues to work closely with chairman Paul Terrington and with other key board level players, including honorary treasurer Michael Boyd, an important man in the management structure at Ulster Rugby.

“But, at the end of the day, it’s about the sport. It’s about rugby, it’s about winning matches and it’s about success on the field of play. It’s about the supporters.

I’m very comfortable with all of that.”

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Eye on Awards xxx

Charity Leaders Celebrate Success Charity bosses flocked to the La Mon House Hotel, Belfast for the annual CO3 Awards, sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance.

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he event, which was hosted by the BBC’s Wendy Austin celebrated the achievements of leaders in the Third Sector at a black tie dinner.

The winners work in many different areas, from mental health to recycling and from helping people into employment to working with older people. What they all have in common is that they help transform peoples’ lives and make Northern Ireland a better place.

David Lane, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Nora Smith, CO3 and Andrew McCracken, Chair of CO3.

Brenda Maguire, Barry Macaulay, Ursula Ferguson, Paul Montgomery, all from Stroke Association.

Lynn Carvill, Women’s Tec, winner of the Leading Organisation Change Award and Donal Laverty, Baker Tilly Mooney Moore.

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Guests from Open College Network NI.

Kerry Anthony, Mairead McGinn, Sr Nuala Kelly, Sarah Reeves, all of Depaul.

Audrey Allen, Action Mental Health, winner of the Leading People Award and Louise McAloon, Worthingtons Solicitors.

Eye on Awards

John McMullan, former CEO Bryson Charitable Group, winner of the Lifetime Commitment to the Third Sector Award and Andrew McCracken, Chair of CO3.

The 2019 CO3 Leadership Award Winners: L-R front row: Deirdre McCloskey, Mid & East Antrim Agewell Partnership, Lynn Carvill, Women’s Tec, Isobel Loughran, Footprints Women’s Centre, Alison McCullough MBE, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, Sr Nuala Kelly, Depaul. L-R back row: Gareth Kirk, Action Cancer, Eric Randall, Bryson Recycling, Mairead McGinn, Depaul, John McMullan, Bryson Charitable Group, Audrey Allen, Action Mental Health.

Colin Jess, Social Enterprise NI, Highly Commended for the Best Newcomer Award and Martin Flynn, OCN NI.

Some of the Highly Commended Winners: L-R front row: Mark Graham, Co-Ownership, Emma Purdon, Extern, Mimi Turtle, Strand Arts Centre, Linda Robinson, Age NI, Ursula Ferguson, Stroke Association, Campbell Hamilton on behalf of Dee Nixon, Hope4Life. L-R back row: Charlie Mack, Extern, John McErlane, Dementia NI, Colin Jess, Social Enterprise NI, Dave Linton, Madlug.

Rolf Alter, OECD, Andrew McCracken, Chair, CO3, Tina McMullan, John McMullan.

Eric Randall, winner of the Social Entrepreneurial Leader award with Moira Doherty, Department for Communities.

Jim Hughes, Premier Wealth Management, Wendy Austin, Awards Dinner compere, Nora Smith, CO3.

Wendy Austin, Awards Dinner compere.

Louise McAloon, Worthingtons Solicitors, Heather Monteverde, Macmillan Cancer Support, Paula Jennings, Stepping Stones, Audrey Allen, Action Mental Health.

To view the list of winners please visit the CO3 website www.co3.bz

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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

KPMG Pat Cullinan Memorial Medal goes to Jessica Barnes after exam success

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essica Barnes has been awarded the Chartered Institute of Taxation’s ‘KPMG Pat Cullinan Memorial Medal’. The award is given to the Northern Ireland candidate who achieved the highest marks in the Chartered Institute of Taxation final exams. Jessica works for EY and studied at Queen’s University Belfast. Pat Cullinan, a native of

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Co. Tyrone and a tax partner with accountancy firm KPMG, was killed in the tragic air accident, which also claimed five other lives, at Cork Airport on 10 February 2011.

Pictured at KPMG’s soloist building in Belfast are, from left, Pat’s brother Aidan Cullinan, Jessica Barnes and Johnny Hanna, Partner and Head of Tax at KPMG in Northern Ireland.

ACCOUNTANCY FIRM CONFERENCE COMES TO BELFAST

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oanne Small, Audit & Assurance Partner and Donal Laverty, Consulting Partner at accountancy and advisory firm Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, celebrate the onemonth countdown to their Europe, Middle East and Africa conference in May 2019.

The prestigious conference will take place in Belfast for the first time since its inception 30 years ago. Since the first Summit in 1988, Baker Tilly

International has evolved into a $3.6bn organisation with a workforce of 35,000 colleagues, in 746 offices worldwide.

The city of Belfast will host delegates for the five-day conference which is expected to attract around 250 delegates from around the world to take part in a packed programme of technical sessions, collaborative meetings, inspiring thought leadership and motivational keynotes.

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

Neil Shawcross Takes Art To New Heights…

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oward Hastings, Managing Director of Hastings Hotels was joined by renowned local artist Neil Shawcross MBE to unveil a new painting commissioned for the Grand Central Hotel. ‘Consommé Cup’, which is displayed in the Seahorse Bar symbolises an era of

fine dining elegance, from the old Grand Central Hotel in Royal Avenue, reimagined in Northern Ireland’s tallest hotel. It displays Shawcross’ characteristic treatment of shadow and light lending a sculptural quality to the cup creating an eye-catching feature in the unique space.

Platinum Sponsors Back Balmoral Show RUAS Chief Executive Alan Crowe joins the Balmoral Show Platinum Sponsors, George Mullan from ABP, JP McShane from M&S, Bronagh Luke from SPAR, Conor Boyle from Lidl, Glenn Speer from Fane Valley and Gary Love from Tesco. Alan commented, ‘As always the Show continues to be indebted to the support of our Platinum Sponsors.’

This year’s Show will run from Wednesday 15th to Saturday 18th May, that’s four action packed days of family fun. Come along and visit us this year, whether you’re from the city or countryside, a first time visitor or repeat show-goer, we hope to see you there.

Discounted pre-show tickets are available to purchase online at www.balmoralshow.co.uk

Pictured are Peter Lyttle, Progressive Building Society’s Society Secretary and Kerry Anderson and Colm Martyn from Air Ambulance NI.

Progressive calls on Members to have their say Progressive Building Society is encouraging its Members to have their say on how the Society is run, by either attending, or voting ahead of, its AGM, which takes place in the Seagoe Hotel, Portadown, on Thursday 25th April at 3pm.

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orthern Ireland’s largest locally owned financial institution will be donating 20p from every postal vote cast and £1 from every online vote to Air Ambulance NI as it encourages Members to voice their opinions.

Commenting, Peter Lyttle, Society Secretary at Progressive said, “We are committed to supporting the communities in which our 12 branches operate, and Air Ambulance NI provides a rapid response team for emergency situations, right across Northern Ireland 365 days a year. £2m is needed each year to keep the service operational and donations from this year’s AGM vote will go directly towards the running of the Air Ambulance service. I would encourage all of our Members to take the time to vote this year and support such a worthwhile cause.”

Members can vote online at www. theprogressive.com or complete the Proxy Voting Form included in the voting pack and return it in the freepost envelope provided.

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Eye on News

The Copeland Distillery Announces Single Cask Reserve

As Co. Down-based spirits company, The Copeland Distillery, prepares to open the doors of its Distillery this summer, it has announced an exciting development in its journey – its first whiskey, known as the ‘The 125’ Single Cask Reserve.

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nspired by The Copeland Distillery’s 125-year lease on the new Donaghadee premises, ‘The 125’ reserve will offer private investors the opportunity to own one of 125 casks of this first release.

The whiskey will be distilled at The Copeland Distillery later this year with head distiller, William Stafford, and company founder, Gareth Irvine, overseeing all elements from grain selection to maturation.

Known as ‘The 125’, each investor who becomes a cask owner, will also become an important part of The Copeland Distillery. Each of the

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titles will be displayed on ‘The 125’ wall, signalling their investment and immortalising their important commitment to the Distillery’s journey. Each cask owner will receive an official certificate of ownership and ‘The 125’ members card unlocking exclusive access to future events at the Distillery and private tours. Members will also have the opportunity to visit their cask and request samples as it matures.

Anyone can purchase a cask of The 125, with the option of sharing an ownership with colleagues, family members and

close friends available too. The distillery will also have a number of syndicate casks available for any individuals who wish to share ownership of a cask with similarly passionate whiskey drinkers.

Following distillation later this year, each cask will be filled and ‘put to sleep’ to mature for the next five years minimum in hand-selected casks. The Copeland Distillery places spirit-quality over yield, ensuring that only the highest quality new-make whiskey will be selected for maturation. The range of casks available to what will become ‘The 125’ are as follows: Founder of The Copeland Distillery, Gareth Irvine said: “We are gearing up to open the doors of The Copeland Distillery in just a couple months, which signals our growth as a business and the beginning of a new journey for us. The interest we’ve already

had in ‘The 125’ Reserve details to us that our excitement is shared and there is a palpable confidence in our skill and ability to create quality, unique spirits.

“Having achieved so much in such a short space of time with our gin, which is now exported across the world to territories such as Australia and Europe, we’re confident that our whiskey will rise to the same success and further cement Copeland’s reputation as an impressive Northern Irish brand on the international stage. Our whiskey is the perfect marriage of traditional techniques and modern experimentation, each bottle of the whiskey will push creative boundaries and bring new flavours and character to the category.

“The Copeland Distillery is made up of a young, fearless and creative team that share a passion for the history of the Donaghadee area and Northern Ireland’s heritage in whiskey and so we’re very conscious to incorporate that into every bottle. Maturing our casks beside the coast allows the sea breeze to seep into our whiskey, influencing the final product and offering an authentic taste of Northern Ireland in every single sip.

“Our whiskey, and our wider spirits portfolio will be unrivalled, from the ingredients we source, to the production methods we choose and the final cuts we distill. Being a smaller distillery we have greater potential to experiment with different distillates and create spirits of exceptional quality – and ultimately make a big difference to the spirits world.”

Eye on Events

IoD Women’s Leadership Conference Barclays Corporate Bank were proud to be an associate sponsor of the IoD’s Women’s Leadership Conference, held on International Women’s Day at Titanic Belfast.

Helen Kelly, Managing Director, Corporate Banking Ireland discussed leadership in hard times with a panel of female business leaders. This was a thoroughly inspirational event and Barclays were proud to be involved.

Left to right, Kirsty McManus - IoD, Lisa Bailie - Barclays Eagle Lab, Helen Kelly – Barclays Corporate Banking, Louise Tiffney – Barclays Corporate Banking.

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Eye on AgriFood

Cream Of The Crop Celebrated At NI Food And Drink Awards Over 400 guests turned out in style to celebrate the achievements of our leading food and drink companies at the 2019 Northern Ireland Food and Drink Awards. A total of eight awards were presented at the gala ceremony, hosted by Jo Scott in the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

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eld by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) and supported by Ulster Bank, the awards are widely recognised as a crucial measure of commercial success for food and drink manufacturers and processors.

With major retailers, government officials and industry leaders in attendance, the event also offers local companies a unique opportunity to showcase their commitment to excellence in front of industry stakeholders and customers.

On the night, there were joint winners in the ‘Ulster Bank Best New Product in a Large Company’ category – Linden Foods for its 4 Lamb Loin with Honey Roasted Parsnips and Finnebrogue Artisan for Naked Unsmoked Back Bacon.

Mash Direct picked up the award for ‘Best New Product in a Medium Company’ for Beer Battered Onion Rings while Cloughbane Farm Foods won the Small Company category with its Spicy Lentil and Root Vegetable Casserole.

The Deloitte Service Sector Award was won by Gilfresh Produce, while the DAERA Agri-Food Supply Chain Excellence Award was presented to ABP for the Blade Farming Project. Kestrel Foods took home the Invest Northern Ireland Best International or GB Product Launch in recognition of the introduction of its Forest Feast Fruit Ball range. Two individual awards were presented

Ronan McLaughlin and Rita O’Kane, Linden Foods and Declan Ferguson, Finnebrogue Artisan are pictured with Damien Long, Relationship Director, Corporate Banking at Ulster Bank. Linden Foods and Finnebrogue Artisan were joint winners of the Best New Product from a Large Company category at the 2019 Northern Ireland Food and Drink Awards.

at the event; Hilary Faith, Pritchitts won the safefood Food Safety Champion Award while Trevor Lockhart, Chief Executive, Fane Valley was honoured for his Outstanding Contribution to the Industry.

Congratulating the winners, Michael Bell, Executive Director, NIFDA said: “When it comes to innovation, quality and commercial success, Northern Ireland’s food and drink industry is truly world leading.

These awards are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the sector’s achievements and to showcase those companies whose products are putting Northern

Ireland on the map as a centre of food and drink excellence.

“This is the 15th time NIFDA has held these awards and in the history of the event, we have never held it during such tumultuous times. However, this event if proof, if it were needed, of how resilient our industry is.

“On behalf of the Association I would like to pay a special thanks to everyone who entered and to our judges and event sponsors, as without their support this event would not be possible.

Tonight’s winners should be rightly proud of their achievements and

we look forward to celebrating their continued success.”

Nigel Walsh, Director, Corporate & Commercial Banking, Ulster Bank, added: “Food and drink is a core part of the Northern Ireland economy and it’s a fundamentally important sector for us at Ulster Bank. The energy, effort and commitment of all those who entered this year’s awards shows that the sector has the talent and resilience to continue its growth and development.”

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Eye on AgriFood Food NI has taken on an extended role helping smaller food and drink companies in particular to develop business in Great Britain, the single most important market for local processors, by hosting a range of promotional activities there. SAM BUTLER finds out from Food NI’s chief executive Michele Shirlow how the new role is going.

Sales Blossom For Smaller Food Firms From Promotional Drive In Britain

Andrew Rooney of Millbay Oysters, Kilkeel, shucking oysters at London’s Borough Market

Michele Shirlow, right, chief executive of Food NI with, from left Rosemary Lightbody and Gary Quate, Tourism NI, and Christine Cousins, Food NI

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hoppers and tourists in London were able recently to sample many of the artisan food and drink products which helped Northern Ireland achieve global recognition as ‘The World’s Best Food Destination’ at the highly influential World Travel Trade Awards in London back in November.

Around 25 smaller producers from here had stalls at the iconic Borough Market in London’s bustling Southwark district, among the oldest and most popular food markets in the capital.

Borough hosted the unique Taste the Greatness presentation, an initiative by Food NI, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA),

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Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland, Invest NI and local councils, for almost a fortnight over the traditional St Patrick’s celebrations.

Local food and drink sampled by thousands of Londoners and tourists ranged from the quirky Irish Black Butter from Portrush, sauces and culinary oils from artisan producers Harnett’s Oils, Waringstown, and Peppup, Portaferry to innovative ideas from bigger companies including Downpatrick-based Finnebrogue Artisan’s hugely successful nitrite-free Naked Bacon to Forest Feast’s healthy snacks from Craigavon, Comber’s Mash Direct and White’s Oats of Tandragee.

Adding alcohol to the mix were

Shortcross Gin, Crossgar, with other spirits from Boatyard, Enniskillen and Armagh’s Woodlab Distillery along with beers from Hillstown, Randalstown, Lacada, Portrush and Farmageddon of Comber.

Dromore’s Krazibaker baked traditional griddle breads such as potato cakes, soda farls and potato apple on site for shoppers to sample hot. Visitors were also able to enjoy plump and juicy oysters from Millbay on Carlingford Lough, recognised as Ireland’s very best.

Michele Shirlow is justifiably delighted by the presentation at Borough Market and the level of business achieved by the participating companies. “We organised the first showcase of our food and drink there last year with a smaller group of businesses for a shorter period and with support from the agencies and councils.

“The market’s management team was so impressed by the quality of the produce and the professionalism of our traders that they invited us back

for a two-week stint,” continues Mrs Shirlow. “Successes last year included Ballylisk Triple Rose cheese from Tandragee winning business with Heritage Cheese at Borough Market, its first retail customer in London.

While it will some time before the extent of business secured, especially from retailers in London, becomes clear, the Food NI chief is confident that sales will prove worthwhile for all the companies showing products.

“Developing significant business in Britain takes time for smaller companies in particular,” she says.

“We’ll be back again next year and, I am confident, with an even bigger contingent of local companies.

“It was great to work with the companies at the market and to experience their great enthusiasm and skills. The craic between our traders and shoppers from London and further afield was mighty. Several were also

Eye on AgriFood showing products in Britain for the first time and will have gained immensely from the experience,” she adds.

Support from the DAERA, several local councils, Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland and Invest NI made it all possible. “We appreciate greatly the enthusiastic backing from Invest NI’s Food Division for the promotional campaign in Britain.

This support also enabled us to develop business platforms for smaller companies in particular at Gifted in Dublin, Speciality Food Scotland and the UK Guild of Fine Food’s Fine Food North in Harrogate.

“We benefited hugely in London from the advice and guidance from the experienced management team at Borough Market. It would be good perhaps to have an ongoing presence at this important market…at some stage.”

What do companies taking part in the showcase think of the promotional initiative?

Jane Harnett, who runs Harnett’s Oils, says: “It was a wonderful experience which enabled me to talk to shoppers about my rapeseed and hemp oils in particular. There was considerable interest in my unique hemp oil and people were keen to taste it. Once they did they purchased a bottle. I was immensely encouraged by the business opportunity at Borough.”

Andrew Rooney, managing director of Millbay Oysters in Kilkeel, shares Jane’s enthusiasm. “It was a great event, a tremendous opportunity to increase awareness of our oysters in an important marketplace.

“Our business has been growing strongly especially in France since the oysters were named the best food in Ireland in last year’s Blas na hEireann Awards and among the top foods in Britain in the UK Great Taste Awards.

Borough Market enabled us to reach out to individual shoppers and to talk to them about our oysters,” he adds.

Millbay Oysters is part of Rooney Fish, one of Northern Ireland’s most successful exporters of seafood and shellfish.

Launching his dry-cured bacon in Britain, Mervyn Kennedy of Kennedy Bacon in Omagh says: “We were delighted to be part of the Taste the Greatness showcase and to have the opportunity to sample our Irish dry cured bacon and ham in London. It was an extremely well organised, professional and successful promotion by Food Ni which has given us the confidence to explore other business there.”

And Alastair Bell, managing director of Irish Black Butter, who took part in 2018, also backs the initiative. “The

Dromore’s Krazibaker griddle baked traditional Irish griddle breads

product sold well in 2018 and again this year. Shoppers were intrigued by the spread and keen to taste what is now becoming throughout the island of Ireland. I am following up a number of leads that should lead to retail deals in London and further afield,” Alastair says.

He’s also benefited from taking part in other recent promotional activities by Food NI in Britain including trade shows in Dublin, Glasgow and Harrogate. “I won my first retail business in Manchester from taking part with Food NI and Fine Food North in Harrogate,” he continues. “Food NI is doing a tremendous job promoting our food and drink in Britain. It’s by far the most significant market for smaller food and drink companies and it’s important that we continue to focus resources there. Britain has huge potential for us and is much easier to access and service for smaller companies and artisans. Food NI is really becoming a very effective and energetic promotional body for our food and deserves greater resources to enable it to do more,” he adds.

Another participant at Borough and

Alastair Bell of Irish Black Butter, Portrush, found Borough Market a worthwhile experience

Mervyn Kennedy of Kennedy Bacon, Omagh, sampling dry-sure bacon at Borough Market

other recent shows in Britain, Noisy Nuts of Ballygowan has also broken into the market with significant deals, the company’s founder Noel Allen adds. The latest collaboration involves a tie-up with Greenyard Fresh UK, a global leader in snacks and other products. “We simply have to have a strong presence in Britain to grow our business,” Mr Allen says. “Food NI and Invest NI are providing platforms for us to identify and grasp opportunities there and further afield,” he adds.

The presence at Borough Market was the fourth marketing opportunity in Britain for smaller companies organised by Food NI with Invest NI since December. The others were Gifted in Dublin, Scotland Speciality Food in Glasgow and the UK Guild of Fine Food’s Fine Food North in Harrogate.

“We’ll also be taking a group of at least seven local companies to the important Farm Shop and Deli Show at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham in April,” Mrs Shirlow continues.

“Backing from the various bodies is vitally important to us and the industry especially when devolved administrations in other parts of the UK are now allocating additional funding to help in accelerating the growth of their respective food industries particularly in key markets. For instance, the Welsh devolved administration has just found an additional £22 million for the industry there post-Brexit.

“The food and farming sector in Wales is currently valued at almost £7 billion in 2018, while the sector here is worth around £5 million. In Wales, agriculture, manufacturing, wholesale, retail and catering employs 217,000 compared to the 100,000 across the supply chain here,” adds Mrs Shirlow.

The additional funding is designed to help the sector in Wales build on its existing success and support producers to become even more resilient and to respond to whatever challenges and opportunities that Brexit might bring. Scotland Food has also received additional funds from the devolved administration in Edinburgh. In Ireland, additional government support is being provided to Bord Bia.

Nigel Logan, Hillstown Brewery, Randalstown

Whatever happens with Brexit and who really knows what will develop it is more important than ever for the food and drink industry here to be able to showcase what it has to offer particularly in Britain, still our single most important market, and have the opportunity to reach out to new markets.

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Eye on AgriFood Artisan and smaller food and drink companies in Northern Ireland are increasingly winning export business particularly in EU markets. Sam Butler reports on some recent successes.

Smaller Food Firms Ignore Brexit Fears To Prosper In European Markets

Avril Boyd and Lynne Berry at Prep House in Crossgar now doing business with Aldi in the Republic

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ooming Brexit challenges haven’t deterred artisan and smaller food companies here from pursuing and winning export business especially in European markets.

Recent successes in Europe include Portaferry’s Just Live a Little, a specialist in breakfast and snack granolas, in France; Food Stories in Belfast selling its popcorn in both the Netherlands and Belgium; and Prep House Sauces in Crossgar linking up with German discounter Aldi in the Republic of Ireland. In addition, Peppup Sauces in Portaferry and Irish Black Butter from Portrush are now doing good business in the Republic.

Other recent successes beyond Europe include Irish Craft Beers of Belfast and Castlewellan’s Whitewater Brewery inking significant deals in Japan and Singapore.

“There’s not much that we can currently do about Brexit, Jill Crawford, Just Live a Little’s commercial director, says. “We are continuing to pursue leads that we’ve identified in markets such as France

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Noel Allen, left, of Noisy Nuts in Ballygowan and Alastair Bell of Irish Black Butter of Portrush

and signing deals with retailers interested in our luxury granola products,” she adds.

The most recent deal won by Just Live a Little is with Casino Group in Paris to supply two lines from his successful portfolio for sale initially in 100 stores. The two breakfast lines are handcrafted and are cranberry and cashew and whole almond. They have just gone on sale.

Just Live a Little has also been supplying its whole almond and cranberry and cashew granolas to 100 Auchan supermarkets in France for two years. Auchan is among France’s biggest and most respected retailers and one with an international reach.

Mrs Crawford continues: “We are now well positioned for faster growth in a market which has seen strengthening demand, especially from younger consumers, for granolas over the past few years from smaller producers driven by a sharp focus on healthier products. Our market research identified this trend some time ago and this led us to invest time and other resources on exploring opportunities there.

“The latest listing was confirmed in recent weeks and is another marvellous boost in one of Europe’s most important and quality conscious markets and one which appreciates quality food products with the outstanding taste, heritage and provenance that underpins our range of granolas.

Just Live a Little was established by Mrs Crawford and husband David in 2011 and also produces heathy snack bars as well as breakfast granolas. The company, in addition, has developed reduced sugar options for breakfast.

It supplies UK supermarket chains including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Ocado, and exports to other international markets including Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia, Hong Kong, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.

Cloud Corn popcorn from Food Stories in Northern Ireland is now being enjoyed by shoppers in the Netherlands.

Belfast-based Food Stories recently secured first sales there for its sweet and salty flavour share bags from Stach Food, based in Amsterdam and with a 19-strong network of stores across the country.

Stach is a leading retailer of gourmet and luxury foods including snack and convenience products.

Eye on AgriFood Luca Montorio of Peppup Sauces in Portaferry

Founded in 2014 by Michael Heaslip, Food Stories is now developing business for its Cloud Corn popcorn and Pinkfinch fruit and vegetable crisps in international markets. It also recently lined up business in markets as diverse as Canada and Belgium.

And it is close to a major deal in Saudi Arabia.

Mr Heaslip says: “Stach is a respected and innovative food store chain, a network on a par with the UK’s Whole Foods. It is, therefore, a great first account for us in this important marketplace and will, hopefully, open up further business for our popcorn and crisps in the Netherlands in the near future. A lot of the supermarkets look to Stach for new product ideas,” he adds.

The store chain was attracted by Cloud Corn’s features which include being glutenfree, high in fibre, and suitable for vegans.

Starting five years ago selling food products to independent retailers in Northern Ireland, Food Stories has evolved as a product development and marketing business exploiting business opportunities in international markets from the significant growth in popcorn and healthy snacks.

As part of his focus on exports, Mr Heaslip decided that all the nutritional information on the packaging should be in six languages – English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch and Italian.

The small company was also the first Northern Ireland food producer to win business in French Polynesia. It currently employs four people.

Now being enjoyed by beer and spirit lovers in Japan are brews from Irish Craft Beers (ICB) in Belfast. The latest deal won by ICB means that Ireland’s best craft beers, ciders and spirits will be available throughout the Asian nation and to supporters from across the world ahead of the forthcoming Rugby World Cup later this year. The company has also secured business for products in its portfolio with Icelandair.

Shane McCarthy, an ICB founding director adds: “We are delighted with the recent business in Japan.

“We’ve enjoyed spectacular growth in the four years since the company was formed to market Irish beers, ciders and spirits in international markets. We have experienced constant revenue growth of more than 100 percent year-on-year.

“And we anticipate continued high rates of

revenue growth particularly in international markets in the current year,” he adds.

ICB has succeeded in building sales in global markets including the Middle East and Asia for local beers, ciders and spirits in its portfolio including Shortcross Gin, Crossgar, Copeland Gin, Saintfield and Hillstown in Randalstown beers.

“While breweries and distilleries focus on producing the beverages, we concentrate on exporting in the most cost-effective, streamlined way possible. Irish Craft Beers has vast experience in sales, marketing, finance, global logistics and distribution. Combine this with the extensive expertise of Irish craft breweries and we make a formidable team!”

Whitewater in Castlewellan, another local brewery, has recently added Japan and Singapore to its exports.

Crossgar-based Prep House Sauces has also just won its first business with Aldi, the leading Germanyowned discount retailer in the Republic of Ireland.

Prep House, a family business which has won a string of national awards for its original sauces and dressings, is now supplying its pepper sauce to Aldi for its network of 137 stores across the Republic.

Paul Bell, managing director of Prep House, says: “Winning initial business from such a prestigious and quality-conscious retail chain as Aldi, which has such an extensive network of successful stores across the Republic, was a marvellous boost for everyone here.

We’ve subsequently been invited to pitch several products including the pepper sauce that is now on Aldi’s shelves. Working with Aldi is a tremendous experience.

Michael Heaslip of Food Stories in Belfast is now exporting throughout Europe

“As a result of the outstanding taste of the product and the convenient two-serve sachet, we’ve been invited to create additional sauces for the chain,” adds Mr Bell.

The Aldi listing is Prep House’s biggest deal to date in the Republic and its most significant retail business.

The company has successful business especially with chefs, restaurants and hotels in Northern Ireland.

Jill and David Crawford of Just Live a Little in Portaferry has won new business in France

Prep House has experienced exceptional growth to 23 people, including 18 in the modern factory, from the three employed when the business began in 2015.

Sales have more than tripled since then. In addition, the company has invested almost £1 million in creating a state-of-the-art factory and new product kitchen close to the centre of the Co Down village, a predominantly rural community.

Awards for taste and quality have also followed from the UK Quality Food and Drink, Great Taste Awards and the Blas na hEireann Irish National Awards.

Judges have acclaimed original sauces and dressings including Irish seaweed and sweet and chilli.

Peppup, the Portaferry-based developer and producer of authentic Italian sauces, has won its biggest retail business outside Northern Ireland and has strengthened its position in the catering sector in the Republic.

The company, established in 2013 by Italianborn Luca Montorio, is supplying its unique ketchup and pasta sauces to TK Maxx UK stores throughout the United Kingdom.

The contract, announced, is a major breakthrough for the small business in Great Britain, was signed following the company’s participation with Food NI at the big Scotland Speciality Food Show in Glasgow in January.

Mr Montorio says: “Winning this business with such a prestigious store chain as TK Maxx is a marvellous boost for the Peppup range of products and, of course, for the business because it gives us a strong platform in Britain, a market I’ve been targeting for some considerable time. It demonstrates too that taking part in trade shows in Britain really does work for smaller food businesses. The Food NI team is immensely supportive of smaller companies,” he adds.

And there have been other successes among artisan businesses. Irish Black Butter in Portrush is lining up sales in Germany, the US and Britain for its quirky sweet/savoury spread. Ballylisk Cheese in Tandragee has won business in Portugal for its triple cream cheese and Noisy Nuts, a Ballygowan-based developer of flavoured peanuts, is collaborating with Greenyard Fresh UK, an international food distributor.

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Eye on AgriFood AV

Lakeland Dairies Reports Record Revenues And Profits

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akeland Dairies, which now includes Ballyrashane Co-operative in Coleraine through its recent acquisition of LacPatrick, has reported an excellent business performance in 2018 with record revenues and profitability, underpinned by targeted business development activity, relative stability in global dairy markets and growth in volumes shipped.

Following the LacPatrick merger, the new business – to be called Lakeland Dairies Co-Operative Society Limited – will be the second largest dairy processor on the island of Ireland with a cross-border milk pool of 1.8bn litres, produced by 3,200 farms across a catchment area including 16 counties. The new co-op will have a combined annual turnover in excess of £900 million, creating internationally competitive scale and the opportunity

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Lakeland Dairies CEO, Michael Hanley

for greater efficiency to be achieved across the amalgamated organisation.

The dairy business operates Europe’s most technologically advanced logistics centre at Newtownards in Co. Down for the supply of products to global markets.

Group Chief executive Michael Hanley said: “Group revenues increased by 5.3 percent to £733.6 million, yielding an operating profit of £15.8 million. This was driven by strong returns from our three main business divisions where we were also able to capitalise on our significant economies of scale, benefiting from the significant investments of recent years in technology, automation and lean operation across our processing footprint.”

The Food Ingredients Division delivered revenue growth of 4.6 percent to £ 443.4 million, reflecting the quality, flexibility and reliability of our offer and general buoyancy in the end markets and food manufacturing sectors of the group’s customers. “This division continues to meet key food industry trends with the processing scale and efficiency required to be a best in class global provider of choice across multiple food ingredient categories,” he says.

Foodservice Division revenues increased by three percent to £223.5 million in 2018, maintaining the very robust platform achieved by a significant growth in sales in the prior year and processing record volumes of value-added products. This was in spite of some volatility including

Chinese food industry customers on a recent visit to Lakeland Dairies’ Global Logistics Centre and Foodservice Manufacturing Site in Newtownards.

variable consumer sentiment and price sensitivity in key markets which we are managing effectively.

Agri-Trading Division revenues increased by 19 percent to £66.7 million, driven by organic growth where customers required higher volumes of feed during the year, mainly due to radically variable weather conditions ranging from blizzards to drought.

Lakeland supplied feed and fertiliser at the most competitive possible prices to ensure value and performance for dairy farmers.

Mr Hanley continued: “Market conditions for 2019 will be contingent on factors including the still uncertain impacts of Brexit and the overall balance of global supply and demand across

our product portfolio. We will meet any potential headwinds by continuing to ensure complete efficiency and flexibility across all of our operations, while at all times paying the highest possible milk price in line with market conditions.

“We will always support milk producers to the maximum possible extent. This will continue to be our commitment in the months and years ahead. Let us all re-energise behind the now enlarged enterprise of Lakeland Dairies where, based on the collective achievements of co-operation, we will look forward with confidence to the future.”

Eye on AgriFood

Unique Irish Whiskey Being Distilled in the Mournes

Brendan Carty of Killowen Distillery in the Mournes where Kilbroney Irish Whiskey is being distilled

Irish whiskey from distilleries throughout the island continues to drive beverage exports, with global interest in the category and double-digit demand in many markets.

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he volume of Irish beverage exports grew four percent in 2018, according to Bord Bia, the Irish food board.

Irish whiskey is enjoying record growth – now accounting for 42 percent of total beverage exports – thanks to global interest in the whiskey category. In 2018 the value of exports exceeded £600 million.

“Whiskey consumption levels globally are expected to exceed the projected 10 million cases by end 2018 for the first time.

This represents an increase of four percent in volume on 2017 and almost 12 percent in value terms,” says Bord Bia. Whiskey is now regarded as an all-island industry and has seen

the establishment of 24 new distilleries. Among the most recent is Killowen Distillery, located in the Mournes near Rostrevor in Co Down.

A distillery is also in the pipeline near Ballynahinch and is being developed by Dr Terry Cross, the former boss of Delta Print in west Belfast. He recently launched his Hinch malt and blended whiskies in Europe and Asia. He has a team of industry experts including Derek Hardy and Michael Morris.

Brendan Carty used all his skills and experience as an architect to design and build Killowen Whiskey and Gin Distillery in a picturesque and remote location overlooking Carlingford Lough.

Brendan, from Warrenpoint,

realised a long-held ambition to build his own distillery and to create an Irish whiskey that’s different from most currently being distilled in Ireland. Killowen features two copper pot stills which are flamefed. Grain for distilling is also smoked slowly in a chamber lined with sustainably sourced turf.

“My aim has been to create an Irish whiskey from traditional techniques over flame,” Brendan says. “The whiskey, Kilbroney, being produced here is also different in that it is double distilled unlike others in Ireland which are triple distilled,” he adds.

He’s been working on the distillery since returning from Australia in 2017, having decided to explore career opportunities there in architecture. “I went to look for work in Australia in 2014 because the recession led to a sharp decline in building jobs here,” he adds.

He used his spare time there to study distilling techniques there

and especially in Tasmania, home of the renowned Belgrove Distillery.

“Belgrove is probably one of the world’s greenest distilleries, “Brendan continues. “It grows its own grain and distils rye whisky using biofuel - recycled cooking oil – which fires a copper still built by the owner.

“All the other machinery is also driven by biofuel. Spent mash from the distilling process is fed to the Belgrove sheep. Water for brewing is harvested from rain troughs.

Yeast is often reused in what is a sustainable operation with the lowest food miles,” he adds.

The Belgrove eco-approach influenced Brendan in his determination to create a distillery that blends in with and respects the Mournes, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The distillery is a single-storey, low level, whitewashed structure that fits well with the natural environment. It uses locally sourced water and other materials. Brendan designed the structure and built it with the help of friends and local professionals.

Brendan shaped the two pot stills from an ancient design.

The distillation, in addition, uses worm tub condensation, the only distillery in Ireland to use this historic technique. A worm tub is a traditional way of turning vapour into liquid for “a complex whiskey with a distinctive character and a richer flavour”. Kilbroney, the single malt whiskey he’s creating, is named after a popular leisure area nearby.

“Our water comes from rivers coursing through the mountains and is filtered by ancient stones. Grain is also locally sourced,” he adds.

While regulations require that the distilled spirit can only be labelled whiskey after three years and a day, Brendan has also created his own Killowen Gin. This will provide essential cash flow over the next three years and longer until the whiskey is ready.

The mountain botanicals give the gin a distinctively rich flavour from heather, wild mint, crab apple, elderflower, elderberries and sweetly scented angelica root. He’s even planted juniper trees beside the distillery for the classic gin flavour.

The result, he says, is “an unusual gin celebrating its maritime and highland environment within the Mourne”.

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5 Kyle Greer

Cloughbane Farm Launches Plant-Based Meal Range

Steven Kennedy, Henderson Group and Lorna Robinson, Cloughbane Farm. Following an investment of over £200,000, the Tyrone based company has launched its first range of meat-free products which has secured listings with the Henderson Group.

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yrone based Cloughbane Farm has launched a new range of plant-based meals which has secured listings with Henderson Group, owners of the

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SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA franchises in Northern Ireland.

Following an investment of over £200,000, the vegetarian selection, which includes casserole, lasagne and

pasta bake is now available in stores across the province. It also includes two dishes suitable for vegan diets.

The range has already won an industry award, with Spicy Lentil & Root Vegetable Casserole picking up ‘Best New Product from a Small Company’ at the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Awards.

Lorna Robinson, Managing Director, Cloughbane Farm explains what led the company to develop its first meat free products: “Consumer habits are evolving, and the past 12 months have seen a surge in demand for plant-based meal options.

The emergence of the flexitarian diet also means that these products no longer appeal exclusively to people who follow a vegetarian or vegan diet – they have mass market appeal.

“The Cloughbane Veggi range includes lots of family favourites which are low in fat and sugar, as well as options which are gluten and dairy free. As with all our prepared meals, we have

developed these products on our farm using fresh, quality ingredients, most of which are locally grown.

“The span of what we now offer means that everyone in the family can enjoy the taste and convenience of Cloughbane Farm products. We’re proud to be offering customers even more choice and are thrilled to have secured listings with the Henderson Group.

With more stockists to be announced soon, everyone in Northern Ireland should have a supplier close by.

“Innovation is constant at Cloughbane Farm and we’re already looking forward to seeing how the Cloughbane Veggi range develops.”

Steven Kennedy, Henderson Group added: “Cloughbane Farm has been a trusted supplier to Henderson Group for many years - sharing our passion for quality, value and great taste. As a Group, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of consumer trends, which is why we’re delighted to add this selection of vegetarian meals to complement the existing range.

“With options for vegan and vegetarian diets, introducing Cloughbane Veggi means even more choice for our customers in stores across Northern Ireland.”

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14/01/2019 11:57:32 5 Kyle Greer has been appointed as Executive Head Chef at the Hastings Europa Hotel. Kyle has over 15 years’ experience in the hospitality industry in London, Dublin and Belfast. He has previously worked in No27 Talbot street, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud and Balloo Inns properties. He will be responsible for leading the hotel’s culinary teams, developing and creating menus with local provenance for each of the hotels eateries - the Lobby Bar, the Causerie, Piano Lounge and Grand ballroom.

6 Janine Gelston

7 Lee Donaghy

8 Dionne Darragh

The five-star Fitzwilliam Hotel, Belfast has appointed 6 Janine Gelston as Director of Sales & Marketing.

Janine joins the Fitzwilliam Hotel as it celebrates ten years at the heart of Belfast city and brings over 14 years’ experience working with luxury hotels across Scotland and Northern Ireland.

7 Lee Donaghy is appointed as a Manager in the Legal Expenses Insurance team at John McKee Solicitors. Lee has 20 years experience within the insurance and legal industries and her previous employment includes Belfast City Council and an international loss adjusting firm.

8 Dianne Darragh becomes a Director in the Personal Injury Litigation Department at O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors in Belfast. She specialises in catastrophic injury and serious accident cases.

9 Also at O’Reilly Stewart, Christopher Bullock is appointed as an Associate Solicitor in the Commercial 10 Department while Fergal O’Prey becomes a Solicitor within the Litigation Department.

9 Christopher Bullock

10 Fergal O’Prey

GOC CELEBRATES 25 YEARS IN BUSINESS GOC Estate Agents, based in South Belfast, is celebrating twenty five years in business, as the housing market shows strong signs of growth.

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he company launched in Stranmillis by Gerry O’Connor and two members of staff in 1994, the same year ceasefires were announced and the average house price in Northern Ireland was just £38,410.

The business increased staff numbers by a third last year with the most recent stats showing that in 2017, Northern Ireland house prices increased by a UK high of 5.8% to an average of £139,599.

The agency which is now run by Gerry and his wife Kirby, alongside a team of experienced agents, has expanded to offer dedicated sales, lettings and rental management and land and new homes departments to meet the growing needs of clients.

Gerry said, ‘In some ways 1994 feels like yesterday, however many

things have changed. Back then we had photographs glued to paper brochures and all of our contacts were stored in a telephone book, not an iPhone. While technology has dramatically changed, the business itself has also developed. We now have professional photographers, property videos, online property portals and social media. Customer service is still vital to us and offering accompanied viewings seven days a week and out of hours is an important part of our unique experience’.

So much has changed in 25 years.

Back then interest rates were 6.125%, petrol was 48.9p per litre and a pint of milk and a loaf of bread were 35p and 50p respectively. TV sitcom Friends started on TV, Harry Styles and Justin Bieber were born, 22m people watched the first UK National Lottery draw and Yahoo and Amazon were founded.

House prices today may be lower than they were at the height of the property boom ten years ago, but in 2018 there were nearly 5,000 new dwellings registered.

Gerry continued, ‘We worked diligently through the crash in the mid-2000s and beyond to become even stronger. Property is a very

competitive industry and this milestone represents a real sense of achievement in demonstrating our experience and expertise in the sector.”

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Eye on News

First Trust Bank Announces It Will Rebrand As AIB

Adrian Moynihan, Head of First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland

First Trust Bank announced on April 8, it will rebrand as AIB. This will mean that all First Trust Bank operations, products and services will rebrand as AIB on a phased basis to create a shared and unified brand for its customers across all business operations from 2020.

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ver the past number of years, AIB Group have invested £10 million in transforming First Trust Bank, enhancing its products, services and digital capability and thereby improving the customer experience.

Speaking about the announcement, Adrian Moynihan, Head of First Trust Bank in Northern Ireland, said “AIB is very proud of everything First Trust Bank has accomplished since its creation in 1992. We are keen to build on our strong and positive

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presence in Northern Ireland in the future and our decision to rebrand First Trust Bank as AIB reflects this commitment.”

“Rebranding as AIB is a natural progression in our transformation given we are AIB in both the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. It reflects our commitment to our presence in Northern Ireland and our desire to provide all our customers with a consistent and exceptional customer experience.

We will continue to back our customers in Northern Ireland to achieve their dreams and ambitions

through our digital proposition rollouts like Apple Pay and Google Pay, and this closer integration will help us bring customers the products they want as soon as possible. We remain committed to supporting the Northern Ireland economy and the customers we serve.”

Rebranding First Trust Bank as AIB marks a continuation of the bank’s strategy of closer integration in its three main markets, and ensures all geographies will operate under a single, revitalised brand identity, bringing customers a strong, customer focused proposition.

Colin Hunt, CEO of AIB Group, further added “Today we are reinforcing our commitment to Northern Ireland with this investment to rebrand First Trust Bank so it aligns with the overall AIB Group. Operating as one brand allows us to enhance our offering to customers across the

jurisdictions in which we operate, and unifies us all behind our purpose to back our customers to achieve their dreams and ambitions. Having started rolling out our new brand identity in 2016 with the introduction of our new AIB logo across our Republic of Ireland and Great Britain operations, we are now completing the transition to rebrand First Trust Bank as AIB.” There will be no interruption of services to customers during the rebrand and First Trust Bank customers will not be required to take any action as a result of the rebrand.

Further details will be available at www.aibni.co.uk as the rebrand is rolled out.

Eyeon Motoring

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

DFC Total Care DFC are excited to announce in conjunction with one of our European funders the complete vehicle leasing solution that is simple and hassle-free. All you have to do is add fuel.

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DFC Total Care is an insured leased vehicle covering the costs of repairs in the unfortunate event of an incident, fire or theft and damage protection for all your glass requirements at a fixed monthly rental for up to 5 years.

How Total Care will help you1?

By bundling together key products, we can offer a complete and hassle-free solution to your vehicle needs which saves you time and money.

DFC Total Care means that you know exactly what your monthly payments will be, helping you budget and manage your cash flow more easily. Our maintenance cover means that your car is maintained and serviced to keep it in excellent working order and we also provide you with an extensive breakdown package so that you are never stranded.

There are also several other advantages you’ll probably only come to appreciate when you use Total Care. Such as the fact that you don’t have to go through the hassle of comparing insurance quotes every year or that any help you need with your vehicle is only a phone call away.

This is the case if you are involved in an incident, when you will become part of an extremely efficient repair and management process designed to deliver

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the best outcome with minimum disruption. For example, if your car is declared a total loss, our partners Arval will complete all necessary steps within 48 hours of the engineer viewing the vehicle.

Why choose a DFC insured leased vehicle? t $PWFS XJMM TUBSU PO UIF EBZ PG EFMJWFSZ ZPV can rest assured that this will continue right through to when we collect the vehicle t #Z QBDLBHJOH UPHFUIFS UIFTF QSPEVDUT you will receive a complete and hasslefree approach to your vehicle needs that will save you time and money. t :PV DBO IBWF UIF DFSUBJOUZ PG B GJYFE NPOUIMZ outgoing for all your vehicle costs in one consolidated place and at a competitive price for the duration of your vehicle’s term t :PV XJMM TBWF UJNF CZ OPU IBWJOH UP TIPQ around for insurance renewal quotes t 0VS NBJOUFOBODF DPWFS FOTVSFT UIBU ZPVS WFIJDMF is maintained and serviced regularly and we also provide you with an extensive breakdown package so that you are never stranded t 8F EPO U IBWF UP XBJU GPS BVUIPSJTBUJPO to repair your vehicle – significantly reducing your downtime and getting you back on the road quicker t 'PS #VTJOFTT -FBTF PVS QBSUOFST "SWBM utilises the tax and financial benefits of Contract Hire to enable you to reclaim the relevant VAT charges where appropriate

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t 'JYFE NPOUIMZ SFOUBMT GPS UIF EVSBUJPO PG UIF SFOUBM t 0XO %BNBHF 1SPUFDUJPO DPWFSJOH UIF DPTU PG repairs in the event of accident, fire or theft t (MBTT %BNBHF 1SPUFDUJPO GPS UIF SFQBJS and replacement of all body glass t SE 1BSUZ -JBCJMJUZ JODMVEFE t 4IPSUGBMM 1SPUFDUJPO PO ZPVS WFIJDMF UP CSJEHF UIF gap of the finance in the event of a write off t (VBSBOUFFE .BJOUFOBODF $PWFS UP QSPWJEF FBTF of budgeting and comprehensive servicing t #SFBLEPXO "TTJTUBODF UIBU JODMVEFT B replacement vehicle for the first 48 hours t "DDJEFOU .BOBHFNFOU QSPWJEJOH B fast and efficient claims service t .PUPS *OTVSBODF %BUBCBTF .*% VQEBUFT managed by Arval on your behalf throughout the life of the contract ensuring legal compliance and prevention of fines t $PWFS GPS #VTJOFTT PS 1FSTPOBM VTF

Interested in hassle free motoring? Talk to Ryan about getting a quote today.

Call Ryan on 028 9073 4222, email ryan@ dfcbelfast.co.uk or visit www.dfcbelfast.co.uk *This offer is with Arval funded vehicles only

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

What Are Prices With Total Care?

EXAMPLE OFFER DS3 1.2 Puretech connected Chic Total Care from

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From

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To find out more about our offers go to www.dfcbelfast.co.uk/contract-hire-offers, email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk or call us on 028 9073 4222 The above finance example is for a Contract Hire agreement, a contract mileage of 8,000 miles per annum applies. All figures include Road Fund Licence* (RFL) for the term and maintenance, gap insurance & insurance cover request. This is a contract hire option and you will not own the vehicle. you must be over 21 to avail of the total care package. Contact us for full T’s & C’s Prices dependant on postcode. The above quote is based on postcode BT16

Local Company Local People Local Service

DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle Management Company.

For almost 30 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

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring Motoring

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

BMW’S BIG COUPE IS FULL OF POWER AND SOPHISTICATION T

Now here is a surprise as we move towards the age of electric cars - BMW has launched a mighty V8 engined GT coupe with all-wheel drive that pays due homage to its heritage!

he ultra powerful 850i X-drive, with 500bhp on tap, can hit 62mph in 3.7 seconds. But it can stop with equal urgency thanks to big disc brakes. Yet it actually feels as biddable as many smaller cars thanks to the addition of four-wheel steering which improves its response in a car park or when changing lane on the motorway.

The V8 turbo petrol engine - and the V6 of the 3.0 turbo diesel in its sister M840d - is mated to BMW’s eight-speed automatic gearbox. You can manually operate the gears with paddles behind the steering wheel or just let it get on with its job.

Acceleration is accompanied by a rather gratifying sound from under the bonnet.

The intensity depends on whether the car is in Comfort or Sport settings. Both models have BMW’s Xdrive (four-wheel drive system) which is reassuring, particularly on a wet day. It is a clever system giving a touch of the traditional rear-drive feel in normal driving but

cutting in automatically when needed.

Inside, the car is a mix of stitched leather and high technology. There is a 12-inch screen on which ‘digital’ instruments are displayed. ( Your speed is also projected onto the windscreen).

A central screen is used for sat nav and infotainment featuring ‘gesture control’ - just waggle your finger in a circle to turn up the volume.

The M850i is a two-door four seater with a huge boot. Later a convertible model will be offered, together with a four-door Grand Coupe. Oh, and there will be an even more powerful M8 version!!

The diesel 840d xDrive option has 320bhp from its turbo 3.0-litre engine and can accelerate to 62mph in 4.9 seconds.

Priced from £76,270 this one is rated at 46mpg with emissions of 160g/km.

The 850i is a car for the chairman, expensive at £99K but it feels worth it in terms of finish, performance and sophistication.

VOLVO IS ON TO A WINNER WITH THE MUCH-PRAISED XC40 SUV! Saloons like the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia have been the traditional image of the fleet car. This mould has now been broken by an SUV in the shape of the Volvo XC40 which has won the Fleet News Award for New Company Car of the Year!

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leet decision-makers voted for a SUV for the first time in the award category’s history. The XC40 was described as compact enough for city streets and car parks yet comfortable and quiet on motorways.

Volvo is now vying with the premium sector with a combination of build quality, running costs and styling.

Every XC40 is equipped with advanced technology and Pilot

Assist driver assistance and features including adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot monitoring and 360-degree camera system. Being a Volvo it is little surprise to hear that the SUV achieved the maximum five-star rating when it was subjected to the more rigorous 2018 assessment by the independent vehicle safety organisation Euro NCAP. Other standard features include the Sensus nine-inch touchscreen, a sophisticated voice-control system, the Volvo On Call connected services platform, automatic LED headlights with active high beam and a 12.3inch TFT driver’s information display.

Another big winner was Skoda’s flagship fleet car, the Superb, which won the best upper medium car for the fourth year in a row! In one of the most competitive categories at

the awards, the Superb stood out for its excellent value-for-money, technology, comfort and desirability.

Skoda offers a special SE Technology trim for business customers that includes: Amundsen Sat nav with 8” touchscreen display and integrated Wi-Fi, SmartLink+ for smartphone connection, as well as

blind spot detect, leather upholstery and heated front seats as standard.

The Superb comes with a range of engines including the evergreen 2-litre TDI 150PS in automatic and manual and the newly launched 1.5 TSI petrol engine. Drivers benefit from a P11D value that starts from £22,680 and a BIK rate of 25%.

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

THE HR-V IS LOOKING GOOD SECOND TIME AROUND! T

Tempting as it may be to blame Brexit for Honda’s decision to close its Swindon factory, the real reason has more to do with product appeal, or lack of the same.

he Civic ,the CR-V and the Jazz simply were not selling in sufficient numbers for the company accountants to justify its European operation.

The forgettable previous model HR-V was also culpable. Now, and not before time, Honda has redone its compact SUV and made a much better fist of it. Such tall, small cars are selling really well just now, so can the revitalised HR-V make the grade second time around?

First impressions are positive as it looks good and drives well. There are three engines - a 1.6-litre diesel, a 1.5-litre petrol and a turbo-charged 1.5 petrol for the to Sport versions.

The ‘cooking’ petrol and diesel are a tad pedestrian to drive but the 180bhp turbo is a bit of a flyer.

With firms suspension the HR-V handles better than most of its kind.

It is not as tall as some but you get a reasonably elevated view of the road ahead but a small back window inhibits the view behind. Inside is fairly typical of our age with the obligatory touch screen in the centre.

Roomy in the front, but not so good in the back due to the sloping roof line, the HR-V has a good sized boot and feels more of a quality item than some of its rivals.

The diesel is the clear winner on running cost - rated at 68mpg combined on the set-piece tests with emissions of 91g/km translating to 25% BIK.Diesels are priced from £21,305 in the starter S trim - cheaper than the petrol models for a change.

Honda has come up - belatedy - with a real competitor in the HR-V but it is up against the VW trio pf compact SUVs, the T-Roc, the Arona and the Karoq.

Latest French-Flavoured Vauxhall Offers Space And Value In the age of the stylish SUV it could be tempting to look down on the old fashioned ‘van with windows’. Yet they still have sterling virtues in terms of space, pricing and low running costs.

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he Combo Life is the latest offering from Vauxhall, now part of the Peugeot group. It is very closely related to the Citroen Berlingo and the Peugeot Rifter but that should not be taken as a demerit.

This is a well-tested design and is more comfortable and roomier than anything else in the £20K bracket.

It’s French origins mean it is softly sprung and comes with some very frugal engines, particularly the familiar 1.5 diesel with power outputs of 102 and 130PS. Economy is rated from 65 to 67mpg with BIK ratings of 26 and 27% so there is

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negligible difference in running costs between the two power outputs.

There is also a 1.2-litre turbo petrol engine with 110PS. It is rated at 51mpg and is in BIK 26%. It also has the advantage of being around £2K cheaper than the diesels.

You are not going to get an exhilarating drive from any of these engines. Like the Combo, they are all about function rather than performance. The chunky gear knob and cheapish-looking interior are reminders of the cars commercial origins.

The Combo is expected to get a

four-star crash rating and comes with some of the latest tech safety features including emergency city braking, driver fatigue detector, speed sign recognitions and lane departure warning.

Okay, it is nowhere near an Audi Q7 but you can get a seven-seat XL version of the Combo Life. Otherwise this workhorse offers loads of space

inside with a big tailgate to make it easy to load. Yes, the French are very practical people. Sliding rear doors are good for tight parking spaces.

If you want a touchscreen you have to pay extra or go for a higher spec for the basic car is….err, basic!.

Prices range from £19,610 for a starter petrol model and run up to £23,240 for the top XL turbo diesel.

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