Business Eye February March 2019 by Buckley Publications

Issue 186 Feb/Mar 2019 £2.50 Voted best Business Magazine in Ireland 2005 and Magazine of the Year for Northern Ireland

HSBC...

New Top Team Has Business In Its Sights Features:

Petra Wolsey….The Ups & Downs Of Family Business

Sean Murphy….From Finance To Football

From one to many, find out how we can help your business at fleetfinancial.co.uk

Search On For NI’s Top Employers

Contents

Feb/Mar 2019 ISSUE 186

Cover Story

HSBC…New Top Team Has Business In Its Sights

First Aid In The Workplace Belfast based Polaris Safety Training & Rescue has launched a charity partnership with British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland (BHF NI) aimed at raising first aid awareness in the workplace and providing staff with essential first aid skills.

HSBC has clocked up impressive growth in the Northern Ireland business marketplace over the past number of years, and with a new top team in place, it’s predicting more of the same. Richard Buckley catches up with HSBC’s Area Director, Gillian Morris, and Deputy Area Director, Chris McQuay, to talk about the bank’s plans for the local market.

Bank of Ireland Launches All-Island Brexit Fund

Family Business

Petra Wolsey…Family Business & It’s Ups and Downs

Bank of Ireland has launched a £1.75bn Brexit Fund to help businesses across the island of Ireland prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU, the first move of its kind by any of the main local banks.

Boutique Recruitment Firm Continues To Grow 2018 was a very successful year for the relatively new team at Honeycomb, a boutique recruitment firm based in the centre of Belfast and specialising in the business and executive support marketplace. Managing Director Mairead Scott takes up the story.

Petra Wolsey of the Beannchor Group, owners of Belfast’s Merchant and Bullitt Hotels as well as a sizeable chain of pubs and the Little Wing Pizzeria business, is guest speaker at Harbinson Mulholland’s latest Family Business Forum event at the Merchant on 27th March. Be prepared for some straight talking from a woman who doesn’t mince her words…

Sean Murphy…From Finance To Football

As part of a Business Eye Family Business special feature, the family team behind Rainbow Communications talk about the challenges of running a business at the cutting edge of the technology that drives all of our organisations.

Every Business Is A Digital Business We consume an ever-increasing number of digital services and products, yet there are 5-year olds who are more competent with digital technology than some hardened business people. Tim Proctor of Scaffold Digital offers some answers.

After a 21-year career with Ulster Bank during which he rose from the rank of cashier to Managing Director of Personal Banking, Sean Murphy looked set to stay in the banking sector. While his move to the National Football Stadium to take over as Chief Operating Officer might have surprised some, Sean reckons that it’s the job of his dreams.

Do’s & Don’ts For Discerning Directors

Young Enterprise

Spirit Of Enterprise Shines Through

Being a company director can be an exciting and lucrative opportunity for genuine enterprise. The downside is that it can all go horribly wrong for those who take their eye off the ball. Marie-Louise Lowry of Elliott Duffy Garrett takes a closer look.

Local Agri-Food Firms Beat A Path To GB Food and drink specialist Sam Butler takes an in-depth look at how some of our mann enterprising small food and drink producers are making significant inroads into the lucrative high-end marketplace on the other side of the Irish Sea.

Students from across Northern Ireland had the enviable opportunity to launch, promote and sell their own innovative products at this year’s Young Enterprise Regional trade fairs. It’s part of a comprehensive programme of activities organised by Young Enterprise.

Eye on Charity

Eye on Finance

Eye on Awards

Eye on Hospitality

Eye on Agri Food

Moving On

Eye on Media

Eye on Office Market

Eye on Events

Eye on Law

Eye on Young Enterprise

Eye on Motoring

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We’re all so so sick, sore and tired of the Brexit process – or lack of it – that we’re rapidly approaching the end of March without any real sense of foreboding or a feeling that catastrophe is just around the corner.

Comment

“The current Brexit storm will not be over until the proverbial fat lady sings. And she hasn’t even started to clear her throat as yet.”

ere in the Northern Ireland business community, we’ve been worn down, we’ve been battered, we’ve been bruised and we’ve watched helplessly as Westminster, the Prime Minister and one of our main political parties have pushed us in a direction of their choosing. Not our’s. At the time of writing, anything could happen. Nominally, at least, a hard and painful head-on collision of a Brexit is still on the cards. But, at the same time, there’s a strange sense of calm. It might be a calm of the ‘calm before the storm’ variety. But it might not. It’s looking and sounding increasingly possible, even probable, that Theresa May will pull off a trick of Houdini proportions and get her withdrawal agreement – with a few key tweaks – over the line. The stalwarts of the DUP, having enjoyed every little moment of their period of time in the sun, have started to open the doors. And the same goes for the hard-line Brexiteers within Mrs. May’s own fractured political party. Jeremy Corbyn, meanwhile, has moved significantly in the other direction. His shift towards a second referendum and steadfast opposition to a No Deal scenario has been significant. Few in business will be Corbyn fans, but the Labour leader’s move – by any standards – has been a brave one. If Mrs. May does get a deal through the House of Commons, what happens next? Her deal, even with a few changes made, will still fall comfortably into the Soft Brexit basket. And, given all that has gone before, even those of us who’ve shouted from the rooftops about the folly of leaving the EU will be relieved.

Richard Buckley EDITOR Irish Magazine Editor of the Year 2005

A second referendum was never really a runner, and there was never any chance of the UK somehow decided to stay in the European fold. So a soft Brexit outcome is the best that most of us could hope for. It will deliver, we hope, a long transition period. But it will also deliver, and this is the most important bit, a sense of stability and resolution after one of the longest periods of uncertainty that most of us can remember. Perhaps then, the focus can return to the resumption of hostilities up on the hill at Stormont. But there’s something more than a little depressing about that prospect, isn’t there? Do we really need them? Do we really want them? Probably not, if truth is told. But, all things being equal, it’s probably better that we have them back in place than not. It takes the bad look off the place. But, and it’s a sizeable ‘but’, we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves. The current Brexit storm will not be over until the proverbial fat lady sings. And she hasn’t even started to clear her throat as yet. As for Stormont, business in this part of the world might like to say that it’s been missed. We’re not so sure...

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Eye on News

Chartered Accountants And Danske Bank Announce Partnership

Pictured at the launch of the partnership are Niall Harkin, Chairman, Chartered Accountants Ulster Society; Zara Duffy, Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland; and Shaun McAnee, Managing Director of Corporate & Business Banking at Danske Bank.

The professional body for Chartered Accountants in Northern Ireland has announced a renewed partnership with Danske Bank. 6

he partnership will see Danske Bank supporting a series of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society’s key events during the year, including its premier event, the Annual Dinner in March. The partnership will also see Danske Bank continue its sponsorship of the Ulster Society’s overseas Annual Conference, taking place in Madrid later this year. Danske Bank support for this event

stretches back to 2001, covering sixteen conferences in cities such as New York, Lisbon, Chicago, Munich, Toronto, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Boston and Amsterdam. The Ulster Society is a district society of Chartered Accountants Ireland, the largest professional body of accountants on the island of Ireland. It currently represents 4,600 members across Northern Ireland.

Danske Bank is the largest of Northern Ireland’s local banks, with 42 branches and around 1,400 staff. The new agreement will see the two organisations partnering over the next two years. Zara Duffy, Head of Chartered Accountants Northern Ireland said: “Danske Bank is a key partner for Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, and we are delighted to extend that relationship. “Danske Bank brings a great deal of experience and insight which our members greatly appreciate, whether they work in practice, in industry or the voluntary sector. This partnership has allowed us to improve the profile and member experience at some of our most prestigious events and to draw on the expertise of key personnel at a challenging time for the local business sector.” Shaun McAnee, Managing Director of Corporate & Business Banking at Danske Bank added: “We are proud of our longstanding relationship with Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, and it is more relevant than ever. “We are seeing evidence of disruption in every sector of the economy, including financial services, and are preparing for a post-Brexit world. By combining the expertise within Danske with that of our accountancy colleagues, together we can help to ensure NI businesses rise to the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, and help drive the Northern Ireland economy forward.”

Eye on News

‘PACT’’ PROJECT LAUNCH The Training for Women Network and project partners, Queen’s University Belfast, Foyle Women’s Information Network and Intercomm, were delighted to launch an innovative, online learning platform in Belfast this week – the EU PEACE IV funded ‘Peace and Conflict Transformation’ (PACT) project.

he online assessment tool, which was jointly developed by Queen’s University and TWN, will provide online psychometric testing to over 1200 women in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties. This ground-breaking test will direct the women to other elements of training such as diversity, conflict transformation, leadership and inter-community communication. The project received a total award of €999,652.63 from the EU’s PEACE IV Programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) until 31 July 2020. A series of roadshows will be running across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties in the coming weeks to inform

women of the project and begin the recruitment process. Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, TWN’s Chairperson stated: “TWN were delighted to receive funding from the Special EU Programmes Body to build upon the previous work undertaken. This unique project will engage grass-roots women in building peace at the community level ensuring that knowledge is shared, thus creating a ripple effect across Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.” Welcoming the project Gina McIntyre, CEO of the Special EU Programmes Body said: “This project will create a highly innovative new assessment and training programme for women, on both sides of the border. It will equip these women with

(L to R) Professor Pauline Murphy, co-founder of TWN and former Chairperson; Gina McIntyre, SEUPB CEO; Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, TWN Chairperson and Mary Hogg, keynote speaker, Positive Steps Women’s Centre.

the skills they need to become confident peace advocates within their own communities who can encourage reconciliation and help overcome division. “This is one of the core objectives of the PEACE IV Programme which funds projects that can tackle complex issues such

as sectarianism and racism right across the region in order to create a more peaceful society,” she continued. Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Executive Office in Northern Ireland and the Department of Rural and Community Development in Ireland.

SEUPB CEO, Gina McIntyre.

(L to R) Joanne Breen, PEACE IV & T:BUC Branch; John Mooney, TWN Policy & Research Officer; Norma Shearer, TWN CEO; Gina McIntyre, SEUPB CEO; Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, TWN Chairperson; Professor John Barry, Queen’s University, (project partner); Catherine Cooke, Foyle Women’s Information Network (project partner) and Andy Cole, Director, Good Relations & T:BUC.

Eye on News

Charity Partnership Puts First Aid At Centre Of The Workplace

Craig Moore and Orla Clarke from BHFNI and Mark Harriott from Polaris Safety Training & Rescue.

Belfast based Polaris Safety Training & Rescue has launched a charity partnership with British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland (BHF NI) aimed at raising first aid awareness in the workplace and providing staff with essential first aid skills.

hrough the delivery of interactive training sessions, which will feature CPR and defibrillator workshops, Polaris Safety Training & Rescue is calling on businesses and organisations

to get involved, book a session and help raise funds to support BHF NI ongoing research in areas such as heart disease, stroke, vascular dementia and diabetes. Starting in January until May

2019, the sessions will be delivered by Polaris Safety Training & Rescue’s experienced and expert trainers. Participants will receive training in areas such as recovery position, applying CPR, using a defibrillator unit and dealing with the aftermath of an incident in the workplace. The sessions will provide participants with the skills to keep themselves and their colleagues safe at work as well as identifying and managing safety risks. All session booking fees will go directly to BHF NI.

Polaris Safety Training & Rescue are keen to involve as many businesses and organisations as possible and are particularly keen to encourage people from the farming sector. Recently awarded the Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) Affiliate status, Polaris Safety Training & Rescue is working with The Farm Safety Partnership to increase awareness of farm safety and to reduce work-related fatalities and injuries on Northern Ireland’s farms. They are also actively supporting the farm safety campaign, ‘Stop and Think SAFE’, which advises farmers to stop and think about the four main farm hazards: slurry, animals, falls and equipment (SAFE). Mark Harriott, Managing Director of Polaris Safety Training & Rescue, said: “ Our charity partnership with British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland along with our affiliate status with The Farm Safety Partnership is a fantastic opportunity for businesses and organisations to get involved and place first aid awareness at the heart of their workplace. We would encourage businesses and organisations to consider signing up to the sessions starting in January until May 2019. Not only will they receive top class training from expert trainers, but they will be helping to raise much needed funds to support British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland with their fantastic work. We are delighted to advise that all proceeds raised from the sessions will go to British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland.”

The first aid sessions are available to book from January to May 2019. For further information and to book a session visit www.polarissafetytraining.com or e: info@polarissafetytraining.com

Eye on News

MCL InsureTech Sponsors Supertwin race at 2019 fonaCAB International North West 200 in association with Nicholl Oils

Laura Scott and Rick Bell from MCL InsureTech join International NW200 Event Director, Mervyn Whyte, to announce MCL InsureTech’s sponsorship of the Thursday evening Supertwin Race at the 2019 fonaCAB International North West 200 in association with Nicholl Oils during May 12-18 race week.

Coleraine based online insurance provider MCL InsureTech will sponsor the Thursday evening Supertwin Race at the 2019 fonaCAB International North West 200 in association with Nicholl Oils during May 12-18 race week. MCL InsureTech currently insures almost 1 in 20 vehicles in the Republic of Ireland, business worth almost £70.5 million. “We’re now expanding our business and launching our brands in Northern Ireland”, Gary McClarty, Chief Executive

of MCL InsureTech Ltd said. “Our aim is to secure 5% to 10% of the local online car insurance market within five years and our involvement in sponsorship of the International NW200 will help us to grow our brand.” As part of its Northern Ireland expansion plan, MCL InsureTech will create 10 new jobs in the next six months, with a further 40 new jobs envisaged over the next three to five years. Staff numbers at the organisation have more than tripled over the last decade from 30 to 102. “The North West 200 is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2019 and MCL InsureTech’s Republic of Ireland operation is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.” NW200 Event Director Mervyn Whyte said. “Both play an important role in the economy of the North Coast region and we hope

the global exposure MCL InsureTech will receive as a result of the sponsorship of the Supertwin Race will assist this leading insurance provider with its expansion plans.”

Laura Scott , MCL InsureTech & International NW200 Event Director, Mervyn Whyte.

Eye on News

Bank of Ireland launches £1.75bn All-Island Brexit Fund Bank of Ireland has launched a £1.75bn Brexit Fund to help businesses across the island of Ireland prepare for the UK’s departure from the EU.

n addition to running more than 250 events across the island aimed at supporting our SME customers in the past 18 months, Bank of Ireland’s team of business advisors, sector specialists and treasury managers are providing support and advice to customers on a daily basis with one to one meetings taking place across the country. Ian Sheppard, Northern Ireland Managing Director, Bank of Ireland UK, said: “I am delighted with the launch today of Bank of Ireland’s £1.75bn All-Island Brexit Fund. The Bank’s Northern Ireland business will have full, demand-led, access to this Fund which enhances our capacity to meet the needs of local business customers and supports cross-

border and other international business. Our business advisors are talking to customers on a daily basis and we know that some customers need further support with stocking facilities, foreign currency management and working capital in the lead up to Brexit. “In the recently published NI Chamber Quarterly Economic survey 50% of their members report that Brexit is having a negative impact on costs which in turn impacts cash flow. Bank of Ireland is ready to support our customers whatever the outcome for Brexit. “In our experience we are seeing that larger businesses are better prepared, which is understandable given their scale and resources. Businesses of all

sizes and in key sectors, such as agri, manufacturing and hospitality, are looking to mitigate risks associated with Brexit, for example access to labour and labour costs. Our customers are sharing their concerns and opportunities with us and we know that our significant all island presence means we are well placed to support them. “The Fund strengthens Bank of Ireland’s Enterprise Programme which recently launched a partnership with the Centre of Competitiveness delivering seminars urging businesses to look beyond Brexit and focus on performance enhancing strategies such as benchmarking, innovation, digitisation and the adoption of specific legal approaches to ensure they can

maintain a competitive edge. “Brexit isn’t ‘business as usual’, but we are here to support our customers flex, adapt and thrive.” We encourage businesses to engage with our local teams across Northern Ireland, to come and talk to us and work together in understanding their business and the funding supports and options available.

Contact a Bank of Ireland UK business advisor or visit www. bankofirelanduk.com/business/

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Eye on News

PKF-FPM Takes Place In Sunday Times 2019 Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work for in the UK

Team PKF-FPM members Ciara McFerran People & Culture Manager, Seamas Keating Insolvency & Corporate Recovery Director, Caroline Preston Business Development Manager, Feargal McCormack Managing Director, Teresa Campbell People & Culture Director, Malachy McLernon Tax Director

Northern Ireland headquartered accountancy practice, PKF-FPM has scored another milestone success... after being placed in the prestigious Sunday Times Top 100 Best Small Companies to Work for, for the second consecutive year.

anked 27th in the UK smallsized business category, PKFFPM jumped an astonishing 37 places from position 64 last year. Indeed, PKF-FPM achieved the Number One spot in Northern Ireland against stiff competition. PKF-FPM Accountants, currently employing 120 plus staff across

five offices – 4 in Northern Ireland and 1 in the Republic of Ireland has established a reputation as one of the leading independent accountancy and business advisory firms operating on the island of Ireland. Annually The Sunday Times assess and recognise the quality and popularity of companies to work for in the UK,

across all sectors and industries. Now in its 19th year, the ‘Best Companies To Work For’ ranking celebrates the elite of Britain’s employers across four different categories: The 100 Best Companies, the 25 Best Big Companies, the 100 Best Small Companies and 100 Best Not-for Profit Organisations. On average around 1,000 companies enter the Awards each year, making it widely acknowledged as the most comprehensive research into employee engagement across the UK. Places in the rankings are determined by results of a extensive staff survey measuring seven key areas including Leadership; Personal Growth; Team; and Giving Something

Back alongside a review of pay, benefits and work-life balance. The glittering Awards Gala Ceremony, hosted by I’m a Celebrity – Get me out of Here! Now! T.V. presenter, Mark DurdenSmith, took place on Wednesday evening 20 February 2019 at Battersea Evolution, Battersea Park in London. On accepting the award, People & Culture Director Teresa Campbell commented: “inclusion in The Sunday Times 2019 Top 100 Best Small Companies to work for in the UK, means that PKF-FPM Accountants has now been recognised and acknowledged as an exemplar employer in a variety of national Awards for the fifth successive year.”

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Eye on News

John McKee Solicitors Appoints Two New Partners

Leading law firm John McKee Solicitors has announced the appointment of two new partners.

lan Bissett is one of Northern Ireland’s leading corporate, commercial and energy lawyers and is qualified to practise here and in England. His specialist practice areas are in energy and renewables where he advises on all aspects including project development, finance, power generation agreements and energy trading. Donald Thompson specialises in commercial property having been

involved a wide range of complex real estate related transactions, acting for investors, developers, banks and alternative funders and has considerable experience in dealing with shopping centres and in the care home sector. In addition to practising in Northern Ireland, Donald is qualified in England where he continues to represent clients. Chris Ross, Managing Partner of John McKee Solicitors said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of two new partners, Donald Thompson and Alan Bissett. The last 12 months have been an exceptionally busy time for us and we have grown in size by 20%. Our people are our strength and it is high calibre appointments like these that are

fundamental to sustaining the growth and success of our business and enable us to provide our local and national clients with the very best expertise and service to

“The last 12 months have been an exceptionally busy time for us and we have grown in size by 20%.” help them achieve their goals. Alan brings a wealth of experience in corporate and commercial transactions and advisory work specialising in the energy sector. Donald’s vast

experience in commercial property in Northern Ireland and England adds further weight to our expanding real estate team. For many years, John McKee Solicitors has been thought of as mainly a banking and finance firm, but this is no longer the case. We have been working hard and building the foundations to provide a strong corporate and commercial offering and the expertise of our growing partner base, solicitors, paralegals and supporting teams reflects this.” John McKee Solicitors was established in 1887 and employs 55 staff in its Belfast and London offices. The leading law firm specialises in corporate and commercial, financial services, energy and renewables, real estate and dispute resolution.

Eye on News

Big Turnout For Translink & InterTradeIreland First Supplier Engagement Event Customer of Choice: Over 400 business representatives recently attended Translink’s inaugural SupplierEngagement Event at Titanic Belfast delivered in partnership with InterTradeIreland. Prospective suppliers were given the opportunity to engage directly with decision-makers across the Translink Group’s key business functions, gain insight into business needs plus attend workshops on the tendering process.

Pictured opening the event are l-r Translink’s Chief Financial Officer Paddy Anderson, InterTradeIreland Chairperson Ken Nelson MBE and Translink’s Head of Procurement Tricia Massey.

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Close Brothers | Modern Merchant Banking Close Brothers Limited (being a UK registered private limited company and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 907899), trading as (and having as registered business names) Close Brothers Asset Finance, Close Brothers Commercial Finance, Close Brothers Premium Finance Ireland, Close Brothers Motor Finance and Braemar Finance, is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority in the United Kingdom and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland for conduct of business rules. UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00195626. Directors: M. Biggs (UK), O. Corbett (UK), P. Duffy (UK), G. Howe (UK), L. Jones (UK), E. Lee (UK), B. Macaskill (UK), M. Morgan (UK), P. Prebensen (UK) and A. Sainsbury (UK). Close Brothers Invoice Finance and Close Brothers Commercial Finance are registered business names of Close Invoice Finance Limited, a UK registered private limited company (and its Irish registered branch of the same name having registration number 908024). UK registered address: 10 Crown Place, London, EC2A 4FT, registered at Companies House, Number 00935949. Directors: J. Brown (UK), C. McAreavey (UK), A. Sainsbury (UK), I. Steward (UK), D. Thomson, (UK).

Eye on News

John McKee Solicitors Recognised As An Investor In People T

John McKee Solicitors, one of Northern Ireland’s foremost commercial law firms, has been awarded accreditation against the Investors in People Standard.

he Belfast based firm, which was established in 1887, has enjoyed continued growth in recent years and now employs 55 staff providing legal expertise to help its local and international client base achieve their goals. Andrea McCann, Staff Partner at John McKee Solicitors said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been re-accredited with the Investors in People standard. This accreditation reflects our ongoing commitment to making John McKee Solicitors a great place to work and demonstrates our efforts to support all of our employees in their professional development. In return, it is their dedication and expertise which has been instrumental to our continued success as a company and in achieving the best results for our clients.” Investors in People is the international

standard for people management, defining what it takes to lead, support and manage people effectively to achieve sustainable results. Underpinning the Standard is the Investors in People framework, reflecting the latest workplace trends, essential skills and effective structures required to outperform in any industry. Working with clients across the globe, Investors in People enables organisations to benchmark against the best in the business on an international scale. Paul Devoy, Head of Investors in People, said: “We’d like to congratulate John McKee Solicitors. Investors in People accreditation is the sign of a great employer, and as an organisation committed to achieving success by realising the potential of their people. John McKee Solicitors should be extremely proud of their achievement.”

Henderson Foodservice intensifies record growth with Foodco acquisition Henderson Foodservice, part of the Henderson Group, one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland, has added to its expanding portfolio with the acquisition of multi depot foodservice company, Foodco.

stablished in 1985, Foodco are an independently owned foodservice company, with distribution depots based in Lisburn, Co Antrim and Ashbourne, Co. Meath. Operating a fleet of multi-temperature vehicles, Foodco specialise in the supply of bespoke products to the foodservice industry throughout the island of Ireland. Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of Henderson Foodservice, said the acquisition is another exciting opportunity to complement the growth and development in the foodservice sector for both companies. “The acquisition occurs at an exciting time for us as a business. Following a record-breaking turnover in 2018, we’re delighted to welcome the staff

and management of Foodco into our company portfolio. Foodco is a terrific company with a strong reputation and loyal customer base and we look forward to supporting the FoodCo team in solidifying their synergy with customers and suppliers.” The acquisition is in line with Henderson Foodservice’s future strategy and expansion which includes a £25 million investment in new facilities, staff and business development. Ron Whitten, Chief Financial Officer comments, “Our purchase of Foodco follows the successful acquisition of BD Foods in July 2018 and will further strengthen the product portfolio at Henderson Foodservice. It also presents substantial opportunities for

Cathal Geoghegan, Managing Director of Henderson Foodservice (left) pictured with Foodco director Barry Monaghan.

us to increase our collective customer base across the island of Ireland.” Henderson Foodservice was advised on the deal by Tughans. Commenting on the deal, John-George Willis, Corporate Partner with legal firm Tughans, said, “Tughans is delighted to have assisted our client Henderson Foodservice as it continues to increase its presence both through

natural growth and by way of acquisition of complementary well-run successful businesses in the foodservice sector in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. A good relationship between the sellers and our client was reflected in equally good cooperation between the respective advisors enabling the matter to be completed in the agreed timescale.”

Eye on News

Millar McCall Wylie Lifts Legal 500 Title Millar McCall Wylie has been crowned Northern Ireland Law Firm of the Year at the prestigious Legal 500 awards ceremony in London.

he firm has experienced significant double-digit growth in the last number of years, as it celebrates 21 years in business. The corporate team alone has increased revenue by 100% over the last three years.

This continued growth has enabled Millar McCall Wylie to build its reputation both nationally and internationally, delivering legal services across an extensive range of practice areas and is also a member of one of the world’s leading global legal networks, Multilaw. Within a highly competitive local market, the firm has achieved an employee retention rate of 95% across its two offices in Belfast, and plans to grow its team of 30 by 20% with further hires across 2019. The first-generation law firm has represented global and national brands such as

MMW partners Caroline Prunty, Jan Cunningham, Peter McCall, Damian McParland and Conor Wylie.

Microsoft, Starbucks, Amazon, Xbox Studios, Subway, and Scottish Power, through to highly successful local clients like MJM Marine, Learning Pool, Northern Ireland Screen, Ulster Rugby and McAleer & Rushe. Last year Millar McCall Wylie advised on the £70m financing of the 227,000 sq ft Merchant Square office development in Belfast City Centre. It also handled the sale of windfarms for clients for a sum in excess of £60m and the firm additionally acted on the global TV series “Game of Thrones” and “Line of Duty” together with film and TV projects for Netflix, HBO, ESPN, and BBC amongst others.

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

Eye on Recruitment

Boutique Recruitment Firm 2018 was a great year for Honeycomb;

e grew the team to meet the demand of our clients across Industry and Professional Services and are now 9 strong (and counting…), increased our client base by 65% on 2017 figures, secured a number of large, exclusive contracts across Banking & Financial Services, and to end the year, we moved into our beautiful new offices in Linenhall Street. Quite an achievement for a business that has just celebrated it’s second birthday! With all the hype around Artificial Intelligence and Automation, many people questioned the rationale of launching a recruitment business that specialised solely in administration and business support in a rapidly changing market as ‘most of this work will be completed by robots in the next 3-5 years’. While I agree that there will undoubtedly be a shift towards automation for some large scale, transactional processes (which we are already seeing across the Legal & Financial Services Sector), when I reflect on our journey over the last 2 years, one thing is clear; people will always be the driving force behind business growth. Many of our clients are operating in complex markets and require support staff with a broad portfolio of skills to meet the demands of their business, while having the softer skills required to nurture customer relationships. In 2018, we experienced a significant uplift in demand for senior level business support professionals with project management skills to support the transition of global projects to Belfast (across IT, Professional Services & Telecomms Sectors). This has resulted in the development

The team from Honeycomb

of a number of Global or European Centres of Excellence being established in Belfast, and the decisions to base here are largely focused on the quality and adaptability of our home grown talent.

Outside of this, with the introduction into Law of GDPR in May 2018 and the ongoing regulatory requirements across Financial Services, we have seen a spike in demand for business support professionals

with a strong compliance skills set (including GDPR Analysts, AML and KYC specialists). Much of this demand has been project based, and as such we have experienced a significant growth across our Temporary &

Eye on Recruitment

Continues To Grow... “When I reflect on our journey over the last 2 years, one thing is clear; people will always be the driving force behind business growth.”

adds cost without contributing to the bottom line, we can demonstrate how an effective Executive Assistant can elevate productivity across the senior teams, thus driving sales and revenue. Our top performing EA’s and PA’s are involved in strategy, researching new markets, enhancing client relationships and importantly, holding the executive teams to account in ensuring that agenda points are transformed into action! While the technical skills required for this role are often transferrable across organisations, our role as recruiters is to ensure we find the right ‘fit’ for each business. We have been delighted with the feedback that we have received from our clients, with many saying that the appointment of their Executive Assistant has allowed them to work ‘on’ the business and not ‘in’ it, thus propelling business growth. While the current economic climate remains fragile with the uncertainty over Brexit and the lack of a functioning Stormont Executive, businesses still need great people to survive and thrive. At Honeycomb, knowing people is at the heart of everything we do, so we look forward to a busy year ahead.

Contract desks. Feedback from our clients has suggested that when considering outsourcing their contract recruitment, governance, compliance and a robust recruitment process was key to the decision-

making process. In short, businesses need a safe pair of hands and Honeycomb have proved to be just that. Across our SME client base, a recurring conversation that myself and the team have had is

around the value of an Executive Assistant to support the Director/ Senior Management team. While previously, many small companies would see this appointment as a luxury, with the perception that the role

If you would like to schedule a consultation to discuss your recruitment strategy for 2019 or would like a copy of our latest salary guide, contact the team on 028 96207050. We would be delighted to help.

Eye on Cover Story

HSBC-

New Top Team Has Business In Its Sights HSBC UK, the global bank with a strong presence in the Northern Ireland business banking marketplace, has a new senior team in place as it continues to add more business customers to its client list.

illian Morris, who returned to her native Northern Ireland after 23 years with Lloyds Bank in London has been appointed to front up the Northern Ireland operation as Area Director and Head of Corporate Banking. And she’s ably supported by HSBC’s experienced Deputy Area Director, Chris McQuay. Between them, the two senior bankers are confident that they can build on a couple of successful years of growth for the bank in Northern Ireland. “Locally, we’ve had a very strong couple of years with year on year double digit growth. We’ve onboarded new customers across our key areas of corporate, business banking and agriculture, and we’ve actively supported existing customers in a number of strategically important transactions” says Gillian Morris. “In fact, we’ve managed to notch up double digit growth over the past five or six years, so we’re pleased with the progress that we’ve made and satisfied that we can continue along the same path.” HSBC UK announced the launch of a dedicated SME Fund totalling £12 billion back in the autumn, and the top team in Belfast reckon that means a

healthy £150 million of funds available here in Northern Ireland. “We’re certainly ambitious for growth and we know that we’re well placed to work with a wide range of companies here in Northern Ireland,” adds Chris McQuay. “Our reputation, of course, is as a bank with a true global pedigree, ideally suited to working with companies here who are active in international markets.

“Across all that we do in both business and agriculture, our offering is built on the firm foundation of really solid relationship banking. It’s always been the way that we do things, and it’s not going to change.”

“But we don’t just work alongside the larger exporters. We’re also very active in the smaller business market, helping a wide range of companies across a number of different sectors.” Gillian Morris also emphasises the importance of HSBC’s global strength. The bank has

some 3900 offices across 66 countries and a total of 38 million customers on its books. “And it’s great to be able to tap into a resource like that,” she says. “But the bottom line is that we are a local, Belfast-based team and people buy people, especially in a market like this ours. A lot of our growth and quite a number of our new customers come to us because of our customer advocacy. Customers recommend us to new customers”. “We don’t have a large team in place here so we can’t pepper the business marketplace with people,” adds Chris McQuay. “So the best form of marketing, as far as we’re concerned, is that effective customer advocacy.” “Having a small team also means, of course, that we’re flexible and we’re agile....able to move quickly to offer the right solutions to our customers.” The HSBC UK Belfast office still has, at its core, some of the biggest internationalfacing companies operating here in Northern Ireland. “International businesses need a particular level of support. Our network of overseas offices means that we’re uniquely placed to offer that support alongside the right sort of tailored financing products. It’s important to be as

Eye on Cover Story

From L-R: Martin Colvin, Lauren Dougherty, Jennifer Hood, Gillian Morris, Chris McQuay.

Eye on Cover Story

innovative as possible when it comes to putting finance solutions into place,” adds Gillian Morris. Away from corporate and business banking, HSBC UK in Northern Ireland has long been a major player in the agriculture and agri-food marketplaces. In fact, it commands a healthy 16% share of the local agri sector ranging from farming through to food processing. “Across all that we do in both business and agriculture, our offering is built on the firm foundation of really solid relationship banking. It’s always been the way that we do things, and it’s not going to change,” says Chris McQuay. “We’re always looking for new ways that we can improve the customer experience. For instance, we’ve invested a lot of time and money in a range of new digital solutions which can make life a whole lot easier and more seamless for our customers.” HSBC UK’s Belfast office, like all of the other local banks, is actively working with business customers on the potential threats and opportunities of Brexit. “No one really knows how it is going to pan out, but we feel it’s important to stay close to our customers and to advise them as best we can,” says

Gillian Morris. “Our message to businesses is that they should put effective contingency plans in place for all scenarios to make sure they can continue their usual operations after Brexit.” Chris McQuay picks up on the Brexit theme. “There’s no doubt that there may be an increased requirement for working capital, as well as supply chain issues. So, from a pure banking perspective, there will be plenty of challenges out there. But, there may be opportunities too.” Gillian Morris sums up the bank’s objectives in the local

marketplace in similar vein. “We have to continue to help our customers to grow their businesses, both locally and in international markets,” she says. And the local HSBC operation will be gearing up to cope with extra customer demand. The Belfast office has plans to recruit over the coming months. “What’s impressed me most since I came to the bank is the HSBC business culture. It permeates everything that we do, and our customers buy into the culture. So we don’t want to change that in any way.”

Eye on Charity

Raising the bar for AWARE As the Bar of Northern Ireland finalises plans for its Annual Charity Ball later this month, Adele O’Grady QC, Chair of the Charity Committee, speaks to Business Eye about why support for the Bar’s nominated charity resonates with members.

Adele O’Grady QC

“W

hile the Bar Library’s Annual Charity Ball is well attended, well enjoyed and is a highlight of the fund-raising calendar, it’s important that on the night our colleagues, guests and friends leave with a better sense of the work of the charity that we are supporting. “This year the remarkable work that AWARE does has already struck a chord with our members. AWARE is a leading mental health charity in Northern Ireland supporting those who suffer from anxiety, bi-polar disorder and depression. It has twenty-four support groups across Northern Ireland run by highly-trained volunteers who counsel people with mental health conditions and their carers. I had the privilege of seeing first-hand for myself the caring and compassionate and effective work that they do at a recent group counselling session. “At some stage of our lives, every single one of us will be touched in some way by a mental health crisis, either personally or perhaps through family or friends. It is one of the single biggest challenges facing society today. In the legal profession, as in many other professions, we encounter clients with poor mental health on a regular basis; we deal with individuals in crisis within a justice sector that demands long hours and the ability to cope with pressurised situations where the stakes are high. It’s a challenge that we are committed to helping to improve because it takes a toll on them - and also can take a toll on us.” Research carried out by the profession in England and Wales in 2015 which

elicited responses from more than 2,500 barristers, highlighted: one in three found it difficult to control/stop worrying; two in three felt showing signs of stress equals weakness; one in six feel in low spirits most of the time; 59% demonstrate unhealthy levels of perfectionism; and many shared concerns that psychological wellbeing within the profession is rarely spoken about. Statistics revealed by the charity LawCare, a UK and Ireland-wide charity which promotes good mental health and wellbeing in the legal community, highlighted that calls from lawyers to its helpline rose by 11% in 2017 compared to 2016. Nearly half of the solicitors and barristers who called in for help cited depression (17 percent) and workplace

stress (27 percent) as the reason. “We wanted to take positive action on problems we saw associated with mental health and physical wellbeing so in 2017, the Bar of Northern Ireland held its first annual Wellness Week. Wellness doesn’t mean simply avoiding stress or illness. It promotes awareness, and the making of informed choices for a healthy life. Wellness Week has been well attended by barristers, particularly the mindfulness sessions run by AWARE, and we hope that through this and other initiatives throughout the year (for example, our Woofy Walk, a climb up Slieve Donard, the Frock Swap), our members can achieve a better work-life balance. “The Annual Charity Ball is all about giving back to the society in which we

work and live. The Bar is very proud that its members, family and friends have donated in excess of £150,000 for good causes over the past two years. I have no doubt that this year’s Ball in aid of AWARE will break the boundaries of the generous support that our members have given to our nominated charities to date”. Karen Collins, Chief Executive of AWARE, commended the Bar, “The Bar of Northern Ireland has been a fantastic supporter of AWARE from the very beginning of our charity partnership and they have been actively involved in organising their own events and raising money for AWARE. “As a charity, AWARE rely on the money people raise in order to deliver our life-saving services including our Mood Matters Young People programme which is delivered into schools and communities across Northern Ireland. This programme is aimed at 14-18 year olds and gives them knowledge and skills which they can use to maintain good mental health and build resilience in order to better deal with problems and challenges. Given that statistics show that more than 20% of young people are suffering significant mental health problems by the time they reach 18*, this programme is very important in helping young people understand their mental health and how to look after it. “I would like to thank the Bar of Northern Ireland for their support so far, their fundraising and support really will make a difference to the lives of people with depression in Northern Ireland.” *(DHSSPS, 2010; Khan, 2016)

The Bar of Northern Ireland’s Annual Charity Ball will take place in the Culloden Hotel on Saturday 30th March.

Eye on News

£100,000 Donated to Mid Ulster Groups

L-R Adele McIvor, Laurence O’Kane and Sam McCloskey, The Workspace Group

The Workspace Group is celebrating a major milestone in its support of local community and voluntary groups in the Magherafelt area of Mid Ulster.

he ‘profit for purpose’ organisation has now exceeded the £100,000 mark in the value of grants distributed from its surpluses through the Fund which was established in 2009. Since then groups including Glasgowbury, Ballinascreen Men’s Shed, Draperstown Traders and Ballinascreen Eco Schools, have used Workspace grants to deliver

a total of 278 projects to the benefit the local community. The Workspace business model sees surpluses generated from its commercial activities: including recruitment; training and employability; heat recovery; property rental; and insulation, being used to benefit the local community through a range of initiatives such as the Workspace Community Fund.

Laurence O’Kane, The Workspace Group, advises “This is a tremendous milestone for us. Through the Workspace Community Fund we are enabling other community organisations in the area to have a positive impact on our community. We are committed to seeing our community flourish and are willing to do whatever is needed to make that happen.” Since it was set up in 1985 to stimulate economic regeneration in the Draperstown area, Workspace has invested almost two and a half million pounds directly into the area including the construction of

industrial and office units for local businesses, social housing units and a state of the art recreation centre as well as the refurbishment of a number of derelict properties in the town. They provide local services such as after school facilities for school children and free space for community groups as well as taking responsibility for installing the Christmas lighting in the town centre. Workspace remains an integral part of Draperstown working with the community to ensure that local needs are met and its continued investment helps ensure that the area is thriving.

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Eye on News

Tayto NI Launches Crisp £1Million Campaign With Bite Iconic Northern Ireland heritage brand Tayto has launched its largest-ever TV, digital and promotional campaign as part of a major £1 million brand rejuvenation programme.

einvigorating the well-loved crisp brand for current and new generations and underlining the strength of its taste credentials and proud association with Northern Ireland, the campaign reveals newlook recyclable and redesigned packaging across its entire snack range and its first creative TV advertising undertaken in more than 15 years. Established in 1956, Tayto Northern Ireland’s parent company, Tayto Group Limited, is one of the largest crisps and snack makers in the UK and Ireland, producing more than five million bags a day across 7 sites and exporting to more than 40 countries across the world. With more than 360 staff and famous for its Tayto Castle and Mr Tayto visitor experience in Tandragree, Tayto remains a family-owned business with an unrivalled product portfolio that

includes Golden Wonder, Real Crisps, Mr Porky, Ringos and, of course, Tayto. Tayto Marketing Director, Elly Hunter (pictured), said the new promotional focus and additional investment was an important development in the company’s evolution and continued success: “With a new look across our entire range and a reinvigoration of our marketing efforts to drive new and greater awareness, and sales, to audiences old and new, we’re delighted that this fun, engaging and cutting-edge campaign marks a new era of innovation. “In a competitive marketplace, we want to leverage the best-loved brand aspects of Tayto in Northern Ireland, promoting its great taste, fun, witty personality and the approachable, likeable associations which Tayto has with everyone.”

Tayto Marketing Director, Elly Hunter

Pitching for Business Start-ups Mid and East Antrim Borough Council in partnership with LEDCOM has teamed up with Larne Football Club to urge local wouldbe entrepreneurs to ‘hit the back of the net’ by taking that first step to starting their own business by contacting the Go For It Programme.

ictured ahead of their Irish Cup Quarter Final tie against last year’s winners, Coleraine at Inver Park is (L-R): Gavin Clements, Commercial Director at Larne Football Club; Gail Kelly, Economic Development Officer at Mid and East Antrim Borough Council; David Gillespie, General Manager at LEDCOM and Graham Kelly, Player with Larne Football Club.

Eye on News

LOGANAIR CONFIRMS START DATE FOR CARLISLE ROUTE T

Loganair has announced it will commence its five-times weekly service from George Best Belfast City Airport to Carlisle Lake District Airport on 4th July 2019.

he airline will connect Northern Ireland with Cumbria and the Lake District, which attracts 45 million visitors each year. Katy Best, Commercial Director at Belfast City Airport, said: “There is significant demand from both business and leisure passengers in Northern Ireland for an affordable air link to the Lake District and southern Scotland, and we are therefore delighted to welcome both a new route and a new airline. “The route will connect the local market with major businesses in Cumbria and provide a gateway to the stunning Lake District. “The Loganair service will accommodate affordable and convenient access to the region whilst being of strategic importance to Belfast City Airport where developing our route network remains a primary aim.”

Flights can now be booked at www. loganair.co.uk with one way fares starting at just £39.99, including taxes and charges as well as a 20kg checked baggage allowance and complimentary in-flight refreshments. Loganair will be the first operator at Carlisle Lake District when it commences commercial flights for the first time since 1993 later this year. The Belfast / Carlisle route will operate five flights per week (Monday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) from 4th July 2019 in a 33 seat Saab 340 aircraft.

For more information, please visit www.loganair.co.uk

STENA LINE SADDLES UP FOR THE GREAT RUGBY CYCLE Leading ferry company Stena Line lent its support to the 2019 Great Rugby Cycle, a 16-day charity cycle ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End (4 - 20 March) in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.

he Foundation was launched in Nov 2017 after Doddie Weir, the former Scotland and British & Irish Lion international revealed he was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The aims of the Foundation are to raise funds to aid research into the Causes of MND and investigate potential cures and well as providing support for those affected by the debilitating disease. Stena Line will be helping to transport fundraisers from Northern Ireland to the start of the 1 238 miles charity cycle including former Miss Northern Ireland Tiffany Brien and former Scotland and Ulster Rugby star Simon Danielli. Orla Noonan, Stena Line’s Travel Commercial Manager (Irish Sea North) said: “We are delighted to lend our support to this very worthwhile fundraising

event. MND is a progressive, highly debilitating condition with no known cure at present so we are pleased to support the fundraising efforts of The Great Rugby Cycle team and wish all of the riders and their numerous supporters along the way the very best of luck.” Stuart Thom, Chair of The Great Rugby Cycle Charity said: “We are proud to welcome Stena Line onboard our ambitious fundraising programme in aid of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. In addition to the challenging 1 238 cycle ride, which will be completed by myself and six other cyclists, we have staged a number of fundraising events along the 16-day route from pub quizzes to celebrity golf events which have been generously supported by the wider rugby family as well as those just interested

Shaun Longstaff, Former Rugby Union Player, Anna Hazzard, Stena Line, Stuart Thom, Chair of The Great Rugby Cycle Charity and Tiffany Brien.

in helping to find a cure for MND. “We have set ourselves an ambitious fundraising target of £100k. We plan to extend the charity cycle ride next year to include a trip round Ireland and in 2021 across South Africa to mark the 24th anniversary of the British & Irish Lions successful 1997 tour, which Doddie made such a valuable contribution to. Finally, if you would like to join our cycle peloton from Edinburgh to Land’s End, which will be fully supported and

serviced along the way or just wish to make a donation please visit https:// doddie5-ride.co.uk/the-great-rugby-cycle for more details”, concluded Stuart. Stena Line is the largest ferry operator on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Britain to Ireland including Belfast to Liverpool and Heysham, Belfast to Cairnryan, Dublin to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard routes, a total of 232 weekly sailing options between Britain and Ireland.

Eyeon Family Business

Eye on Family Business

Petra Wolsey... Family Business And Its Ups and Downs

Petra Wolsey with Harbinson Mulhollandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Darren McDowell.

Eye on Family Business Harbinson Mulholland’s successful and growing NI Family Business Forum has staged a series of memorable events over the past couple of years, events which have thrown the spotlight on how real family businesses work on a day to day basis and the challenges that they face.

he next event on the NI Family Business Forum calendar, on 27th March at Belfast’s Merchant Hotel, looks set to continue in that rich vein. The guest speaker at the event will be Petra Wolsey, Marketing Director of the Beannchor Group (owners of the Merchant Hotel) and the wife of Beannchor’s founder Bill Wolsey, a man credited with helping to transform the hospitality industry here in Northern Ireland. Petra isn’t one to mince her words or to speak in platitudes, which helps to explain why she’s chosen as the title for her talk – ‘Family businesses are awesome but they’re also a pain in the ass....’. The audience on 27th March should be in for a treat. “I suppose what I’m trying to say is that when family businesses are good, they’re very, very good. But when you hit a problem, it’s not always a lot of fun....” smiles Petra as we talk in the gilded surroundings of the Merchant’s celebrated cocktail bar alongside Darren McDowell, Senior Partner at Harbinson Mulholland. “It’s a case of enjoying the former, but working your way through the latter.” The Family Business Forum has as its members family enterprises of all shapes and sizes covering a wide cross-section of sectors. Beannchor ranks as one of the largest. Aside from the Merchant Hotel, the group owns Belfast’s Bullitt Hotel, a portfolio of pubs including city favourites like The National and The Dirty Onion, and the fast-growing Little Wing Pizzeria chain. A £23.7 million turnover operation according to its latest published results, it also has a payroll which has grown extensively over the year to reach a current headcount of some 570 people. “I often think that family businesses aren’t all about blood relatives,” Petra Wolsey adds. “We have a few long-serving members of staff in senior positions in this group who aren’t blood relatives, but they are as close to being family as it is possible to be. I’m sure most of us have long-term colleagues who fall into that category. You can tell from their facial expressions what they’re thinking.....” She puts two of the group’s key

members of staff into that bracket – one of them is family, the other isn’t. “I can usually tell what Sorcha Wolsey (Bill’s niece and Operations Director at the company) is thinking, and I rely on her judgement a lot of the time. And the same goes for Gavin (Carroll), the Merchant Hotel’s General Manager.” Beannchor is a fully-fledged family business in anyone’s book. Bill Wolsey is joined in the company by his wife Petra, by his former wife Linda (Company Secretary), by his two sons and by two nieces. Older son Conall is Managing Director of the group’s pubs division, and therefore responsible for 28 different establishments across the country, while Luke is MD of Little Wing. “Both of them have really grown into their respective roles and the pair of them really put in the hours. They work really hard. In this organisation, being the boss’s son – or wife, for that matter – definitely doesn’t mean that you get an easy life. As for nepotism. No chance. Bill is far too practical for that kind of thing.....” As for Petra Wolsey, she says that she continues to be fascinated by the many facets and challenges of the hospitality business. “The fact that you need to keep innovating, re-inventing and re-investing all the time, for example. It’s a constant process.” Currently, the parent group is about to re-open a revitalised National in Belfast city centre and has now closed The Cloth Ear (the Merchant’s integral pub) for a major overhaul. And it has agreed to build a brand new £4 million hotel in Lisburn. The Beannchor Group these days ranks as one of Northern Ireland’s most significant employers, and Petra Wolsey is a firm believer in promoting the value of careers in the hospitality industry. “We do have a bit of an image problem. But we’re working really hard to get rid of the low end, poor conditions, McJob kind of image that people have. Nothing could be further from the truth. “Hospitality here in Northern Ireland is a bigger employer nowadays than agri-food, and that makes it all the more important that we foster a professional image and encourage people to seek out careers in this sector.” Just about every husband and wife working together in family businesses will agree with Petra Wolsey’s assessment that talking about business round the clock is an occupational hazard that is hard to avoid. “We try not to do it. Everyone tries not to do it. But we end up doing it,” she says simply. But, while the rest of us can try to

escape on holiday, that doesn’t work for Bill & Petra Wolsey. “Even when we stay in the very best hotels, we end up casting a professional eye over everything and how everything is done, and comparing it with how we do things here. “But neither of us is complaining. We have a passion for this business, we love what we do, and we enjoy learning as we go along.” On that note, she’s a great believer in constant improvement. “I try to learn and improve all the time, and I think all of us in senior roles in this group do exactly the same thing. Bill’s sons, Conall and Luke, are definitely cast out of that mould. I’ve watched as they’ve grown into their roles and I can see that the hospitality business runs through them like the lettering in a stick of rock.” What family business boils down to, or any business for that matter, is an effective and coherent team able to work as one unit. “It would be impossible to run a successful business any other way,” says Petra Wolsey. “I hate confrontation. I can play the bad cop if I have to, but I’ll try to find another way if I can. Effective teamwork is the real key.” The event on 27th March at the Merchant will be the latest in a Family Business series, all of which have been organised by Harbinson Mulholland. “The family business sector is a really important part of the wider Northern Ireland economy,” says Darren McDowell of Harbinson Mulholland. “We’ve been fortunate, over the period of time that we’ve managed the Family Business Forum, to be able to get close to a lot of our family businesses, to hear about the challenges they face and how they operate their businesses and plan for the future. “The event at the end of March will be another really informative event for anyone involved in a family business here in Northern Ireland.” March’s Family Business Forum event will also feature three short performances from a group of professional actors, homing in on some typical family business issues – the father and son relationship, sibling rivalries and parents facing the decision over which of their offspring to entrust with the Managing Director role.

For full details visit: www.nifamilybusinessforum.com or email Treena Clarke: tclarke@ harbinson-mulholland.com

Eye on Family Business

Unifying Telecommunications From A Solid Family Base Rainbow Communications dials in a new era after 20 years of growth and expansion When it comes to challenge, competition and change, few industry sectors are as fast-moving and dynamic as the telecommunications sector, where a booming digital transformation is powering new growth, new opportunities and a remarkable product choice for tech-savvy local businesses.

Rainbowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sales & Marketing Director, Stuart Carson.

Eye on Family Business

ne local company – Rainbow Communications – continues to retain its position as Northern Ireland’s largest independent telecoms company by the strength of its team, its solid family connections and its unique approach to delivering cutting-edge business solutions. The business was established by founders Eric Carson and Martin Hamill, two decades ago and has since evolved to be a major force in telecoms innovation, providing solutions and services to more than 10,000 customers every day – many of whom are in Northern Ireland’s Top 200 companies. With a specialist team of more than 100 and an annual turnover exceeding £14 million, Rainbow specialises in the delivery, implementation, maintenance and service provision of mobiles, broadband systems, cloud telephony, IT and network security services and vehicle tracking.

can excel in delivering the best customer experience is a key part of the service. “Today’s consumers engage with multiple channels during the customer journey and digital communication plays a pivotal role in winning new business and keeping it coming in,” Stuart said. “From mobile websites, social media platforms and email, most customers now prefer to do their business online but for customers that prefer not to, a strong integrated solution can manage everyone’s expectations well. Winning customers can be easy but keeping them happy is where many businesses actually fall down.” Recent research by management experts McKinsey & Company confirms that where customers experienced a more digital journey, satisfaction rates were highest, with e-chats and automated responses ranking highly in a survey that analysed traditional and digital channels.

“With rapid speed of change in the sector its services are more in demand and increasingly critical to the survival and growth of thousands of local businesses.” Martin Hamill, Stuart Carson and Eric Carson.

With the rapid speed of change in the sector, its services are more in demand than ever, which are increasingly critical to the survival and growth of thousands of local businesses. “The most important component in our business is our people and we work hard to make sure that we are remembered not only for the positive impact we make delivering business solutions and technology at the cutting edge of communications, but for how we recruit, train and treat everyone in our experienced team,” Rainbow’s Sales & Marketing Director, Stuart Carson, told Business Eye. “For more than two decades, we’ve developed solutions which meet specific needs and allow businesses to work smarter, be more efficient, save money and grow. “The increasing, rapid digitisation of the telecommunications sector – and indeed the wider world – is reshaping the way everyone does business. We have built our success by having the right experience and the know-how to provide innovative solutions that can quickly transform how a business performs to ensure it captures its full potential.” Helping businesses ensure that they

“What’s really important to remember,” said Stuart, “is that companies that embrace new technologies are generating more satisfied customers, significantly reducing their operating costs, reducing call volumes, creating data and insights to strengthen performance and, ultimately, treating customers the way they want to be treated.” With solid private and public sector experience, Rainbow also works closely with the Northern Ireland Civil Service where its specialist teams are dramatically improving its communication network across 185 locations. Awarded the contract following a comprehensive tendering process, Rainbow is now unifying and strengthening this key network for a new generation. Rainbow Communications’ experience and no-nonsense approach is also working well for Northern Ireland’s

largest locally-owned weekly news group, Alpha Media, which partnered with the Belfast-based company to revolutionise its telecommunications systems and network with roundthe-clock technical support. Alpha Media Group, which has a weekly circulation of almost 60,000 copies across 13 key commercial titles, said the investment would provide greater efficiencies, reliability and security to support its ambitious editorial portfolio and teams. Stuart said that by investing in its communications solutions, Alpha Media Group will optimise and improve the experience for customers and staff thanks to a speedier, more agile network with greater security and capacity. “The technology, which is available right now, provides companies both large and small with better flexibility, better value for money and a futureproofed system that leaves little to

“The technology, which is available right now, provides companies large and small with better flexibility, better value for money and a future-proofed system.”

worry about – and that means businesses can focus on sustaining growth and achieving their ambitions.” After recently investing more than £1 million across its own customer service and engineering teams, Rainbow continues to expand and develop its produce and service offering to its loyal customer base throughout the island of Ireland and the UK. With an annual turnover of more than £14 million and established as one of Northern Ireland’s best growth companies, Rainbow aims to increase annual turnover to £15.5 million by 2020 and add up to 12 more staff at its Glasgow and Dublin operations. Remaining firmly family-owned and committed to Northern Ireland, Rainbow is a major supporter of Northern Ireland’s leading business support organisations including the Institute of Directors and the CBI. “The next 20 years will be very exciting for the communications industry and we look forward to maintaining our position as the vanguard and building our brand so that it is even more recognisable,” said Rainbow founder and chair, Eric Carson, who also marked 50 years in business in 2015.

Eye on Family Business

BELMONT HOUSE HOTEL LANDS FOUR-STAR STATUS A multi-millionpound investment to refurbish and restore the historic Belmont House Hotel in Banbridge has paid dividends for owners Walter and Jane Russell, having been granted four-star status by the Tourism Northern Ireland.

et in 9 acres of mature gardens in a former 19th century Georgian Linen House mansion, the Hotel has been lovingly restored with understated elegance by interior designer, Emma Johnston. The refurbishment sees all eight ensuite bedrooms redesigned using the finest fabrics in muted tones with stunning views and artwork by local artist, Janet Hunt.The period features in each room have been restored, and new modern bath suites have been added. The newly refurbished dining rooms reflect the period elegance of the property, masterfully crafted to complement the original beauty of the Georgian mansion. The expansive event suites have been completely revamped and refurbished carried out by Phillip Rodgers Design catering for the wedding, family and corporate events market, ranging from small intimate gatherings to up to 300 guests’ banquet-style. The high level of finish of this considered refurbishment easily positions this venue as one of the top luxury hotels in Northern Ireland. The Russell Family have already built an excellent reputation in the local hospitality industry as owners of Harry’s Bar in Banbridge. Walter Russell, who bought the Belmont House Hotel three years ago, said: “The whole team is absolutely delighted to be

Pictured are Walter Russell, owner Belmont House Hotel alongside Abigail Hasson and Harry Ringland (Management) with Paul Duffy, Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon.

awarded this Four-Star status. “It recognises all the hard work and investment we have committed to developing the Belmont House Hotel into the ideal venue for both the corporate and leisure market. “We have plans for further expansion to meet with increasing demand. This four-star award gives our guests confidence that they will enjoy excellent service, hospitality and luxury facilities with staff who will truly go the extra mile. “We are a family-run hotel with an exceptional team, some of whom have been with the Belmont House Hotel for over 30 years, so when it came to refurbishment, we had a personal

investment to get it right. We took our inspiration from the elegant architecture and proud Georgian history of this former 1800 mansion and Linen House. “Using the finest fabrics, art and décor available anywhere in Ireland, we have sympathetically restored this important period building to its former glory while delivering standards and facilities to meet all the 21st-century requirements of our guests.” Walter continued: “It’s not just about how the venue looks it’s also about the skills and attitude of the staff. We are proud to have a highly experienced team dedicated to making

corporate events run smoothly and successfully. With further expansion, we hope to create more jobs and offer enhanced staff training for world-class service.” The Belmont House Hotel is located close to both Belfast and Dublin airports on the Rathfriland Road just off the A1 carriageway offering the perfect base for business and leisure travellers. With free parking, nine acres of mature private gardens, WI-FI and IT support, private conference and meeting facilities and excellent accommodation, The Hotel offers a level of opulence not seen anywhere else in Banbridge and the surrounding areas.

Presents

“Family Businesses are awesome but they’re also a pain in the a**” The Merchant Hotel, Belfast, 27th March 2019

Keynote Speaker, Petra Wolsey Director of The Beannchor Group

This proved to be really informative and entertaining. It was also really useful as the businesses in the room where given the opportunity to discuss the issues presented, looking at the business and emotional dilemmas of each character. The three scenarios which will be played on stage are: The Generation Game, The New Generation and Sibling Rivalry.

Petra Wolsey, is Director of The Beannchor Group, one of the largest independent owner/operators of bars, pubs, restaurants and nightclubs in Ireland. The Beannchor Group own The Merchant Hotel, Bullitt, Little Wing Pizzeria chain, The Dirty Onion, Yardbird, The National Grande Café and more besides. Petra manages a marketing team of six people and relishes the variety, creativity and of course challenge that her job brings. She sits on the board of Hospitality Ulster and also of Aware. She and her husband Bill have a 7-year-old daughter Caoilinn. Petra will give guests an insight into her business, the Beannchor Group and an honest account of the challenges that make “family businesses awesome but also a pain the a**”.

Back by Popular Demand At a family business event in 2015, we had a team of professional actors take to the stage to act out three typical scenarios from a family business.

Actors Ciaran Bermingham (Game of Thrones) and Dominic McHale (The Young Offenders) playing two brothers struggling to get along. Schedule Registration and Refreshments

3pm

Welcome, Darren McDowell

3.30pm

Keynote Speaker

3.45pm

Short Break

4.30pm

Real Learning Session x three dilemmas with facilitation and discussion

4.45pm

Q&A, Closing Comments

5.45pm

Networking Drinks on the roof garden

6pm

Dinner

7pm

Finish

8.30pm

Reserve your place now! Cost per person is £85. Visit: www.nifamilybusinessforum.com or email Treena Clarke: tclarke@harbinson-mulholland.com

Further Information The NI Family Business Forum has been created as a hub for family firms to connect with each other, share experiences, exchange ideas and learn in a friendly and sociable setting. For more information and to keep in touch with us about further Family Business Forum events, please contact Treena Clarke.

www.nifamilybusinessforum.com

Eye on Family Business

Outsourcing Giant Mount Charles Announces £75M In New Contracts In 12 Months Mount Charles, Ireland’s leading independent foodservice and support services company has announced signing new contracts worth a combined contract value of £75 million pounds in the last 12 months.

Trevor Annon of Mount Charles

his latest tranche of wins contributed to a boost for 2017/8 turnover by 20% to £40m, marking over a decade of growth for the company. The new contracts in Northern Ireland include Belfast International Airport, Wrightbus and Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council, while in the Republic of Ireland Mount Charles has been successful in securing tenders for the National Aquatic Centre, Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and LauraLynn Children’s Hospice amongst others. Trevor Annon, Chairman and Founder of Mount Charles said: “Over the past 12 months we’ve

secured a substantial number of lucrative new contracts in what we feel is clear sign that we are bringing an attractive offering to the table, in terms of value, quality and innovation in our approach “Our growth in turnover in a competitive marketplace is a hugely encouraging indicator that we are on course to achieve our target of £100m in revenue by 2025,” he added. The Belfast-headquartered company also recently confirmed that sales have grown by just over 30% in the Republic of Ireland last year. Mr Annon continued: “There is certainly still room for

growth in Northern Ireland, but growing our market share in the Republic will be a major driver for overall company expansion over the next five years. “We’re delighted with the progress we’ve made in the last year, and thanks to increased infrastructure and a focus on strategic talent acquisition in Dublin, we believe we’re in a strong position to really push forward in Ireland in the year ahead” he finished. In March 2019 Mount Charles was announced as one of Ireland’s Best Managed Companies in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies Programme for the ninth consecutive year, demonstrating excellent business performance across the board. Mount Charles currently employs 2,500 staff and services over 400 clients across the UK and Ireland.

CRASH Fleet Tops 200 After Record Year Northern Ireland’s leading Accident Management Company, CRASH Services, have expanded their vehicle fleet to over 200 following a record year. CRASH have been assisting motorists involved in road traffic collisions for over 23 years. However, 2018 was their busiest year ever, with an almost 20% increase in volumes from the previous year which has led to a significant increase in their fleet as well as staff numbers. Paul Cooney, Fleet & Repair Director, commented “We offer a complete one stop service from vehicle recovery, collision investigation, organising repairs, providing replacement vehicles, claims management, legal and medical assistance. Ensuring

our clients are put back on the road as quickly as possible is a key part of what we do. So we have expanded our fleet to meet this demand. We offer a full range of vehicles including standard models, prestige, vans, 4x4s, taxi and dual controls. It is essential that our clients can get on with their daily lives after a collision, so they need a vehicle like their own. As a result of this growth, CRASH have increased staff numbers from 64 to 78 over the last 12 months across their three offices in Belfast (Stockmans Lane and Harbour Estate) and Newry.

L-R: Tony McKeown, Sales & Marketing Director, Jonathan McKeown, CEO and Paul Cooney, Fleet & Repair Director

INTRODUCING FAMILY BUSINESS DNA (DISCOVER NEW ADVICE) Some of the very best and most promising home-grown companies in NI are family businesses. Businesses succeed for many reasons, but when it comes to family businesses, it’s all in the DNA.

What is Family Business DNA At Harbinson Mulholland we understand that beyond the business processes, a family unit working together is something different, which is why we have developed our Family Business DNA initiative… A free brainstorming session for family business owners to identify opportunities, explore solutions and ignite ideas.

How will a DNA Session help your Business? Growing a successful business requires time to just think, away from the busyness of everyday work life. Over a 2 hour session, we will bring fresh eyes and ears and listen to your story to identify if we can add anything of value to you and your business.

Why should you invest your time with us? We know family businesses. We advise them. We help them grow and maximise financial performance whilst balancing commercial challenges and family obligations. Our DNA session gives business owners time to think, away from day to day pressures and come together with our team of experts who have the knowledge, experience and expertise to ask you the right questions about the right issues. Taking just two 2 hours out of your week could be time well spent!

What happens after the session? This really depends on the outcome of our discussions. If we feel we can help you, we’ll provide you with a summary of our meeting and some proposed steps to take our discussions further, for your consideration. If we agree that there is no immediate need for our involvement on this occasion, we will happily make arrangements to see you in 1 year for a review meeting and keep in touch through our Family Business Forum network.

Our discussions will be guided by you and your business needs but will focus on your commercial and personal goals and key areas including:

How do I book a DNA Session?

• • • •

Email: dmcdowell@harbinson-mulholland.com Tel: 028 9044 5100

Management and Operations Finance Wealth and Ownership Interpersonal and Intergenerational

To book your DNA Session, in the first instance please contact Darren McDowell, Senior Partner.

www.harbinson-mulholland.com

Eye on News

Three Northern Ireland Businesses Named As Deloitte Best Managed Companies For First Time

Celebrating being named as a Deloitte Best Managed Company for the first time are (L) Don Mullholland, Finance Director of FP McCann and (R) James Sinton, Finance Director of Beannchor Group with Deloitte Partner Glenn Roberts. Northern Hydraulics was the other NI company to be awarded Best Managed status this year among 12 new entrants to the list.

Three Northern Ireland companies were among the 12 businesses named as Deloitte Best Managed Companies for the first time at the firm’s annual awards event in Dublin, which is held in association with Bank of Ireland.

eading hospitality group Beannchor, the owners of The Merchant Hotel, precast concrete and construction products maker FP McCann and precision hydraulic cylinder manufacturer Northern Hydraulics were awarded the Best Managed designation following a detailed qualification and judging process that evaluates

the entire management team and their business strategy. These companies join a network of 136 privately owned companies which were awarded the status of Best Managed this year, which includes a total of 27 Northern Ireland businesses, such as Creagh Concrete, Braidwater, Henderson Group and Around Noon. The Best Managed Companies

network this year has total revenues of almost €11bn (£9.4bn), export sales of almost €3bn and employs approximately 44,000 people. In addition to new entrants and those that requalified as a Best Managed Company, 13 companies were presented with the “gold standard”, having secured Best Managed status for four consecutive years, including NI companies Denroy Plastics, Learning Pool, Combined Facilities Management and Novosco. A further 13 were awarded “platinum standard”, having won for seven years in a row, including Kestrel Foods and McCue Fit-Out. Forty per cent of the Best Managed winners are

Dublin-based, while Cork and Antrim accounted for 10 per cent and 9 per cent of the winners respectively. The list of winners come from a broad mix of industries including the manufacturing, engineering, technology and media, energy, financial services, life sciences, and healthcare sectors. Glenn Roberts, Partner at Deloitte said: “Well done to the winning companies on their achievement. The Best Managed Companies process is a rigorous one, examining every facet of an organisation, and the bar is set high by our judging panel. As ever, the spread of companies across a number of industries underlines the importance of Irish and Northern Irish companies to the economy. At a time of economic and political uncertainty, technology disruption, an open competitive market and near full employment, the continued strong performance of these businesses is admirable. In the current environment, it is important for this contribution to be recognised, supported and showcased.” Tom Hayes, Chief Executive, Bank of Ireland Corporate Banking said: “It’s a challenging time for businesses in general, with the operating environment consistently and rapidly changing, due to technological developments, new ways of doing things, and challenges on the macroeconomic horizon. The Best Managed Companies this year have demonstrated that they can optimise each area of their business while always operating with an acute awareness of their environment, recognising the opportunities of expansion into global markets, in addition to strategic alliances and partnerships. I look forward to their continued growth.”

Granite Exchange 5 - 6 Kildare Street Newry, BT341DQ Telephone:

028 3044 2500

Email:

enquiries@granite-exchange.com

www.granite-exchange.com 39

Eye on News

Young Enterprise Helping Young People to Take the Leap Stateside Y

oung Enterprise is launching an exclusive Competition to enable 6 Young Enterprise Northern Ireland Alumni to travel and stay in NEW YORK CITY for a full week in June 2019, to experience the US culture of entrepreneurship. The initiative will include local and international visits to start up & incubator spaces as well as providing exciting opportunities to connect young people to an established network of Entrepreneurs in Northern Ireland and New York. Carol Fitzsimons MBE, Young Enterprise Chief Executive said: ‘With support of our funders US Embassy and Friends of Young

Enterprise NI Foundation, we are giving ambitious talented young people 18 – 25 year’s old, who have their own business or planning to set one up in the future, the chance of a lifetime, a chance to widen their ambitions to a global stage and continue to nurture their passion for entrepreneurship ignited by their own young Enterprise experience. For more information go to. https://yeni.co.uk/enterprisespirit-competition/ Pictured (L-R) Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, US Consul General, Carol Fitzsimons MBE, Young Enterprise Chief Executive and Joel White, Young Enterprise Alumni

McCue Lend a Helping Hand to Local Charity

M Nicola Downey, HR and Training Manager and Gary Purdy, Operations Director at McCue Crafted Fit, present Nigel Kearney from Helping Hand Charity with a cheque for £2700, following a number of fundraising initiatives by the company throughout the year.

cCue Crafted Fit has worked on some of the world’s most luxurious fit-out and refurbishment projects but the company took part in a very different kind of project in 2018, fundraising for Helping Hand, charity to the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children. The company raised a generous £2,700 for the charity by taking part in a number of fundraising activities throughout the year. These activities included an odd sock day, count the sweets in the jar, a coffee morning, a pub quiz, a hamper raffle and the famous Christmas jumper day, as well as a donation of toys from employees, which were handed over to the charity in December 2018. Speaking about their fundraising efforts, Operations Director at McCue, Gary Purdy said, “Helping Hand is a fantastic charity, which provides excellent support to children in care at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children, as well as families who have been affected by illness. “The team at the Hospital for Sick Children provides an outstanding and caring service during a time of need for many families. We were delighted to help in a small way with our employees, once again, coming

together as a team to raise vital funds. I am very proud of the McCue staff and how they’ve raised monies for this very worthwhile cause and truly hope that many people will benefit from our donation.” Nigel Kearney at Helping Hand charity said, “We are indebted to McCue for their generous donation to Helping Hand. This money will enhance the lives of children that are receiving treatment in our care. “As we are a registered charity, we depend on the kind generosity of others through donations and volunteering to allow us to continue our deliverance of vital support services. Any donation, no matter how big or small can make a huge difference. We are extremely grateful to all those at McCue who have helped.” The money raised by McCue Crafted Fit will be used by Helping Hand to purchase vital new equipment to diagnose and treat the hospital’s young patients. It will also be used to provide facilities and services for families and to fund research into children’s illnesses. To find out more about Helping Hand charity or to make a donation, please visit http://www.helpinghandrbhsc.co.uk

Eye on Law

Effective Estate Management In An Increasingly Sophisticated World

Mark Jameson, Associate in the Property Team at leading law firm Arthur Cox, examines the evolving nature of estate management and how property owners including universities, charities, institutions, the public sector, and large corporations are impacted.

any think of estate management as simply being a case of looking after bricks and mortar. However, the reality is that effective estate management in the 21st century requires an increasing degree of sophistication. In addition to the traditional services such as maintenance, cleaning, fire safety, and security, an estate team will now typically deliver a diverse range of services encompassing health and safety, resources, planning, and project management. It is also becoming commonplace for estate management services to be integrated under one team. This provides accountability and control and allows estate managers to implement the overarching estate

strategy of the organisation. Each service strand has many individual elements, however. For example, health and safety can range from facilitating mandatory training to providing a specialist waste disposal service. Requirements are constantly evolving, as demonstrated by the replacement of occupational health and safety standard BS OHSAS 18001 by ISO 45001. Seeking legal advice on the policies, procedures, and controls required will assist in obtaining the relevant certification. Resource services are equally as wide-ranging, from the supply of furniture to managing the procurement and tendering of services and suppliers. The resources division will also

typically have responsibility for information technology support, which is crucial given the increasing reliance on computer systems for the delivery of all services. This can be seen particularly in the estateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning function, where data analytics can be used to assess the utilisation of existing space, ensuring it is economically sustainable. This forms an important part of one of the divisionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary objectives, of aligning the estate with the operational needs of its owner. It is essential therefore that an effective information management system is in place to record space, building layouts, costs, and other factors. A bespoke solution is ideal, allowing for the identification of surplus space with an understanding that decisions relating to commercialisation, redevelopment, and disposal must be made in the context of the overall estate strategy. Data-driven decision making has also become prevalent in addressing issues such as energy consumption, reducing life cycle costs, and business efficiency. Provided the quality and accuracy of data is of the highest standard,

internet-enabled management systems on a shared platform allow for information to be easily accessed and faults and performance issues identified. However, the impact of information technology can perhaps be most profound in the delivery of one of estate managersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; main strategic priorities - environmental sustainability. Organisations will, for example, deploy comprehensive carbon management plans to achieve targeted reductions in carbon emissions. This is a significant challenge as, although it is relatively straightforward to ensure high energy standards in new build projects, many estates comprise historic buildings. Retrospective solutions can prove, not only expensive, but difficult to reconcile with the preservation of character and fabric of an institution. The analysis of data is key to achieving environmental sustainability, as the monitoring, reporting and benchmarking of consumption, emissions, and costs can facilitate co-ordinated actions aimed at reducing environmental impact. Looking ahead, further challenges in this area can be expected, including the anticipated introduction in Northern Ireland of Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards equivalent to those in England and Wales which will restrict the letting of energy inefficient properties. Seeking innovative professional advice can enable large property owners to deal with these challenges as they aim to create a physical environment that supports their primary objectives in an increasingly sophisticated world.

With a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges in estate management and the role of information technology in providing solutions, the Property Team at Arthur Cox is well positioned to advise on all aspects of the sector. Call +44 28 9023 0007 for further information from Mark, or your regular Arthur Cox contact.

Eye on Sports Management

Sean Murphy... From Finance To Football

Eye on Sports Management The short walk from the reception desk at the Irish Football Association’s headquarters to Sean Murphy’s office takes you past an uninterrupted view of the Windsor Park pitch and the new National Stadium, and it’s a view that he clearly enjoys nine or ten months after taking on the new role of Chief Operating Officer.

t’s hardly surprising, either, that Sean Murphy is a football man through and through. When he’s not working in football administration, he’s into his tracksuit and out coaching the under-15’s at his local club, Crumlin United. But it was a seismic career change which brought him to the National Stadium, the impressive structure that has replaced the old and draughty Windsor Park. A graduate in politics and economics, he took a job as a cashier with Ulster Bank on leaving university. “To be honest, it wasn’t a deliberate career choice. I just thought

what happens on the football pitch. “So we’re talking about football operations including domestic competitions, player registration, international team administration, club licensing and discipline. Alongside this I have teams focussed on sales and marketing, human resources, security and integrity as well as the running of the National Football Stadium itself which includes the Education & Heritage Centre that we have here at the stadium that is now the No. 2 Belfast attraction on Trip Advisor. “It’s a wide remit that involves working with a number of key members of staff specialising in each area.” Sean Murphy, who reports directly to the Irish FA’s Chief Executive Patrick Nelson, works to the organisation’s wide-ranging five-year strategy, which lays out ambitious plans for the development of football around the achievements of the international team.

“It is the biggest sport here in Northern Ireland by some distance and grass roots football is vitally important to everything that we do. We can’t have a successful national team without a strong game around the country.” that I should take the job and see where things went from there.” They went a little better than expected, it’s probably fair to say, and 21 years later Sean Murphy parted company with the bank in his role as Managing Director of Personal Banking. Between cashier and MD, he served in a wide variety of roles in Northern Ireland, in the Republic and, in a couple of short spells, with parent company RBS. He joined the Irish FA in June of last year, and says that he didn’t have to think too hard about applying for the role of COO. “As soon as I read the job description, I knew that it was right up my street,” he says. “I’m an operations man, I’m used to managing people and processes and I have a financial background. It could have been made for me....” In effect, he explains, the Chief Operating Officer role means that he’s responsible for almost all of the operational functions outside of

“One of our stated aims is to compete every time and to qualify every other time,” he says. In other words, that means Northern Ireland qualifying for the European Championships or World Cup once every four years. The qualification process starts once again in March with the European Championship qualifying, and Northern Ireland’s group will bring two of the biggest teams in Europe, the Netherlands and Germany, to Belfast. The arrivals of teams of that calibre opens up all sorts of sponsorship avenues for the Irish FA, and it’s something that Sean Murphy and his team are determined to capitalise upon. They also have a stadium that has been designed to be able to offer a range of facilities for non-football events, and it’s already proving popular on that front. The stadium also offers a range of corporate boxes, available to business customers on match days and evenings.

“What’s important to us most of all is that this venue is an inclusive space, open to all. It should be everyone’s stadium.” One of the biggest sponsorship opportunities of all will be around the naming rights for the National Stadium. When the right sponsor comes along, as was the case with Ulster Rugby’s Kingspan Stadium, the name will change. Recent developments around the stadium and its management include a new main entrance taking traffic away from the side streets off Tates Avenue and into the complex via an impressive new entrance on the Boucher Road. But it’s his wider role within football in Northern Ireland that gets Sean Murphy most animated. “I’ve been getting up on Saturday morning for many years to bring kids to football, and there are hundreds of others doing exactly the same thing, bringing thousands of kids to football matches across Northern Ireland. It is the biggest sport here in Northern Ireland by some distance and grass roots football is vitally important to everything that we do. We can’t have a successful national team without a strong game around the country,” he says. Northern Ireland will play host in 2020 to the European Under-19 Finals, having successfully hosted the women’s equivalent in 2017. Further down the line, the Irish FA has joined its equivalent body south of the border (the FAI) to bid for the 2023 Under-21 European Championship finals in 2023, and a working group is exploring the possibility of a joint British Isles (England, Scotland, Wales and both parts of Ireland) bid for the 2030 World Cup. Meanwhile, the National Stadium in Belfast has bid in the past, and will bid again, to stage the annual play-off game, known as the Super Cup, between the winners of the European Champions League and the Europa League in club football. The 18,500 seater stadium is reckoned to be around the right size to host a game of that nature. “These events are all about creating a positive image of Belfast and Northern Ireland and getting that image out there to international visitors and to those watching games on television. Major events leave a big legacy....and they’re great for the continued development of football at grass roots level right here.”

Eye on Finance

Entrepreneurs’ Relief distribution to equity holders in a winding up A qualifying period at present is 12 months but is now extended to 24 months for any disposal on or after 6 April 2019.

Factors that could mitigate your claim for ER

Entrepreneurs’ Relief (ER) is a valuable tax relief that reduces the tax rate on Capital Gains to 10% on the sale of a business.

hanges have recently been made to this relief by the Budget 2018, it is important to ensure firstly that you continue to qualify for the relief and secondly that you are getting the most from the relief.

When does Entrepreneur Relief apply? ER applies to gains on disposals of shares and securities in a ‘trading’ company or holding company of a trading group. ER may also apply to assets used by a company but owned by an individual if the assets disposed of are associated with the withdrawal of the individual from participation in the company. ER can also apply to a sole trader or business partner who sell their business.

Who might qualify? Throughout the relevant qualifying period you must satisfy all the following conditions: t )PME BU MFBTU PG UIF company’s ordinary share capital and be able to exercise at least 5% of the voting rights t #F BO FNQMPZFF PS PGGJDF holder throughout the relevant qualifying period Budget 2018 has also now imposed the following additional conditions for any disposals on or after 29 October 2018: You must be beneficially entitled to; t PG UIF DPNQBOZ T distributable profits and t PG UIF DPNQBOZ T

t :PV NVTU SFNBJO JO office up to the date of disposal of shares to avoid jeopardising an ER claim t " DPNQBOZ DBSSZJOH PO trading activities should not carry on non-trading activities to a substantial extent t "DDVNVMBUJPO PG MBSHF cash balances could give rise to failing the test as a trading company t &3 EPFT OPU FYUFOE UP property businesses apart from Furnished Holiday letting businesses. t 5IF SFDFOU DIBOHFT DPVME impact companies with multiple classes of shares also known as alphabet shares. Each class of share does not necessarily hold a 5% entitlement to distributable profits. The Articles of association should be amended to specify dividend % entitlement for ER to apply. In line with the changes in Budget 2018 the shares should be held for 2 years from the date of the amendment.

ER may also be extended to liquidations ER may be extended to distributions in certain types of liquidation and treated as part disposal of the shares if the following circumstances apply: t "MM BOE FNQMPZFF conditions must be met in the 24 months leading up to cessation of trade. t %JTQPTBM PG TIBSFT NVTU take place within three years of that cessation

Maximising relief t *G &3 DPOEJUJPOT BSF NFU it is possible to add to your shareholding in the final 24 months t *OUSPEVDJOH TQPVTFT BOE DJWJM partners to the business and shareholding could give them separate ER entitlement t 0UIFS GBNJMZ NFNCFST being brought into the company can maximise ER

Advance planning is essential as each individual should be considered on a case by case basis. Contact us today to discuss how to maximise your entitlements to Entrepreneurs Relief on 028 3026 9933 or email ronan.mcguirk@asmnewry.com

The content of this article is for information purposes only and advice to your circumstances should be sought from a professional advisor. ASM Chartered Accountants have six offices – Belfast, Dublin, Dundalk, Dungannon, Magherafelt and Newry. The 120 strong team specialises in a range of accountancy disciplines including Audit and Accounting, Business Consultancy, Corporate Finance, Forensic Accounting, Hotel and Tourism Consultancy, Internal Audit and Taxation Services.

WHERE CAN YOU GO WHEN YOUR BANK SAYS NO?

Will your bank exit along with Brexit? With the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exit from the European Union comes uncertainty in lending for businesses. What are the chances of your bank amending your lending (downward) as we approach Brexit? At Upstream, we are committed to supporting local businesses, bringing certainty in an uncertain world. Talk to us about your growth plans and funding needs for today and well into the future. Upstream. Never Mainstream.

Invoice Finance Trade Finance Credit Management Services Asset Finance Advisory T 028 9099 9450

www.upstreampositive.co.uk

Eye on Economics

The Outlook For Interest Rates By Frances Hill, Bank of England Agent for Northern Ireland

Last week, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) provided its latest assessment of the economy and voted on whether to change the current level of Bank Rate – the interest rate that provides the basis for the interest rates set by banks and building societies.

t its February meeting, the MPC voted to keep interest rates at 0.75%. In its assessment of the economy, the MPC noted that UK economic growth slowed towards the end of last year, and appears to have weakened further at the start of this year. This was thought to be partly due to slowing in the world economy, but also because of the higher impact of uncertainty related to Brexit at home. Uncertainty had led some companies to pause investment and had held back spending by households. The high degree of uncertainty also meant that measures of economic activity were likely to continue to move around a little more than normal over the next few months, making the view of the outlook a bit foggier than usual. But it’s not all bad news. There is a greater proportion of people in work now than at any time since 1971 and wages are rising faster than prices in the shops. The MPC expects UK

growth to recover once this near-term uncertainty fades, and should reach 2% by around the end of 2021. If the economy recovers as we expect, the MPC anticipates that interest rates will need to rise a little further over the next few years to return inflation sustainably to the 2% target. But any rise in interest rates is expected to happen gradually, and interest rates are likely to remain much lower than before the financial crisis. Citizens’ Panels The Bank is keen to hear more from the public on a range of issues through the formation of Citizens’ Panels across the United Kingdom. We want to hear what you have to say about jobs, pay and the cost of living. And we’d like to know about your experiences of the housing market and how easy you find it to borrow and save money. Recruitment has already started but if you are interested in becoming a panel member and sharing your opinions with us, please visit www.bankofengland. co.uk/outreach/citizens-panels Meanwhile, my colleagues and I across the Bank’s Agency network will continue to speak to our contacts in businesses and charities to improve our understanding of what’s happening in the economy throughout the United Kingdom.

Frances Hill.

Frances Hill is Agent for Northern Ireland. You can read the Bank’s latest Inflation Report in full here or the Agents’ latest Summary of Business Conditions https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/ agents-summary/2018/february-2018 @BoENIreland

Eye on Digital

Every business is a digital business… Tim Proctor, Managing Director, Scaffold Digital

They just haven’t realised yet. On a daily basis we consume an ever-increasing number of digital services and products. Indeed, due to this trend, there are 5-year olds who are more competent with digital technology than some hardened business people.

usinesses that have embraced digital innovation are now some of the largest companies in the world. In a recent survey, 54 per cent of digital leaders said their companies will fail if they don’t achieve digital transformation at the same time as their industry rivals and over 80 percent of businesses could be left behind as technology comes to define modern commerce. The findings show just how important digital transformation will be to the future of business. So, what is Digital Transformation all about? Well first off, it’s not about technology. It’s about

technology which happens to be digital that can be used to solve traditional problems, essentially ‘digital problem solving’. Business

Digital solutions can play a part in achieving these objectives and often the solution can produce phenomenal results. At the SmartGov conference, the Director of Digital Shared Services at the Department of Finance revealed that the digital transformation project they have been implementing over the last four years has produced savings of £96 million for taxpayers. So, what are the implications for local businesses in Ireland? We

“It’s not about technology. It’s about technology which happens to be digital that can be used to solve traditional problems.” owners tend to have a range of objectives, from increasing sales, to decreasing costs, increasing productivity or reducing risk.

have seen companies embrace digital transformation and drive innovation in their businesses. Just like any other project a

business approaches, a digital project should be judged by its return on investment and this should be identified from the outset, so that the business and technology partner are clear on how the success of the solution will be measured. This is how we approached a recent digital transformation project with Northern Ireland’s leading freight ferry booking agent. Initially the client wanted an app to help with positioning against competitors. After exploring current business processes, we identified the sales impact, decreased costs and increased productivity that a carefully planned, end to end digital solution could deliver. Fast-forward to the fully functioning digital solution and we’ve helped our client successfully grow their sales, 20% year-on-year. In addition, the solution has enhanced efficiency as staff previously taking bookings over the phone have been re-allocated to sales roles, leading to a 20% reduction in staffing costs for customer service. It can’t be overstated how important a carefully considered approach is when delivering a digital solution. The choice of digital partner can often be the difference between success and failure. If you want to overhaul current business processes to incorporate digital strategies and technology into your company, strategically structure your next digital project to solve the traditional problems that live in businesses of all shapes and sizes.

Tim Proctor, Managing Director, Scaffold Digital. The House of Vic-ryn Moira Road, Lisburn, BT28 2RF Northern Ireland (028) 9252 8155 E. info@scaffold.digital

Eye on Online

NEW REPORT SHOWS NI PARENTS ARE CONCERNED ABOUT CHILDREN’S SCREEN TIME

Ellen Finlay, Children in Northern Ireland.

With concerns regarding children’s use of online media heightened this week due to an alleged viral game, a leading children’s organisation has released a new report showing how parents in Northern Ireland are increasingly worried about their child’s screen time and are urging the government to issue guidance to enable them to make better informed decisions about usage to help parents feel more confident when talking to children about staying safe online.

hildren in Northern Ireland carried out research with 112 parents, which provided data for 186 children aged 4 to 15 years old, to find out how long their children are spending using screens and what their biggest concerns are around screen time. The Virtual Lives Report found that 63% of parents had a concern regarding their child’s screen use. The research revealed that children are spending on average 11 to 34 hours per week using screens with 77% of parents saying they would like their children to spend a little or a lot less time using screens. 77% said they found it difficult to control the amount of screen time and 82% said they would like more guidance on the issue with parents worrying about the negative impact upon their child’s health, well-being and social interaction. Ellen Finlay, Policy Officer of Children in Northern Ireland and Author of the Virtual Lives Report said: “The amount of time children spend using screens is a big issue for parents in Northern Ireland and many are worried that too long watching screens is having a negative impact on their physical and mental health. Technology and screens can be a great opportunity to learn and interact with others, however it is about providing parents with the correct information so they can deal

with the issue positively and use screens in a beneficial way and feel confident when they are talking to children about screen time usage and staying safe online.” “Parents are not afraid to limit screen time, however 82% of the parents surveyed told Children in Northern Ireland they would appreciate guidance from the government to ensure they can achieve the right balance as they recognise the many positive benefits of screen time, but also know it is about moderation,” Ellen continued. The Virtual Lives Report revealed how parents are worried about the physical health of their children from long term use of screens including brain development, lack of physical activity and eye sight concerns. Nearly all parents raised the issue of mood, attitude and mental health of their children claiming they have witnessed a negative change in mood and attitude in their child with prolonged use of screens, with several raising concerns over mental health and addiction that stems from using screens too much. The report also found that parents are also worried about how distracting screen time can be for their children believing it can impact upon time together as a family, with some admitting that they have to fight to either get their children off their screens or to do other things.

Eye on Law

DOs and DON’Ts for Discerning Directors By Marie-Louise Lowry (Partner – Dispute Resolution and Litigation) Elliott Duffy Garrett

Being a company director can be an exciting and lucrative opportunity for genuine enterprise. The downside is that it can all go horribly wrong for those who take their eye off the ball whether through complacency about limited liability status or a failure to properly consider what being a director really involves.

efore becoming a director, the wise arm themselves with good professional advice and swap their usual bedtime reading for the Companies Act 2006. Although many gen up on their statutory duties and the principles of good corporate governance, they often neglect to consider the risk of personal liability. In this article, I consider the potential personal implications for directors

arising from two scenarios – the first where a company is insolvent and the second where there is a breach of health and safety law - and how best to minimise the risks of either happening.

Insolvency One situation which can cause personal problems for directors on insolvency is wrongful trading: where a company

in financial trouble carries on trading, incurring debts and increasing losses for its creditors. If the company goes into liquidation, a director can be personally liable for these debts if they should have recognised the impending “point of no return” before it was reached. Another is director’s disqualification. The Department for the Economy says that it aims “to bring disqualification proceedings against those directors of failed companies who have abused the privilege of limited liability status through negligence, incompetence or lack of commercial probity.” A director who is found to be unfit must be disqualified for a period of 2-15 years. Take former England and Spurs manager, Terry Venables. In 1998, 19 allegations were made in disqualification proceedings against him arising from his conduct as a director of four companies. Rather than fighting the allegations, he agreed to be disqualified from being a director or concerned in forming, managing/ promoting of companies for seven years. Whilst application can be made to the Court for permission to act as a director in certain circumstances, the enormous impact which a disqualification can have on an individual’s ability to work and generate an income should not be undermined, particularly if they are a member of a professional body.

Health & Safety Although individuals cannot be prosecuted for corporate manslaughter under the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, a director can be charged under Health and Safety legislation and for gross negligence manslaughter, with potentially serious personal consequences. In a tragic case in Liverpool, Zbigniew Galka died while trying to fix a machine which compressed waste. In October 2018, a director of the waste company was jailed for 8 months, having admitted breaching health and safety laws.

The company was fined £700,000 plus £100,000 in costs. There have been similar tragic cases in Northern Ireland resulting in substantial financial and personal consequences for individuals as well as companies.

To do and not to do To minimise personal liability by avoiding insolvency and health and safety breaches: DO ensure that t ZPV BSF BXBSF PG UIF DPNQBOZ T financial status even if you are not the financial director t UIF DPNQBOZ T TPMWFODZ JT NPOJUPSFE by an appropriately skilled person t UIF #PBSE JT BQQSPQSJBUFMZ constituted and skilled and that this is kept under review t BHFOEBT BOE QSPQFS NBOBHFNFOU information are provided BU #PBSE NFFUJOHT t #PBSE NFFUJOHT BSF QSPQFSMZ minuted and minutes are approved t DPNQBOZ QPMJDJFT BOE QSPDFEVSFT are reviewed regularly t BEFRVBUF SJTL BTTFTTNFOUT are carried out t QSPQFS USBJOJOH JT QSPWJEFE for all staff and directors t ZPV DPOTJEFS UBLJOH PVU EJSFDUPST and officers’ liability insurance t UIF DPNQBOZ UBLFT BEWJDF XIFO necessary from professional advisers t ZPV DPOTJEFS BOE QSPQFSMZ document advice received t BMXBZT BDU JO UIF CFTU interests of the company. DON’T take your eye off the ball. And finally, DO enjoy the challenges and rewards of being a director. /# o UIF BCPWF JT OPU BO FYIBVTUJWF MJTU PG the scenarios in which personal liability can arise for company directors. Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this article, readers should seek legal advice in relation to specific issues.

Eye on News

Helicopter shuttle to The Open

Two aviation companies have teamed up to offer a daily helicopter shuttle service to The Open at Royal Portrush in July.

oodgate Aviation and PDG Aviation Services will jointly operate the service from Woodgate Aviationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s private IBOHBS BU #FMGBTU *OUFSOBUJPOBM "JSQPSU $MJFOUT XJMM CF BCMF UP QBSL BU UIF 'JYFE #BTF 0QFSBUPS

'#0 GBDJMJUZ FOKPZ UIF MVYVSZ PG UIF FYFDVUJWF MPVOHF before boarding their helicopter for the 30mins ride to an assigned landing site at Royal Portrush or nearby hotel. Tens of thousands of golf enthusiasts will descend on the world-famous links that is Royal Portrush GC. The helicopter service is designed to save time and beat traffic congestion and disruption on major approach routes, but also to offer a bespoke VIP hotel transfer experience for those arriving by private jet at the Woodgate Aviation Private Aviation Terminal. For the eight days of this top sporting event, PDG will base their AS335 Twin Squirrel helicopter at Woodgate Aviation where the flight schedule and service will be managed. Woodgate Aviation Accountable Manager, David Shaw, says the link-up with PDG was the logical thing to do for the world-famous golfing event. .S 4IBX BEET i#Z DBS UIF TJYUZ NJMF KPVSOFZ GSPN #FMGBTU UP 1PSUSVTI DPVME UBLF BOZUIJOH VQ UP UXP hours or more, but the helicopter shuttle will get you there in thirty minutes. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ideal for corporate clients or, indeed, the private enthusiast who wants to travel in some style and arrive refreshed to enjoy what we all hope will be a classic. 0QFSBUJPOT #VTJOFTT %FWFMPQNFOU .BOBHFS ,FJUI .D,BZ BEEFE i8F IBWF IBE B OVNCFS PG JORVJSJFT BMSFBEZ with some positive leads which we believe will translate

into firm bookings. We want The Open to showcase what is best about Northern Ireland and the professional manner in which companies like ours are going all out to make it a resounding international success.â&#x20AC;? PDG, which is headquartered in Inverness with bases JO (MBTHPX #JSNJOHIBN BOE %VCMJO IBT B GPSUZ ZFBS USBDL SFDPSE JO 6, BWJBUJPO BOE JT MPPLJOH GPSXBSE UP providing a first-class service with Woodgate Aviation. Duncan McDonald, PDGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aviation Specialist, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will have our Twin Squirrel helicopter at Woodgate Aviation to meet expected demand. This is a realistic solution for players, sponsors, the corporate or travel industry or private individuals who want an alternative to travelling by car. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We will operate a bespoke helicopter transfer service for customers flying in by private jet who want to get to their hotel or directly to Royal Portrush. We will have two shuttles on the morning of each day and then two return trips in the afternoon.â&#x20AC;?

All business enquiries should be directed to: Woodgate Aviation, Belfast International Airport. Email: bfs@woodair.com Tel: +44 28 9442 2478

City Auction Group Supports Irish FA Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ahead of the Game initiative The Irish Football Association Foundationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mental health programme for football clubs in Northern Ireland has secured a sponsor.

ity Auction Group is now backing Ahead of the Game, which raises awareness of the issues surrounding mental health. The programme is part of the UEFA Hat Trick funding for football and social responsibility and was developed in partnership with TAMHI (Tackling Awareness of Mental )FBMUI *TTVFT *OTQJSF BOE 5SBJO # Smart Soccer. The MindSight and Change Your Mind charities are also helping to deliver the initiative. City Auction Group Managing Director Michael Tomalin said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Issues surrounding mental health can affect anyone. We believe this is an excellent programme as it tackles issues such as challenging the stigma as well as

outlining preventative measures.â&#x20AC;? The group, which has centres in #FMGBTU 0NBHI BOE 3PDLJOHIBN BOE provides car and motor auctions plus many other auction services, will be backing dozens of Ahead of the Game workshops across Northern Ireland this year as part of the sponsorship deal. The workshops aim to support clubs and volunteers when dealing with mental health issues. The Ahead of the Game programme is also set to become part of the Irish FAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wider club accreditation criteria. Irish FA President David Martin pointed out: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Football plays a big part in the mental health of players, volunteers and even supporters as it can have a major impact on our

David Scott and Raymond Hill from City Auction Group join Ian Stewart of the Irish FA Foundation to announce City Auction Groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s support for Ahead of the Game.

emotions, relationships, identity and self-esteem. Staying mentally well is like staying physically fit.â&#x20AC;? Ahead of the Game rewards clubs who demonstrate best practice with an

equipment pack and training support to assist in using a Mental Health and Wellbeing Guide which has been distributed to football clubs across Northern Ireland as part of the initiative.

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Eye on AgriFood

Tasty Ideas From Smaller Food Firms Lead To Healthy Business In Britain

Ellen Quinn, marketing manager of Natural Umber in Dungannon. The company is now selling its organic cider vinegar to major health food retailers including Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tree of Life and Planet Organic

llen Quinn, marketing manager of Dungannon-based Natural Umber, was understandably thrilled when UXP PG #SJUBJO T MFBEJOH IFBMUI GPPET stores, Tree of Life and Planet Organic, decided to stock her companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique GFSNFOUFE BQQMF DJEFS WJOFHBS "$7 B product that achieved three gold stars and the Northern Ireland Regional Fork JO MBTU ZFBS T 6, (SFBU 5BTUF "XBSET Natural Umber is part of Mackle Apple in Tyrone, a hugely successful apple growing and processing business headed by Michael Mackle. ACV has traditionally been seen as an unpleasant but vitally beneficial drink, according to Mrs Quinn. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Research shows that the vinegar can lower cholesterol, aid weight loss, relieve acid reflux, ease symptoms of arthritis, gout and many more conditions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Unpasteurised, organic vinegars like Natural Umber also contain â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mother of Vinegarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, a naturally occurring probiotic from fermented apples. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is a complex structure of healthy bacteria and enzymes, believed to bring enormous benefits,â&#x20AC;? she explains.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Natural Umber is different from many other cider vinegars because our fermentation process preserves the natural sweetness of the apples. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s therefore a sweeter product thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much easier to enjoy,â&#x20AC;? she adds. "OE 5SJDJB .D/FJMMZ UIF #FMGBTU CBTFE founder of Ă&#x2013;tzibrew, an innovative product freeze dried from medicinal mushrooms, is delighted to have just won business with Selfridges, the iconic London department store. Ă&#x2013;tzibrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two products, Chaga and Lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mane, are both harvested from the barks of trees in Siberia and Alaska and have been used for generations by people there to treat successfully a range of conditions. The small company, established last year, has developed the powders as healthy additives for drinks, especially coffee, and other foods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wild Chaga, for instance, has been used for centuries in Siberia, Alaska and other remote northern regions as a medicinal mushroom to treat a wide range of ailments including cancer,â&#x20AC;? Mrs McNeilly. a food scientist and nutritionist,

Smaller food companies are now making an impact on the fast developing healthy food category, including novel fermented products with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;goodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bacteria, in Britain. Sam Butler talks to local producers now attracting the attention of leading retailers in our single most important market through a focus on innovation.

Tricia McNeilly, managing director of Otzibrew, producer of medicinal mushrooms

explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mane mushrooms are found in North America and Eastern Europe and are used as health remedies, including for inflammation, and also in the treatment of cancer and heart conditions.â&#x20AC;? She says chaga has been shown to contain the highest level of antioxidants, is especially rich in melanin, a powerful anti-inflammatory, and is packed with life enhancing nutrients such as manganese, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, betulinic acid and phosphorous, She previously launched CocoMojo award-winning drinks from coconut water, coconut milk, aromatic herbs, natural botanicals and turmeric. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years to improve health, brain function and immunity,â&#x20AC;? Mrs McNeilly continues. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Melanin has been found by Russian scientists to protect genes and even to repair broken DNA. Such qualities could help in addressing cancer for instance,â&#x20AC;? she adds. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Due to our hectic lifestyles, we are constantly looking for ways to enhance our performance and achieve a more balanced life,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Health conscious and active individuals often find it difficult

to obtain natural supplements and targeted health remedies that make them feel good with no secondary effects. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve developed Ă&#x2013;tzibrew to help them address this. Our products, Chaga and Lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mane, are completely pure and natural with no additives. Ă&#x2013;tzibrewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to offer a natural alternative capable of enhancing health and performance in the form of mushroom products. Chaga is a powerful, sophisticated and natural herbal product. We want to bring these ancient natural remedies back into the mainstream in the purest form possible,â&#x20AC;? she adds. Helping to shape attitudes among consumers about healthy bacteria here are Sharon Machala and Dearbhla 3FZOPMET CPUI GSPN #BOHPS XIP run Cultured Connections. They are campaigning to increase awareness of the importance of protecting and feeding good bacteria in the digestive system. Dearbhla is a food writer and author of The Cultured Club â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Fabulously Funky Ferments, a widely acclaimed guide to the health and other benefits of fermented foods. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

EyeonAgriFood described as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;culinary radicalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. #PUI BSF DPOWJODFE UIBU DIPPTJOH to eat the right mood boosting foods can help overcome depression and reduce a costly dependence on prescribed anti-depressants. Mrs Machala explains: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is clearer now than ever before that there are certain gut bacteria which can positively influence our mood and behaviour - in other words, we are what we eat.â&#x20AC;? This conviction is backed up by academic research carried out by Ted Dinan, Professor of Psychiatry at 6OJWFSTJUZ $PMMFHF $PSL 6$$ POF PG the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main experts on the link between mental health and gut health. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In his laboratory, Prof Dinan found that the consumption of certain probiotic bacteria can actually alter the chemistry of the brain. These microbes that chase the blues are called psychobiotics.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fermentation is actually one of the oldest techniques for preserving food. What the process does is to encourage essential and good bacteria to flourish in the gut,â&#x20AC;? explains Dearbhla. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good source of probiotics that aid digestion. So, adding a daily dose of fermented foods to your diet can have an extraordinary impact on health. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fermented foods have been shown to promote digestive ease for people suffering with inflammatory disorders, help manage sugar and carb cravings, decrease incidence of allergies and sensitivities, generally boost the immune system and contribute to an overall sense of well-being. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing recognition worldwide of the benefits of a diet that includes plenty of fresh vegetables and other plants,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fermentation enables plants to be eaten throughout the year and also involves a process that kills off â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;badâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bacteria,â&#x20AC;? adds Dearbhla Reynolds. And finding fermented foods in many stores here isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that difficult. Cheese, sourdough bread, natural yoghurt, apple cider vinegar, kefir water, beer, dips, tapenades and pickled vegetables are all now readily available here. ,PNCVDIB JT BOPUIFS HPPE FYBNQMF of the fermentation technique thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s becoming increasingly popular. The first kombucha, a unique fermented fizzy tea drink, which many nutritionists reckon really is good for you, has just been launched successfully here. The healthy drink has been created CZ CPUBOJTU 1FUF #BSSFUU XIP MJWFT OFBS #FMGBTU 5IF OFX CFWFSBHF JT CSFXFE using green tea sourced from a single ,FOZBO FTUBUF *U JT BMSFBEZ QSPWJOH QPQVMBS in coffee shops, health stores, delis and

Peter Barrett of Buchas Dog in Belfast has just launched Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first commercial kombucha fermented tea drink

CBST JO #FMGBTU $VTUPNFST JODMVEF EFMJT Sawers, Arcadia, Oliverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, Framar Health and Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Way and coffee shops &TUBCMJTIFE #SFX BOE #BLF BOE ,BGGF 0 .S #BSSFUU EFTDSJCFT LPNCVDIB BT iB mildly fizzy, slightly sour tea that has fermented from the use of a mix of IFBMUIZ CBDUFSJB BOE ZFBTUw i,PNCVDIB is an ancient tonic but is increasingly seen as a healthy alternative to sugarloaded drinks and alcohol,â&#x20AC;? he explains. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s completely natural. The probiotic bacteria and yeast absorb sugars into ethanol and acetic acid. Probiotic bacteria can help to balance the gut microbiome in humans and improve digestion. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not unlike apple cider vinegar, which many people are familiar with for its health benefits,â&#x20AC;? he adds. The drink has been found to contain antioxidants that help to protect the body. ,PNCVDIB BMTP DPOUBJOT TNBMM BNPVOUT PG vitamins and minerals which are produced when the yeast breaks down the sugars, JODMVEJOH WJUBNJO $ BOE # # # BOE # His interest in botanicals is from his career as a botanist/agronomist. He graduated from Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University in Plant Science and subsequently gained a doctorate in Agronomy in " SFTFBSDI QPTU XJUI 26# T Department of Applied Plant Science and then an agency, now the Agri-Food BOE #JPTDJFODFT *OTUJUVUF GPMMPXFE .S #BSSFUU XBT UIFSF GPS GJWF years before moving to a business development role throughout Europe with a sustainable soil and plant OVUSJUJPO DPNQBOZ JO #SJUUBOZ Other expertise he developed was anaerobic digestion, a fermentation process that breaks down organic

Sharon Machala and Dearbhla Reynolds of Cultured Connections in Bangor are spearheading the drive for fermented foods and a plant-based diet

matter to generate renewable and sustainable energy. This knowledge of fermentation was a useful insight when he began to produce kombucha â&#x20AC;&#x153;about five years agoâ&#x20AC;?. He launched his first product last month. Of all the teas he experimented with over the years, he found the one he really liked conveniently available from a local importer. So, he approached the blender for guidance in sourcing the best tea for commercial brewing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This means the tea for our kombucha is premium quality, from a reliable source and fully traceable. Added to the tea is my special bio-culture nurtured for almost five years. The product is a true craft brew. I brew everything myself in small batches and have total control over everything.â&#x20AC;? He launched Lightning McGreen kombucha as his first under the overall CSBOEJOH PG #VDIB T %PH $SBGU 5POJD #SFXT i* XBOUFE BO JEFOUJUZ UIBU JT RVJSLZ

a bit of fun and appeals particularly to younger consumers. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a play on words of the saying â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;as fit as a butcherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with #VDIBT BO BCCSFWJBUJPO PG LPNCVDIB Generally, kombucha drinkers are fit too! Or at least have good aspirations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lightning McGreen reflects the green tea base and the name of the gardens where it is sourced, known locally as The Place of Lightning,â&#x20AC;? he says. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just launched another variety, Assamson and Goliath, brewed with a black tea from Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Assam. He chose this new brand for a local identity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no stronger identity than the huge cranes at the iconic Harland and Wolff shipyard,â&#x20AC;? he adds. All the companies are now well placed to benefit from research showing that shoppers are now looking for healthier foods they can trust; foods rich in probiotics, for example, that contribute to a healthy digestive system.

Eye on AgriFood

Finnebrogueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Major Investment In Nitrite-Free Bacon Will Create 125 Jobs

Dennis Lynn of Finnebrogue with Invest NIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brian Dolaghan

Finnebrogue, the Downpatrick-based artisan food manufacturer, is to create up to 125 new jobs following its ÂŁ17m investment in its state-of-the-art nitrite-free bacon facility.

he Invest Northern Irelandbacked investment has enabled the company to establish a manufacturing facility in Downpatrick for the production of its nitrite-free bacon, hailed by many experts as a breakthrough in the food processing sector. Denis Lynn, Chairman of Finnebrogue Artisan, explained: â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been known for decades that nitrites used in curing meat can cause cancer. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why, EFTQJUF CFJOH UIF 6, T MFBEJOH UPQ tier sausage maker, we refused to make a single rasher of bacon until we could figure out a way to make it better and safer.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We always set out to make food the best it can be, without being bound by the way it has always been done. And so, after much research, we discovered a

process that uses fruit and spice extracts to flavour the pork, keep it pink and retain shelf life. We are using this technology JO PVS /BLFE #BDPO BOE XF WF had a great response from both retailers and consumers.â&#x20AC;? 1SPEVDUJPO PG /BLFE #BDPO began last year in Downpatrick and for the first time in the 6, BOE *SFMBOE OJUSJUF GSFF bacon is now widely available

â&#x20AC;&#x153;It has been known for decades that nitrites used in curing meat can cause cancer. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why, despite being the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading top tier sausage maker, we refused to make a single rasher of bacon until we could figure out a way to make it better and safer.â&#x20AC;?

in leading supermarkets. Invest NI has offered the company over ÂŁ1.3m of support towards the capital investment and to create the new jobs. The 125 new posts will be created by 2022, with 30 already in place. Commenting on the investment #SJBO %PMBHIBO &YFDVUJWF %JSFDUPS PG #VTJOFTT 4FDUPS Development, Invest NI said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reputation as a region that produces innovative, quality food has been enhanced by the innovation and development of nitrite-free bacon by Finnebrogue. The product has been welcomed by top food scientists as a significant advancement in food safety and has already found a market among health conscious consumers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Agri-food is one of our priority sectors and it is great to see the new facility operational and producing this cutting-edge product. Our support is ensuring Finnebrogue is able to capitalise on its innovation and realise growth. The local economy will also benefit from this fantastic food innovation as the 125 new jobs will deliver over ÂŁ3m to the economy each year in salaries.â&#x20AC;? In 2018 Denis Lynn was awarded Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s #VTJOFTT %JSFDUPS PG UIF Year for Innovation for the EFWFMPQNFOU PG /BLFE #BDPO Finnebrogue Artisan also produces and sells The Good Little Company range of healthy sausages and recently opened a vegetarian factory producing innovative, meat-free meal options. It is one of the fastest growing food manufacturers in UIF 6, XJUI JUT UVSOPWFS JODSFBTJOH from ÂŁ5m to over ÂŁ90m per year over the last ten years. The company is anticipating UIBU TBMFT PG /BLFE #BDPO XJMM BEE ÂŁ23m to its turnover by 2022.

Eye on News

Innovation Fuels Growth At Agri Tech Firm Devenish Devenish (NI) Limited has reported on another year of growth with its latest published Consolidated Financial Statementsfor the year ended 31 May 2018 showing an increase of 20% in Group Turnover to ÂŁ225m.

perating profit was up from ÂŁ2.8m to ÂŁ3.6m. After interest, profit before tax was up 9% to ÂŁ1.7m. #FMGBTU IFBERVBSUFSFE %FWFOJTI JT SFDPHOJTFE as a leading provider of environmental, animal and human health solutions and a key influencer in driving health and sustainability throughout the food chain in response to the growing consumer demand for nutritious and safe food. Established in 1952, Devenish has NBOVGBDUVSJOH TJUFT BDSPTT *SFMBOE UIF 6, 64" Turkey and Uganda, and employs more than 500 people worldwide. The company trades in over 40 countries, specialising in optimising nutrients

across the food chain to proactively improve food quality, human health and the environment. Commenting on the results, Devenish $&0 3JDIBSE ,FOOFEZ QJDUVSFE TBJE â&#x20AC;&#x153;2017-18 marked a significant year of growth for Devenish. These results reflect our strategy of building a growth organisation through continued reinvestment into researching, developing and commercialising animal nutrition solutions that address the challenges facing farmers and food producers today. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our R&D investment is targeted at health, food and the promotion of sustainable farming, creating a pipeline of solutions that differentiates us in the marketplace.â&#x20AC;? In 2017, Devenish acquired a 50% stake in a Turkish nutrition business Yem-Vit. This move provided the Group with manufacturing capabilities closer to some of its key export markets, expected to drive future growth. It also represents another step in the internationalisation of the business, adding to its overseas operations. A significant milestone was reached in August 2018 when Devenish completed a refinancing

Richard Kennedy CEO Devenish.

of their business through a long-term funding package that will underwrite its R&D programme and support growth across the Group. The package included a pioneering facility of â&#x201A;Ź40m, the largest ever support for agri-business in *SFMBOE CZ UIF &VSPQFBO *OWFTUNFOU #BOL

Law Firm Returns To Newtownards With New Office CMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors has returned to Newtownards after closing it former offices a number of years ago.

he firm has re-opened in new offices at Mill Street Newtownards with the expectation of creating four to six new jobs. Partner Julie Ann Osborne oversaw the acquisition and refurbishment of the new premises with the ÂŁ200,000 JOWFTUNFOU CFJOH TVQQPSUFE CZ %BOTLF #BOL The 2,500 sq. ft office opened at the end of 2018 to meet client demands from Newtownards, the Ards Peninsula and further afield. The firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s experience in housing developments, planning, trusts and tax, agriculture law and matrimonial law will complement a busy and well-regarded conveyancing department. 5IF QSBDUJDF JT MPOH FTUBCMJTIFE JO #FMGBTU BOE #BOHPS and can trace its roots in Newtownards to the early 1920s. The firm currently employs 30 staff across UISFF PGGJDFT JO #FMGBTU #BOHPS BOE /FXUPXOBSET

Pictured (L-R) are Jonathan Hewitt and Brian Speers (both Senior Partners at CMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors); Amber Law, Danske Bank Newtownards Branch Manager; Julie Ann Osborne, Partner at CMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors; Paula Owens, Business Manager, Danske Bank and Michael Robinson, Senior Partner at CMG Cunningham Dickey Solicitors.

Eye on News

RTS Announces Student Television Awards Nominees For 2019

Launching this year’s RTS NI Student Awards are: (l to r) Kieran Doherty, Chair of RTS NI and joint MD of Stellify Media with UTV’s Eden Wilson who will deliver this year’s keynote speech at the Black Box, Belfast where the Awards Ceremony will take place on 26th March 2019.

Broadcaster Jo Scott will host this year’s Royal Television Society Northern Ireland (RTS NI) Student Television Awards which will take place in the Black Box, Belfast on Tuesday 26 March 2019 with UTV’s Eden Wilson delivering the keynote speech.

n partnership with Northern Ireland Screen, the RTS NI Student Television Awards recognise the importance of education within the growing creative industry sector in Northern Ireland. ,JFSBO %PIFSUZ $IBJS of RTS NI said: “This is the 6th year of our Student Awards and we have consistently showcased

brilliant talent at post and undergraduate level in all manner of disciplines that go into telling great stories, highlighting the exceptional talent emerging from our third level colleges. “The RTS is first and foremost an educational charity and these awards enable us to celebrate burgeoning talent whilst providing the students with a high-profile platform to show their work. We

have built-up a strong relationship with the local colleges, which play a vital role in ensuring our future talent graduate with the necessary skills ready to start work in the exciting and growing creative industry we now have in Northern Ireland.” #FSOBSE .D$MPTLFZ )FBE of Education, Northern Ireland Screen said: “Northern Ireland Screen is delighted to be able to support these awards in partnership with RTS NI. The awards are a great way to nurture and encourage the fantastic emerging creative talent we have here in Northern Ireland.” +P 4DPUU ##$ /* /FXTMJOF presenter who is hosting the Awards Ceremony says: “Winning an RTS NI Student

Television Award gives our young people a prestigious accolade to help them with their future careers. We have entries from students across Northern Ireland and the talent they display is wonderful as well as giving them the opportunity to network with some of the industry’s biggest names at the Awards Ceremony.” There are 5 category Awards for Animation, Drama, Entertainment, Factual and Short Form with an additional Craft Award recognising particular skill in camera work, editing or production design. Sponsored by Stellify Media, Westway Films and Performance Film and Media Insurance, the winners of these Awards go forward to the national RTS Student Media Awards which will be held in London later this year.

Eye on Office Space

Magell Announces ÂŁ5 Million Investment In Belfast Flexible Office Space

Magell Limited is investing ÂŁ5 million in Belfast city centre in a move which will radically enhance the flexible workspace offering and propel the company to be one of the leading suppliers of flexible office space in Northern Ireland.

he Northern Irish based investor and developer has commercial assets UISPVHIPVU UIF 6, BOE IBT announced plans to convert a landmark building in the DFOUSF PG #FMGBTU JOUP XIBU UIF developer describes as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;a new excellenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in flexible working. Construction will begin within weeks on Eagle Star House, a 30,000 sq ft building situated on Upper Queen Street just a short EJTUBODF GSPN #FMGBTU $JUZ )BMM Once open for business in early 2020, Eagle Star House will provide design-led workspace with 500 desks located across eight floors. Magell also has the capability to expand this exciting new offering

CZ DPOWFSUJOH #FBVGPSU )PVTF on Wellington Place, a 35,000 sq ft building occupying nine floors. This would add a further 600 desks to the new business. Established in 1998, Magell Limited is a third-generation family business with two decades of experience in the office, commercial, retail and residential sectors. Magell has partnered with one of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading authorities on flexible work space, Jamie McCoubrey. Jamie will head up operations and the running of this new venture and will bring a wealth of experience and professionalism. Ryan Walker, Director at Magell, commented:

â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have taken time to view the current best in class offering BDSPTT UIF 6, BOE JOUFSOBUJPOBMMZ and we plan to take flexible office TQBDF JO #FMGBTU UP B OFX MFWFM â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our prime city centre locations are close to the main transport hub and will offer businesses of all sizes unique access to private offices with flexible leases that facilitate their continued change and growth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Additionally, Eagle Star House will feature co-working space, meeting rooms, lounges, large roof terrace, and spaces for events and networking, all finished to a specification OPU TFFO CFGPSF JO #FMGBTU w Jamie McCoubrey, who will operate the business and has more than 15 yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experience in the flexible office sector commented: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The needs of businesses

are constantly evolving and that includes their requirements for workspace. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the first truly design-led flexible workspace in the city, our new generation offering will meet those needs by matching flexibility with exceptional style and quality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The buildings will feel more like hotels than offices, with a level of sophistication and detail that will rival anything currently available in Dublin and London. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have already received strong interest from clients seeking to join the next generation of flexible working and look forward to welcoming them through the doors early next year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We look forward to revealing more about our offering, our new brand, interior design and layouts in the weeks ahead.â&#x20AC;?

Eye on News

Mercedes-Benz Invests ÂŁ3 Million In New Boucher Crescent, Belfast Premises

Due to sustained growth in the Northern Ireland market, Mercedes-Benz has invested ÂŁ3 million in a new 10,000 square foot Approved Used car showroom on Boucher Crescent, Belfast.

he site, which is the first of its kind in the Mercedes 6, OFUXPSL IPVTFT PWFS .FSDFEFT #FO[ "QQSPWFE Used vehicles at any given time. A team of 12 Mercedesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Executives are also on hand in the showroom to respond to customer enquiries and deliver the exceptional service .FSDFEFT #FO[ DMJFOUT FYQFDU Discussing the investment and how it represents a commitment UP UIF GVUVSF PG .FSDFEFT #FO[ in Northern Ireland, Managing Director Thomas Taggart says: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building comes in response to the phenomenal demand for "QQSPWFE 6TFE .FSDFEFT #FO[ vehicles in Northern Ireland. Situated just across from Mercedesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

FYJTUJOH TIPXSPPN PO #PVDIFS Crescent, it is a hi-tech space with a minimalist, sleek design that is TZOPOZNPVT XJUI .FSDFEFT #FO[w .FSDFEFT #FO[ #FMGBTU "QQSPWFE

Used Sales Manager Simon Gregg adds: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Approved Used showroom is a great example of how we respond to and cater for our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs. The site offers all

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Approved Used showroom is a great example of how we respond to and cater for our customersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; needs.â&#x20AC;?

the luxuries that customers deserve including sumptuous surroundings, helpful sales executives, on site WIFI, refreshment facilities, barista trained staff and a comfortable waiting area. As a result of the brands investment, four new roles have been created at the site, which is also a sign of our commitment to our expanding customer base in Northern Ireland. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re extremely proud of our new premises which will enable customers to fully explore the quality used stock that Mercedes#FO[ /PSUIFSO *SFMBOE IBT UP PGGFS w The site is situated across from UIF FYJTUJOH TIPXSPPN PO #PVDIFS Crescent and compliments the existing new car showroom offering.

Eye on News

COPELAND SPIRITS PLANS DONAGHADEE DISTILLERY Copeland Spirits’ planning application to develop a distillery and visitor centre in the harbour town of Donaghadee has been approved. The company’s move marks its 125-year commitment to the area, its plans to develop its existing gin range and its ambition to move into new categories including whiskey.

ork on the 6,500 square-foot site has now begun, with the project due to revitalise what was a former community centre and picture-house, unoccupied for approximately 20 years. The b ƺ JOWFTUNFOU managed by Co. Down-based company, Urban Property Solutions, is expected to last for approximately 6 months with the official opening anticipated mid-summer 2019. The new premises will include a visitor centre, events space and fully-operational gin and whiskey distillery supporting the brand to build on its current gin portfolio and introduce new brand offerings from later this year. The distillery will be in keeping with the original site by maintaining as many original features of the historic building as possible. Found on the main floor of the distillery will be a coveted 3.3 metre-high still made by the world-renowned German coppersmith, Arnold Holstein.

Gareth Irvine of Copeland Spirits

Earlier this year, Copeland welcomed their new Head Distiller, William Stafford, who will be responsible for the day to day distilling of gin, as well as future spirits such as the brand’s plans for whiskey. Stafford’s extensive experience coupled with his passion to create unique blends of premium spirits will see The Copeland Distillery break new boundaries in the spirit industry. Along with increasing production and operational roles to fulfil its ambitious category developments, the finished project will also create employment in additional sectors such as retail and events. On completion, Copeland will move its operations from its current Saintfield premises to the Donaghadee site. With such a significant lease on the building, The Copeland Distillery intends to craft its lasting brand legacy from the site and become an integral part of the Donaghadee community. The brand will share the harbour town’s rich history throughout the visitor centre, attracting tourism to the area via the domestic traveller and also US, Chinese, European and Australasian visitors, where Irish craft continues to grow in popularity. The significant investment not only highlights the brand’s on-going

commitment to Northern Ireland but also its exponential growth since it was officially established just over 2 years ago by now 26-year-old, Gareth Irvine. Irvine said: “Since our launch in 2016, establishing a distillery and bringing our production closer to the Copeland Islands has been our main ambition. We’ve worked incredibly hard over the last two years to make this a reality and now that planning has been approved and construction is well underway, it’s both rewarding and motivating to see the site being restored to its former glory as the hub of Donaghadee. “We’re particularly excited to have partnered with Urban Property Solutions, to oversee the build. This outfit is incredibly trusted by the local community and it understands our vision to retain as much of the current building a possible, while also ensuring the Copeland Islands and adjacent lighthouse can be enjoyed. “As a brand, we are incredibly committed to our heritage and we’re proud that our investment will create new jobs and bring additional tourism to this idyllic part of Northern Ireland. “Our long-term ambition, strengthened by today’s announcement, is to create a

world-class distillery, with a wide portfolio of spirits that offers the consumer, at home and abroad, a taste of Northern Ireland’s craftsmanship and history in the most authentic way possible. Establishing our permanent home here in Donaghadee is the new start of this journey, and with a 125-year lease on the building we envisage being part of Northern Ireland’s future story for quite some time. “We are incredibly excited to move into whiskey – an industry that is targeting global sales of 12 million cases by 2020 and with growing interest from new markets for us including Russia. The category offers more than enough potential for a new player and our distillery will bring something fresh, energetic and imaginative to it. Our flavoured range of 37.8% gins are already a huge success across Northern *SFMBOE XJEFS 6, *SFMBOE BOE &VSPQF so we feel it’s the right time to bring something new to the market. “With so much local history and heritage driving our journey, it’s very exciting to know that our new home, right on the harbour overlooking the Copeland Islands and surrounding waters, will be the starting point for every bottle of Copeland be it whiskey or gin, as it sails its way across the world.”

Eye on Charity

Maxol donates £23,000 to AWARE NI Christmas and helped raise such an extraordinary amount of money for AWARE. We’re very grateful to Maxol for providing us with fantastic fundraising opportunities and helping to raise the profile of AWARE. “We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with Maxol and running similar fundraising campaigns in the future.” Maxol ran companywide fundraising initiatives to raise money for AWARE NI including ‘Top up by Ten’ in the summer and the Christmas Coffee Cup Campaign in November and December. AWARE is the Depression Charity for Northern Ireland. AWARE provide information, education and support on the illness of depression and deliver number of wellbeing programmes into schools, workplaces and communities across Northern Ireland. The funds raised by Maxol will go towards helping AWARE increase awareness of positive mental wellbeing in local communities and help to provide support groups and education programmes across the country.

Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, is delighted to announce that with the help of staff and customers, they raised £23,000 in Northern Ireland for charity partner, AWARE.

rian Donaldson, Chief Executive Officer at Maxol, said: “We’re extremely proud of our partnership with AWARE and are delighted to have raised these much-needed funds for them. We also want to thank all our fantastic staff and loyal customers for their continued support and for getting behind our top up by 10 pence and coffee fundraising campaigns. It is truly because of them that we’re able to support AWARE in this way.

“As a family owned company, we pride ourselves on being right at the heart of our communities and we feel there is no better way to do this than by raising money for such a worthwhile cause. We look forward to continuing our partnership with AWARE into 2019.” ,BSFO $PMMJOT $IJFG &YFDVUJWF at AWARE said, “Thank you to all the Maxol customers and staff who contributed to the fundraising campaigns during the Summer and at

Pictured at Maxol’s A26 Tannaghmore services in Antrim is Maxol CEO, Brian Donaldson and Karen Collins, Chief Executive at AWARE.

Eye on News

B-Secur Lands ÂŁ4m Investment

Pictured in Belfast are Jayne Brady, Kernel Capital. Alan Foreman, CEO, B-Secur and Andrew Sloane, ADV.

Belfast-based ECG biometrics innovator B-Secur has announced the successful closure of a followon funding round worth ÂŁ4million.

his second round of investment is from a syndicate of some of UIF 6, BOE *SFMBOE T MFBEJOH investors, including Accelerated %JHJUBM 7FOUVSFT "%7 BOE ,FSOFM $BQJUBM NBOBHFS PG UIF #BOL PG *SFMBOE ,FSOFM Capital Growth Funds, both PG XIJDI TVQQPSUFE # 4FDVS T previous funding round. The announcement comes KVTU XFFLT BGUFS # 4FDVS UPPL centre stage at the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest consumer technology

event, Consumer Electronics 4IPX $&4 JO -BT 7FHBT # 4FDVS $&0 "MBO 'PSFNBO said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;CES has been the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gathering place for innovators and breakthrough technology for 50 years, so we were thrilled to be part of it and to showcase ground-breaking technology which has been developed by some incredibly talented people in Northern Ireland. It was especially exciting to be singled out by major league technology press including Wired and CNET, and we even appeared in Mashableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Top Picks of the Show.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Securing further investment at this critical stage recognises our rapid development over the past 18 months and the market relevance of # 4FDVS T UFDIOPMPHZ .PTU importantly, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a strong JOEJDBUPS PG # 4FDVS T HSPXUI potential on a global scale.â&#x20AC;? The company, which now

employs more than 35 staff in JUT #FMGBTU )2 IBT EFWFMPQFE technology to harness the unique electrical signal of an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IFBSUCFBU &$( BT B NFBOT PG QFSTPOBM BVUIFOUJDBUJPO # 4FDVS launched its Heartkey brand at CES. Heartkey combines unique user identification with advanced physiological monitoring for health and wellness purposes, including medical grade heart rate, stress and fatigue monitoring, which can be applied to everyday situations such as driving a car, or for real-time health monitoring in the home. # 4FDVS JT OPX QBSUOFSJOH XJUI some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top motoring manufacturers, global wearable and fitness tracker technology firms and leading semiconductor manufacturers, to embed Heartkey into multiple everyday technologies and wearables. Alan Foreman continued, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Heartkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s algorithms offer data protection for devices and

vehicles. It also offers the added benefit of providing insights into an individualâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical wellbeing, which enables a wide range of life-enhancing or potentially lifesaving benefits. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at a really exciting stage for the business, we have forged very significant links with big name partners who recognise our technologyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s value and importance to their own product development and this investment will allow us to continue driving our BNCJUJPOT GPS # 4FDVS GPSXBSE w

Eye on Young Enterprise

Entrepreneurial Spirit Shines in Northern Ireland

‘Ragdogs’ from Bloomfield Collegiate, Young Enterprise NI, Victoria Square, Belfast.

Students from across Northern Ireland had the enviable opportunity to launch, promote and sell their own innovative products at this year’s Young Enterprise Regional trade fairs. 62

hopping Centres across the Country were taken over by 14-25 year old students who are taking part in this year’s Young Enterprise, Company, Team, Quick start and Start Up Programmes. The charity’s leading entrepreneurial programmes allow students to create a unique business then produce, promote and sell their products or services for the first

time to the general public. ‘‘Aspire’ – The Royal School Dungannon, ‘Form A Flame’ – Lurgan College, ‘Ragdogs’ #MPPNGJFME $PMMFHJBUF A&TTFOUJBM[ o 0NBHI $#4 A$PNQSFTTP $VQT o Friends Lisburn, ‘Renu’ – Glenlola #BOHPS A5FOBDJUZ o #FMGBTU )JHI School‘ and ‘Mood Scents’ – Foyle College, came out top in each of their areas meaning they will go head to head in a ‘Dragons

Den’ style competition in April for the chance to become the Young Enterprise Northern Ireland Company of the Year. The winner will represent Northern *SFMBOE BU UIF 6, GJOBM JO +VOF with the chance to further compete at a European level. $BSPM 'JU[TJNPOT .#& :PVOH Enterprise Chief Executive TBJE i5IF #VTJOFTTFT TUVEFOUT create can be for-profit or social

Eye on Young Enterprise businesses highly value work readiness and broader skills. In fact 60% of the businesses TVSWFZFE CZ UIF $#* BSF DMFBS that key drivers of success for young people in their working lives are attitudes and attributes like resilience, communication BOE QSPCMFN TPMWJOH #VTJOFTTFT rated these skills as among their top priorities when recruiting. Embedding entrepreneurial education activity into school is one of the most important ways to prepare our children for life beyond the classroom. Today students need much more than a good academic grounding to excel, and learning linked to real-life situations is always more meaningful. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Compresso Cupsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from Friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; School, Lisburn.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Embedding entrepreneurial education activity into school is one of the most important ways to prepare our children for life beyond the classroom.â&#x20AC;?

enterprises and students are encouraged to think about how their business can â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;do goodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for society, whether that be in relation to education, community development or health. Already this year we are seeing students

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Tenacityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; from Belfast High School.

RENU from Glenlola Collegiate, Bangor, at Young Enterprise NI Trade Fair, Bloomfield Centre, Bangor, Co.Down.

thinking socially whilst also thinking entrepreneurially creating some outstanding innovations from challenging the issue of plastic waste, reducing recycling or aiming to breakdown the stigma surrounding the sensitive topic of mental well-beingâ&#x20AC;?. Carol continues â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Company Programmes are vital for young people to develop skills for future success. The recent $#* 1FBSTPO &EVDBUJPO BOE Skills Annual Report highlights that, alongside qualifications,

We work with over 90,000 students every year. We couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do that without the on-going support of our schools, our parents, The Department of Education and the Northern Ireland business community. Our own Company Programme 1BUSPOT #BOL PG *SFMBOE 6MTUFS 6OJWFSTJUZ #VTJOFTT 4DIPPM BOE Allstate NI all play a big role.â&#x20AC;?

www.yeni.co.uk

Eye on Awards

WORKPLACE AND EMPLOYMENT AWARDS 2019 LAUNCH

TALENT EQUALS SUCCESS

Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards 2019 business partners (from left) Janet Calvert, Public Health Agency; Orlagh Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neill, Carson McDowell; Stephen Miller, Miller Hospitality; Isabel Jennings, Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University; Noel Doran (Irish News editor); Sam Davidson, Henderson Group; John Hansen, KPMG; Louise McAleer, Progressive Building Society; Laura Cowan, Titanic Belfast; and Gary McDonald (Irish News business editor). Picture by Declan Roughan.

The 13th running of the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards, which is now up and running for entries, will continue with its unashamed focus of recognising and rewarding talent, with its 2019 strapline being TALENT EQUALS SUCCESS.

launch event for the awards - which take place in Titanic #FMGBTU PO 5IVSTEBZ +VOF - was held in Hicksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point, presided PWFS CZ ##$ QSFTFOUFS ,BSFO 1BUUFSTPO and at which the guest speaker was former investment banker Darragh McCarthy, chief executive and GPVOEFS PG #FMGBTU BOE %FSSZ CBTFE financial services group FinTrU. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These awards are unique in the market in that they focus not on profit and loss sheets, but on the positive work companies do

in motivating their people and retaining their key talent,â&#x20AC;? Irish News editor Noel Doran said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Northern Ireland is at near full employment, and the war for talent shows no sign of abating. Employee experience is becoming as big an issue for companies and organisations as the customer experience. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In other words, if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the motivated and talented employee, you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the customer.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Companies need to engage with the hearts and minds of their employees, who expect workplaces to stand for more than profit alone. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple - when people are engaged, they work better and feel motivated.â&#x20AC;? This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s WEA initiative also sees the introduction of an overall Employer of the Year award, which the judges will select from all the entries received. And as well as the kudos of being named as overall Employer of the Year, the winner will also receive a special engagement workshop from the WEAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new well-being partner Ulster Orchestra which will enable further employee engagement. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This should be a tremendous additional incentive for companies and organisations to continue to participate in the Workplace & Employment Awards, as theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

done in their many hundreds since 2007,â&#x20AC;? Mr Doran added. The Workplace & Employment Awards launch was attended by representatives from many of Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading business organisations and trade groups, along with past winners and senior managers from the Irish News initiativeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eight business partners. Returning as sponsors for 2019 are Carson McDowell, The Public Health Agency, Henderson Group, Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University and venue QBSUOFS 5JUBOJD #FMGBTU XIP XJMM join three new business partners JO .JMMFS )PTQJUBMJUZ ,1.( BOE 1SPHSFTTJWF #VJMEJOH 4PDJFUZ In his address to guests, Mr McCarthy reiterated the awards theme when he said there is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;hugely competitive war for new talentâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and that attracting, retaining and developing the best people

Eye on Awards is imperative for the success and growth of any business. He said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is undoubtedly one of the pre-eminent awards in Northern Ireland, and I can only encourage every company out there to make the effort to enter, because if you are fortunate enough to be present at the WEAs in the glitz of the Titanic, it is a ringing endorsement of who you are and what you want to be. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It will help you build your brand, win more business and, in this hugely competitive war for new talent, will set you apart as being more nimble and more agile. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From FinTrUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be striving to again get to the top of the pile, because winning a WEA award last year was a massive boost for us. It gives you proud employees for life, staff with a winning mentality. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As an entrepreneur, you can be either optimistic or pessimistic. However, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big difference. pessimist worries about bad things twice â&#x20AC;&#x201C; before they happen BOE XIFO UIFZ IBQQFO #VU BO optimist worries about those bad things just once â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when they IBQQFO 0OMZ XPSSZ BCPVU #SFYJU and all the bad things when they happen. For now letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s get on with nurturing our workplace talent.â&#x20AC;? Entries for the 2019 Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards will remain open until Friday May 3, with the finalists being announced on Thursday May 16. More details at www.irishnews.com/wea. Follow us on Twitter at @irishnewsWEA

John Brolly, Marketing Manager at the Irish News, Lisa James of Devenish Nutrition, Chris Morrow of NI Chamber and Gareth McKeown Business Journalist at the Irish News .

Conor Donnell Marketing Manager of FinTrU, Gary McDonald of the Irish News, Stephen Kelly of Manufacturing NI and Darragh McCarthy, FinTrU founder & CEO.

Isobel Jennings of QUB and Dominic Fitzpatrick, Managing Director of Irish News.

Karen Patterson, MC launches the Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards at Hicksonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point.

Eye on Tourism

Belfast Launches Business Tourism Campaign

BELFAST MAKES SENSE! Visit Belfast, has launched a new marketing campaign.

mphasising the importance of CVTJOFTT UPVSJTN UP #FMGBTU BOE Northern Ireland and developed CZ 7JTJU #FMGBTU XJUI NBKPS QBSUOFST from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thriving tourism industry o #FMGBTU .BLFT 4FOTF o XBT PGGJDJBMMZ launched at the start of International Confex 2019 in London today. Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, International Confex is one of the largest, dedicated exhibitions for the 6, NFFUJOHT FWFOUT BOE FYIJCJUJPOT

industry, which is worth at least ÂŁ40 billion annually to the economy. 'PDVTFE PO (SFBU #SJUBJO BOE international markets, the digital-led campaign is the largest dedicated business tourism marketing initiative ever undertaken by the city, incorporating a new website, compelling video content, targeted advertising and public relations to support ambitious sales growth. Uniquely, the year-long campaign will also feature a range of high profile

Belfastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official tourism marketing agency, Visit Belfast, has launched a brand new marketing campaign designed to rapidly accelerate the volume of inbound business conferences and events taking place in the city.

conference and event organisers and new testimonials from previous clients who are championing the city based on their own positive experience. The campaign was developed through investment and collaboration of many of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading private and public sector organisations including Tourism /PSUIFSO *SFMBOE *$$ #FMGBTU 5#- *OUFSOBUJPOBM 2VFFO T 6OJWFSTJUZ #FMGBTU (FPSHF #FTU #FMGBTU $JUZ "JSQPSU #SJUJTI Airways and many of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading accommodation providers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Hastings Hotel Group, Andras Hotel Group, %BMBUB )PUFM (SPVQ )JMUPO #FMGBTU Ten Square Hotel and Titanic Hotel. -PSE .BZPS PG #FMGBTU $MMS Deirdre Hargey, said: i#FMGBTU JT EJWFSTF EZOBNJD BOE ambitious with a shared vision of success and this new campaign underlines the opportunity and choice available to our local, national and international guests who are seeking a compelling, connected and easily accessible destination in which to host an important conference or event.â&#x20AC;? %JSFDUMZ QSPNPUJOH #FMGBTU T DPOGJEFOU expertise in delivering high quality events, its wide range of modern venues and accommodation, ease of access, value for money and its key sectoral strengths, the campaign will run until early 2020 to ensure the city remains front-of-mind when key booking decisions are made. 7JTJU #FMGBTU DIJFG FYFDVUJWF Gerry Lennon, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Already a premier conference MPDBUJPO #FMGBTU IBT CFFO OBNFE CZ leading events industry influencer and publisher Conference & Incentive 5SBWFM $ *5 BT A#FTU &WFOUT %FTUJOBUJPO XIJMF *$$ #FMGBTU JT JUT A#FTU &WFOUT 7FOVF GPS â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a strong-performing city and we are ambitious. With a record 100 conferences secured since April and more than 150,000 delegate arrivals in the last five years alone, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m excited that this collaborative, industry-led campaign will help in ensuring that our story and our strengths are widely shared.â&#x20AC;?

-BTU NPOUI #FMGBTU XBT DPOGJSNFE BT the official destination for the annual 2019 C&IT Agency Forum. Only the second time to be held outside London JO JUT ZFBS IJTUPSZ #FMGBTU XJMM OPX IPTU NPSF UIBO PG UIF 6, T MFBEJOH event planners and suppliers at this important industry event this summer. A separate event to take place in the same week â&#x20AC;&#x201C; C&ITâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Corporate 'PSVN o XJMM BMTP CF IFME JO #FMGBTU for the first time in what is another major coup for the city. Tourism Northern Ireland chief executive, John McGrillen, said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;As the strategic leader of business tourism in Northern Ireland, Tourism NI is delighted to support our key partner 7JTJU #FMGBTU JO UIF EFMJWFSZ PG UIF A#FMGBTU .BLFT 4FOTF DBNQBJHO #VTJOFTT tourism, specifically conferences and incentives, is emerging as a key priority for future growth and has a propensity to spread higher spending visitors around Northern Ireland at traditionally quieter times of the year. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are fortunate to have a range of unique and unusual venues to accommodate meetings, conferences, events, gala dinners and incentive groups across Northern Ireland, with #FMGBTU JO QBSUJDVMBS GBTU CFDPNJOH a destination of choice. This latest campaign is an important step towards reaching our collective aim of making business tourism a ÂŁ60 million sector annually for our economy.â&#x20AC;? #FMGBTU JT DVSSFOUMZ POF PG UIF 6, and Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading destinations for the meetings, incentive, conference BOE FWFOUT .*$& JOEVTUSZ Since April, more than 100 conferences have been secured for the city, representing an economic impact of around ÂŁ46 million â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and in the last five years alone, the team at Visit #FMGBTU XPSLJOH XJUI JUT QBSUOFST has successfully attracted over 400 prestigious conferences from all over the world, bringing 150,000 delegates UP #FMGBTU BOE DPOUSJCVUJOH B DPNCJOFE economic benefit of more than ÂŁ200 million benefit for the local economy.

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14/01/2019 11:57:32 1 Tourism Ireland has announced the appointment of Ciaran Doherty to the new position of Stakeholder Liaison Manager – Northern Ireland. Ciaran will take up the post immediately, working from Tourism Ireland’s office in Coleraine. He was previously Digital Campaigns Manager for Tourism Ireland and, before that, held responsibility for business partnerships, access development, website and social media strategy.

1 Ciaran Doherty

2 Scott Howes

3 Laura Connor

2 Scott Howes has been appointed Public Engagement and Education Manager at W5, Northern Ireland’s Science and Discovery Centre. Scott will head up the team of educators at the centre to promote learning opportunities for children and adults in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). One of his roles will be to engage with schools, teachers, young people and members of the public to spark interest in science and technology. Law firm Tughans has appointed two new Associate 3 Solicitors to its Defence Litigation Team. Laura Connor has extensive experience in County Court and High Court motor, liability and public liability 4 cases. Dearbhla Lavery moves from a commercial firm in Dublin specialising in litigation work.

4 Dearbhla Lavery

5 Derek Wilson

5 Derek Wilson, who served as Chairman of UK Finance’s Mortgage Policy Committee (formally Council of Mortgage Lenders) for Northern Ireland for 10 years, has been appointed to the board of Co-Ownership, the shared ownership specialist. Derek, who has had a 38-year career in banking with experience in personal, commercial and business lending, also joins Co-Ownership’s Finance & HR Committee. Derek was Head of Mortgage Strategy and Distribution at First Trust and prior to that was Head of Lending Products at Ulster Bank.

eComm Live: NI’S FIRST ECOMMERCE CONFERENCE LAUNCHES IN BELFAST

(L-R) Dan Loughlin from IRP Commerce, Mark Lilley from Groundswell, Lyndsey Doherty of Origin Digital, Kevin Traynor, founder of eComm Live, Jenny Ervine from Airpos and Glyn Roberts, CEO of Retail NI.

Northern Ireland’s first ever dedicated ecommerce conference was launched recently in Belfast. eComm Live 2019 is aimed at retailers – including both those already selling online and those who are keen to start - digital agencies, ecommerce

professionals, entrepreneurs and marketeers. The event, which will take place at the Life Church in Belfast on May 2, was founded by entrepreneur and experienced digital marketing professional Kevin Traynor, to provide a resource for the fast-growing number of businesses selling online in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that ecommerce revenues hit £69bn in the UK last year, with some 80 per cent of people having bought something online and fashion representing the largest percentage of sales. “The inaugural 2019 eComm Live Conference will be a celebration of excellence across the entire ecommerce industry in the UK & Ireland. It will be NI’s first conference dedicated entirely to ecommerce professionals, entrepreneurs, product and platform providers, digital marketers and agencies – or anyone who wants to learn about selling online,” he said. “Digital commerce is booming and given the explosive growth of e-commerce I felt there was a need for a new conference to give the professionals working in the industry up to date information, insights and analysis on key ecommerce trends.” More than 200 ecommerce professionals are expected to attend eComm Live to hear nationally renowned speakers, such as Gemma Spence, CEO of Omnicom Media Group’s ecommerce division and

NI ecommerce experts including IRP Commerce, Groundswell, Origin Digital and Airpos. The event is also supported by trade body Retail NI. Its Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said that while some traditional high street retailers have struggled to compete with online retailers, many other retail businesses have embraced ecommerce to expand their customer base. “Retail NI is proud to support the first eComm Live event. While online shopping has undoubtedly changed the landscape for smaller independent retailers and high street chains, we are increasingly seeing retailers find new opportunities by adding ecommerce channels to their offer,” said Glyn. “How we interact, discover, purchase and return goods has become much more integrated and this conference represents a great chance for retailers who might be thinking about linking their digital and in-store experiences to learn from their peers and industry experts.” Topics to be discussed at eComm Live will include: UX in ecommerce; SEO for eCommerce; how will AI impact retailers; and how content is key in growing your ecommerce business. For more information or to register for tickets please visit https://www.ecomm.live

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14/01/2019 11:57:32 6 Matthew McKee has been appointed Forensic Investigation Services Manager at Grant Thornton in Belfast. With extensive experience in all aspects of eDiscovery and Artificial Intelligence Solutions for the legal sector, Matthew will specialise in eDiscovery and Legal Technology services, providing end to end advice and technical assistance to law firms and corporates. 7 Shane Donnelly joins property-finance specialist Ortus Secured Finance as a Director. Heading up the company’s Belfast operations, Shane is responsible for managing all aspects of the local business to establish the Ortus brand as the leading challenger funder in the Northern Ireland property market.

6 Matthew McKee

9 Peter Hughes

7 Shane Donnelly

8 Bronagh Clarke

Kestrel Foods has announced the appointment 8 of Bronagh Clarke as the firm’s new Marketing Director who will sit on the senior leadership team as well as the company’s operating board. A dynamic marketeer, with 15 years FMCG experience, Bronagh is responsible for the strategic direction of the marketing and sales departments and the development of the Forest Feast and Acti-Snack brands in domestic and international markets. 9 Peter Hughes has been appointed as the User Experience Designer at Decision Time, working alongside the wider product development team. Peter brings 11 years of experience in working on digital products with clients in a variety of sectors. Peter started his career as a designer after graduating from Ulster University with a BSc in Interactive Multimedia 10 Design. Also Gail McKenna has been appointed as Marketing Manager, responsible for overseeing the marketing function at the governance solutions firm. Gail has strong global experience in the IT industry, having previously implemented integrated campaigns throughout EMEA and APAC regions.

10 Gail McKenna

Lookers Annual Conference Comes To Belfast

he Lookers motor retail group’s annual conference saw over 700 senior figures from across the business come together to celebrate with guests in Belfast, the home of the group’s Charles Hurst division and its iconic 20-acre automotive retail park on Boucher Road. The event took place at Belfast’s premier conference centre, the ICC, which was chosen because of its state-of-theart conference auditorium and fantastic catering facilities. Belfast was the perfect backdrop for the group to celebrate its Charles Hurst division and the huge contribution it has made to the wider business since it was acquired in 1996. The event gave Lookers colleagues from right across the UK the chance to network and share ideas as well as reflect on the successes of the previous year. Among the milestones highlighted were the acquisition of the Jennings Group and the impressive Lookers Electric Charge, which raised £215,755 for industry charity Ben through an electric car relay across its entire dealership network. Highlights of the conference were guest speakers Sarah Stirk, Sky Sports presenter and award-winning

author of ‘The Barcelona Way’ Damian Hughes, who shared their own insights into people management gleaned from the world of sport. Lookers Chief Executive Andy Bruce and Chief Operating Officer Nigel McMinn also used their presentations to highlight the group’s desire to become a truly diverse and inclusive employer and retailer. With this year’s event themed around the “We are Lookers” and “Lookers is for Everyone” slogans, attendees were reminded that the group has been named in the Sunday Times 25 Big Best Companies to Work For in the UK 2019, as well as a ‘Top Employer’ by the Top Employers Institute for the third year in a row. Both Andy and Nigel also applauded efforts to attract more women into the business, particularly within nontraditional roles. This has seen 17 female apprentices join the business over the last two years, the majority of which have been in technical positions. To show just how much the business values its people, Nigel McMinn also announced the 2019 finalists of the Lookers Excellence Awards, which will see 100 finalists and their guests treated to

an all-expenses paid trip to Berlin in May, where the winners will be announced. Andy Bruce said: “The Lookers General Manager’s Conference is very much the highlight of our calendar here at Lookers and a fantastic way to stop and take stock of the progression we have made over the last 12 months. This year we chose to look at the many multi-faceted contributions made by our talented and dedicated people, right across the group. Nigel McMinn said: “This year’s conference was a huge success and will no doubt help to inspire our people to go on and achieve even greater success

once they get back to their respective dealerships. Our industry is facing some major challenges at present, however, what our conference has highlighted is that Lookers continues to buck the trend in a number of areas and its our diverse mix of people and skills that have helped us to achieve this.” Heike O’Leary, Group Marketing Director added: “Belfast has been a fantastic location and a very gracious host. The fully integrated service provided to us by ‘Visit Belfast’, the Hastings group, the ICC and the various catering and event supporters, was nothing but outstanding!”

Eye on Awards

Electric Ireland Scoop An Unprecedented Five European Sponsorship Awards

Irish energy provider awarded top accolade for second year running The Electric Ireland team celebrate an unprecedented 5 golds including best overall campaign at the 2019 European Sponsorship Awards in London. Pictured [L-R] are Niall Dineen, Lynne Darcy, Anne Smyth, Maeve Galvin, Nicola O’ Leary, Clare McAllister, Andy Westlake (Chair of ESA) and Comedian, Ed Byrne.

lectric Ireland took home five awards at the 2019 European Sponsorship Awards, in Café de Paris, London on 28th Feb. The awards recognise the best sponsorships across Europe. Electric Ireland’s impressive showing included the most prestigious Sponsorship of the Year Award. The awards recognise Electric Ireland’s work with two key social issues – the role of women in sport (Game Changers with the Irish Football

Association) and suicide prevention (Darkness into Light with Pieta House). The awards included:-:

t .BTT 1BSUJDJQBUJPO 4QPOTPSTIJQ GPS Darkness Into Light with Pieta House t $43 1BSUOFSTIJQ "XBSET GPS %BSLOFTT

t 4QPOTPSTIJQ PG UIF :FBS GPS HJSMT and women’s Game Changers campaign with the Irish FA t $PNNVOJUZ 4QPOTPSTIJQ "XBSE GPS girls and women’s Game Changers campaign with the Irish FA t 4QPSU 4QPOTPSTIJQ N GPS HJSMT and women’s Game Changers campaign with the Irish FA

Commenting, Clare McAllister, Northern Ireland Residential Manager, Electric Ireland, said, “We are delighted that our Game Changers and Darkness Into Light campaigns have been recognised as best in Europe across five award categories. To win the Best Overall European Sponsorship award for

Game Changers pays testament to our partnership with Irish FA. Our sponsorship investments are based on a deep understanding of the concerns and passions of our customers and it is great to get this recognition on the European stage for programmes that resonate with consumers. We have enjoyed considerable success in these awards over the years and now hold ten European Sponsorship Awards.’’

Eye on Awards

Members of the Electric Ireland team celebrate winning an unprecedented 5 golds at the European Sponsorship Awards in London. They included; Best CSR, Best Mass Participation, Best Sports <£1m, Best Community and Best Overall for their Game Changers and Darkness Into Light Campaigns.

Irish Football Association NI, Women’s and Girls Soccer – Game Changers Campaign Working with the Irish FA, Electric Ireland created Game Changers, a campaign designed to increase awareness and participation levels within the female game in Northern Ireland driven by our primary business objective of growing brand awareness and reaching out to all parts of the community.

Lynne Darcy, Anne Smyth and Clare McAllister are pictured with Ed Byrne as the collect the “best overall” award for Electric Ireland’s “Game Changers” campaign which supports girls and women’s football across Northern Ireland. The campaign was recognised at the 2019 European Sponsorship Awards held in London.

For more information on Electric Ireland’s sponsorship activity please visit: electricireland.ie

Darkness Into Light Sponsorship

Electric Ireland succeeded in integrating itself into the fabric of what was a challenging community and improving women’s football in Northern Ireland through the implementation of various player focused programmes. The campaign supports programmes for all age groups to ensure there is a clear player pathway for emerging talent. The success of this is evident by our youngest Game Changers programme, the Electric Ireland Shooting Stars programme for 4-7 year olds, recently endorsed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Since our partnership with the Irish FA began in early 2017, Northern Ireland has seen a 25% increase in participation of women’s football and more than 10,000 girls and women playing every week. With these results, it can truly be said that our campaign has helped change the game of women’s football in Northern Ireland for the better.

Electric Ireland has supported Pieta house with Darkness into Light since 2013. The partnership reflects Electric Ireland’s values as an organisation and was recognised for its marketing and consumer insight that has helped achieve a greater understanding and awareness of the issues relating to suicide and depression. The 2018 campaign helped motivate 200,000 people to wake up and walk from Darkness into Light at 4.15am and raised €6million for Pieta House’s vital services.

Eye on News

BELTECH 2019: SKILLS SHORTAGE MUST BE ADDRESSED

Mark Brown (Unosquare), Tom Gray (Kainos), Roisin Byrne (Hays), and Stephen McKeown (Allstate) pictured at the launch of BelTech 2019 at Allstate, Belfast.

Barriers to using artificial intelligence are now lower than ever but there is a global shortage of people who understand how to select, design and deliver a successful AI project, according to the curators of major technology conference BelTech 2019.

peaking at the launch of the sixth annual BelTech event, Tom Gray, Group Chief Technology Officer at Kainos, said the theme of this year’s conference is “Intelligent Software” looking at how software can solve the right problems, in the right way. Mr Gray said that cloud-based platforms provided by the likes of Microsoft, Google and Amazon have created opportunities for both technologists and nontechnologists to use machine learning in a meaningful way without major startup, or operational costs.

However, the rapid development of AI has created a global skills deficit, which means there are not enough people with the understanding to know whether a problem they are facing is a good candidate for AI or the skills to implement the solution. This is also a significant challenge in Northern Ireland, but one which represents an opportunity to create a dynamic local AI industry if government, academia and industry collaborate in a timely fashion. “Software engineering remains a core focus of BelTech and, with the rise of AI, we are focused on

solving problems in an efficient and ethical way, not on using the technology for the sake of it. We’ll be challenging software professionals to think carefully about how and what they are doing and the wider implications of their work,” said Tom Gray. “The biggest challenge with AI is whether those who are developing software are being ethically mature in their approach. The barriers to access for AI, and digital platforms generally, are much lower than they were and that creates a need for us all to be more intelligent in our approach to creating software solutions.” BelTech 2019, which takes place on April 11, is the premier technology event for local software practitioners, business leaders, entrepreneurs and young people aspiring to break into the industry. The event is curated by Northern Ireland-based digital solutions provider Kainos Software and will

feature influential international speakers from the worlds of Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, and Design. The conference is hosted by prominant members of Northern Ireland’s tech community including Aislinn Aislinn McBride (Kainos), David Anderson (Liberty IT) Joe McKavanagh (Kainos), Rachel Gawley (PwC) Austin Tanney (Kainos), Kathryn Harkin (Allstate), and Gemma Crothers (Kainos). Local speakers include Chris Johnston of Adoreboard, Oliver Lennon of Syndeo, with headline speakers set to be confirmed next month. Sponsors of BelTech 2019 also include AWS, Allstate, Hays and Unosquare. This year BelTech is also launching a new stream as part of the programme which is aimed at technologists with an interest in the application and growth of technology. The new BelTech Business stream will focus on innovators looking to build technology that will enhance business in Northern Ireland. During the two day conference, speakers from local and global high tech organisations will interact with attendees at a series of workshops and keynote presentations, while 400 post-primary students will have the opportunity to attend inspirational sessions about sustainable digital career paths. Organisations taking part in BelTech 2019 include All State, Amazon, Liberty IT and PWC. Speakers for BelTech2019 will be announced over the coming weeks. Conference passes are available for £75 +VAT for a single ticket, with a Tech Tribe ticket for three delegates available at £200 +VAT. Early bird tickets are available until March 31. For more information please visit www.beltech.co or find BelTech on Twitter @Beltech2019 or #Beltech2019.

Eye on Internet

“The computers were down last week – we had a great time.” By Gareth Dunlop, Fathom.

We have a client in Dublin who has a laugh-out-loud funny guy on reception. He’s a proper inner-city Dub who quite rightly mocks the foppish middle-class ways of the punters coming and going in the posh reception in HQ at the heart of Dublin’s financial services district.

he Fathom team is in and out regularly and over the months and years he has got to know us all by name, could match most of us to our favourite sport and team and is always ready for us with some banter on arrival. It’s not an exaggeration to say we always look forward to chatting with him as a highlight of a visit and we often speculate on the train journey south from Belfast to Dublin what mischief he might be up to on any given day. That was until last year, when a virtual assistant, in the form of an iPad on a plinth, was foisted upon both he and us. No longer did we give the guy our names: we typed them into the iPad. We no longer told the guy who we were meeting or what company we were from: we told the computer. And we no longer had any banter with the dude – such frivolity was forbidden! The virtual assistant then texted the person we were in to see, and printed out a name label, whereupon the heretofore hero of our story would attach the printout to a badge and hand it over. Our hero would give a knowing glance and we would take our seats. I have used the virtual assistant now dozens of times and for the life of me I cannot understand a single benefit it brings to customers, the organisation or my man behind

the desk. All I can see is a soulless interaction with a computer, a caged funnyman, and no time or money saved in the process of letting our client know that we have arrived. This non-solution can only have been suggested by someone who has never spent any time in reception, doesn’t like jokes, and who has never considered how stressed humans work, middle-class or otherwise.

be funny for the story to be important. Nor does he need to be male. The receptionist just needs to be warm, human and welcoming for the tale to matter. A few years ago, our local general practice surgery set off down the same road to madness. They didn’t so much replace a funnyman with an iPad on a plinth as replace as series of friendly receptionists with a cold screen in the porch

“I have used the virtual assistant now dozens of times and for the life of me I cannot understand a single benefit it brings to customers, the organisation or my man behind the desk.” As a result of this nonsense, my banter with our man is now limited to me teasing him that he’s not allowed to talk to me now as it’s too inefficient and that only the computer is allowed to communicate with me. He joked last time I was in “The computers were down last week. We had a great time – we were talking to people and everything”. Well I say joked. He was deadly serious. And what’s more he was deadly correct. The guy doesn’t need to

(not even in the main foyer or reception) asking all patients to enter their date of birth to register for their appointment. I remember being shocked the first time I saw it, and I’m a self-confessed computer geek, who loves technology and was just in for something minor. The thought of an elderly or infirm person, unfamiliar with technology, in for a check-up or to receive lifealtering news, being greeted by a screen asking them for their date of birth just sits terribly uneasily

with me. In this instance it may add to the efficient running of the surgery but at what human cost? When technology and design are abstracted to their highest level, surely they exist solely for the enrichment and betterment of human life? What other purpose should they serve? Might I suggest therefore that technology and design professionals consider embracing their equivalent of the medical principle primum non nocere – first, do no harm – to ensure that rather than making the world colder or less humourous or harsher, it enriches human life to its fullest capability.

Gareth Dunlop owns and runs Fathom, a user-experience consultancy which helps ambitious organisations get the most from their website and internet marketing by viewing the world from the perspective of their customers. Specialist areas include UX strategy, usability testing and customer journey planning, web accessibility and integrated online marketing. Clients include Three, NHS Scotland, firmus energy, Kingspan, AIB and Tesco Mobile. Visit Fathom online at fathom.pro.

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

MJM Mark Five Years Since Mivan Takeover

rian, Naoimh and Conleth McConville, MJM Group, are celebrating five years at the helm of one of Northern Ireland’s best known specialist fitout company’s, Mivan. The McConville family took over Antrim based Mivan five years ago this month. Since 2014 they have supported the team to grow the

business year on year in the land based and marine sectors. They now have a workforce of more than 200 people with 40 of these roles created in 2018. Naoimh McAteer, Director and Conleth McConville, Director are pictured presenting John Cunningham, Managing Director, Mivan with an artwork to mark the occasion.

NEWRY HOSTS BREXIT EVENT

aking part in the ‘Brexit: What’s Next’ business breakfast event hosted by the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade sponsored by law firm Eversheds Sutherland at the Canal Court Hotel and Spa were, Liam Hannaway, Chief Executive, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Clare Guinness, Chief

Executive, Warrenpoint Harbour, Paul Convery, Newry Chamber President, Peter Curran, Commercial Partner, Eversheds Sutherland, Lisa Bryson, Partner, Employment & Immigration, Eversheds Sutherland and Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive Manufacturing NI. Over 120 guests attended the event hosted by broadcaster Mark Carruthers.

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

Selective Travel RTE’s Tribute To Sir Management Partners William Hastings With CLIC Sargent R

icki Ewart (left) is pictured with Keith Graham, MD Selective Travel Management, Angela McKay, General Manager, Selective Travel Management and

Fiona McCann, Senior Fundraising Manager, Click Sargent at the recent announcement that the company has nominated the charity for their 2019 fundraising campaign.

Fitzwilliam Hotel Celebrates Ten Years At The Heart Of Belfast

he Fitzwilliam Hotel is celebrating its tenth birthday this month after opening its doors to the public for the first time in March 2009. Over the last decade the award-winning five-star hotel has become one of the leading fashionable boutique accommodations in worldwide travel and is a renowned name in the tourism industry in Belfast and further afield. Affectionately known as ‘The Fitz’ by locals, it is the epitome of style and excellence. The Fitzwilliam has worked hard to continuously provide personal experiences for its guests. This dedication to guest service has helped welcome over 60,000 guests each year, including high profile guests such as Rihanna, Katy Perry, and Hillary and President Bill Clinton. The Fitzwilliam Hotel prides itself on its people and the ability to go above and beyond guest expectations such as a receptionist providing a guest with a choice of three evening gowns after she realised she had forgotten her own. Or when a member of the

TE has paid tribute to the late Sir William Hastings in the new series of Strictly Business, which is presented by fashion designer and entrepreneur Sonya Lennon, and follows the fortunes of six small Irish businesses as they endeavour to make it big. After being made redundant, Wicklow man Eoin Shanley set up Copper Fish Studio, a unique artisan studio that creates bespoke lighting pieces. The uniqueness of Eoin’s work stems from the origin of each creation which is finished off with the highest spec LED ‘show piece’ bulbs with an average lifespan of 30.

concierge team drove halfway to Dublin to reunite one of their youngest guests with his favourite teddy bear; much to the relief of Mum and Dad! Throughout the last ten years, the Fitzwilliam has played a central role within the tourism and hospitality sector in Northern Ireland bringing growth and development to the sector. To date this includes a £5 million investment and £400,000 investment in one suite alone. The latest phase of refurbishment saw the addition of a further 16 luxury bedrooms, a stunning new penthouse suite and exceptional meeting rooms. The Penthouse, on the 9th floor is a stand-out space, representing the pinnacle of luxury accommodation with panoramic views over the city, a private wrap around roof terrace, baby grand piano and has been completed in time for visitors attending this year’s British Open at Royal Portrush. General Manager of the Fitzwilliam Hotel, Cian Landers said: “It has been a phenomenal ten years for the Fitzwilliam and it has been a privilege to see

The Hastings family was asked to give Eoin something that was close to Sir William’s heart and after some thought, Lady Hastings decided upon a piece of Mourne Granite to reflect her late husband’s love of the famous County Down mountains. The end result is a bespoke lamp designed by Eoin using Mourne granite, and it was presented to Lady Joy Hastings recently by the artist and now takes pride of place in the Sir William Hastings Suite in the Grand Central Hotel.

Pictured celebrating 10 years of the Fitzwilliam are long serving employees Marian McGreevy, James McAteer, Caroline Snowden, Stephanie Sheerin and Terry Brady with Janine Gelston, Director of Sales and Marketing and Cian Landers, General Manager.

the hotel go from strength to strength. The hotel’s success is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our employees who have helped The Fitzwilliam to become the top hotel choice in Belfast.”

Eye on News

Ardmore Advertising in UK Top 100 Independent Agencies A

Pictured (L-R, sitting) are Hannah Smyth, Account Director, Mark Irwin, Managing Director, Joanna McGuigan, Senior Account Manager, (L-R, standing) Mark Thompson, Media Director, Trevor Craig, Finance Director and Chris Lyttle, Deputy Creative Director.

rdmore Advertising has been listed in the UK Top 100 Independent Agencies following The Drum’s 2018 Independent Agencies Census, the most comprehensive study of UK marketing and communications firms with over 160 firms submitting themselves for consideration in 2018. The Drum is a global media platform with the biggest marketing website in Europe. Their Independent Agencies Census analyses the best-run independent agencies in the UK by ranking them based on analysis of two years’ worth of data across six different metrics, including client satisfaction scores and financial performance. Lead by John Keane, Chairman of the prestigious global advertising and marketing network Worldwide Partners Inc., Ardmore’s fully integrated approach to advertising has cemented its position

as one of the leading independent advertising agencies in Northern Ireland. This listing rounds off a very successful 2018 for Ardmore, a year in which they won NI Media Agency of the Year as well as securing Lidl as another esteemed client. Ardmore Managing Director, Mark Irwin said: ‘We are very excited to be listed in the Drum’s Top 100 Independent Agencies. Being listed among our peers is a brilliant acknowledgement of the entire team’s hard work. This listing demonstrates our dedication to providing outstanding results for our clients through our integrated marketing and communications services. By continuing to invest in new skills and talent in a rapidly-evolving media environment, we are looking forward to continuing to deliver exceptional results in the coming year.’

Bavarian BMW Named as BMW Retailer of the Year

Graeme Grieve CEO BMW UK (second from right), presenting Joe Rogers, Head of Business Bavarian BMW (second from left); Philip Murphy, Aftersales Director Bavarian BMW (left) and Keith Craig, Sales Director Bavarian BMW (right), with the national BMW Retailer of the Year award.

Agnew Group’s Bavarian BMW Belfast dealership has claimed the prestigious Retailer of the Year award at the German car manufacturer’s annual awards event which took place last month. 76

eld in Lisbon, the BMW Retailer of the Year Awards handed a total of 11 accolades to the UK’s best franchised operators, but Bavarian BMW in Belfast secured the top spot on the night. As well as claiming the overall accolade of BMW Retailer of the Year, Bavarian BMW also claimed the BMW Retailer of the Year Marketing Champion award, capping off a hugely successful night for the Northern Ireland team. Discussing the achievement Joe Rogers, Head of Business for Bavarian BMW, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the BMW Retailer of the Year award for a record fourth time! The team has been working diligently across all aspects of the business to deliver exceptional service and to receive this accolade simply acknowledges the effort that they invest day and daily to exceed customer expectations. I want to congratulate and thank the team. I’m really proud of them.” Joe adds: “The awards are a great

way of benchmarking service provision. Considering all the various disciplines of the business are assessed means you need to take a holistic look at what you do. From the moment someone walks into the dealership you are considering the service they receive when browsing, right through to how information is communicated throughout the journey. Every step of the process is critical.” There was further recognition on the evening for the Bavarian BMW team when they won the BMW Retailer of the Year Marketing Champion award. Commenting on this success Keith Craig, Sales Director for Bavarian BMW, said: “We aim to make it as easy as possible for customers to find out about new technologies, exciting offers and new vehicles. We consistently use customer feedback to refine the ways in which we share information. Our website’s functionality is also tailored to ensure customers can access services at a time that suits them. It’s brilliant to win this award as it reinforces that we have a great team here in Belfast”.

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Why Choose Personal Contract Hire To Fund Your New Vehicle? 1 Great deals on offer

4 Enjoy the benefits of a brand new car

DFC are in partnership with some of the largest finance companies in the UK & Europe who regularly purchase in excess of 100,000 vehicles per year. This allows DFC to take advantage of that buying power, giving the customer access to deals that are not available at dealerships and that traditionally would have been reserved for fleet buyers.

2 Avoid tying up your money Many people end up putting their hard earned savings into cars that will lose more than half of their value within 3 years. With Personal Contract Hire you can keep your savings in the bank and still drive the car you desire for a small deposit and an affordable monthly payment. If you have a car that you want to trade in, DFC can offer you a cash sum which could pay for your deposit and possibly more besides!

3 Drive a better car

Driving a brand new car means that your vehicle will be more reliable and covered by a manufacturer’s warranty, should anything go wrong. In addition, you’ll be able to enjoy the latest in-car technology, safety features and fuel efficient engines.

5 Avoid Company Car Tax Cars with high CO2 emissions and high P11d values attract high rates of company car tax. Personal Contract Hire may be a more tax efficient option for many company car drivers.

6 Avoid paying road tax and the hassle of MOT With Personal Contract Hire, road tax is included in your monthly payments for the duration of the agreement. One less thing to budget for! In Northern Ireland, vehicles do not require an annual MOT check until their 4th birthday. By that time the car will more than likely be somebody else’s responsibility.

7 Pay less VAT

With Personal Contract Hire, you only pay the car’s depreciation for the lease period, not the value of the car. As a result, your monthly payments are typically lower compared with other types of car finance like Personal Contract Purchase or Hire Purchase. This allows you to drive a better make, model or trim level of vehicle for your monthly budget.

With Personal Contract Hire, VAT is paid on the monthly hire amount and not on the total cost of the car!

avoid having to negotiate a part exchange with car dealerships, which let’s face it, is not an enjoyable experience! Many Personal Contract Purchase customers also find that when they reach the end of their agreement they have little equity, no equity or even negative equity. This often results in a huge increase in their monthly payments when they try to change, especially if they paid a large cash deposit or if they used the full value of their part exchange as a deposit the last time. With Personal Contract Hire, there are no concerns about depreciation or equity. You simply hand the car back at the end of the agreement. Your only worry is what car you should go for next time!

9 Take control of your monthly vehicle spend For a fixed monthly price DFC can offer you a maintenance package which will cover all of your servicing costs, as well as replacement wear-andtear items such as tyres, batteries, brake pads, wiper blades etc. Take out a maintenance package with your Personal Contract Hire agreement and all you have to do is insure your new car and put fuel in it! This is a great way to strengthen your ability to budget.

10 Impartial advice 8 Avoid the pitfalls of manufacturer finance deals (e.g. Personal Contract Purchase) Unlike Personal Contract Purchase, there is no haggling over the final value of the car and you can

Local Company Local People Local Service

As an independent leasing broker, DFC is not tied to any particular manufacturer or dealership. We continuously scan the market for the best deals and present these to the customer in an unbiased manner.

DFC is Northern Ireland’s only major independent locally owned Vehicle Management Company. For almost 30 years DFC have supplied, funded and managed cars and vans. We are confident we can provide a cost effective solution for your business or individual needs.

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

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Personal Contract Hire versus Personal Contract Purchase. A comparison... Nissan Qashqai 1.3 DiG-T 140 Acenta Premium

Total Saving on PCH:

£4833.20 48 month PCP (Nissan Finance)

48 month PCH (DFC Offer)

PCH Saving over term

Deposit

£2000.00

£715.00

£1285.00

Monthly Payments

£293.00

£259.00

£1632.00

Road Tax

£420.00

Included

£420.00

Servicing & replacement tyres

£1391.20

Included

£1391.20

Accident Management & Breakdown Cover

£105.00

Included

£105.00

Balloon Payment

£9911.00

N/A

Total Saving:

£4833.20

Personal Contract Hire figures above are based on a 4 year term with a deposit of 3 monthly rentals up front and a contract mileage of 8000 miles per annum. Payments include RFL for the term and maintenance. You will not own the vehicle. Failure to make payments may affect credit rating. Excess mileage charges will apply at contract end if you exceed your contracted mileage. Contract may be subject to further charges depending on the condition/mileage of the vehicle when returned.

To find out more about our offers go to www.dfcbelfast.co.uk/contract-hire-offers, email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk or call us on 028 9073 4222

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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.

Family Cars

Cross Over Cars

Superminis

From £199 + vat/month

From £139 + vat/month

Executive Cars

Saloon Cars

Hatchback Cars

From £199 + vat/month

From £209 + vat/month

From £139 + vat/month

Estate Cars

Electric Cars

Vans

From £219 + vat/month

From £199 + vat/month

From £189 + vat/month

To find out more about our offers go to www.dfcbelfast.co.uk/contract-hire-offers, email sales@dfcbelfast.co.uk or call us on 028 9073 4222 80

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Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

JAGUAR’S COMPACT XE GETS THE CLEANEST DIESEL EVER! Business buyers will be looking closely at the new Jaguar XE and not just because of its eye catching exterior and novel technology.

t is the first premium car to offer a diesel that meets the stringent RDE2 NOx emissions limit, ahead of the January 2021 deadline. This aids company car drivers with a 4% BIK rate cut and also private buyers through a reduced first year VED charge. Because of its lower emissions the XE D180 RWD model is exempted from the 4% supplement to the Benefit-inKind tax imposed on most diesels. Jaguar claims that drivers who travel more than 12,000 miles a year their latest diesels offer the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly choices. Diesels offer around 25% better economy than petrol engines and

produce 15% less carbon dioxide and about the same amount of NOx. The XE has automatic transmission as standard and is available in rear and all-wheel-drive variants. Jaguar’s advanced torque on-demand all-wheel drive (AWD) system and Intelligent Driveline Dynamics technology maintain the XE’s rear-wheel drive handling feel and agility while improving performance, traction and driver confidence in all weather conditions. The 300 PS petrol engine, with all-wheel drive, accelerates from 0-60 mph in 5.4 seconds. For an even more performanceorientated character, R-Dynamic models include additional exterior design elements and interior tweaks, including sports-style seats with contrast stitching, Satin Chrome gearshift paddles and R-Dynamic treadplates. Aluminium makes up 75% of the body and combines with proven

rear and all-wheel drive systems, double wishbone front and integral link rear suspension, plus some of Jaguar’s most advanced engines, for dynamic handling and performance. Standard on all XE models, Dynamic mode amplifies the car’s sporting character, with faster gear shifts, sharper throttle response and increased steering weighting. The optional Configurable Dynamics system lets driver set up the car

to their personal preference by choosing Comfort or Dynamic settings for the engine, gearbox and steering through the central touchscreen. Where specified, Adaptive Dynamics constantly adjusts the dampers to provide the optimum balance between comfort and refinement at all times and in all driving situations. The Jaguar XE is available to order now, starting from £33,915.

SPORTY LITTLE KAMIQ IS THE LATEST SUV FROM SKODA! The Volkswagen group clearly sees room for more growth in the SUV sector.

koda has announced a third such model called the KAMIQ, Like the KAROQ and the KODIAC, its name stems from the language of the Inuit peoples of northern Canada and Greenland. Skoda is describing its little newcomer as its first city SUV, whatever that means. It shares its styling cues with its bigger brothers and they are calling it an ‘emotive design’ with high levels of safety and connectivity. (But is it quite as distinctive as the Yeti was?) All of the KAMIQ’s engines

are direct-injection units with turbochargers. The entry-level engine is a 1.0 TSI delivering 95PS with a manual 5-speed gearbox. Next up is a more powerful 115 PS version of the same engine that comes with a 6-speed gearbox as standard, or a 7-speed DSG option. The top petrol engine is the four-cylinder 1.5 TSI with 150 PS. It can shut down two cylinders to save fuel when the load is light. All three petrol engines are equipped with a petrol particulate filter. Then there is the tax friendly four-cylinder 1.6 TDI diesel engine delivering 115 PS. It comes with an catalytic converter with AdBlue injection and a diesel particulate filter. Standard safety features include

automatic city braking, lane assist and adaptive cruise control to keep the car a safe distance from the one ahead. Up to nine airbags, including a knee airbag and side airbags for the rear seats, protect the passengers in the case of a collision. The level of safety can be increased further with additional optional systems including Park assist. The car’s high degree of

connectivity also enables remote vehicle access via the ŠKODA Connect app or web portal. This feature allows owners to lock and unlock their car or check whether all of its windows are closed – all from a distance. The KAMIQ is expected to cost from £16K, less than the VW T-Roc or SEAT Arona, when it goes on sale in the autumn.

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Motoring with Derek Black dbmotoring@btinternet.com

THE TOYOTA COROLLA IS BACK AND MAJORS ON HYBRIDS! I

What’s in a name? The previous Corolla made it to world best seller back then. Alas, the poor Auris never recovered after a lack lustre launch!

t did grow on me over the years but is never reached the dizzy heights of its predecessor. So Toyota has brought back the Corolla. It was a last minute decision according to some reports as the car was to be launched in Geneva this month as the new Auris. So what does the new Corolla bring to the party? A more rigid body shell and a better suspension set-up raises the prospect of a more dynamic car that would appeal to younger drivers. (Will youngsters remember the Corolla name?) The 1.2 turbo petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox may may be the most fun to drive of the launch range though more performance will be added before long. Toyota is, as usual, majoring on hybrids and there is no diesel option on the Corolla which may deter some business buyers. Instead, there’s a 1.8 hybrid offering a modest 118bhp and a more beefy 2.0

hybrid boasting 176bhp and which can hit 62mph in 7.9 seconds compared to 10.9 for the 1.8h and 9.3 for the 1.2 petrol. The CVT transmission may reduce the driver appeal of the hybrids but their bottom line figures cannot be ignored. Emissions range from 76gm/ km for the 1.8 and from 89g/km for the 2.0. The 1.2-litre petrol car, efficient though it is, is way behind at 128g/ km. Company car tax bands are not yet available but will favour the hybrids. Inside, the Corolla is said to look a lot smarter and comes in Icon, Icon Tech, Design and Excel trims. There are hatchback and Touring sport (estate) options at prices from £21,300 for the petrol powered hatch and Touring. Hybrids are cheaper than they used to be with a £23,750 for the 1.8 hatch and £27,550 for the 2.0 hatch. Saloon versions are to be added later in the year - how quaint!

YOU JUST CAN’T QUIBBLE AT WHAT THE VITARA DOES - AND COSTS! The Suzuki Vitara has all you could want from a compact SUV - with the possible exception of badge appeal.

t has the space, comfort and most of the ability of its so-called premium rivals but is priced at many thousands of pound less. I was impressed by the sheer eagerness of the 1.4 turbo petrol model which is amore powerful than the previous 1.6-litre. It just bubbles along with good torque and is easy to drive. A power output of 138bhp gives it useful acceleration from 0 to 62mph in around 10 seconds. It comes with a 6-speed manual gearbox and a 6-speed automatic is also available. Firm suspension gives it an almost sporting combination of ride an handling - unusual for a SUV. Roomier

than most of its ilk, the Vitara offers a decent level of comfort. My higher grade car had the ALLGRIP four-wheel drive system which is reassuring on wet roads and means you can venture off road. Simple to use, it can be set for various conditions including snow. It even has diff locks to get you out of the mud! Despite its performance and go-everywhere ability, the Vitara S claims just over 52mpg on the Combined Cycle and has emissions of 127g/ km - again a big improvement on the previous engine. The active cruise control system uses radar and camera to monitor the road ahead and warn the driver

of obstacles. In extreme cases the system will apply the car’s brakes to avoid or mitigate a collision. There is a 7-inch touch screen to control the sat nav, bluetooth phone and DAB radio connections and a reversing camera. A price tag of almost £25K is high for a Suzuki but the top SZ5 trim has

a generous equipment level. Fleet buyers might be interesting in the starter SZ4 model with the 1.0-litre version of the same Boosterjet engine. This has a five-speed box and lower performance. But it also has lower emissions and a keen price tag of £16,999! Now that is a bargain!

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