CONNECTED Issue 19

CONNECTED, Londonderry Chamber of Commerce’s full colour publication. Designed and produced by business people for business people. Distributed to businesses across the North West.

CONNECTED Magazine

Editor

Brown O’Connor Communications

Content Editor

Carolann Doherty

Production & Design

Big Moo Design

Advertising

Carolann Doherty

Email Address

carolann@londonderrychamber.co.uk

Front Cover Image

PressEye Photography

Londonderry Chamber of Commerce

President

Selina Horshi

Chief Executive

Anna Doherty

Business Development Executive

Carolann Doherty

Marketing and Events Coordinator

Wendy McDermott

Accounts Administrator

Elisha Kealey

t: 028 7126 2379

w: londonderrychamber.co.uk

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Disclaimer: Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publisher accepts no responsibility for omissions or errors within this publication. Editorial submissions are included at the discretion of the editor. The opinions expressed in articles within this publication are not necessarily those of the Chamber. All offers, promotions and competitions appearing in CONNECTED are the sole responsibility of the advertiser/promoting party and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce does not accept any responsibility for any representations made within them.

Message from the CEO

Welcome to the 19th edition of CONNECTED, the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce magazine.

It’s been a busy few months since our last edition in March. The good weather and longer days have brought with them the return of summer events and festivals, tourists from around the world to our region, and coaches and day trips in their droves to the North West. The summer is always a busy period for our high street traders, retailers, bars, and restaurants and it’s great to see so much vibrancy and life about the city.

In recent months, we’ve seen the City of Derry Jazz and Big Band Festival, Stendhal Festival in Limavady, the annual Carnival of Colours, the Foyle Cup and many others. Events like these drive footfall in our city, boost overnight stays, and deliver a real economic boost. They also give the North West an opportunity to positively present ourselves to tourists from across the UK, Ireland, and beyond and promote our region as a leading location to visit. However, while businesses and local leaders continue to work hard to create prosperity and economic growth for our region, we can’t ignore the broader context. The ongoing absence of the Executive is actively curtailing Northern Ireland’s investment potential and our ability to create wealth for local communities. We have been without functioning government for well over a year now and the consequences of no political decision-making are beginning to become clear.

Since the Secretary of State’s harsh budget was announced in April, widespread cuts across Executive departments have begun to trickle through. These include Tourism NI grants for festivals and events, cuts to Young Enterprise NI’s core funding from the Department of Education, cuts to employability programmes such as those run by DYCW, Women’s Centre, and School Employer Connections, potential cuts to waste-water treatment and flood prevention programmes from the Department for Infrastructure, and cuts to university and college places.

It’s hard to overestimate how deep and sweeping these cuts will be on our public, frontline services as well as our ability to create an economy fit for the future. Public services cannot be turned off and on at will like a tap. Once cuts are made, benefits are lost to businesses and communities and will take years to replace.

The Chamber has been lobbying hard, engaging with political parties, and making the case strongly that a functioning Executive lies at the core of a successful and prosperous North West. The outworkings of political paralysis are becoming clear. The restoration of government locally is vital for all our communities, businesses, and workers to thrive.

Local businesses and entrepreneurs, in the absence of political leadership, are leading the way by creating economic growth and delivering for customers and communities. The pages of this edition of CONNECTED are filled with talented and committed business people who are working hard to make the North West a more attractive place to live, work, and do business.

I hope you enjoy this latest edition of CONNECTED and get some well-earned downtime over the summer with friends and family.

Anna Doherty CEO

WHY THEATRE COMPANY STAGE BEYOND REALLY IS ‘UNSTOPPABLE’

Stage Beyond is taking the theatre world by storm after earning rave reviews for its new ground-breaking cabaret-style show ‘Unstoppable’.

The award-winning resident theatre company at the Millennium Forum is supported by National Lottery Funding through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and provides a voice for the learning-disabled community with its multiple productions and workshops.

Artistic Director Dee Conaghan, who has dedicated her life to addressing the lack of arts provision for young people with learning disabilities, recently won national recognition for her work.

In 2022, 20 years after co-founding Stage Beyond, she was celebrated in the UK-wide People’s Portraits Series, a campaign championing those making the arts accessible to all with the help of National Lottery players who raise more than £30m a week for good causes.

She explained, “I was always interested in what drama can do for people and how transformative it can be for the participants. It’s a safe way to develop yourself, your voice, and confidence.”

Stage Beyond works with prominent directors, musicians, and other artists to provide professional

Stage Beyond on the steps of St Columb’s Hall

arts training for members from across the North West. The company has secured numerous accolades including prestigious international recognition.

Respected Shakespearean director Conall Morrison directed ‘Hamlet, Prince of Derry’ which was adapted by RTÉ during the pandemic and won Best Digital Drama at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.

Stage Beyond also produced its first film, ‘Mind the Time’, which premiered at the Foyle Film Festival and won Best Artists Film at the Together! 2022 Disability Film Festival based in London.

“Sometimes people with learning difficulties suffer from other people’s low expectations and we’re very much about showing that we all have a talent,” said Dee.

“Given the right tools and support, we can all shine, and our stars shine brightly in Stage Beyond. I would like to see Stage Beyond as a recognised theatre company on a par with other theatre companies in the country and we are making significant strides. Access and inclusion are central in all our work.”

Following Stage Beyond’s highlyacclaimed touring production ‘The Great Dictator’, the company was invited earlier this year to perform for a Jordanian government delegation in Belfast hosted by NICO’s Support to Social Protection in Jordan Programme.

‘Unstoppable’ was inspired by the variety shows staged in St Columb’s Hall in the 1960s – which made the cast’s performance at the historic venue on June 24 especially thrilling. The eclectic entertainment ranged from a rousing Shakespeare medley to ‘Frank Carson’. The company’s youth outreach, funded by BBC Children in Need, also took part.

Preparations are already underway for next year’s production, also directed by Conall Morrison, associate director at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin.

Stage Beyond recently launched its new Hi-Vis summer festival of music and dance with Lilliput and the WhistleBlast Quartet, which will run at The Playhouse from July 17-21. Its members will perform on Culture Night – One Night for All on Friday, September 22. Schools’ outreach will commence in September.

Dee Conaghan, Artistic Director, Stage Beyond Theatre Company, members Hollie and Julian, and Patricia Lavery, Head of Community Arts and Education, Arts Council of Northern Ireland

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome to all our members and thank you to everyone who has contributed to this edition of CONNECTED.

Our second edition, coming at the halfway point of the year, is always a welcome and natural opportunity to reflect on the first six months and look ahead to the second half of 2023. Despite the triple headwinds of economic uncertainty, persistently high inflation, and the absence of functioning government in Northern Ireland, businesses in the North West remain optimistic.

Where political leadership has been lacking, our business community and the voluntary and third sectors (budgets permitting) have provided support and guidance to communities during tough times. The Chamber has consistently called for the restoration of the Executive, and we continue to work with our colleagues across the political spectrum to find solutions to hurdles. We spearheaded a recent delegation of business leaders from across the country to meet with Assembly Party Leaders in Stormont and we are working to secure a meeting with the Secretary of State as we continue to explore how business can support and encourage the return of power-sharing. While we are conscious that the Executive will not be a silver bullet to the multitude of issues we face in Northern Ireland, we know that the lack of Executive is doing no good for anyone in our society.

In the absence of political leadership, we at Chamber have identified key strategic pillars that we must leverage in order to drive forward the North West and realise our full potential. We have formed

committees dedicated to influencing Policy and Investment focused on driving positive outcomes for our region. Alongside the core pillar of Member Support, we will also add a Connectivity Committee as we look forward to the All-Island Rail Review and the outcome of the A5 inquiry as well as a Skills Committee to reinforce our talent pipeline which is crucial to both local business expansion and FDI.

With our strategic committees in place, we look forward to working with government for the good of the North West. We want to see an Economy Minister making decisions which drive investment and create prosperity, an Infrastructure Minister who brings forward strategies and policies which boost our regional connectivity, and a Finance Minister who reforms our rates system and begins the journey to putting this place on a more sustainable fiscal footing.

As we move through the summer and towards September, we hope that our MLAs will be preparing for going back to school. It’s crucial that local ministers are in place to greet global investors as we welcome businesses from around the world to our shores as part of the UK’s Investment Conference in a couple of months. In spite of the political challenges, I know that our business and our civic leaders will continue to lead the way and Chamber will continue to act as a progressive business voice for the North West City Region.

This latest edition of CONNECTED features a special focus on those North West companies who are

prioritising and leading on innovation and digitalisation, industry disruptors at the head of their game. A key tenet of my presidency has been to champion and spotlight innovation in all its forms. It’s been an absolute pleasure to read about all the exciting and innovative work being done across a diverse range of sectors in our local economy.

I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer and enjoy reading about the strength of our local economy within this edition of CONNECTED.

Selina Horshi President of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce

Making Personal Injury Claims Personal

First tourism summit focuses on dividends of peace 25 years on from Belfast Good Friday Agreement

Leading tourism, food and drink, and sporting experts came together in June for the first Tourism Summit, focused on celebrating the dividends that peace has brought in terms of hospitality and tourism for the Causeway Coast and North West region but also to lay down a challenge for what can and needs to be achieved over the next two decades.

The summit set the blueprint for tourism to continue to thrive, reaching even newer heights in terms of success, and, as such, making a highly significant contribution to Northern Ireland’s economy and developing an enhanced civic pride that so many visitors from all around the globe want to visit, experience, and share what this magnificent place has to offer.

The conference focused on three main themes: fair winds, fairways, and fine fayre, through

an excellent line up of industry speakers, including those from Tourism NI, Tourism Ireland, Visit Derry, City of Derry Airport, NI Tourism Alliance, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Northern Ireland Screen, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Food NI, Hospitality Ulster, Walled City Brewery, and a host of others.

Organised by Ulster University in partnership with the Londonderry and Causeway Chambers, this was the first time the two Chambers had come together to examine the challenges and opportunities ahead for tourism in a holistic way.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Ulster University Vice Chancellor, Professor Paul Bartholomew said, “Northern Ireland is a tourism success story. It has evolved from an industry which previously had to operate in an extremely challenging environment, not least due to the portrayal of Northern Ireland in international media which was often not conducive to attracting global visitors.

“Ulster University’s unique regional, multi-campus footprint, in Derry~Londonderry, Coleraine and Belfast, means that we can play a critical role in the region to protect, develop, and promote our unique locations, alongside world renowned natural features, such as the UNESCO World Heritage site.”

President of the Londonderry Chamber, Selina Horshi, also added, “The Londonderry Chamber is delighted to be supporting Ulster University’s Tourism Summit. Tourism and hospitality are industries which are vital to the economic success of the North West, generate millions of pounds for our regional economy, and sustain jobs and households.”

AbbeyAutoline celebrating 50 Years in Business

the diverse insurance needs of individuals and businesses across Northern Ireland.

Employing 440 dedicated staff across 15 branches throughout the region, AbbeyAutoline offers a comprehensive range of Personal and Commercial insurance products, including Business, Farm, Haulage, Van, Taxi, Car, Home, Young Driver, and Motorbike Insurance.

from volunteering at food banks to donating in-demand items to a variety of community organisations, tidying up community gardens, and fundraising for local charities. As a longstanding charity partner of the NI Hospice, AbbeyAutoline has also dedicated 50 hours of volunteer support to benefit the important work carried out by the charity.

AbbeyAutoline, Northern Ireland’s largest insurance broker, is proudly celebrating its 50th anniversary in business with a series of community outreach initiatives taking place throughout the province.

Over the past five decades, AbbeyAutoline has established itself as a trusted insurance provider, catering to

The programme of initiatives is focused on giving back to the communities that have played a crucial role in AbbeyAutoline’s success over the past 50 years. Initiatives include the ‘50K in May’ Health and Wellbeing Challenge, that encouraged staff to walk, run, bike, or hike to help raise vital funds for AWARE NI.

A ‘50 Ways of Giving Back’ programme will see 50 local organisations benefit from practical assistance and support, ranging

Julie Gibbons, Managing Director of AbbeyAutoline says, “As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I am immensely proud to be part of the AbbeyAutoline family. We owe our success and longevity to the trust and support of our valued customers, dedicated staff members, and the communities we serve. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of our journey thus far, and we are excited for what the future holds.”

Ulster University held its first-ever Tourism Summit in June

AbbeyAutoline is celebrating its 50th anniversary in business this year

In Your Space Circus secures major grant to transform Old Cathedral School

Derry-based circus school and street theatre company, In Your Space Circus (IYSC), has been awarded a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £140,000 for an exciting heritage project that will reinvigorate the former school on London Street, just outside the grounds of St Columb’s Cathedral.

As new custodians of the Old Cathedral School, the money will facilitate the Derry-based arts charity to develop plans for the use of the building as a circus school and performance venue, deliver community and volunteer engagement programmes, build the capacity of IYSC’s board of Directors, secure professional advice and guidance, and fundraise for the capital elements of the project required to fit-out the building’s interior. This work will ultimately transform the stunning historic building into a flagship circus arts venue in the City.

Both In Your Space Circus and St Columb’s Cathedral are committed to breathing life back into the building and reinstating it as a ‘school’, offering access to children, young people, and adults from across the city and region to learn, play, and create. It will also support IYSC’s ambition to nurture local talent and attract artists from outside of the city in their new circus arts venue.

Commenting on the award, Cath McBride, Company Director said, “We have been searching for a suitable home for the past ten years, which has been challenging due to the unique requirements of circus.

Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run raises vital funds

This year’s Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run was a huge success again, thanks to the support of the local community and sponsors including Loganair, Seagate, and SmartPayNI.

“The Cathedral School is perfect for our work and our future aspirations for people of all ages to engage with our impactful work. We feel privileged to have become the custodians of one of Derry’s most stunning heritage assets. We could not be more delighted with this opportunity and the support received thanks to National Lottery players.’’

Robert McGonigle, Parish Administrator of St Columb’s Cathedral, also added, “St Columb’s Cathedral is thrilled to be entering into a new and exciting era in the life of one of the most iconic buildings in the city with In Your Space Circus. The Old Cathedral School has gone through quite a few years of uncertainty since completion of phase one of its restoration, and it is with great expectation that we have agreed this lease with IYSC as our tenant. We’re confident it has the potential to secure the future of the building. This is a very important milestone for both organisations and we will give them every support and encouragement as they progress the project and inject life back into the building.”

On Sunday 11 June, over 2,400 ladies joined together for the iconic annual event that has shaped the North West fundraising calendar since 1983. The event raises vital funds for Foyle Hospice which offers specialist palliative care through its Inpatient Unit, Day Therapy and ICC Clinic, Home Care Team, and Bereavement Counselling Services.

The collectible t-shirts are a sought-after item with many ladies cherishing them as a souvenir year after year. Entertainment was provided by Calms Stress Management Charity Choir who serenaded participants as a sea of pink t-shirts made their way towards the Peace Bridge.

Members of Foyle Valley and Spartan’s Running Club were responsible for marshalling the major route with Billy Scampton who served as Chief Marshall. Once again, St John’s Ambulance volunteers were also on hand for first aid emergencies.

Director of Income Generation and Communications at Foyle Hospice, Sheila Duffy said, “The event was a huge success and we are grateful to every person who came out in support of their local Hospice this year. It is vital that we continue to raise money in order to provide top-quality care for both patients and their families.

“We are privileged to have such amazing and loyal supporters who make Foyle Hospice what it is. Without you, it would not be possible and we are very grateful.”

If you would like to know more about Foyle Hospice or share a fundraising idea, please get in touch at 028 7135 9888. Your support is always vital and much appreciated.

Participants in this year’s Foyle Hospice Female Walk/Run

In Your Space Circus has been awarded £140,000 to transform the Old Cathedral School in Derry city centre

Evermore Energy hosts Derry’s aspiring young engineers

Evermore Energy at Lisahally teamed up with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) in June as an official host for Engineering Open House Week 2023.

Engineering Open House Week is one of many events that make up the IET’s Engineer a Better World campaign to encourage young, aspiring engineers to discover the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) and discover more about the variety of stimulating and in-demand careers in engineering.

The IET aims to assist children aged 5-13, their caregivers, and teachers to understand the work of an engineer or technologist by working with a wide range of organisations such as Evermore Energy. These companies in the UK open their doors and hold events, discussions, presentations, tours, interactive exhibits, and workshops to encourage young people to think differently and get

excited about engineering and technology. At Evermore Energy’s Engineering Open House Day, students from Foyle College and Thornhill College saw and heard firsthand how engineering is applied in a range of different roles across the energy industry.

Ciaran Devine, Co-owner of Evermore Group, said “We were delighted to welcome students to the Lisahally CHP plant, which is one of Ireland’s largest renewable energy generators and is located at the Foyle Port. The Lisahally plant produces renewable energy for over 30,000 homes and businesses across the province and plays a key role in Northern Ireland’s sustainable energy strategy. At Evermore, we are passionate about giving back to the local community in ways such as this initiative.”

Hayley McCready, Asset Manager at Lisahally Power Plant, also added, “It’s important that our local, young students

are aware of the opportunities and various career paths available to them on their doorstep. We would encourage them to get in touch with Evermore as we are very much focused on developing young people and their careers. Engineering Open House Week is all about showing young people just how diverse and incredible the world of STEM really is.”

Apex delivers ‘More than Housing’

The new corporate strategy sets out five priorities for the next three years –sustainable communities; high quality, energy efficient homes; quality supported living; an efficient and effective organisation; and skilled people and teams.

Apex has launched its 2023-26 corporate strategy entitled ‘More than Housing’ at a staff conference hosted by Wendy Austin, with around 150 members of the Apex team in attendance.

Alongside the launch of the strategy, the event shone a light on the unbelievable work of staff over the last three years through presentations and videos, and celebrated ‘The Best of Apex’ during a staff awards ceremony.

Peter Caldwell, Chairperson of Apex, said, “It was a pleasure to launch this new corporate strategy at our staff conference, which was a day of acknowledging and celebrating the teams who continue to provide more than housing to our tenants, residents, and communities. Over the next three years, we will continue to respond to the challenges and opportunities that may arise, ensuring we deliver for those who use our services and need our help.”

Sheena McCallion, Chief Executive of Apex, also added, “This new strategy has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders including our board, tenants, and staff, and sets out our plans for the next three years to continue providing ‘more than housing’. We remain passionate about our vision, committed to our communities, and determined to deliver on the five strategic priorities set out in this strategy.”

Alongside the ‘More than Housing’ corporate strategy, two other strategies have also been published outlining plans in the areas of tenant engagement and community investment over the next three years.

Read the new strategies at www.apex.org.uk.

Students taking part in this year’s Engineering Open House Week with Evermore Energy

Apex launching its new 2023-26 corporate strategy at its staff conference recently

Taoiseach announces €44.5 million Shared Island cross-border funding to expand Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus

The Irish Government has awarded €44.5 million from the Shared Island Fund for a major investment at Ulster University’s campus in Derry to expand higher education on both sides of the border.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, Further & Higher Education Minister Simon Harris, and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration & Youth Roderic O’Gorman confirmed €56 million in funding for several significant cross-border investments which includes €44.5 million to build a new teaching and student services building at Ulster University’s Derry~Londonderry campus.

The new teaching building will provide additional lecture and seminar spaces, computer labs, and on-campus student services. It will also free up space in other buildings on campus for teaching and research activity. This investment at Ulster

University in Derry will underpin teaching and research cooperation between Ulster University and Atlantic Technological UniversityDonegal. It will also allow the four North West Tertiary Education Cluster institutions to work more closely together in providing further and higher education in the region.

Speaking after the announcement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD said, “This investment in Ulster University marks a step-change in higher education in the North West. It will help to transform education in the region, and in the medium term will

foster new jobs and economic growth. The new teaching and student services building will help to grow student numbers and enhance higher education. It also fulfils our commitment under the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) agreement to invest in the Derry campus.”

Professor Paul Bartholomew, Vice-Chancellor of Ulster University, added, “We are delighted to receive confirmation of this investment by the Irish Government. The funding announced will make a very significant contribution in preparing the campus for significant growth and is part of a larger investment package that comprises our own investment, City Deal funding, Inclusive Futures funding, and Department for the Economy capital grant monies. With our partners, we have an ambitious vision to continue to expand student numbers on our Derry campus and to grow our economic and social impact in the whole of the North West of the island.”

Minister for Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, also added, “This announcement is not just about capital investment in Ulster University’s campus, but a signal of our commitment to all-island education. We have made incredible progress with colleagues in Northern Ireland to deliver medical and nursing education on an all-island basis. Today is a major step forward. This is something long sought after but today we are reporting invaluable progress under New Decade, New Approach.”

Book on the go with the new Aircoach app

Aircoach, Ireland’s leading private bus and coach operator, has launched a new mobile app that will make its booking service quicker and easier for passengers.

The new mobile app will significantly improve customer experience by giving passengers the ability to plan, book, amend, and store tickets on their mobile as well as providing coach journey tracking.

The new mobile app announcement follows the launch of the new 705X Derry~Londonderry Service hitting the road and the expansion of the Free Travel Pass to their Cork (704X) and Galway (706/706X) routes.

The full range of benefits the new app will give to customers include:

• Favourite locations and previous

bookings are saved making it easier to book again.

• Buy and store tickets on your phone so you will never have to worry about losing your ticket or having enough cash to pay on board.

• Best priced fares will be easily identifiable as well as services that have limited capacity.

• Check out more quickly using debit/credit card, Google Pay, or Apple Pay.

• Additional features allow for the purchase of addons such as Flexibook and DoDublin tickets, apply discount codes, and redemption of loyalty points.

The app is available for download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Launching the new app, Dervla McKay, Managing Director of Aircoach said, “Our new mobile app means it’s now even easier to book Aircoach tickets and reinforces our service as one that is convenient, innovative, and customer centric. It will be a game changer for our loyal customers and how we interact with them across locations throughout Ireland.”

“Making journeys and bookings easier for customers is central to our planned growth in the future. We were the first national bus operator to accept contactless card payments across all our services and we are thoroughly committed to innovation. Today’s mobile app announcement is clear evidence of that.”

The award-winning company, Aircoach is a subsidiary of First Group plc which is one of the UK and Ireland’s largest transport companies.

Ulster University has received €44.5 million from the Irish Government to expand its Magee campus

Aircoach has launched a brand new mobile app for passengers

a day in the life

Name Christopher Ferry

Age 35

Hometown

Derry

Job title

Owner

Describe what your job involves: My goal is always to make people laugh. We sell Northern Irish humour products, mainly greeting cards. One of the most important aspects of our business is marketing – publishing engaging content that gets eyes on Ferry Clever. I oversee all ideas and design work, online orders, and the running of our city centre store. We have three members of staff – two who work in the shop and another who is in charge of our 29 stockists across the North West.

DESCRIBE IN DETAIL A DAY IN YOUR WORK:

I start off my day by completing all online orders and getting them to the Post Office as soon as possible. When I arrive at work, I make sure the shop is fully stocked and reorder products that are running low. Then I move on to the creative side of things, coming up with new designs for products or working on our marketing plan.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR MOST MEMORABLE DAY AT WORK?

It’s difficult to narrow it down to one day because there have been a few amazing moments. Visits by celebrities, being asked to present one of my products to former US President Bill Clinton, partnering with Moonpig,

becoming an official Derry City FC merchandiser, and scooping two awards at the North West Business Awards all stand out for me. It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I’m excited for even more.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT?

Opening my own business for sure. I’m proud I’ve worked hard to make it a success. It’s not easy running a local business and I feel so grateful for all the support I have received from friends, family, and local people here in Derry.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER BEEN GIVEN IN WORK?

When Phil Coulter visited, he told me, ‘’Chris, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”, which is bang on. That’s always stuck with me.

WHAT ARE THE MOST SATISFYING/FULFILLING ASPECTS OF YOUR JOB?

Easy - making people laugh. I love meeting new people every day in the shop, and I love them leaving with a smile on their face.

WHAT QUALITIES/SKILLS ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ROLE?

As I have sizeable duties to handle, planning and patience are essential to make sure the business runs effectively. Outside of that, being creative and thinking outside the box are important when it comes to getting engagement online and bringing more customers to both our website and shop.

New stewardship for one of Northern Ireland’s largest and most innovative companies

CONNECTED recently sat down with Allstate NI’s new Managing Director, Dr Stephen McKeown, to hear more about the company’s work in the North West, the importance of disruption to staying ahead in modern day industry, and harnessing talent to deliver for customers.

Away from his job as Allstate’s Vice President of International and Managing Director of Allstate Northern Ireland, Dr Stephen McKeown frequently takes on another challenging role – as an RNLI volunteer aboard the Red Bay lifeboat, stationed on the Antrim coastline.

The crew is on call all year round, coming to the aid of those in peril on stormy and

unpredictable waters yet Stephen is unassuming about his role, genuinely surprised when the subject is brought up.

“You’ve done your research,” he counters, before modestly confirming, “Yes, I’m out regularly on our all-weather off-shore lifeboat.”

He must have experienced his fair share of hairy moments? “Yes,” he replies. “But the thing is, if you were out there in trouble, you’d want to know that people were coming to help you so for me it’s an easy decision.

“It’s an opportunity to give back and there’s a group of fantastic volunteers who give up their time to provide that

service.”

Though Stephen doesn’t directly make the parallels, there are obvious ones with his work with insurance giant Allstate when he talks about how the company protects its millions of customers by predicting risk, offering reassuring solutions and coming to the rescue in a crisis. Evidently too, he thrives in a focused, energised, and dedicated team – on and off the water.

Shortly after joining Allstate in 2018, the Glens of Antrim native was appointed its first Chief Information Officer outside of North America. He managed teams across seven international centres, delivering transformation through data, machine learning, and AI. “My

Stephen Lomas, Senior Manager, Allstate Technology Support Centre; Deirdre Doherty, Director, Human Resources, Allstate NI; Stephen McKeown, Vice President and Managing Director, Allstate NI; and Aidan O’Kane, Director, IT Operations and Service Management, Allstate NI and Allstate Canada

background is as an engineer, but I’ve always worked between engineering and the business side, usually around innovative disruption and digital transformation,” he says.

He describes Allstate as “a fantastic business”, citing the Forbes 100 company’s impressive numbers. “We operate globally, with the US our main market where one in every eight households has an Allstate policy. We serve more than 16 million customers with 190 million protection plans.”

Allstate NI, which has more than 2,400 employees across offices in Derry and Belfast, performs a crucial function supplying software development, data, AI, cybersecurity, and finance to its parent company.

It is “seen as one of the crown jewels in Allstate’s delivery capability,” says Stephen, with employees based in the North West playing “an incredible part. There is a wonderful culture of people. The talent is truly outstanding, and I mean that in terms of a global stage.

“It’s a stunning part of the world and I love that we have jobs and opportunities available so that people can grow and develop in their communities. That hasn’t always been the case. And we always get way more in return for any of the

investments we make. Our people repay us tenfold.”

Stephen is an instinctive problem-solver – it’s what he loves about engineering – and he recognises that innovative quality in the North West teams too. “There’s just that natural curiosity that’s a part of the psyche of so many people here”.

Cutting-edge technology is vital to Allstate, which is ranked 4th in Wall Street Journal’s Top 250 for innovative. “Allstate always knows where it wants to position itself in the next five, 10, 20 years,” says Stephen. Alongside “traditional insurance products for cars and homes”, it now offers “a circle of protection” with policies protecting against 21st century catastrophe like identity theft.

“Our aim is to protect our customers from life’s uncertainties. This mobile phone” – he holds it aloft on the Zoom call – “is an essential part of people’s life so we added device protection, but we also added future-proofing protection where if you get your digital identity stolen – an incredibly disruptive, traumatic experience – Allstate helps you recover from that.”

He’s proud of Allstate’s reputation as an industry disruptor. “You don’t disrupt without reason. The first thing you ask is ‘what do customers value?’ If we are not providing that value, then we are not doing what we should be. Recognising the need for device protection for a mobile or digital identity protection would certainly be seen as very disruptive by our competitors. But it’s a far-sighted move based on knowing our customers.”

Stephen did a PhD in digital systems at Queen’s University Belfast. He has an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago and WHU in Koblenz, Germany. A founder of the Big Data Belfast technology conference, he has acted as a European Commission industry expert for the €80bn Horizon and Eurostars innovation programmes and held advisory roles on NI’s Digital ICT Strategy Group and UK Technology Board. He spent five years as CEO of Analytics Engines.

He “learns something new every day from the people I’m lucky to get to work with” and is passionate about all staff “having opportunities to excel”. He led diversity initiatives that earned Allstate a Gold Diversity Mark. It was also named Workplace of the Year at the Digital DNA Awards – “everyone’s now designated hybrid”.

Flexible working benefits Stephen too. Despite a global career, he lives with his wife and their two children “on a very beautiful part of our coastline”.

Away from his work duties, he sails to relax. “It’s so peaceful – and when you travel away and then come back, you really appreciate just how much we have here.”

Aidan O’Kane, Director, IT Operations and Service Management, Allstate NI and Allstate Canada; Stephen McKeown, Vice President and Managing Director, Allstate NI; and Stephen Lomas, Senior Manager, Allstate Technology Support Centre

Stephen McKeown was appointed the new Vice President and Managing Director of Allstate Northern Ireland in March 2023

Investing in the North West for a powerful digital future

Philip O’Meara, regional director Northern Ireland at eir evo UK, says digital connectivity and enhanced IT expertise holds the key to economic progress in the North West

With a growing population of a quarter of a million people flanked by Derry City, the fourth largest city on the island of Ireland and second in Northern Ireland, County Londonderry is already a major economic hub within the UK and Ireland and well-placed for future sustainable interconnected growth and investment.

Strategically positioned, and filled with ambition and demonstrable success, the city region has its roadmap marked out – and the future is focused on digital, tech, and innovation.

At eir evo UK, we have long recognised the benefits offered by the transformative power of digitisation. It’s why in the past few years we completed an additional investment of £10 million in the upgrade and expansion of our high-capacity next-generation communications network across the region.

Forming a unique partnership by merging with Evros Technology Group to offer complete solutions across telecoms and IT services, we have become a unique end-to-end solutions provider to support the economy’s digital ambitions.

Underpinning growth for the North West and Northern Ireland, eir evo UK is also the only company committed to delivering the region’s first and only allisland, next-generation communications and internet service provider (ISP) network dedicated to private and public sector needs.

Across pharma, education, hospitality, and manufacturing, eir evo UK is helping local businesses to realise their true potential, to seamlessly connect with clients, partners, and customers from the City of Derry, Strabane, and beyond, helping to harness investment, create new jobs, and drive economic potential.

The state-of-the-art wireless network we are putting in place across Ulster University provides an enriched digital student experience supporting education, innovation, and collaboration. Closer to the city, our partnership with Hastings Hotels is ensuring the Everglades Hotel is futureproofed to seamlessly accommodate staff and guest communication needs and its growth in business events through a managed digital infrastructure.

To support digital transformation in the public sector, eir evo UK is also working directly with Derry City and Strabane District Council – and nine other

regional councils – to provide network services connecting 600 sites, including the latest in cybersecurity technologies and frameworks.

For local businesses, big and small, investing in digital transformation will become an increasing priority in the months and years ahead.

Demand for bandwidth will increase exponentially as reliance on data, video, cloud applications, and online collaboration increases. To this end, we are levelling the playing field so that all businesses can avail of costeffective internet at prices that are not prohibitive – from 1 Gigabit internet to 10 Gigabit high-capacity dedicated connections.

Migration to cloud and concerns around cyber security will also continue to dominate the IT agenda along with the adoption of hyper-automation and AI. With our locally based team supporting Northern Ireland for over 15 years, and as Partner of the Year with Microsoft, HPE, and Cisco, we are expertly placed to provide guidance and support to businesses in these areas, helping them to take the right steps, make the most of their technology investments, and embark on digital journeys that are as smooth as possible.

Northern Ireland’s North West, a beacon of warmth, vibrancy, and culture, has enormous potential and can stand proud of its achievements. eir evo UK is proud to be playing its part and is committed to supporting an ambitious future for the region.

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

Philip O’Meara, regional director Northern Ireland, eir evo UK

Financial Planners successful solution for growth in North West

With ambitions to be the leading chartered financial planners in the North West, Benchmark Financial Planning continues to grow and build on the acquisition it made earlier this year.

It was just over a year ago that Benchmark, part of the Schroders Group, identified the significant business opportunities in the region with the purchase of Waterhouse Financial Planning. The firms had worked together as partners for five years before the deal so knew each other well, which was something the business owners really cared about.

“We knew that Benchmark had a real focus on quality and building longterm relationships,” said Tom Leonard, former Waterhouse Managing Director. “They had supported us with technology and compliance services so it seemed like the natural next step.

“Importantly, their focus was on helping us manage and run the business, allowing us to spend more time taking care of our existing clients and to help more clients benefit from high-quality financial planning.”

Sinead Meenan, Wealth Planning Director, leads the financial planning practice while Tom now focuses on bringing other planners with existing businesses into the group to take advantage of the technology and practice management support that Benchmark provides.

Kennedy Independent Advice became the latest firm to join and, with more than 30 years’ experience as an adviser, Michael Kennedy also recognised the benefits of being part of a wider group.

“It was a really important move for us,” said Michael. “Benchmark’s investment provided security and stability for our clients and our staff. We’ve always prided ourselves on our personal approach and working with clients’ long-term goals in mind, and Benchmark share the same values.

“Their technology is better than anything else I’ve worked with, and we’ve moved into their new offices in Derry too, which is a great place for our staff and also if clients want to come in to meet their adviser face-toface.”

Though just a few months into the deal, Michael is already “really impressed with the financial planning process that Sinead and the Benchmark team offer to clients.”

He explained, “They use technology to show clients visually what they have and the solutions that can help them. This is a real benefit to clients. My staff are

happy and they help keep our clients happy. The transition process was really smooth too.”

Having the backing of Schroders – a FTSE100 company with a 200-year history and significant family ownership – is clearly seen as of real value. The reassurance that Benchmark was a safe and professional pair of hands that thoroughly understood his business gave Michael real peace of mind.

Now, Tom has plans to add more firms to Benchmark, strengthening the base in Derry and supporting the growth and development of chartered financial planning in the wider region.

“I’m always looking for the right firms to join Benchmark,” said Tom. “There are lots of options, either selling to us straight away or joining the network and working closely with us before doing that, which is what we did at Waterhouse.”

Either way, Benchmark is clearly committed to the region. “We want to grow, increasing the numbers of financial planners we work with, with the aim of providing great financial planning to more people,” added Tom.

“Benchmark’s support helps financial planners deliver the best possible outcomes for clients.”

For more information, visit www.benchmarkfp.co.uk or phone 02871 878770

Sinead Meenan, Wealth Planning Director, Benchmark Financial Planning

The Benchmark Financial Planning team based in the North West

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

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chamber life

As summer swings into life, it’s a great time to look back at what’s gone on at the Chamber over the past few months, with a busy schedule of events, webinars, political engagements, and much more!

Since our last edition, we’ve had local council elections, presidential visits, the return of major local events, and an influx of local and global visitors to our region as the summer period has kicked off in earnest.

Our busy stretch kicked off with a meeting with Minister of State for Northern Ireland Steve Baker MP on 7 March. A Chamber delegation met with Minister Baker and impressed on him the impact that the ongoing absence of the Executive at Stormont continues to have on businesses and communities across Northern Ireland.

On 21 March, we held another popular Meet the Chamber networking event at the Walled City Brewery, kindly sponsored by City of Derry Airport. Always very well attended, these events are an excellent opportunity to make new connections, create partnerships or business leads, and get to know the Chamber team a bit better.

A couple of days later, we held another instalment in our

‘Back to Basics’ workshop series, focused on how to safeguard the family business. Family businesses are crucial to the success of the Northern Ireland economy; however, they can also bring their own challenges. Led by the advisory and tax experts at CavanaghKelly, this workshop took attendees through key areas including characteristics of family businesses, the benefits, challenges, and conflicts to be aware of, tax considerations, protecting wealth, succession planning, and vital legal considerations.

After Easter, we had a busy run of events right through to the summer. In conjunction with David from Derrie Danders, we held a Step Into Networking event which involved a guided tour of the city centre and a networking opportunity for members, as well as a cuppa afterwards in the Sandwich Co.

We also hosted a really useful event with the social media experts from Grofuse on Making LinkedIn work for your business growth strategy. Part of our ‘Entrepreneur in Action’ workshop series, this event was kindly sponsored by Moore NI and took attendees through the benefits of having a professional LinkedIn company page, how to use the platform as part of your sales strategy, and how to source and secure leads.

(L-R) Toni Forrester, CEO, Letterkenny Chamber; Fionnuala Rabbitt, President, Letterkenny Chamber; Mary Lou McDonald TD, Sinn Féin President; Selina Horshi, President, Londonderry Chamber; and Anna Doherty, CEO, Londonderry Chamber

Attendees at June’s networking event in the Beech Hill Country Hotel

Into May, we held a major half-day conference with our partners in Business in the Community NI and Women in Enterprise NI. Women in Leadership: Diversity and Inclusivity was an opportunity to bring together and recognise some of the fantastic, innovative, and talented female leaders we have here in the North West. Held at Invista House, this was an inspiring event which explored topics and issues including learning and growth, resilience and success, and common skills and qualities to ensure business and leadership success. We were lucky to have a stellar list of speakers sharing their insights and experiences including Cathy Moran from Women in Enterprise NI, Sumeeta Gupta, Dervla McKay from Aircoach, Nuala Murphy from Diversity Mark NI, Cllr Lilian Seenoi-Barr, and many others.

A week later, we were down at the Inishowen Gateway Hotel

on 18 May for a breakfast briefing on cross-border tax with our colleagues in the Letterkenny Chamber and the Cross Border Partnership Employment Services (CBPES). Always a very useful event for employers and workers in the cross-border region, this session focused on issues including social security, redundancy payments, and tax relief on pension contributions.

On 23 May, we were in North West Regional College for a special session on ‘Innovative Technologies – Rapid Change and How it Affects SMEs’. It was wonderful to hear from Travis May, a US-based expert in technology trends and their impact on businesses and SMEs, particularly timely when the world is debating the impact and effects of new technologies like AI and augmented reality on the workplace and wider society. Travis was previously a director at Mastercard and has over

Chamber CEO Anna Doherty speaking at the Chamber golf day

Lisa McIlvenna from Business in the Community NI speaking at the Women in Leadership event in May

Guests at this year’s North West Business Awards

two decades of experience creating, building, and leading global programmes in intelligence, security, learning and development, training, and workforce innovation.

We saw out May with another ‘Back to Basics’ workshop on how to retain your top talent and remain attractive and competitive with your employers. Julie Pollock, owner of Consult HR and expert in all things HR and employment, explored the importance of retention to a business and outlined to attendees how good retention of talented and fully trained staff members is always preferable, more cost effective, and more productive than having to recruit.

On 1 June, we kicked off a busy summer period by taking part in Ulster University’s inaugural Tourism Summit. Organised by the university in partnership with the Londonderry and Causeway Chambers, the summit brought together leading tourism, food and drink, and sporting experts to celebrate the dividends that peace has brought in terms of hospitality and tourism for the Causeway Coast and North West region but also to lay down a challenge for what can and needs to be achieved over the next two decades.

Speaking after the summit, President of the Londonderry Chamber, Selina Horshi, said, “The Londonderry Chamber is delighted to be supporting Ulster University’s Tourism Summit. Tourism and hospitality are industries which are vital to the economic success of the North West, generate millions of pounds for our regional economy, and sustain jobs and households.”

A week later, we helped celebrate some of the leading businesses in the region at this year’s North West Business Awards. The awards, sponsored by Loganair, recognised the most innovative and talented local companies and entrepreneurs across 17 unique categories and were a fantastic chance to get together and celebrate the successes of our local business community. Check out pages 26 and 27 for full coverage and photos of the event.

On 13 June, we helped facilitate an informative workshop on how to make an application for The King’s Awards for Enterprise. Led by Will Arndt, Deputy Head of the King’s Awards Office from the Department of Business and Trade, this session went through what the awards are,

their significance, how to successfully navigate the application process, and how to showcase your enterprise’s unique strengths and achievements.

Two days later, in conjunction with the tech experts at LoughTec and kindly sponsored by Seagate, we hosted a really useful workshop on how to secure your business in the digital world. Focused on all things cyber security, we covered a wide range of topics

including phishing attacks, ransomware, the financial and reputational impacts of cyber-attacks, and how to ensure your staff are fully trained to spot potential attacks and mitigate when things go wrong.

29 June was an exceptionally busy day from beginning to end for the Chamber team with not one, not two, but three events in one day! We kicked off the marathon day of events with our

Loganair’s Colin Gracey and Chamber

President Selina Horshi awarding Ian Crowe MBE Best Player at the Chamber golf day

Attendees networking at June’s networking event in the Beech Hill Country Hotel

Sustainability workshop in collaboration with Business in the Community NI. Bringing together experts from organisations like Danske Bank, Derry City and Strabane District Council, and Frylite, attendees delved into how prioritising sustainability in the workplace can give you a competitive edge in the market and how you can create real environmental and social impact in your community.

Later in the day, we moved to the Beech Hill Country Hotel to hold the first of two networking sessions. First up was our ‘How to work a room – No fail networking tips’ session, where we put our attendees through their paces and explored how to master the art of networking, boost your confidence to make new connections and forge new relationships, and learn effective post-event follow-up strategies.

Our third and final event of the day, sponsored by AIB Merchant Services, was another useful opportunity to meet fellow Chamber members and get to know the Chamber staff a bit better as well.

As we moved into July, and before everyone went off on their holidays, we held our first Chamber golf day in more than ten years, ‘Fore The Win’. Held at Foyle Golf Centre, we were delighted to have over 80 people sign up in teams for a chance to be crowned champion of the North West business community! This was an excellent day full of fun, spot prizes, and a chance to get out on the links and away from the office. Read all about it and check out the pics from the day on pages 29 and 30.

Look Forward:

CBPES Employers Incentives Lunch 14 September

Networking Power Hour 19 September

President’s Annual Dinner 6 October

Annual Energy Conference and Exhibition 17 November

(L-R) Nuala Murphy, Diversity Mark NI; Louise McElvaney, Learning Pool; and Dervla McKay, Aircoach, speaking at May’s Women in Leadership event

Guests at June’s Sustainability workshop

North West Business Awards recognise best in class!

The North West Business Awards took place in June, celebrating the very best and brightest of the local business community across the Derry and Strabane District Council area! The City Hotel played host to over 300 guests on Friday 9th June, with 17 awards up for grabs, rewarding the best in class for sectors spanning retail, food and drink, hospitality, the green economy, and everything else in between.

It was an evening celebrating the strength and innovation in the North West with lots of surprises and recognition for local businesses. The ceremony was sponsored by

Loganair and invited nominations from businesses and entrepreneurs operating across Derry, Strabane, Donegal, and further afield. It was a brilliant night as well for some of our Chamber members who were recognised including Terex, the Waterfoot Hotel, The Playhouse, FinTrU, Da Vinci’s Hotel, the Walled City Brewery, and Declan Doherty from Derry Youth and Community Workshop.

This year’s awards were jointly organised by the Chamber and the City Centre Initiative (CCI), who thanked everyone who nominated, supported, and attended the event, recognising it as an evening of

The team from FinTrU after winning Overall Business or Entrepreneur of the Year

Winner of the Young Business Person of the Year, Ava McDowell, with Anna Doherty (Londonderry Chamber) and John Harkin (Alchemy Technology Services)

celebration, respect, and appreciation for some of the most industrious businesses and entrepreneurs within the region.

In a joint statement ahead of the ceremony, the City Centre Initiative and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce said, “These awards are about praising

the great work that has been done over the year by our businesses and entrepreneurs, especially those who have taken that step beyond in innovation or best practice and contributed to the growth of the economy within the North West during a particularly difficult few years.

These awards will celebrate businesses and entrepreneurs from all walks of life and what we and the judges will be looking for at judging time is signs of dedication, improvement, innovation, and commitment to trading and developing the economy of the North West region.”

Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Cllr Patricia Logue, with her husband James

John Harkin, Alchemy Technology Services, with Colin Gracey from North West Business Awards sponsor Loganair

The team from the Walled City Brewery collecting their Taste of the North West award

The team at North West Pest Control at this year’s awards

FinTrU were one of the big winners on the night, scooping the Overall Business or Entrepreneur of the Year as well as the Award for Contribution to the North West. Terex also walked away with two awards, one for their work on skills and education and the other for Large Business of the Year.

This year’s awards also recognised the invaluable work done by local hero Declan Doherty from Derry Youth and Community Workshop. Declan was named North West Business Hero for his work as Chief Executive of DYCW since 1990 in providing training and skills development in the city and enhancing the employment prospects of our local young people.

Congratulations to everyone who was nominated and our winners at this year’s North West Business Awards. And if you were unlucky to miss out on a gong this year, don’t fret – entries for 2024 awards will be open again before you know it!

The 2023 North West Business Award Winners

Young Business Person of the Year – Ava McDowell

The Educational Partnership Award – Terex

Restaurant of the Year – Artis by Phelim O’Hagan

Retailer of the Year – Cityman Menswear

Hotel of the Year – Waterfoot Hotel

Creative Industries Business of the Year – The Playhouse

Award for Contribution to the North West Economy - FinTrU

Visit Derry Ambassadors Award – Dr Mark Simpson, Ulster University

Innovation and Technology Award – Hawthorn Heights

Pub of the Year - Badger’s

The Eco Champions Award – Zero Waste Northwest

Creative Marketer of the Year – Da Vinci’s Hotel

The Taste of the North West Award – The Walled City Brewery

Business Hero Award – Declan Doherty, Derry Youth and Community Workshop

Small Business of the Year Award – Le Petit Village

Large Business of the Year – Terex

Overall Business or Entrepreneur of the Year – FinTrU

Declan Doherty from Derry Youth and Community Workshop receiving his award for North West Business Hero with Wendy McDermott (Londonderry Chamber), Prof Sandra Moffett (Ulster University), and Jim Roddy (City Centre Initiative)

Aisling Carlin, Stephanie O’Kane and Ciaran Farren enjoying this year’s awards

Chamber Past President Dawn McLaughlin and husband Johnny

Return of Chamber golf day a huge success!

The first Chamber golf day in over ten years took place in July and was a huge success! Held at Foyle Golf Centre on Friday 7 July, ‘Fore the Win’ attracted over 80 people from across the North West business community to take part to see who would come out on top as champion of the Chamber.

With spot prizes, competitions, and a chance to get out of the office for a day and onto the links, the day was an excellent opportunity for members to mingle with fellow colleagues, treat their staff to an enjoyable day out, and test their skills on the course.

Past President of the Chamber and current Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Londonderry Ian Crowe MBE DL came out on top as Best Player, while the group from Moore NI were awarded Best Team. Chris Doherty from Bank of Ireland came out on top in the front nine while Tommy McBride from the Bishop’s Gate Hotel won the back nine. Marina Hamilton from Fleming Steel, after a tie with Helen Quigley, came out as our Best Lady, while John McEleney won the nearest to the pin competition.

Loganair’s Colin Gracey and Chamber President Selina Horshi awarding Ian Crowe MBE DL Best Player at the Chamber golf day

John McEleney; Peter Doherty; Marian McEleney; and Anna Doherty, Chamber CEO

James Fleming; Heather Fleming; Marina Hamilton; and Andrew Fleming from Fleming Steel

John McEleney; Marian McEleney; Anna Doherty; and Peter Doherty

Eoghan Moore; Bill McChrystal; Donal Whiteman; and Neil Doherty from the Big Moo team

Michael O’Neill; Vincent Quigley; Helen Quigley; and JP McCafferty

A special thanks must go to all our sponsors for this year’s event – JKC BMW, Big Moo, Alchemy Technology Services, Benchmark Financial Planning, Dawn McLaughlin and Co, the White Horse Hotel, Loganair, Bank of Ireland, Moore NI, Sandwich Co., Toast Accountants, Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Frylite, and MJ Flood. Without your generous sponsorship, events like these would not be possible and we are always grateful for your continued support.

If you missed out this year, get a team together now and get practicing for next year’s golf day!

Check out the final team rankings below!

1st Moore NI (53 points)

2nd Alchemy Technology Services, White Horse Hotel, and Frylite (50 points)

3rd Bishop’s Gate Hotel, Kainos, and Big Moo (48 points)

4th Benchmark Financial Planning, Bank of Ireland, White Horse Hotel, and Toast Accountants (47 points)

5th Sandwich Co, and Dawn McLaughlin and Co (46 points)

6th Fleming Steel, and the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce (44 points)

7th Inner City Trust (43 points)

Ciarán Halfpenny; Donal Davis; Rory Friel; and Kevin Doran from the Alchemy Technology Services team

Eamon McCay; Yvonne Houston; Conor Sharkey; and Patrick McCrossan from Frylite

Ian Crowe MBE DL with Chamber CEO Anna Doherty

Glenn Murray; Chris Doherty; Seamus Farren; Martin Doherty Sr; Liam Walsh; and Martin Doherty Jr

Introducing Consult HR Vault: Solving your HR problems

As a business owner, how much time do you spend worrying about your HR?

The team at Consult HR repeatedly hear how individuals avoid tackling staffing problems, are scared to put something in writing in case they say the wrong thing, and spend hours Googling for the correct document to manage staff.

It’s for these very reasons that Consult HR owner, Julie Pollock, created the recently launched HR Vault, which gives members access to a library of documents for HR queries every business faces, all at the click of a button. Think of it as your own personal, virtual HR assistant, for a small monthly fee.

Designed using over 25 years’ experience of the industry, Julie has personally created a wide range of resources, including professionally designed employment letters and documents, as well as ‘how

to’ guides, checklists, forms, and meeting scripts.

Often a business idea is born out of passion and a dream. However, business owners quickly discover that this role involves wearing many hats, including hiring and managing staff, which can be costly and time consuming. The goal of HR Vault is to streamline HR by offering a solution to the most common problems. Members are provided with a full library of professionally designed letters available to download instantly..

Launching the new service, Julie said, “Our aim is to save you time, provide you with help so you can tackle those people problems with confidence, be compliant with employment law, and protect your business in less time, allowing you to focus on the things you enjoy doing.”

So, what’s included in the HR Vault? You will find ‘how to’ guides, scripts, template letters, template forms, and checklists in the following areas:

• Hiring your team

• Induction and onboarding

• Managing probationary periods

• Managing team performance

• Appraisal systems

• Managing investigations and disciplinary processes

• Managing employee complaints

• Managing staff absence

And this is just the beginning! These must-have templates will continue to grow.

To celebrate the launch of the HR Vault, there is a special introductory offer of only £47 per month plus VAT (normal price £79 per month), available for a limited time only. Minimum 12 months subscription.

To sign up or find out more information, visit: www.consulthr.co.uk

Workplace wellbeing: how to help your staff thrive

A recent article in Forbes business magazine declared ‘The future of work is employee wellbeing’ – but what does this actually mean?

The approach of managers in the workplace has evolved from solely focusing on the outcome of results, KPIs, and productivity to understanding that the physical and emotional state of their employees is the key factor in influencing the bottom line.

Evidence proves that productivity and effectiveness are directly related to staff wellbeing – employees that feel listened to, valued, and supported are greater assets to any company.

In recent times employers have been fast tracked into understanding the need to provide flexibility for staff in order to retain them and guarantee efficiency. Ensuring wellbeing in the workplace is complex and is certainly not a tick box exercise. It has many facets and there is no ‘one size fits all’.

Workplace flexibility is imperative.

Northern Ireland lags behind when it comes to productivity performance – indeed we rank as the worst of any region in the UK while the Republic of Ireland is on average higher than the whole of UK. (The Productivity Institute: NI Productivity Dashboard)

It’s time to take positive action in understanding what workplace wellbeing means for you and your team.

Where do you start? From the top! As a leader or manager, developing the skills of empathy and compassion allows you to listen deeply to the needs of your staff and respond accordingly.

The pandemic has given employers an insight into the real-life struggles of staff and, in turn, has created a shift of focus from not just organisational issues but also the lived experiences and issues of individual staff.

Workplace wellbeing is not just something to support staff but can be an opportunity to create a culture shift where compassion and personal empowerment are core to an organisation, resulting in increased productivity and effectiveness.

Helen McDonnell is a Personal and Professional Coach working with individuals, teams, and businesses to increase personal effectiveness. She delivers a tailored suite of workplace wellbeing programmes, meeting the specific needs of individuals and organisations.

Helen also delivers the Authentic Leadership Through Practical Mindfulness course in conjunction with the Londonderry Chamber. The next course starts in November.

For more information contact Helen at helen@indigolifecoaching.com or phone 07719302988

Why summer is the best time to upgrade your heating system

A heating system upgrade is often the last thing on people’s minds during the warm summer months yet this can be the best time to modernise or even replace an ageing system, improving your property’s overall energy efficiency and saving on running costs.

Volatile energy prices over the last 12 months have resulted in a greater number of businesses keen to find a heating system that reduces bills – while environmental concerns mean they want one that quite literally doesn’t cost the earth either.

But as a nation that relies heavily on fossil fuels to heat our properties, what offers the best alternatives?

As part of the UK’s journey to net zero in 2050, the Government’s Energy Strategy

A heat pump has two components – a condenser unit that sits outside the property and a thermostatically controlled indoor unit which can be mounted on the wall, ceiling, or floor.

In simple terms, when there is a call for heat, the heat pump will turn on the fan in the outdoor condensing unit to begin the process of extracting renewable thermal energy from the air outside. This heat is amplified using a compressor and then released directly into a room via the indoor wall, floor, or ceiling

In cooling mode, the process is reversed, transferring heat out of your property and returning cool air to the inside.

Martin Mullan, Managing Director for air cool engineering NI, said, “Our company air cool engineering NI has seen many technological changes since we started in 1998. Today’s modern air conditioning systems now use advanced heat pump technology which delivers cooling in summer and highly efficient heating in winter. Our heating and cooling systems are ideal for our climate, which often experiences all

Highlighting the systems’ cost-effectiveness, he added, “Although heat pumps use electricity,

they cost less to run compared to conventional boiler-based systems, and with A++ to A+++ErP Energy Ratings across the range, heat pumps are an efficient heating solution for all business applications. Once installed, systems are highly responsive and easily controlled to ensure optimum indoor temperatures are maintained.”

The local company has been installing ‘air to air’ heat pumps for 25 years. For the last ten years, the company has been installing ‘air to water’ heat pumps in commercial and domestic properties. If your business is considering making the switch to allelectric heating, cooling, and ventilation then get in touch with us. As trusted, established, and reputable specialists in the design of energy efficient small and large scale building mechanical services, you can be assured that your project is in good hands from start to finish.

To find out more, phone 028 7776 7114, email sales@ni.aircool.co.uk, or visit www.aircoolengineering.co.uk

Energy efficient heating, cooling and ventilation solutions for all businesses

Designed to HEAT or COOL small to medium sized spaces, the Mitsubishi Electric M Series range provides a versatile air conditioning solution for all business applications.

Highly responsive AND energy efficient

A++ to A+++ ErP Energy Ratings

ONE System does BOTH! Heating in winter and cooling in summer

Floor or wall mounted indoor units

Quick installation

Low carbon

Up to 10 years warranty

Q&A with City of Derry Airport’s Managing Director, Steve Frazer

Where can you travel to directly from City of Derry Airport?

Loganair’s new service between City of Derry Airport and London Heathrow operates three times daily, not only providing frequent air access to one of the world’s leading transport hubs, but also creating a fast and convenient gateway for outbound travel and inbound tourism opportunities.

The frequency is increasing on Loganair’s existing services to Liverpool and Glasgow over the summer, with 15kg hold luggage and in-flight refreshments included as standard. Ryanair’s service to Manchester also remains in high demand with fares from £29.99pp one way.

Travel Solutions Majorca holidays and Joe Walsh Tours Pilgrimages to Lourdes have

been hugely successful. And with our Topflight school ski programme to Verona in January 2024 sold out, this coming year will be another period of growth for the airport.

What are the connectivity options available with the new Heathrow service?

In terms of outbound travel, Heathrow truly opens a ‘Gateway to the World’. Passengers are now able to book through ticket connections from City of Derry Airport via London Heathrow to 119 destinations in 56 countries.

Destinations across Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australasia are available with Loganair’s codeshare with British Airways and KLM, and interline partnerships with United Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Air France, Wideroe, Singapore Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Icelandair, and Finnair.

What does the new Heathrow service offer for the region?

As the Gateway for the North West for over 40 years, the key business connectivity across all our services

supports the North West’s thriving regional development plans, and Heathrow certainly marks a substantial step in our vision for the future.

Demand for access to the North West from international leisure, corporate markets, and university students, coupled with globally recognised events such as The Open being hosted on our doorstep in Portrush in 2025, means that the airport is in a position to bring considerable tourism opportunities and economic growth to the local area.

What is the best thing about travelling via City of Derry Airport?

We are proud to provide the region with the convenience of flying local, and reduced travel time and cost as we offer the best priced airport parking on the island of Ireland. With single level access and less than 15 mins from our carpark to our departure gate, our passengers can enjoy a stress-free start to their trip.

Our Amelia Earhart Lounge offers a comfortable, private space with beautiful views, as well as the service of our lounge

team. The team offer private group bookings for special occasions or for any passengers who require a calm area prior to flying.

What makes City of Derry Airport different from other transport facilities? Firstly, the warm welcome and personable service from our staff, who know many of our passengers by first name, is something you won’t always find at an Airport.

In terms of business travel, we are in a unique position as Ireland’s only crossborder city, providing unique access to UK, Irish, and EU markets for international companies who want to invest in the region.

We have excellent corporate handling services, and as many private passengers enjoy the ease of travelling through a regional airport, this part of the business attributes to 50% of our aircraft movement.

We are also fortunate to have Cutting Edge Helicopters operating from

the airport. The team offer amazing sightseeing tours, chartered services, and training.

What’s next for City of Derry Airport? Re-establishing air access between the North West and Dublin is one of our key priorities, particularly for the corporate market, and providing hub connectivity for foreign direct investment. This service would also provide tourists visiting Ireland via Dublin to add the exploration of the beautiful North West to their itinerary.

We are in ongoing discussions with the Irish Government on the need for a PSO service based on the connectivity benefits that the airport provides, though there are funding challenges. It is mutually agreed that the airport is economically and strategically important to the North West.

Of course, we will continue to work on the further expansion of our route network across the UK and Europe also, as well as the development of additional travel partnerships.

MEETINGS & EVENTS

Bishop's Gate Hotel is the ideal place for great minds to discuss great ideas...

● Suitable for events from 6 - 90 delegates

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Bishop’s Gate Hotel, 24 Bishop Street, Derry~Londonderry, BT48 6PP

t : 028 7114 0300 e : sales@bishopsgatehotelderry.com

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HURT Collaborates with the Bentley Group and Pure Derry for new ‘Dry N Out’ Campaign

HURT - Have Your Tomorrows has launched a new partnership with Pure Derry and the Bentley Group to promote the ‘Dry N Out’ campaign which started in January and will run for a year. The three organisations recently developed a video campaign for Alcohol Awareness Week at the beginning of July. The video and the ‘Dry N Out’ initiative aims to address peer pressure within groups related to alcohol consumption and eliminate the stigma associated with non-drinking while promoting inclusive socialising, irrespective of beverage choices. The campaign features a powerful video with local figures such as professional boxer Connor ‘The Kid’ Coyle, local band Lavengro, Laura Kelly, and Chantelle O’Hagan, conveying a strong message - Quit the Beer Pressure.

The campaign’s core is a compelling video that addresses the pervasive issue of peer pressure within groups when it comes to alcohol consumption. The video challenges individuals to reconsider their attitudes towards non-drinking peers and encourages inclusive socialisation without judgment based on beverage choices. By creating an accepting and respectful environment, the ‘Dry N Out’ campaign seeks to foster positive social dynamics.

Through HURT’S collaboration with the Bentley Group, a prominent restaurant and bar chain in the city with seven sites, and Pure Derry, the organisation aims to cultivate a culture of understanding and inclusivity, where no one feels pressured to conform.

“HURT is pleased to support this campaign, as it aligns with our mission to promote health and

well-being”, said Leanne Doherty, Business Development and Social Enterprise Manager from HURT. “When I thought of the idea, I thought it would be risky - an addiction charity -partnering with a bar and restaurant chain. But the guys at the Bentley Group loved the concept and came on board straight away.”

For more information on the ‘Hurts Dry N Out’ campaign, visit www.hurtni.org

business advice

businesses should be posting on social media depends on their specific goals, target audience, and industry. However, here are some top tips for social media content:

Hayley Quinnell Founder, DIGI Media Management

TOP TIPS TO SUCCEED ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media management involves creating, editing, and publishing content for businesses across a variety of social media platforms. The rise of social media marketing over the past few years has led many businesses to shift their marketing budgets away from traditional marketing and towards a new form of digital marketing.

A common problem between businesses is that many don’t know what content they should or shouldn’t be posting. The content

• Engaging and informative posts: Share valuable and relevant content that educates, entertains, or solves a problem for your audience. This could include short-form video content, graphics, blog posts, articles, infographics, helpful tips, what you are selling, or industry news.

• Behind-the-scenes content: Give your audience a glimpse into your company culture, employees, and day-to-day operations. Showcasing the human side of your business can help build trust and connection with your audience.

• User-generated content (UGC): Encourage your followers to create and share content related to your brand. UGC can be in the form of testimonials, reviews, photos, or videos. It not only helps increase engagement but also serves as social proof for your products or services.

• Promotions and discounts: Offer exclusive discounts, promotions, or giveaways to your social media followers.

This can help increase brand loyalty and drive sales.

• Interactive content: Engage your audience with interactive content such as polls, quizzes, contests, or challenges. It encourages participation and boosts engagement levels.

• Inspirational and motivational content: Share quotes, success stories, or inspiring content related to your industry or target audience’s interests. This type of content can be uplifting and resonate with your followers.

• Industry insights and thought leadership: Position your business as an authority in your industry by sharing valuable insights, tips, and expert opinions. This helps build credibility and trust with your audience.

• Trending topics and hashtags: Stay updated with current trends and participate in relevant conversations using popular hashtags. It shows your brand’s relevance and can help increase visibility and reach.

• Visual content: Utilise visually appealing content like images, videos, and

infographics to capture attention and make your posts more shareable.

• Calls to action (CTAs): Include clear CTAs in your posts to encourage your audience to take a specific action, such as visiting your website, subscribing to your newsletter, or making a purchase.

Remember to maintain consistency in posting frequency, tone of voice, and branding across your social media platforms. Regularly analyse your content performance, engagement metrics, and feedback from your audience to refine your social media strategy and optimise your content.

The Cross Border Partnership provides recruitment assistance and employment advice to employers on both sides of the border. A reciprocal agreement is in place between the employment services in both jurisdictions when placing job adverts on www.jobapplyni.com and www.jobsireland.ie

The Partnership run a series of events to help cross border employers, workers, and jobseekers including cross border job fairs, both on-site and virtually using our platform www.crossborderjobfair.com as well as employer incentives and tax briefing seminars.

The Partnership covers all of Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland in Louth, Cavan, Monaghan, Donegal, Sligo, and Leitrim. The main target groups for the Cross Border Partnership for Employment Services include

• Frontier workers in the region

• Employers in the region experiencing skills shortages

• Jobseekers in the border counties

• SMEs in the region

• Unemployed young people who are living in the border region

• People who are long-term unemployed who are living in the border region

CBPES SUPPORTING JOBSEEKERS AND BUSINESSES ACROSS THE NORTH WEST

The Cross Border Partnership for Employment Services was established in 2022 succeeding the EURES Cross Border Partnership Ireland – N. Ireland, with the objective of making things easier for people moving freely across the border in order to earn a living, to assist employers by providing them with access to a larger and more diverse workforce, and to assist those already working in the other jurisdiction.

The EURES Cross Border Partnership in Ireland – N. Ireland had been in existence for over 20 years and was seen as a key contributor to the lives of the cross border worker, jobseeker, and employer. The Cross Border Partnership aims to continue the work that went before by addressing imbalances for our target groups through supporting employers in finding the skillsets required which can contribute towards the stability of the employment environment and through supporting jobseekers in cross border movement.

To find out more about CBPES, to contact any of our cross border advisers, or to check out our upcoming events, please visit our website www.cbpes.com

that the next generation aren’t interested in taking on the responsibility of business ownership – they’ve watched their business-owning parents always on-duty, and they have seen the burden involved in managing evermore onerous regulation and ever-more needy employees. Many business owners feel marooned in their business, seemingly unable to get out.

So, what is the reality? In our experience, acting for business owners in the North West –and across the country, both North and South – there have been two significant changes in this region that business owners need to know about.

Firstly, we have seen a marked decrease over the last five years in the number of businesses passing from parents to children. Maybe there is some truth in the generational generalisation.

Managing Partner, Caldwell & Robinson

HAS

OWNING A BUSINESS BECOME LIKE PARENTING – YOU CAN’T EVER RID YOURSELF OF THE RESPONSIBILITY?

We’ve all heard the grumpy over-50s say

Secondly, we have seen a marked increase in the number of businesses being sold to third parties - this is a most welcome counterweight to the first trend. Whether it’s a result of post-Brexit all-Ireland supply chain consolidation, or some post-Covid cash-rich balance sheets, there is a significantly greater appetite and confidence amongst otherwise ordinary businesses seeking to acquire other ordinary businesses, and to look outside the big cities to find their targets. For us, the proof is that the number of business acquisitions or disposals we have acted on in the last two years – with values of between £1.5m and £10m – is now running at between 10 and 15 a year, a significant increase from five years ago.

This is good news for real businesses owned by real people.

Lorraine O’Malley

Co-Ordinator for the Cross Border Partnership for Employment Services

Philip Gilliland

Down Memory Lane

Shane McCourt Company Director, Com Cubed

broadband connections, VoIP telephone systems, Office 365 and cloud solutions, and IT Security.

We have positioned ourselves as ‘one stop shop’ and have developed our product and service portfolio with this in mind.

What is your title and how long have you been in post?

Company director and general ‘fire putter outer’ for 27 years!

What was the North West like outside your windows in that era? How has it changed?

It’s unrecognisable in many ways. The way businesses operate has changed drastically since we started in 1997 - gone are the days of faxing and post. The biggest change that I’ve seen is in the way we communicate with each other, both in business and personally.

What age are you?

46

Where in the North West are you from?

Derry

Explain what your business does?

Put simply, we help other organisations realise their potential through the use of IT. Com

Cubed is a complete IT service provider. We support a range of businesses with their IT and telecom needs. Some of our services include managed IT support, consultation and advice, copper and fibre network cabling, Wi-Fi solutions, hardware procurement,

Has the ethos of your business changed over the years?

Our ethos hasn’t changed at all, although the way we support businesses has. We’ve always believed that offering a quality service at a fair price is the best way to sustain long term growth and retain customers.

What’s the best piece of advice you have been given over the years? Employ people for where you want to be, not where you are.

Has the way you do business in the North West changed much over the years?

20 years ago, 90% of our work was carried out on site but with remote access and monitoring now, only 10% is onsite, which is good for us and our customers as it reduces cost and response times.

What can businesses learn from the past to build a strong future?

Nothing stands still, especially in our line of work. If you are standing still, then you’re going backwards. We continuously review how each job goes and how improvements can be made for our next one. Feedback from staff and customers will guide you. New ideas and identifying gaps in the market early provide a focus point.

There was a lot of good in the past. If I had the ability, I would bring some of it into the present and future. The ability to “disconnect” would be one. The closer community spirit another. Make time for yourself and the people around you and take time to disconnect. The mental wellbeing and general happiness of staff not only makes for a more content workforce but also improves productivity.

appointments

We are delighted to welcome Dr Chris Sharkey as our newest director within ARC Fitness.

Chris Sharkey is a Consultant Psychiatrist with the WHSCT and qualified in general adult mental health and substance misuse psychiatry. Chris works as a Recovery Consultant and frequently represents the Royal College of Psychiatrists NI locally.

Chris has a special interest in service improvement both locally and regionally by involving individuals, families, carers, and communities.

We are delighted to welcome him into the extended ARC Team. Welcome aboard Chris.

Jay has a passion for fitness and its effect on the mind. He believes that exercise is not just about improving aerobic capacity and muscle size, but also has a positive impact on depression and anxiety. With his recent appointment as Family Support CoOrdinator at ARC Fitness, Jay will be responsible for the development and delivery of our Family Programmes, Support and Community. He has a heart for raising awareness about addiction and poor mental health, and is excited about the opportunity to make a real impact in the community.

“I have been following ARC from the beginning, so to be asked to join this inspiring group of people in a full-time capacity was both humbling and exciting. This approach to mental health and addiction is exactly what this city needs, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to make a positive difference in people’s lives.”

3. Lewis Crothers

Lewis Crothers has joined eir evo UK as a Field Engineer involved in the delivery and installation of client networking projects. Since joining, Lewis has been working on deployment of Wide Area Network (WAN) for local councils across Northern Ireland, which involves close liaison with the eir evo Network Engineering teams to pre-configure and fit firewalls for internet circuits. Prior to joining eir evo UK, Lewis, a Cisco Certified Network Associate, was involved in engineering field work across Northern Ireland, working with various public and private sector organisations to deploy wireless WiFi and WAN solutions.

hays

4. Jane Deeney

Jane Deeney has over ten years’ experience recruiting business support candidates in reception and administration, office management, PA and secretarial, HR, and customer service positions for temporary, permanent, and contract roles within the private and public sectors across Derry, Co. Derry, Co. Tyrone, and Donegal.

As a recruitment partner, Hays also provide clients with our comprehensive Salary & Recruiting Trends Guide, our What Workers Want survey findings, detailed Market Insights report and our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion report. In addition to this, we offer My Learning, a free learning platform to all our clients and their employees which has thousands of accredited courses to choose from.

the playhouse

Christy Curran is the new Fundraising Development Officer in The Playhouse. Christy has 22 years of experience working within the sports and youth and community sectors. He is excited to be transferring his skills and experience of applying for funding to the arts sector. He has enjoyed a high level of success in applying for large funding in previous roles and now looks forward to engaging with new funding organisations and establishing a network of corporate sponsors that will help sustain the passion and vision for the arts and peacebuilding for the foreseeable future in The Playhouse.

1. Chris Sharkey

2. Jay Kiernan

5. Christy Curran

benchmark

Catherine has been working in financial services for over five years, and has progressed from Admin Support to her recent appointment as office manager and paraplanner.

In Catherine’s role she is responsible for overseeing the admin support team, carrying out research and formulating advice with the advice team. She graduated from Ulster University with a degree in Business and Accountancy and is currently working towards her diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.

Catherine has always had an interest in financial services, having spent a number of years volunteering within the treasury of her children’s school and this was a role she enjoyed.

Deirdre joined Benchmark Financial Planning in 2022 following the acquisition of Waterhouse Financial planning and is a Chartered Financial Planner in our Derry office. She has been working in the industry since 1996 following her graduation from University of Paisley in 1995.

Deirdre is a fellow of the Personal Finance Society and she works closely with professionals, in particular accountants and solicitors in advising and developing financial plans for both individual and corporate clients. In her spare time Deirdre enjoys spending time with family.

Lisa is a qualified Financial Planner, who has worked in Financial Services for nearly ten years. She graduated from Ulster University in 2013 with a degree in Business and Accounting.

Lisa started her career with Waterhouse Financial Planning as a technical paraplanner, carrying out research, formulating advice in conjunction with the planner, preparing technical reports and implementing recommendations. Since their acquisition by UK-based Benchmark Financial Planning, Lisa has transitioned to

the client-facing role of Financial Planner and is working towards attaining her chartered status this year. Lisa offers a range of services to corporate and private clients. This covers investment, tax and pension planning, protection of families, incomes, assets and businesses as well as succession and estate planning for higher net worth clients.

She is a recent CII Award recipient for her results in the Financial Planning exams and is currently working her way towards Chartered Status.

9. Michael Kennedy

Michael Kennedy has been appointed into a Financial Planning role with the firm in March 2023 following the acquisition of Kennedy Independent Financial Advice at that time. He is a Chartered Financial Planner and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society based in Derry. Michael has extensive experience in Financial Services with over 42 years in the industry.

He is married to Mary with three grown up children and four grandchildren. He graduated from Ulster University in 1976 with a degree in Economics. He is Chairman of his local cricket team and enjoys the odd game of golf.

10. Sinead Meenan

Sinead joined Benchmark Financial Planning in 2022 following the acquisition of Waterhouse Financial planning as a former company director of the firm. She has now been appointed as the Wealth Planning Director of the Benchmark FP Northern Ireland office.

She is a Chartered financial planner and a fellow of the Personal Finance Society.

Sinead has been in the industry since 1996 after studying Law at John Moore University, Liverpool and has done a wide

range of roles in the industry working her way up to Director. Sinead works closely with professionals, in particular accountants and solicitors in advising and developing financial plans for individual and corporate clients. She is currently working towards STEP accreditation to achieve Estate and Trust planning specialism.

She is keen to promote financial planning as a profession for all, especially females and is an Education champion of the PFS. She is passionate about instilling the benefits of financial planning in young people and keep services in Derry. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends.

11. Tabitha Riddles

Tabitha joined Benchmark Financial Planning in 2023 following the acquisition of Kennedy Independent Financial Advice Ltd. and is a trainee Financial Planner in our Derry office.

Tabitha has worked in the financial services industry since 2013. She initially worked in an administration role and studied to achieve her diploma qualification in Regulated Financial Planning. It is her intention to continue studying to achieve chartered financial planning status.

She completed a degree at Ulster University in Business Studies and graduated in 2015.

Tabitha is married to Philip. She enjoys going to the gym and beach walks around the North Coast.

6. Catherine Wilson

7. Deirdre Moore

8. Lisa Rutherford

toast accountants

12. Amy Doherty Trainee Chartered Accountant

Amy Doherty is a recent graduate of Ulster University having studied a BSc (Hons) in Accounting with Taxation and is now a Trainee Accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland. Amy’s role within TOAST is to undertake monthly bookkeeping on the Xero software system, assist with weekly and monthly payroll processing and to prepare the filings of VAT returns and company accounts.

13. Dara McLaughlin

Dara is a Trainee Accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland. She is a recent graduate from Ulster University achieving a Bachelor of Science in Accounting with Taxation. Her role within TOAST is to keep up to date with bookkeeping tasks using the Xero software system, assist with payroll services and with the filings of tax returns, VAT returns and company accounts.

14. Hannah Bridge

Hannah is a Xero Certified Advisor who recently graduated with a BSc degree in Finance and Investment Management from Ulster University.

At TOAST Hannah plays a pivotal role in overseeing various aspects of client operations on a daily basis. Her responsibilities encompass a wide range of tasks, including proficient bookkeeping, establishing comprehensive invoicing and payment systems for our clients, as well as handling payroll processing.

15. Kitty Harvey

Kitty Harvey is a qualified accounts Technician and a Trainee Accountant with Chartered Accountants Ireland. She previously worked for HMRC for 20 years gaining experience in Self-Assessment and PAYE and also spent eight years as a HMRC VAT Assurance Officer. Kitty is Xero Certified, and at TOAST she assists clients with the transition from their previous accounting systems to Xero Cloud Accounting Software.

16. Niall Toland

Niall Toland is a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant achieving a Top 5 result in the UK rating on his tax exams. He has significant experience advising clients and companies as well as dealing with other external stakeholders. Niall’s responsibilities at TOAST include accounts preparation, corporation tax and self-assessment tax returns, and ensuring client tax and compliance deadlines are met. He is also involved in day-to-day client operations including VAT returns, payroll and bookkeeping.

Ulster University

17. Aine McFeely

Aine joins the Marketing & Comms team at Ulster University with over 16 years’ experience in Sales, Marketing & Events in the Tourism industry. Based in the Derry~Londonderry campus her role involves supporting the marketing & communication of key special projects in the North West including Derry City & Strabane City Region City Deal, Shared Island initiatives and strategic stakeholder engagement. She is looking forward to building on new and established relationships and developing the campus as a shared learning and event space for our local community. Aine is an Ulster University alum graduating with a BA Hons in Business Studies with Specialisms in Marketing and Msc in International Business.

How does your membership benefit you?

with Gary Rutherford, Founder/Strategic Co-ordinator, ARC Fitness

ARC Fitness was founded in Derry~Londonderry four years ago, initially as an online signposting service to support individuals struggling with addiction and substance use disorders. Through time and considerable effort, it has now become a highly reputable recovery organisation and the only one in the UK to utilise a specific health, wellbeing, and physical activity-based approach to addiction recovery. ARC is deeply rooted in the heart of our community and is built on lived experience. We provide access to professionally qualified mental health nurses, fully accredited therapists and counsellors, personal trainers, and accredited recovery coaches.

ARC has been a member of the Londonderry Chamber of Commerce for almost one year. The decision to join was driven by the challenging landscape within the community and voluntary sectors as well as the recognition of how important it was to establish connections and support within the local business network. Our membership goal was to really strengthen our relationship with other businesses by delivering service provision to tie in with our strategic sustainability objectives.

The rise in health harms caused by substance use and addiction is impacting business owners and organisations – which means ARC’s specific wellbeing services are needed more than ever. Being a member of the Chamber consolidates our values of collaboration, innovation, and the power of ‘connection’ amongst those working in all sectors – after all, addiction doesn’t care what sector you work in.

The greatest benefit for ARC is being connected with like-minded and forward-thinking Chamber members who want to see local companies succeed and grow. Chamber networking events helped us to meet with business owners and

leaders in a relaxed, friendly, and encouraging manner – an opportunity we wouldn’t have had otherwise. The ‘Good News Friday’ initiative is also a great way to keep abreast of local success stories.

I would encourage all businesses to join the Chamber. Navigating today’s challenging economic environment is easier when you’re connected to excellent support and information. The Chamber team have provided ARC with much-needed advice as well as opportunities around learning and organisational development.

The connections forged through our membership have enabled us to change the landscape of addiction service provision in the North West. More importantly, that means we have been able to bring hope to so many people.

We look forward to our continued engagement with the Chamber and encourage more community and voluntary organisations to become active members.

Welcome to The Chamber

CONNECTED is highlighting some of the Chamber’s newest members. Let us introduce you to the wider range of members that the Londonderry Chamber represents across the North West. Will your business be featured in the next edition?

#GrowingBusinessNW

AIB is a leading bank in Northern Ireland and part of the AIB Group, providing a range of finance and banking services to personal, business, and corporate customers locally.

AIB delivers a full-service range of financial support through its branch network, specialist business centres, digital and phone channels, Post Office counter services, and its headquarters in Belfast.

Over the past number of years AIB’s mortgage offering has gone from strength to strength as the bank embedded homes at the heart of its business strategy. This focus is set to deepen in 2023 as AIB continues to support the development of sustainable communities and the homes that make up those communities.

AWARE NI is the Depression Charity for Northern Ireland, offering support and education for people with depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. The charity has a large network of peer-led support groups run by a team of trained volunteers. Support groups welcome people experiencing mental ill-health and offer them a safe space to open up and be around others who understand them. AWARE NI delivers mental health and well-being programmes into communities, schools, universities and workplaces, teaching attendees techniques to look after their own mental health and well-being.

Berko Pod Systems are a family run business with over 25 years in the construction industry, specialising in modular builds, glamping pods and garden rooms.

With a highly skilled team, we design, engineer and manufacture high end modular glamping pods, homes and garden rooms by using the newest technology and modern methods of construction. All our unique and innovative pods are manufactured in our factory in Dungiven, Co. Derry, Northern Ireland, where we have the capacity to manufacture 120 modular rooms a year, with the hope to expand further in the coming years.

Bibby Financial Services has supported small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) since 1982 and today support more than 12,000 businesses worldwide.

We support businesses in more than 300 different industry sectors, providing innovative, tailored funding solutions. We help with cash flow funding, growth and expansion, management buy-ins and buy-outs, refinancing, corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions.

We also work in partnership with businesses throughout Northern Ireland to support the emotional health and wellbeing of employees and provide opportunities to make a positive impact in the community. Our vision is of a future where people can talk about their mental health openly, access services appropriate to their needs and have the skills and knowledge to maintain positive mental health.

For more information, visit www.aware-ni.org or email info@aware-ni.org

We have a versatile range of pods for clients to choose from but also offer a completely bespoke service where a client can create and design their dream pod.

Boyle Office Supplies was started in 2019, and after slowly growing through the Covid years, we have expanded to our new retail premises in August 2022.

As a supplier of printer cartridges, office stationery, and school supplies, we stock all you need to keep your office running. Everything from pen and paper to filing cabinets and chairs - with FREE delivery in the local area, we can ensure you are never stuck.

Cityman Menswear are the city’s longest established menswear store. While carrying a full range of menswear including casual wear, footwear and accessories, the award winning Cityman are most famous for their suiting.

Whether for a wedding, special event or business, Cityman have the perfect suit for everyone.

Bogside & Brandywell Health Forum (BBHF) is a Healthy Living Centre based in Derry but serving individuals from across the North of Ireland since 1999. At the Health Forum, we offer a holistic approach to health and well-being in the community, schools and workplaces. Our aim is to support and help people in our community of all ages to live healthier lifestyles. We offer a wide range of programmes addressing physical and mental health, nutrition, and smoking cessation - ultimately, connecting people to their community.

Brisk Technology offers 24/7 support 365 days a year for all our services, and we are a one call solution for all your business technology needs. We provide many services to all industries which include, EPOS Solutions - IT Solutions -Data Recovery -Web Design, Hosting and SEO

We also offer other services such as CCTV installation, door access systems, and solar panels (business only). We can arrange finance for all our hardware via our finance partners.

Based on Spencer Road, Earseeds Therapy Pain Management and Mental Health Well Being Clinic is the tried and tested complimentary therapy using ‘Auricular’ (Ear) pressure points and nerves to bring pain relief as well as helping with the mental health of their clientele. This growing clinic successfully treats back pain, neck pain, Arthritis, sciatica, Tourette’s Syndrome, ADHD, neurodivergent issues, trigeminal neuralgia, hayfever, PMS, and menopause.

Coastal Core is an Independent Ambulance Service, providing top-quality services to Private and Health and Social Care sectors. They are first aid experts and leading provider of exemplary first aid courses, offering outstanding training for groups / individuals empowering people to give immediate and appropriate first aid in an emergency.

Coupe by The Dirty Souls is a Texas style BBQ joint and soul food kitchen serving up smoked meats from a 500g offset smoker, fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits or even gumbo, all washed down with fat washed, smoked or even zero waste cocktails alongside uncommon wines, local beers and ferments.

Health Hub Professionals NI Ltd is the North West’s first and premier Multidisciplinary Specialist Allied Health Clinic. Founded in 2018 by Karen Murphy (Occupational Therapist) and Anne-Marie Campbell (Physiotherapist), The Health Hub offers fully serviced room hire for Specialist Health and Social Care Professionals.

For Specialist Clinicians, The Health Hub allows freedom of access to a beautiful clinical environment, with customisable single and group rooms with level access and ample free parking.

The people of the North West now have direct access to a range of the most skilled Specialist Allied Health Professionals at a time that suits them. Rapid access to specialist care allows our clients to take control of their lives and health.

Hawthorn Heights are a market leader in the design and construction of play parks throughout Ireland and Scotland. Established in 1999 as a small landscape contractor, we have expanded into the design and construction of play parks, artificial sports pitches and large public spaces. With headquarters outside Eglinton, we work across the Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland, and have completed large destination play parks, such as, Mo Mowlam Park at Stormont Estate, Hillsborough Forest Park, Ballyarnett Country Park, Sean Moore Park in Dublin, Melvin Sports Complex in Strabane and Pittencrieff Park in Dunfermline (Scotland’s first fully inclusive play park).

Coupe won Best Newcomer in Derry at the Irish Restaurant Awards in 2023 after only being in their third month of trading and they are determined to continue to grow and showcase their unique style and food.

Coupe’s sibling business The Dirty Souls food truck and catering business can be visited in Letterkenny at Kinnegar brewery or at various events across Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Foyle International is a private English Language school, specialising in educational tourism. Since 1990, we have been delivering a range of linguistic, cultural and vocational training courses. We provide international students with the complete package: educational or work experience courses, local accommodation, complemented with cultural activities and weekend excursions – and of course, a warm Irish welcome!

For each of our students we aim to improve their English language skills whilst learning about local Derry culture, exploring the region and applying skills learned inside the classroom to real-life scenarios.

In addition, we collaborate with other EU institutions on research projects and send local young people from Derry and the surrounding region away on funded work experience programmes in Europe.

Our in house team can cater for any request, allowing clients to achieve their desired outcome for their project. This creative adaptability was pivotal in our successful expansion into the Scottish market, and has helped us to secure large destination parks across NI, Ireland and Scotland. We work with two global leaders in the manufacture of play equipment to offer a large range of high quality play opportunities to meet the requirements of our customers.

The Pig and Frog Bistro on Spencer Road has recently reopened its doors and has brought with it a modern bistro style menu to its customers old and new, while still catering for traditional tastes. You can enjoy an all day breakfast in the bistro or a delicious eggs benedict or smashed avocado on sourdough bread alongside daily specials to cater for everyone’s tastebuds. The full menu can be delivered direct to your door with our recent partnership with JustEat. As well as that, the Pig ‘N Frog Bistro offers a superb outside catering service for all occasions and events. Plans are in place to open a number of evenings throughout the week offering coffee, cake, and a chat.

At Impact-NI, we remove the stress that follows a road traffic accident by offering complete support and guidance from crash, car replacement, repairs and local legal representation, all at no cost or inconvenience to you. From roadside recovery to legal assistance, we are there with you, assigning your local and direct contact, personal claims handler

With over 20 years’ experience working in the fitness industry, Ruby’s Inclusively Fitness is specifically designed for children and adults with additional needs including autism, Down’s syndrome, Cerebral Palsy to name a few. The programme can be tailored for both individual and group settings. Sessions can vary from aqua aerobics to activities that promote self-regulation that integrates sensory play and circuit training. Through exercise and play it will help the individual to make social and emotional connections for recovery in brain development.

Our passion is to make exercise and fitness accessible to all and we strive to ensure all our participants reach their individual potential, improve their self-esteem, and feel empowered. We believe strongly in ability and inclusion, and we work hard to ensure that each child leaves with a sense of achievement and has had a fun/safe experience.

IntSys Solutions is an organisation based in Derry, N. Ireland that is dedicated to the delivery of quality Workday Integrations.

We are at the heart of the local jobs market for those searching for a job or new staff. We’ve got the talent, the jobs, and the latest coverage of employment issues.

We invest continually in the functionality of our website, introducing new features that reflect the changing needs of the recruitment marketplace.

The Movement are a Derry based production company specialising in short film, content creation and corporate video marketing. Our teams capture your brand and personality through our lens to portray your vision and story on screen.

Our site is designed to make job-hunting faster and easier for our users and to deliver more applications to our recruiters. Companies recruiting on nijobfinder.co.uk in 2023 are achieving 20% more applications compared to 2022.

nijobfinder connects to talent others can’t reach.

Established in 2005, Print Supplies have grown to become the No. 1 supplier of Managed Print Services in the North West. We are a 100% Irish owned company providing much needed employment on a local level and offer our services nationwide.

As an independent supplier we can provide a complete range of Photocopiers and Printers from brands including KYOCERA, EPSON and UTAX. We provide a complete hands on approach and guarantee an excellent after sales service.

All our printers and photocopiers are monitored remotely, so customers don’t have to carry surplus stock of toners etc, or even re-order supplies. Whether you wish to buy, rent or lease we can tailor a complete package to suit your requirements.

Satori Accounting are a team of accountants and bookkeepers who provide a range of business support services to small businesses.

Our core focus is delivering an outsourced finance department to small business owners, utilising the latest cloud technology to improve finance processes and automation.

Our packages help small business owners rest easy knowing all their accounting, tax and payroll matters are being run by a professional team, and we regularly review results with our clients to keep them going in the right direction.

Our business started in July 2010 and we are the first ever Xero Certified Advisors in Northern Ireland Ireland. In 2021, we won Xero’s award for UK Small Firm of the Year, a UK wide recognition of our expertise and valuable client service.

We aim to help family and ownermanaged business to create more energy, time and money in their business and their lives through their numbers.

RST EPoS is a leading provider of PoS software and hardware solutions for the hospitality and retail industries. Founded in 1977, with offices in Derry (HQ), Belfast, Dublin and Chester, RST EPoS has over 45 years of experience in helping businesses of all sizes streamline their operations and improve their bottom line.

They develop innovative, cloud-based Point of Sale (PoS) software, online ordering, table ordering, stock control, table reservations, hotel management software and card payment solutions for businesses to empower them to improve operations, increase revenue and provide great service to their customers.

More details can be found at www.rstepos.com or by calling 028 7186 0069

First established in 1992, Verbal is the only artistic/ cultural organisation of its kind on the island of Ireland, working through storytelling and the language arts to support positive mental health, resilience and cross-community dialogue in areas of high-level sectarianism, community conflict, deprivation and marginalisation.

Using a multi-disciplinary approach encompassing digital technology, literature, psychology and creativity, we endeavour to overcome social, cultural and economic barriers to reach marginalised and vulnerable communities by working on an outreach basis taking our creative programmes to “where people are” in their lives.

Corporate Membership –Partners, Patrons, and Associates

The Chamber’s mission is to help businesses succeed in a successful North West. The support of our corporate members is crucial in delivering on this mission. In return for supporting our work as a patron, partner, or associate, you will receive additional benefits including enhanced brand recognition, stakeholder engagement with senior politicians and other likeminded organisations, and networking opportunities throughout the year.

Aligning your business with the Londonderry Chamber will enhance your credibility and trustworthiness among consumers and fellow businesses. Being associated with an organisation that supports economic growth and community development can positively influence how your business is perceived.

Over the past few months, we’ve been delighted to welcome new patrons and partners to the Chamber and would like to thank them once again for their vital support.

Our Newest Partner

Translink is Northern Ireland’s public transport operator and carries over 1.5m passengers to work, education, health services, leisure activities and more every week. With over 12,500 services every day, the company provides over 3,800 green, local jobs across all parts of Northern Ireland.

An effective and successful public transport network is vital for the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of everyone in Northern Ireland. Translink are committed to the transformation of transport, enabling a modal shift to public transport and active travel, and delivering our Net Zero target.

Translink has significant plans in place to increase passenger capacity, decarbonise our fleet, and deliver infrastructure upgrades, enhanced connections, station investment, and ticketing and technology upgrades.

Public transport is key for the future of our people, our planet, and our prosperity. As we seek to address the climate crisis and restore our economy in challenging times, public transport is taking steps to decarbonise, re-connect communities, and revitalise town and city centres. The challenge is a formidable one, but Translink is well placed to meet it.

Our Newest Patron

Caldwell & Robinson is an Ireland-wide legal practice that has been providing advice on personal and commercial matters for over one hundred years, with offices situated in Belfast, Dublin, and Derry~Londonderry. They are experts in family and child law, entrepreneurial, business, and commercial property law, as well as private client and probate matters.

The family law practice is led by Karen O’Leary (Head of Family in the Derry~Londonderry Office) and Geraldine Keehan (Head of Family in the Dublin

Office). Both Geraldine and Karen are fellows of the International Association of Family Lawyers and are regular panellists on family law matters, both within this jurisdiction and further afield.

Philip Gilliland, Managing Partner, heads up Caldwell & Robinson’s Corporate and Commercial team. Philip is the current Chair of Avrio Advocati and is a frequent speaker at conferences on legal aspects of international trade, particularly within emerging markets.

Karen, Geraldine and Philip are all ranked as leading lawyers in the Chambers & Partners 2023 guide.

Caldwell & Robinson practice across the whole island of Ireland, as well as in England and Wales, and they are members of the international law firm association, Avrio Advocati, and of the International Academy of Family Lawyers.

Are you interested in learning more about corporate membership? Get in touch with Carolann to discuss your options

Carolann@londonderrychamber.co.uk 028 7122 3624

Sometimes, when you’re faced with an issue, trying to solve a challenge, or need a new perspective on things, it helps to look at it through someone else’s eyes. A fresh outlook can bring new ideas and solutions to something seemingly intractable. A new perspective can also allow you to view what you have with greater clarity, value, and gratitude.

I experienced this recently, much to my delight, and was given an unexpected opportunity to see the North West through new eyes. Nuprint has worked closely with The Old Bushmills Distillery Irish Whiskey producer for a number of years. After being acquired by Proximo, the owners of Mexican tequila giants Jose Cuervo, the local company targeted North America as a key strategic market, with the US a particularly lucrative market for Irish whiskeys.

Throughout the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bushmills underwent a major rebranding exercise. We worked closely with their packaging and design agency in the US, Stranger & Stranger, one of the largest and most well-known

The Final Word

with Gavin Killeen, Managing Director, Nuprint

design companies for the wine, beer, and spirits industry in the world. While most of the initial work was done over Zoom and Teams, which presented its own challenges, we worked well and constructively together. When restrictions on travel were eventually removed, we invited the team from the New York agency to come visit Derry and the North West.

This is where Aaron Koskela comes in. Aaron was a manager at Stranger & Stranger who led on the Bushmills work in the US. When Aaron finally made the journey to our shores, it’s fair to say he totally fell in love with the place. The people, the friendliness, our close proximity to some of the most beautiful outdoor spots and shorelines in the world, the picturesque train line between Derry and Castlerockeverything. There and then, the bug had bitten Aaron and within a few months he had made the decision to up sticks, leave his life in New York and, long story short, he started with us in Nurprint in May.

Speaking to Aaron after he moved, it was clear we often don’t fully recognise our own strengths. It taught me a wider lesson as well, one about

cherishing what we have to offer here in Derry and the North West and being bolder and more confident in shouting about it. Many people’s immediate reaction upon hearing that a high flyer from New York City was swapping Times Square for Ebrington Square might be “why?”, but that would totally downplay what we have to offer to people looking to set up base here.

Between our quality of living, the openness and warmness of our people, our top-quality indigenous companies, and our natural beauty, we have a compelling pitch to make to highly skilled workers and leaders from across the world. While Aaron is just one example, I hope that his story can inspire others to come and see what the North West has to offer. I also hope it gives other local companies the confidence to try and attract global talent. Skills and labour shortages are a common feature across all sectors currently. Aaron’s case shows that we can compete globally to attract skilled workers who bring their unique perspectives and worldviews, who contribute to the economic success of the North West and, ultimately, become adopted members of our community.