Business Eye May June 2019 by Buckley Publications

Issue 189 May/June 2019 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

Danske Bank... the Responsible Business Agenda Features:

Family Businesses… What Does The Future Hold?

Visit Belfast… City’s Tourism Boom Goes On

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From Hair Shows To Air Shows… The Denroy Story

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Contents

May/June 2019 ISSUE 189

Cover Story

Danske Bank…The Responsible Business Agenda

Specials

VANRATH… A Partnership Approach To Recruitment Wayne Sullivan and Barbara McKiernan talk about the continued growth of VANRATH in the highly competitive recruitment marketplace here in Northern Ireland, and how the company is planning for further growth.

Danske Bank UK Chief Executive Kevin Kingston talks about the bank’s far-reaching commitment to becoming an examplar for responsible business and a best practice employer with a wide variety of employee-focused initiatives in place.

The Future Of Work…Can NI Lead The Way?

Family Business

The Future For Family Businesses In NI

Business Eye partners with the Ulster University Business School to host a Round Table Discussion at Catalyst in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter looking at how the future of work agenda will impact on the business sector here in Northern Ireland.

Tourism… Record-Breaking Year For Northern Ireland Richard Buckley chats with John McGrillen, Chief Executive of Tourism Northern Ireland, on the day that more positive results and visitor numbers are announced for Northern Ireland as a whole. The tourism chief looks at the key achievements and the challenges for the industry going forward.

Business Eye joined forces with family business specialists Harbinson Mulholland to stage a Round Table Discussion at Belfast’s Ox Cave. An influential panel including some of our leading family business owners and directors took a close look at the issues, strengths and challenges of the family business sector.

A Private Sector Approach To Tourism

Tourism

Visit Belfast…Another Record Year For Tourism The formidable double act of Chairman Howard Hastings and Chief Executive Gerry Lennon talk to Business Eye about the continued growth of tourism in Belfast, fuelled by political stability, world class attractions, hundreds of new hotels rooms and 148 cruise ship visits this season.

The Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance is a new body formed to champion the views of the private sector tourism industry, from hotels to pubs and from airlines to ferry operators. We talk to Dr. Joanne Stuart OBE, the Alliance’s newly appointed Chief Executive.

Manufacturing In NI… Strategy & Leadership Required Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI, argues that Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector urgently needs the return of devolved government at Stormont and, crucially, needs to avoid a No Deal Brexit at all costs.

Henderson Group: A Commitment To The Local Economy

Manufacturing

From Hair Shows To Air Shows Richard Buckley catches up with the three-strong senior management team at Denroy & Denman in Bangor, Co. Down. One of Northern Ireland’s manufacturing success stories, the company makes products ranging from global market leading hairbrushes to precision components for some of the world’s leading aircraft.

Regulars

Henderson Group and its retail brands - Spar, Eurospar, Vivo & VivoExtra - has a firm and unstinting commitment to sourcing produce from local NI suppliers, showcased by its Enjoy Local range. Business Eye talks to four key Henderson Group executives about the importance of local sourcing.

Northern Ireland’s Local Councils… An Economic Review Business Eye talks to some of Northern Ireland’s most progressive local councils about how the 11 so-called super councils can make a major impact on economic development and tourism across the region.

Eye on Hospitality

Eye on Financial Services

Eye on Events

Eye on Finance

Eye on Digital

Moving On

Eye on Communications

Eye on Charity

Eye on Motoring

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As we head into the summer months and what used to be known as the marching season, there’s plenty to be cheerful about here in Northern Ireland.

Comment

“Our continued lack of government has now gone on for so long that we’ve become a laughing stock in certain circles. It’s something that our leading political parties should be ashamed of... but, of course, they aren’t.”

rexit hasn’t happened yet, for starters, business in many ways is doing as well as can be expected (under the circumstances) and the biggest sporting event ever held on these shores swings into action during July. That’s the optimistic paragraph sorted. It’s fair to say, however, that there are a few storm clouds on the horizon. Absolutely nothing has changed on the local political front. Talks, apparently, have been taking place led by our less than dynamic Secretary of State. But there is little or no anticipation that a deal will be struck. Not before the autumn, at any rate, and almost definitely not before the shape of Brexit is determined. Our continued lack of government has now gone on for so long that we’ve become a laughing stock in certain circles. It’s something that our leading political parties should be ashamed of... but, of course, they aren’t. The DUP will wait for the resumption of its starring role at Westminster and Sinn Fein will sit back and dream about a united Ireland. Both parties seem oblivious to the damage that the lack of a devolved government is causing, especially in key areas like health and education. Over in London, a ragtag band of wannabes, hopefuls and out and out crackpots are jostling for positon in the Tory leadership battle. To the winner goes the spoils not just of the Tory Party leadership but the job of Prime Minister as well. Whoever wins, be it Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt or one of the outsiders, they’re going to have to wing it over to Belfast pretty sharpish to cosy up to Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds. And so the record will start to play itself all over again...

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

For the sake of business and the economy here, a moderate like Jeremy Hunt looks preferable. Certainly, we despair to think what might happen to our economy if Dominic Raab lands the top job. He’s made it clear that he wants to appoint himself as a de facto dictator to drive a hard Brexit through. You couldn’t make it up. Hopefully, though, Dominic will have been eliminated by the time you read this. It looks very much as though Brexit will be coming down the tracks at us this time and that it might well happen at the end of October, with no further delays and no further hedging or sidestepping. There’s a quiet acceptance in the local business community that this is the case, and that we’re going to have to cope with whatever comes our way. What’s important is that the DUP sticks to its word. The party has an inordinate amount of power on the national stage, and it is crucial that they use it for the good of Northern Ireland and not just the party’s own political ends. The DUP leadership has said that it supports the concept of Brexit but that it wants Brexit to be completed with a deal that looks after the interests of Northern Ireland. Crashing out of Europe with Boris Johnson at the wheel spells potential disaster for Northern Ireland economically. The DUP must work to ensure that it doesn’t happen. In closing, let’s return to the optimistic mood music. Roll on July 18th when sparkling sunshine (let’s hope), the wonderful fairways of Royal Portrush and the majestic Causeway Coast welcome the world’s top golfers, thousands of visitors and millions of TV viewers all over the world. It’s going to be amazing.

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Eye on News

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF TOURISM WITH NITA Northern Ireland’s newest force in tourism, the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, has marked its first anniversary with its AGM and Members’ Meeting hosted at Belfast Metropolitan College in the city’s Titanic Quarter.

he organisation channels the energy and vision of major private and public sector stakeholders across the diverse industry, creating a powerfully unified voice for tourism which ensures the sector is high on the government agenda and is recognised as a key economic driver to the NI economy. Those priorities were evident in the agenda for the day as members from across Northern Ireland addressed the theme of Skills, one of the key challenges facing tourism

and hospitality. They also heard presentations from Ciaran Doherty, Stakeholder Liaison Manager with Tourism Ireland and Tourism NI whose CEO, John McGrillen, formally presented the new experience brand for Northern Ireland, ‘Embrace the Giant Spirit’. The round table discussions which followed gave members the opportunity to discuss the priorities facing the industry which will determine the action plan for NITA over the next twelve months.

Looking to the future: (from left) Joanne Stuart, Chief Executive Officer, Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance; Luke Petheridge, Head of Public Affairs, ABTA; NITA Chair, Brenda Morgan; Howard Hastings, Chairman, Northern Ireland Tourist Board and Managing Director, Hastings Hotels, and Colin Neill, Chief Executive Officer of Pubs of Ulster and NITA Board member.

Almac Reports £17 Million Rise In Turnover Almac Group, the global contract pharmaceutical development and manufacturing organisation, has reported a £17 million rise in turnover from £531 million to £548 million for 2017-18.

re-tax profits were recorded at £27 million whilst average employee figures increased by 8% from 4,407 to 4,798 for the same period. The figures were recorded in Almac’s annual report with its results for the year ending 30 September 2018. Throughout this period, the Group made a number of significant investments including further development of its European Campus in Dundalk, Ireland, a multimillion pound expansion of capacity at its site in Athlone in addition to further investment at its existing facilities in the UK, US and Asia. Global expansion continued with the acquisition of Athlone-

Almac’s Board of Directors

based, BioClin Laboratories, which significantly increased its global analytical services capabilities. Delivering upon its outreach strategy, Almac also has committed to invest over £1 million through a partnership agreement with W5 in Belfast, Ireland’s interactive science centre, to enhance STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths)

knowledge and understanding among the next generation. Alan Armstrong, Group CEO, commented: “Almac experienced yet another strong year in 2018 with our key financial and global employee metrics increasing. We made significant progress on our ambitious growth strategy with the acquisition of BioClin Laboratories

and the continued investment in our existing global facilities, in addition to increased headcount. With 100% of our profits reinvested into the business, we will continue to innovate and improve our wide range of services and products to ensure we provide the premium solutions our global client base relies on.”

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Eye on News

Charles Hurst Jeep Launches New Fleet Service in Belfast Charles Hurst Jeep has launched a new fleet service in Belfast, offering business customers the chance to make every day an adventure with its exciting range of Jeep models.

he new Jeep range was officially unveiled at a recent launch event at their Boucher Road showroom in Belfast. Guests at the event included members of the fleet and financial industries keen to get a glimpse of the new range which includes the Jeep Compass, Jeep Renegade, Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Nigel Stronge, Jeep Franchise Manager, said;

“Over the years, Jeep has seen a rise in interest and demand in their innovative fleet. The Jeep brand and our customer numbers have grown from strength to strength in the retail market. We’re confident Jeep can replicate this success within the fleet market. “We’ve noticed the business owner profile over the years has become more unique and distinguished. We have the product to not only match but enhance this identity. Jeep drivers have a distinct customer profile; people who think outside the box drive Jeep, people with confident and unique identities drive Jeep, adventurers drive Jeep.” Heading up the new Jeep fleet division is Terry Murray, Jeep Fleet Sales Manager. Terry has been operating in the Fleet sector for over 15 years and works closely with a large number

Pictured L-R are Colin McNab Jnr, Head of Business Jeep, Nigel Stronge, Franchise Manager Jeep, Terry Murray Fleet Specialist Jeep.

of Northern Ireland businesses. “It’s my goal to ensure the product selection is absolutely right for our customers and they receive the support they need to ensure their fleets are well maintained. The Jeep

focus in bringing the fleet offering to market is to ensure our business partners feel confident, empowered and unique. We want to join forces with organisations that share our love for freedom and adventure”, said Terry.

Eye on News

Operating Profit Up At Belfast City Airport

Operating profit at Belfast City Airport increased by 11.9% in 2018 to reach £3,251,000 from £2,905,000 the previous year.

urnover at the airport, which handled 2.51 million passengers during the year, also rose by 3.9% to £22,086,000 from £21,250,000 in 2017. The figures were contained in accounts filed at Companies House. During the year, work commenced on

a £15 million investment programme aimed at further enhancing the experience for the airport’s core business and leisure passengers. The scheme included a major upgrade of the departure lounge and a significant increase in its retail and food and beverage offering. Meanwhile, a reconfiguration of the central security area, which included the introduction of new security lanes, has cut the average passenger processing time to only six minutes. Analysis of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) data also recently revealed the airport - already named by The Telegraph as the UK and Ireland’s most convenient - to be the most punctual in the UK. The first of three new purposebuilt fire tenders, offering the latest technology in aviation firefighting and rescue, were also delivered to Belfast City Airport Fire Service in 2018, as part of a seven-figure investment.

Belfast City Airport Chief Executive Brian Ambrose said: “2018 was another strong year for Belfast City Airport and it was particularly pleasing to open our new security area as part of our overall terminal upgrade, which has been hugely popular with our passengers. “Our programme of investment works carry on throughout 2019 as we continue to improve the journey from car to gate. A covered walkway has recently been installed from our premier car park and our front of house area is being redeveloped ensuring ease of access for all passengers. “We also constantly work to develop our route offering, alongside our airline partners Aer Lingus, British Airways, KLM, and Flybe, seeking new opportunities to increase frequency and capacity across our domestic and European network.”

manage this will also be considered. However, the pro-plastic viewpoint will also be contested with key speakers from both sides taking part in a debate-style discussion. Robotics and how future technologies can continue to benefit Northern Ireland Water’s customers while continuing to protect the environment will also be examined; as digital enhancements develop, it’s predicted that the future of customer service will be revolutionised. Chaired by Wendy Austin MBE, presenter of the BBC’s Inside

Business programme, there are opportunities for delegates to network with speakers from businesses including Fujitsu, PwC, the Graham Group, Neueda, Kier Construction, Arup and Marsh and Mercer.

Creating waves as Institute of Water Conference comes to Titanic Belfast All eyes will be on the water industry later this month, June 27 and 28 when the Institute of Water conference comes to Northern Ireland.

osted by Sara Venning (pictured), Institute of Water President Elect and Chief Executive Officer of Northern Ireland Water, the conference is a key networking event in the UK water industry calendar. Local businesses and water companies from around these islands will meet at Titanic Belfast; the theme of ‘How Disruption is Transforming the Water Sector’ will be a common thread throughout. Changes to the environment, pollution and digital advances with

the emergence of new technologies, are causing what is being described as ‘disruption,’ to populations around the world. The conference will explore this and what businesses and water companies can do to address it. Environmental and ethical issues will be high on the agenda with a presentation by Presenter for the BBC’s ‘The One Show’ and columnist for the Observer, Lucy Siegle sharing her perspectives with delegates. The global problem of plastic and what water companies are doing to

For further information and to book your place click https://www. instituteofwater.org.uk/eventsinfo/?id=1022

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Eye on Hospitality

Malone Lodge Hotel... A Gem In Belfast’s Hospitality Crown

Suzanne Milford, General Manager, Malone Lodge Hotel.

Suzanne Milford admits that the Malone Lodge Hotel might be regarded by some as a hidden gem in Belfast’s much-changed hospitality scene.

he youthful General Manager of the South Belfast property is clearly proud of what has been achieved at the family-owned hotel, and of the fact that the hotel has an established and loyal customer base across the business and leisure tourism sectors. The Malone Lodge, close to Queen’s University on Belfast’s Eglantine Avenue, has been owned for many years by the Macklin family and the hotel has just completed a major investment project including the refurbishment of its 44 classic standard rooms. In total, the hotel has 70 classic rooms, executive rooms, suites and 32 apartments. “We’re an independent family-owned hotel”, says Suzanne. “The minute you walk in, you can sense the homely ambience and our friendly welcoming

staff greeting you, and that’s something that our regular guests love”. She’s chatting in the Malone Lodge’s inimitable lobby area, more akin to a capacious living room than a hotel lobby, thanks to its leather easy chairs and soft furnishings. “But any good hotel goes a lot further than its bedrooms and public rooms,” she adds. “We’re fortunate to have an excellent team of people here at the Malone Lodge, a really motivated team with a real commitment to what they’re doing every day. We care about our

guests, and we care about each other.” The hotel is also a haven for business events in the south of the city. Its largest function/events room is capable of accommodating 240 guests and it also boasts a range of other events/meeting facilities. And it’s long been a popular venue for weddings with a distinctly personal touch. “We have an approximate split of 60:40 in favour of leisure guests, but we do have a lot of repeat business guests who prefer to stay in a quieter part of the city,” Suzanne adds.

The hotel, whilst it doesn’t form part of any brand grouping, is part of the Choice Hotels Group, an international collection of more than 6,000 individual hotels in more than 40 countries. Suzanne Milford says that the Malone Lodge with its staff of 75 people had to face up to fresh challenges when some 1,500 new bedrooms were added to the Belfast visitor offering over recent years, with the opening of city centre properties like the Grand Central, Maldron and Hampton by Hilton. “It’s something that did concern us, and it has been a challenging couple of years, but we’re finding now that the fact that we’re smaller, family owned and individual sets us apart from some of the big brand names of the hotel business.” Suzanne started her career in the industry with five years in London working for the exclusive Firmdale Hotels Group before moving back to her native Belfast where she joined the revenue management team at the city’s 5-star Fitzwilliam Hotel. She made to move to the Macklin Group and the Malone Lodge as Revenue Manager before her promotion to the coveted role of General Manager. Outside of its leisure and business guests, the Malone Lodge is an established favourite with those who live and work in the South Belfast area. The hotel’s Knife & Fork Restaurant has an enviable reputation for some of the best food around the south of the city, and the menus are currently being improved by new Head Chef, Liam Mooney. A former member of the kitchen staff at the hotel, he has returned from a number of years working in Guernsey to head up the South Belfast hotel’s culinary team. Looking to the future, the Macklin Group has firm plans to add a further 27 bedrooms over the coming years as part of their expansion plan. “But, for now, we’re going to be concentrating on what we do best,” says Suzanne Milford. “Looking after our guests in the unique surroundings of the Malone Lodge Hotel.”

www.malonelodgehotelbelfast.com

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Eye on Recruitment

VANRATH... A Partnership Approach To Recruitment Anyone who has travelled through Belfast City Airport over the past decade couldn’t fail to have noticed the VANRATH brand name thanks to a high impact advertising campaign that dominates the approach to the airport terminal.

or a healthy proportion of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 businesses, the VANRATH name means a whole lot more. For them, it means a trusted partner for the increasingly difficult business challenge of identifying, recruiting and retaining top quality professional staff. Established back at the turn of the millennium by a Chartered Accountant Wayne Sullivan, VANRATH today is a city centre-based recruitment consultancy with a dedicated team of 30 specialist consultants, many of them long-

serving members of the VANRATH team, and a circa £9 million turnover. It’s also a market leader across a number of key sectors of the Northern Ireland economy, a company working across both permanent and temporary recruitment and an organisation which works hard on building partnerships with its clients.... both corporate and individual. “Our clients come to us for our experience, for the consultative advice that we can offer them, for complete confidentiality and for the partnership

approach that we always take,” says Wayne Sullivan. “We manage the whole process on their behalf, guaranteeing delivery of the right candidate and that’s why so many clients come back to us time and time again.” A market-leading specialist recruitment consultancy, VANRATH has worked on individual hires and

“We manage the whole process on their behalf, guaranteeing delivery of the right candidate and that’s why so many clients come back to us time and time again.”

significant recruitment campaigns for some of the best-known names in the world of business, amongst them Allen & Overy, Deloitte Digital, AquaQ Analytics, Imanage, Johnson Controls International, TP ICAP, CME Group and Allstate. Recently, the Belfast consultancy played a key role in Allstate’s transfer of 100 Accountancy and Finance roles from the US to its Belfast base”. “We’ve also worked closely alongside Invest Northern Ireland in advising companies who are bringing new jobs to Northern Ireland, and that’s a role that we’re very proud of,” adds Ryan Quinn. Currently based on the top two floors of Lesley Suites in Belfast’s Montgomery Street, VANRATH has imminent plans to finalise new larger city centre offices to provide additional capacity for future growth in consultant numbers. As a further sign of planned growth, it has also appointed three

Eye on Recruitment key consultants – Damian Della Croce, Joanne Gordon and Phil Gamble - as Directors within the firm. The three join a management team headed by Wayne Sullivan as Group MD with Ryan Quinn and Barbara McKiernan as MD’s of the IT and Specialist sides of the business respectively. Crucially, VANRATH has also secured a significant stake-holding investment from local investor and prominent Mercedes business owner Neil McKibbin FCA, allowing the company to invest in new office accommodation and continue their ambitious growth plans.

VANRATH has seven key areas of specialisation in the professional recruitment marketplace:IT Accountancy HR Sales & Marketing Legal Business Support Construction & Engineering “Known for IT and Accountancy we have expanded our recruitment service suite in recent year’s to meet the demands of our clients” adds Barbara McKiernan. “We have

played a significant role in the growth and people development of quite a number of significant organisations here in Northern Ireland and we aim to continue to provide this high level of service”. “Client companies know that when they come to VANRATH, we will not waste any of their time or our own. Instead we will guarantee that we’ll deliver the human capital they want and need when they need it. “We’re growing as an organisation ourselves, and we’re always interested in talking to high quality people working in recruitment who’d like the opportunity to join our team and work

in a positive, grown-up environment.” Wayne Sullivan ensures that there is an embedded culture of integrity, honesty and ambition at VANRATH, a culture that helps set the Belfast company apart from others in a highly competitive business sector. “What we do isn’t rocket science,” he says simply. “It’s a common sense but concentrated and professional approach to providing focussed recruitment solutions.”

www.vanrath.com

Three New Directors At VANRATH

Phil Gamble – a native of Ballymena

and former marketing specialist who worked for Microsoft at UK headquarter level, Phil concentrates on specialist IT Software recruitment at VANRATH. He has assisted Invest NI in working alongside Software companies locating in Northern Ireland and he’s a firm believer that Northern Ireland offers a wealth of people talent for companies right across the technology spectrum.

Joanne Gordon – better known to

some as Joanne Bloomer, she has worked in both London and in Australia before returning to her native Northern Ireland. Joanne specialises in senior-level Finance roles for client companies across every sector of the NI economy. In common with the team ethos at VANRATH, she underlines the importance of working in close partnership with client companies on effective recruitment solutions.

Damian Della Croce – a

Glaswegian with Italian roots and a Physics background who has made Northern Ireland his home. With over 12 year’s recruitment experience Damian heads up VANRATH’s contract and temporary Accountancy recruitment operations, placing candidates at all levels into specialist roles right across the private and public sectors.

Eye on Round Table

The Future Of Work... Can Northern Ireland Lead The Way? The Participants

Professor Gillian Armstrong, Director of Business Engagement, UUBS

Elaine Smyth, Director of Innovation Community, Catalyst Inc

Ken Nelson, Chairman of InterTradeIreland and CEO, Ledcom

Business Eye joined forces with the Ulster University Business School and hosts Catalyst Inc to stage a round table discussion on The Future Of Work at the Catalyst Inc Innovation Centre in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter.

he discussion event was a precursor to the UUBS/ Catalyst Future Of Work Summit at ICC Belfast on 29th May. An influential panel of business leaders and specialists in their fields took part in a lively and informative discussion on a subject set to impact on all of our working lives.

Richard Johnston, Deputy Director, Ulster University Economic Policy Centre

David Brown, Chief Operating Officer, B-Secur

Kieran O’Neill, Technology Director, Deloitte UK

Paul Carlin, R & D Manager, South Eastern Health & Social Care Trust

Conor Houston, Head of Engagement, Digital DNA & Director of Houston Solutions

Adrian Lester, Senior Product Manager (API’s), Allstate Northern Ireland

RB – How has the Future of Work agenda impacted from your own perspective over recent years? GA – The virtual learning environment has been transformed. It allows us to offer really flexible support for students. We can use individual learner analytics, so we can see students at risk or who need different levels of support. So we can offer more personalised learning, and customise our programmes much more effectively. The days of academics having to be based in an office on campus five days a week waiting for students to knock the door are gone.

Eye on Round Table

KN – It’s all about the impact of digitalisation and the fact that employees, increasingly, have to be able to multi task. That pace is accelerating. How we process, manage and use data is where we are all seeing the big changes. RJ – Yes, it’s around big data and technology. As economists, we’re seeing more demand for what we provide. CH – The tech revolution has transformed our economy. I’m a recovering lawyer and I now find myself with the title of Head of Engagement so a lot has changed for me. There’s a quote that sums it all up and it’s the one that says that 60% of the jobs our current schoolchildren will do in the future don’t actually exist yet. And most of the things I’m involved with now didn’t exist when I started my career ten years ago. So we have to focus on being able to navigate an ever-changing landscape. That will be the new normal. KO’N – We want things delivered at a faster pace now, we want greater insight and we have to be more creative and more collaborative. We also have to be more international in how we collaborate. DB – We moved as a company from selling a product to selling a service so our people have had to get their heads around that one. Data is the big play, and it’s huge

for us. New grads want to work on the latest technology, and they look for something new all the time. Retention isn’t easy and keeping people excited is the real trick. PC – I come from healthcare where everything has changed and nothing has changed. We do have to deliver service and the patient has to be the focus of everything we do. But digitisation, information, has changed how we do things. Some elements still have to change. We tend to measure throughput rather than quality, for example, and there can be a lack of digital literacy sometimes. That points to huge opportunities for education. ES – We have 174 on campus companies and I would say across all of those the number one challenge is talent. We’re really engaged with our companies on that subject. Gone are the days of a job for life. We have to ensure that companies can adapt and work with their employees effectively, for both job satisfaction and for the key element of productivity. Productivity means profitability and that leads to success.

scared of us. We’ve moved away from coders who work in the dark for months and then deliver to people who can engage throughout the process, and that’s been a big change. Being able to tie work to value has been rewarding for us as an organisation in Belfast.

shouldn’t be seen as a negative path. Some roles might be affected by 5%, others by 10%, some by more. It really depends on the role. But, of course, there will be challenges at a micro level.

KN – There will be change but there will be more jobs created than there will be losses. I think it’s important to take a positive view.

CH – What is exciting is the opportunity that exists for all of us. If you have the ability and the skills then you can get to the top very quickly. That’s something relatively new, don’t forget. But the whole concept of work....how we go to work, where work is, how we do it. Everything is open to change. As for retirement, maybe it was a 20th Century concept.

RJ – Yes, there are misconceptions. If AI can take away some roles from people, then those people can be freed up to be more creative, more productive. It definitely

ES – We have a young entrepreneur on our Derry campus who is 22 years of age and has a team of 24 people developing software solutions. Of those 24, two are on

RB – Is everything going to change and are there misconceptions around about what will and what won’t be open to change?

AL – At Allstate, we’ve seen a big shift in how we’ve served our parent company. We’ve worked hard to deliver more meaningful value into the US parent and that has meant dealing directly with the customer when we’re a bit scared of them and they’re a bit

Eye on Round Table the payroll and he works the gig economy. The people who work with him work it also, moving from gig to gig as it suits them. KO’N – AI is one element of the future of work. For me, it’s the entire business model. How you bring talent into your organisation, how you train, how you retrain... and how you retain. And Elaine is right. More and more organisations are working the gig economy. PC – Without wanting to sound off the pace, the health service can still be a job for life and we’re very service-driven. The pivot for us is around quality. Roles will change. Radiology is a good example of an area where AI can take over certain role, but that means that the softer side will take on a new importance for those professionals. Our working lives will continue to be about service delivery and formalised settings, and people will continue to want human interaction in health.

economic model isn’t suited to that kind of decision. Some businesses want to embrace the future of work but are finding it quite hard. RJ – We’re talking about the fourth industrial revolution and there are forks in the road. Some companies

PC – How do we change like that in the public sector? We don’t have those entrepreneurial skills and dynamics, so it is a big ask for us as very major employers. We might be cutting edge in some ways, but we’re antiquated in others.

driving their agenda and that’s something missing up here. They are setting the goals, and we need to follow suit. RB – If we’re going to change the culture, does that need to be government-led?

GA – We’re hearing more about multi-institutional approaches. Certainly we have a lot of partnerships in place to help us do what we do. Maybe we need to work towards what some call an eco system, with everyone involved in driving the ideas forward. Appetite for risk needs to be evident and we have to look at new ideas. And it has to be said that the funding environment is not helpful.

RB – We’re sitting here in the relatively rarified atmosphere of the Innovation Centre. Are Northern Ireland companies out there prepared for a new world of work or is there some evidence of heads being in the sand? ES – I don’t think its a case of heads being in the sand. I was talking to an engineering company recently who weren’t so concerned about adding headcount, but did want to invest in technology that could automate processes and improve productivity. But the current

take the right ones, others take the wrong ones. There is a phrase.... Competitiveness is to economic development what gravity is to physics. It really is about changing what we do,. We have a small number of companies who are fantastic at this, we have a lot of companies thinking about it and we have some who aren’t thinking about it at all. Behind all of that, we have to change structurally and we have to think about what the next Programme for Government is going to be about and where your economic strategy falls into that.

KO’N – It is hard to do anything on your own, so collaborations are crucial. And, if you’re going to progress real innovation, the legislative environment needs to change. The third thing is about risk. You might not get it right, but you can learn from failures and try again. PC – We can get funding because we’re involved in research, and that’s great, but it is a bubble. It often doesn’t stretch to real clinical advancements. You can prove a point through research but then you’ve got to look at procurement processes. It takes 17 years to get a technology adopted in the NHS, believe it or not.

CH – It’s about getting away from the silo mentality. A lot of people talk about collaboration, but what they mean is getting someone to do what they want them to do. That’s not true collaboration. Profound collaboration can mean re-thinking what we do. So, even if we had a government, would that government be capable of doing the big think? The private sector really has to lead the way.

KN – We can learn a lot from our southern neighbours. They have a FutureJobsIreland strategy

KO’N – We see more organisations becoming more user centric. Some great

Eye on Round Table

innovation is coming from financial services. Look at Metro Bank, who decided that it didn’t need a physical location. They tried and failed a few times before succeeding and that’s the path that more organisations across the board need to take. PC – That’s true. But in my field, it is a challenge. If a doctor has a list of 15 patients to see, he or she doesn’t have time to talk about innovation in the practice or elsewhere. That’s the big challenge in health. Our metrics of performance are short-sighted and our budgetary cycle is a year. RJ – In terms of economic policy, everyone has to be on board to agree the way forward. We were set up to provide independent economic advice and to work with the policy makers. Those policy makers are crucial to the mix, and Invest NI has to be on board as we move forwards. RB – So we think we can change things without a very direct helping hand from government? RJ – Yes. Our top civil servants are moving things forward. They have a lot of autonomy. And look at it this way. Without an Executive, we’ve got a higher number of people in employment than ever before.

RB – Where do we sit internationally on this subject? GA – We have some very innovative practice. Maybe we need more communication and dissemination. For instance, we worked with Deloitte on their Bright Start Programme, which brings the skills message into our schools. That model has been disseminated out to Europe, the Middle East and further afield because it works. And it came out of Belfast. We’re not very good at shouting when we get things right.

gone anywhere and we looked elsewhere. But we stayed here because the talent is here. Some of our investors thought it was a risk. But we’re more advanced than many in our industry and we can move faster. Being in Belfast works really well for us. We don’t hire people for a specific role. When you join us, your contract makes it clear that you might end up across various roles.

CH – Over in the States, there is an interest in what we’re doing here, particularly in areas like fintech and cyber security. Just a few weeks ago, UK Finance held one of their events here on the basis that, when it comes to fintech, Belfast is the place to be. RB – Could we become a leader in the future of work just as we are in fintech and cyber security?

KO’N – We’ve grown from 400 to over a thousand people in the last number of years. Future of work for us isn’t an AI thing, it’s a fundamental part of our business model. Talent is fundamental to how we want to grow. We have to attract people, retain them and give them an experience rather than just a job. Millennials today expect to change jobs every few years. It’s a fact of life. Bright Start is a programme that shows that collaboration in Northern Ireland really can work. I’d put it up against anything similar anywhere in the world. As Gillian says, we need to shout about that kind of success. DB – When we were starting out at B-Secur, we could have

Eye on Round Table KN – I think that Catalyst Inc, where we’re sitting today, is an example of how we can lead globally and we really do need to extend that kind of innovation right across the economy and schools can and will play a leading role. RJ – The future of work, in essence, is the future of education. We have to look at how the curriculum is set up. It does teach inflexible, memory test learning, and we see that when they arrive at university. How do we grow little creative individuals rather than corral them all into a system of education that probably works for 60% of them.

CH – It’s in our DNA, isn’t it? We’ve been global leaders historically in a number of industries and we definitely can punch above our weight. AL – We need to inspire each generation of kids, that’s important. I grew up in Armagh right beside the Planetarium and I’ve always had an interest in space. It’s up to us to give our kids hopes and dreams, and we can be anything we want to be.

ES – We had a great opportunity to pilot a programme called School Re-Tool from Stanford University. It’s targeted at school principals and we trialled it with nine principals in Tyrone. The programme looked at how principals can change the user experience in their schools. One looked at how much time teachers were speaking against how much the pupils were thinking. The result was that he introduced a set level of thinking time in

GA – We are seeing more growth in part-time graduate level programmes for those who are already in the workforce and who need further development. If these programmes are customised with employers, they can be highly effective. Maybe we also need to look at more short courses and executive level education for all ages. I think there would be demand for that. PC – We’re perfectly positioned here to be a test bed, if you like. We need to get all the stakeholders involved in aligning Northern Ireland’s economy, if you like, with the global digital perspective. There is a real opportunity to be a world leader but it is a time-limited opportunity. If we don’t move quickly, someone else will do it. RJ – I had that conversation in DfE recently. They don’t have a single head of automation or similar and, as a result, it’s scattered across a number of departments and units.

KO’N – Absolutely, we do need to look at the kids coming through the schools. We have to look well beyond teaching kids basic IT skills and bring future of work skills into the curriculum now.

classes and the difference that this school has experienced has been amazing. A lot of these skills are in the curriculum. It comes down to teachers and how they teach. When they own this, we see a big difference.

PC – Look, we don’t move quickly enough. If a start-up comes to us to ask to use our data to help prove a concept, it takes six months. That’s bonkers. Meanwhile, in China or somewhere else, another company is forging ahead. We need to look at our mechanisms and how we do things. There are hard decisions that we need to start taking as a region.

AL – There’s no doubt that AI is going to be very important. Maybe it can have all the answers, but it doesn’t necessarily know the questions. So there’s an argument still that the future belongs to the curious. There’s a need for people with expertise. KN – In the south, they’re in the process of establishing ‘top teams’ to take a lot of these concepts forward. We need to think about where our top teams are and how they can be put into place.

Eye on Round Table KO’N – I was involved in the Matrix report on technology back in 2015 and we said exactly the same, that there was a need for individuals and teams to lead. There’s a danger of paralysis by analysis though. We just need to get on with it. Do we need to wait for government? CH – We have everything we need here to be incredibly successful. In a lot of ways, we have a blank canvas. But at government level, it all gets a bit frustrating. Where is the ambition? Where is the big thinking? It’s brilliant that Deloitte’s biggest office outside of London is here in Belfast. There’s ambition and commitment. But how do we transfuse that to government? RB – Let me ask you all one final question before we wrap up. Lack of government apart, what do we each think is going to happen in terms of work and the workplace over the next five or six years? GA – The one thing that all of the FDI clients are interested in is the quality of the talent here, the education systems and the pipelines coming through. They are always impressed by the fact that we’re joined up. Having said that, everyone is after the same talent so we need to work on the pipelines and maintain them to make sure that they produce the skills that we need. We’ve more to do on that front.

KN – It’s the strategic piece, isn’t it, getting that visionary shape and drive towards it. We need to recognise that work is changing.... from all of us working longer to the normalisation of the gig economy. RJ – 39% of jobs in London are at risk of automation and that rises to 49% in NI. And, within NI, west of the Bann could be more at risk than Greater Belfast. So the rise of automation could be a challenge here, and older workers will be at more risk. At education level, we don’t have enough girls going into STEM degrees....still. They are under represented within the inflows into high quality jobs.

CH – I met an astronaut some years ago in the States and he talked to me about the Earth Rise Principles. He was one of very few humans to witness the earth rising from the moon and that it had given him a new perspective on life. As a result, he quotes three principles – profound collaboration, interdependence and long term thinking. He promotes these to schools in the States and I thought that they were well worth sharing at this forum. KO’N – Northern Ireland needs to decide where it wants to play and then inject pace into an effort to get there. Talent from 5 to 65, male and female, needs to be addressed as a whole subject. The third thing is marketing. We have to sell Northern Ireland, whatever the market looks like. DB – The big thing for me will be speed of change. We need to be able to adapt to that speed of change, whether its in technology itself or in talent and training. Talent, going forward, needs to be flexible and needs to be creative because we’ll be seeing more of a team and project-based approach to how we do things. PC - Increasing demand, increasing cost and decreasing resource. In health, we talk about ABCC – academic, business, clinical, client. In Northern Ireland as a whole, we have creative,

flexible thinking in bits and bobs but it’s not everywhere. It requires a bit of a culture change to get us there. In this day and age, everyone needs to be able to pivot quickly, to react without delay. ES – If business leaders can bring together the technology and human skills in an optimal way, the businesses can thrive. If they can’t, then it will be questionable. There are huge opportunities in all of this, but there is also a threat. I hope that we can all do what we can to help businesses to position themselves for the future of work. The new normal, after all, is constant change. Business needs to lead that constant change. AL – As Conor mentioned at the start, a lot of our kids are going to work in jobs that don’t exist today. We have to train well-rounded, creative individuals with the soft skills that they are going to need. And we have to consider the wellbeing of our people too. With this emphasis on the knowledge economy, we have to look after the mental health of those who work hard for us. In physical labour, people need downtime. What about those who use their brains all day?

Eye on Cover Story

Danske Bank...

the Responsible Business Agenda Danske Bank CEO Kevin Kingston is never reluctant to talk about the bank’s performance here in the Northern Ireland marketplace, especially considering a string of strong financial showings in recent years, but he’s just as keen these days to re-emphasise and underline the bank’s commitment to being a responsible business.

e has good reason to, as Danske Bank has just been credited as ‘Northern Ireland’s responsible company of the year’ by Business in the Community. His focus on this area is a measure of how far up the corporate ladder responsible business (or CSR as it’s sometimes known) has climbed, but it’s also a clear measure of Danske’s multi-faceted approach to making a difference. On the business front, Danske recently announced results for the first quarter of 2019, showing a £23.1 million operating profit (up 3%), business lending up by 8% and new mortgage lending up 4% year on year. “Lending during the quarter has been predominantly to existing business customers, many of whom are pursuing growth ambitions and others who have wanted to extend their facilities with us to ensure they are prepared for any economic challenges that could be associated with the Brexit process. In the Corporate segment lending is down compared to the same period last year, with the heightened

uncertainty around Brexit during quarter one persuading some of our larger customers to delay planned investments until later in the year.” “Business here certainly isn’t sitting on its hands, but against that, there’s no denying the fact that the Brexit process is having a negative effect. “Were it not for Brexit, I think that we could be looking at 3 or 4% growth in the economy here in Northern Ireland. But we’re sitting at a very flat 1%. That is the cost of the elongated Brexit process. “I’m still confident that the opportunities to boost our growth haven’t gone permanently and that we can still make progress as a regional economy once the big issues are resolved. Hopefully we’re talking about delayed opportunities rather that lost opportunities. “We haven’t lost our innovative edge. It all comes down to confidence, and it’s that confidence that is badly needed now.” Danske Bank, he says, continues to focus on customer experience. “Good customer experience means that we have to look after our customers every single day.

With that in mind, we’ve recently introduced a dedicated fraud and cyber crime team based in Belfast, focussing on card, ATM, cheque and payment fraud. “And we continue to look at how we deliver our services to our business and personal customers through our branches, online and our new banking app.” Kevin Kingston is particularly keen to note Danske’s clear progress in the mortgage marketplace. Dedicated marketing campaigns and some attractive offers means that – as things stand – one in four first-time buyers in Northern Ireland are choosing a Danske Bank mortgage. “Consumer confidence, and confidence in the housing market, has held up a lot better than business confidence, and I think that is reflected in our very positive mortgage results.” Whilst no local bank is actively growing its branch network, and some have made substantial cuts, Danske Bank says that it has invested a hefty £3 million in its branch network over the past two years, moving towards

“Were it not for Brexit, I think that we could be looking at 3 or 4% growth in the economy here in Northern Ireland. But we’re sitting at a very flat 1%. That is the cost of the elongated Brexit process.”

Eye on Cover Story

a branch model which combines automation with personalised customer service and advice. It’s a model on show at Danske’s flagship city centre branch at Donegall Square West in Belfast, and at the bank’s newlyrefurbished branch in Bangor’s Bloomfield Shopping Centre. The new-look Donegall Square West branch shares the ground floor space at Danske’s headquarters building with Northern Ireland’s only dedicated fintech co-working space developed by the bank alongside Catalyst. The unique facility provides 24/7 access for members, office rooms, hot desks and one of Belfast’s most unique events spaces..... located inside a former safe. It was a bold move by the bank, not only to give up a valuable slice of central Belfast real estate, but rubber stamp a 24/7 business centre within a bank-owned building. “We’re delighted with the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub and how it has developed in the 8 months or so since it opened its doors,” says Kevin Kingston. “It’s an inspiring place with an energy all of its own, and quite a number of our senior people are engaged with small companies and entrepreneurs based there.” On its responsible business agenda, the Danske Bank CEO says “It might sound like a bit of a cliché, but it really is at the heart of what

we’re about as a business. Corporate responsibility and a responsible business ethos is fully integrated across all of our operations.” The Danske CEO is Chair of the Bank’s Responsible Business Board and externally is a board member at Business in the Community. On the charity front, the bank is in the third year of a partnership with Action Mental Health, with all monies raised going towards the charity’s Healthy Me programme, an outreach initiative intended to raise mental health awareness and resilience amongst schoolchildren. Danske also has its Time to Give initiative, allowing all staff one day off a year to volunteer in the community. Kingston also mentions how last year it became one of very few large organisations to offer Grandparent’s Leave for older staff. And it doesn’t end there. The Danske Gender Diversity Network has become well recognised across the local business community, and Danske also has its own Rainbow Network focused on LGBT diversity. At the turn of the year, the bank became the only company from Northern Ireland to sign up for The Valuable 500 – a global movement of organisations pledging to promote disability inclusion and place it on their Board level agenda for 2019. A disability action network is currently being mobilised within the organisation.

On the sporting sponsorship side, Danske supports football, rugby and GAA at schools level, and continues its backing of local football’s Danske Bank Premiership (both men and women). On business sponsorship, meanwhile, the bank is a supporter of a range of events organised by bodies including the Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Retail NI, the Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, Digital DNA, MLN, NI Food & Drink and others. Kingston reflected “It would be a long interview if I were to list all

of the initiatives we’re involved with but, what is important, is that we are making a real difference, above and beyond the provision of banking services. As Northern Ireland’s biggest bank we believe we can be a power for good across the country – and we are very proud to be holders of the Business in the Community CORE standard – an accreditation only awarded to NI’s most responsible businesses. And, of course, it was an absolute honour to be named responsible company of the year last month by Business in the Community.”

Eye on Brexit

TIME TO MOVE ON

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and BDO NI showed that 44% of firms were seeking advice from a variety of sources across the public and private sectors. Around 12% had already changed recruitment plans and 10% had refocused their target markets. Angela Keery, Tax Director with BDO NI added: “Businesses that have focused on Brexit as an opportunity to look at their business model and ensure it is still fit for purpose have strengthened their position within their sector and we would encourage other firms to take the opportunity to ensure their business works efficiently, profitably and where possible is innovative and ahead of the competition. Most importantly, businesses should be getting on with growing the business”. Angela outlined some simple steps businesses should consider:

Many of Northern Ireland’s ‘economic engine’ of mid-sized businesses are facing a double hit from Brexit.

ost would agree that Northern Ireland businesses have the potential to be amongst the most impacted by Brexit as companies here are so closely integrated with business in the Republic of Ireland, and even though Brexit has yet to happen (new date for leaving the EU 31 October 2018), the impact is already being felt. Businesses in Northern Ireland are facing the risk of falling behind their counterparts in other countries whilst waiting for Brexit to happen (or not!). Many local firms have deferred investment decisions, succession planning, diversification, expansion into new markets etc while they awaited the outcome of the Brexit process and the impact that it may have on their business. Maybeth Shaw, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland believes businesses in NI need clarity and support to be able to grow in their respective markets. “The local business community are dealing with stagnated progress on

Angela Keery, Tax Director, BDO NI

Maybeth Shaw, Partner, BDO NI

a range of other issues that will have an impact on the development and, ultimately, success of their businesses. We have seen local firms note significant challenges with recruitment, the ongoing skills gap, competition and business rates. All of these issues, alongside Brexit, need addressed to allow for growth. “Whilst a number of businesses, particularly the larger ones, have been planning and strategising for various business scenarios (and potentially spending significant money putting various contingency

plans in place), the uncertainty has put a lot of mid-sized businesses ‘on hold’. Deciding not to update or implement an appropriate strategy, and subsequently not growing and developing their business in the ways in which they otherwise might have”. Although not Northern Ireland specific, recent research conducted by our colleagues in BDO LLP showed that although the UK’s economic engine grew by 11% in the last year, bringing overall turnover to £1.3tn, this pales in comparison to the accelerated growth witnessed in equivalent EU markets. Germany saw an upturn of 20% during the same period, while both Italy and Spain welcomed growth of 15%. Of the top five EU economies analysed, only French mid-sized businesses experienced slower growth than the UK, with a 9% increase. Profit growth tells a similar story, with UK mid-sized businesses recording a 4% profit increase in the last year compared with Spain (37%), Germany (30%) and Italy (24%). BDO are calling on businesses to ensure their company is in the best possible position to move forward. The nervous economic climate we are facing is inevitable given so much uncertainty around Brexit but it is now time for Northern Ireland businesses to show the resilience that they are known for and move past the apparent Brexit stalemate. The most recent Quarterly Economic Survey published last month by

t *T ZPVS $PNQBOZ (SPVQ 4USVDUVSF still optimal for tax purposes going forward, i.e. able to maximise reliefs such as Entrepreneurs Relief, Group Loss Relief, Substantial Shareholding Exemption, Inheritance Tax Business Property relief? t 4IPVME ZPV IBWF B CSBODI DPNQBOZ JO another jurisdiction (EU for example)? t )BWF ZPV NBYJNJTFE 3 % tax credits and/or Patent Box relief where applicable? t %P ZPV IBWF BO FYJU TUSBUFHZ How will you ultimately realise value from your business? t )BWF ZPV JEFOUJGJFE BOE USBJOFE your successors (at all levels in the organisation)? t 0CUBJO QSPGFTTJPOBM BEWJDF UP enable you to understand how the various Brexit scenarios could impact your business and the steps you may need to be ready to take, when the outcome is known.

Please note that for those businesses that have not undertaken any Brexit planning to date, various levels of funding are available from InterTrade Ireland and Invest NI, and we at BDO Northern Ireland have a dedicated Brexit team available to assist you and provide additional information on funding available. Please call Maybeth or Angela on 02890 439009 if you would like to discuss this or any of the other areas highlighted above further.

Eye on Round Table

The Future For Family Businesses Business Eye has teamed up once again with Harbinson Mulholland, accountants, business advisers and specialists in family business, to stage a Round Table Discussion held at Ox Cave on Belfast’s Oxford Street looking at the challenges facing family businesses here in Northern Ireland and at what the future holds.

The Participants

RB – Let’s go around the table to ask for your view on the challenges facing family businesses in Northern Ireland as things stand? IW – I’m lucky because I have a fantastic team in the business with Peter Johnston as well as my three children in key roles. They are as committed and enthusiastic as I was when I was their age. I have friends who run family businesses and they’re very envious of the fact that my daughter and two sons have the passion that they have. PV – Family businesses can have issues around dedication and square pegs in round holes. But I think the big problem can be that family businesses have a tendency to look inwards rather than outwards sometimes.

Darren McDowell, Senior Partner, Harbinson Mulholland.

Ian Smyth, Department of Management Leadership & Marketing, Ulster University.

Elaine Smyth, Director of Innovation Community, Catalyst.

DM – Any local business is facing big challenges what with the ‘B’ word and lack of government. But I’m always impressed by the commitment in family businesses. They have a degree of agility to meet challenges as they face them. IS – I’d single out resilience at times of uncertainty, and this is one of those times. They might look inward but they have a focus on preservation. Management of talent, family or non-family, is a real challenge for every family business.

Ian Wilson, Chairman, Wilsons Auctions.

Paul Vallely, Managing Director, Kukoon, Newry.

Joanne Molloy, Managing Director, TS Foods, Castlewellan.

Gavin Annon, Director of Sales & Marketing, Mount Charles.

Angela Bennett, Joint Managing Director, Diamond Systems.

Richard Buckley, Business Eye.

ES – We’re working with really innovative technology companies who are growing and upscaling. It’s those family-led companies who I think are surviving, growing and seeing success. There is a robustness there that doesn’t always exist in other companies. AB – We are a family business competing with multinationals and that brings its own challenges. Then there is the question of succession planning, always an issue in this sector. When I came into the business a number of years ago, my brother was already MD. Now we’re joint MD’s and that has helped to redress the gender imbalance at senior level. On the wider arena, I understand that 85% of MD’s of family businesses here are male, and that is something that really needs to be addressed.

Eye on Round Table

Ian is right about talent management. We’ve struggled a bit to attract senior sales people into our business. GA – The biggest challenge we’ve had recently is being a family business in a corporate world. We’ve grown to be a big organisation with 4,500 people on our books at any one time. To get to the next level, we know that we need a different mindset. We have to bring in management talent. But to get them to understand family values is tricky at times. There is a balance to be struck but it’s working for us. We’ve made some great appointments recently and we’re seeing the benefit of different ways of thinking. JM – It can be about letting go. There are three children in our family and the business is the fourth child. You’ve got to try to take the emotion out of the family business scenario, and it is important, as others have said, to integrate non-family members and to accept that there are different ways to do things...without losing the gut feel and passion for the business that family members instinctively have. GA – One maxim that my dad has hammered into me since I joined the business is to always have the fear of failure. It can be the biggest driver to make sure that you succeed. RB – How important is effective communication in a family business? IW – It’s crucial. And technology makes it a lot easier. Our senior team is based here but also in Dublin and Scotland, so we’ve been using a Microsoft Teams app on our mobiles for tele meetings. Being able to see each other is vital. That way you can see who’s not agreeing with what you’ve just said.... It works really well. IS – Family business communication, even if it’s around the lunch table on a Sunday, can be a real strength. The problems come in when the firm grows and the lunch table meeting isn’t good enough any more. That requires change.

IW – I always had my doubts about the Sunday lunch thing. By its nature it included family members who aren’t in the business, and that can be awkward and difficult at times. I tended to steer away from mixing family meals with business. JM – That brings in the fact that there is a line between family and business and it’s hard to know exactly where that line is. DM – We’ve looked in Family Business Forum sessions at the idea of creating a family charter laying down the ground rules. Those rules would include communication. RB – Gavin, you have a very large organisation. How do you view communications? GA – We’ve just been through a communications exercise. We found that we were very good at communicating with clients in the marketplace but not so good at communicating with people across our estate. So we turned to the mobile phone and created at Team MC app which we use to communicate with all of our staff. It’s true that any company is only as good as the systems and the people that run them, and we’ve brought in a new Head of Technology to lead that from the top. ES – At Catalyst, our CEO runs ‘Ask Me Anything’ sessions and it even extends to questions that can be submitted anonymously. Hitting the right level with communications is important. A lot of companies feel they don’t do enough. Others maybe do too much.

JM – We have a hundred people at our plant and a lot of them are operatives on the floor. So it’s about getting the right level of communication, as Elaine said. Sometimes if you over communicate, it can come across as quite contrived. You’ve also got to decide how much you want to tell staff about your business. PV – I think we tended to keep things close to our chest and very private in our early days as a business. But, in the past two or three years, we’ve gone the other way. We’ve shared a lot and, as a result, we’re getting better feedback and making better decisions. In fact, we’ve a 30-minute morning meeting every morning. If someone told me a few years ago that we were going to do that, I wouldn’t have believed them. But it’s a very productive and valuable 30 minutes. IW – What’s important also is not to talk for the sake of talking. We have 400 people across our sites, plus part timers, so we have to make a call on how far to take the consultation process. RB – Changing subject, what are the challenges around bringing non-family members into senior roles? IS – From a research standpoint, the cultural fit is the most important factor. You want the best person for the job but, most importantly, you want the best person for the business. Whilst you hope they both align, it doesn’t always work like that.

DM – We have an idea called the HM Huddle each month where we get everyone together. But it’s retro. It’s not about technology, just getting people together.... literally. Old school, maybe, but it seems to work for us.

JM – I think that the process can be a lot more informal these days. You can learn a whole lot more about a person by sitting having a cup of coffee with them than you can from a formal interview. Experience and expertise is a tick box exercise. Getting to know the person is key.

IS – It’s a pleasant surprise when family companies really embrace technology. The perception is a bit more old-fashioned than that.

ES – It’s interesting to watch some of the newer companies and how they grow. Talent isn’t out off by the fact that the business is a family one. It’s all about

Eye on Round Table when you’ve worked elsewhere. My bother brother joined from school as an apprentice engineer so the two mindsets combined work well, I think. GA – I agree with Ian. The sooner it is considered, the better. No one in a family business ever wants to have that conversation. It will either go incredibly well or incredibly badly. Certainly, forcing someone into a role is never going to work. PV – Young people coming through now have a very different attitude when we have and our parents had. Gone are the days when young people joined the company as a matter of course and learnt the business. In our case, the next generation is one and two years old....so we’ve a bit of time on our hands. DM – In some of today’s tech start ups, businesses can go from zero to sale in a matter of a few years. For family businesses, it’s not as easy as that. Succession can be a once in a lifetime situation to confront. GA – In my case, I have to question myself. I’ve the utmost respect for what my father has achieved and it’s amazing to be part of the legacy. But I have to ask myself if I can do it. DM – On the negative side, there are plenty of cases of family heads hanging on too long in control to the detriment of the business. IW – However proud you are of your father, you’ll never know how proud he is of you.

the culture of the business. We’ve witnessed successful growth which has included recruitment at a high level from outside the family, non exec directors, and splitting equity.

RB – Succession planning has been mentioned already and it’s a big challenge for family businesses. How can they best prepare?

GA – When you’re adding to your senior management team, there are certain things to look for when you’re a family business. In our case, most come from a multinational background. But there’s a corporate pace and there’s a family pace. The family pace is a little more reserved and second thinking. So we need to do a bit of handholding.

DM – Others around the table are better qualified to answer that than I am. The secret lies in the word planning. But it is something that needs a lot of thought and preparation. We as advisers can come along and help with the practicalities but it comes back to the people and the strengths of those people. Every circumstance we’ve dealt with has been different so it is very hard to generalise.

IW – One of the big things we found during a round of acquisitions was that people in senior positions needed to adapt to our management style, but in a good way. They found it a lot more open than they were used to. Family businesses can bring an informal way of doing things.

IS – Darren is right. There are no neat models. It is very contextual. Start the planning process early, I think that’s the best piece of advice.

GA – And that helps with retention. If they’re allowed to have ideas, to drive ideas forward, to take part, then they’re more likely to stay.

ES – Talking to Gavin and Joanne, I know that both of you had careers before you went into the family business. Do you look upon that as a positive?

IS – With respect, we’re talking about when family businesses do it right. You can have insecure directors who don’t want to hire people who might be a bit more capable than they are. That’s a mistake but it’s a common one.

JM – I have two teenage boys who are 17 and 18 and I can’t imagine them coming into the business. It wouldn’t be right for them at this stage. If they want to come back in time, then that’s up to them.

AB – The second or even the third generation is more likely to be open to bringing in non-family. It’s rare among first generation business owners.

AB – I’m in the same bracket. I trained as an accountant and initially I never really had any intention of coming into the family business. You bring a fresh perspective

GA – I’d love to think that. It’s what I have to aim for. But where we are today is because we are family owned and because of the passion involved. DM – That’s crucial. What you have all done with your firms is amazing and you don’t want to mess around with a successful formula. But sometimes a tweak or a change is needed and, if that’s not done, it can lead to problems. IS – The next generation has to set an even higher bar. It can’t be a case for them of simply maintaining the legacy. They have to respect the legacy but set out to grow it. PV – Very true. The first generation builds the business but the second generation faces huge pressure. They take something over and have to maintain at at the minimum but ideally grow it and make it even bigger. ES – It’s worth remembering that these are very different times for you as second generation owners. Technology development has been rapid and the pace of change in the world of work has been a lot faster than your parents ever had to deal with. You need to be a different type of owner/manager. AB – You have to be more agile now than 30 years ago. A mentor of mine once said that if you’re not growing, you’re dying. That’s something that I always think about. But there is a risk in pushing all the time.

Eye on Round Table GA – I heard a speaker at an event recently talk about how he used to fear the phrase ‘everything is under control’. If everything is under control, he said, you’re not going anywhere. Legacy is a bit like that. It’s a little box that comes down from the cupboard every now and then but goes back up again. RB – Are family businesses faster on their feet than other businesses? GA – On decision making, yes they can. We’re up against big multinationals in pitches all the time and we can move and make decisions a lot faster than any of them. JM – I agree. I think it comes back to gut decisions, to instinct. When you’re steeped in a family business, you tend to get a feel for what the right decisions are. RB – We’ve touched on the business versus home life equation. Do those of you who run family businesses have firm guidelines on that or do you pretend to have and talk about business all the time? AB – I think you have to put the effort into having downtime. It’s even more difficult in these days of instant communication. I find that it’s important that I have a bit of father and daughter time with my dad, often out on the golf course. GA – We try to have a rule that after 6 or 7 pm if it’s not mission critical, then there’s no need to make the call or send the email. That helps. You have to be able to switch off. RB – At the last Family Business Forum event, we had potentially negative business scenarios played out by actors. But do the advantages of being a family business outweigh the disadvantages? PV – Yes, they do. I think I would find it very hard to do it any other way. People who’ve come from bigger industry into our business say that they can’t believe how enjoyable it is by comparison and that’s something I’ve heard from other family business owners. AB – The trigger for me to move into the family business came when I started my own family. There is more flexibility, for starters, there is real support and there is a passion for the business. IS – The simple fact that 75-80% of our economy here in Northern Ireland is made up of family firms speaks for itself. There are problems, there are challenges, but the advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages.

IW – Business gets on with it, whatever our leaders aren’t doing. It’s a disgrace and it’s embarrassing that we have people who can’t sit down and sort things out. We couldn’t run our businesses the way Stormont has been run....or not run. As for our businesses, whether it’s a luxury car or something else, there’ll always be a demand for people to sell their assets, so we are confident for the future. PV – The lack of government doesn’t help but I do think that politicians are reflective of society. As for Brexit, we’re against it but we’re hitched to the big boat with everyone else so we’ll have to deal with it. We started in recession so we can get through another downturn. JM – The only certain thing is uncertainty. Brexit is a big concern for us. So we’ll not be bold but we’re confident that we can continue grow. People will always want to eat.

IS – It might be something to do with a history of under investment in industry that has led to a concentration on SME’s. More often than not, those SME’s are family owned.

GA – We’ve kicked off a new five-year plan that will take us to a £100 million turnover. We have to keep managing risks and that’s against the background of no Assembly in Northern Ireland, Brexit and other factors. There’s a Northern Ireland mentality which dictates that you keep going, whatever the background. And that’s what we’re going to do.

RB – Let’s go for another spin around the table. How do we view the prospects for family businesses over the next 12 months.

ES – If businesses innovate, embrace new technology and manage talent well, there are loads of potential and opportunities for them.

RB – Why do we have such a high proportion of family businesses?

AB – I think Northern Ireland businesses are very resilient but lack of political leadership really doesn’t help. The politicians do need to get their act together and show leadership. As for us, we’re looking at new markets outside of Northern Ireland and we’re aiming to grow. IS – Uncertainty isn’t great. But opportunities still arise. Resilience will help us through but I think we need to look a wider challenges such as diversity. We need more female leaders in Northern Ireland. DM – To wrap up, I think it’s a travesty that we’re sitting here without a government after such a long time. But we do get on with it. It’s fantastic to sit here with companies like Mount Charles and Wilsons Auctions. I can’t imagine what you had to trade through. If you could come through what you used to face, this is nothing...

Eye on Accountancy

Are You “Investor Ready”? Many businesses, particularly those in the start-up or early stage phases of the business life-cycle, are initially funded through personal savings, friends, family, salary sacrifice, profit re-investment or even credit cards.

eing able to secure the next level of funding can mean the difference of the business being able to kick-on to the next stage of growth or the business stagnating or even failing. When traditional sources of funding such as bank finance aren’t available, securing equity investment may be a way for your business to achieve its goals and reach its full potential.

So what does it mean to be “investor ready?” Being investor ready means getting your business to the point that other people (“investors”) are willing to invest their money in your business. The steps you need to take to become investor ready depend on the nature and stage of your business and the amount and type of equity investment you are seeking. There are a number of key principles that any business should apply to become investor ready.

Start early From the outset prepare both yourself and your business for the investment. Preparing yourself means getting comfortable that you will be selling ownership of part of the business in return for the investor’s funds. This will mean you no longer solely control the business. Preparing your business means ensuring that you keep proper books and records and that all your compliance, such as Companies House filings and payments and Returns to HMRC, are up-to-date. At this stage you should explore the options to allow the most tax efficient investment by the investor. There are a number of incentives, reliefs and structures available such as Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS), Seed EIS, Venture Capital Trusts. These have different qualifying criteria and it is advisable to discuss this with your advisors so that you can provide a

potential investor advance assurance and pre-approval from HMRC that they would be able to benefit from these tax reliefs if they proceed with investment in your business.

Selection of investor There are a number of different types of potential investors to consider when seeking investment; Angel Investors, Private Equity, or Venture Capital. It is important to understand the type of investor as each will have slightly different expectations about your business and different investment requirements/criteria. Be clear on the amount of equity investment you need and who you are going to approach – being able to show how you will use the funds will give comfort to an investor. An investment could mean the start of a long term relationship so choose your suitor wisely – the right investor could be a good sounding board and door-opener with experience in your sector and have valuable connections.

Fail to prepare – prepare to fail Approaching investors unprepared is probably the single most common reason why businesses fail to secure investment. The business plan is a key document to demonstrate your business is ready for potential investors. It should cover the business’s history, operations, management team, financial history & projected performance, and include an analysis of your market and the business’s growth potential within it. The business plan will set out exactly what the investor is buying into and is an opportunity to present the strengths of the business whether this is the management team, the product, market potential or other key factors that you wish to highlight to the investor. Having a good business plan doesn’t guarantee you will secure

Adrian Patton , Senior Manager, ASM Chartered Accountants

investment but having a bad one can guarantee you won’t.

Know the process Most investments follow a similar path – taster, business plan, presentations, offer letter – followed by due diligence and legals. Understanding this process and having a solid grasp of your business, and in particular the finances, will be key in creating that all important first impression. Having customer contracts, lease agreements, IP documentation, employment contracts, recent tax returns, facility letters, etc. at hand and readily available will show that you have your “ducks in a row”. Being open and disclosing any potential problems or issues before being discovered by the investor’s due diligence is key to demonstrating transparency and trust which are essential if any investment is to be made.

Show them the door Investors want to understand your exit strategy. Typically, investors want an exit after 5 to 7 years and they will want to know how this will be facilitated. Set out the possible options and work to the plan – whether this is a trade sale, a secondary sale to private equity or an IPO. Having a clear defined exit strategy can be a key step in demonstrating you are investor ready.

Adrian Patton is a Senior Manager at ASM Chartered Accountants. If you would like to discuss being “investor ready” or would like assistance in preparing a business plan please do not hesitate to contact adrian.patton@asmbelfast.com or call on 02890 249 222.

Eyeon Tourism

Eye on Tourism

Belfast Strides Ahead On Tourism Growth There aren’t too many more effective double acts around tourism in Northern Ireland than Gerry Lennon and Howard Hastings.

he Chief Executive and Chairman of Visit Belfast aren’t lacking in passion when they talk about the transformation of the city as a tourist destination. Take a walk outside Visit Belfast’s flagship Welcome Centre on Donegall Square and evidence of that transformation is everywhere...tour groups jostling for space outside the City Hall, open top buses rumbling past and any number of foreign languages mingling with the local accents. “Back in 2015, the city set out to double the value of tourism by 2020. It seemed to us like the most ambitious target we could imagine,” says Howard Hastings. “In 1999, the city accounted for just 23% of NI’s visitor spend. That same figure is now 44%. So it is clear that Belfast has driven the growth of tourism in NI.” There are plenty of contributors to the growth in the city’s tourism; the game-changing investment in Titanic Belfast in 2012 and the subsequent acceleration of new visitor experiences from food to culture, maritime history to Game of Thrones® and many more besides; the recent expansion and rebranding of ICC Belfast providing increased opportunities for business tourism; and just last summer, the addition of more than 1,000 rooms to the city’s hotel portfolio, including Howard Hastings’ latest landmark hotel Grand Central, whose giant seahorse signage now brightens the city skyline. “This hotel development wouldn’t have happened without a

demonstrable interest in Belfast as a visitor destination for conference, cruise and short breaks. In two years alone, room sales have increased by 20%, and the private sector have seen and seized this opportunity for growth.” adds Gerry Lennon. Tourism, says Howard Hastings, has transformed itself from what he describes as a Cinderella industry into a significant contributor to the economy. “However, we cannot forget that Belfast was very much at a standing start compared to other destinations. In order for us to grow further, we still need sustained investment from the public sector – not only in product development, but in concerted destination marketing.” One of the biggest tourism success stories has been the growth in cruise visitors, which has brought an increasingly significant number of international and first time visitors to not only Belfast

but to Northern Ireland as a whole. During the 2019 season, 148 cruise ships will dock, carrying an estimated 285,000 visitors. “Although these visitors are here for a relatively short time, they absolutely make a difference, driving footfall and spend to our attractions and retailers.” says Gerry Lennon.

Business tourism is an important element in Belfast’s tourism mix. In the last financial year, Visit Belfast, supported by its partners, secured 112 conference wins, which will generate an economic return of around £52 million for the city in future years. “Business and conference tourism drives Belfast’s

Eye on Tourism

tourism economy by providing mid-week and year-round business that benefits event venues, hotels, restaurants, transport providers and attractions” says Gerry Lennon. “To sustain this growth, we launched a year-long partner marketing campaign at the start of 2019 designed to give Belfast further standout in our key markets.” The emergence of low cost carriers in the mid-2000s saw a significant uplift in tourism numbers from Great Britain and new routes to Europe provided further growth. But as the only part of the UK which relies almost solely on air access for both short and long-haul visitors, access remains critical. “When it comes to access, we have to box clever in how we market the destination to potential visitors” says Gerry. “We have two airports here in the city, but just over an hour down the road in Dublin, there is an ever-increasing number of direct flights from the US, Middle East and Asia – providing both an opportunity and competition from the rest of the island of Ireland. We may never compete with the scale of Dublin Airport, but with the right government support, we can sustain and grow direct access into NI.” Both Lennon and Hastings emphasise Visit Belfast’s strength as a tourism body that works in partnership with funders Belfast City Council and Tourism Northern

Ireland, public sector agencies such as Tourism Ireland, and city stakeholders including Diageo NI, Translink and Value Cabs, and the wider private sector. “Growth has been down to collaboration between the public and private sectors, and it is vital that this continues in order to maintain and increase Belfast and Northern Ireland’s destination profile locally and internationally” says Howard Hastings. With the recent Belfast Region City Deal on course to inject £350m into the region, and Belfast’s traditional role as a gateway to

the rest of Northern Ireland, Visit Belfast’s remit extends beyond the city boundaries. Lennon says “In order to fulfil the city region’s potential and expand the tourism industry and its contribution to enterprise, wealth and employment, we must attract more international visitors, for longer periods of time. We can achieve this through innovative product development, and marketing communications.” The city has won plenty of plaudits from the likes of Lonely Planet, Conde Nast Traveller and Trip Advisor. So what has brought

Belfast tourism from a Cinderella industry to today’s success story in a few short years? “Political stability, product investment, improved access and concerted marketing,” says Gerry Lennon. “But at the start of every year, the dial resets and we go back to zero. That’s any destination’s challenge – how do you sustain tourism success?” “We’ve achieved success with the city break market, and we now have the hotels and the tourism products to back up what we’ve been doing. The cruise figures speak for themselves and this city is winning a lot of major conference and convention events these days, the basis for strong business tourism performance,” adds Howard Hastings. Gerry Lennon continues “Belfast City Council’s draft Cultural Strategy will help us to shape a sustainable tourism industry in both the city centre and across our communities, where we can offer visitors authentic experiences – our biggest asset has always been our people. However, it is important that the pace of this development should be dictated by the communities within which it happens.” Howard Hastings concludes. “There are huge opportunities going forward - and it’s not just about the hard economics of bed nights and pounds spent. In the past, it was all about growth – now we have to focus on the value and the very real benefits that tourism can bring to a city and its people.”

Eye on Tourism

Double Delight For Titanic Hotel Belfast With Global Travel Awards Honour Titanic Hotel Belfast has been awarded the most soughtafter title of ‘Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards 2019, held in Portugal.

his is the second time in its two year history that the hotel has been voted Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel, the title every hotel in the country has in its sights and which acknowledges the winner’s commitment to excellence. Described by World Travel Awards as the ultimate industry accolade, the awards are globally recognised as the most prestigious honours programme in global travel and tourism. Adrian McNally, General Manager, Titanic Hotel Belfast, said: “It’s one thing to strive to provide customer excellence to our patrons on a daily basis but to be voted by our industry peers and the general public in two consecutive years, to win the title of ‘Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards, is exceptionally special, as it is testament to the fact that we’re continuously getting it right in our unique surroundings, anchored in the heart of Titanic Quarter. “Being named ‘Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel’ for the second year in a row underpins our belief that the experience offered to our visitors at Titanic Hotel Belfast, from the moment they arrive at the front

door, is of the highest possible standard. With last week’s announcement by Tourism Northern Ireland that millions more are visiting Northern Ireland and spending more money here than ever before, and with an unprecedented summer ahead for Northern Ireland’s hotel industry with The 148th Open Championship just around the corner, we look forward to welcoming local visitors and those visiting Titanic Hotel Belfast from around the world to experience a taste of the world class accommodation, hospitality and service that Titanic Hotel Belfast has once again been globally recognised for.” Shortlisted alongside Titanic Hotel Belfast in Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel category were Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Derry~Londonderry, Culloden Estate and Spa, Cultra; Hilton Belfast; Malmaison Belfast; The Merchant Hotel, Belfast and Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast. Titanic Hotel Belfast is located in the former headquarters of Harland & Wolff, builders of Titanic, featuring 119 luxurious bedrooms with Art Deco nautical style. It boasts the world renowned Harland & Wolff Drawing Office which has been restored to its former glory and dates back to the 1880s when it was home

to the design of many of the world’s most famous ocean liners, the creation of the ‘floating hotel’ and influenced the design of many of today’s cruise ships. www.titanichotelbelfast.com www.facebook.com/titanichotelbelfast www.twitter.com/titanichotelbel www.instagram.com/titanichotelbelfast

Eye on Travel

British Airways Welcomes Its New A350 Aircraft And Unveils Its New Business Class ‘Club Suite’

British Airways has unveiled its highly anticipated new business class seat - ‘Club Suite’ - and confirmed it will arrive on the first of its A350 aircraft in July 2019.

he airline’s sophisticated and newly branded ‘Club Suite’ offers direct-aisle access, a suite door for greater privacy and luxurious flat-bed seats in a 1-2-1 configuration. Boasting 40 per cent more storage, including a vanity unit and mirror, WiFi, enviable 18.5-inch inflight entertainment screens*, high definition gate-togate programming, and PC / USB power; every aspect of British Airways’ Club Suite has been designed for today’s customer. The A350 aircraft itself will also promote a feeling of well-being, space and calm due to its reduced noise levels, high ceilings and ambient lighting which is intended to compliment the time of day and outside light. Customers will leave their flight feeling rested thanks to higher levels of humidity and refreshed air as the cabin pressure

is equivalent to an altitude of just 6,000 feet. There are also environmental benefits to flying on the state-of the-art A350 as 25 per cent lower fuel burn significantly reduces CO2 emissions. As well as a new 56-seat Club World cabin, the three-cabin A350 will feature the latest World Traveller Plus cabin (56 seats) with new furnishings including a plush new pillow and warm quilt, new amenity kits and an enhanced service and an improved dining experience. The World Traveller (economy) cabin offers 219 seats. Customers will also benefit from high-speed WiFi, allowing travellers to browse the internet on their personal electronic devices. The airline, which is marking its centenary this year, will roll out the new suites in a carefully managed programme designed to

minimise disruption to customers. During phase one, the first A350 aircraft will start some shorthaul flying between London and Madrid to allow the airline’s teams to perfect their customer service delivery and familiarise cabin crew with the aircraft layout. In phase two, from October 1, 2019, the aircraft will begin longhaul flying. During this period another three A350 aircraft will join the British Airways fleet and two Boeing 777 aircraft will also be retrofitted with the new cabin. At the start of 2020 phase three will begin which will see British Airways rolling out its Club Suite on further long-haul aircraft across the network. As part of British Airways’ £6.5 billion investment for its customers, the airline is also delivering changes to its First, World Traveller Plus and

World Traveller cabins, delivering exceptional new restaurant-style catering from Do&Co, rolling out industry-leading Wi-Fi on board and opening new lounges across the world. New routes which have launched this year include Osaka, Pittsburgh and Charleston. British Airways operates up to 5 flights a day from Belfast City Airport to London Heathrow. All flights arrive into the award-winning Terminal 5, British Airways’ flagship Heathrow home, connecting to over 140 world-wide destinations.

For more information or to make a booking, log on to www.ba.com or contact your local travel agent.

New luxury bedding from The White Company. Yo u r C l u b Wo r l d . Please contact your local travel agent or visit ba.com

Eye on Tourism

John McGrillen at Tourism NI... Reflections On Another Record Year Back in Northern Ireland’s dim and distant past, there were NI Tourist Board Chief Executives whose wildest dreams wouldn’t have put them in the position that John McGrillen is in as he reads the very latest, hot off the press tourism stats for the region.

ive million visitors, a cool £1 billion worth of spend (give or take....) and a 5% rise in visitors on last year’s totals. But if the ghosts of those former tourism chiefs, who faced up to an all but impossible task in the bad old days, might shudder at those statistics they’d be apoplectic at the target that Tourism NI has set itself now.....to double tourism revenue once again to £2 billion. Tourism NI, of course, is responsible for managing tourism from within Northern Ireland and from the Republic. Anything else is the domain of Tourism Ireland, such are the complexities of the industry here. “We’ve seen a really significant rise in the number of visitors from the Republic,” says the Tourism NI Chief Executive. “Growth in tourism spend from RoI has also been very impressive rising from £70 million in 2016 to £108 million by the end of 2018, an increase of 54% in just two years. And at the same time, visitor numbers in the

other direction have gone down. ‘We’ve invested a lot of money in marketing in the Republic, of course. We’ve worked hard at it, but it’s satisfying to see the results on paper. “ Strategies and headline targets aside, John McGrillen sums up Tourism NI’s challenge succinctly. “Our challenge is to attract more people to come here and to encourage them to stay longer and to spend more money while they’re here,” he says simply. It’s estimated that the tourism industry here currently supports a whopping 65,000 jobs right across the board. “We are an arm’s length development agency for the Department of the Economy so we see job creation as a key part of our role.” he says. It’s a serious point, and one that underlines the fact that tourism as an industry is larger than either agriculture or manufacturing in Northern Ireland. It’s just not possible to conduct an interview with a senior tourism figure without two subjects

cropping up. The first is Game Of Thrones. By any measure, the HBO blockbuster series has been a game changer for Northern Ireland. Recent news that HBO will almost certainly make a prequel series will add the longevity of the GoT tourism halo. “We’re looking towards the opening of the Studio Tour attraction at Banbridge next year as a permanent visitor attraction, and there could well be at least one other Game Of Thrones attraction a bit closer to Belfast,” says John McGrillen. “Of course it will have a lifespan. But it will probably be a long lifespan. New Zealand is still reaping the benefits of The Hobbit, 20 years on. Game of Thrones is still very much alive even if the final series has been filmed.” The other subject bound to crop up is The Open, which takes place at Royal Portrush in July. “There are only a few genuine global events that Northern Ireland can hope to stage, and The Open is one,” McGrillen says. “And the benefits are huge. Images of the North Coast being beamed into 100 million homes around the world for four days. You just couldn’t buy that kind of exposure. “What’s even better for us at Tourism NI is that golf is very much part of our tourism offering. Golfers, even before this event, have been bringing in £42 million worth of revenue each year.

And that will accelerate in the wake of The Open at Portrush. “It’s virtually impossible to get a tee off time at Royal Portrush, and also at Royal Co. Down, so we’re seeing a real boost for courses like Ardglass, Castlerock and Portstewart.” The Tourism NI Chief Executive also warmly welcomes the fact that some 148 cruise ships will dock in Belfast this season. “We’re well aware that cruise passengers produce a limited spend because, as someone once said, they come with their beds on their backs. But they do contribute significantly to the perception of a destination and we have to remember that cruise passengers are visitors who might come back under their own steam.” The team at Tourism NI has been working hard over recent months on a brand new destination brand for the region, due to be unveiled later in the summer, when The Open and all that it represents has upped sticks and left. “Northern Ireland’s unique selling point is undoubtedly its people,” he says. “So it is a challenging tourism message to communicate. This part of the world has many other strengths though – a sense of place, culture, food, industrial heritage....and a whole lot more.” The new destination brand, in any case, will be given a travel industry debut at the big World Travel Market event at

Eye on Tourism

“Five million visitors, a cool £1 billion worth of spend and a 5% rise in visitors on last year’s totals.”

London’s ExCel in the autumn. Back on home soil, John McGrillen talks about the 30% increase in hotel bedroom stock delivered this time last year and the result of private sector investment in Belfast. But, like others in the industry, he stresses the importance of continuing to build hotel stock across Northern Ireland. “We have to drive development of the tourism product regionally, and we have to increase tourism spend regionally. It’s crucial that tourism isn’t concentrated

too much on areas like the Causeway Coast and Belfast, and it’s also important that visitors are attracted here throughout the year. That’s where events like Derry’s Halloween Festival have done so much,” he adds. There’s no doubt that technology has revolutionised the delivery of tourism, and Tourism NI continues to champion digital technology to those operating on the ground in this region. “It’s vital that visitors can research, and book, any attraction or any

tourism products that they want in Northern Ireland online. At the moment, they can’t. And that’s something that has to change,” says McGrillen. “Tourism is an online industry. More and more people want to be able to plan and do everything on their phones. So we have to adapt to that. “We also have to keep on developing new products, new events and new experiences. This is an industry that very definitely never stands still,” he warns. John McGrillen also welcomes

the launch of the NI Tourism Alliance as a voice of the private sector within the wider industry and echoes its calls for legislative changes in areas like APD (air passenger duty), VAT and licensing. And he cautions the wider tourism industry here to continue to become more ‘China ready’. “The potential for Chinese tourism is simply huge,” he says. “We’ve made some progress on that front, but we’ve got to get working to make sure that we can attract as many Chinese tourists to these shores as we possibly can.”

Eye on Tourism

Joanne Stuart & The NI Tourism Alliance… A Private Sector Voice For Tourism

The Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance might be new and it might be the latest addition to the tourism jigsaw in the region. But the organisation looks set to play an important role in driving the exciting future of the tourism industry here.

“O

ur role is very clear,” says NITA’s new Chief Executive, Dr. Joanne Stuart OBE. “We are the voice of the industry itself – airlines, transport providers, hotels and everyone else who plays a role in delivering tourism. “It’s vital that the private sector has a voice as we design and shape the future of the tourism business in Northern Ireland.” If Joanne Stuart’s name is familiar,

it should be. An experienced business leader with roots in the tech sector, she most recently worked as Director of Development at Catalyst and is a former NI Chair of the Institute of Directors. “Tourism is a big economic driver for Northern Ireland now. It generated almost £1 billion in revenues last year, with 70% generated from visitors outside Northern Ireland making it an

export-driven industry. It’s reckoned to employ almost 65,000 people so we are bigger than agriculture, we’re bigger than construction ….and we are aiming to double that again. “What’s not so well known is the wider impact of tourism across our society,” she adds. “Think of transport, food and drink producers, shops, construction, culture and the arts....and so the list can go on. And, importantly,it delivers right

across every region of NI. In addition, tourism supports entrepreneurship and innovation, enabling local people to develop their own tourism businesses, building on their passions, culture and talents.” Crucially, NITA’s membership includes key bodies like Hospitality Ulster and the local Hotels Federation, but it also embraces the 11 local councils, each one of whom is working to attract

Eye on Tourism

“Tourism is a big economic driver for Northern Ireland now. It generated almost £1 billion in revenues last year, with 70% generated from visitors outside Northern Ireland making it an export-driven industry. It’s reckoned to employ almost 65,000 people so we are bigger than agriculture, we’re bigger than construction … and we are aiming to double that again.”

visitors to its council area. “We have world class tourism products right through from the ‘headline acts’ like Titanic Belfast and the Giant’s Causeway through to tourism products and experiences that incorporate our landscapes, heritage, food and culture. It’s all about delivering a personal, authentic and quality experience to every visitor to our shores, something we excel at.” But Joanne Stuart and the NITA are quick to warn about the lack of an overarching tourism strategy for Northern Ireland. “Our message is clear, government has to take an integrated and cohesive approach developing the strategy. One that ensures we maximise the impact of investments or identify the consequences of decisions made across government It is critical that industry is at the centre of the strategy development. We’re all promoting Northern Ireland and we’re all trying to drive the sector forward. But it’s important that we all have the same goal in sight.” The Tourism Alliance won’t be slow to highlight the challenges faced by the industry. Numbers might be up but they could be

even higher if some obvious hurdles were to be cleared away. On the fiscal front, VAT rates are one obvious problem (the neighbouring ROI has a more attractive VAT rate of 13.5%) and Air Passenger Duty is another. The fact that air travellers within GB are taxed to fly into Belfast but not into Dublin has been a major bugbear for airlines and airports here for quite some time. While Tourism NI and Visit Belfast might take a more relaxed view of tourists arriving here via Dublin Airport, NITA has local airports and airline representatives amongst its members and is keen to maximise traffic arriving via our own airport facilities. The NI Tourism Alliance has also thrown its weight behind Hospitality Ulster’s concerted campaign to force changes in Northern Ireland’s archaic licensing laws. By way of example, Joanne Stuart quotes the case of the Armagh cider producer running tours of its orchards and cider production plant....but unable by law to sell bottles of the finished product to customers in its on-site shop. Joanne Stuart is content to get into the nitty gritty of tourism here,

arguing for instance that income from the burgeoning number of cruise passengers arriving into Belfast is maximised and that the main tourism season is extended as far as possible beyond the spring and summer months. “Last year, we saw a huge investment in new hotel rooms here. Although that development was largely in Belfast itsel, we are seeing new and planned development across NI. It is critical that this investment is supported so we have a growing accommodation offering right across Northern Ireland. “So there are issues that need to be addressed, and it is important that we keep applying pressure. Access to skills is another priority. We have create a much stronger perception for careers in this sector,” adds Joanne Stuart. “Tourism NI has set a challenging target to double the impact of tourism again by 2030. That will mean an industry that can generate £2 billion in revenues and support around 90,000 jobs. But it’s essential that government buys into the continued development of this industry, not

just in terms of investment but in terms of commitment too.” To that end, NITA echoes calls for the return of devolved government at Stormont and, in particular, the appointment of a Minister with responsibility for tourism. Joanne Stuart also underlines the importance of business tourism for Northern Ireland, given a major boost by the continued development of ICC Belfast as a world class conference venue in the city and gives a nod to what’s known in the industry as ‘dark tourism’ – the sizeable industry that has built up around visitors desire to see something of Belfast’s less than savoury past. “We have come a long way,” says Joanne. “But we have to keep maximising our opportunities and minimising the challenges. It is vital that Government develops a tourism strategy for this region with a properly funded, resourced and accountable implementation plan to support the continued growth of a vital industry with huge potential. “Tourism can continue to transform Northern Ireland both economically and socially, and we have to work hard to make sure that it does exactly that.”

Eye on Tourism

ABC Council Adds More AwardWinning Tourism Accolades Food, cider and Game of Thrones are proving a winning formula for success.

rmagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council marked a new success milestone recently after its world famous Food and Cider Festival gained the top spot in the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards in association with Diageo. Now officially recognised as ‘Experience of the Year’, the Armagh Food and Cider Festival continues to enjoy local, national and international success in this major annual celebration

of its proud orchard history and its focus on quality ingredients and food and its unmistakable cider. Investments made in this historic region and area, combined with new marketing efforts which

champion the local industry and its unrivalled hospitality offer, continue to drive visitor numbers and this latest award is a testament to the region’s growing success. Last year, Armagh and the Food Heartland were named one of the island of Ireland’s top foodie destinations in celebration of its food festivals, gourmet trails, farmers’ markets and great dining experiences. Earlier this year, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council held its third annual tourism conference, bringing together local businesses and industry leaders in a significant event designed to underline local strengths and new areas of focus. The busy programme included leading presentations from Tourism Northern Ireland’s Chief Digital Officer, Dave Vincent, Tourism Ireland’s Stakeholder Liaison Manager covering Northern Ireland, Ciaran Doherty and

Council Chief Executive Roger Wilson. Andrew Webb, Managing Director of Linen Mill Studios, also spoke, revealing the company’s ambitions to open a new Game of Thrones Studio Tour in collaboration with HBO next year. Located within Linen Mill Studios in Banbridge which is the original filming location used for many iconic scenes throughout the run of the series, the tour is expected to bring thousands of international visitors face-to-face with original set pieces, costumes, props, and weapons used to create the worlds of Westeros and Essos. Dave Vincent, Tourism Northern Ireland’s Chief Digital Officer, said: “Brimming with culture, art and heritage, the borough of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon plays an important role in ensuring that Northern Ireland continues to be recognised as a compelling international destination.”

Eye on Business Travel

TRAVELLING IN THE LINE OF DUTY

By Mukesh Sharma MBE DL, Hannon Travel

The good news is that Northern Ireland is close to full employment with one of the lowest unemployment rates in Europe at just 2.9% for the first quarter of 2019, below the UK and Republic of Ireland. The bad news for employers is that this is fuelling wage growth as well as making life difficult recruiting and retaining the right people for your business.

f the issue isn’t complex enough, consider the added international dimension to most highly-skilled jobs in Northern Ireland which require frequent travel. Travel that is often required at short notice and entails a packed agenda, as well as the added stress of adjusting your personal and domestic work schedules to accommodate business trips. Travel is increasingly proving to be a major focal point for local corporates who want to ensure that their staff don’t decamp to a competitor. While pay and culture drive employees to consider moving jobs, so does how they are treated when they travel for work.

Safety is Everything The safety and security of your employees must be the most important element of your travel policy. While they are engaged in business trips, they are your

responsibility, so it’s crucial your policy advises on personal risk, weather issues, strikes or even political unrest in foreign destinations highlighting who they call in emergency situations. If they are flying to an area of highrisk, additional security measures may be required and specialised security or health and safety training required before setting off. Making travel easier and perhaps even enjoyable for your employees is a tool that is becoming more important for their retention. Business people are now more than ever under huge pressure to perform and travel arrangements should not add unnecessary tension to their job. Beyond flight re-bookings, hotels, cars, hospitality and general advice, a good travel service should also provide passport renewal reminders and help and advice in obtaining visas when required for travelling to countries outside of the EU. For all travellers, having a direct

line to 24 hour immediate travel support is vital whether it’s for a change of plan or an out of control situation. It is important that you are assured that your traveller and personal information is secure and traveller profiles are stored correctly for greater efficiency.

The basic travel policy All employees should be provided with a clear, well thought out travel policy. Policies can vary depending on the seniority of the employee but all employees should know what is expected of them. They should know the approved airlines and classes of travel, rental car companies, hotels and how to be reimbursed for mileage or petrol consumed in their personal or company car. Will they have a travel allowance for meals? If so, how much can they spend for breakfast, lunch and dinner? How should they purchase train tickets? It should also be stated how they

are to submit travel receipts, how they are approved and the timeline to reimbursement. Some employees with frequent travel requirements may require a company credit card.

Caring for your staff when they’re away from the office If an employee knows they are cared for and listened to it will make a world of difference in how they view the company they work for. A good pay offer will get them in the door but the trust you build and the culture you create will keep them motivated to stay for years to come.

Mukesh Sharma, MBE DL is Director of Hannon Travel one of the leading corporate travel management companies in Northern Ireland. Tel: 0845 8723621 Web: www.hannontravel.com Twitter: @mukeshji147 @HannonTravel

Eye on Tourism

Diageo… Top Brands Backing The Growth Of NI Tourism

Paddy McKenna, Diageo, Bill Wolsey, Beannchor Group and John McGrillen, Chief Executive Tourism Northern Ireland at the launch of the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards 2019

Diageo is an integral part of the community in Northern Ireland both as a major exporter and employer. The company’s world famous brands are enjoyed by visitors and locals alike and, for many, are a key part of the overall tourism experience.

Northern Ireland Tourism Awards which took place on 30th May 2019 at Armagh Palace Demesne. “We have been the proud title sponsor of the Northern Ireland Tourism Awards for several years now. These Awards are an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the individuals, businesses and initiatives that

have put Northern Ireland firmly on the tourist map and, in doing so, have proven to be significant economic drivers for the Northern Ireland economy. The innovation, drive and diversity of the sector is something we should be proud of.” Diageo also continues to work closely with Visit Belfast by committing financial support to

addy McKenna, Commercial Manager for Diageo NI, said; “Our brands, such as Guinness, Harp, Baileys and Smithwick’s, are synonymous with the hospitality and tourism industry. We are both committed and passionate in our support of the sector and we show this support through investing in our brands, our customers and via strategic partnerships.” One such strategic partnership is Diageo’s sponsorship of the

Pictured at Kelly’s Cellars for the launch of the Belfast City Blues Festival 2019 which takes place from 28th-30th June 2019 are (l-r) Seamus O’Neill, festival organiser; Lee Hedley, blues artist who will be performing as part of the festival and Austin Guy, Diageo NI and Hop House 13 sponsor.

their work in marketing Belfast as a world class destination to both domestic and overseas visitors. “Food and drink are an increasingly important part of the tourism offering here and we work closely with Visit Belfast to help enhance the overall experience for visitors, whether it’s offering food and drink pairings in local bars or ‘Taste of Belfast’ pub guides in the Welcome Centre.” “Occasion driven hospitality is a growing trend and, as part of that, we want to create attractive occasions for our customers to leverage and for consumers to enjoy. This is where sponsorship of events provides real value for customers. Our big ticket brand sponsorships such as the Guinness Six nations and Guinness PRO14 work extremely well and the uplift they provide to the hospitality and indeed tourism sector is significant. We’ve seen first-hand how customers and consumers get behind these occasions.” “Our brands also activate at a local level and this is an important way of helping to put Northern Ireland on the tourism map as an exciting destination. Snow Patrol’s Ward Park 3 concert in partnership with Harp, which took place on 25 May, was a positive celebration of the people and music that make life in Northern Ireland so special. The Guinness brand continues to sponsor the International Guinness Blues on the Bay festival in Warrenpoint and the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, both of which attract globally acclaimed musicians and tourists to our shores and into our hotels, bars and restaurants. Hop House 13 is a sponsor of the acclaimed Belfast City Blues Festival which takes place from 28th -30th June and offers 60 free live gigs across the city.”

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Eye on Tourism

Reconnecting with Nature How the unique gem of Montalto Estate in Ballynahinch was brought to life for its public opening in September 2018.

By Heather Dalzell, Client Services Director of The Foundation wearethefoundation.co.uk

Eye on Tourism Montalto Estate is a truly special place to visit. Brand and marketing agency The Foundation, alongside its sister digital agency The Tomorrow Lab, first met Estate owners the Wilson family and their extended team when they commissioned a website and launch campaign prior to Montalto’s doors officially opening in September 2018. The privately owned and run demesne perfectly embodies both the vision and passion of the Wilson family who purchased the estate in 1994 and lived there until 2009. With their family then grown up, Gordon and June Wilson decided to focus on the next

Working on this project was highly motivating for our team because of the vision and passion of the Montalto team – our challenge was to create an insight into the unique visitor experience, to drive awareness and footfall, and to support online ticket sales and membership. Partnering with the Estate marketing and operational team, our process to engage people and deliver an immersive experience in the campaign began with an initial definition and understanding of the Estate’s target audiences. These included active families and the mature and

“We loved the flexibility and intrigue of the Secrets concept The Foundation designed, and how it positioned Montalto as a destination with so many different secrets to reveal and share with visitors. It had just the right tone of voice and worked brilliantly across multiple platforms. It resulted in us welcoming thousands of people to Montalto in our first few weeks of opening.” Tracy O’Toole, Marketing and Business Development Manager, Montalto Estate.

chapter of the Estate’s history – sharing Montalto and all its secrets with the wider world so that they could enjoy the Estate just as much as the Wilsons had. The concept that they and their team have so beautifully delivered is driven by their dedication to create a place where visitors can reconnect with nature; something so important as our lives become ever busier and the digital world increasingly dominates our time.

Gordon and June Wilson

offered. With a history dating back to the 1600’s, and within its 400 acres, there is such a rich story to tell. Montalto is a place of exploration, nature, wonderment, heritage, family, adventure and wellbeing; a destination to make memories and to escape. We were very conscious that everything we did had to live and breathe the Montalto brand and authentically represent the Estate experience.

retired, with a deep dive into their values and traits, media consumption, online, tourism and entertainment behaviours. Focus groups helped us dig deeper into how these target audiences felt about ‘getting back to nature’, spending time with family and friends, as well as their wider travel and tourism preferences.

Our aspiration for the website and launch campaign was to reflect the beauty of the outdoors and inspire potential visitors to come to the estate, incorporating striking photography of its trails and gardens, which magically change over the seasons, meaning no two visits will ever be the same.

This was a dream project for us as we got to spend lots of time over numerous visits immersing ourselves in Montalto and all that it

The Secrets campaign took its inspiration from one of our early insight sessions with Montalto, which revealed how little was known about the

Estate, despite there being such a rich story to tell. It created the perfect premise on which to tease and reveal all the various aspects and experiences waiting to be discovered. From the adventure playground, to walks and gardens, the shop and café, every part of Montalto is true to the concept of reconnecting with nature – and the Montalto team has delivered without compromise.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to visit yet, make sure you do, as secrets are revealed when we take time to explore. montaltoestate.com

Eye on Law

ARTHUR COX: CONTINUED EXCELLENCE ENSURING SUSTAINED GROWTH Arthur Cox Managing Partner Catriona Gibson reflects on a period of sustained growth for the law firm in Northern Ireland, culminating in the appointment of four new Partners as demand for its first-class legal advice increases.

ith a global reach that stretches across the UK and Ireland, into the United States and beyond, Arthur Cox has long been established as a natural adviser to leading organisations, ranging from indigenous family firms to multi-national corporations. The recent appointment of four new Partners to the practice in Belfast comes during a phase of strong growth at the firm, which first set up an office in the city in 1996. This period of continued increasing demand has been overseen by Managing Partner Catriona Gibson,

who was the first woman to assume leadership of a top-tier law firm in Northern Ireland when she was appointed in 2016. She said: “My number one objective upon joining Arthur Cox was to build on the strong foundations that had been laid down before me. “We have always had a firstclass reputation in the market, built on our service delivery ethos of proactivity and partnership. “That outlook has enabled us to attract the best and brightest lawyers, ensuring that we

continue to meet the exceptionally high standards expected by our strong client base. “Driven by the excellence of our senior team, which encompasses a broad mix of specialisms, Arthur Cox is firmly established as the ‘go to’ firm across the region and we continue to see a sustained uplift in work.”

Growth That senior team has grown significantly under Catriona’s guidance with the latest expansion seeing four new Partners appointed.

Admitted to the Partnership were David Black, a litigation and dispute resolution lawyer, Cahal Carvill, a member of the Arthur Cox Infrastructure, Construction, and Utilities team, and commercial property lawyers Chris Milligan and Mark Jameson. Catriona commented: “Four highly respected practitioners, David, Cahal, Chris, and Mark are held in the greatest esteem by their peers both in Arthur Cox and the wider legal sector, as well as by our growing list of clients who value their nuanced and pragmatic approach that embodies the Arthur Cox ethos.

Eye on Law

Arthur Cox Managing Partner Catriona Gibson welcomes the appointment of four new Partners to the leading law firm, from left, Chris Milligan, David Black, Mark Jameson, and Cahal Carvill.

“The promotions also illustrate our position as a firm that not only attracts the most dynamic and talented young professionals but provides an environment in which they can flourish, with a clear career path from trainee through to Partner level. “The appointments of David and Cahal in particular, complete what has been a remarkable journey for them at Arthur Cox. “Each joined the firm as trainees and I fondly recall interviewing both of them for their placements. “It therefore provides me with a tremendous sense of personal satisfaction to have worked alongside them throughout the entire course of their professional journeys to date.”

Expertise David acts on behalf of local and international organisations on a wide range of litigation matters, representing medium and largescale businesses across a broad

range of sectors in commercial and regulatory actions. Cahal is involved in a full range of construction and engineering projects, both contentious and non-contentious. He also advises on health and safety, and environmental and planning matters and is a member of the Society of Construction Law, speaking regularly on construction issues. Catriona added: “In Chris and Mark, we are also privileged to significantly augment our already highly-respected commercial property team, with each bringing with them strong specialisms accrued during years of practice across the UK and Ireland.” With experience across a broad spectrum of property matters, including a particular emphasis on retail, development, and investment work, Mark’s advice is sought out by multi-national and indigenous businesses across a range of sectors in relation to their property interests.

Meanwhile, Chris, who has a strong background in the renewable energy sector, advises a wide range of clients on acquisitions and disposals, land assembly and development, investment and financing and management of property assets.

Global reach The appointments significantly enhance the Arthur Cox team in Northern Ireland, which numbers more than 90, making the firm a major player in the local legal landscape. However, working with some of the largest multi-nationals operating here, in addition to a wide range of thriving indigenous SMEs and government bodies, Arthur Cox’s reach and capabilities stretch far beyond the region. Catriona added: “Arthur Cox operates alongside some of the best-known and leading institutions in the UK and

Europe and provides advice to a growing list of global players. “With offices in Dublin, London, New York, and Silicon Valley, we have ‘on the ground’ knowledge of the legal and commercial landscapes in some of the key marketplaces for our clients. “As such, we have gained a close understanding of what is required to enable businesses to thrive, not just locally but on an international scale, ensuring opportunities for growth are maximised. “Operating an open dialogue with clients allows us to remain deeply cognisant of their needs as we provide cutting-edge advice, training and expert briefings on emerging issues in areas as diverse as procurement, employment law and risk assessment. “As we expand our Partnership team, I look forward to further building on that reputation over the coming months and years as we realise our own growth ambitions and help clients to fulfil their own.”

Eye on Tourism

Tourism NI Encourages Industry and Visitors to ‘Taste the Island’

From L to R, Michele Shirlow, Chief Executive Food NI, Chairman of JComms Joris Minne and Aine Kearney Tourism NI.

Tourism NI recently held a series of workshops across Northern Ireland to inform the tourism industry about an eight-week ‘Taste the Island’ showcase of food and drink set to run later this year from September to November.

L-R: Paula McIntyre MBE, Michele Shirlow, Chief Executive Food NI and Aine Kearney Tourism NI.

he initiative is part of a three year commitment to be delivered in partnership with Tourism Ireland and Failte Ireland. The eight-week programme will build on the success of Year of Food and Drink in 2016 as well as Northern Ireland’s recent recognition as ‘Best Food Destination’ through the International Travel and Tourism Awards. The all island celebration will provide domestic and international visitors with compelling reasons to visit Northern Ireland through the promotion of food festivals and events, high quality local produce and authentic food and drink experiences. Speaking at the workshops, Aine Kearney, Tourism NI Director of Business Support & Events said; “As part of the visitor experience, food and drink presents an

opportunity to drive economic growth, which in turn supports our strategic ambition to develop both the seasonal and regional extension of tourism. There is a remarkable energy across the tourism sector in Northern Ireland and this initiative is the perfect way to celebrate the quality, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship within our food and drink industry. “We encourage those working in the food and drink industry in Northern Ireland to get behind the initiative and use the platform as a way to motivate both international visitors and locals alike to enjoy the high quality produce available here.”

For more information on how to get involved, please visit: https://tourismni.com/GrowYour-Business/food-tourism/ taste-the-island/

Eyeon Manufacturing

Eye on Manufacturing

Manufacturing in NI… Strategy & Leadership Required As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of invention” and every day, I have the great privilege to walk on to factory floors and learn from the extraordinary entrepreneurs, leaders and makers in our local sector who are meeting the needs of customers and consumers at home and abroad.

hey run towards problems and through ingenuity and graft they get stuff done. Just last week, I had a call to go meet a first time manufacturer who, despite a very successful career in other parts of our economy was fighting every day to make his new manufacturing business a success. He tells me he never knew just how difficult (and expensive) it would be to turn an idea into a successful product which is now enjoyed

in markets across the globe. Hundreds of different parts, a supply chain from just next door to the other side of the world (as well as made on site), getting the right people, looking after sales, distribution and getting paid. There’s no other part of our economy so complex or, if gotten wrong, costly. So, he has taken inspiration, asked lots of questions and got on with solving problems. He has introduced really creative

solutions to overcome issues with supplies and production including 3D printing to remove the risk of costly errors and the outcome is a best in class product which he can turn a profit from. We all take for granted the products which we enjoy each day. The paper and ink to make this very magazine (or the device on which you’re reading it), the food on our table and the very table itself have not miraculously appeared, someone has had an

idea and got on and made them. We rarely consider nor celebrate our manufacturers who create a solutions that meet all our needs. It is a tough business, but one which we in this part of the world are great at. It is no accident that our local sector proportionately makes a bigger contribution to the UK economy and to jobs. Indeed, 1 in 4 families depend on a manufacturing wage. That is why it is so important to create an environment which

Eye on Manufacturing

“It is a tough business, but one which we in this part of the world are great at. It is no accident that our local sector proportionately makes a bigger contribution to the UK economy and to jobs. Indeed, 1 in 4 families depend on a manufacturing wage.”

supports the sector rather than add costs and complexities. However, either through deliberate actions or drift, we seem intent on charting a course which makes life for our makers much more difficult. “Overall, the cumulative impact from a ‘no deal’ scenario is expected to be more severe in Northern Ireland than in Great Britain, and to last for longer. …there is an expectation of disruption to closely interwoven supply chains and increasing costs that would affect the viability of many businesses across Northern Ireland... with knock-on consequences for the Northern Ireland economy and unemployment.” A stark warning from the Government’s “Implications for Business and Trade of a No Deal Exit” paper published in February. The costs of Brexit will be borne by our manufacturing community through managing migration, origin certification,

customs costs and delays and potentially tariffs and many nontariff barriers. The CEO of HMRC estimates that would add £16bn per year, every year, to UK firms. Locally, that is an estimated £300-£400m additional cost per year, equivalent to around 20% of profits from the local sector. With added costs and complexity coming hurtling at us, our manufacturers need a deal to remain competitive. No deal is simply not an option.

to secure a transition period and for these negotiations to move to the next, more productive future relationship phase then we believe that is acceptable and workable. But it’s not all about Brexit. The absence of Stormont decision making and Assembly scrutiny are biting too. Our infrastructure project pool is drying up and needing political intervention to get new or stalled projects over the line.

“With added costs and complexity coming hurtling at us, our manufacturers need a deal to remain competitive. No deal is simply not an option.” A new trade, veterinary and customs relationship cannot be agreed until the UK leaves the EU. Only a Withdrawal Agreement gets us there. If the cost is the comfort of a ‘Backstop’

Our energy policy is irrelevant at a time when our power prices are now back to the 2nd most expensive in Europe with decisions being made, lumping costs on to bills,

with little accountability. Firms can’t get the labour or skills they need. They are taxed for Apprenticeships but see none of their money unlike their competitors or indeed their sister factories in GB. More generally we need a contemporary manufacturing strategy to guide decision making. The economy has moved on and other locations are moving with it but we’re stuck with plans on the drafting table. Employment levels in manufacturing have recovered, sales and exports increasing as the world economy has been flourishing. Our firms have made hay as the sun has shone. But there are dark clouds looming on the horizon. We need leaders to inspire and direct, we need our politicians back at their jobs in Stormont. The necessity is clear, we now need a bit more invention to get it done.

Eye on Manufacturing

Gavin Campbell & Barclays... A Sharp Focus On Industry

The manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland is in good health. What’s more, it is increasingly regarded as a high growth part of the local economy. In terms of employment, manufacturing accounts for 11% of all jobs here, second only in the UK comparison table to the East Midlands.

gainst that background, it’s no surprise that our banks have been sitting up and taking notice of the performance of Northern Ireland’s rich and varied manufacturing sector. But few of those banks can reproduce the level of concentration on industry and manufacturing being offered by Barclays, a global banking leader, but one of a small group of so-called challenger banks on the local front. Gavin Campbell is a Relationship Director with Barclays in Northern Ireland and he works closely with a healthy portfolio of clients in the manufacturing sector. “We have an impressive number

of leading edge manufacturing companies locally,” he says. “It’s a sector that we are supportive of and know very well. While we have Barclays’ global presence behind us, we are every inch a local banking operation and we spend a lot of time out at our clients’ premises, getting to understand their business from the factory floor up.” The recent UK-wide Barclays report A New Image For Manufacturing showed that the industry still has a bit of an image problem when it comes to attracting talent, and nowhere more so than in Northern Ireland, where young people aged 16-25 rank it almost bottom of their list of desirable careers.

“There’s still a misconception that the manufacturing industry means old-fashioned, dirty working conditions and long hours spent grafting over greasy machinery,” he says. “But in my experience, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Many local manufacturing companies are now driven by the very latest in automation and computer technology. They offer well-paid skilled jobs for school-leavers and graduates alike. They’re innovating and growing.” Gavin quotes two manufacturing customers which have impressed him in addressing this challenge. Balcas in Fermanagh started life as a sawmill producing timber products for the farming and construction

industries. These days, it uses smart digital scanning technology to programme the sawing operations to maximise productivity and ensure product quality. Balcas has successfully diversified its Fermanagh operation to produce a sustainable co-product wood pellet fuel (Brites) which is used by one of the UK’s largest supermarket chains among many large corporate customers across GB and Ireland. As the growth potential of this product became evident, Balcas turned to a major investment in a similar facility in Scotland, which is now co-managed by an outstanding staff member from Northern Ireland who worked his way up and is still under 30.

Eye on Manufacturing

Control room at Balcas

McCloskey International in Dungannon is part of the worldleading cluster of screening and crushing equipment manufacturers in Mid-Ulster, selling its finished products worldwide to users in the aggregates, mining, waste management and road building sectors amongst others. The local business works in close conjunction with its Canadian parent and employs 250 people here. It has invested in a highly impressive 120,000 sq ft facility at Dungannon’s Granville Industrial Estate. Gavin says, “McCloskey’s new premises provide a state of the art production facility and its HQ in Coalisland now has a centre of excellence for design and new product development, a sure sign of the strength of the engineering talent and innovation available locally. “These are examples of companies at the leading edge and there are others like them around Northern Ireland. But if they’re to fulfil their potential in a

Gavin and Balcas Managing Director, Brian Murphy

global marketplace, companies will need to invest, and Barclays are ready to help them to do that. “There are well documented challenges in the economy at the minute, but its important companies continue to look forward and consider investing in future proofing their businesses. We want to encourage existing customers, and new ones, to come to us and have a conversation if they’re considering investment.” As for Brexit, the Barclays Relationship Director reckons that local companies are squaring up to the challenge, whatever it turns out to be. “If you take our two examples, Balcas has been operating right on the border for some years now and has taken steps to protect its supply chain and business interests in the Republic of Ireland, while also investing in building its distribution network across GB; McCloskey International sells all over the world: it’s by no means

McCloskey’s new premises at Granville Industrial Estate

Brites production facility at Balcas

limited to Europe and is well used to complying with the different local protocols and paperwork.” Gavin says that in this age of digital banking channels, relationships are still key and nothing is better than face to face. “I enjoy getting out there and visiting customers on site. It’s great to see and hear manufacturing in action, and to get close to the challenges that manufacturers face. “My job as a banker is to design and offer funding solutions to meet the

demands of each individual business. I have no doubt of the quality and potential of the manufacturing sector here and I firmly believe it has a huge opportunity for growth.”

For more information contact: Gavin Campbell, Relationship Director, Corporate Banking, Barclays Northern Ireland Tel: +44 (0)33 0150 1257 or Email: gavin.campbell@barclays.com

Onsite welding at the new McCloskey facility

Eye on Manufacturing

Manufacturing A Future That Lasts

Brian Gillan, Head of Business and Corporate Banking, First Trust Bank

Much of the current economic data for Northern Ireland is positive according to the Ulster University’s Economic Policy Centre Summer Outlook, with the job market in particular continuing to surprise.

pproximately 78,000 net new jobs have been created since the low point of 2012. Within this, manufacturing remains the largest employment growth sector, responsible for one in four of all jobs in our economy, however this growth appears to have stalled in the last year as a result of job losses. Looking forward, the PMI data for the sector is mixed - new business

and future output expectations are positive, but employment has gone negative. Talent therefore is a key focus for our local manufacturers. That was the topic for discussion at the Manufacturing Talent Rules Summit in Belfast earlier this month, an event we were keen to support given our specific investment and focus on the manufacturing sector. It’s clear from

our dealings with customers that two key investment strands underpin their forwarding planning – a commitment to investment in innovation and investment in talent. It is this focus that we are keen to emulate and promote. Recently, eight of our own team members from across Business Centre, Acquisitions and Corporate completed a Manufacturing Awareness Programme delivered by the University of Warwick. This first-class training programme combined in-depth teaching on topics such as Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Finance and Industry 4.0, with on-site visits to marketleading, innovative manufacturers. This enhances our understanding of the industry and enables our team to add value to the services we provide to customers. Taking part in the programme, Paddy McGuigan from the First Trust Business & Corporate Banking team said, “the programme elevated my understanding of the numerous challenges facing our manufacturing customers and resulted in a newfound admiration for the level

of innovation involved in the sector.” Our support of progressive manufacturing includes backing for investment in plant, processes, technology and training. With a weaker sterling exchange rate, importing and input costs become more expensive. It can also affect migrant labour. This all adds impetus to local businesses to invest in new technology and processes to drive efficiency, innovation and automation. Access to finance with a banking partner that understands your challenges is vital for manufacturers who are and want to modernise their operations to be more competitive. Where there are challenges however, there is also opportunity. Our purpose is to back customers to achieve their dreams and ambitions. We adopt a partnership approach with our customers – and commit to getting to know their strategy, values and longer-term objectives. This partnership approach also means we can provide the financial structure that provides the liquidity to grow and adapt to future market changes.

Innovate to Collaborate

Pictured L-R at the Manufacturing Talent Rules Conference is: Brian Gillan, Kevin Fitzpatrick and Sheena McFlynn from First Trust Bank, Susan Cleland, Deputy CEO at Centre for Competitiveness, Patrick McGuigan from First Trust Bank along with broadcaster Mark Simpson who hosted the event.

We have a proud history of delivering funding solutions that support manufacturers who are seeking to refinance, invest for expansion or in making acquisitions. We recently supported Co. Armagh based Northway Mushrooms on a significant funding project to build a £25m state-of-the-art compost facility. First Trust Bank worked closely with the Northway management team to understand their strategy and the transformational impact it would deliver for their business, their growers and their customers. Together, we considered the risks and how to mitigate against them. This included procuring the relevant suite of advisors to compliment and support the customer. Collaboration can help deliver positive change. Northway work across numerous sector stakeholders and technical experts, pooling their collective knowledge and resources.

Eye on Manufacturing

McCloskey International In Major Acquisition Deal One of Tyrone’s leading manufacturers, McCloskey International, has been acquired by listed Finnish company Mesto Group for $450 million.

cCloskey International is a leading manufacturer of portable screening and crushing equipment and forms part of the world-class cluster of quarry equipment companies based in Co. Tyrone. The firm has its manufacturing base base at the Granville Industrial Estate in Dungannon. ASM Chartered Accountants Corporate Finance team negotiated the deal and led an extensive global financial, legal and commercial due diligence process strengthening an existing 10-year relationship with McCloskey International which saw ASM advise on a number of other global acquisitions, including the acquisition of Lippmann Milwaukee in August 2018. McCloskey, which is headquartered in Canada, has major manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States and Northern Ireland and employs nearly 1,000 people. Metso Group are a major global player in the mining, aggregates, recycling and process

industries and employ 14,000 staff across 50 countries. The acquisition by Metso allows them to expand their

offering and strengthen their customer reach especially to general contractor customers. Speaking about the deal, Michael McAllister, Director at ASM Chartered Accountants said: “Today is a very exciting day for both us and our client and concludes many months of work in partnership with Paschal McCloskey to negotiate and navigate the very best deal for him and his company. “McCloskey International is one of the biggest and best engineering companies in the world and it was our pleasure to help them in the disposal of the company.

Michael concluded: “We wish Mr McCloskey, the team at McCloskey International and indeed Metso the very best for the future.” Launched in 1995, ASM Chartered Accountants has grown rapidly and today stands as one of the largest accounting and management consultancy firms in Ireland with a 200-strong team at offices in Magherafelt, Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk, Dungannon and Newry. The firm is an independent member of Crowe, one of the largest accounting networks in the world.

Eye on Manufacturing

Denroy & Denman...From Hair Shows To Air Shows

(left to right) - Philip Steele, Kevin McNamee, John Irwin

Kevin McNamee reckons that he has one of the best CEO jobs in Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector, looking after not one but two marketleading companies both of them with plenty of scope for future growth on the agenda. 56

he former Financial Director at Bangor group Denroy has taken over as Group CEO, working in tandem with the Managing Directors of Denroy Plastics, John Irwin, and Denman, Philip Steele. Dr. John Rainey, meanwhile, the man who built up the family owned group remains heavily involved, but in a new role as Group Chairman. The company, operating from two sites in Bangor, is one of those Northern Ireland success stories but it has flown under the radar through the years. As a specialist

manufacturer, and major exporter, it doesn’t really need to fly the flag locally. Denroy has its roots in Northern Ireland of the 1960’s when John Rainey’s late father Max left his job at Mackeys in Belfast to set up his own plastics moulding company. Today’s company employs upwards of 200 people in Bangor has a turnover of £18 million and is divided between a leading-edge manufacturer of advanced thermoplastic components for the aerospace sector and other industries

and one of the world’s leading hairbrush brands in Denman. It has a major sales and distribution operation for its haircare products in West Virginia, USA, but sells to some 60 other countries worldwide. Denman MD Philip Steele says that he regularly hears how global travellers have spotted Denman brushes in small shops, larger retail centres, even hotel vending machines all over the globe. “We are very much a global brand, but I think what’s even more crucial for us as a business is that we’re a really well established brand. The brand recognition that we have is invaluable, and I regularly talk to people who had no idea that their Denman hair brush was made here in Bangor.” A Cushendall native by the name of Jack Denman Dean, whose name is still used on the Denman professional hairdressers range, set the ball rolling with an own name brand before Max Rainey established his injection moulding facility back in Northern Ireland. And the rest, as they say, is history. But the Denman brand has a lot to thank Vidal Sassoon for. The legendary hairdresser was credited with inventing the bob cut. “For that he needed a blow dryer in one hand and a quality hair brush in the other. That brush was always a Denman,” adds Philip Steele. “Vidal Sassoon added the X Factor to our brand.” Denman brushes and combs clocked up £9 million worth of sales in 2018, just less than half of that total exported outside the UK. Roughly a third of all products are supplied directly into the UK professional haircare market with the rest sold to the public through established retailers like Boots and, increasingly, online via Amazon and other channels. “Our products are light and easy to pack and post so they lend themselves very well to the online market,” says Kevin McNamee. “So the move away from high street retail towards online shouldn’t be a threat for us. Whatever way we get the product to our customers, it’s an opportunity to grow our sales.” The Denman brand, he adds, also has a well developed digital marketing and social media strategy in place to keep it front and centre as far as both professionals and the public are concerned. Philip Steele adds that selling through Amazon can bring its own challenges. “When we took a closer look, in the US alone there were 128 different resellers selling Denman products and, as the owners of that product, we have to try to keep some control over that,” he says. In total, some 3.5 million hairbrushes and associated products leave Bangor each year. Some of them might be

Eye on Manufacturing

John Irwin at Denroy’s Bangor manufacturing plant

sold in the shopping centre down the road. Others will end up in the hands of consumers in Japan, China, even the Democratic Republic of Congo. “We are a fashion brand,” adds Steele. “So we spend a lot of time thinking about our colours, our styles, how our packaging looks....that kind of thing.” Denroy Chairman John Rainey coined the ‘Air Show To Hair’ Show line to explain the diversity of the modem group. But what gives Group CEO Kevin McNamee a clear buzz is that, while Denman’s globe-trotting sales and marketing team might be based on Bangor’s Clandeboye Road, the vast majority of the 3.5 million brushes and combs that they sell is produced a mile or so away at the company’s plant on Balloo Drive. The Balloo Drive plant is home to the majority of Denroy’s workforce. It’s a state of the art advanced thermoplastics facility equipped with a versatile range of 40+ injection moulding machines. This allows Denroy to manufacture very small micro mouldings right up to large ‘dashboard’ size mouldings on its brand new 900-tonne Engel machine. Increasingly, the machines are being used to produce high-specification components using engineering grade polymers for the ultra-demanding aerospace industry. Denroy Aerospace supplies Airbus, Bombardier, GE Aerospace and has just achieved a major breakthrough which adds the Bangor company to Boeing’s list of suppliers. That came on the back of Denroy Aerospace being one of only three UK manufacturing companies to qualify for SC21 Gold (Supply Chain 21st Century), a stringent product quality and continuous improvement programme operated by ADS, the organisation representing some 1,000 companies in the UK aerospace, defence and security industries. “It has been a very demanding and rewarding journey for us as a company,”

Denroy produced components for the Eurofighter Typhoon military aircraft

Jack Denman Dean

Celebrity hairdresser Paul Mitchell using a Denman brush

says John Irwin, Managing Director of the Denroy Plastics operation. “We have virtually no margin for error so our processes have been designed and developed to reflect this. We simply have to get it right first time, every time. The Bangor production facility is split into a couple of distinct areas. Around a third of the factory’s total production is Denman haircare products, with industrial moulding units turning out brush handles whilst bristles (in some cases real boar

hair bristles sourced from the Far East) are added by bespoke automated equipment. Most of the rest of the total output is made up of aerospace components, from very small brackets right up to much larger pieces, bound for aircraft ranging from the giant Airbus A380 through to much smaller Bombardier corporate jets and turbo props. Outside of civil aviation, Denroy components are used in the Eurofighter Typhoon, manufactured by a consortium

Denman MD Philip Steele

including Airbus and BAE. And the company hopes that it can contribute to the Tempest, the UK’s planned successor for the outgoing Eurofighter. And, outside of that, Denroy produces plastic components for a number of other customers, not least the Hyster forklift truck factory in Craigavon. “Innovation is the real key for us across the group,” he goes on to add. “A commitment to R&D and a culture of innovation has been and will continue to be an essential ingredient to providing a sustainable pipleline of products and capabilities, meeting the needs of all our stakeholders.” The company has a commitment to environmental measures. “We are a plastics company but we’re not a single use plastics company,” says Kevin McNamee. “In fact, we’re heading towards zero use of single use plastics in our packaging and we’re working towards a scheme by which customers can return redundant brushes to us for recycling into new products on site here in Bangor. In addition, we also have a focus on our diversity and have recently signed up to the Diversity NI Charter initiated by Women In Business. McNamee is quick to pay tribute to Invest Northern Ireland. The economic development agency, he says, has been a key partner for Denroy over recent years. “Our vision is to be, through Denman, the largest global manufacturer of hair brushes and combs, expanding online, growing our export markets, innovating and investing. “Here at Denroy, we want to be the global leader in the processing of advanced thermoplastics and a centre of excellence for aerospace components. We have space to expand our production facilities and we’ve firm plans to do just that in the years to come. “We’re very confident about the future, and we’re very excited about that future.”

Eye on Manufacturing

Belfast Summit Tackles Manufacturing Skills Gap The Centre for Competitiveness and the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast held a major summit at Titanic Belfast on 6th June to tackle a critical need for more skilled manufacturing workers.

Susan Cleland Deputy Director of the Centre for Competitiveness launches Manufacturing Talent Rules Summit at Ryobi in Carrickfergus with Platinum Partners Anne Donaghy, Chief Executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; Ann McSorley, Head of Corporate Banking First Trust Bank; Special Event Partner Claire McAlinden, Operations Director QUB Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences. The Summit was held on 6th June at Titanic Building Belfast and attended by 200 people representing local manufacturing and education.

ore than 200 representatives of the manufacturing industry, educators and key external stakeholders were challenged to generate practical solutions to finding and engaging future talent and addressing the need for cultural change that would increase the number of women, young people, returners and career switchers in the sector. Deputy CEO of the Centre for Competitiveness, Susan Cleland explained that the need for the summit was driven by manufacturers who were experiencing growth but could not attract the people they needed to deliver on market opportunities. “We are pleased to convene a summit which allows the manufacturing sector and key external stakeholders to come together and explore real world solutions to bridge the skills gap and highlight current as well as future employment

opportunities involving functions and skills that are not part of today’s norm.” “The fact that this summit is being supported by over 20 major Northern Ireland based organisations is a testament to how important this issue is for the sector and the economy as a whole. “Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s recent research which highlighted that 68% of manufacturers in their Borough had difficulty recruiting the skills they needed, be it for entry level, skilled, managerial and specialist roles underlines the systemic nature of the challenges the industry faces here. It is little comfort that these challenges are also being faced by manufacturers in the rest of the UK as well as the U.S. At this summit we heard what manufacturers such as Procter and Gamble, Collins Aerospace, Denroy and Avondale Foods and many others

are doing to upskill their workforce, attract new talent and support a much more diverse workforce and what organisations such as Queen’s University and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council are doing to facilitate this. Claire McAlinden, Operations Director for the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences who came from a successful career in manufacturing says; “The Manufacturing Talent Rules! Summit sits at the heart of our mission at Queen’s University Belfast and we are looking forward to sharing ideas and hearing from the wide range of exciting companies which make up the Northern Ireland manufacturing world. We see our goal as helping the manufacturing sector become a world leader by supplying top class graduate talent, by providing cutting-edge research and innovation and working with the sector to ensure it is one of

the most highly regarded in the world. “This summit will provide a unique chance to bring together some of the best minds in the industry so we can chart a path for future manufacturing success.” Platinum Partners for the Summit are First Trust Bank, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council with Gold and Silver partners Avondale Foods, Denroy, Inspire Business Centre, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, ASM, ASG, Balcas, Belfast Harbour, Bombardier, Belfast City Council, Collins Aerospace, Coca Cola Hellenic Bottlers, Dale Farm, Fabraco, Forde Campbell LLC, Hyster Yale, the Lycra Company, McAvoy Group, Moyola Precision Engineering, Terex and Thales. This summit was supported by Lean In (Belfast) and Young Enterprise Northern Ireland. www.manufacturingtalentrules.com

Eye on Round Table

Henderson Group & A Commitment To The Local Economy The Participants RB – Why is local sourcing so important to Henderson Group?

Paddy Doody, Sales & Marketing Director

Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director

PD – It’s important because consumers equate localness with better provenance, freshness, quality and value. And I think that we really are a nation of foodies. We love our traditional dishes and we’re a lot more experimental than we used to be. Here at Henderson Group, we can hang our hat on local provenance better than any other retailer in Northern Ireland. There’s no doubt about that. We’re family owned, the owners work in the business and we work with lots of family owned suppliers like K&G McAtamney in partnerships that are good for both parties. BH – We get a lot of enquiries through our social media channels about who our local suppliers are. People are very engaged and interested. That’s why, with our SPAR enjoy local range, we went down the route of putting the precise town of origin on our packaging. It’s sparked a lot of interest.

Bronagh Henderson, Food Development Marketing Manager

Gordon McAtamney, Director, K&G McAtamney, Ballymena

Henderson Group and its network of more than 400 SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO, VIVOXTRA and VIVO Essentials stores all over Northern Ireland, has a firm and unstinting commitment to fresh local produce. 60

NK – Northern Ireland is a small place, so it’s easy for people to make connections with someone who works for or is

he group sources 75% of its fresh products locally, and honours its top suppliers each year with its Fresh Innovation Awards taking place at the Balmoral Show. It’s a collaborative partnership between wholesaler and supplier, ensuring a top quality product for consumers, and clear benefits for Northern Ireland’s agri food sector. Business Eye talks to three senior executives at Henderson Group and one of its leading suppliers, the winner of the overall category at this year’s Fresh Innovation Awards, K&G McAtamney.

connected with one of our suppliers. The foods that we source locally include the freshest, shorter life foods that we sell. Local means less food miles, so the public can see that the products are fresher. It also makes commercial sense for us as a company to source from suppliers right here in Northern Ireland. Fewer miles mean less transport cost. BH – Our Passionate About Local strap line means that we’re passionate about local food, but it also means that we’re passionate about local communities. We work with suppliers in towns around Northern Ireland, but we also have stores in all of those areas, so it comes full circle. It’s not just a slogan. We’re living it. NK – There’s another aspect to consider. When we deal with big national or international suppliers, we’re one of many smaller customers. When we work with SME suppliers here, it’s a different picture. It’s not just about us being an important part of the business, it is about being able to deal with the principals in these local companies. The added benefit of all this local business, is how we impact for the good on the hyperlocal economies around the regions. RB – Tell us a little more about your company, Gordon. GM – K&G McAtamney is Kieran and Gordon, my father and myself. We grew this business out of a butcher’s shop in Ballymena – which we still have – and six years ago we built a meat processing and packing factory. Henderson Group were our first customer. In fact, we opened on a Monday and the first order was sent to Hendersons on the Wednesday.

Eye on Round Table

The partnership we have with Hendersons supports about 40 jobs directly. That rises to 80 jobs or so indirectly. It’s all about keeping it in the local economy. SPAR is all about community. And I really do think that our beef, pork and chicken is amongst the

best you can get anywhere. PD – A clear spin off is that a number of our SPAR counterparts across the Irish Sea are now buying pre-packed meat products from K&G McAtamney, and that’s great to see.

GM – Indeed. We’re now supplying customers in England, Scotland and Wales. One retail group in Kent came over here to see the range and they’re now a regular customer of ours. That wouldn’t have happened without the Henderson Group partnership. There’s no doubt that it has opened up a lot of doors for us. RB – Do Henderson’s local suppliers vary in size from large organisations to the very small? NK – Our ‘Famous For Fresh’ strategy is ten years old now and we’ve had some suppliers really committed from the very start. We’re very open about our business strategy and we share our areas of opportunity, development and the pressure points. Our door is open to all suppliers, from start-ups through to established producers. RB – Do you actively look for new suppliers and new products?

NK – A recent example was a dessert supplier who we heard about through Invest NI. When we spoke to the company, we found out that their only supply was into Waitrose and Morrisons in GB. Within five months, their products were live on-shelf with us under our own SPAR enjoy local label. The wholesale industry can be complex, we’re very aware of that, but this was an example of how that’s not always the case. GM – As a supplier, we’ve listened to feedback from Hendersons and from consumers as well. We have innovated, we’ve developed new product lines and we’ve also invested around £3 million in machinery over the past few years. In fact, we now have about 85 different product lines listed with Hendersons at the moment. BH – That shows how the joinedup approach works. We’ll talk to our shoppers and we’ll talk to our suppliers on the other side of the equation. That leads to innovation and it also leads to the products that the consumers want to see on our shelves.

Eye on Round Table RB – So Henderson Group sees this as a partnership? BH – Very much so. Gordon’s company is a great example. They’re the only supplier that we co-brand with. His logo and our logo sit side by side on the product packaging of the SPAR enjoy local products. NK – And that requires commitment and investment to bring production facilities up to BRC (British Retail Consortium) food safety standards. Our smaller suppliers might not be able to reach that level. BH – Our partnership is also reflected each year at the Balmoral Show, where we’ll work with our suppliers doing tastings throughout the event and use the feedback to continue to improve the range.

getting across the message that we’re not CTN’s (confectioner, tobacconist, newsagent) anymore. Customers come to us to shop for two or three days now and there’s a comprehensive range on our shelves for shoppers to find everything they need. PD – There are varying ways of measuring success. There are the hard numbers; turnover, how many packs we sell, margins. All very important. But it’s also about increasing the status of SPAR as a destination for high quality food. We see ourselves these days as small and mediumsized supermarkets, and the needle has been rising on all of our performance measures since we went down the ‘Famous For Fresh’ route. It has been the right thing to do for a number of very good reasons.

PD – Consumer behaviour has changed dramatically and you can track it back to 2007/08, the crash and resulting recession. People’s budgets were compromised. We were best placed to take advantage of the fact that people started to shop for 24, 48 or 72 hours. NK – Research shows that the so-called ‘big shop’ used to take place every 10 days or so. Now it’s every 18 days. That represents a massive swing in one generation of shoppers. RB – Other retailers would claim that they also have a commitment to local suppliers. But you feel that you’re all ahead. PD – Other retailers in the market know that they need local credentials and they’re doing it quite successfully. But we can make the claim a lot better and

PD – It’s invaluable for the supplier to be able to talk to the consumer directly like that. Gordon knows which farm every piece of meat he’s processing comes from. And he can trace it back to an individual animal if need be. That level of product knowledge makes a big difference and it ties into the whole provenance story. BH – We’ve talked extensively to our shoppers about the quality behind our SPAR enjoy local range but we’ve also been

NK – If you go back ten years ago, consumers used their local shop for milk and bread and other core convenient chilled products. Now, we are trusted for the full meal solution, whether that be marinated chicken breasts, good quality meat, exotic veg like Pak Choi or tender stem broccoli, as well as all the household favourites. RB – Have the public’s shopping habits, in general terms, changed?

substantiate it. 75% of our fresh food is from the island of Ireland. RB – Has the agri-food industry here risen to the challenge? NK – We’ve effectively doubled our wholesale turnover in a given week since we started the local journey. That has been backed up by constant reinvestment and by large-scale investment in our shops and our warehouses. Our customers are seeing better shops with better content all the time. BH – And our suppliers are investing in their businesses to improve their products. GM – The more product that we can put into the Henderson network, the more money we have to invest in new products, better packaging, longer life and pack sizes. The one we really concentrate on now

Eye on Round Table

is shelf life, reducing food wastage. Our investment in skin packing means that the meat continues to mature in the packaging, and it can add five extra days to product shelf life. NK – Refrigeration moves on too. We’ve invested steadily in units to keep the products we sell in store fresher for longer. The stores are holding product life better than they’ve ever done. GM – And that allows smaller stores to sell sirloin steaks, for example. Before, they would have been reticent to do that because of the risk of wastage. BH – We’ve also had a programme of sampling throughout our stores in the past year or so, with retailers sampling to the customers every week. And we have brand ambassadors moving around the stores to do product and cookery demonstrations. RB – What about innovation. Does that come from the supplier or the wholesaler? GM – I think it’s a joint effort. It works both ways. It can be hard to get a product right first time and that’s where working together with the wholesaler can work well. NK – As others have closed regional offices and no longer employ local buyers, we’ve

become different in that we’re committed to that regional supply base and to getting real innovation through the proper pipelines. From a supplier perspective, that means access to proper development and consumer insights. We’ve moved from being a wholesale business to a retail-focused wholesale business and now we’re a consumer-focused business. That drives our whole strategy. Our business is driven by consumer insight and retail success.

PD – We’ll continue to encourage retailers to invest in their businesses. Sometimes that will mean extending store size. But it will certainly mean extending the range and services in store. The Famous For Fresh route has been a big success and it has allowed us to re-invest in more of the same. NK – We’ve just had our seventh annual recognition event for our

local suppliers at the Balmoral Show. It takes time out at a celebratory event to recognise the companies who’ve come on board with us and developed the whole fresh and local theme. I’m delighted with how it has grown, and we were really happy to honour 24 local suppliers in this year’s awards. It’s become a forum for those suppliers, and that’s great for business and shoppers alike.

RB – Are the stores getting bigger? Are you turning more SPARs into EUROSPARs? PD – Absolutely. If you go back 15 years, we had two large EUROSPARs. Now we have 67. Even in the last six or seven years, we’ve gone from 20-odd to our current level. It’s shopper led. They see the range, they see plenty of parking, they can get what they want for two or three days and also do a full weekly shop and none of it goes in the bin. BH – Plus the staff know their name. They are hubs of the local community and that’s not an exaggeration. That’s the kind of service element that you’ll never find in the GB multiples. RB – What about going forward? What are your plans?

Eye on Communications

Keeping Your Head Above The Cloud Why every business in Northern Ireland, and beyond, must ensure that they are in full digital health to embrace the headwinds ahead and why embracing change may prove to be the catalyst for a fresh, innovative approach to growth and greater profitability. By Stuart Carson, Rainbow Communications

s politics and the economy continue to throw up uncertainty, regular dilemmas and real causes for concern, businesses in Northern Ireland continue to prove themselves resilient, ambitious and willing to adapt. Despite the Brexit turmoil and investment conundrum, local businesses havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t faltered from focusing on the basics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that includes applying resources to implementing a digital transformation strategy that means a move to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cloudâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Without it, few businesses can expect to survive the headwinds ahead. Though many have already deployed a full-scale overhaul of their telecommunications and ICT functions and are already enjoying the costsaving, flexibility and security benefits aligned, there are still a few who have yet to dip their toes in the water. Attracted by the fast-growing range of cloud-based software products which are revolutionising age-old businesses processes and customer interactions, some are also starting to realise just how essential access to greater storage capacity is in this new digital world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and are already worrying about when their current storage capacity might just run out. A decade ago, both hard and software were fully contained on your own computer. Now, using cloud computing, you can access your data anytime, anywhere. From accounting applications, databases, email and file services, everything is possible.

Stuart Carson is Sales and Marketing Director at Rainbow Communications, Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest independent telecom provider. For more information on its full range of services, including bespoke solutions, visit www.rainbowcomms.com

Whether your journey to digital transformation is already well advanced, or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only something youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re beginning to consider, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to know what all this really means. Critically, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about understanding the shift in customer behaviour towards digital. Embracing digital strategies that make it easier for customers to interact with you, no matter where or when. An up-to-date digital transformation strategy should be part of your full business planning â&#x20AC;&#x201C; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your roadmap for how you will use digital technologies to enhance your business processes, improve productivity, cut costs and increase profitability, allowing you to keep up with your competitors. In a fast-paced digital age, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vitally important that companies and organisations must change how they think, how they interact with customers, partners, and suppliers, and how the business works inside. Implementation of the UK governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Transformation Strategy is already well advanced, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s every reason for companies here to start â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or advance â&#x20AC;&#x201C; their own digital journey.

So, what should you be doing? From our experience, companies who have already implemented the following, are ahead of the game, and their competitors. t $SFBUF B DMFBS WJTJPO Know who and what you want to be and focus on the end goal. Focus on the experiences you want to create for customers and staff. Are you an innovator or a follower? t 5BLF CBDL DPOUSPM Developing a digital transformation strategy for your business involves everyone. Consider the talent you have and formulate your best minds to ensure a joined up, cohesive and collaborative approach. t &NCSBDF B TFOTF PG VSHFODZ Five-year plans are great, but the pace of change in technology is moving much faster. Consider what you can achieve quickly, setting the groundwork for a longer programme of activity which you can review, amend and continually evolve. t 4FU HPBMT Define key milestones and timelines to achieve them.

These will depend on the opportunities and challenge you face and your business model. t $VTUPNFS GJSTU With the breadth of new and exciting technologies, it is easy to overlook the importance of learning about your customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expectations. Choose technology that will enhance your customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s user journey. t #F CSBWF Adopting new ways of working can be challenging, but it is exciting. Be prepared to take risks and try new approaches. Hire capable talent that can propel your digital journey. t $IPPTF B HPPE QBSUOFS The final factor that makes a big difference to successful digital transformation is the selection of the right technology partner â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who can drive the process forward, and to scale. A good partner will demonstrate how technology transformation can save you money while setting your business on a new path of growth and innovation.

Eyeon Financial Planning

Eye on Financial Planning

Successful Planning Begins With The End In Mind By Conor McCann

One of the seven habits of highly effective people – habit number two, according to Steven Covey’s iconic bestseller – is “beginning with the end in mind”. You sketch out a picture of what you want in the future, then you plan and work your way towards it.

hether or not you are already a goal-driven person, this principle can enrich all aspects of your life – career, health, family, and of course finances. By taking a step back to consider and set financial goals, you can better understand the decisions, actions, and trade-offs you need to make in order to achieve them. To put it another way, life’s much better with a plan.

“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time” ;JH ;JHMBS The thing is, many people don’t know what their goals are. They may not have written them down. They may not have prioritised them. They may not have even really thought about them. This is the starting point – a ‘discovery’ conversation with a spouse, with family, with a financial adviser, to ask the right questions and

start building towards the answers. For couples, especially where one spouse may be used to handling the bulk of the financial affairs, this conversation can provide much-needed clarity and reassurance about what the future holds. Of course, no two people – or couples – are the same. We all have our own individual concerns and circumstances; everyone’s jigsaw has its own unique set of pieces. Most goals, however, tend to revolve around the following core pillars: t t t t t t t

'BNJMZ )PNF $BSFFS -JGFTUZMF SFUJSFNFOU #VTJOFTT )FBMUI (JWJOH BOE -FHBDZ

Eye on Financial Planning

Depending on where you are in life, your primary goal might be to ensure you have enough set aside for retirement; or enough to send multiple kids to college. Maybe you need to consider how to transition the family business on to the next generation. Maybe you have inherited or come into another kind of windfall. Decisions, decisions… Individual needs, individual goals There is no one-size-fits-all approach to financial planning – no single formula – and all goals, decisions and strategies must be based on the individual. This is where personalised financial advice comes into its own. Planning ahead… but no crystal ball Whatever course of action you choose, you’ll need to maintain balance and manage risk. Personal financial advice, from an adviser who knows and understands you, will help you to take a step back and look at the bigger picture here; assess what’s achievable and help you get on the right path. While forecasting analysis can sketch out a potential roadmap, there is no crystal ball in life or in finance. Unexpected things happen every day, and you will need a plan that is flexible enough to adapt to different scenarios, especially one that can provide you shelter from the storms of life. You do not set goals

without first considering how you can best protect your wealth and your future earnings potential. This conversation usually includes the topic of succession planning; your vision for your assets when you’re no longer around. Getting started Goals-based financial planning starts with an open conversation designed to establish what your main goals are. Once you’ve had that discovery conversation with an adviser, the building blocks of a plan can be assembled. It’s important to include all stakeholders in the plan, your spouse or partner and children. This often includes input from spouses and other family members to ensure all angles are covered – and everyone’s on board. Your plan can be adapted and finetuned to reflect changing circumstances as you journey through life. As with all financial planning, however, the sooner you identify and implement goals, the better the reward. Why not get started today?

Conor McCann is Head of Business Development at Davy UK. You can contact Conor directly on 028 9072 8143 or email him at conor.mccann@davy.ie.

Warning: The information in this article does not purport to be financial advice and does not take into account the investment objectives, knowledge and experience or financial situation of any particular person. You should seek advice in the context of your own personal circumstances prior to making any financial or investment decision from your own adviser. There are risks associated with putting a financial life plan in place. There is no guarantee that by having a financial life plan in place, you will meet your objectives. J&E Davy (UK) Limited and J&E Davy are part of the Davy Group of companies. Davy Private Clients UK is the trading name of J&E Davy (UK) Limited. J&E Davy (UK) Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. J&E Davy, trading as Davy, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Davy is a member of Euronext Dublin and the London Stock Exchange. In the UK, Davy is authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland and authorised and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority. Details about the extent of Davy’s authorisation and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.

Eye on Financial Planning

Financial Planning In Your Forties It’s well known life begins in your forties. Doesn’t it? It should be an exciting decade, full of plans and aspirations. It’s also likely to be a time of optimum earning potential.

hat’s more, it’s a crucial decade to take a step back and make sure your finances are on track to meet your goals. There’ll be some decisions you’ll already have taken in your twenties or thirties, which will have had an impact. You may have bought your own home, for example, or put some savings away in cash, investments or pensions. If things don’t look quite as rosy as you’d hoped, though, your forties are a good time to take stock, as there’s still time to make adjustments and give your investments time to grow. Don’t forget, whatever savings you can make now will enable you to pursue your dreams later on. Here are four key tips for shrewd financial planning at this important time of life.

Budget ruthlessly Just because life may feel comfortable with regular pay rises and bonuses don’t fall into the temptation of spending more than you need. Do you really need that Costa coffee or M&S lunch every day? Find out where your money’s going. Simple steps like cancelling subscriptions or switching bill providers can make a significant difference. Historic studies show that investments usually outperform cash savings so any disposable income you can invest will be beneficial. If you can put money aside in a pension, you’ll also be taking advantage of the tax relief available. Make sure you use your ISA allowance too for more accessible funds. Carry out a protection audit Think about what if the unexpected happened. Your forties are a time of

life where you may find yourself part of what’s known as ‘the sandwich generation’ i.e. caring for elderly parents at the same time as looking after young children. This can put extra pressure on you. Make sure you’re protected should the worst happen by ensuring you have a good emergency fund in place. Also think about protecting your income or getting critical illness cover and life insurance sorted. Property plans Your home will be a fundamental part of your financial planning at this time of life. If you feel you need a larger property, these are likely to be your peak earning years so now is the time to secure the best mortgage you can and find your dream home. On the other hand, if you’re quite happy where you are, it may be a good time to remortgage to get a better deal.

Family spending Everyone’s situation is different. You may have children at university, or you may still be having to pay for nursery fees. Whatever your position, make sure you budget accordingly and allow for inflation, especially if you’re paying school fees and childcare. Work out the priorities for your family – the best education now or a house deposit in the future. It’s important not to derail your own life savings for the sake of your children as no one will benefit in the long run. By doing some sound financial planning now, you’ll have more hope of continuing in the style you want to live, well beyond your forties. If you would like to arrange a financial health check, at no cost, please feel free to get in touch with us directly on 02892 605 088 or email marketing@fairstoneni.co.uk and Quote ‘Business Eye 5’.

WHERE CAN YOU GO WHEN YOUR BANK SAYS NO?

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Eye on Financial Planning

IQ & CO Host A Private Dining Lunch To Talk To Northern Ireland’s Business Owners About Brexit And The World Of Investment IQ & CO invited some of Northern Ireland’s leading Business Owners and Accountants to hear a talk by Dan Looney from St. James Place Private Banking speaking about financial matters most relevant to their business.

Q & CO Is a Holywood-based company and owned by Tanya Martin & Angela Forsythe, two experienced financial advisers bringing a fresh approach to the financial management marketplace. IQ & CO is also the sister company of Mortgage IQ which has 12 offices across Northern Ireland and is growing rapidly in the Financial Advice space, with 35 staff working across the 2 companies. Tanya Martin says “there is such a demand for this service from our mortgage clients we have grown to a team of 6 Wealth Advisers in 18 months with a further 3 mortgage advisers in a 2 year programme to provide advice in this space. We are building our client base as we have built our

Dan Looney presenting

Dan Looney (Wealth Management Consultant, St James’s Place), Gillian Walsh (Financial Planning Specialist), Angela Forsythe (Managing Director), Tanya Martin (Managing Director), Ian Milligan (Financial Planning Specialist)

mortgage base, providing smart, simple, transparent and thorough advice for which there is an ever growing demand. Ian Milligan who was at lunch has recently joined the team after 20 years in Nationwide Building Society, and was previously Regional Manager in Northern Ireland says After speaking to a number of Wealth Companies I made the decision to join IQ & CO because of

their fresh innovative approach to financial advice. I already knew them by reputation and was impressed with the strength of relationships with their clients and staff. They have built their business on these relationships and by delivering an excellent level of service – I think the events are a great way to connect with clients and businesses and am very excited to join this dynamic team in Northern Ireland

Angela Forsythe adds -We find these client events are a great way to keep our clients informed and up to date with current matters which affect them and their business. It is also a great way to spend time networking with other like minded individuals whilst enjoying a nice lunch! We fully intend to continue to host these and have a number of others already booked for the rest of the year.

Angela Forsythe, John Minnis (Director John Minnis Estate Agents), Bill McGregor, Diane McGregor, (BMG accountants) Stephen Reid (acquisition manager St James’s Place)

Eye on Financial Planning

For more information, visit Iqandco.com IQ&Co Limited is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products. The titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Eye on Internet

The Tech Industry’s Diversity Blind Spots By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

In recent years, some of the world’s leading stock photography websites have (rightly) been brought to task for some inherent sexism. Type “CEO” into their search engine and the overwhelming majority of the images presented were of men, mostly in their 40s and 50s and predominantly white.

ike much stereotyping, it didn’t end up that way through malice, but merely by not thinking hard enough about inherent biases that make us believe that someone in a certain position has to look at certain way. In the early days of voice recognition, of all the dialects and voice types in the world, the software was best at picking up the words of young south-east Asian men. It isn’t difficult to guess why. It is because the software was written and tested by people within that demographic. In the last decade the tech industry has started to get increasingly serious about diversity, recognising that not only is it the right thing to do, it can help the industry do better business and produce better products. Earlier this year the British Interactive Multimedia Association (BIMA) continued their leadership in this area by launching their industry manifesto on how tech companies can do better with diversity. Many agencies and consultancies now tackle diversity issues at board level and the larger agencies have employees specifically tasked with promoting diversity and inclusion. For our part, Fathom is involved with the Belfast chapter of Ladies that UX. Our own UX

Lead Marie-therese McCann is one of the leaders, along with former Fathom designers Kelsey Bones and Sophia Bradley, and Karishma Kusurkar from Belfast Design Week. However, I am increasingly concerned, with no small sense of irony, that the tech industry is conforming in its definition of diverse and exclusive in its understanding of inclusive. It turns out that I’m not the only one – I have design godfather Don Norman on my side – concerned that too much design today doesn’t solve problems, particularly for the vulnerable and elderly. These biases manifest themselves both in the make-up of the industry’s workforce and in the products they design and build. Consider the following categories of diversity: t t t t t t

3BDF BOE FUIOJDJUZ (FOEFS BOE HFOEFS JEFOUJUZ 4FYVBM PSJFOUBUJPO 5IJOLJOH TUZMF BOE QFSTPOBMJUZ "HF BOE HFOFSBUJPO 4PDJPFDPOPNJD TUBUVT and background t %JTBCJMJUZ BOE BCJMJUZ t 1FSTPOBM MJGF FYQFSJFODF t 3FMJHJPVT BOE TQJSJUVBM CFMJFGT It seems to me that our diversity conversations are full of volume on the first four

areas yet practically silent on the remaining five. Technology doesn’t work hard enough for the old, nor are there enough older people represented in its workforce. Technology is too often built for middle-class people by middle-class people, with all of the expectations around quality of device and speed of internet access that comes with that. There is too little social mobility represented in the technical workforce, particularly people from disadvantaged or lowerworking class backgrounds. Technology doesn’t work hard enough to support the 10% to 15% of all adults in OECD countries who have a physical or cognitive impairment which limits their ability to use technology. There are too few of these people working in the industry. While personal life experience doesn’t necessarily impact on an individual’s ability to use technology, too many in the industry have gone from school to university to work. This isn’t bad in itself (it’s what this author did, albeit longer ago than he cares to admit) but it does leave the industry as a whole open to homogeneity. One of the most insidious characteristics of privilege is how difficult it is to recognise by

those who enjoy it. The human brain is hardwired to compare ourselves to those with similar levels of privilege and so the idea of pursuing the full data set to understand the actual picture doesn’t come too naturally. As an industry we have travelled some distance down the road of embracing diversity. But we have a lot of road to travel yet.

Gareth Dunlop owns and runs Fathom, a user-experience consultancy which helps ambitious organisations get the most from their digital products by viewing the world from the perspective of their customers. Specialist areas include UX strategy, usability testing, customer journey planning and accessibility. Clients include BBC, Bord Bia, firmus energy, Kingspan, AIB and Tesco Mobile. Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

Eyeon Economic Review

Eye on Local Government

Lisburn & Castlereagh... Connect, Invest & Transform

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s Corporate Management Team and Party Group Leaders meet to discuss the progression of the council’s £250 million investment plan proposition

Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council ranks as one of Northern Ireland’s more progressive local authorities and it’s a region which is bidding to dodge the annual budget setting process by proposing a clear 10-year investment plan to shape the future of a council area well placed to make the most of economic prospects.

“E

conomic development is front and centre of our community plan for Lisburn & Castlereagh,” says David Burns. “We’ve moved away from year to year budgets towards longer-term planning over 10 years, and we’re out to consultation on that now. We can invest somewhere in the region of £250 million over that 10-year period to support the economy and the area as a whole. The strategic approach we have in place with this investment plan is one that has cross-party political support from our elected members.

“What we want our consultation document to do is inform businesses, get their feedback and talk to our communities about how we make best use of that money. We also want to leverage funding so that a £250 million plan could become a half a billion pound plan, or more through support from third party funders, the private and public sector. “We want businesses to talk to us about growing footfall in our town centres, about how we use digital channels, about the possibility of a loan or seed fund to help attract

he investment commitments aim to connect the people of the area, drive innovation and invest in key projects to maximise opportunities. Business Eye’s 3JDIBSE #VDLMFZ chats with four key members of the leadership team at Lisburn & Castlereagh’s impressive Lagan Valley Island headquarters.

%BWJE #VSOT is the council’s new Chief Executive, having moved from Scotland to take over the top job in late 2018. %POBM 3PHBO is Director of Service Transformation, 1BVM .D$PSNJDL is the Council’s Head of Economic Development and )B[FM ,JOH takes on the role of Portfolio Manager, leading the Council’s digital strategy.

businesses to our town centres so that we become a location of choice.” Donal Rogan emphasises the importance of community. “The community and the economy can be talked about as two separate entities but our community is key to our economy! These are the people who live here, work here and spend money here,” he says. “Over the last few years, we’ve been establishing an array of plans: a master plan for the town centre, a car parking plan and most importantly our community plan in partnership with agencies

and voluntary groups operating in the Lisburn Castlereagh area. “Overall, though, our priority is sustainable investment for sustainable growth. On the ground, we provide infrastructure, we provide cash on occasions and we focus on the skills agenda, which starts to come together to assist businesses locating here. “But working alongside the local business community is also important for Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council. “We have a clear location advantage where North/South meets East/ West and we’re already working with

Eye on Local Government local landowners and developers on projects like the Knockmore/M1 link road,” says Paul McCormick. “We’re trying to create employment opportunities in our council area and beyond in the wider region. Other challenges include working to boost the night time economy in Lisburn through developing a broader hospitality offering. “We have a development brief out for a new hotel site in the city. In broader economic development terms, we work with start-up companies and lead all 11 local councils in managing the Go for It Programme. As a very growth orientated council, we work in partnership with Invest NI and other organisations on the pipeline from start-up to mature companies.” Lisburn & Castlereagh has a very strong indigenous manufacturing base, and is also home to some of Northern Ireland’s largest organisations, including Coca-Cola, McCulla, Assa Abloy and Decora Blinds. “Because our industrial base is more traditional, it has made our export focus a bit narrow. So we’ve taken the lead on that as a council. We have a well-established Dutch investment programme, for example, and it’s been very successful for our smaller companies. We’ve looked at Eastern Europe, we’ve scored some successes in the US and we made our first trip to China earlier this year.” “We’ve also built a strong link with London,” adds Donal Rogan. “This year marked the fifth successive year of the Lisburn Castlereagh investment trips to the capital. We’ve developed this programme to the extent that it secured an event linking in with Transport for London that was open to the whole of Northern Ireland, not just businesses from our own council area.” As a Council, we’ve worked with local companies to arrange trade programmes to coincide with our annual high level investment event in London,” adds Hazel King. “The themes over the past couple of years have been food & drink and technology. London is the key gateway to the Great Britain marketplace and we’re keen to open doors for all Lisburn Castlereagh businesses. More than 50 meetings took place at the technology-themed event in April with an expected combined sales total of £300,000 generated.” David Burns re-emphasises the growing importance of tourism to the region.

David Burns, Chief Executive and Mayor, Councillor Alan Givan encourage interested parties to take part in the council’s investment plan consultation that is available online at www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/consultations

“The jewel in the crown for us, just now, is Hillsborough Castle & Gardens and we’re looking very closely at how we make it work and in turn create further tourist opportunities in Hillsborough. We have some really strong offerings to attract tourists to our area.” One of the projects included in the Belfast Region City Deal is a £26 million investment in Hillsborough designed to link the key heritage sites in the village. The project will build on recent £20 million investments at the Hillsborough Castle & Gardens to create a world class heritage attraction. “Growing tourism is one of the main reasons why we’re trying to develop another hotel here,” adds Paul McCormick. “We see Hillsborough’s development as a real opportunity, so we need to capitalise on the projected visitor numbers to encourage visitors across Lisburn & Castlereagh and encourage their dwell time. A lot of international visitors will come to Hillsborough now that it’s open.” “There’s a big opportunity to use digital technologies to enhance the whole visitor experience. We can use it for marketing, but we can also use it to monitor their activities and spend,” adds Hazel King. Asking about the ongoing stalemate at Stormont and impact on ambition

Lisburn & Castlereagh’s Chief Executive added: “We are stepping up to the mark as the local authority. We work with a number of central government departments as partners, and we’re continuing to do that. But there are always things that we can do right here, right now. It’s about being proactive and moving things forward that are within our control.” “Digital trailblazing is a key factor for us,” Hazel King adds. “A digital strategy will underpin all that we’re trying to do and we will embrace the opportunities it offers. That in itself sends out a strong message that we want to work with companies in our area to make the most of what can be achieved. We are aiming to effectively communicate with our customers through digital means; and use digital innovation to help build the local economy. 5G technology is here and through the Belfast Region City Deal (BRCD), there are huge opportunities for us to harness that. As part of BRCD, we are working in partnership with South Eastern Regional College to establish a SERC Centre of Excellence in Innovation & Entrepreneurship “We see the City Deal as a real game changer,” says Donal Rogan. “It is bringing the universities into a closer relationship with councils like ours and we welcome the opportunity to

develop apprenticeship programmes with them and establish a high local skills base. Hazel has already brought businesses in to talk about digital opportunities with us as the City Deal goes forward. It is fundamental that we make best use of our resources. We are responsible at all times to our ratepayers. The products that we take forward must be the ones that are required by our residents and businesses.” David Burns sums up Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council’s future direction. “I’d really like to see everyone pulling in the same direction with a joint vision around investment opportunities within this region, rather than us all working in silos. It is about relationships on the ground and working strongly and effectively together.” The newly elected Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, Councillor Alan Givan, speaking about the council’s future investment plans, said: “Our council is a proactive one in terms of politicians and officers working together to better our area. With our investment plan proposition we have a call to action for local businesses. To establish meaningful working relationships we want to know how we can help them and equally, we want to know what they can bring to the table.”

Eye on Local Government

Newry, Mourne & Down... A Business & Tourism Hub

When it comes to being a location for business or a magnet for tourism, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area ticks all of the boxes. But, despite a number of clear advantages, the local council is determined not to sit on its laurels.

“W

e have to keep developing, we have to be strategic and we have to continually improve what we can offer in this region,” says outgoing Council Chief Executive, Liam Hannaway, a man who has devoted 40-plus years to local government

here in Northern Ireland. He’s joined at the Council’s Newry base (it also has a base in Downpatrick) by Marie Ward, the Council’s Director of Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism, to talk about the region, what it has achieved and what it can achieve in the future.

“This is a very diverse region,” Hannaway explains, “stretching from close to Belfast in the north to Lecale, the Mournes, Slieve Gullion, Strangford Lough and Carlingford Lough and including Newry, Downpatrick, Newcastle, Warrenpoint and a number of other key towns. “We’re also positioned right on the Dublin-Belfast ‘economic powerhouse’ corridor within an hour’s commuting distance by rail to either city centre, and we have our own port right on our doorstep.” The Council area, he adds, can’t ignore the Brexit question and has been working hard with other councils in the area,

including neighbouring Louth, to try to prepare for whatever Brexit scenario comes about. “We’re vulnerable in this area right on the Irish border, and we know that we’re vulnerable. All we can do is to make whatever preparations we can and to continue to lobby government on the basis that we deserve some form of special consideration.” On the positive front, Newry, Mourne and Down is one of a number of local councils set to reap the dividends of the Belfast Region City Deal. The BRCD includes proposals for a number of projects in the Newry, Mourne and Down council area:-

Eye on Local Government

Marie Ward, Director of Enterprise, Regeneration and Tourism at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council (NMDDC), Connor Philips, BBC, Councillor Mark Murnin, NMDDC, Liam Nagle, Chief Executive Norbrook Technologies Ltd and Liam Hannaway, Chief Executive NMDDC at the Innovation Nation conference organised by NMDDC.

Southern Relief Road – A much-needed new road linking the A1 Dublin-Belfast road with the A2 Warrenpoint dual carriageway, allowing traffic from Warrenpoint Port to reach the main route quickly.

Innovation & Digital

Gateway to The Mournes Initiative – aimed at redefining the visitor destination experience around the Mournes and the neighbouring coastline, potentially including a cable car/ gondola taking visitors up into the mountains the easy way.

Newry Regeneration – Investment in city regeneration including a new theatre and conference facility, Grade A office space and public realm enhancements.

– The development of an innovation and digital hub to meet the needs of both local businesses and potential entrepreneurs. Alongside that, the Council has targeted the establishment of a full fibre network across its region to help power digital growth. “With all of these planned investments, we’ll want to work with the private sector and we’ll aim to leverage private sector investment alongside public money,” says Liam Hannaway. “Taken as a whole, the City Deal investments give us a chance to make a real difference to this area across both tourism and business.” Newry, in particular, has long been something of a local economic powerhouse on its own. Think of the names of Newry companies and local entrepreneurs

and plenty of names spring to mind....Edward Haughey & Norbrook Laboratories, Brian Conlon & First Derivatives, Brian McConville and the MJM Group, Gerard O’Hare & Parker Green, Feargal McCormack & PKF-FPM. And that’s not to mention younger companies like Statsports, Around Noon & Kukoon. “We’ve got a really strong entrepreneurial spirit in this region,” adds Marie Ward. “And that’s something that has continued down to younger generations. We’re way above the average when it comes to converting business plans into actual start-ups.” Moving on to tourism, Marie Ward says the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has shifted its focus towards experiential tourism. “We’re concentrating on marketing this area as one for activity breaks, active and healthy holidays in our mountains, around our coasts and on our unique loughs,” she says. Visitor numbers to the area are high, and they include a wide variety of different tourist types, from hill walkers and mountaineers through to the

many golfers who come each year to play Royal County Down in Newcastle – the jewel in the region’s golfing crown – alongside courses such as Ardglass. “In addition, we’ve got more forest parks in our region than anywhere else in Northern Ireland, we’ve got the St. Patrick attractions in and around Downpatrick, and we’ve also got one of Northern Ireland’s two racecourses in the same town.” The region has also claimed its fair share of Game Of Thrones tourists. One of the HBO series main filming locations, and the location for Winterfell, is at Castle Ward on the southern shores of Strangford Lough. The liaison with councils in the Republic around Brexit isn’t the only way that Newry, Mourne and Down District Council collaborates with others. “Councils can’t operate in isolation. It’s just not a good way to do things,” says Liam Hannaway. “So we’ll talk to Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon, we’ll talk to Lisburn & Castlereagh, Belfast, North Down & Ards. It’s part of how we do almost everything these days and it’s a good way to work.”

Eye on Local Government

Local Government And Its Role In Driving Economic Growth Anne Donaghy Chief Executive Mid East Antrim Council

Eye on Local Government Local government and its role in driving economic growth and securing investment has never been more important. In a time of political uncertainty at Westminster and Stormont, the role of the 11 councils has come into sharp focus, particularly from an economic point of view. At Mid and East Antrim Borough Council we have adopted the key role of enabler to businesses ever since council was formed in 2014.

mplify, the name given to the strategy we designed to boost the economy across the borough, is a prime example of this in action. It was prepared by council working collaboratively with a number of key stakeholders to drive change and pump prime economic growth in Mid and East Antrim through to 2030. Our area has been hit harder than most in recent years, with the loss of more than 2,000 highly paid manufacturing jobs. We have a clear vision and blueprint to reignite our economy and re-establish our proud reputation as the engine room of the Northern Ireland economy. We are a major part of the Belfast Region City Deal which will deliver up to £1 billion of investment, create around 20,000 jobs and boost prosperity across the region. Mid and East Antrim is set to secure £80 million of funding from Belfast Region City Deal to encourage economic development in our area. City Deal will help grow the region’s business strengths and boost our ICT, digital and creative industries, and advanced manufacturing capabilities. It will also support digital development and tourism led regeneration across the entire region, underpinned by infrastructure developments and investment in skills to connect people to jobs and services. Digital innovation and connectivity, in particular, are vital to our economic growth plans, and thousands of our local residents and business owners will soon be better connected to global

audiences than ever before as a result of significant investment in Mid and East Antrim by global firms, including Virgin Media. Our bid for a Heathrow Logistics Hub for Northern Ireland is another of our headline projects. The Graham Construction-led Mid and East Antrim enabled Heathrow Airport Logistic Hub bid is a once-in-a-generation £187 billion opportunity, which has the potential to deliver an economic boost locally of £5 billion and create 5,000 jobs for Northern Ireland plc. Silverwood Business Park, the former Michelin site in Ballymena, is one of only two sites in NI through to the final evaluation stage out of an initial total of 127.

centre, a new road network and up to 140 properties. A similar, but more sectorspecific approach has been taken with our Manufacturing Task Force and our plans for a skills academy, working in conjunction with a leading university. In this case, we are using the expertise and skills of more than 100 representatives from manufacturing companies, from industry bodies and from the public sector to help map the sector’s future success. Demonstrating the strength of the industry commitment to the Task Force, we have secured almost £120,000 of investment and industry in kind time for this initiative. As part of Amplify, we have designed a suite of programmes to accelerate entrepreneurship, create more high growth businesses expanding into external markets and position the area as an attractive investment location in order to grow our economy and create jobs. So far, the results have been incredibly encouraging with businesses from all sectors and of all sizes taking advantage of the support on offer and, crucially, seeing measurable growth.

“So far, the results have been incredibly encouraging with businesses from all sectors and of all sizes taking advantage of the support on offer and, crucially, seeing measurable growth.”

The economic fightback is well and truly on in our borough, with plans for a £145 million transformation of St Patrick’s Barracks site, situated in Ballymena, having moved a step closer after proposals aimed at regenerating the area were given the green light by a planning committee in March. This site has been earmarked as the location for a multimillion pound next generation science-park, as well as a £32.4m Northern Regional College campus, a £30m leisure health and wellbeing

the borough – through PEACE mentoring, the future career pathways initiative delivered by the Manufacturing Task Force as well as delivery of a series of focused STEM and Enterprise events. A total of 385 jobs have been created and promoted in the borough. In addition, nine businesses have secured total external and export sales worth £911,000 during that period to the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain. One such company is Hillstown Brewery, brewers of speciality craft beer. Nigel Logan, founder and managing director of the business, said: “The opportunity to avail of support from the council came at the right time for us. We were encouraged by initial research conducted through the Amplify Business Escalator Programme, which demonstrated that there was an appetite for our range of beers. “This coupled with the support through the Mid and East Antrim Food and Drink Network proved wholly beneficial for us to get in front of key buyers to secure new business of over £100,000 in external markets.” Mid and East Antrim Borough Council is determined to make sure our economy has everything it needs in place to grow. With some of the most enviable assets in terms of companies, people and physical resources, we are committed to ensuring we realise the untapped potential that lies within our area.

We have engaged with and supported 429 business through numerous Amplify initiatives and delivered over 3,000 hours of one-to-one business mentoring, worth almost £140,000. The council, through various funders, has issued financial assistance to the tune of nearly £860,000 to businesses through initiatives such as the Rural Business Investment Scheme, the Rural Basic Services Scheme and Things Connected NI Network. We have also engaged more than 2,300 young people in

Eye on Local Government

Mid Ulster: Innovating Our Way To Success

Cookstown Continental Market

At the end of its first term as a new local authority, Mid Ulster District Council has been assessing the impact of its £30M economic development strategy in the region which is not only the most innovative in the UK, but is also the global centre of advanced manufacturing and engineering, manufacturing 40% of the world’s mobile crushing and screening products.

id Ulster is not only an outstanding investment destination, but also the industrial heartland of Northern Ireland. From start-ups to major multinational companies, the region is already the location of choice for more than 8865 businesses.

Mid Ulster supports 55,000 jobs and produces 7.3% of NI’s total economic output (GVA is £2.075 billion). Sustaining this position and supporting continued growth has been the central focus of the Council’s ambitious £30M economic development strategy, which aims to create and sustain

3,000 jobs, support 1,500 businesses and provide employment and training opportunities for 4,000 people. As the period draws to a close, the Council has reflected on some remarkable success which has spanned ground-breaking work to address skills requirements, the delivery of sector-specific and business support programmes and direct investment in town centres and villages as key social and economic hubs.

resulting in an economic impact of over £4M. This 40:1 investment return was also boosted by a particularly successful tender programme where nine businesses won new work of £2.5m. The following year (2017-2018), economic development investment of more than £3.4M was generated by the Council’s activity. That figure rose to in excess of £6.3million in 2018-2019, when for every £1 invested, an additional £10 of other external monies was leveraged.

Leveraging Investment In its first full year of implementation (2016-2017), four of the strategy’s business development programmes alone supported the growth of 74 businesses and social enterprises

Innovating In Manufacturing & Engineering Acknowledging Mid Ulster’s position as the centre of manufacturing and engineering in Northern Ireland,

Eye on Local Government

special attention has been paid to the research, development and innovation needs of these industry sectors. Over 2 years between 2017-2019, Council funded a specially designed engineering innovation programme which was delivered by South West College’s InnoTech Centre, providing support to 18 small engineering businesses to develop new products, processes or services. It achieved all of its ambitious targets including the creation of 15 new jobs with a value of £617,500, while also sustaining 200 jobs and stimulating a combined average increase in turnover of 15%. The same sector was to the fore as part of the Mid Ulster Skills Forum work to identify skills gaps and, crucially, to create a three-year action plan to address them. The broad-ranging plan from the industry-led partnership identifies a series of priority actions, from enhancing the image and perceptions of key sectors, increasing the quality and quantity of apprenticeships to improving engagement between education and employers. Now, a new sectoral network has been created - MEGA (Manufacturing and Engineering Growth & Advancement) Collaborative Network – which has secured funding of over £200K to deliver a programme to consolidate and build on work to address the skills and employability issues facing the Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing sectors in Mid Ulster.

Creating Vibrant Town Centres Away from industry, a particular focus of the Council’s work in its first term has been to enhance the vitality and vibrancy of local towns. Investment in town centres has taken multiple forms, from new branding and promotion, support for town centre forums and regeneration partnerships to the exploration of the potential to introduce Business Improvement Districts to towns and the creation and delivery of appealing events which add another reason to visit and to shop local. In 2018-2019 alone, 12 strategic events attracted 84,400 into the area’s 5 town centres. Direct investment via an extensive shop improvement scheme began in 2015, completing in 2017, when more than 100 shops across Mid Ulster were able to enhance their premises inside and out through the £500Kprogramme. The most substantial investment in the regeneration of town centres came, however, with 3 public realm schemes valued at over £10M. Three major schemes were completed in Cookstown, Dungannon and Magherafelt when funding from the Department for Communities and the Council transformed the look and feel of each centre with new paving, lighting, street furniture, signage and planting. Dungannon’s Market Square also benefited from an additional

£300K improvement scheme which was coordinated by the Council to address pedestrian safety, traffic flow and parking. With schemes completed in the 3 main towns, work got underway to progress similar investment in Coalisland and Maghera. In February 2019, a funding package of £3.4M was confirmed for the Coalisland scheme, while the initial design concepts for Maghera improvements were presented to local people in March 2019.

Development Opportunities Major development opportunities have also been explored and progressed in the Council’s first term. The release of the 4.12 acre site on Ann Street in Dungannon in March 2017 for development was a milestone in the Council’s strategic economic ambitions. Long considered a ‘unique gateway site’ because of its links to the premier retail core Market Square and Scotch Street via Irish Street, the land has been vacant for a number of years. Proposals by the successful bidder, Moorefield Group, for a mixed-use scheme representing a £10 million investment in the area, are now in progress. Similarly, land at the former Maghera High School was identified as an opportunity site, this time, for development of a business

park, the first to be spearheaded by a local council here. The proposal, intended to meet a demand for land to allow business growth and expansion, is to create a number of serviced sites, with qualifying businesses constructing their own purposebuilt facilities ranging in size from 4,000sqft to 20,000sqft. And signalling the Council’s ambitions for Mid Ulster most strongly was the landmark announcement in October 2018 that, together with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council and Fermanagh & Omagh District Council, work was to begin towards a Growth Deal to boost economic growth and deliver a step change to the future prospects of the collective area. The three councils - which together represent over 25% of Northern Ireland’s population wrote to the Chancellor stating a Growth Deal would address specific economic needs and was a once-in-a-generation opportunity, not just for the region, but for the whole of Northern Ireland.

For more information on Mid Ulster’s Economic Development Strategy please contact Fiona McKeown, Head of Service fiona.mckeown@midulstercouncil.org or 03000 132 132

Eye on Local Government

Councils ‘Grow’ a UK deal to supercharge local economy New UK Growth Deal in sight for Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council and Mid Ulster District Council.

rmagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Fermanagh & Omagh District Council and Mid Ulster District Council are powering ahead with plans to develop a joint, regional proposition designed to supercharge economic growth and productivity. Boasting strong economic success and unrivalled manufacturing prowess, the three councils are vying to secure a comprehensive growth/ city deal from the UK Government that will help to direct infrastructure spending to projects which are aimed at boosting productivity, employment and economic growth. The three councils – which together represent more than a quarter of Northern Ireland’s population – have already written to UK Chancellor Philip Hammond to inform him of their plans and approach before an outline bid proposal is agreed. A bespoke growth/city deal for the

Three neighbouring councils with shared expertise in manufacturing, among other key industries, are working on a growth/city deal to boost economic growth. Pictured L-R: Mid Ulster District Council Chief Executive Anthony Tohill, Fermanagh and Omagh District Council Chief Executive Brendan Hegarty and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council Chief Executive Roger Wilson.

region will sit comfortably alongside the propositions being developed for a Belfast Region City Deal and for a Derry/ Londonderry City Deal to deliver a step change in investment and productivity for Northern Ireland as a whole. The region, which takes in counties Fermanagh, Tyrone, Armagh, Down and Derry/Londonderry, is also home to

Delegates from India touring advanced manufacturer Hyster Yale during a recent fourday visit to Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough as part of ‘Go East’; a series of successful export programmes.

more than third of all NI’s businesses, which collectively provide over 200,000 jobs. Around three quarters of these are in the private sector, a higher proportion than the UK average and with a wide spread across a range of high performing sectors including advanced manufacturing, agri-food, engineering, construction and tourism. Roger Wilson, Chief Executive of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, said that securing a long term growth/city deal for the region would help to fund a range of major infrastructure projects, and drive innovation and growth through the support of key sectors such as manufacturing and life sciences. “Securing a growth/city deal would represent a major coup for the region and introduce a real stepchange in growth activity, innovation and confidence. Funding secured, which could run into hundreds of millions of pounds, will create direct benefits to every business and citizen, building strength and resilience for decades to come by

creating thousands of new jobs and increasing our local competitiveness.” “We welcome the UK Government’s commitment to work toward a comprehensive and ambitious set of City and Growth Deals for Northern Ireland and on behalf of our three, collaborative Council areas in the Mid, South and West region we look forward to submitting our proposals to deliver on this hugely important project.” One third of all NI businesses are located in this region, including worldclass companies such as Moy Park, Almac, Terex, Dunbia, Thompson Aero, McAleer and Rushe, Balcas, CDE Global and the Kerry Group, not to mention a range of small and medium-sized businesses which operate in tandem. Roger Wilson concluded, “As Councils, we realise that our role is to proactively support businesses and to stimulate and encourage greater economic activity. A growth/city deal will enable us to play an even bigger part as the economic engine room of Northern Ireland, powering up the region to drive prosperity long into the future.”

Eye on Local Government

Belfast: City For Business Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive, Belfast City Council

This is an exciting time for Belfast. Just look at the number of cranes on the skyline â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a sure sign of a buoyant real estate market.

elfast is benefitting from a boon in office, hotel and student accommodation development and the city has a focus on building more homes. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re well on our way to securing ÂŁ2 billion regeneration and commercial property development and the face of the city is changing daily. Belfast is becoming a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI): global businesses operating in software development, financial and professional services and cyber security are increasingly making Belfast a key hub

in their worldwide business network. Tourism is on the rise too: weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve added more than 1,000 new bedrooms to the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hotel stock over the last three years and there are more in the pipeline. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re also working on plans for an iconic new visitor attraction to encourage more tourists to discover Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s authentic and unique stories. Our ambitious community plan, the Belfast Agenda, prioritises growing the economy and developing the city. However it also recognises that growth must be inclusive, sustainable, and residents must be part of it.

We have just negotiated Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first City Deal for the Belfast City Region, unlocking at least ÂŁ850 million of public and private co-investment. This will boost our research and development capabilities, our digital infrastructure and our tourism offer; ensuring that the city remains globally competitive. However itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not just about bricks and mortar: Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s people are a key element of its success. Our talented workforce â&#x20AC;&#x201C; driven by two world-class universities and a strong vocational college â&#x20AC;&#x201C; provides businesses with an excellent talent pool. Their ability to work collaboratively to develop bespoke solutions means that businesses are equipped to achieve their growth ambitions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and ensures that we retain jobs in the city. Ulster Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

move, bringing an additional 15,000 students into the heart of the city, is an outstanding opportunity for Belfast. Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy is made up of a healthy mix of indigenous companies and FDI businesses. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working closely with our partners to encourage and nurture more start-ups; aided by high quality workspaces and a strong business support network, providing new and growing businesses with the help they need to make their mark both locally and globally.

To find out more about doing business in Belfast, go to www. belfastcity.gov.uk/cityforbusiness and follow @belfastcc

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

ermanagh and Omagh District Council is committed to working in partnership with the local statutory, business, voluntary and community sectors to further develop the district as a quality place to live, work, invest and visit. 11% of Northern Irish businesses are registered in the Fermanagh and Omagh area, including a number of companies successfully competing in the financial and service sectors, manufacturing, engineering and tourism global markets In partnership with other key stakeholders, the Council is committed to actively supporting our local businesses and, annually delivers an extensive range of free business support events, workshops, seminars and training. These events complement the existing suite of business support programmes which the Council offers. The workshops

and seminars cover a diverse range of relevant and topical areas of support for the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s business community. The Council also recognises the efforts of business within the region by sponsoring categories in local business awards and through the district-wide ASPIRE programme, boosts opportunities for employment in the area. Fermanagh and Omagh District Council has also led on securing funding opportunities for our business sector and secured significant financial investment from the Department for the Economy (DfE), Invest Northern Ireland, European Regional Development Funding (ERDF) Investment for Growth and Jobs Fund to deliver programmes until March 2023, which will provide business support and advice to 1,200 local businesses, and help to create over 1,000 new jobs within the region.

These include: t (P 'PS *U $PVODJM /PSUIFSO *SFMBOE Business Start Up Programme) t ,JDL 4UBSU 1SPHSBNNF Businesses 0 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3 years t "EWBODJOH #VTJOFTT (SPXUI Programme: Businesses 3 years+ t 5FOEFS GPS 4VDDFTT 1SPHSBNNF t %JHJUBM 4VQQPSU 1SPHSBNNF

For further information, please contact the Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Economic Development team by telephone on 0300 303 1777 or by email at businesssupport@ fermanaghomagh.com

Eye on Local Government

City Deal to Set Wheels Of Progress In Motion for Derry and Strabane After many months of intensive work May brought the announcement of a City Deal package for Derry City and Strabane District, which will be pivotal in driving forward the ambitions for growth in the North West.

ouncil and its partners can be proud of the efforts that have gone in to securing the funding package that will see £105m channelled into priority projects here, with the potential to leverage an overall economic boost of upwards of £300m with the support of government and other third parties over the coming years. With a clear blueprint for transformation already in place in the form of the Strategic Growth Plan for Derry and Strabane, we can now look forward to progressing with major plans for improvements in infrastructure, education, skills, innovation and regeneration. The

funding will be essential in the delivery of key projects including a significant landmark riverfront university medical education and innovation hub, comprising a graduate entry medical college and centres of innovation, research and teaching excellence in data-driven personalised medicine, cognitive analytics and robotics and automation. Eventually this has the potential to deliver over 200 new posts/research assistants at the City’s university and upwards of 2,000 additional students. Boosting job creation, driving innovation, enhancing connectivity across the country and the delivery of a portfolio of digital

infrastructure projects and initiatives are all important elements of the plans for progress which will benefit the wider City Region. As November approaches Council is working to produce its first Statement of Progress for the Strategic Growth Plan, charting movement to date towards the outcomes identified

within the strategy. The City Growth Deal announcement will now enable the planning and business case development for the priority projects which will set the wheels in motion for the delivery of our ambitious Growth Plan and bring about the physical and economic transformation of the North West. Exciting times ahead.

Derry/Strabane Mayor Committed To Bringing Jobs And Investment to North West region The newly elected Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Sinn Fein’s Cllr Michaela Boyle has pledged to work towards securing new jobs and investment for Derry and Strabane and committing to work for regeneration and economic development for the entire North West region.

peaking following her selection to the role, the new Mayor said jobs, investment and regeneration was her number one key priority for her year as Mayor. “We need to build on the foundations of existing collaborations in health, education and infrastructure. One of the key projects, which is an essential lifeline for addressing the infrastructural deficit west of the Bann and for reinforcing connections is the A5 road project. We need to ensure that key projects such as the

A5, the expansion of the Magee campus, the medical school, the Riverine Project, the A6 road and others are delivered in order to open up the entire north-west region and bring the benefits on an all-island basis.” She added that she will be putting pressure on the Irish Government to step up to the plate in tackling the longstanding regional imbalances. “The recent announcement of £105m funding for a City Deal by the British Government is a first step, but more must be done. In working closely as a team with our MP, MEP, MLAs and this Council team it will be my priority to develop and transform this North West region and work with key stakeholders to deliver upon the Strategic Growth Deal and secure additional financial assistance from both governments and the EU.” Mayor Boyle added that she was also committed to working proactively to promote positive mental health and pledged to do more to stamp out the stigma around mental health. She said she was very proud of being a strong voice for women and would continue to empower females and promote women’s rights during her Mayoral year.

@nmdbusiness

/nmdbusiness

Open for Business Empowering Potential NEWRY, MOURNE AND DOWN SUPPORTING BUSINESS GROWTH

Our business programmes are dedicated to supporting anyone wishing to start a business or grow an existing business or a social enterprise. Programmes On Offer

> > > > >

Go For It - Business Start Up Programme NMD Business Growth Programme Digital Development Programme Procurement Support Programme Social Enterprise Programme

To access support, your business must be located in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.

Ag freastal ar an DĂşn agus Ard Mhacha Theas Serving Down and South Armagh

Eye on News

£1m Northern QTR Food Village Touches Down at Belfast International Airport The Northern QTR, Belfast International Airport’s new collection of restaurants and bar has officially opened, as the airport prepares to welcome hundreds of thousands of travellers this Summer.

he Northern QTR includes four innovative food and beverage destinations including Coco Diablo Mexican Cantina and the popular all-Ireland brand Freshly Chopped, where healthy fast food is created in minimum time in open-theatre chopping stations. The Northern QTR also sees a refreshed Fed & Watered unit offering tasty food with locally sourced produce and the all new 24ft, 360 degree bar. The concept, which has seen an investment of over £1 million from catering and facilities management giant Mount Charles, has created an additional 30 new full and part time jobs, with a total of 70 people now employed at The Northern QTR. Head of Sales & Marketing at Mount Charles,

Brian Carlin, Director of Commercial Development at Belfast International Airport, Faye Annon and Mount Charles’ Chairman, Trevor Annon.

Gavin Annon said: “We are excited that the Northern QTR is now open, and the early feedback from passengers has been fantastic. “Our aim was to completely overhaul the existing units to create a food and beverage offering that

would enhance the customer experience and rival that of any top tier airport in the UK, and we are confident that the Northern QTR will deliver this. Brian Carlin, Director of Commercial Development at Belfast International Airport said: “We are very pleased with the new developments that Mount Charles have made to their catering offer at Belfast International Airport. “These bright, modern, appealing outlets offer a great new range of options that caters for all our passengers. With over six million passengers travelling through the airport this year we are sure that the Northern QTR will be a huge hit with our passengers.” Joining the team at the official launch of the Northern QTR was little Faye Annon, granddaughter of Mount Charles’ Chairman, Trevor Annon. Faye came along to help raise awareness of two fantastic charities; Angel Wishes and DBA UK. Four years old Faye has a condition called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA), a rare bone marrow failure disorder which means her bone marrow does not produce enough red blood cells to sustain her life.

LISBURN CASTLEREAGH LISBURN A CITYCASTLEREAGH ON THE UP A CITY ON THE UP

population

76.5%

142,700

economically active

142,700

economically active

population

Highest number skilled residents NVQ Highest level 4skilled or number higher residents NVQ level 4 or higher

76.5%

68,000 workers 68,000 £2.8 billion workers

Eikon

Home to Exhibition & Conference Centre Home to

Eikon

Exhibition & Conference Centre

in value added pa

£2.8 billion in value added pa

www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk 86

Eye on Internet

How a Little Data Can Make a Lot of Difference to Your Businessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bottom Line by Philip Craig, Head of Insights @ Zesty

We live in a resultsdriven world. if you go for a run, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll track it to see if you ran further or faster. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on a diet, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll track your food intake and your calories. People want data because they want to understand their performance, see improvements, and understand what they can do better.

he best commercial decisions are always made based on what your business needs, not what you think it needs. This is why, as a digital agency, data underpins every piece of client work we carry out, so we can tailor our plan of attack based on facts, rather than opinion.

Despite this, only 44% of CMOs say they can measure ROI, which makes it impossible to justify essential tech investments such as a new website, or digital marketing strategy. In this digital age, your target audience is empowered by more knowledge, more choice and more

channels. That means if you want to improve your bottom line you need to be as targeted and relevant in your approach as possible. When used and properly understood, data can drive tangible business value, allowing you to target the right people with the right messaging at the right time.

WE CAN USE DATA TO IMPROVE YOUR BOTTOM LINE IN 2 SIMPLE STEPS STEP ONE Use actionable insights to plan for success Whether you want to increase traffic to your website, generate leads, or grow online revenue â&#x20AC;&#x201C; data should always inform your plan of attack. A strong digital strategy can set your business up for optimal growth. We can achieve this by asking a series of questions, and using your data to answer them: 1. Who are you targeting? We can use data from social media, email marketing and web analytics tools to figure out the specific habits and behaviours of your customers. 2. What differentiates your business from others? There are lots of tools that can provide helpful insights into what you do differently, and what you could do better to gain a competitive advantage. 3. What digital channels should you use? By knowing where your customers are online, we can determine the channels on which you should focus your efforts.

4. How will you define your success? Setting measurable goals helps to clarify your tactics and stay on track with your strategy.

STEP TWO Evaluate and Optimise Your Approach With a wealth of data available, why let your digital strategy become â&#x20AC;&#x153;blindâ&#x20AC;? to stakeholders? Businesses invest so much in planning and execution they can forget the importance of time spent optimising their approach which is essential to maximising ROI. Our typical client analysis tends to revolve around: t 6OEFSTUBOEJOH UIF NBSLFUJOH UIBU XPSLT GPS ZPV t 'JOEJOH PVU IPX UP SFEVDF DPTUT when marketing isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t working t 6OEFSTUBOEJOH JG ZPVS TJUF JT BDIJFWJOH JUT HPBMT t -PDBUJOH QBJO QPJOUT BOE ESPQ PGGT GPS applications or purchase funnels

t 6OEFSTUBOEJOH PO TJUF CFIBWJPVS UP optimise content and navigation t -PPL BU USFOET PWFS UJNF 8IBU BSF UIF QFBLT and troughs? Why are these happening? Data analysis can be a difficult job, but extremely rewarding. To make things easier to digest, we use visualisation. Instead of trawling through endless numbers, we take your business KPIs and show their performance through simple graphs and charts, so no matter whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s viewing the data, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to understand it, and make key business decisions quicker and more easily.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re interested in how we can make sense of your data and drive business value, visit www.simplyzesty.com or send us an email to digital@simplyzesty.com

Eye on Charity

Senator George Mitchell Receives Award From Charity Bosses American statesman George Mitchell has been honoured for his contribution to the peace process at a special ceremony in Belfast.

enator Mitchell, who brokered the Good Friday Agreement, was presented with the award for leadership and peacebuilding by Andrew McCracken chair of CO3, which represents charity leaders. Mr McCracken said: “George Mitchell is someone who has given sacrificially to many causes but possibly none more so than peace in our own community; his listening ability, his patience, and his courage to take risks for peace are now woven into the tapestry of the society that we are now able to live in.” Senator Mitchell responded: “I’m an American, proud of it and always will be, but a very large part of my heart and emotions are in Northern Ireland. This is a great place, with great people, its energetic and productive.” “I am deeply honoured to be recognised by you and can say to you in all sincerity that it was a labour of love.” During the evening there were warm

Senator Mitchell shared reflections on his leadership style and the importance of cultivating patience, humility and listening skills.

tributes from two former politicians who took part in the talks process that led to the 1998 agreement. Baroness May Blood and Dawn Purvis praised him for his extraordinary patience and courtesy during the fraught and fractious negotiations that preceded the settlement.

Sir John Elvidge, Carnegie UK Trust, Aideen McGinley, Carnegie UK Trust, Paul Donaghy, OCN NI, Roisin McDonough, Arts Council, Ian walters, OCN NI

Senator Mitchell shared reflections on his leadership style and the importance of cultivating patience, humility and listening skills. Before he was presented with his award, poet Colin Dardis read a poem he had been specially commissioned to write in George Mitchell’s honour.

Group of guests from Women’s Tec

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

Eye on Charity

John Devitt, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Nora Smith, CO3, Senator George Mitchell, David Abrahams, Marsh, Andrew McCracken, Chair, CO3

Senator Mitchell shared reflections on his leadership style and the importance of cultivating patience, humility and listening skills

John Devitt, Ecclesiastical Insurance, Tom McQuillan, Marsh, Mike McClean of Friends in Action

Erskine Holmes, UCIT, Kevin Roland, Teneo, Alan Moneypenny, UCIT, Sir Ronald Weatherup, Belfast Charitable Society

Anne-Marie McClure, Start360, Celine McStravick NCB NI, Cara Cash-Marley, Groundwork NI

Tracey McCreanor, CO3, Sr Nuala Kelly, Depaul, Deirdre Canavan, Depaul

John McMullan, Social Enterprise NI, Dame Judith Hill

Brenda McMullan and Courtney Girvin of Halifax Foundation for NI

Eye on Recruitment

The Crucial Role Of The Executive Assistant By Mairead Scott, Managing Director, Honeycomb

love recruitment; even after 20+ years in the sector I still get a real buzz from my job. It is a unique and privileged position to be invited to get ‘under the skin’ of a company to understand their strategy and goals and ultimately find them the business support talent that will help them realise their ambition. What I love most however are those times when I can see with crystal clarity, how one key appointment DBO SFBMMZ USBOTGPSN B 4FOJPS -FBEFS BOE JO UVSO UIF organisation, by unlocking potential and increasing productivity. Such is the power of the Executive Assistant! However, with most companies continuing to keep a sharp focus on the bottom line the role of Executive Assistant is often considered a ‘luxury’ as business owners and MD’s do not view the position as a revenue generator. This is particularly true with owner managed SME’s where the organisations have had to remain incredibly lean through the initial start up phase, but as UIF CVTJOFTT HSPXT UIF 4FOJPS -FBEFST OFFE UIF TVQQPSU and time to focus ‘on’ their business and not be tied ‘in’ it. Following many conversations with business owners and Managing Directors over recent months, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on how an Executive Assistant can add value to a business and help propel business growth. Support Business Development – revenue generation. The role of the EA has evolved significantly in recent years; when utilised to their full Executive Assistants act as trusted advisors to the senior team. With the continued uncertainty around Brexit, many of our clients have been looking to new markets or developing new revenue streams to de-risk their business. The EA can provide a critical role in supporting this – from researching new opportunities, supporting site selection, completing competitor analysis, identifying grant and funding opportunities for the organisation through to keeping the Executive team briefed on any socioeconomic factors that may impact on the business.

Time Management and Accountability The most precious commodity that a business leader has is their time. A talented EA will help to delegate work across the team, take unnecessary work away their Executive and protect their time to ensure that they are free to focus on business critical/ business generation activities. Most importantly, an effective EA will hold senior leaders to account, ensuring business objectives are completed in line with the agreed business plan.

Process Improvement. Executive Assistants have exceptional organisational skills and can transform a business by identifying (and most importantly implementing) process improvements that will help save time, save money and often improve your customer experience. Many of the EA’s that we work with are experienced Project Managers, Internal Auditors and super users on IT systems. They understand how the business runs, where the bottle necks exist and how to resolve these issues to improve business processes and increase profitability.

Vendor Management As organisations grow, Senior Executives are focused on overall sales and revenue figures and DBO PGUFO OFHMFDU TNBMMFS JUFNT PO UIF 1 - TVDI as insurance renewals, stationary costs, travel and training costs etc. These small recurring operational costs can have a significant impact on the bottom-line overtime. By allowing your EA access to this information, they can analyse spend, assess the service delivery of your providers, research alternatives and ultimately negotiate the best value deal for your organisation.

Analyse Data The Executive Assistant holds a unique position within an organisation as they have an oversight of the entire business and not just one department. This holistic overview can be invaluable when analysing data for the board. Often, the Senior Team are reviewing the same data sets time and time again, to the point that they suffer ‘paralysis by analysis’ or are viewing information in the context of their own department or business unit only without considering the impact on the wider team. An experienced EA can understand and summarise data, identify and report on trends or highlight anomalies that may impact on the business, all while remaining impartial.

Build relationships and support company culture. One final key advantage of an Executive Assistant is the level of trust that they can build with senior leaders within an organisation. As they work so closely with the senior team, they understand the business intimately and will often represent the Directors or Senior team at meetings and events, acting as their voice when they are unable to attend in person. In an increasingly tight labour market, culture is king, and a strong company culture can reduce attrition, improve employee engagement and increase productivity. The EA is will often help cultivate a strong company culture by organising events, developing employee appreciation initiatives and generally making the company a better place to work! If you are interested in hiring an Executive Assistant for your organisation or would like to schedule a consultation to discuss your recruitment strategy, contact the team at Honeycomb on 028 96207050. We would be delighted to support you.

For when organisations need organisation Without back-office brilliance and premium, specialist support staff, plans for an organisation’s fast-track growth will go nowhere, fast. That’s why the brightest, best and bluest of chip companies in Northern Ireland trust the only niche support services recruitment agency in the region. That’s us. We’re here for when you need steady heads and safe hands to support your exciting ambition.

honeycomb.jobs 028 96 20 70 50

For when business success needs admin support

Eye on News

Michael McCord Appointed Senior Partner At Tughans

Tughans new Senior Partner Michael McCord (right) pictured with (from left) Consultant in Corporate John-George Willis, Managing Partner Patrick Brown, and James Donnelly, Head of Corporate.

Tughans, one of Northern Ireland’s leading commercial law firms, has announced the appointment of a new Senior Partner, Michael McCord.

ichael has taken over the responsibilities of the role as Senior Partner from John-George Willis, who will remain with firm as a consultant in the Corporate team. Michael, who leads the Commercial Dispute Resolution

team is widely recognised throughout Northern Ireland as a market leading commercial litigator and has been a Partner with Tughans for 16 years. He is ranked in band 1 by Chambers 6, BOE -FHBM BOE IBT CFFO JOEVDUFE JOUP UIF -FHBM )BMM of Fame. With over 20 years’ experience practising construction law, Michael is ranked as a leading expert in construction disputes. On his appointment Michael said: “I am delighted to be joining Managing Partner Patrick Brown in shaping the future vision of our

firm. We are an ambitious firm and aim to continue to grow in line with our clients’ needs and expectations. We need to remain agile and informed to ensure we can consistently deliver for our clients and I look forward to playing my part in delivering this excellence.” Making the announcement, Tughans’ Managing Partner, Patrick Brown, said, “I want to congratulate Michael on his appointment as Senior Partner and wish him every success in his new role. I would also like to pay tribute to former Senior Partner John George Willis for his

long service and commitment to the firm and the significant contribution he makes in the continuing growth of the business.” Tughans will continue to benefit from John-George’s expertise, as he hands over the leadership role of the awardwinning Corporate Department to Partner James Donnelly.

Eye on News

Tourism Awards Night Reveals Outstanding Performers The 2019 Northern Ireland Tourism Awards in association with Diageo Northern Ireland have honoured achievement across Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tourism industry.

eld in Armagh for the first time, at the Palace Demesne, the awards brought hundreds of industry professionals together to recognise and celebrate the industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s excellence and innovation. Hosted by BBC broadcaster and presenter Jo Scott, the black tie dinner and awards night featured a Georgian-themed marquee in the grounds of the Archbishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Palace. Winners revealed included Derry International Halloweâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;en Festival, which scooped the Best International Experience, and the Balmoral Show, which lifted the Best NI Event or Festival Experience award. %FSSZ_-POEPOEFSSZ XBT BMTP B winner in the coveted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Best Stayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; accommodation category, with the Bishopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gate Hotel earning the title of NIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Hotel Stay. Completing the category were Peartree Hill B&B near Dundonald in County Down, which won NIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Guesthouse/B&B Stay, and Ballygally Holiday Apartments in County Antrim, which took the title of NIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best Self-Catering Stay. There were two awards up for grabs in the Authentic NI Experience of the Year. The site based award was won by Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council for Antrim Castle Gardens, while the tour, trail or immersive award went to Armagh Cider Company. In a great year for Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council contested in three categories, gaining the top step in the NI Food & Drink Experience of the Year for its Armagh Food and Cider Festival. In other categories, Gareth Murphy of We Are Vertigo in Belfast was awarded

the title of Tourism Entrepreneur of the :FBS BOE -JNBWBEZ T 4UFOEIBM 'FTUJWBM lifted the Most Promising Authentic NI Event or Festival Experience. National Museums NI was given an Outstanding Contribution to Tourism award for its long-term commitment to growing the quality of the cultural and tourism offer across Northern Ireland.

Another special award went to Mark Rodgers of Dalriada Kingdom Tours, who earned the title of Tourism Hero for his exceptional efforts to support the widow of a man who tragically passed away while visiting Northern Ireland. The awards, now in their forty-first year, have had a hugely positive impact on the tourism and hospitality sector, providing

a benchmark for all businesses to aspire to and delivering significant benefits to shortlisted and winning businesses alike. Speaking at the awards ceremony, Tourism NI Chairman Terence Brannigan said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tourism is now one of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most important export industries with almost 3 million people visiting from PVU PG TUBUF TQFOEJOH TPNF b NJMMJPO QFS EBZ BOE TVQQPSUJOH KPCTw â&#x20AC;&#x153;The energy, commitment and enthusiasm of the hundreds of businesses, large and small, that make up our tourism eco-system is outstanding. They make us all proud of where we live and make Northern Ireland a better place in which to live.â&#x20AC;? Paddy McKenna, Commercial Manager, Diageo Northern Ireland, said; â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been a fantastic evening for the tourism and hospitality industry in Northern Ireland and a fitting occasion to acknowledge and celebrate the individuals, businesses and initiatives helping to put us firmly on the tourism map. On behalf of Diageo, congratulations to all the winners, indeed to everyone shortlisted for awards. I think we can feel extremely positive and excited about the future of tourism in Northern Ireland.â&#x20AC;?

Eye on News

First Trust Bank Partners With Age NI First Trust Bank have announced that they have selected Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading older peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s charity, Age NI as their new charity partner.

IF CBOL XIP IBWF branches across the country, will support the charity as part of a two year partnership. As part of the partnership, Age NI will be working closely with First Trust Bank to: t -BVODI B EJHJUBM BNCBTTBEPS programme, which will proactively encourage and support older customers to embrace digital banking. t 4VQQPSU GJOBODJBM FEVDBUJPO XIJDI XJMM include initiatives to help customers improve their finances and capabilities. t &OIBODF DPNNVOJUZ FOHBHFNFOU - Age NI demonstration days are planned and will be held in different branch locations. First Trust Bank staff will also be

participating in fundraising activities and money raised will enable Age NI to provide a range of support, including advice, care and well-being services to older people, to help them stay independent and connected in later life. Kevin Nealon, Head of Retail, First Trust Bank said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are really pleased to announce this partnership with Age NI. We are excited about the plans that are in place, that will not only have a positive impact on our customers and the community across Northern Ireland, but will also raise vital funds for this admirable charity. This partnership will help embed our purpose which is to back our customers to achieve their dreams and ambitions.â&#x20AC;? -JOEB 3PCJOTPO $IJFG

Pictured in W5 are (L-R): Judith Harvey, Head of Education and Public Affairs; Wendy Langham, Head of Social Affairs and Eric Porter, Chairman at The Odyssey Trust.

Executive, Age NI added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are absolutely delighted that First Trust Bank have selected Age NI as their new charity partner, and are really looking forward to working alongside staff over the next two years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely fantastic to see how enthusiastic and passionate staff are about supporting older people across Northern Ireland, and we have no doubt that First Trust Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s customers will be as equally supportive.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are lots of exciting initiatives planned over the two year partnership, so keep an eye in your local First Trust Bank to see how you can get involved.â&#x20AC;?

For more information on the partnership, and how you can get involved go to www.ageni.org

TECH ACCELERATOR TEAMS RAISE OVER ÂŁ1M IN FUNDING

Pictured ahead of the Ignite NI Accelerator showcase are (L-R back row): Fearghal Campbell (Pitchbooking); Andrew Trimble (Kairos); Chris McClelland (Ignite); Eddie Holmes (Unissu); Barry Lynch (Gig Grafter). Front row: Swati Sharma (Sparkinity); Russell Barnard (Snappd); Niall Casey (Invest NI); Cormac Quinn (loyalBe); Cathy Craig (Incisiv); Frank Kilpatrick (BluDot Technologies).

ine of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most promising tech start-ups have raised more than ÂŁ1m in funding during the 2019 edition of Ignite NIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intensive business accelerator programme. The figure was unveiled at the Ignite NI Accelerator showcase in Ormeau Baths, which enabled the teams to bring their innovative tech and digital businesses to the attention of business leaders, stakeholders and investors.

The showcase marks the end of the current 12-week Accelerator. Supported by Invest Northern Ireland, the programme is designed to help established early stage technology companies to develop, grow and scale to a point where they are equipped to raise further JOWFTUNFOU PG CFUXFFO b BOE b N Each of the nine companies had the opportunity to deliver a 3-minute pitch to the assembled audience

at Ormeau Baths. Ahead of the showcase, the teams also pitched to 60 top-tier international investors EVSJOH WJTJUT UP 4BO 'SBODJTDP %VCMJO BOE -POEPO Chris McClelland, Programme Director of Ignite NI said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accelerator teams have made exceptional progress and demonstrated their potential, with several of the companies actually managing to close funding rounds during what is an intensive learning process and others currently on the verge of securing investment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the 3 months, the teams have benefitted from feedback from over 200 business leaders, some of whom are founders of businesses generating $1bn dollars a year in revenue. This input will be invaluable as the startups begin to scale and break into global markets.â&#x20AC;? This year, five companies from Cohort 1 and 2 will compete for the opportunity to spend an additional three months in San Francisco, the global hub of the technology XPSME BT QBSU PG UIF *HOJUF /* -BOEJOH 1BE JOJUJBUJWF 5IJT new initiative, in partnership with Invest NI will allow founders to explore the US market, the possibilities of raising funds from US investors and to gain a first-hand understanding of what is required to launch in the US. Niall Casey, Director, Invest Northern Ireland said: i5IF -BOEJOH 1BE XJMM TVQQPSU PVS "DDFMFSBUPS Teams to reach new levels of success. I am confident with the support and drive of Ignite it will deliver stronger, more capable high potential start-ups, ultimately benefitting the NI economy.â&#x20AC;&#x153;

Eye on News

STAGE IS SET FOR 13th BELFAST MELA FESTIVAL

orthern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s largest celebration of cultural diversity, the Belfast Mela returns UP #PUBOJD (BSEFOT PO 4VOEBZ UI August from 12 noon until 6pm for its biggest festival ever with principal sponsor Sensata Technologies. Pictured as the Belfast Mela website goes live online for tickets are: Mexican dancers Mayte Segura and %FOJTF /BWBSSFUF XJUI 6 T $BSPMZO Stewart, UTVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Julian Simmons and

Nisha Tandon, Executive Director of ArtsEkta and founder of the Belfast Mela in Melaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunning Chinese Dragon Boat at Botanic Gardens. Organised by ArtsEkta, one of Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading arts and cultural organisations, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Belfast Mela is set to provide a wonderful family day out to celebrate increasing cultural diversity with music, dance, food and much more from around UIF XPSME 657 T 1BVM 3FJMMZ BOE 6 T Carolyn Stewart will host the Belfast Mela

on stage with UTVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Julian Simmons taking charge in Melaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cookery theatre where local chefs and producers will give cookery demonstrations with global flavours. Nisha Tandon, Executive Director, ArtsEkta says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the 13th year of the Belfast Mela and each year the festival continues to go from strength to strength. Once again we will transform Botanic Gardens into an exotic magical garden with many

new sights, sounds and aromas from a wealth of nations planned this year. With up to 30,000 people expected to attend Belfast Mela, our website is now live for ticket bookings, so get online now to ensure you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss out.â&#x20AC;? Tickets are ÂŁ7 for adults; ÂŁ6 concession and a family ticket costs ÂŁ15, covering entry for 2 adults and 2 children under 16. For more information go to http:// www.belfastmela.org.uk

Johnson Brothers Celebrates 125 Years of Business

he Johnson family started their business in 1893, and has seen it successfully grow through four generations, provides a sales, marketing and warehousing service to the retail grocery, pharmaceutical, wholesale and food service industries, across the island of Ireland. Their expertise, passed down through the generations, coupled with an unprecedented degree of customization for product penetration in the marketplace, has ensured that they are well placed, for the next generation of Johnsons who are already working in the business. But their expertise goes beyond sales and distribution. Having roasted award winning coffee since 1913 they understand the difficulties and complexities of the manufacturing process. Today, their award winning blends, delicately roasted in their own coffee roasting facilities in -JTCVSO BSF FOKPZFE UISPVHIPVU *SFMBOE BOE CFZPOE With the next generation of Johnsons already working in the business, Johnson Brothers can be confident that there is a bright future ahead.

Johnson Brothers in Lisburn are celebrating the completion of 125 years of successful business serving the island of Ireland and beyond.

Brothers Andy and Dermot Johnson celebrate the completion of 125 years of successful business

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

Sprucefield Shopping Centre Celebrates 30th Anniversary Sprucefield Shopping Centre, which opened its doors in 1989, celebrated its 30th Birthday on the 1st of June.

Pictured L to R: Grainne Little, M&S, JP McShane, M&S Sprucefield Store Manager, Tim Honeyford, Sprucefield Centre Manager and Laura McCullough, M&S celebrating Sprucefield’s 30th Birthday.

hroughout this landmark year Sprucefield will be holding lots of celebrations and events, and are appealing to customers to share their memories and photos of the centre from its opening to the present day. Tim Honeyford, who also celebrates 30 years as Sprucefield Centre Manager, said: “I applied for the job as Centre Manager in 1989, when Sprucefield Centre was opening its doors. At that time, bringing flagship retail stores to Northern Ireland was unheard of and Sprucefield was the first of its kind here. “Over the past 30 years, the Centre and its retailers have enjoyed great success, thanks to the thousands of

people who travel from across the country to visit, shop and socialise here. Throughout this year we will be hosting a series of events to mark ’30 Years Well Spent’ to thank our loyal customers for their continued support. “To kick of festivities, we wanted to make our customers the guests of honour, and it was great to see so many familiar faces attend our birthday party, enjoying the free activities and giveaways. We will not forget them, after three decades we are still one of the busiest retail destinations in the country.” JP McShane, M&S Sprucefield Store Manager, added: “Marks & Spencer, is proud to be celebrating 30 years since we opened our doors at Sprucefield. Situated in one of the best-performing regions in the UK, recording some of the highest food sales of any M&S, our success is down to the support of our customers, local suppliers and dedicated colleagues over the last three decades. Every one of them deserves a huge thankyou for the role they have played in making M&S Sprucefield the fantastic business it is today. We look forward to seeing what else Sprucefield’s 30th year has in store for us.”

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere

DRINK RESPONSIBLY The BAILEYS, GORDONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S, CAPTAIN MORGAN, SMIRNOFF, GUINNESS, SMITHWICKS, CARLSBERG and HARP words and associated logos are trade marks ÂŠ Diageo 2015.

Eye on Events

BT Earmarks Belfast As Workplace Of The Future BT Group has revealed Belfast as one of the first locations that will house its workplaces of the future as part of a three-to-five-year programme.

nitially announced in May 2018, BT Group is set to improve and consolidate its workplaces across the UK. Belfast is one of eight UK locations being announced today and the first to be announced in Northern Ireland. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Better Workplace Programmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will consolidate BT Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footprint of more than 300 locations to around 30, containing modern, future-fit buildings, including corporate offices, contact centres and specialist sites. It is the largest programme of its type in the UK. BTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s telephone exchanges will be retained by the Group. Belfast, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Ipswich (Adastral Park), -POEPO BOE .BODIFTUFS BSF UIF GJSTU towns and cities to be selected and

will house a variety of the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s operations. This is a clear signal that BT is committed to the whole of the UK, with locations in all four countries and their capitals. Though detailed plans of BTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s footprint in each location are still to be finalised, some existing BT buildings will be refurbished while others will see BT move into new offices. BT Group plays an important role in Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy and is responsible for generating ÂŁ1 in every ÂŁ120 produced in Northern Ireland, according to an independent SFQPSU *U BMTP HFOFSBUFE b CJMMJPO UP Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gross Value Addedâ&#x20AC;? GVA, during the 2017/18 financial year.* BT Group employs more than 3,230 people in Northern Ireland.

Artists impression of how a new reception area could look.

"MM FJHIU MPDBUJPOT XJMM CFOFGJU GSPN ( coverage, announced on 22 May. Teams within the future-fit buildings will benefit from state-of-the-art mobile connectivity alongside the existing fibre connections. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Better Workplace Programme is about bringing our people together in brilliant spaces, and transforming the way we work,â&#x20AC;? BT Group chief executive Philip Jansen said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Revealing these eight locations is just the first step; we have dedicated teams working on

identifying the best buildings to move into and which ones to redesign for the future. As a result of this programme, BT people will be housed in inspiring offices that are better for our business and better for our customers.â&#x20AC;? As announced in May 2018, BT Group will also exit its St Paulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters JO -POEPO BOE JT DVSSFOUMZ JEFOUJGZJOH B new home for the business in the capital. Further details on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The Better Workplace Programmeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; will be revealed in due course.

SUNDAY 18TH AUGUST 12 NOON - 4PM

Hamper Sunday Enjoy an afternoon of music, food and games in the Larchfield Estate gardens & barn. Artisan picnic hampers provided - just bring along your friends, family and a picnic blanket! ÂŁ28 Adults | ÂŁ14 Kids | ÂŁ68 Family Booking Essential via Eventbrite events@larchfieldestate.co.uk

New Job. New Opportunity. New You. Eye Moving On

graftonrecruitment.com

Business Eye Banner Ad.indd 1

14/01/2019 11:57:32 1 Frank Cox has joined Harlequin Manufacturing, based in Armagh, a leading manufacturer of innovative polyethylene storage tanks and systems, exporting to 20 countries internationally. He has been appointed as Area Sales Manager for Water and Waste Water and joins the team from his previous role as National Sales Manager for Clearwater Pollution Control. Holywood-based agency Smarts Communicate has appointed several new team members. 2 Conor Thompson has been appointed as a Senior Communications Consultant. Conor joins from the Dublin-based creative agency JWT Folk where, as Account Director, he led the agency’s sponsorship team.

1 Frank Cox

2 Conor Thompson

3 Claire McKeever

3 Claire McKeever joins Smarts as a Communications Manager. Claire has over eight years’ experience in marketing and communications, working for the MBTU UXP ZFBST XJUI 5IF 5PNPSSPX -BC BT XFC BOE 4 digital content lead. Amie Campbell becomes a Communications Executive at Smarts and brings four years of event management experience with her. 5 Dr Annika Clements joins the team as Regional Manager for Northern Ireland. She takes over GSPN %S -ZOO (JMNPSF XIP NPWFE JOUP B OFX role as Head of International Trade & Regions. Annika has worked closely with the fishing industry in Northern Ireland having previously worked for the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, /PSUIFSO *SFMBOE &OWJSPONFOUBM -JOL 6MTUFS University, and Queens University Belfast, as well as a self-employed environmental consultant.

4 Amie Campbell

5 Dr Annika Clements

7 Catherine O’Hara

8 Jennifer Clendinning

6 Pamela Shaw

Hastings Hotels has announced three key 6 appointments. Pamela Shaw becomes Group IT Manager responsible for technology and telephony infrastructure. She previously worked 7 in a revenue role with the group. Catherine O’Hara is appointed as Revenue Manager for the Europa & Grand Central Hotels. She previously worked as a pricing analyst in the shipping 8 industry. And Jennifer Clendinning becomes Financial Controller, having worked in the accounts department at Hastings Head Office for 11 years.

New Job. New Opportunity. New You. graftonrecruitment.com

Business Eye Banner Ad.indd 1

14/01/2019 11:57:32 9 Una Warnock has been appointed as Senior Portfolio Manager at Whiterock Finance. She previously worked at PwC for over 13 years specialising in business restructuring and debt advisory. In her new role Una will be responsible for managing a portfolio of clients across the various funds. Newtownabbey-based Environmental Street 10 Furniture (ESF) has appointed Paul Hamilton as Business Development Manager for Security Products. With the company’s recent move into the security product market through the acquisition of Sentry Posts, Paul will oversee the integration of Sentry Posts into ESF.

9 Una Warnock

10 Paul Hamilton

11 Dr Sheryl Foster

Almac Sciences has announced the appointment of 11 Dr Sheryl Foster to the position of Vice President of Quality. Her most recent roles were as a Product Quality leader for GSK in Singapore and most recently as Director of Quality for Avara’s API Manufacturing site in the UK. Prior to this, Sheryl worked in a number of quality roles in the UK, China and Australia. Kestrel Foods has appointed a new Commercial Director to its senior leadership team. 12 Johnny Weir joins Kestrel following his most recent role as Group Commercial Director at Coca-Cola HBC. Johnny brings with him more than 20 years’ business and commerce experience, including 16 of these spent at Director and Senior Management level.

12 Johnny Weir

15 Jack Walker

13 Regina Gregan

16 Oonagh Murdock

14 Patrick Beatty

Hannon Travel is pleased to announce the 13 appointment of Regina Gregan as Head of Sales and Account Management. Regina has over 20 years travel industry experience, primarily across the business travel sector. She started her career as a junior reservation consultant before joining American Express GBT in 1997 and progressed through various roles including senior business travel consultant, Implant Office Manager, and Sales Manager. Most recently Regina joins Hannon Travel from a senior sales and account management role. 14 Patrick Beatty joins Bauer Media Northern Ireland as Head of Insight. He has over 30 years extensive experience of the UK and Irish advertising and media sector. Prior to joining Bauer Media NI he held executive leadership roles at major media, entertainment and digital companies. Also at 15 Bauer Media NI, Jack Walker becomes Agency Sales Executive. He first joined Bauer Media NI in a Sales Support role back in September 2016 and was then seconded to a group wide CRM rollout across the UK, before joining the Agency team at Bauer Media NI at the start of June 2019. 16 Oonagh Murdock has been appointed to the position of Solicitor at O’Reilly Stewart Solicitors in Belfast. Working within the Property Department, Oonagh will be responsible for advising clients in relation to residential purchases and sales, remortgages, wills and the administration of estates.

Eye on Economics

Future Proofing of the NI Economy Ă ine Brolly, CEO of Cpl Northern Ireland, Director of Ardlinn Executive Search, and former Senior Vice President of Invest NI assesses the strength of the local economy and outlines the challenges and opportunities amidst a changing landscape.

s we enter the third quarter of 2019, Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy continues to show considerable economic resilience in the face of regional, national and international uncertainty. At a macro level, Northern Ireland reached a record level of employment earlier this year, with unemployment figures having fallen to their joint lowest on record. With the summer now upon us, seasonal opportunities within our tourism sector will increase, and the good news is that the recently published â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Six Dimensions of Nation Brandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; index shows, on an international scale, that we are scoring highly both in terms of how our tourism and people are perceived (64% and 63% respectively). This bodes well, following a record ZFBS GPS UPVSJTN JO XJUI million visitors arriving on our shores, with nearly ÂŁ1bn spent. Similarly, recognition of the role that people play in our ability to secure investment cannot be underestimated when it comes to sectors such as fintech and cyber security, with the latter operating 1,600 businesses and generating a turnover of ÂŁ1.3bn within the local economy. Challenges remain but there is a solid foundation for Northern Ireland to sustain and avail of economic opportunities and promote the region through leveraging our highly educated workforce, affordable housing and market connectivity across the UK, Europe and further afield. However, we are at a critical juncture, particularly with Brexit, and it is incumbent upon not only our politicians to ensure that connectivity remains, but on us all to leverage and maximise investment

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opportunities, build our skills base, and cascade City Deals throughout our economy to ensure that resilience supports growth in 2020 and beyond. We must ensure that we get the balance right in terms of urban and rural / Belfast and regional, and the recent news of the Derry and Strabane City Deal is a very positive development for investment in the North West. As we know, Belfast is our key asset and is now regarded as the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top destination city for fintech development and inward investment. This success has led to almost 900 international companies employing around 100,000 people, contributing to a significant portion of our regional employment. For the tech sector in particular, UIF BSSJWBM PG ( UFDIOPMPHZ TFSWJDFT heralds a great opportunity and could boost the local economy by VQ UP b N QFS ZFBS CZ Ç&#x160; Manufacturing is now also growing at its fastest rate since 1998, and we must leverage our rich skills base and seek to develop the support and export of world class goods and products. In terms of our local Knowledge Economy, NI is now the 2nd fastest HSPXJOH 6, SFHJPO Ç&#x160;IPXFWFS DSFBUJOH an environment in which we can support start-ups to get to market, and accelerate growth must be prioritised, as we aspire to reach targets of circa 80,000 jobs and some ÂŁ3.2bn GVA added to our economy. Sustaining this success is crucial, and I am encouraged to see plans to increase expenditure on entrepreneurship programming and research and development, both of which will play a key role in developing our people and enhancing future investment opportunities.

Ă ine Brolly, CEO of Cpl Northern Ireland

Burgeoning sectors must meet demand in order to sustain our reputation as a location to invest in, and there is no doubt, there are skills needs across Northern Ireland with 77% of service sector firms and 74% of manufacturers saying they were having difficulty recruiting staff in the last 12 months. Continual workforce upskilling is vital for City Deals in Derry and Strabane and Belfast and it is required to meet the needs across a range of roles within high level employment. Particularly welcome within the remit of City Deals is investment in areas such as digital infrastructure and innovation, with these areas enabling our workforce to gain cutting edge skills which are vital for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Enhancing skills, innovation, enterprise and infrastructure are undoubtedly effective means through

which to improve the productivity of the local economy and boost FDI, and recent investments from businesses such as Firstsource and Seagate show that Northern Ireland remains an attractive long-term proposition to create hubs in innovative technology. In the years ahead, there is much to be optimistic about, however we need our politicians to deliver upon their commitments, and our public and private sectors to work together in a spirit of innovation and flexibility, for the long-term sustainability of our economy.

Ă ine Brolly is CEO of Cpl Northern Ireland. Please contact aine.brolly@ardlinn.com for further information.

Eyeon Motoring

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Vehicle Leasing Maintenance Package with DFC What is maintenance? If you decide to go for the option of maintenance within the contract, this generally covers you for servicing and any wear and tear items which need replacing. Damage is not included. How is maintenance beneficial to me? For example : maintenance is £28.00 + vat = £33.60 per month, giving an annual contract cost of £403.20 meaning you can spread the cost over the contract term with no unexpected bills. I have taken out a Maintenance Contract, how do I book an appointment?

What is a maintenance contract? Maintenance is added to your lease for a fixed additional monthly cost, to cover servicing, replacement tyres and other repair costs.

his gives to give you complete peace of mind to cover costs you may not have budgeted for when taking out a lease. Maintenance can be taken out PO CPUI 1FSTPOBM $BS -FBTJOH plans and Business Contract Hire.

DFC customers call our Operations Department and they will take care of everything. Who carries out the Servicing and Maintenance? A franchised dealer or an authorised VAT registered agent would carry out the maintenance and servicing.

Local Company Local People Local Service

No unfortunately it does not but you should be able to contact your insurance company who should be able to assist with this.

Will Maintenance cover MOT costs? As most lease contracts periods are only for 2 or 3 years, your leased vehicle may never need an MOT. If your car does need a MOT then DFC will book an appointment and make all necessary arrangements. We think the benefits of taking a maintenance agreement is a no brainer and so do our customers. That’s why over 79 of our drivers choose this option. If you don’t have a vehicle with us you can still enjoy the benefits of our Operations Department through our Fleet Managed programme. If you would like to find out more call John Moore on 02890 734222

DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle Management Company. For over 25 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans. We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs.

Call us today for more information on our car and van offers on 028 9073 4222 or email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk

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Does Maintenance include Windscreen Repair?

For used VAT qualifying vehicles visit our website...

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Eye on Motoring

Car Leasing The 3 Biggest Myths... W

hen it comes to investing in a new car, there are many different ways you can go about it. The first that springs to mind for most people, is to buy the car outright. For many people however, this really isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a viable option as they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the many thousands of pounds available immediately to buy even the cheapest of cars.

Another way to invest in a brand new car, is to lease it. The very word â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;leaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; however puts a lot of people off this avenue of investing. A lot of myths have come to be associated with leasing cars, so we at DFC would like to debunk the 3 biggest of myths to help you make the right decision when investing in a new car.

1: Is leasing is a waste of money? Firstly, let me ask you this; do you think buying a car is a waste of money? No? Even when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re buying something that depreciates in value from the moment you buy it? Moreover, you need to tax it, fix it if it breaks, put new tyres on it, get it ready for the MOT, and keep maintaining the vehicle. After years of this, when you decide itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time for a new car, you need to try and sell something that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve invested so much time, effort, and most importantly, money into. You realise then how much the car has depreciated. -FBTJOH PO UIF PUIFS IBOE NFBOT ZPV EPO U IBWF UP worry about any of this. For low, fixed monthly payments, you can drive the exact same new car you might have bought, and after however many years you lease it for, you give it back and it is no longer your problem.

2: There are always fees at the end of the leasing contract Unless you have complete disregard for your mileage limit, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to come to the end of your leasing contract without owing a penny. Of course you may incur some fair wear and tear charges, but generally leasing companies only charge you for things that will heavily affect the carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resale value.

3: Can you buy the car at the end of the lease contract? 5IJT JT B DPNNPO QPJOU PG DPOGVTJPO -FBTJOH NFBOT ZPV DBO IBWF the option to buy the car at the end of the contract. Although most people like to hand the old car back and get a new one.

So there you have it. The three biggest myths surrounding car leasing have been busted. We hope this helps you decide to lease a car rather than buy it, but if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to find out a bit more about the leasing process first, then please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to get in touch with us here at DFC. You can reach us via email at sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk, or alternatively, you can give us a ring on 028 9073 4222.

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dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring Motoring

DFC Your Local Company For All Your Vehicle Requirements DFC are totally independent so will only ever advise on the best option for you. Below are a few special offers. All makes and models available on both Business and Personal Contract Hire.

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Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

Sleek New, Better Handling Mazda3 Is A Surprise Package! I

The newest version of the Mazda3 hatchback is a step change for what has been one of their lower profile models - suddenly it has a lot more style and a more dynamic feel on the road.

tried two engines - a 1.8 diesel and a 2.0 petrol - developed with the Mazda Skyactiv engineering to be as clean and efficient as a conventional engine can be. Both were impressively quiet and really made the Mazda feel very refined. The diesel was at home on the demanding terrain of the Pennines with a nice surge of power to regain pace after each sharp bend or hill crest. It is rated at 116PS giving a useful everyday range of power. Its emissions are stated at 107g/gm. The 2.0 petrol is even more hushed and has a more long-legged feel. Slightly more powerful on 122PS but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel as responsive low-down as the diesel. The CO2 emissions from 117g/km is result of the latest engineering - this now includes a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mildâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; hybrid system to recoup energy. A radical new petrol engine is to join these two later this year. Called

the SkyActv X, this new compression ignition unit is said to combine the advantages of diesel and petrol power. Inside, the Mazda3 has more of a premium feel. You can get according to model - a head-up display to project your speed on the windscreen. A repeater from the sat nav flashes your speed on the fascia. The speedo also warns with a trailing red line behind the needle when you are over the limit. This is a most impressive new car from Mazda which represents a lot of development work and produces a quality that the posher names would be worried about! Despite this,the price range starts GSPN B LFFO b GPS B QFUSPM DBS JO 4& - USJN 5IF EJFTFMT TUBSU GSPN b 5IFSF JT B XBML VQ UISPVHI 4&- MVY 4QPSU BOE (5 USJNT 5IF EJFTFM GT Sport with automatic gearbox tops out the launch range at ÂŁ27,470.

MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER HYBRID IS A BUSINESS TAX BEATER! The PHEV - or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle - offers a safe stepping stone towards the electric motoring world of the future.

he Outlander is one of the few SUVs in this format so Mitsubishi has been making hay with business buyers in recent years. While a pure electric car requires a very organised work-life pattern to keep it charged, a hybrid offers the reassurance of a petrol engine to cut in when needed so you are never stuck. Its pure electric, non-polluting range may seem modest at a claimed 28 miles but this covers the daily commute for a surprising number of people. So if you are having a day in

the office, so could drive allelectric and recharge in the car park for pennies. But if you get an unexpected call-out then the 2.4-litre petrol engine is willing and waiting to get you there. Under the strange formula for calculating hybrid consumption the Outlander is rated at a TUBHHFSJOH NQH VOMJLFMZ UP be achieved in everyday driving! The Outlander has been around for a few years and is a chunky SUV with a roomy interior but not a lot of style or driving zest. Some boot space is lost - and the 7 seat option - to locating the extra battery and electric motor. But you can still create a cavern behind the electric tailgate by folding the rear seats flat. You get a beefy surge of power away from rest as all the engines

work together to pull this hefty SUV up to 62mph in 11 seconds. Gear changing is automatic and you can set controls to recharge the battery more quickly or to engage four-wheel drive when needed. Priced from around ÂŁ36K the Outlander avoids the luxury car

penalties but no longer receives the Government subsidy for hybrids. But it keeps a major tax carrot in the form of BIK of KVTU QD UIBOLT UP JUT FNJTTJPOT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;averageâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; figure of 40g/km. That, alone, may be enough to attract some company buyers.

dfcbelfast.co.uk

Eye on Motoring

Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

Upgraded Volvo XC90 Prepares For The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Electric Brae!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Volvo is the latest to move towards electrification with a revision of its admirable big SUV that includes a new fuel saving engine option.

very time you brake on a normal car, energy is wasted as heat but the refreshed XC90 has a system that saves some of that valuable energy. They say that the energy-recovery

braking system, is coupled with its existing internal combustion engines creates a new integrated electrified powertrain, under its new â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; badge. 5IJT PGGFST ESJWFST VQ UP QFS DFOU fuel savings and emission reductions in real-world driving. A brake-by-wire system interacts with the energyrecovery system and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by recovering kinetic energy under braking. The new XC90 â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;-badged cars represent an important step towards its electrification. These new cars complement Volvoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s existing T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid electrified option on the new XC90. On the outside, the refreshed XC90 offers subtle upgrades such as new wheels, new exterior colours and a modern new grille, among other details. Safety technologies that were launched on other 90 and 60 series models have also found

their way into the latest model. The XC90 now offers drivers help with steering on both the City Safety and the Blind Spot Information System. The City Safety system with Autobrake is still can recognise pedestrians, cyclists and large animals. 5IF 0ODPNJOH -BOF .JUJHBUJPO system first introduced on the XC60 is now also available on the XC90, while the Cross Traffic Alert technology now also offers autobrake. All this, together with the safety cage that forms the core of the passive safety technology, makes the XC90 one of the safest cars on the road. The model-year 2020 version of the XC90 will go into production next May at the Torslanda plant in Sweden. It will be available to order in the UK in mid-March, although prices have yet to be announced.

CAN PEUGEOT CRACK THE PREMIUM MARKET WITH ITS SLEEK 508? Just when we thought SUVs were taking over the market, up pops a streamlined new executive â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;saloonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from Peugeot. It may look like a sedan but it has five-doors so is actually a practical hatchback.

he French company is letting its hair down with the styling - it has a low coupe look. So this is a lean and mean machine rather than a state carriage for Monsieur Macron. But I am sure he will manage! 'SPN CFIJOE UIF BMTP manages to look slim with a power operated hatch as an option. The boot is a really useful big space of 487 litres of capacity. Other Peugeot cues include DMBX FGGFDU -&% SFBS MJHIUT Inside they are persisting with the

106

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;i cockpitâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; concept that not everyone likes. Personally I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind the small steering wheel over which you look to see the 12-inch digital instrument panel. There is also a 10 inch central screen for infotainment. The car I drove had a pleasantly subdued 2-litre turbo diesel engine with 163bbp - good for 0-62mph in a sharpish 8.4 seconds. This QSPWFE QBSTJNPOJPVT XJUI B NQH DPNCJOFE SBUJOH CZ UIF MBUFTU 8-51 measure. Emissions are relatively modest at 118g/km but the diesel surcharge means a 32% BIK rating.

This is a likeable big car with a quality interior and all the technology you could ever want. My car had an 8-speed auto box which got on smoothly with its job. An accomplished car that provides swift but stress-free motoring. But can it dent the sales dominance of the three premium German makes? Peugeot has come up with a credible and pleasantly

different car for the boss and has priced it competitively. Even my test car, loaded with HPPEJFT UP (5 -JOF USJN IBE B price tag from ÂŁ31k which is not out of the way for a top car. Other lesser equipped models with manual transmission are BWBJMBCMF GSPN b , 5IFZ IBWF a less powerful engine but enjoy BIK ratings from 24%.

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