Ambition Issue 40 (JUly/August 2020)

ISSUE 40 £2.95 CIPR PRIDE AWARDS 2017 - BEST PUBLICATION

JULY/AUGUST 2020

AMBITION TALKS TO NI CHAMBER MEMBERS ABOUT THE REOPENING AND REBUILDING OF THE NI ECONOMY

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July/August 2020 Issue 40

Contents NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER

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Following in the Footsteps Grant Thornton Assocaite Director Maeve Hunt on following in her father’s footsteps as the new Chartered Accountants Chair.

Managing Editor: Christopher Morrow Features: Emma Deighan Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Managers: Lorraine Gill & Gerry Waddell Editorial Assistant: Kellie Burch & Joanne Harkness Email addresses: Christopher.Morrow@northernirelandchamber.com/ lorraine.gill@ulsterjournals.com / gerry.waddell@ulstertatler.com Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com / www.ulstertatler.com Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim. Cover: The Hero Shield pictured at Brett Martin’s Mallusk headquarters. Brett Martin is one of the local companies which have been supplying materials for the manufacturing of the product.

NI CHAMBER PATRONS

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At a Glance

88 Putting Our People First 90 Safety Remains Top Priority

News: 8 Two Key Framework Positions

for Henry Brothers

Appointments: 76 Danske Bank Appoints Aisling

Press as Head of Personal Banking

Columnists: 14 Kate Marshall 16 Bill Roy 21 Robert McCullough 22 Claire Clerkin 48 Colin Jess 66 Richard Johnston 71 Richard Foley 80 John Campbell 92 Brendan Drain 96 Jim Fitzpatrick Chamber Chief: 24 CEO Update 26 Membership Benefits 28 Championing Global Growth 30 World Class Leadership Live 31 Learn Grow Excel:

The Next Phase

Features: 12 Digital Transformation for

Economic Survival 40 Creating a Better World

Through Nutrition 44 Shoots of Recovery 50 Embracing the New Normal 54 The Daunting Challenge Facing

Print Media 64 Banking on Better Times Ahead 68 In a Position of Strength 72 Keeping Goods Moving 74 CCP Gransden Celebrates

125 Years in Business 78 We’re Investing in Belfast

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Lifestyle: 82 Business Class Motoring James Stinson 94 Fashion: Stun in the Sun Joanne Harkness

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50 55 Cover Story 68

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editorial

President’s Perspective

We must work together to help businesses recover and invest

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he coronavirus pandemic has been a seismic shock to the economy – and as more and more of our members continue to reopen, and others receive indicative dates, we are under no illusions that things will go back to “business as usual” any time soon.

As President of NI Chamber, I have been struck by the imaginative and selfless way that businesses have come together with the public and third sectors to support their communities, the NHS and each other over the past months, going out of their way to contribute to the national effort to combat this virus.

We also appreciate that the Government has acted quickly to provide support to businesses through these difficult times, delivering cash to firms on the ground through loans, grants and the Job Retention Scheme.

As industry starts to enter recovery mode, there is a growing concern that these rescue packages that the government has put in place to save businesses has been a case of ‘disaster delayed but not averted’.

The banking sector has told Whitehall that many businesses have been encouraged to take on debt that they will not be able to afford as they emerge from the crisis with weakened balance sheets.

Economists also worry these loans will be a drag on the UK’s productivity in the medium term, with businesses less willing to invest in capital expenditure, skills training and growth because they will be carrying unsustainable debts.

It is NI Chamber’s view that bold solutions will be needed to prevent thousands of firms from falling into a spiral of unsustainable debt. It is therefore critical that Government, banks and regulators work together with business communities to find solutions that help viable businesses recover and invest. A ‘student loan’ type instrument, where repayments begin once revenues return to pre-crisis levels, is just one possible approach for smaller firms.

We also must not forget that recovery comes at a time when businesses face another mammoth task over the next six months – the ending of the Brexit transition period.

With many unknowns in terms of agreeing, understanding and implementing the way in which Northern Ireland will trade with the EU and the rest of the UK in the future, all efforts must be made to avoid unnecessary risks and costs to Northern Ireland businesses and to urgently provide them with the information that they require to start planning.

Last month the UK government produced a ‘Command Paper’ setting out its approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol – the bespoke solution agreed by the UK and EU in how Northern Ireland would be treated post

Brexit. Whilst initially viewed as a welcome step forward, the paper has arguably raised even more questions and has certainly not quelled the uncertainty and anxiety for local businesses around how all of this will work practically. What it effectively means is that, even at this late stage, we are still not entirely sure how we will trade with Great Britain, our largest trading partner, as well as the EU and the rest of the world.

With time running out and businesses in the middle of the COVID-19 public health emergency, we urgently need answers to all of our questions and simply cannot deal with further uncertainty as we manage our way out of the crisis.

Ian Henry President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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NEWS

ULSTER UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL LAUNCHES NEW SUPPORT Ulster University Business School (UUBS) has unveiled a new portfolio of support services to help organisations respond to current challenges presented

by COVID-19 and plan for future recovery.

The new portfolio draws on the expertise and knowledge of leading academics to help businesses emerging from the crisis navigate the ‘new normal’.

Services include free one-to-one business support sessions in a range of key business areas such as Marketing, Digital Strategy, Competitiveness, International Business, Leadership and Management.

NI CHAMBER BRINGS WORLDCLASS EXEMPLARS TO ICC BELFAST NI Chamber is set to host the inaugural event from ICC Belfast’s new hybrid studio on Thursday 25 June.

‘World-Class Leadership Live’ is a new, virtual leadership event created to help Northern Ireland’s business leaders rise to the challenge of emerging and rebuilding from the impact of COVID-19.

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); Oonagh It will host a number of speakers O’Reilly (ICC Belfast) and Louise Turley from across the globe, including Margot (NI Chamber) in the Hybrid Studio.

Slattery (Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Sodexo Group); Kieran Kennedy (Founder and Managing Director of O’Neill’s Sportswear) and Laith Dajani (Executive Director at William J. Clinton Leadership Institute).

The event is supported by headline sponsor Electric Ireland and supporting sponsors Queen’s University Belfast and ICC Belfast.

EDUCATION PLATFORM CREATING 52 JOBS ANDRAS HOUSE ACQUIRES FORMER HMRC BUILDING Well known property development and hospitality company Andras House has completed the purchase of Dorchester House for an undisclosed sum. Dorchester House is a 52,000 sq ft, 10-floor property on Great Victoria Street Belfast and was one of two buildings formerly occupied by HMRC. The transaction was funded by Danske Bank.

Digital education platform, Firefly, has set up in Northern Ireland in an investment which will eventually create 52 jobs. The company provides a digital education platform to support schools in delivering home learning, which has become especially relevant during Firefly co-founders Simon Hay the COVID-19 pandemic. and Joe Mathewson.

It was founded by Joe Mathewson and Simon Hay and has teams based in London and Sydney, employing 75 people.

Co-founder Simon Hay said: “Our whole education system is adjusting to a different way of teaching. Our modern learning experience platform helps schools and teachers to deliver engaging lessons remotely, from setting tasks to sharing resources, as well as manage parent communication efficiently.”

Invest NI has offered the company £520,000 of support.

MOY PARK LAUNCHES £1 MILLION COMMUNITY SUPPORT FUND FINTRU ACADEMY GOES REMOTE The Economy Minister has announced a new remote learning FinTrU Assured Skills Academy offering 20 high quality training places.

Participants in the academy will receive industryrelevant pre-employment training from Belfast Met and Ulster University over four weeks. Those who successfully complete the academy are guaranteed an interview for a role at FinTrU and the entire process will be fully remote.

Moy Park has established a £1 Million Fund to support community organisations local to its operations across Europe.

Charities and support groups can apply for a grant from the Moy Park Community Support Fund, which is aimed at supporting and enriching the lives Moy Park’s Gareth Wright and Kristin Wilson. of those in need across its local communities. This new initiative builds on Moy Park’s range of existing and longestablished community measures, including charity and educational programmes.

Applications to apply for a grant from the Moy Park Community Support Fund will open on the 1st of July and can be made via https://moypark.com/communitysupport.

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NEWS

New tech-based energy supplier launched

Well-known entrepreneurs Ciaran and Stephen Devine have launched ‘Bright’, a new technologybased energy supplier in partnership with forecourt retailer Maxol. Using a unique software platform and a specially designed app, it will offer one simple tariff in providing customers with affordable green electricity.

Bright has created 15 new jobs at its Belfast HQ where it will manage its island-wide operations and plans to double its workforce in the coming months.

big picture thinking for okto Lisburn-based OKTO Technologies has achieved strategic partnership status with Samsung for ‘The Wall’ – its latest innovation in luxury home entertainment. As partner, OKTO becomes Samsung’s first official supplier and integrator of The Wall, the world’s largest, bespoke screen, which measures up to 292 inches. Aimed at the high-end consumer market and featured in some of the world’s most expensive residential properties, The Wall uses the latest microLED technology to provide the ultimate cinema experience in the home.

Barclays launch free recovery toolkit

Barclays has launched a toolkit to help small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) get back on their feet as they navigate the uncertainty created by coronavirus.

The ‘Barclays Back to Business’ programme has been designed in partnership with Cambridge University’s Cambridge Judge Business School. Businesses can sign up via the Barclays website.

Lava group introduces thermal temperature screening The Lava Group has introduced a new temperature screening solution that incorporates the latest thermal imaging technology to conduct contactless screening of people as they enter a building. Tephra’s Temperature Screening can be easily deployed in workplaces to quickly and efficiently identify whether staff and visitors exhibit an elevated temperature. As individuals flow freely past the cameras, the solution generates an alert if a high temperature is detected.

two key framework positions for henry brothers Contractor Henry Brothers recently won places on two major multi-billion-pound framework agreements.

The company has been appointed on multiple lots on both the £30 billion Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Construction Works and Associated Services Framework and the £10 billion Pagabo Major Works Framework.

The company has won a place on five lots – for projects valued between £3 million and £10 million in North England, South England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and for schemes of £10 million to £30 million in North England.

Managing Director David Henry said: “These two framework agreements will support the David Henry, Managing Director of Henry Brothers. delivery of major developments which will be vital in helping the recovery of the UK’s economy as we move forward after the coronavirus pandemic.”

JComms named uk’s best small pr consultancy Belfast-based JComms has been named the UK’s Small PR Consultancy of the Year in the industry’s official awards programme.

The company, which provides PR, public affairs, and digital content services, won the award in the Chartered The JComms team led by Managing Director Institute of PR (CIPR) Chris Harrison. Photo captured pre-Covid-19.

Excellence Awards 2020.

Other Northern Ireland organisations shortlisted for the CIPR Excellence Awards in other categories included the NI Chamber & Ulster Tatler team for Ambition magazine, NI Chamber’s internal Communications Team under ‘In House PR team of the year’ along with Smarts and Jago / Tourism NI.

OCO Global announces new office in shanghai OCO Global, a leading specialist trade and investment advisory firm has announced the opening of its new office in Shanghai, China, and a new partnership with the market entry specialist Aventura.

This expansion of OCO Global’s China operations will enable the company Mark O’Connell, Chief Executive to support international economies to of OCO Global. attract cross-border investment from China and to build out relationships with the Chinese government and companies.

“We are very excited to open our new office in Shanghai and establish a new partnership with Aventura, growing our operations in China to support our clients across the region” said Mark O’Connell, OCO Global CEO.

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Columnist Kate Marshall, Speaker, Coach, Facilitator

The New “Better Norm” In her first article for Ambition, Kate Marshall, speaker, coach and facilitator, discusses how businesses can adapt for the future.

meetings, working from home or office and people being valued more for outcomes than hours worked. It seems workers not only like working from home, in some cases they are more productive.

Businesses are asking; could we thrive as a business with reduced office space and flexibility around how and when we work in offices?

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s a coach and chair of CEO Peer Advisory Boards, I am getting to see first hand the courage, dedication, and determination of leaders during this pandemic. I am humbled and inspired.

Leaders of businesses are working hard to keep their employees safe and making tough decisions to ensure they have a business to return to. Not one of these individuals trained or signed up for this, and yet here they are doing what they know they must.

Each day, they must stay current on the latest developments and adapt to whatever changed from yesterday. I write this knowing this is an evolving and fluid situation and our leaders’ resolve and resilience will continue to be tested.

The statement “We are all in the same storm but we are certainly not all in the same boat” certainly rings true.

What I am seeing are businesses that fall into three categories:

2. Intolerance to poor behaviours/productivity/systems/ processes. This enforced time out has enabled owners/leaders to reflect on and review how they do business and use resources. It has exposed strengths and weaknesses. The new norm will require greater clarity around what is and is not working for the business, better focus on measures and accountability with a commitment to only employ the right people. Many leaders are using the term “true colours”. Some employees have surpassed expectations with attitude or ability to deliver outcomes with a “how can I help” mentality. Sadly some have not.

This brings me to the final area I believe businesses will have to adapt and strengthen to thrive.

1. Thriving – their product/service demand at this time has been part of the response to current circumstances and they are seizing the opportunity, despite encountering challenges around servicing the demand.

“The statement ‘We are all in the same storm but we are certainly not all in the same boat’ certainly rings true. ”

2. Dying – their product/service has had its route to sales/market disappear or blocked.

3. Idle, ticking over – making the most of this time, trading where they can, improving systems/processes, training and developing staff – focusing on new opportunities and getting ready for new ways of working.

Many are asking “what part of the old norm is worth rushing back to?”

3. Purpose led, engaged and smart business. There is no doubt in my mind that the businesses that will survive and thrive will be those who see this crisis as an opportunity to do better. They will have a short-term focus on the One Thing that will enable their organisation to survive and be here in six months time. Those businesses will ensure they have both the right medium and longterm strategies, systems, processes, measures and people in place and will communicate those strategies through refined processes and systems. Importantly they will reinforce the clarity through how they structure and lead the organisation with staff knowing exactly how they can contribute and how they will be measured, both now and in the future.

Whichever of the categories your business falls into, here are some of the ways businesses can adapt for the future.

1. Flexible working and use of technology. Any lagging resistance to either working from home, flexible working hours, using technology such as Zoom to communicate with staff and clients virtually has disappeared. Our acceptance and use of technology for digital collaboration, entertainment and e-commerce as a viable sales platform for many services/products (including food) has accelerated as quickly as our individual technology skills have improved. Technology has allowed much of our lives and some businesses to continue in ways that would not have been possible years ago. I believe that these mediums will not fully replace faceto-face meetings, however the future will need a blend of virtual

Every crisis presents us with unlimited possibilities. As people return to their new way of living and working, my hope is we are going to keep the best of what was, learn from what’s good about now and create a new “better norm” for the future.

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NEWS

Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT’s Enterprise division in Northern Ireland.

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Digital transformation for economic survival The onset of the coronavirus pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we all use technology and how we do business. Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT’s Enterprise division in Northern Ireland, discusses the importance of digital transformation for economic survival.

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he long-term impact of the virus means that many people across Northern Ireland are having to contemplate a future of working from home for an extended period. Many successful businesses – especially sole traders and SMEs – now find themselves facing immense challenges in order to stay trading.

Working from home for the first time could be very daunting for many, especially if you’re used to a busy, bustling workplace. For sole traders, SMEs, as well as large organisations in the public and private sectors, being able to adapt their business model and move their offer online is and continues to be absolutely essential.

As a critical enabler and investor in Northern Ireland, that has generated £592 million total GVA impact locally, BT Group is working hard to help keep Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK up and running during this difficult time.

Our priorities have been to our people and customers, keeping our colleagues safe and helping our customers stay connected.

BT supports thousands of SMEs locally and around one million across the UK. As connectivity is more important than ever, we’re helping businesses to stay operational during this period by providing them with a range of support and technology solutions.

Ensuring the network resilience to enable Northern Ireland to stay connected, our networks are critical and we’re monitoring them closely to ensure that everyone, where possible, can effectively work remotely. We’ve

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seen weekday daytime traffic increase 35-60% but this is still nowhere near the large capacity that our networks can handle.

BT is also working closely with Governments and public sector organisations to enable emergency responses as well as supporting Account NI, the finance arm of the Civil Service, in getting crucial payments dispersed to small businesses. To date, the total value of these payments is over £152 million.

Digital Skills As working from home continues to become our ‘new normal,’ and businesses need to become digital in order to succeed – they also need support to build their digital skills – and that’s where BT Skills for Tomorrow comes in.

BT is supporting people by giving them access to the best technology, flexible options and training to help them navigate through this challenging period.

BT Skills for Tomorrow offers free sessions as part of a major new programme, temporarily being moved online, designed to empower 10 million people across the UK by giving them the skills they need to flourish for the digital future. BT has collaborated with leading digital skills organisations to collate the best courses and information, in one easy to navigate place.

Everyone is included – from school children to older people; from young adults looking for employment; to SMEs and larger public and private businesses looking for growth.

Working with Google Digital Garage, Small Business Britain, and LinkedIn Learning, we’ve

created numerous useful guides on how to do business online and develop effective digital skills. We’re also supporting small businesses via several webinars, to help with things like online presence, digital marketing, data analytics, social media and collaboration tools.

Digital skills are important because Northern Ireland faces a digital skills gap, which is having a profound impact on us. The rapid pace of change is leaving people behind – as many as 11.3m UK adults and 10% of the UK workforce lack basic digital skills. This digital skills gap is costing the UK economy an estimated £63bn a year, according to BT’s latest Digital Impact and Sustainability Report.

Some of the forthcoming free webinars will cover the best collaborative tools to support remote working, how businesses can connect with customers online and alternative business models using digital approaches: see more at www.bt.com/skillsfortomorrow Staying Safe Online BT is also committed to ensuring that our business customers have the security solutions and knowledge necessary to stay safe online.

With many SMEs and larger businesses working remotely, this can also pose security considerations in response to the ever growing threat from profit-orientated and highly organised cybercriminal enterprises.

With cybercrime continuing to escalate, a new approach to digital risk is crucial.

Businesses need to not only defend against

cyberattacks in this ‘new normal’ working environment, but also disrupt the criminal organisations that launch these attacks.

Companies’ need to help their employees to understand the potential risks. Security solutions that apply granular controls on what apps and data users can access based on who they are, where they are, and what device they’re using, could make all the difference

innovation last year, and we have around 3,000 cyber experts based around the world, focused on protecting BT’s networks and those of our customers. This is a vital component in securing our business against increasingly sophisticated criminal gangs, who are supported by a highly developed and rapidly evolving black market.

Risks to both large and small businesses across Northern Ireland are evident in a

“BT supports thousands of SMEs locally and around one million across the UK. As connectivity is more important than ever, we’re helping businesses to stay operational during this period by providing them with a range of support and technology solutions.”

to an organisation’s future – as hackers and scammers look to exploit these new ways of working.

BT is at the forefront of driving technology change and securing the UK’s digital infrastructure. We invested £632m in

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variety of forms. This includes various types of malware or phishing attacks, high-end targeted assaults on finance systems, as well as more regular attacks on business information and on high net worth individuals within organisations. Criminal attacks are often used with the intent of fraud, extortion or theft of hard intellectual property.

As a trusted service provider and advisor to private and public sector businesses across Northern Ireland, BT’s local specialist team works in conjunction with external experts to develop and provide advice – as well as a whole portfolio of security solutions to look after and manage cyber security risks for our customers.

At BT, we also have a ringside view of the latest attack landscape across cyberspace as a result of our work across global networks – and we’re using these capabilities and knowledge to help protect our customers. Our expertise can identify and stop the latest cyber security threats before they reach us, and we offer the same unique expertise to our customers.

Cyber security needs to become a focus for all of us and our businesses. It’s essential that companies adopt a change in mindset and to regard security not simply as a defence exercise – particularly in this new digital world of homeworking. It is, in fact, the enabler that facilitates digital innovation and ultimately drives business growth.

The global pandemic that we are faced with has created a ‘new normal’ both in our working environments and home lives. BT has and continues to support all of its customers through these changes and will continue to adapt as our customers and the world around us does.

ALLSTATE AWARDED THE FIRST SILVER DIVERSITY MARK Allstate NI are the first company to receive the Silver Diversity Mark from awarding body Diversity Mark NI Ltd. The software company have made significant progress on initiatives to advance Gender Diversity since joining Diversity Mark NI three years ago. Allstate’s Silver Award application was independently assessed earlier this month by the Diversity Mark NI voluntary independent assessment panel and it included new challenging targets on Gender Diversity, LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Age Diversity.

John Healy OBE, Vice President and Managing Director, Allstate NI said: “Now more than ever, inclusive diversity needs to be at the core of everything we do. As such, I am delighted that we are the first company in Northern Ireland to receive the Silver Diversity Award.

“As this is Pride Month it is particularly special to be recognised for our focus on LGBTQ+ inclusion and diversity. However, as a society we all have to work to improve all aspects of this and I am looking forward to Allstate NI continuing to set the bar high for others.”

“This award is a credit to all the hard work that is done here at Allstate NI to make it a workplace where our employees can be themselves and where the strengths and talents of each individual are recognised.”

John Healy OBE, Vice President Diversity Mark NI Ltd is NI’s only independent, not-for-profit organisation enabling members to work and Managing Director, Allstate NI. towards achieving, and maintaining the highly regarded Diversity Mark. Many companies from all sectors are using the the ‘Mark of Progress’ as a public declaration of their commitment to Diversity and Inclusion.

Companies recently awarded the Bronze Diversity Mark include Energia Group, Bombardier, Vox Financial Partners, Catalyst, Holy Evangelists’ Primary School and the NI Housing Executive.

To find out more about how your organisation could benefit from gaining the Diversity Charter Mark contact: christine@diversity-mark-ni.co.uk or visit www.diversity-mark-ni.co.uk.

Do you have the Mark of Progress?

Continuing to support our members with online events www.diversity-mark-ni.co.uk

Founding Partners

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Columnist Bill Roy, Principal and Founder at BRC Partnership Ltd

Mind your head Bill Roy, Principal and Founder at BRC Partnership Ltd discusses how a new mindset is a prerequisite for moving forward into an uncertain future.

1. Growth Mindset I have been very interested for some time in the research carried out by Carol Dweck from Stanford University among others.

‘Growth versus fixed mindset’ is a term coined by Dweck. Here are some of the characteristics of a growth mindset that will be needed in the new normal, the post-covid organisation: • Embracing challenge and uncertainty – keeping an open mind, seeing possibilities • Open to and willing to learn from constructive feedback and criticism • Persistent in the face of setbacks and disappointments • Inspired and influenced by the success of others and not threatened by it • Failure seen as an opportunity to learn, adapt and be changed • Resilience and emotional intelligence.

“

I think that you will agree that we are living in most interesting times. I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which each day brought us new objects of interest and let me say also, new objects for anxiety.”

You might be forgiven for thinking that these words were uttered in recent times on one media outlet or another. In fact these words are the musings of Joseph Chamberlain in 1898, the father of Neville Chamberlain. They sound like they could easily have been said last week.

For over five years, I’ve been talking about the ‘new normal’ on our in-company and open leadership programs. I have, to be honest, had many bewildered looks from leaders in education and in business over those years as I’ve sought to promote and unpack the concept. Now however, everybody seems to be using the phrase. It’s everywhere!

But what does it mean for leaders and businesses as we look into a very uncertain and unpredictable future? I would like to offer some thoughts and suggestions for a changing local and global landscape and where we might need to pay attention within our organisations. Particularly towards those who have a leadership role or simply the ability to influence and impact others.

I’m sure we have all reeled at the suffering, the statistics, the failures and successes spilling out of a season of great turbulence.

A time of fear, anxiety, frustration and uncertainty. I would urge you to consider the heroism and dedication of our health and social care workers at this time and perhaps take inspiration from them.

Beyond their knowledge, skill and experience, there has been a mindset of giving, serving and sacrificing for the sake of others irrespective of race, creed, gender or belief. No-one too small, too poor or too great to be looked after and supported. It is their mindset that has caused our heroes to go beyond the call of duty.

We will all need a different mindset in order to lead, equip, guide and support others as we move forward into a very uncertain future.

I would suggest that we need to ‘mind our head’ in terms of the way we of think about the why, how and what of the new workplace. The way we think about our teams and the individuals within them. The way we think about ourselves, our roles and our potential to influence and impact others around us. And may I say, the way we think about our families and friends. There are a number of ways we might do this in the months ahead as set out below for your consideration.

2. Agility Mindset Leaders who demonstrate agility don’t wait for a phase to be completed before entering the next one. They re-create or perhaps more accurately, co-create new templates, patterns and routines for working, collaborating and constructing paradigms. One only has to look around today to see diverse examples of this from the use of virtual/mixed reality equipment by medics to innovative arrangements and initiatives in schools. Out of chaos, creativity emerges.

3. Safety Mindset It could be argued that safety will have to be seen as more important than efficiency. There’ll be few who will not have been reminded of the importance of health, well-being and the need for edifying relationships. The post-covid organisational environment may well be more considerate and people-centred as we all have been faced with the things that really matter in life: authenticity, understanding, inclusion and a sense of purpose and belonging.

4. Optimism Mindset Closely associated with emotional intelligence, optimism will need to be in great supply. I’m careful not to confuse optimism with positive thinking, I see them as distinctly different. I’ve been challenged by the work of Martin P Seligman in his book ‘Learned Optimism’. Seligman suggests that, “When we encounter adversity, we react by thinking about it. Our thoughts rapidly congeal into beliefs. They become so habitual we don’t even realise we have them unless we stop and focus on them.”

It is my firm belief that we have an opportunity to think about our thinking as we move forward and perhaps think very differently and as a result, see a new set of beliefs emerge about the nature of work, the importance of relationships and a return to our core values and purpose as the platform for everything else we do.

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OHRD Princes House 44-46 Princes Street, Belfast, BT1 3FP T: 028 9026 8460 E: enquiries@ohrd.net W: www.ohrd.net 17

FEATURE

Maeve Hunt with her father James Hunt.

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17/06/2020 12:25

Following in the footsteps Grant Thornton Associate Director Maeve Hunt shares her priorities as the new Chartered Accountants Chair – a role held by her father in 1990.

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17/06/2020 12:25

M

aeve Hunt, the newly elected Chair of Chartered Accountants Ulster Society, tells Ambition that formally taking over at the society’s first ever ‘virtual’ Annual General Meeting provided a totally unique experience – at least in one respect.

The digital nature of the event, necessary due to COVID-19 restrictions, was indeed unprecedented. However Maeve, an Associate Director at leading business advisory firm Grant Thornton in Belfast, was able to call on some familiar faces as she began her year long tenure with the chain of office.

Taking over as Chair from Richard Gillan, Managing Partner of Grant Thornton Northern Ireland, she also followed in the footsteps of her father James Hunt, who held the position in 1990. Commenting during her inaugural speech to the AGM, Maeve said it was a particularly proud moment to emulate her father who also acted as President of the Society before his retirement.

“I’ve grown up watching his dedication and commitment, and I will be doing my best to demonstrate those qualities during my own term as Chair”, she said.

Recovery Maeve made the remarks as she set out her key priority for her tenure, to help the local economy recover.

“I know that in the year ahead, Chartered Accountants have a crucial role to play in terms of helping Northern Ireland to bounce back from the current health crisis,” she said.

“Around the world, people are still coming to terms with the impact and effects of the

“Bouncing back from this health crisis while dealing with the realities of Brexit will be the challenge of a generation. The skills and leadership of our profession are needed now more than ever. We will be there to give our support.”

COVID-19 pandemic. Our key aim will be to support our members and their pivotal role in business and the public sector during these unprecedented times.

“Bouncing back from this health crisis while dealing with the realities of Brexit will be the challenge of a generation. The skills and leadership of our profession are needed now more than ever. We will be there to give our support.

“As a professional body, we must evolve so that we find new ways to meet the needs of our members, so that we can help Chartered Accountants to meet the challenge of our times. We will be an effective voice for our members, and the wider business community

in Northern Ireland. Together we have a key role to play in helping our economy to bounce back.”

Network Reflecting on her election, Maeve, who joined the Ulster Society as a student said it was that sense of coming together that first attracted her to getting involved with the institute.

“I had always observed my father and the support he received from a strong network that came from being part of the Ulster Society, so, like him, I have always been keen to be involved at a committee level.

“I saw that he had a group of fellow professionals that he could turn to that he trusted, and that continues to this day.”

Training as a Chartered Accountant with Hill Vellacott after completing a Law and Accounting degree at Queens’ University, Belfast, Maeve has built up significant experience during her career working across a broad spectrum of clients in sectors as diverse as manufacturing, retail, and property development.

Before joining Grant Thornton’s Audit and Assurance team in 2016, she had also spent a year on secondment with a major charity.

Growth She said her story over the course of her time with Grant Thornton had been one of continual growth, aided by the strength of the relationship between adviser and client.

“I was attracted to Grant Thornton because of the major growth the firm was, and still is, experiencing.

“I also saw that the support of a network that is so vital for the Ulster Society was mirrored in the professional support that we provide to clients.

“As Chartered Accountants, our role is to be there to provide that assurance and assist clients across the broad spectrum of business queries they may have.

“That has rarely been as important as it is at the current time as we continue to deal with the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. For Grant Thornton as a firm, the wider body of Chartered Accountants and the clients we represent, we are seeing the close relationships built over many years really bearing fruit at the present time as we work together to navigate a prosperous path into the future.”

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17/06/2020 12:25

Columnist Robert McCullough, Head of Business Sector Engagement, Danske Bank

Making the transition from crisis management to recovery planning

A

s Northern Ireland follows other countries in relaxing the lockdown measures that have been in place since March to protect us from the spread of coronavirus, businesses have also entered a new phase of re-opening and recovery.

Companies in all sectors were initially forced to focus their energies on crisis management as they reduced or completely stopped operations because of the lockdown, a situation somewhat mitigated by the extensive support offered by central government in the form of loans, grants and furlough schemes.

But now, as we start the NI Executive’s five stage exit process, which will hopefully see a complete end to lockdown, businesses are beginning to implement their recovery plans.

These plans will, of course, be very different in different sectors, particularly with the ongoing requirements to observe and implement social distancing and other safeguards for the health of employees and the general public.

But based on the conversations we have been having with customers on a daily basis over the past few months, some of the key elements that should be contained in these plans include:

We know some previously strong companies have seen business drop away completely in the first half of 2020, through no fault of their own. We do not in any way underestimate the scale of the challenge facing some sectors and acknowledge there will be more pain to come for the economy.

But it is also true that good businesses adapt and try to use a crisis to accelerate constructive change and the opportunity this situation has created to review how you do things should not be wasted.

Take for example conveyor belt manufacturer Smiley Monroe, which has resumed production in Lisburn with a series of comprehensive new safety and social distancing measures built into its processes. The company took out a CBILS loan through Danske Bank to enable it to trade through the lockdown, but as an essential supplier of equipment to customers in industries like construction, quarrying and waste, it is now ramping up production again and looking to expand its sales in global markets, including the US. Similarly, small business The Soap Story has availed of a Bounce Back Loan and other support measures through Danske to enable it to launch a new range of antibacterial hand sanitiser products and start a new distribution relationship in the Czech Republic.

The sanitiser range wasn’t in the company’s initial plans, but it has adapted, pivoted and through innovation in its product range, found new markets to sell to.

I have talked to many companies who have been thinking of changing things for some time but who only now have been able to re-evaluate operations objectively and implement those changes. That could mean refreshing management skills, ending a product line that was on its way out anyway, or investing in new skills for a team.

Good businesses have been reviewing and re-examining their operations, looking at how they can be made better and as a result will hopefully take those lessons and emerge leaner and fitter on the other side of this. It won’t be easy, but I’m confident lots of NI businesses will take the necessary steps to put themselves in this position.

• Critical cost analysis – both in the immediate and longer term • Evaluation of management & leadership – have your people the right skills for this next phase?

• If not, prioritisation of investment in key skills – which ones?

• Review of your market – how it has changed, where it’s heading, are there opportunities to pivot or change focus?

• Profitability of product lines or services – terminate those which may not have satisfactory return or longevity and look at where there are opportunities to innovate • Should you diversify or add new products or services to meet changing customer demand?

• Review of supply chain – is it reliable, secure and sufficiently diversified?

• Opportunities to digitise / automate – could you introduce or expand robotics or AI? • Are there partnership opportunities to work collaboratively to reduce costs or open new markets?

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Columnist Claire Clerkin, Co-Founder at people development consultancy, Wiser Working

Your Wellbeing Strategy can make or break home working

Wiser Working’s Claire Clerkin looks at the new normal of working from home and what help employers can offer with this new transition.

connections with individual team members and maintaining upbeat team cultures. For the forseeable future, Friday drinks and sharing pizzas may be off the menu, but digital alternatives may be possible – if the whole team buys in!

W

orking life has changed. It might never be the same.

Covid-19 has presented challenges and opportunities we couldn’t have imagined at the beginning of 2020.

Employees have been at the coal face of all this upheaval – offices closed, teams working remotely, people juggling deadlines with home-schooling and, for some, furlough and the possibility of redundancy. Uncertainty is certain and how organisations handle it now will determine the company culture for years to come.

I firmly believe that now, more than ever, organisations with people-oriented cultures will be the ones to thrive. It is people that are being asked to make extreme sacrifices and changes. Keeping them engaged, motivated and customer-centric will be essential during the foreseeable tough times ahead.

It is proven that employee wellbeing affects job performance, the number of sick days taken and the likelihood of leaving an organisation. Whilst most organisations already have a wellbeing strategy, it may be time to consider if it needs to be updated.

Since home-working is likely to be in place for a long time to come, your wellbeing strategy needs to clearly address a whole new set of needs. This will be crucial if you want to retain great people and set them up for success.

3. Fostering Flexibility The lockdown period has demonstrated that people can work from home, while balancing family life. It is likely that many parents will look to continue working flexibly to maintain the new sense of work/life balance this period has forced upon us.

And it is not just parents who are benefitting. Employees with certain health conditions or other family demands (e.g. caring for parents) have been finding the ability to work flexi-hours lifechanging. Now that people have had a taste of it, it will be hard to argue against it. Forward-thinking organisations will find a way to make it work – for their teams and their businesses. Engage with your people and work together to find a solution that works for all.

4. Setting Boundaries One of the most common pitfalls with home working is the blurring of boundaries between work hours and home life. It is easier to check emails out of hours or work a little longer (no commute!) when working from home. Employee wellbeing must be at the heart of an organisation’s transformation to digital working.

Some organisations already observe server downtime between 7pm-7am to prevent a culture of late-night emailing. However, with more flexible working arrangements, this may not be feasible. Instead, managers need to encourage clear boundary setting around home working so that people do not start to feel the expectation to be ‘always on’.

This can be done by requesting team members to communicate their preferences and to self-regulate around agreed norms. If it is agreed that you don’t need to respond to emails after 6pm, then don’t!

Here are five things you can do: 1. Optimising the Environment Working from home is already the new normal for thousands, and this is likely to continue. Organisations can support employees by ensuring that their home working environments are conducive to optimal performance.

Providing the right equipment is the first step, but companies can go the extra mile. Virtual sessions on posture, for example, can keep back issues at bay. Advice on clean air, indoor plants or lighting can be small touches that make all the difference.

5. Go Digital for Physical and Psychological support Fortunately, organisations can continue to offer high quality wellbeing programmes remotely. Yoga, nutrition, and mindfulness classes can all be delivered online. Let’s also remember that 1:1 coaching has been offered remotely for years.

Some organisations already offer bike purchase schemes or gym memberships. These can be converted to stationary crosstrainers or online exercise membership sites.

Home working is no longer a privilege, it is essential, but if it is to work for the benefit of the organisation AND the employee, then wellbeing must be at the heart of any strategy.

2. Keeping connected People who already work in remote teams know that it can be difficult to keep connected and collaborative. From 2020, fostering positive relationships remotely is going to be a critical part of wellbeing initiatives. It will be easier for the more introverted team members to fade into the background.

Managers will need to be trained up on establishing positive

22

NEWS

Patrick Woods, director of Linwoods and company founder and owner, John Woods.

LINWOODS SOW SEEDS FOR GROWTH WITH £500K REBRAND INVESTMENT One of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable health food companies, Linwoods, has unveiled a new visual identity, including a new brand logo and pack design, following a major customer research project and a £500,000 investment.

The rebrand champions the health qualities of the Linwoods product range and encourages customers to take care of themselves by adding nutrients and vitamins to their diet. As part of the rebrand, the company has also launched a new Immunity Campaign to educate consumers on the health-related benefits the products provide.

The new-look packs rolled out into all supermarkets and health food stores in the UK and Ireland including Holland & Barrett, Planet Organic and Whole Foods from last month, with the rebrand campaign running across video on demand, digital and social media platforms.

John Woods, founder and owner of Linwoods Health Foods said: “We are delighted to unveil the new visual identity of Linwoods. As part of the rebrand, we invested heavily in a research project to enable us to get an even better understanding of our customers, their lifestyles and diets.

Consumption and food habits have changed significantly in recent years and we know our products play a big part in helping people live

a healthier life, so it’s important that we are able to support our customers and provide them with nutritious, organic foods and helpful wellness advice.

“We have improved our brand and on-pack messaging to communicate the benefits of each product and this is complemented by new, modernised and vibrant packaging. Our logo has also been updated to highlight the authentic plant-based, natural credentials of Linwoods.”

Referencing the firm’s export success to date, he continues: “We have continued to invest in and grow our health food business in recent years and have experienced considerable growth in recent months. We have also increased our focus on export markets, building our brand and developed markets in numerous European countries including the Republic of Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. In 2019, we successfully launched a new range of MULTIBOOST Milled Organic Hemp seed blends, in France and Spain and are set to launch these nutritious products in the rest of the market this summer.”

The family-owned company, based in Armagh, has a growing portfolio of products including nutrient rich seeds, nuts and berries that are cold milled to protect the health

23

“We invested heavily in a research project to enable us to get an even better understanding of our customers”

properties and to enable the body to better absorb the nutrients within them. The range can be added to any meal for an instant nutritious hit from overnight oats to soups and salads.

John concludes: “Linwoods is committed to enhancing people’s health and wellbeing through plant based foods and have further plans to bring new, exciting, natural and nutritious food to the market and we are confident that the company is well placed to continue to achieve further growth in the years to come.”

update NI Chamber Chief’s

During such an uncertain period, NI Chamber is committed to helping you and your business deal with the current situation and the challenges ahead. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor provides an overview of what’s coming up and what’s taken place recently.

S

ince our last Ambition magazine was

response. Almost immediately, we rolled

been a high priority for NI Chamber. Learn

published, the business landscape in

out a series of online clinics, providing

Grow Excel, our suite of business support

Northern Ireland and indeed globally,

access to experts in areas like finance,

programmes designed to help companies

has changed almost beyond recognition.

cyber-security and working capital

grow, has very swiftly moved online and

The impact of COVID-19 has catapulted

management. Recognising the importance

over the next few pages, you can read more

business leaders and employees into a

of strong leadership in times of crisis, along

about how it has been helping companies

place few could ever have been prepared

with KPMG we brought the CEO series

across the province. With the support of

for.

forward online. This has proved to be an

our International Division, 17 individuals

Throughout recent months, NI Chamber

incredibly valuable forum for some of our

have recently been awarded the Foundation

has been here to support business. Since

most senior business leaders to discuss

Award in International trade, accredited by

the early days of the pandemic, we have

strategy, leadership and recovery at a high

British Chamber of Commerce. Our support

been sharing and translating information,

level.

for exporters has also included customs

while articulating the views of our

We have also continued to provide

training and exporting for beginners,

members to Ministers and key government

numerous opportunities for our members

both delivered online and throughout

officials both at Stormont and Westminster.

to articulate their experiences directly to

everything, our export documentation

We have supported the rollout of the Job

government through the ‘In Camera’ series

service continued to assist with the smooth

Retention Scheme, lobbied for support

which also now takes place online. To date

passage of goods. The team also launched

measures to help the self-employed,

we have worked with our partners BT

a new online support hub, which has been a

backed the case for government

and SSE to host events with the Finance

fantastic free resource.

guaranteed trade credit insurance and

Minister Conor Murphy, Economy Minister

asked for support measures to reach

Diane Dodds and the Sinn Fein Ministerial

witnessed member companies playing

businesses as soon as possible.

team led by Deputy First Minister Michelle

an active role in the national effort to

O’Neill.

combat Coronavirus and we’ve been proud

As many of us adjusted to remote working, NI Chamber’s series of events and programmes quickly moved online in

Ensuring that our business support services continue uninterrupted has also

NI Chamber LIVE Partners: 24

During the same period we have also

to help bring people in the local supplychain together. Whether in manufacturing,

chamber chief’s update

“Now, more than ever, businesses and policy makers need to work together and at NI Chamber, we will continue to work exceptionally hard to facilitate that work.” pharmaceuticals, healthcare, agri-food,

Ian Henry earlier in the magazine, the

Coronavirus have had a detrimental

transport, logistics or retail, there have

ending of the Brexit transition period

impact on access to skills and workers. NI

been outstanding contributions across the

is another mammoth task which we

Chamber will be working closely with the

board.

cannot afford to lose sight of. With

Migration Advisory Committee and Home

As companies here begin to emerge

many unknowns in terms of agreeing,

Office in the coming months to make sure

from the ‘lock-down’, be assured that

understanding and implementing the

that new UK Immigration policy works to

our support will continue. The long-term

way in which Northern Ireland will trade

supplement the skills that local businesses

economic impact is uncertain and it is

with the EU and the rest of the UK in the

need.

difficult to predict what the impact on the

future, all efforts must be made to avoid

We must not underestimate the scale

local and global economy will be or how

unnecessary risks and costs to Northern

of what needs to be tackled over the next

long it will last. We do know it is going

Ireland businesses and to urgently provide

six months – it is seismic. Now, more than

to be tough, as COVID-19 is not the only

them with the information that they

ever, businesses and policy makers need

immediate challenge facing business over

require to plan. On your behalf, NI Chamber

to work together and at NI Chamber, we

the next six months.

is pressing for urgent clarity on the detail.

will continue to work exceptionally hard to

As highlighted by NI Chamber President

NEW ESSENTIAL MEMBERS Arrow Duff & Phelps Excalibur Press Food Stories Intellicom Marlborough engineering PING Group Ride Electric Vet extras

We also know that both Brexit and

NEW GROWTH MEMBERS Kate Marshall Mosco Group Sawdust and Rainbows

New Corporate MemberS Aflac Microsoft Openreach

25

facilitate that work.

* To become a member of NI Chamber join online at www.northernirelandchamber.com or phone the membership team on 02890 244113.

MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR MEMBERSHIP 5 WAYS TO USE NI CHAMBER TO HELP YOUR BUSINESS NOW

We’re here to help you and your business. During a time when you need NI Chamber most, all of our core services are fully operational and we want to make sure every member is using them to the fullest.

We have quickly adapted these services so that they are accessible and relevant to business conditions right now.

Find out more about what is available to you below and visit the member section of our website to get started.

1

RAISE YOUR BUSINESS PROFILE

2

INFLUENCE POLICY MAKERS

3

BENEFIT FROM INTERNATIONAL AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

FOR MORE INFORMATION or assistance with making the most of your NI Chamber membership contact membership@northernirelandchamber.com

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry 40 Linenhall Street Belfast BT2 8BA

T +44 (0)28 9024 4113 mail@northernirelandchamber.com www.northernirelandchamber.com

W W W. N O R T H E R N I R E L A N D C H A M B E R . C O M

4

ATTEND REMOTE NETWORKING

5

AVAIL OF HR & LEGAL SERVICES

Member News Online

Ambition Weekly

Ambition Magazine

COVID-19 Hub

Email marketing

Upload your stories directly to the NI Chamber website.

Weekly round-up of business news from NI Chamber members, distributed digitally to 12,000 people.

96-page magazine, circulated to 5,000 people. News and features exclusive to NI Chamber members.

With a Guidance section for your relevant webinars, podcasts and expert articles which will help other members.

Our email advertising service is available for members.

Local and National Level

Regular feedback

Direct Access

Our policy asks and wins have helped to mitigate the effects of Coronavirus on the economy and influence the implementation of support mechanisms your business requires.

Keep sharing your experiences and feedback with our team.

The next Quarterly Economic Survey is published at the start of July.

Use your NI Chamber membership to engage with policy makers. Get direct access to Ministers through our ‘In Camera’ series.

Learn Grow Excel

Training

Export Support

Our business support programmes continue to be delivered online. This series is designed to support company growth by capacity building, providing peer learning opportunities and connecting NI businesses.

Suite of up-to-date training across sales skills, customs procedures and export documentation.

NI Chamber’s export documentation service is open.

We also provide Brexit support and events focused on delivering opportunities for collaboration and learning from successful exporters.

NI Chamber LIVE Join the thousands of local business people who are accessing NI Chamber’s event calendar remotely. Connect and learn from other companies at online events including our CEO series, COVID-19 webinars and sector focused forums.

QUEST All NI Chamber members have access to free HR and legal support through QUEST.

CHAMPIONING GLOBAL GROWTH A year of connecting, training and preparing exporters for international growth.

Guest speakers Alan Lowry (Environmental Street Furniture) and Robin Montgomery (Sensata) with NI Chamber’s Tanya Anderson.

In April 2019, NI Chamber launched a new International Division alongside three International Champions; A&L Goodbody, Grant Thornton and Queen’s University, Belfast. The aim was to leverage their expertise and provide members seeking to grow globally with practical support, expert guidance and an opportunity to learn from each other.

The Division is an evolution of NI Chamber’s Business Support service, as well an expansion of the established suite of international services. Over the last 12 months, it has provided members with a valuable series of collaborative forums and practical workshops, specifically tailored to the needs of companies in Northern Ireland who trade across the globe.

Collaborative forums with exporters including Deluxe Group, Sensata Technologies and Environmental Street Furniture have allowed new and growing exporters to tap into the expertise of those who have experience of growing internationally.

In addition, practical workshops including ‘Doing Business with China’ provided businesses with an insight into contractual, IP and financial considerations, leveraging the knowledge of the Chinese business student community at Queen’s University.

Following its first year evaluation, delegates attending these sessions reported the value that the Division has already brought to their business and networks.

In addition, in the last 12 months, NI Chamber International Division has: • Certified and processed over 8,000 export documents for over 100 different NI businesses • Delivered 30 international training courses to 318 business delegates • Provided one to one Brexit consultancy for 50 companies allowing them to access practical advice specific to their company’s circumstances.

2020/21 Despite the impact of COVID-19, businesses are continuing to look at avenues for international business growth and diversification.

In response, NI Chamber is launching a new

28

Brexit Series in summer 2020. A launch event in June will be followed by a series of smaller collaborative sessions allowing companies to discuss and share ideas around specific Brexit challenges including supply chain management, logistics and customs.

The International Division will also be holding further collaborative forums to allow exporters to continue to share how they are trading internationally and lessons they have learnt, not only from COVID-19, but wider exporting challenges and opportunities.

As the year progresses, NI Chamber and its International Champions look forward to continuing to build capacity and facilitate valuable connections to help businesses drive their export strategy and the growth of the wider NI economy.

NI CHAMBER INTERNATIONAL DIVISION - WHAT OUR CHAMPIONS SAY:

Mark Thompson, Partner at A&L Goodbody

Peter Legge, Tax Partner at Grant Thornton

Nola Hewitt-Dundas, Professor of Innovation and Head of Queen’s Management School

“For us, the International Champion partnership has proved extremely effective in helping us to establish new relationships with export orientated business right across Northern Ireland, supporting them in planning and growing their export strategy, or moving into new territories for the first time.

“As a member of the Grant Thornton International network with representation in over 140 countries, we regularly work on multi-jurisdictional cross border transactions for our clients.

We have been delighted to partner with NI Chamber throughout the last year, as one of their International Champions, and to collaborate with local business leaders in the development of their international growth strategies.

“At Queen’s University Belfast we were delighted to become one of the three International Champions of the NI Chamber’s initiative to support their member businesses. Colleagues and students from Queen’s Management School have enjoyed the opportunities to develop content for the Collaborative Forum and International Workshop events, and, in particular, to meet with member business representatives to learn first-hand of the most pressing issues their businesses face and to share our expertise with them.

“Given the many complex legal considerations around exporting, we have seen a strong appetite from participating companies to learn more about some of the steps that they can take to ease their journey into new markets. In recent weeks, especially, we have been advising companies on the continually-evolving legal implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on international trade and export, and what this means for their business.

“Our involvement in the programme over the past year has served as a reminder of the many, many outstanding examples we have of companies who are contributing so significantly to the Northern Ireland economy through global exports. Exporting will be more crucial than ever in the months ahead in our journey to economic recovery and business growth post-COVID.”

Since its initial launch we have enjoyed discussing important topics with members such as venturing into new markets while growing in others, how investment in R&D is a critical factor in international growth and how to build and retain the right skills within the business while taking into account cultural differences that may exist. Our team of international experts across assurance, tax and advisory functions have been able to share their practical in-market knowledge and experience on developing effective models for international growth and how to avoid the pitfalls. Such insights shared have considered how to maximise R&D tax reliefs across multiple jurisdictions, how to effectively manage globally mobile employees and how to minimise your global effective rate of tax by having tax efficient structures in place.”

“In light of the changes brought about to business practice as a result of the pandemic, we have worked with the Chamber to reshape the second year International Champion programme of events, initially to be delivered online, to support and guide our local business community as they move now to resume trade in very different circumstances.

“At Queen’s, we are committed, as outlined in our Social Charter, to translating ideas, academic teaching, research and professional expertise into action, that results in impact that serves society at home and across the world in life-changing ways – the International Champion partnership helps us to demonstrate this by providing practical help to our local business community.”

For further information on the NI Chamber International Division, please contact Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support, by email at Tanya.Anderson@northernirelandchamber.com.

29

WORLD CLASS LEADERSHIP LIVE

HEADLINE SPONSOR

THURSDAY 25 JUNE 2020 | 1.30PM - 3.30PM BROADCAST LIVE FROM ICC BELFAST SUPPORTING SPONSORS

JOIN NI CHAMBER for a virtual leadership event designed to inspire Northern Ireland’s business leaders to lead with confidence through crisis and recovery.

This event is FREE to attend for all business leaders in NI.

#LeadershipLIVENI

HOSTED FROM ICC BELFAST’S STATE OF THE ART HYBRID STUDIO Leadership LIVE will bring together world-class local and international speakers tuning in from Belfast, New York, Lebanon and ROI. Tackling some of the most urgent and important issues facing business leaders in 2020, the event will challenge attendees to exercise resilience against the unforeseen, put ideas into action and empower those around them to thrive.

WORLD CLASS SPEAKERS

Margot Slattery, Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Sodexo Group

Kieran Kennedy, Managing Director, O’Neill’s Sportswear

Laith Dajani, Executive Director, William J Clinton Leadership Institute

PRACTICING INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP

CLARITY, INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITIES

AGILE LEADERSHIP

Mark Nevins, Author and renowned advisor to CEOs and senior leaders

Dermot McArdle, Head of Business Markets, Electric Ireland

Mark Simpson, BBCNI

THE SILVER LINING

LEADING AND SELLING IN THE ‘NEW NORMAL’

HOST

RE G I STE R NOW AT: WWW.NO RT H E RNIRE LAND C H AM BE R.COM

SME PARTNER

: THE NEXT PHASE FINANCED AND DELIVERED BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO STIMULATE SME GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT THE SECTOR CLUB with

WINNING BUSINESS with

EXPORT FIRST with

SCALING FOR GROWTH with

BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY with

BRINGING BUSINESS TOGETHER with

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

WHAT IS LEARN GROW EXCEL? Learn Grow Excel is a suite of programmes financed and delivered in partnership with the private sector to support and stimulate SME growth and development:

Export First with Danske Bank

Winning Business with Bank of Ireland

Private dinners and export forums which seek to inspire SMEs to export.

This programme focuses on how to use sales techniques effectively with a Meet the Buyer event connecting 20-25 buyers from key NI and ROI businesses.

Bringing Business Together with AIB Provides an opportunity for regional collaboration between companies around prevailing business challenges and opportunities.

Scaling for Growth with Bank of Ireland This programme provides one to one consultancy with SMEs to support their growth ambition through connections, capacity building and signposting.

The Sector Club with Barclays Provides member businesses with access to Barclays’ Sectoral Experts who will share their knowledge and thought leadership on up to date trends and developments within a specific sector.

Boosting Productivity with Ulster Bank Seminars addressing key areas within the theme of maximising productivity to harness growth opportunities.

THE STORY SO FAR

57

957

147

52%

69%

62%

PROGRAMME EVENTS

UNIQUE COMPANIES

SPEAKERS DEDICATING 984 HOURS

IDENTIFIED NEW CUSTOMERS

IDENTIFIED NEW EXPORT MARKETS

EXPANDED BUSINESS NETWORK

DELEGATES FROM

105 LOCATIONS

3,265

88%

DELEGATES COMMITING TO 14,268 HOURS

SUCCESSFULLY LEARNED FROM OTHER COMPANIES

For further information on Learn Grow Excel please contact Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support, by email at Tanya.Anderson@northernirelandchamber.com

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

LEARN GROW EXCEL

THE NEXT PHASE

BY ANN MCGREGOR Chief Executive, NI Chamber

Since 2017, NI Chamber’s Learn Grow Excel programme has been helping ambitious local companies to realise their growth potential. It quickly became a central part of our entrepreneurship eco-system and is only set to become more important.

Delivered through strong partnerships with the private sector, over the 36 months to 31 December 2019, the programme has helped stimulate SME growth and development with practical support, access to best-practice and facilitating fruitful business connections.

All of this is delivered through a combination of events, workshops, training sessions and one-to-one support. This includes flagship events like the Learn Grow Excel Annual Conference and ‘Meet the Buyer’, as well as smaller regular workshops, private dinners and training on a range of relevant topics including sales, leadership and international trade.

Our analysis confirms just how impactful this support has been throughout its first three years. 957 companies have benefited, with over 3,000 individuals

attending 57 events. 88% have learned from other businesses and 62% have expanded their network by connecting with others. 69% of them told us that they identified new markets through the programme and over half identified new customers with whom they have pursued opportunities.

With the continued support of our partners; AIB, Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Danske Bank, Ulster Bank and SME Partner Power NI, the NI Chamber delivery team behind the various programmes has fine-tuned the existing support to reflect new business needs, taking cognisance of market conditions in 2020 and beyond. This has included the introduction of a number of new programmes to complement the existing suite.

Agility in the delivery of support to our SME businesses has never been more crucial. 2020 has shown us how incredibly quickly market conditions can change and as businesses begin the process of reemerging from the COVID-19 lockdown, Learn Grow Excel and our partners will endeavor to assist in every way possible.

“2020 has shown us how incredibly quickly market conditions can change and as businesses begin the process of reemerging from the COVID-19 lockdown, Learn Grow Excel and our partners will endeavor to assist in every way possible.”

Already, our calendar of events has quickly moved online, ensuring that we can provide uninterrupted access to exemplars and new thinking. Across the programme, content is being continually refreshed to consider and deal with issues emerging from the pandemic and we are successfully connecting participants to one another as always.

In the immediate term, we know that businesses of all sizes are facing enormous challenges. This means it has never been more important to seek out the support that is available. COVID-19 will have delayed growth plans for some, but having spoken to many companies and amazing entrepreneurs recently, it has become equally clear that boundless potential and ambition still exists here.

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

POWER NI: PLAYING OUR PART IN SUPPORTING FUTURE INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE

BY MARK LIGGETT Commercial Manager at Power NI

“As a long-term NI Chamber Patron and a keen supporter of all the work NI Chamber does, Power NI is delighted to have been the SME partner for the Learn Grow Excel programme since its inception in 2016.”

After 15 years of competition, Power NI has provided the energy behind many business export success stories from this part of the world and we remain the largest supplier to the business sector with over 40,000 SMEs on our books. We are thrilled to continue our support for this excellent initiative which helps our vibrant local business community expand and continue to be at the forefront of business excellence.

COVID-19 is a storm that, as well as having tragic impacts on the health of our community, is also wreaking damage and disruption in our business community. Power NI is deeply rooted in the SME sector and we are actively

working together with our customers to weather this storm. We’ve been able to help customers manage their bills and payments throughout this crisis, as well as support charities and local organisations in their community response efforts. Like all storms, it will pass and when it does, we are committed to growing our range of products and services, and, together with our SME customers, growing the local economy and tackling climate change.

Learn Grow Excel is a very powerful suite of initiatives developed to support companies at every stage in the journey towards business growth, and NI

Chamber has shown how this growth can still be achieved through their online events and webinars. We all must learn to adapt in this new business environment we face and we are proud to support the local businesses to do just that during these changing times.

Power NI is evolving to be more than just your energy supplier, and inspiring success and innovation are key business values for us. It’s important for Power NI to play our part in supporting future industry and commerce, and we hope Learn Grow Excel can help many SMEs through the challenges that lie ahead for us all. Let’s grow together.”

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

BRINGING BUSINESS TOGETHER WITH AIB

BY BRIAN GILLAN Head of Business and Corporate Banking at AIB

We have been a proud supporter of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s award-winning ‘Learn Grow Excel’ programme since it was first established to nurture local business talent and inspire growth opportunities.

It is an innovative initiative that helps us all take ownership of our leadership journeys, refine our business strategies, and ultimately develop our growth potential.

The programme and support it provides is all the more important now as businesses, organisations and entrepreneurs navigate through the extraordinary challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. The AIB ‘Learn Grow Excel’ programme this year is focused on Bringing Business Together, an emphasis that resonates loudly with our customers who are redefining and reimagining their offerings.

While cognisant of the environment in which we are all now operating, we will look at the immediate tests we all face, as well as a focus on the future, solutions and best practice. Although the delivery of the ‘Learn Grow Excel’ programme might change in 2020/21, its ethos has not, and we will be single-minded in our focus to help participants develop new skills and knowledge, and with it, growth opportunities.

Two such skills that are held in high regard are innovation and resilience, which quickly became synonymous with the Northern Ireland business community as we tackled Brexit

“By Bringing Business Together, we will be encouraging collaboration between companies around prevailing business challenges such as sustainability and corporate responsibility.” uncertainty. We now find that those traits are being tested once more as we adapt to the times we find ourselves in.

It isn’t a journey any of us are facing alone however.

The economic and business support measures announced both at Westminster and Stormont were swift, and while there might be disagreements about the effectiveness or implementation of some of the measures, the collaboration shown at an industry level across all sectors has been inspirational.

From a banking perspective, we are very conscious of the pressures that our personal and business customers are under as a result of the pandemic and we have been working hard to offer them the best tailored support possible to alleviate their financial concerns. I am proud that our team has been able to support over 2,000 customers to date and the fact that we are approving over 99% of their requests for support, is tangible evidence of our commitment to playing our part.

To date, much of the support our customers have been seeking has been for repayment holidays, with only 1 in

5 seeking additional funding or working capital. However, as we look forward, we do expect the number of requests from customers for extra funding to increase and we also offer customers access to the government backed CBILS and Bounce Back Loan schemes where these are the most appropriate solution for them.

As the situation evolves, we will remain flexible in our response and continually review our services as necessary, always putting customer needs and safety at the forefront of our thinking. The same ethos applies to our wider backing of the business community, and as such we look forward to supporting current and future leaders through ‘Bringing Business Together’ as part of the Learn Grow Excel platform.

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

SCALING FOR GROWTH AND WINNING BUSINESS WITH BANK OF IRELAND UK

BY GAVIN KENNEDY Head of Business Banking Northern Ireland at Bank of Ireland UK

Bank of Ireland UK remains passionate about its role in funding and supporting businesses in Northern Ireland as we look to further build our relationship with customers and the wider business community beyond the traditional transactional to a more substantial, meaningful and lasting level.

Through a shared ambition to support the development of the Northern Ireland economy the goal is to positively impact SMEs with provision of practical supports, rebuilding confidence and enabling them to change, develop, do business and emerge in a stronger position for growth.

In our immediate response to Covid-19 we have put thousands of funding arrangements in place to support business customers through emergency working capital, payment flexibility on loan facilities and as an accredited lender for the British Business Bank managed Bounce Back Loan and Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan schemes.

We’ve adapted the Winning Business and Scaling for Growth programmes for online digital delivery and reshaped the content to meet SMEs’ current priorities and needs.

With the financial impact of Covid-19 expected to last well into 2021, SMEs’ need for solid, high quality financial and business supports will be significant. At Bank of Ireland UK, we continue to strive to increase our customers’ knowledge, confidence and awareness of the benefits of business investment in a recovery and we are working together to provide the support needed to help the local economy get back on its feet.

That is why we are leaning in to support local businesses as a Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Learn Grow Excel partner.

Scaling for Growth provides bespoke one to one consultancy for SMEs, dedicated workshops with peer learning, new connections, practical business tools and access to a panel of business expertise to strengthen their specific business needs.

This support enables them to achieve their ambitions to develop business through new markets, develop and launch new products or services, plan and implement operational transformation, recruit, develop and retain people skills and talent and understand funding sources and management.

Winning in Business is an evolution of the successful Connecting for Growth programme. As the programme name suggests, the objective is to support and

“We’ve adapted the Winning Business and Scaling for Growth programmes for online digital delivery and reshaped the content to meet SMEs’ current priorities and needs.”

enable SMEs to win business. Content includes help to increase capability to make a positive impact on the bottom line with strategies which can create opportunities to win business. This is delivered through insights, peer learning, networking and creating sales opportunities across a network of small, medium and corporate entities from Northern Ireland and beyond.

For the last few months, behind closed doors and shop fronts, many businesses have been working, baking, making, mending, delivering, adapting and surviving, whilst others have been waiting, planning and preparing to get going again. We understand the challenges and the need to support businesses as together we repair and rebuild in the ‘new normal’. More than ever our purpose to enable customers, colleagues and communities to thrive is relevant as we work to make the financial wellbeing of business customers and the wider business community a priority.

I strongly encourage business owners, management and key members of SME teams to sign up to participate and look forward to working together to deliver Winning Business and Scaling for Growth in Northern Ireland.

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

THE SECTOR CLUB WITH BARCLAYS

BY JOHN MATHERS Corporate Development Director at Barclays

We are very pleased to introduce the Sector Club with Barclays as a new extension of NI Chamber’s highly successful Learn Grow Excel programme.

The programme’s overall ambition to enable members to grow locally and internationally is a mission shared by the Barclays Northern Ireland team.

In our own drive to support the growth and development of SMEs here, we have seen an opportunity to bring the breadth and depth of Barclays global sectoral expertise, market knowledge and consumer spending insights to benefit local businesses.

Our aim is for company leaders here to be at the very forefront of the business opportunities opened up by these insights, on a par with decision makers elsewhere in the UK. The series of Sector Club events will each include a keynote address sharing research and thought leadership by some of the top performers of the business world - leaders who will share their battle stories, insights and experience directly with Northern Ireland business.

Each of these keynotes will be followed by a deeper dive Business Clinic, with an opportunity to meet the experts and quiz members of Barclays sector teams.

With the insights gained from Barclays high level connections to UK Treasury, industry and trade bodies across the UK, our team will reveal in-depth sectoral trends and future outlooks, supported by

“Tapping into Barclays UK and global expertise, The Sector Club will bring access to the top experts in key sectors that matter to the Northern Ireland economy.” the latest data. Providing early access to these insights has been proven to deliver a competitive edge for Barclays clients across the UK, allowing agile businesses to get ahead of the curve. We are very excited that participants in NI Chamber’s Sector Club will benefit from this leadingedge research.

Our ambition is that NI companies will be better able to access upcoming opportunities by sharing learnings from our team’s work with other successful companies in their sector across the UK and around the world.

When we set about devising the Sector Club initiative back in January, we had no concept of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. It brings two considerations: firstly, the very obvious economic impact of months of disruption and stoppage during lockdown; and secondly, the changing needs of large scale business speaking and networking events.

As we have seen in recent weeks, the challenges of networking are already proving totally surmountable: anything is possible with webinars, so the physical delivery of our first Sector Club will be adapted as things evolve in the coming months. We want it to be a more

interactive model than just a broadcast and we’re working on that.

Meanwhile, the challenges of the forthcoming post-Covid recovery phase will require focus, determination and deep reserves of energy and resilience as businesses work to find an even footing.

We are therefore going to wait to hold our first Sector Club until things have settled into a so-called new normal”.

We send Northern Ireland businesses every good wish for the upcoming recovery period, and we look forward to planning ahead for growth and new business opportunities again as soon as that feels right, hopefully in the Autumn.

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

EXPORT FIRST WITH DANSKE BANK

BY AARON ENNIS Export First Programme Lead at Danske Bank

In a year where the playbook of most companies has been thrown out or extensively rewritten, the role of banks in helping Northern Ireland’s businesses to achieve their objectives has come into sharp focus.

As well as providing extensive support to small, medium and large businesses responding to coronavirus through extensions to existing facilities, Danske Bank’s teams have also been very busy arranging thousands of governmentbased Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs) and Bounce Back Loans.

As companies move out of lockdown and into the recovery phase, Danske Bank wants to continue to support our customers by providing them with additional insight and assistance that could be valuable to the growth of their business.

It is for that reason that we are pleased to continue our long-term sponsorship of the Danske Bank Export First programme in partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The initiative, which is part of NI Chamber’s Learn, Grow, Excel programme, was set up back in 2011 to help local companies of all sizes increase their sales in markets outside Northern Ireland. It provides expert export advice and inspirational thought leadership events with some of Northern Ireland’s top exporters.

The goals of the Export First programme are more relevant now than ever, with

some economic estimates suggesting that Northern Ireland exports have dropped more than 70% during the lockdown months. As they get back up and running, companies here are likely to face new challenges to their supply chains, distribution networks, logistics and sales strategies, amongst other things. Hearing the experience of and lessons learned by others who are adapting to the same challenges will therefore be incredibly useful.

With lockdown only partially eased, we have worked with NI Chamber to run these events remotely. We recently held an online Export First event on the theme of Access to Finance and will be holding another in June, with insights shared by Danske Bank’s head of markets, chief economist, head of trade finance and one of our successful export customers.

Two further events are scheduled for September and December with plans currently to run these events online but with provisions made to hold them in person should lockdown measures have relaxed enough to allow us to safely meet in person.

We host these briefings and insight sessions not as talking shops, but because we know the companies who attend benefit greatly from them. For example, of those who took part in Export First events last year, 86% said they learned valuable new information, 43% said they had expanded their business network, 44% identified new customers and 41% identified and were encouraged

“The goals of the Export First programme are more relevant now than ever, with some economic estimates suggesting that Northern Ireland exports have dropped more than 70%.” to enter new markets.

As we approach the second half of 2020 in an uncertain economy, there will be a need for companies to be innovative and to look for sales in new markets.

We believe the Danske Bank Export First programme, as part of the wider Learn, Grow, Excel suite of support, will provide invaluable tools to help them achieve that goal.

NI CHAMBER LEARN GROW EXCEL

BOOSTING PRODUCTIVITY WITH ULSTER BANK

BY NIGEL WALSH Director, Commercial & Corporate Banking, Ulster Bank

Late last year, when colleagues and I met to plan Ulster Bank’s programme for NI Chamber’s Learn Grow Excel series, the world was quite literally our oyster.

We explored delivering trade missions, planned to book speakers from around the world and focused our efforts on trying to promote Northern Ireland businesses on a global scale.

The Coronavirus pandemic may have interrupted these plans but having gone back to the drawing board, albeit virtually, it became clear that our Boosting Productivity programme is as important to businesses in this climate as it has been previously.

For Ulster Bank our aim is to help our business customers unlock their full potential and partnering with Learn Grow Excel drives us to do this. In 2020, our aim for the programme has centred on boosting productivity through innovation, automation and digitalisation something we know businesses have had to escalate significantly in recent months.

Currently NatWest, Ulster Bank’s parent group, has around 60,000 employees working from home; a situation being replicated in businesses across the country. Employers and employees alike have had to move quickly to adapt to this new normal. On top of the practical considerations businesses have also had to support staff wellbeing and keep teams motivated.

“SMEs are the lifeblood of Northern Ireland’s business scene and we recognise how crucial it is that they are supported so that they can begin to rebuild our local economy.”

In the rush to set up home offices, this is an area which may have been overlooked but our experience with the Learn Grow Excel programme has shown us how essential maintaining productivity levels is for every business. Tapping in to your colleagues individual strengths will result in a more encouraged work force which can only bring benefits to your overall output.

Throughout the lockdown, we have remained in constant contact with our SME banking teams, customers and key stakeholders such as NI Chamber, and as we zoom from one video conference to the next it is clear that there has been a slight shift in attitude. Business owners are focusing on how to approach this new normal and how they can adapt their organisations to better meet the needs of the customers they serve.

At Ulster Bank, we have an important role to play here and throughout the crisis, we too have been adapting the way we work so that appropriate solutions can be implemented at pace. We have made financial support available to businesses across all sectors, and at the time of writing, this equates to over 3,500 customers accessing the Bounce

Back Loan Scheme and availing of over £110 million in support funding. We have introduced capital repayment holidays for over 1,200 customers and introduced or increased overdraft facilities for more than 1,000 business owners.

SMEs are the lifeblood of Northern Ireland’s business scene and we recognise how crucial it is that they are supported so that they can begin to rebuild our local economy. For this reason, we feel it’s important that we are offering business customers practical advice and guidance to help alleviate some of the pressures they face.

While they may not be able to physically attend information sessions for now, we are doing our best to reach out in other ways and ensure we can continue to support and celebrate the growth journeys and success of our leading businesses.

FEATURE

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Creating a better world through nutrition

It was one of the first manufacturers here to introduce the health and safety measures required in a pandemic but beyond the sanitiser and staggered shifts, Devenish is pushing innovation in its field Group HR Director Gillian McAuley tells Emma Deighan.

“W

e are an important part of the food chain so there was a spike in demand at the start of the pandemic,” Gillian begins, likening stockpiling to the usual Christmas trading period.

The company planned for a surge in demand, recruiting virtually via Skype interviews to accommodate the growing flow of orders and it was a tricky process as daily operations were also massively hit by new, more stringent health and safety measures.

“We increased the cleaning on surfaces, staggered shifts and breaks with a maximum of two people taking breaks together. The last one out of the break room has to clean all surfaces and solutions for hand washing and antibacterial wipes are readily available.

We also have no visitors and no movement between the sites which has all come about from planning,” says Gillian of those measures

that were among the first in the industry to be implemented.

There has been a lot of positive news coming out of the company despite the shadow of coronavirus and a fire at its Distribution Centre off the M2 late last year. New roles, global expansion, innovative research and a new graduate and apprenticeship programme have been pushing the company upwards in its sector regardless of the hurdles.

And in late 2019, Devenish boss Richard Kennedy was named as one of the top 50 Entrepreneurs in the world, winning the EY Ireland Entrepreneur of the Year competition.

The company is also winning awards (Irish News Employment Awards) for its approach to talent management. “We see all employees as talent and their development is key for them to realise their full potential. We have created a Devenish Academy that touches every area

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across the organisation,” says Gillian.

“A great example of someone who has benefitted from this focus on upskilling and development internally is one of our mill operatives who had been in that role for approximately 16 years. In the last year this employee has taken a full time role within the HR team as a Trainer, achieved a CIPD qualification and become a fully qualified forklift trainer who can now deliver this inhouse for us. This has been a win-win for everyone as the employee is thoroughly enjoying his new role and the internal training has provided cost savings for the company. It’s a real shift.”

Beyond NI, Devenish is making waves with its inventive products in the US and Latin America, while its research into the future of animal feed is set to revolutionise how we farm.

FEATURE The firm, which has around 430 staff in NI, the UK and Ireland making up a 750-strong workforce globally, is punching above its weight in terms of innovation.

“Our core business started with a focus on animal nutrition and while we’re still a new player in many international markets, we have significant growth ambitions. We are working hard to move forward in new markets sometimes where people haven’t heard of us and that’s a brand recognition piece,” Gillian continues.

“Our business now differentiates ourselves as a result of our focus on climate, the environment and human health. From a human health perspective, we have developed an Omega-3 product, ‘OmegaPro’. Everybody should be ingesting a certain amount of Omega-3 Fatty Acids and that would normally be done through eating oily fish, but globally we don’t eat enough oily fish so many people are deficient in Omega-3. In looking at that we thought if we could have chicken meat with high levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA and DHA), we could really impact this deficiency and as a result impact human health, as having the right amount of Omega-3 reduces the risk of heart attacks and stroke and other cardiovascular issues.”

A successful collaboration with Waitrose and Moy Park on that project as well as a funded human health study has verified the benefits of Devenish’s work.

“We are working hard to commercialise this work and have some exciting upcoming developments in this area that are live at the moment,” Gillian reveals.

“We’re working hard to get the message out there and we’re coming at it from different

“At Devenish, we believe in the concept of One Health – from Soil to Society.

Healthy soil will produce healthy forage for healthy livestock and a healthy environment, whilst helping to improve productivity and profitability of the farm.” angles – this is about a preventative health approach rather than medicines to fix a problem. It’s just one part of the work of our food innovation team whose focus is on impacting humans, human health and welfare and that’s one significant aspect that makes us different.”

Another point of difference for the firm is its work on its 400-acre research farm at the Devenish Lands at Dowth in County Meath near the New Grange archaeological site, a portion of which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

“We have world-leading research going on there that focuses on climate and environmental impact and introducing more sustainable methods of farming. In addition, we have a full time archaeologist to ensure our custodianship of the lands is in keeping with a World Heritage Site.

“At Devenish, we believe in the concept of One Health – from Soil to Society. Healthy

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soil will produce healthy forage for healthy livestock and a healthy environment, whilst helping to improve productivity and profitability of the farm. We’re sharing our knowledge with farmers to assist them to build more sustainable farming models into the future which ultimately impacts the whole food chain,” explains Gillian.

Looking to the future, Devenish’s vision is that it can ‘Make Your World A Better Place’ and is confident that it can impact the food chain globally, despite the challenging environment within which it is working.

“It’s amazing that we have had two massive crises happen so close together, but we have come through them amazingly well, largely down to our employees. We have been overwhelmed by the response of our employees in both situations and are extremely grateful to see our excellent people pulling together.”

NEWS

Ambition magazine shortlisted for UK award Ambition, the magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was a finalist in the ‘Best Publication’ category at the 2020 CIPR Excellence Awards. The magazine was shortlisted in the UK-wide awards alongside publications from organisations including Network Rail, KPMG and Shell.

The glossy magazine, which is published

by Ulster Tatler Group for NI Chamber, is one of Northern Ireland’s most popular business publications. Circulated to 5,000 individuals six times a year, it covers in depth interviews, analysis and special features on the issues most pertinent here.

The magazine was shortlisted for its impact in 2019, a year which saw ‘Ambition’ report on the impact of a uniquely challenging economic climate, covering the complex ways which Brexit and three years with no devolved government have impacted companies in Northern Ireland.

Commenting on the shortlist, Christopher Morrow, Head of

Communications and Policy at NI Chamber and the magazine’s Managing Editor, said: “We are delighted that Ambition Magazine is a finalist in these awards. It is recognition not only of the quality of the publication, but also of the outstanding commentary, analysis and news stories which are produced by our members across Northern Ireland. As a membership organisation, we are proud to showcase these through Ambition magazine.”

Chris Sherry, Managing Director, Ulster Tatler Group, said of the announcement: “Being shortlisted for this prestigious national award is tremendous recognition of the excellent work being carried out by all of the journalists, contributors, designers and commercial partners who work with us on Ambition. It is also a reflection of the strong working relationship that we have with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.”

NI Chamber’s Communications & Policy team was also shortlisted in a second category; In-house PR Team of the Year.

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Photos for illustration purposes only

FEATURE

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Shoots of recovery Robin Mercer, Hillmount, talks to Ambition about catering to NI’s fresh demand for outdoor products and reopening his three garden centres under unusual circumstances.

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FEATURE

W

hen the Northern Ireland executive notified the public that garden centres around Northern Ireland could re-open after six weeks of closure, Hillmount’s Robin Mercer welcomed the news whole heartedly, not just because it meant the resumption of business, albeit on a more restricted scale, but it meant a heightened demand for gardening products could now be met.

“We were inundated with customers phoning, emailing and messaging us on social media asking when we are going to be open so I knew that there were a lot of people planning to come and visit us.

We are grateful for this because we have thousands of plants with a short shelf life that have been lovingly grown by growers here, in England and Holland, just waiting to be taken home,” Robin begins.

He appealed to his customers to plan their visits to prevent “undue risk to our staff or our neighbours by people forming long queues of traffic outside our stores”.

It’s a precaution the businessman could never have imagined issuing.

Just weeks prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Robin celebrated winning Business Person of the Year at the bi-annual Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Business Awards.

“I was absolutely humbled and extremely proud. When my name was announced as the winner of Business Person of the Year, my family saw me speechless for probably the first time in a very long time.

“This award is truly special. It’s for my wife Edith, our family, our staff and loyal customers who support my ambition, determination, drive and dedication to our business every day,” he said.

Hillmount won Best Family Business and Best Non-Licensed Catering Establishment at the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Business Awards in 2018. The most recent award was testament that its evolution over the years and Robin’s contribution to the area are recognised.

Set up during the Second World War, the business, which consists of three garden centres, is in its fourth generation.

2020 should’ve been its year to really enjoy the fruits of its labour as it celebrated its milestone 80th anniversary as well as its expansion over the years; from one to three stores in Belfast, Newtownards and Bangor but it, like many businesses, found itself thrown into the unknown playing field of a pandemic. Instead Robin and his team reimagined their daily operations to succeed in a no-contact environment.

“We were very lucky,” Robin continues.

“As business goes, we had a website selling garden furniture and barbecues created earlier in the year. We had changed the design and provider and it allowed us to react quickly and get the rest of our stock online, even though it was a major task.”

And so the family began ramping up its

deliveries, initially within a 10-mile radius and then on an all-Ireland basis.

“We started locally and expanded our delivery locations. It made it all worthwhile as we’ve picked up a lot of new customers.

A lot of people are taking an interest in gardening because they have that time at home; they’re working from home or have been furloughed. Their gardens are also becoming their holiday destination because we can’t travel.”

Hillmount furloughed almost all of its 80 staff but demand for deliveries saw it bring back a skeleton team as well as new delivery drivers.

Using e-commerce as its main income then allowed Robin to draw in 30% of its usual revenue.

“We had most of our stock bought in before everything happened; including fertilising chemicals. No matter what comes in, if it’s sold or not, we still have to pay for them so we were breaking even to make sure that we pay those people back. They all matter. They are all part of this chain,” he adds.

The closure of non-essential retail stores also presented an opportunity for the business to embark on a few store revamps – overhauls that ordinarily would have disrupted its usual flow of business.

“That was a golden opportunity,” says Robin.

And so when the Executive announced that garden centres could reopen in part one of its five stage lockdown exit plan, Robin got to work on reimagining his once bustling stores to accommodate a new normal.

He spent over £1,000 on perspex sheets to protect staff at checkouts and set-up a one-way system.

To make his more vulnerable customers comfortable on their return to the stores he introduced a ‘meeter greeter’ who he says is “the most important person anyone will meet when coming to Hillmount”.

“A lot of people haven’t been out of the house; we wanted to offer them a bit of hospitality. Yes it’s different and not the experience they’re used to but by being open we are inviting people to work in their gardens at the best time of the year.”

Barbecues, garden furniture, fire pits and compost are among the best sellers at Hillmount but disrupted supply is anticipated.

“When lockdown began there wasn’t a

Hillmount’s Robin Mercer celebrating winning Business Person of the Year at the bi-annual Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Business Awards.

seed grown, making plants hard to come by, even in Holland there is nothing available.

We do have green houses here, growing stuff,” adds Robin.

“We are one of the lucky ones. We look after our customers and will be glad to have them back. If you look after a customer you’ll keep them, if you lose them, you’ve lost them for life.

“Already we’re starting to think about how we will prepare our Santa’s grotto for Christmas. We’ve already got our personalised teddies in, and come rain hail or snow, we’ll do it like we do every year.

How we do it will be our next big challenge,” he concluded.

“We changed the website design and provider and it allowed us to react quickly and get the rest of our stock online, even though it was a major task.”

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NEWS

Imagery captured in 2019.

SONI and Ulster Rugby Launch COVID-19 Bursary Fund for Rugby Clubs SONI (System Operator for Northern Ireland) and Ulster Rugby have launched a bursary fund to support local rugby clubs as they plan a return to activity post COVID-19.

The fund will recognise the efforts of clubs throughout Ulster who have supported their community during the ongoing pandemic.

The bursary is an extension of the Real Rugby Heroes initiative which has been running for five years and seeks to reward volunteers who make an invaluable contribution to the domestic game in Ulster.

A total fund of £8,000 is available, tiered in three bursary levels of £1000, £500 and £250. The funds are intended to support clubs with the anticipated expenses of putting in place protocols for a post COVID-19 return to activity.

Jo Aston, Managing Director of SONI, said: “We have been proud to support Ulster Rugby for five years, and have remained close to them as they, like all organisations, navigate these extraordinary times. Rugby clubs across Ulster are a vital asset to the communities they operate in, and we have been overwhelmed by the individual efforts clubs have made to support vulnerable people during COVID-19. As a result, and in partnership

with Ulster Rugby, we have agreed to open this fund to help clubs prepare for a return to activity.”

The Real Rugby Heroes of COVID-19 bursary is an extension of the Real Rugby Heroes programme which was put on hold as the impact of coronavirus took its toll on the game. Jo continues: “We have also agreed with Ulster Rugby to reinstate this season’s Real Rugby Heroes initiative once we complete the Real Rugby Heroes of COVID-19 bursary. We had already received a record number of volunteer nominations in the 2019/20 season and look forward to getting this activity live again later this summer.”

Examples of how rugby clubs and their members have helped those in need in their community in recent times range from delivering grocery boxes in their area, donating facilities and setting up social media contact groups to allow club members to help vulnerable people – from picking up prescriptions to delivering supplies. Some club grounds have also been used as testing centres for key workers.

Barry Willis, Rugby Operations Manager at Ulster Rugby, said: “The impact of COVID-19 on our clubs cannot be underestimated, yet

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the efforts made by the clubs to repurpose their resource and support their communities should not go unnoticed. We are incredibly proud of how the clubs have reacted, given the pressure they too are under. We would therefore encourage all clubs to apply for the Real Rugby Heroes of COVID-19 bursary programme to help them prepare for a return to activity.”

“Rugby clubs across Ulster are a vital asset to the communities they operate in”

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Thursday 25 June, and clubs can apply by filling out the online application form at www.ulsterrugby.com/realrugbyheroes.

Columnist Colin Jess Director of Social Enterprise NI

4 Steps to help support the social enterprise sector Social Enterprise NI’s Colin Jess looks at the importance of social enterprises on the community and economy, and how they have been affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

contribution to the NI economy. When the Business Support Grants were announced by the UK Government it was not the intention that social enterprises were to be excluded, however due to conditionality, most have been locked out from the £10k Grant and only a few have received the £25k, with several going through the appeals process. We would emphasise that this support was intended to protect both businesses and jobs.

A recent survey highlighted that 92% of respondents indicated that reserves would run out in three months’ time. 59% expected their turnover to reduce by over 50% post Covid-19. Both damning figures but not unexpected given the lack of support.

We believe that the social economy will have a central role to play as the NI economy looks to get back on its feet. Not only is buying local becoming more popular, consumers are looking to support their local communities and buying with a social conscience.

Social Enterprise NI is asking the NI Executive for four steps to be taken to help support the social enterprise sector and to help it develop and grow.

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social enterprise is a business, and like any business is driven by providing jobs and generating income, trading in goods and services. The only difference is that such an organisation does not pay dividends or reward individual shareholders, rather its profits are reinvested back into the social mission for which the organisation was established, such as providing employment for those furthest from the labour market. Social businesses pay wages, make National Insurance contributions, and make a significant contribution to the NI economy. Many are set up as Limited Companies and their charitable purpose ensures that the profits are locked in. They operate across all sectors.

Social Enterprise NI (SENI) are the representative and membership body for the sector, seeking to raise awareness and support for members as they work with those most vulnerable in society. They redirect many, who would not be able to gain employment, away from a life of benefits and reliance on government support. Working across many sectors, social enterprises will manufacture bottled water, operate recycling plants, provide childcare vouchers, and provide printed materials for your business amongst others. They have all been set up by someone or an organisation who really want to make a difference to people’s lives. SENI provide them with support and uses its relationship with the private and public sector to profile their work and promote them on to supply chains.

In 2019 SENI issued its Re-Balancing the NI Economy report, to provide an update on the growth of the sector in NI. This report highlighted that the sector comprises 843 organisations and employs 24,860 people. It contributes £625m into the NI economy and pays £581m in wages. By any standards, the social economy makes a significant contribution. Trading for social good, they generate income, and provide employment and resources to many who, if it were not for these businesses, would not be able to enter the world of employment.

However, like every other business their operations have been impacted severely by Covid-19. Trading income has stopped almost immediately, and to date apart from the Job Retention Scheme, there remains little support for the sector, despite its

• Immediate grant support to provide parity with other sectors to assist with liquidity and to keep the social businesses afloat. Our jobs need protection too.

• Establishment of a Resilience Fund for the sector similar the that of Wales which provides support for all businesses, including social enterprises.

• Social Enterprise NI to be included as part of any NI Economic Development Taskforce. We need to look at doing business differently and social enterprises will have a significant role to play in this regard.

• Executive to bring forward a National Social Enterprise Strategy for NI, working alongside Social Enterprise NI and to have sign off from all political parties and government departments.

Social Enterprise NI believe that the sector will continue to grow and can play its part in rebuilding the NI economy, working alongside private and public sector bodies to collaborate and codesign strategies.

Any organisation wishing to find out more of our work please get in touch.

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NEWS

Randox Managing Director Dr Peter FitzGerald and Secretary of State Brandon Lewis MP.

Randox invests £30m and 200 new jobs in specialised COVID-19 testing lab As part of efforts to enhance its national testing capacity, global diagnostics company Randox has announced an investment of £30m in a new specialised COVID-19 testing lab.

The healthcare firm, which is currently conducting COVID-19 tests as part of the national testing programme, announced its investment in the new facilities based at the Randox Science Park in Antrim, during a recent visit by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE. The specialised laboratory, the development of which was fast-tracked over the space of four weeks, is the first step in a wider diagnostics investment programme from Randox.

Dr Peter FitzGerald, Managing Director of Randox Laboratories, commented; “The national testing programme, as a collaborative effort by government and various partners within industry, has increased testing capacity at an unparalleled speed – by installing a network of drivethrough testing centres, introducing home testing kits, and now, opening this specialised lab at the Randox Science Park in Northern Ireland.

“An incredible amount of work has gone into making this cutting-edge testing facility a reality in a relatively short space of time, as we know that effective testing is the most

effective way to both save lives and promote a timely return to a more normal society.”

The opening of the new laboratory at the Randox Science Park follows the company’s announcement that it is recruiting new staff across Science, Engineering and Manufacturing in support of its role within the national testing programme.

The 200 new positions will be involved in the testing of potential COVID-19 samples, as well as the construction of 200 new stateof-the-art diagnostic analysers which will significantly increase Randox’s capacity for COVID-19 testing.

Dr FitzGerald continued; “Now that we have in place the infrastructure and laboratory space required to enhance our testing capacity, we look forward to implementing the next step in our COVID-19 investment programme.

“By accelerating the build schedule for new specialised equipment, and hiring 200 associated workers across Science, Engineering and Manufacturing we will further enhance the government’s national testing scheme, as well as facilitate testing more broadly across the general populace.”

Secretary of State Brandon Lewis MP welcomed the new investment saying: “I was impressed during my visit with the dedication of staff and the top-class facilities at Randox. This investment will help support the UK’s nationwide effort to fight the

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“An incredible amount of work has gone into making this cutting-edge testing facility a reality in a relatively short space of time” coronavirus and ultimately save lives.”

Dr FitzGerald concluded; “I would also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all my colleagues at Randox who continue to work assiduously to process such a high volume of tests in a timely manner.

“I know I speak on behalf of everyone when I say we appreciate all your hard work and the vital role you play in the practical application of COVID-19 testing.”

FEATURE

Brian Murphy, Managing Partner, BDO Northern Ireland.

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Embracing the new normal Brian Murphy, Managing Partner of BDO Northern Ireland talks to Ambition about the future of hospitality in a post pandemic landscape and why Government intervention and proactivity is key to its survival.

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rian Murphy is chairing the newly formed Industry Response Group, a crisis management collaboration made up of trade organisations Hospitality Ulster and the Northern Ireland Hotel Federation, as well as operators from within the industry.

Its objective is to prepare the hospitality industry for a new world post lockdown and to lobby the Government for support that will help safeguard its survival. At the heart of this objective is the health and safety of staff and customers; with this addressed, timelines and financial support for the reopening of the hospitality industry can be

defined. The timely return of the hospitality industry will also be an important part of the overall economic recovery, both in terms of confidence building and the preservation of jobs.

The group hopes to protect what is a £2bn industry sustaining some 65,000 jobs, an industry that has been the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We can sit on our hands and wait, but the reality is there is no timeline as to when life as we knew it will resume. To get through this crisis we need to define and embrace a new norm and we must adapt our processes and the ways we do business to allow us to return

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to work,” begins Brian.

“No-one can tell us when we will be free from the threat of COVID-19; in the meantime many hospitality establishments and businesses are simply not in a position to survive if they are not operating. So what this group does is to tap into the innovation and drive of the industry to proactively develop a strategy with which to move forward. It considers what issues the future might bring and suggests ways of addressing them,” he adds.

A report published by the Industry Response Group suggests that up to two in five restaurants, one in four hotels and one in seven pubs/bars are at risk of closure. That amounts

to the loss of some 440 businesses and almost 16,000 jobs, unless its proposed ‘12 Point Plan’ is taken into consideration and enacted

by Government.

“I think the fact that many businesses in the manufacturing sector have been able to adapt and continue to operate is testament that working with the virus can be achieved. If we have effective health and safety procedures in place, a plan for the resumption of trading can be put in place,” Brian continues.

“But a big challenge is the behavioural hurdle, this could well be more challenging to overcome than the fiscal one. The industry is therefore working in conjunction with Government and other stakeholders to develop health and safety procedures that aim to create safe environments for its staff and customers to frequent once again. These procedures will ultimately be communicated to the public and a form of certification established to show establishments are adhering to the procedures.”

“But realistically, getting back to work whilst maintaining social distancing and reducing covers is not going to be a viable proposition for the majority of businesses, so a package of support will be needed to help,” he adds.

It is estimated that any establishments that open from 3 July in a new normal will reduce revenue by at the very least 33%, as social distancing is implemented.

It will mean, Brian says, that many establishments working in a post-lockdown environment will only be able to reopen and achieve a break even position if they receive further support from Government and other stakeholders. With this support they will be able to reopen and preserve both the businesses and the jobs of many of those who work there and who desperately rely on the income.

“I think the fact that many businesses in the manufacturing sector have been able to adapt and continue to operate is testament that working with the virus can be achieved. If we have effective health and safety procedures in place, a plan for the resumption of trading can be put in place.”

Hotels will possibly face deficits due to a loss of event bookings, which cannot provide social distancing. The report reads: “They [hotels] have to consider the significant impact of social distancing on events such as weddings, etc. Income from these events often forms a large part of their revenues and as such a new approach is being developed that places less reliance on larger group gatherings. As a result of this challenge, it is expected that even with a degree of support, hotels will only trade at marginal breakeven/loss levels during the crisis.”

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The Recovery Group’s work and its carefully thought out 12 Point Plan will be instrumental in the resumption of NI’s hospitality sector and more importantly the protection of tens of thousands of jobs.

Brian welcomed the extension to the job retention scheme recently, which he says will buy some time for those in the industry, adding: “there was a real concern that without this extension, businesses would have to let people go before they even had an opportunity to reopen.”

The 12 Point Plan also includes: an extension to rates relief in the form of a “targeted rolling rates relief plan”; the introduction of a Social Distancing Implementation Voucher; a Business Suspension Fund for businesses that are unable to safely implement the required social distancing measures, or that have a seasonal business and have missed their prime season; bounce back loans; a Rent Hardship Fund; continued support from the banking sector and HMRC; the abolishment of Air Passenger Duty (APD); and a reduction in the VAT rate for the sector.

“With these support packages in place the industry will be able to create some forward momentum and show that the Road to Recovery is possible,” says Brian who advises all businesses to reassess how they will work in a ‘new norm’.

“That might sound like a cliché, but never the less, it is going to be our reality. Be proactive, assess what your new norm looks like and embrace it. In hospitality the focus will be on an initial risk assessment that translates into effective social distancing procedures, which in turn allows your business to survive. It’s about making your systems fit for purpose with that new norm and do what we’re good at in Northern Ireland, get on with it.”

NEWS

Ulster university launches innovative fintech degree In response to sustained growth of the FinTech industry in Northern Ireland and to support the need for skilled financial technology graduates, Ulster University’s Business School has launched an innovative Financial Technology degree.

The BSc (Hons) in Financial Technology is the first of its kind in the UK and has been developed in partnership with key industry partners to meet the huge skills demand and graduate pipeline required to sustain Northern Ireland’s centre of excellence in FinTech.

Delivered as both a part-time undergraduate degree and a Higher-Level Apprenticeship (HLA), the new programme is designed to develop, not only the requisite skills for the future of financial services, but to also play a fundamental role in shaping it, more relevant than ever during this disruptive time when resilience is key.

William Smyth, Lecturer in Financial Services at UUBS commented: “Technology is driving major transformation in financial services both at a local and global level,

and despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, there is cause for optimism across the FinTech ecosystem.

Our pioneering Financial Technology degree programme is the central educational feature in a UK FinTech National Skills Day webinar which brings together leaders from across industry, academia and government to discuss how the skills and talent agenda is being addressed in Northern Ireland. This degree will provide students with the skills and knowledge to secure a graduate job with an above average starting salary and an exciting career path. Creating aspiring financial leaders will help ensure the region builds on its already established reputation as a global player in the development of financial technology infrastructure that is shaping the future of financial services.”

The economic and societal impact of COVID-19 has been profound across Northern Ireland and the new programme has been widely embraced by the FinTech community. In the challenging times ahead, the resilience and adaptability of the

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FinTech industry will play a pertinent role in supporting economic recovery of the region.

Alex Lee, co-founder and Director of FinTech NI said: “One of the key factors driving Northern Ireland’s emergence as a global FinTech Hub is the development of world class local skills and talent. Our local universities have been central in this through their coverage of new and advanced technologies on the curriculum. Ulster University Business School’s new BSc (Hons) in Financial Technology, one of the first to be offered anywhere in the UK, will undoubtedly advance this position.”

Commencing in September 2020, the BSc (Hons) Financial Technology, can be taken as a Higher-Level Apprenticeship or as a standalone qualification and is an ideal entry point to the financial services of today and tomorrow, where social inclusion and global sustainability are core components.

To find out more information or to apply visit https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202021/ financial-technology-21396

FEATURE

The daunting challenges facing print media Martin Breheney, Senior Analyst, NIMMS

Overall print media throughout Northern Ireland experienced a reduction of 22% in articles from January, February and March 2020, in comparison to April and May 2020 when the lockdown restrictions began biting. Daily national print articles have experienced a drop of 12%, the most modest reduction among our analysis. As expected, daily regional newspaper articles reflect a drop of 39% overall. 27,886 articles published in January 2020 fell to 15,261

NIMMS has reported a 22% drop overall in newspaper articles published in Northern Ireland following the COVID-19 restrictions introduced on 23 March 2020. Here Martin Breheney, Senior Analyst at NIMMS, discusses the daunting challenges facing local print media.

It has been a testing time across the business spectrum and routine life. But one industry experiencing daunting challenges is the production of printed press newspapers.

While many national publications have the ability to shift focus to publishing content via their online platforms, the more intimate regional publications with budget and resource restrictions may consider this a trickier prospect. Of the regional publications still printing and circulating copies, fewer pages indicates less scope for advertising – a significant percentage of income for regional publications throughout Northern Ireland.

We cannot underestimate the importance of regional news and the role it plays for those who don’t have access to technology or the skills to navigate the online world. The government must ensure the right funding models are in place or COVID-19 could decimate the print media industry indefinitely.

The postponement and cancellations of so many sporting and cultural events have delivered an evident impact on all publications. Fuelling the reduction further has been publications who have either paused or ceased services. We sincerely hope when lockdown restrictions are reduced more substantially, the industry can return to some level of normality. The reintroduction of society should provide publications with much needed news stories.

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in May 2020. The one upshot was the slight increase overall from April to May – a mere increase of 1.4% but possibly an indication that the latest easing of lockdown restrictions is allowing the industry to develop its capacity once more.

For more information on how NIMMS can help with your media monitoring and analysis requirements, please contact us on: 028 90 649012 or email: mediateam@nimms.co.uk

re open

& rebuild

By Emma Deighan

WHEN the first case of coronavirus came to light in Northern Ireland on February 27, few could’ve predicted the catastrophic impact a potential spread would have on everyday life and the business world.

Less than a month later when lockdown was announced businesses struggled to come to terms with, for many, a complete halt to operations.

For some firms key services and products were no longer needed but for others demand was tenfold.

More than 200,000 employees enrolled on the Government furlough scheme, including 85% of NI Chamber members while thousands of businesses availed of payment holidays and other Government backed packages put in place to ease the blow.

Now, in the second stage of the Executive’s lockdown exit strategy, we talk to business leaders from various sectors to discuss their very own exit strategies, recovery plans and how they plan to work in a new normal.

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The road to recovery

ryobi Managing Director David Watson

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REOPEN REBUILD Japanese-owned RYOBI forms a huge part of the global automotive chain by manufacturing engine and transmission products for the major European car manufacturers but a return to business won’t be enough to restart the sector, Managing Director David Watson of its NI operation tells Emma Deighan.

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t the beginning of lockdown RYOBI, which has 550 staff here, furloughed all but 20 people at its three sites. Today all but 100 have returned to help feed products back into the car supply chain as well as working on some innovative new concepts for its customers.

When the brakes were put on all non-essential retail, UK car sales suffered a catastrophic dip of 95%, at its worst, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

Locally, in NI, new car registrations in May were down 97% compared to last year. It’s a worrying change but with Government incentives and support to the sector, David believes recovery is possible.

“Our market is 20% UK, the rest is mainland Europe. We work with brands like Volkswagen Group, Peugeot-Citroën, Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Magna,” David begins.

“Volkswagen was among the first to wind up production and the others followed so during the lockdown period we spent time putting effort into working out how our staff could return to work when business comes back,” he continues.

And so, in what was a £100,000, exercise, David began to fight against adversity, starting first with the setup of a Covid-19 Response Team.

“We were ahead of the curve on this. We had to shut the plant as customers were calling off business, so immediately we turned our attention to conducting detailed risk assessments and on how we could modify the plant to be ready for

starting up again as the health and wellbeing of our employees had to be our top priority. While it might sound cliché that people are your greatest asset, it’s very much true. We’re a highly skilled knowledge-based industry and we value our team greatly.”

Included in the mitigation strategy was temperature checking with thermal cameras, social distancing, the installation of Perspex screens, and additional cleaning, all of which David says has been communicated thoroughly with staff.

“That’s the key thing for us, communication; I want people to feel safer coming to work than they do in the supermarket because this is the new normal and I’m very conscious that I have to win the hearts and minds of the entire workforce.

“The appointment of a Covid-19 Safety Co-ordinator proved necessary to continually review risk assessments, update procedures and enforce them because it’s a waste of time if those procedures aren’t followed and that’s a job on its own.”

Looking beyond the factory walls and to demand and supply, David estimates that it will take more than nine months for the car sector to recover. He adds: “I think it will be a slow recovery. I don’t see a queue of people looking for new cars right now.

Many people have been badly hit.”

To help encourage consumer demand for the market, David has been in conversation with the Department of Trade to push for incentives.

“An enhanced car buying scheme, better financing, things that will get

the industry moving again is what we need and I know the Government is certainly looking at that, they’ve taken it on board and I will continue to lobby this because the automotive industry across UK and Europe is huge, and many people don’t realise it.

“We’re the only manufacturer in Northern Ireland that supplies our type of product and we rely on high volume. We need sales and the market to recover,” he adds.

To minimise the financial impact, Ryobi will consolidate its operations to two out of its three sites and staff won’t just be working on making sophisticated engine parts, they’ll continue to focus on their research which currently includes developing products for electric vehicles.

“Really in many respects this is an ongoing business. I see Ryobi’s work as a three-legged stool. We need customers who want to source high volume products, we need investors to finance our high tech processes and thirdly we need the technical skills to make it all happen which is why we are thankful for QUB, UU, and NRC who help us develop the best engineering graduates and apprentices,” adds David.

“We always go back to our mission statement which is to build a sustainable business model by achieving best results for our customers, continually improving productivity by eliminating waste in all its forms and maximising the potential of all employees through mutual trust and respect and team working,” he concludes.

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reopen reopen rebuild rebuild

Serving a purpose Gavin Annon, Head of Sales and Marketing at catering empire Mount Charles, has turned a crisis into an opportunity, fast-tracking innovation plans and preparing the 32 year-old business for an all-new world.

“N

o one could have foreseen the impact of Covid-19 and the Government lockdowns.

Fortunately, we had robust business continuity plans in place and were able to react quickly,” Gavin begins.

This year Mount Charles was really starting to revel in its success in the south, which included securing a number of high profile catering contracts in recent months, including RTE, Griffith College in Dublin and Maynooth University, but with lockdown north and south putting a halt to social interaction it was to plunge the firm into recovery mode and quickly.

“We were always looking to innovate and grow as part of a clear strategic plan but this pandemic pulled them forward. We were also led by the client, health and safety regulations as well as viability,” he continues.

The result is a forward-thinking offering, Gavin says. Think a canteen but without the buffet service, prepacked catering, vending machines and a smaller workforce. But, perhaps more revolutionary, is Mount Charles’

research and work into other means and ways of transforming how the corporate, education and health sector respond to social distancing in terms of their catering provisions.

He says: “No matter what, the office environment will still be there, people will start to be encouraged to interact and there will be that demand for catering but it will be delivered differently.

“We’re going through that journey at the minute and we anticipate a change in the shape of our workforce. We are looking at vending solutions to maintain a service outside of usual working hours

and there are many exciting things that can be done.

“Unattended retail, pre-ordering, paying by app or online, these are the kind of solutions we are also exploring.

Yes it’s at a cost and we have to be realistic and contracts have to be viable, but we’re lucky that we have great relationships with all of our clients.”

Some of Mount Charles’ customers have continued to work throughout lockdown, giving the firm a head start on implementing health and safety measures that are compliant with regulations in a world where we exist with Covid-19.

“We were always looking to innovate and grow as part of a clear strategic plan but this pandemic pulled them forward.”

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REOPEN REBUILD REBUILD REOPEN “We are asking a lot of staff to come to work so we are doing everything in our powers to make sure we are compliant and that they are comfortable to work,” adds Gavin.

The company’s cleaning arm has excelled during lockdown, introducing new clients to the firm and new demand.

“We’re lucky that way, that we do have multiple service lines. We’ve been working hard with our clients to prevent the spread of coronavirus and that’s a duty of care for us and the feedback has been great. And now everyone is focusing on a second wave we are placed well to respond to that.”

Beyond the day job, Gavin has strong beliefs that the Covid-19 pandemic will present many opportunities to grow its portfolio of services. While it’s always on the hunt for a new challenge they may come earlier than anticipated.

“The big global companies have been hit massively and that swing for change is harder for them. We can adapt faster and there may be opportunities for us coming out of this global pandemic. Our heart lies with Belfast and Northern Ireland where it all began, but we recognise that scale of opportunities that will exist across the Island of Ireland,” he concludes.

Gavin Annon, Head of Sales and Marketing, Mount Charles

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reopen rebuild Tourism NI chief John McGrillen

“W

e might not be starting from zero but this is a restart,” begins Tourism NI chief John McGrillen. “You could say that’s how we work every year, the count goes back to zero, but the challenge now is that everything has been wildly disrupted. People can’t get here for a start and when they do come, right now, hotels, bars and restaurants aren’t open.

We’ve effectively gone into a deep freeze.”

The “culturally curious” and the higher travel abroad but can’t and they might want in previous years, while the ROI marketing spend visitor of recent years gone by to take a holiday at some point. Their options campaign will build upon our successful will be a loss to the sector this summer are limited to the island of Ireland and that’s ‘Say Hello to More’ campaign which John McGrillen, Tourism NIa talks about how Covid-19 has hitcreated the restart onforone awareness button of the value money our opportunity, ” continues John. period he says,CEO as airof travel comes to opportunities here.

“Our visitor numbers from ROI have halt and the spread of the coronavirus of NI’s most lucrative industries and why staycations will be the focus in 2020.

“For the southern consumer there’s a plays subconsciously on the minds of our historically not been as high as they should be; they’d increased over the last three challenge with the perception of distance. future visitors.

“But it’s a global issue. We are not on our years for a number of reasons, including the We need to work on that because the reality devaluation of sterling which made us more is Belfast is closer to Dublin than Cork or own in this,” he says reassuringly.

Going forward John says staycations are competitive, but there is still some room for Kerry. Our future theme will be how a “small where the sector will claw its profit from. It’s growth in that market and we will attract step” can lead to a “giant adventure”.

“Additional investment will be required in a platform that Tourism NI has been building that through the delivery of new campaigns.

“Here in Northern Ireland the message attracting that market because Fáilte Ireland upon, regardless of external forces.

“Typically 30% of our overnight spend will be about staying at home, supporting is a very strong competitor, with perhaps is domestic but now we have a significant local. It will focus on the fact that three five or six times the resources we have. We number of people who would normally million visitors didn’t come here for nothing need to make sure we have our share of

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Travelling in a new direction

John McGrillen, CEO of Tourism NI talks about how Covid-19 has hit the restart button on one of NI’s most lucrative industries and why staycations will be the focus in 2020.

voice on marketing channels. Fáilte Ireland will be upping their investment and they too will be dependent on a domestic market so we will have to be competitive.”

The NI Executive has released a provisional opening date for hotels on July 20th. It’s a move that has “heartened” John and his team. “Getting the Executive to agree that date is a very significant move for hotel and accommodation providers.

“It would not be surprising if rural areas are getting more enquiries given that their surroundings work well for social distancing.

Self catering will also be particularly popular,” John suggests.

The burgeoning business tourism sector

will be one of the hardest hit in 2020 but all is not lost he says, at least in the near future: “No-one has cancelled. Many of the events for this year have been postponed, not lost. The conference world is going to change. The fact we have all been at home, on Zoom, using digital platforms, will mean business travel will probably reduce. A new culture has been created, the dynamics have changed.”

Looking to next year John is unreservedly optimistic and believes that Northern Ireland is in a prominent position to capture a new thinking traveller.

“The planet is doing what it has to do to adjust and we are well placed to deliver

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to that “new normal”. We’re not an over populous society, we have so much to offer.

We have the great outdoors and from a tourism perspective, we’re not developed to the extent that other countries are and this could present us with opportunities.

“Interestingly, whilst this will be an awful year and I wouldn’t be surprised if visitor numbers are down by 70% for the end of the year, demand for 2021 is very high. Many golf courses are totally booked out and in a recent Tourism Ireland conference call with the Economy Minister, Diane Dodds, US tour operators had a huge appetite for coming back to the island of Ireland. There are green shoots of recovery despite the devastation.”

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Food for thought Sporting agent and entrepreneur Gerry Carlile has deep concerns about the future of the hospitality trade but there’s one setup he believes could give him and his peers a kick start in a new normal…

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erry Carlile opened his Pizza On the Square restaurant in Donegall Square West late last year. It is the third venue to join his hospitality portfolio and was in the midst of making its mark on the food map when lockdown struck.

Now, like many restaurant and bar owners, Gerry is looking to an uncertain future and thinking of ways and measures that will allow the trade to operate while keeping health and safety a priority.

“I will be honest, I’m concerned for the future. I don’t know how a restaurant operates while using social distancing measures and makes a business sustainable. And how do you socially distance in a bar? Isn’t a bar about the experience, don’t we go there to enjoy the culture of being around people? Things are going to change and that’s very, very difficult,” he says.

Gerry hasn’t held back his thoughts on pedestrianising parts of Belfast while the sector is closed. He sees it as a “straightforward way of giving a chance for recovery”.

He references Donegall Square, saying it could become Belfast’s very own ‘piazza’ – a tourism attraction in its own right. It’s a model he would like to see being acted on and spread out across Northern Ireland.

“Yes, it might seem like I have a vested interest in that part of the city and I do, to an extent, but firstly Donegall Square West is the most obvious part of the city where that could happen at what I believe would be a relatively low cost,” he continues.

“I do believe pedestrianising areas of the city could make a significant change.

It would allow businesses to spill out onto the street and operate safely. We have a 70-seater restaurant. If we introduce social distancing, we would only be able to serve 30 people at a time and that’s not a sustainable model, but if we were to seat a further 40 people outside, it would work.

“It would also give people something to look forward to when this crisis ends.”

Looking to cities like Glasgow for inspiration Gerry says climate needn’t be a stumbling block; “We have buses running through the heart of the city and you don’t see that anywhere else. People might

Sporting agent and entrepreneur Gerry Carlile.

challenge this idea with the fact that we live in a cold country but when it’s winter, then you stay indoors, it’s as simple as that.

“For me this idea is two-fold. It would give hospitality a fighting chance and it’s a tourism feature that Belfast could really hang its hat on.”

Discussing other means of support for the sector, which has undoubtedly been hit hardest out of all industries, Gerry says a rental holiday for business tenants and support for landlords could potentially save jobs.

He explains: “The London Government needs to look at some type of rent furlough.

Something similar has been successfully done in Denmark and it protects both

landlords and tenants. It could be a lot less costly than continuing a wage furlough because if you knew your rent was taken care of, you know you’ve a roof over head.

“I think moving forward it’s not a matter of throwing more money to support businesses, support needs to be specific and tackle various problems and for a lot of hospitality business owners, rent is a big problem.”

Looking to reopening, Gerry concludes: “If things start to improve, we need to be ready to get the best health and safety measures in place and translate that into public confidence. Pedestrianising parts of the city and towns around NI is a start.”

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17/06/2020 12:35

FEATURE Mark Crimmins, Head of Ulster Bank

Banking on better times ahead Mark Crimmins, Head of Ulster Bank, likens the economic recovery of the Covid-19 pandemic to a Nike Swoosh. At best recovery will take three years, for many industries it will be five, he tells Ambition.

M

ark Crimmins has spent 22 years with Ulster Bank and “lived through the highs and lows of the last recession”. It was an economic chapter he says has left him with “vivid memories”.

“But this time it’s different. This is a whole economy crisis. It affects all of us, good or bad. There is no one who won’t be affected.

It’s all encompassing,” he begins.

“But we have good muscle memory from the last time and learned very bitter lessons from the recession and you have to remember banks are in a much stronger position now.

It was entirely different last time. We were overstretched with heavy concentrations of lending, especially in property.

“We’ve much stronger capital now and we are in a better equity position. There are also no significant pressures, even with our provisions to support businesses.”

It’s a very comforting statement for many businesses to read at a time when Government packages are masking the true outcome of an

economy that has hit the emergency brake.

The true consequences of Covid-19 and the impact of its lockdown won’t be felt, Mark believes, until furloughing and other support schemes end. “It won’t be until Q3 that we’ll see trends because right now those schemes are masking a lot,” he continues.

Ulster Bank has played a major role in supporting many NI firms through the pandemic. Its range of financial support, which has been secured by thousands of businesses, has acted as a lifeline.

Its Government Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) support has been availed of by more than 100 firms, while its more easily accessible Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS) has supported almost 3200 customers, amounting to some £100m.

“The capital repayment holiday is one of our most sought-after offerings right now because it’s one of the easiest to secure. The holidays we have granted amount to £21m.

Much of those were requested early on while

64

overdrafts to the value of £7.5m have been granted,” explains Mark.

It’s a hefty sum and begs the question of how long such support packages can be sustained, especially if the UK and Ireland experience a second wave of the virus.

“We will still be there, and we would look to support our customers when they need it.

That’s a matter of principle and policy for us,” Mark says.

“If there is a second wave, we will look at extending schemes on a case by case basis.

Our long-term concern would be that more businesses may take on debt just to survive and that will have an impact on their future ability to borrow for investment purposes.

“What we want to inform people is that this is different from the last time round. Banks have learned a lesson, we are much more self aware of our responsibility and a lot of our actions and decisions have been about being good citizens, looking after health of staff and financial health of our customers and we’ve

reacted pretty quickly and adopted schemes as quickly as possible.”

Ulster Bank is also striking up conversation with its customers to “encourage positive thinking rather than worry about the future.”

“We’re having positive chats with customers around mega-trends and some of the issues that this health scare has unveiled,” he continues.

“We also encourage them to look at opportunities including the reverse of globalisation and concerns on standards and ethical production. It is those things that play

to Northern Ireland’s strengths and we’re keen to make sure everyone is talking about that.”

On the ground, Ulster Bank’s branches have been opened throughout the pandemic to ensure those businesses and members of the public that need that bricks and mortar service are catered to.

Meanwhile at head office level, staff aren’t expected to return to work until September at the earliest, Mark says.

The delay in resuming office-based work is, however by no means indicative of how much

work the team are doing in the background Mark adds. “We are looking at many virtual solutions,” he says about the bank’s offering for seedling firms. “And that will take a bit of time, it’s very frustrating as we had evolved that into a nice offering before Coronavirus.”

But with an air of optimism, he concludes: “We are coming to the end of the most urgent phase, phase one. Now it’s time to think about the future. What does the next six months look like? What are the options and challenges for NI and we would love to provide thought leadership for that.”

“We are coming to the end of the most urgent phase, phase one. Now it’s time to think about the future. ”

Supporting innovators during a pandemic Businesses behind the Hero Shield project, a PPE scheme, benefitted from financial support from Ulster Bank to assist them through the Coronavirus crisis.

The Hero Shield project first launched in March when a collective of local companies pooled their resources and expertise to design, manufacture and deliver PPE to Northern Ireland’s local Health & Social Care Trusts.

Among the companies at the forefront of the Hero Shield project are Ulster Bank customers Shnuggle and Minprint who have now received significant financial support packages, including UK Government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILs).

Adam Murphy, CEO at Shnuggle, a company that designs clever baby products, said: “This loan is a cash flow lifeline that will help us to get back on our feet as quickly as possible. With sales depressed and cash reserves depleting it will absolutely sustain us as it guarantees the future payment of suppliers, ensuring we have access to product to continue to meet future demand.”

When Shnuggle put out the call to the business community to lend support to the Hero Shield project, Minprint, the Belfast-based commercial printers, responded and repurposed its printing equipment to produce visors.

It has also secured a Coronavirus support loan through Ulster Bank as part of a package of measures.

Managing Director Jamie McMinnis says the loan will keep the business afloat as it explores new revenue streams.

“We’ve experienced a substantial downturn in trade, most notably from our clients in the events industry. Beyond that, our day-to-day operations have been hit too. With so many longstanding customers unable to operate there’s less of a requirement for commercial printing.

“The team at Ulster Bank have been incredibly supportive throughout this process. The loan will bridge the gap and ease short-term cash flow concerns as we reinvent our business.”

Girvan Gault, Director, Commercial Banking, Ulster Bank, says, “Across our communities, business and personal banking customers have banded together to show their support for frontline health workers by lending their skills and expertise. We’re strongly committed to supporting these customers and all those who bank with us with the assistance they need during these challenging times.”

In recent weeks, the Hero Shield project announced it had produced and shipped 100,000 visors for free or on a non-profit basis and will increase production capacity to manufacture up to 70,000 units per week.

Crossen Engineering, an Ulster Bank customer of over four decades, is now working alongside Denroy Plastics to make the innovative products available to the business community.

Managing Director Paul Crossen says the health service will continue to have priority but that the increase in production capacity will enable them to make the product available commercially.

“Everyone involved in the project is incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved. We are fully committed to continuing production of vital PPE for the health service, but we’re now exploring ways to make the Hero Shield product available to the business community in Northern Ireland.

“We believe it’s a product that can protect workers and help businesses to resume trading in a safe manner when lockdown restrictions are eased.”

A percentage from every sale of Hero Shield visors will be donated to Hero Shield Ltd to support its charitable work.

More information about the comprehensive range of support measures Ulster Bank is providing to business customers is available on the Ulster Bank Business Hub.

The Hero Shield pictured at Brett Martin’s Mallusk headquarters. Brett Martin is one of the local companies which have been supplying materials for the manufacturing of the product.

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Columnist Richard Johnston, Deputy Director at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre

Automating into economic recovery mode Richard Johnston, Deputy Director at the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, discusses automation and the road to economic recovery.

There are, quite naturally, challenges that arise with increasing levels of automation and effective policies will be required to address them.

They include potential increases in gender, income and geographical inequalities and how an appropriate rating policy framework might look like in order to fund the public services of the future. The most immediate and pressing policy challenge is skills. As the demand for STEM subjects and technologically adept employees grew prior to the recession, the wages and employment rates of individuals with these skills-sets outpaced most other groups. Emerging evidence suggests that these skills sets were relatively more insulated from Covid-19 restrictions, being better able to work from home or in a socially distanced environment. Logic suggests that in the recovery phase, those businesses and employees that are digital survivors are likely to become the digital thrivers of the next decade, especially if automation increases significantly.

In terms of supporting the recovery, robots operate in a niche that can help with social distancing. Tasks such as grocery delivery, contactless food handling, cleaning, killing pathogens, picking, sorting & replenishing can be completed by robots whilst allowing employees to maintain safe social distancing protocols. Restaurants and hotels could employ robotic front of house staff which would deliver a quite novel dining experience. These technologies already exist and could be implemented. The use of robots to enable social distancing may also encourage workers to return from furlough as the risk to their health, whether perceived or actual, diminishes.

A

s we approach the halfway mark of 2020 it could already be termed an economic “annus horribilis” with serious disruption to business and individuals in their everyday lives. The restrictions implemented to reduce the impact of Covid-19 on society and save lives is the single largest, but very necessary economic disruption that NI has faced in its history. At a personal level, there are many incredibly sad stories. In terms of business, the restrictions have caused serious and unfortunately in some cases, terminal damage and the unemployment rate has more than doubled during April. As a society, we now have two choices. One; to focus on where we are now and the impact of the recession, or two; to look further ahead and build robust foundations for the recovery. All crises come to an end and this one will too.

One of the areas that NI could and should focus on to boost the economic recovery is a different disruptive force – that of automation. It creates both excitement in terms of the new possibilities and fears for what might be replaced. Whilst the conversation generally focuses on the fears, according to historical evidence, these are misplaced. Our natural tendency as humans is towards loss and risk aversion which encourages us to focus on retaining familiar items and tasks, rather than adapt to change and the riskier potential upside, even if there are rewards. Looking more widely than the risks and rewards, as the fourth revolution unfolds these innovative technologies are changing how we communicate, market, purchase, manufacture, manage employees, diagnose illness, analyse evidence and much more. Automation is all around us and many competitors are embracing automation to increase efficiency. Being left behind is not an attractive option.

The key takeaways are that: • Automation is happening all around us and across the world.

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated trends towards increasing automation; • A reasoned scenario is that the world will become less globalised and more locally focused as trade and FDI trends recalibrate to the next normal and supply chains move closer to the point of production; and

Evidence from our recent research demonstrates that automation and digitisation: • Creates more tasks than it destroys, resulting in higher levels of employment; • Time saved can be reallocated to activities that require the human judgement – creativity, empathy, strategy etc.

• Lowers prices and allows consumers to purchase more, increasing standards of living; • Provides the ability to work with or “cobot” the technologies rather than be replaced; • Replaces some tasks in their entirety and makes retraining those workers a priority; • Increases productivity and competitiveness, enhancing wages and boosting incomes; and • Can also improve the health and safety of employees.

• Our competitors are automating and building their competitive position.

In short, NI cannot afford to be left behind in the fourth industrial revolution. In order to prepare for the recovery and make the most of the growth that follows, society should focus less on automation anxiety and more on automation outcomes. If NI is to recover at pace and increase standards of living and wellbeing after the recession, the frameworks and support must be in place to encourage investment, making and taking of calculated commercial risks in order to boost future competitiveness. One of the key elements of the recovery plan should focus on automation as we begin to help people return to work safely, invest in the business base and regrow incomes at employee, enterprise and economy-wide levels.

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FEATURE

66 42

In a position of strength Kevin Holland, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland says the Covid-19 pandemic has spawned solidarity among the NI business community, powers at Stormont and the creative minds at our universities. It’s a by-product of a crisis that he believes will see us come out “stronger than we went in”.

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FEATURE

“R

ight now we are coming out of the emergency support phase. The furlough scheme will start to change and businesses are starting to get used to working in this environment. I believe NI has great opportunities in this early phase of recovery to get working again,” Kevin begins.

“Northern Ireland is small and it can use its powerful ecosystems to come out stronger than it went in. I have never seen universities, Government, business and academics working so closely together and I think that will create a faster pathway to recovery.”

Sustaining those relationships will be one of Kevin’s priorities in coming months and for the foreseeable future. It’s a sense of unity that has been productive during times of hardship and uncertainty.

From the first day of lockdown, Kevin and the team at Invest NI have been quick to act to support the business community. Its website nibusinessinfo.co.uk is populated with information on everything from Government emergency support schemes to Executive updates, and a timeline of business resumption.

It also runs a helpline for all businesses and is offering advice on diversifying and innovating as consumer demands change.

“We have moved quickly to help all sectors and work out a strategic pathway for those sectors hit hardest,” adds Kevin. “In the beginning there was shock about how quickly things closed off and changed but as the Government introduced emergency schemes there were more balanced conversations.”

And as the conversations became more progressive so too did business activity for many firms. In fact there have been some 450 firms who have looked to reconfigure their operations to cater to new demands, Kevin says.

“If you’re making something that is no longer wanted you have to reconfigure. It’s been very interesting to see a consortia of businesses come together to design and manufacture new products like respirators, diagnostics, PPE and other things and that’s the way forward.”

“If you’re making something that is no longer wanted you have to reconfigure. It’s been very interesting to see a consortia of businesses come together to design and manufacture new products like respirators, diagnostics, PPE and other things and that’s the way forward.

“I’ve worked during a lot of crises all over the world, whether they have been societal or economic crises, and you have to stay really focused on what the customer wants, what they need and understand their demands and then you need to adapt to meet these demands.

“If your customer has different needs you have to move quickly and adapt to that and

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understand what value you can bring to that segment. There is always a way forward and it takes planning and innovation and the need to listen to customers as well as updating skills.

This is the recipe for success.”

Asked if he thinks recovery will be a long term process, Kevin responds: “It’s faster to run downhill than uphill. The pathway to recovery may be slow but that also depends on the different sectors, and it depends on what we do and we have been moving quickly.

“If I talk about a projection of what May 2021 will look like, it will be a guesstimation but by then I do see a significant return to activity, in a number of sectors. Even without a vaccine, people will adapt over a period of months, not years and I think by this time next year we will be fairly close to previous activity levels. Of course some industries like global air travel will be different and take much longer.”

With offices all over the world, and with a close eye on China’s progression, Kevin is optimistic about future investment here and the potential for new start-ups.

He says NI’s ability, particularly in the digital terrain, to swiftly adapt to a new working world will appeal to foreign investors and that a pipeline of foreign investment activity is still looking very healthy.

He continues: “I think Northern Ireland has demonstrated an impressive resilience over the last few months. We ran a round table with foreign companies who have centres here, and it was clear that the Northern Ireland part of their global business was the fastest to recover.

We have a lot to offer and I can see that when international companies are growing they will certainly rethink where they place their offices and sites. We can offer value and quality of life, great talent and we are English speaking and lower cost than any other European capitals.

It’s a unique strength.”

Columnist Richard Foley, Senior Partner, Pinsent Masons

The Mindful Business Charter Pinsent Masons’ Richard Foley discusses reducing the unnecessary cause of stress and pressure in the workplace.

perspective to swiftly respond to the lockdown and to have the majority of our people work from home immediately. While this was positive from a business continuity perspective, we cannot ignore the impact that this sudden shift in daily life will have had as many colleagues work irregular or longer hours, attempting to combine the responsibilities of work and home life. We need everyone at all levels of the business to recognise that maintaining your health and wellbeing is critical, and negative working practices that inhibit that need to be addressed.

The Charter is about reducing the unnecessary cause of stress and pressure. It’s about open and sensible conversations.

Ultimately it’s about high-performance and about engaging with our clients about the benefits this will bring.

The UK-wide roll out of the Charter means our firm pledges to promote a culture of openness about mental wellbeing and to ensure our people are mindful of working practices that might create unnecessary stress.

This includes committing to provide appropriate team cover so individuals aren’t interrupted during holiday or on non-working

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s businesses adapt to new ways of working in light of the unprecedented challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, I am delighted to see the ground-breaking wellbeing initiative, the Mindful Business Charter (MBC), being rolled out across throughout the UK including in Pinsent Masons’ Northern Ireland office.

The Mindful Business Charter, devised by Pinsent Masons, Barclays and Addleshaw Goddard, brought corporates and their legal services providers together to reach a shared agenda for supporting mental health and wellbeing and thereby ensuring high team performances.

By fully adopting the MBC it underlines our commitment to further eradicating negative working practices that can impact mental health and wellbeing and there is surely not a more critical time than the present to support colleagues as we take the initial steps to returning to some kind of normality.

All of the signatories have committed to a set of principles centred on improved communication, respect for rest periods, and considerate delegation of tasks and management of deadlines.

Performance against these principles is monitored as part of relationship review meetings between banks and the financial services legal teams.

Over the last 18 months, Pinsent Masons has rolled out the Charter across a number of our global teams and now we are asking our entire UK workforce, including more than 80 staff in Belfast, to pledge to the Charter and adhere to the principles.

Pinsent Masons believes that in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic this has never been more important. The mental health and wellbeing of our people has firmly been on the agenda for many years now and all the evidence suggests that properly rested, valued and respected teams will perform better.

The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted just how important it is to support our colleagues and clients as we all grapple with the reality of working through the lockdown. These are tough times for a multitude of personal and professional reasons and recognising and responding to this is crucial to sustaining wellbeing and maintaining performance.

The MBC roll out sends a powerful message to everyone that they shouldn’t compromise their mental health as they seek to adjust to the new norm, juggling work and family commitments and dealing with the personal impact of the pandemic.

As an agile business we were prepared from a practical and tech

“The Charter is about reducing the unnecessary cause of stress and pressure. It’s about open and sensible conversations. Ultimately it’s about high-performance and about engaging with our clients about the benefits this will bring.” days, being open to push-back on unrealistic deadlines, and hosting regular ‘speak your mind’ sessions in which teams are encouraged to highlight concerns or practices which might impact upon wellbeing.

Since its launch in 2018 a total of 39 institutions, law firms and corporates have signed up to the Mindful Business Charter.

Pinsent Masons’ Partner and Head of Office at Belfast, Andrea McIlroy-Rose, recently commented: “As a very integrated part of Pinsent Masons, the Belfast office are delighted to be involved in this UK roll out. We are one of a number of locally based businesses who are committed to changing the landscape in relation to how firms do business and support their staff and we are very much looking forward to working with other NI Chamber members on this initiative.”

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FEATURE

Keeping Goods Moving

By Simon Lawson, Director, Regional Operation, DSV Air & Sea 72

“Despite these disruptions, ports, airports and terminals have handled the situation fantastically under such difficult circumstances. We are incredibly thankful to all of those for their efforts to allow companies such as DSV to continue to operate.”

W

hilst our health care system bears the brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, the transportation and logistics industry is playing a vital supporting role.

As one of the largest service providers in the region, DSV has been very much open for business since the start of the pandemic, keeping supply chains running, enabling the supply chains for food, medicine, and other essentials to continue. Although the volume of the goods transported during the crisis is small compared with trade in a fully functioning economy, some of our customers remain extremely busy while many others are closed or partially closed, but we will continue to work as hard as ever and do our best to help our clients.

Local distribution has been affected in terms of our import flows mainly due to customer’s

premises having to close, and import cargo into Northern Ireland has decreased as a result. Exports have also decreased for the same reason, meaning the industry is facing new challenges and additional hurdles to get over every day. Commodities such as PPE and Healthcare Equipment have, as expected, seen increases but most other cargo type volumes have reduced or temporarily stopped.

Despite these disruptions, ports, airports and terminals have handled the situation fantastically under such difficult circumstances.

We are incredibly thankful to all of those for their efforts to allow companies such as DSV to continue to operate.

Internally, we have faced our own operational challenges. Whilst most of the office staff can work remotely, our warehouse staff and drivers have had to come to work and they are key to our business operation. Without them the supply chains would simply stop. Those staff are our heroes and we are extremely proud to have them.

At the moment 75% of our white-collar staff in NI are working from home while all of our blue-collar workers are at work within the confines of our warehouses or driving the trucks and vans on their daily schedules. Those staff on site have strict rules to follow in terms of social distancing, wearing protective gear, staggered canteen breaks and even down to the spaced car parking – the rules must be followed at all times to reduce as much risk as possible for each other and their lives outside of DSV.

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We are quite fortunate to have a large office blocks in both Belfast and Lisahally depots and from early on we had been able to segregate staff from each other within the guidelines. We stopped all site meetings/visitors and instead encouraged the use of online video and audio conferencing to enable us to also transform our boardrooms into additional offices to enable even more staff segregation. When the virus started to be prominent in Northern Ireland, we then started to arrange for some staff to work from home, starting with the most vulnerable or those who had vulnerable people living with them.

Looking ahead, for the logistics industry, as long as the crisis persists, DSV’s priority is to help customers address supply issues for essential goods whilst, of course, protecting our own employees to ensure safe conditions and keep facilities open. At the time of writing, we are working on a 50-point set of guidelines to ensure that we will continue to practice safe social distancing by re-arranging the layouts of the offices permanently and we will encourage more online meetings and calls as opposed to face-to-face meetings. Only essential business travel for staff will be authorised.

In terms of our customers, we continue to prepare as logistics services and delivery models need to continually adapt to meet new health, safety, and food access provisions. But it is vital to look further and we look forward to helping all industries reboot their activities when the crisis subsides and plan for the new normal which will emerge post COVID-19.

FEATURE

Pictured are Andy McBride (Operations Head); Stephen Gallagher (Sales Head); Peter Quigley (Engineering Head) and Jim Erskine (Managing Director). Photo taken before current government social distancing guidelines.

CCP Gransden Celebrates 125 Years in Business 42 74

Family-owned manufacturer CCP Gransden has recently celebrated 125 years in business.

T

he Ballygowan-based company specialises in the design, development and manufacturing of advanced composites and thermoplastics across multiple sectors.

Speaking to Ambition, CCP’s Managing Director Jim Erskine, puts the firm’s strong history down to its core policies of “upholding sound engineering and continuous innovation.”

These principals have helped the company be adaptable through historical challenges, taking on a wide variety of projects. The business had diversified into plastics in the 1960’s, establishing ‘Corrosion Control Plastics’ and was one of the first in the region to identify the opportunities with composites as the field developed. As the corrosion resistant plastics element of the business grew, the company name evolved with it. Corrosion control plastics led to the CCP acronym, with Gransden added when the firm acquired Gransden (BiChem).

“ Our employee retention is extremely high – we have employees who have been with us for over 35 years. The business actively tries to be understanding and support all employees as a dynamic team. ”

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Recently CCP Gransden has made several major technological investments, ensuring that today they operate one of the UK’s largest selection of advanced composites manufacturing processes inhouse.

Jim explains: “CCP Gransden aims to offer performance improvement through the intelligent use of Advanced Composites. Composites are complex and we like to work very collaboratively with our customers to identify the best solution.

We have a wide range of advanced manufacturing processes available.

With a focus on high quality, repeatable (automated), out of autoclave ‘snap cure’ thermosets or thermoplastic composites with overmoulding for the Aerospace, Automotive, or Defense sectors, we can assist with prototypes or full production up to 100,000 parts per year.”

How can other businesses set themselves up to have such long histories?

Jim continues: “Another characteristic at the heart of CCP Gransden’s success is its respectable image. CCP Gransden supports continuous improvement, investing in its people, supporting further study for several employees, and sponsoring charitable endeavours / local sports groups.”

He also praises the role of the team throughout the years. “Our employee retention is extremely high – we have employees who have been with us for over 35 years. The business actively tries to be understanding and support all employees as a dynamic team. This creates a positive feedback loop which supports our adaptable, innovative-driven culture, and which keeps customers coming back to CCP Gransden time and time again.”

Looking ahead, Jim concludes: “Our future, we think, is as a highly flexible manufacturer working with a wide range of customers and our aim is to build on our reputation as an innovative producer of high-quality finished products.”

appointments

A

NEW

PPOINTMENTS in the business community

ALISTAIR HAMILTON

David Tighe

lisa McLaughlin

lisa early

Non-Executive Director on the Board of Danske Bank.

Managing Director of Bauer Radio NI.

Partner at Herbert Smith Freehills.

Legal Director in Corporate at Pinsent Masons.

Jane Boyd

Michael Hamill

David McCandlish

Julia Corkey

Legal Director in Banking at Pinsent Masons.

Legal Director in Corporate at Pinsent Masons.

Regional Sales Manager at Acheson + Glover Scotland.

Incoming Chief Executive of ICC Belfast Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall.

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Danske Bank appoints Aisling Press as new head of Personal Banking Danske Bank has appointed Aisling Press to the leadership role of Managing Director of Personal Banking, reporting to Chief Executive Kevin Kingston.

In her new role Aisling has responsibility for all aspects of personal banking, including Danske Bank’s branch network, awardwinning contact centre, Private Banking service and mortgages.

Aisling joined Danske Bank from AIB in 2016 and has been Head of Branch Banking for the last three years. During that time she oversaw a major transformation programme of the branch network, improving customer services in an ever-changing financial services environment. This included a multi-million pound investment in the refurbishment of 14 branches, including the bank’s flagship Belfast City Centre branch and start-up co-working space.

Aisling takes up her new position at a time when the bank has been innovating and adjusting to better serve personal banking customers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Commenting on the appointment, Kevin Kingston said: “I would like to congratulate Aisling on her new role and thank her predecessor Richard Caldwell, who I’m delighted to say is taking up another position within the bank as Managing Director of Strategy and Commercial Development.

“A fundamental part of our role in society is to make everyday banking accessible to everyone, and all of us in financial services have an important role to play in helping society respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Aisling is well placed to drive this, having been heavily involved in the transformation of

our branches, and will help drive how Danske Bank continues to serve the needs of all our personal customers. She will bring great experience, energy and enthusiasm to the job at what is a crucial time for retail banking.”

Aisling added: “My immediate priority in this new role is to ensure that Danske Bank continues to provide essential banking services and maintains support for our customers at what remains a difficult

centre have remained open through this crisis and we quickly introduced additional measures to help customers who may be in vulnerable circumstances, from dedicated phone lines for older customers and NHS workers, to our Check In and Chat team who proactively call customers in vulnerable circumstances to check they are ok.”

Aisling is a strong advocate for responsible business and in particular, diversity and

“My immediate priority in this new role is to ensure that Danske Bank continues to provide essential banking services and maintains support for our customers at what remains a difficult and uncertain time for many families and individuals.” and uncertain time for many families and individuals. We have proven through the coronavirus lockdown that we are there to give both financial and non-financial support to our customers.

“All of our 40 branches and our contact

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inclusion. She is a member of the bank’s Gender Diversity committee and a sponsor and mentor of the Sisters In Female Leadership programme, which helps foster leadership skills in girls of school age by working collaboratively with female leaders.

FEATURE

We’re investing in Belfast Investec Wealth & Investment tell Ambition how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how businesses everywhere operate. At Investec Wealth & Investment, it’s no different.

The onset of the pandemic has moved organisations of all sizes and sectors into completely unchartered territory. The current situation differs from anything that has come before. Businesses are having to drastically rethink every aspect of their approach, from resourcing, employee needs and logistics, right through to the most basic elements of their operating models – in order to innovate in real time.

Investec Wealth & Investment offers wealth management and investment services to private clients, financial advisers, intermediaries and charities. Sam Brown, Divisional Director for Belfast said: “At Investec we work with people. Our role is to help our clients navigate life’s journey and support them in achieving their financial freedom faster. Our strength is our relationships with our clients, and these have traditionally been born through face-to-face meetings to listen and gain an in-depth understanding of their needs.”

Investec Wealth & Investment has recognised the shifting demand brought about by the ‘new normal’ we are currently facing, and have adapted to meet this demand. Sam continues: “We have looked to bring more of our services online, and are now offering video face-to-face meetings with our clients and contacts. We’ve enabled more telephonebased meetings and are using mobile and digital technology to empower our colleagues to work effectively remotely, whilst still staying connected to our clients and to each other.”

Another way they’re investing locally is through the recent recruitment of four new investment directors to join the local team of wealth experts in the Belfast office. The company is a firm believer in the concept of great people joining great teams, and they’re delighted to announce the recent arrival of two new Senior Investment Directors, John Cubitt and Wayne Nickels and two new Investment Directors, Ryan Cornett and Peter Rainey. They will manage both discretionary and non-discretionary portfolios for private clients, trusts, pensions and limited companies.

Together they bring a combined 65 years of investment experience to Investec Wealth & Investment Belfast. All four joined from Cunningham Coates (Smith & Williamson).

These new hires demonstrate Investec Wealth & Investment’s continued determination to deepen relationships in local markets.

John Cubitt, a Chartered Wealth Manager, who has over 20 years of investment experience in a Senior Wealth Management role, most recently as Head of Estate Administration and Probate Services at Cunningham Coates says: “I am delighted to be joining Investec Wealth & Investment, one of the strongest names in the wealth management industry. It’s a very exciting time for the Belfast office and I look forward to working with the team to enhance our offering and presence in the Northern Ireland region.” Until recently, John was President of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment, Northern Ireland (2017-19).

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Previously a Partner at Cunningham Coates and with almost 20 years of investment experience, Wayne Nickels is a Chartered Fellow and past President of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment, Northern Ireland (2013-15) as well as a Member of the Institute of Directors. Wayne says: “Investec have demonstrated, in word and deed, how they always put the client and society in general first and foremost.

This ingrained moral component and holistic approach to deliver positive outcomes were core attractions to joining the UK’s leading wealth management company. I’m really looking forward to sharing this experience with clients.”

Ryan Cornett, a Chartered Wealth Manager, brings 13 years of investment experience from Cunningham Coates, rising to Associate Director, where he headed up their in-house Business Development team over the past three years. Speaking on his new role he says: “I am excited to have joined Investec Wealth & Investment. The company’s belief in building strong personal relationships combined with a first-class approach towards systems and support ensures that client experience remains front and centre at all times.”

Peter Rainey, Chartered Fellow of CISI has 13 years of investment experience at Cunningham Coates, rising to Associate Director. He is a Member of the House Sport and Social Committee of the Ulster Reform Club and Hon Treasurer of Coleraine Yacht Club. Commenting on his new role, Peter says: “I am delighted to have joined Investec Wealth &

“We have looked to bring more of our services online, and are now offering video face-toface meetings with our clients and contacts.

We’ve enabled more telephone-based meetings and are using mobile and digital technology to empower our colleagues to work effectively remotely, whilst still staying connected our clients and to each other.”

- Sam Brown, Investec Wealth & Investment Investment, a wealth manager with a fantastic reputation and breadth of offering. The people I have met so far genuinely believe in the company’s core philosophies and values of integrity, distinctive performance, client focus and entrepreneurial spirit and I am looking forward to the immense opportunities the company offers.”

Speaking about the new members of the team Sam says: “Our Belfast office has over 100 years of heritage in Northern Ireland, and we continue to invest in our future by recruiting talented local investment directors with knowledge of the Northern Ireland market. We’re delighted to welcome them to the company.”

In addition to transforming the business, Investec recognises that we’re currently in a human crisis, not just a financial one. They believe in supporting local communities and strive to live within society, rather than off it. The Belfast office is proud to support the Trussell Trust NI, who have various food banks in Belfast and more specifically the South West Belfast Food Bank. They provide emergency food and support to local people in crisis, serving the area from the Colin neighbourhood and Dunmurry village to Andersonstown. In addition to this, Investec are

John Cubitt

Peter Rainey

supporting another 17 food banks across the UK. Using their networks, they have created new supply chains to ensure the food banks have the essential supplies they need.

For the team at Investec Wealth & Investment, they see their role as being here to support and foster this innovation and new business transformation, both internally and for our clients. And with all the uncertainty we are facing, should Covid-19 serve to highlight a sense of renewed focus, then that is no bad thing.

Investec Wealth & Investment is proud to be a Patron of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry. To find out more please visit www. investecwin.co.uk. As with all investments your capital is at risk.

Ryan Cornett

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Wayne Nickels

Columnist John Campbell, Economics & Business Editor, BBC Northern Ireland

Time for investment, not austerity BBC NI’s Economics & Business Editor, John Campbell reflects on the recent Government spending during the Covid crisis.

If states do choose to reduce the size of their debt, in comparison to the size of their economy, they can manage that over a long timeframe. Countries like the UK, which control their own currency, also have the option of printing money, something not open to individuals unless they’re prepared to risk a spell in Maghaberry.

So what matters for states is that they have the economic credibility to keep issuing new debt and that the cost of servicing that debt does not overwhelm their capacity to pay for public services. At the moment the UK easily passes those tests. At the end of May the government was even able to borrow £3.8bn for three years at a slightly negative interest rate.

This helps the Chancellor feel relaxed about keeping the spending taps open and the austerity hawks in his party are silent for now.

In fact the sensible next move for the Chancellor is even more spending, albeit directed in a slightly different fashion.

Much of the spending thus far has been about keeping businesses alive and jobs in place. As reopening picks up pace that support will start to be withdrawn and it’s inevitable that some businesses will fail and jobs will be lost. What is needed at that point is a fiscal stimulus, which will get consumers spending at the businesses which have managed to stay above water.

The long term sustainability of the public finance will be better served by bold pro-growth policies rather than austerity. Germany gives us an example of what could be possible. The country’s Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has put together a 130bn euro stimulus, which he said is aimed at creating a ‘ka-boom’ recovery.

It includes a big cut in VAT, a 25bn euro fund largely directed at the hospitality sector and infrastructure spending for climate transition projects.

It appears as though the Chancellor will wait until the autumn to announce his package. Stormont will be constrained in its ability to offer a stimulus until that time but probably the most useful thing the Executive can do now is press on with major infrastructure projects. There will come undoubtedly come a point when deficits and debts rise back up the political agenda.

Before the crisis respected analysts like the Institute for Fiscal Studies were already asking questions about long-term debt sustainability in light of UK’s worsening demographic position.

In simple terms the trend is for fewer young workers to be generating the tax revenues needed to provide the public services for a growing number of retirees. The basic choices are therefore to spend less on services or increases taxes.

The last election campaign pointed to a growing fatigue with austerity and the pandemic disaster in the GB social care sector means that a lot more spending there looks like a political imperative. So in the medium term the answer to how we pay for all this looks like increased taxes.

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t its height the government’s furlough scheme was paying the wages of as many as 200,000 people in Northern Ireland. It’s an astonishing number and only one of many eye-opening figures.

Up until June 7 the cost of the furlough scheme across the UK was just under £20bn. A similar programme for self-employed workers has paid claims worth £7.5bn. On top of that there are the various grants schemes being administered by Stormont and the other devolved administrations as well as UK government loan guarantees.

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecasts that this will all ultimately cost north of £130bn, money which the government is borrowing. The OBR expects the budget deficit this year to reach more than 15% of GDP. That would be the highest since the 22% seen at the end of World War Two. A question I have been asked on-air and privately is ‘How is this all going to be paid back?’ I’ve been trying to convince people that this is the wrong question to ask at this point.

It is understandable that people apply their personal and professional experience – borrowed money must be paid back.

It’s also a framing, which was encouraged by the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

“The long term sustainability of the public finance will be better served by bold progrowth policies rather than austerity.”

Deficit reduction and a falling debt became the motivating forces of Westminster politics and austerity was painted as an inescapable policy choice. But a government is not a household or a business so there are somewhat different rules when it comes to borrowing. For starters you and I will only be on this earth for a limited period of time; states go on essentially forever so debt can be constantly rolled over rather than paid down to zero.

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Business Class Motoring

By James Stinson

18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W. agnewleasing.com T. 028 9038 6600

Sponsored by

LIFESTYLE

James Stinson

Classy Clio still on top

Renault goes all out to keep its Clio ahead of the pack, writes James Stinson.

The market for superminis couldn’t be more hotly contested. Think of the Fiesta or the equally impressive but more sober Polo and that’s before you get to this, the Renault Clio…

Europe’s best-selling supermini and the bestselling French car ever.

The Clio has been around in its various guises for 30 years. I had a first-generation version – a Champs Élsyée special edition, circa 1995. It was small, good looking, comfortable and very refined for such a small car. I drove it into the ground, sold it and someone else drove it for a good time after that.

This fifth generation Clio hasn’t lost any of

the appeal of earlier versions… And with the passing of time, it’s a good deal more advanced too.

From the outside it doesn’t look that different with Renault adhering to the old maxim: if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. But don’t be fooled, this is a completely new car, based on a new platform, with new engines and improved levels of comfort and quality.

Bucking the trend where every car appears to be getting bigger and higher with every new iteration, the latest Clio is marginally shorter than the one before and lighter too. It’s also a little wider and lower, giving it a meaner, sportier gait.

There’s a choice of three new petrol motors as well as a heavily updated diesel engine. First up is the 1.0 litre non-turbocharged 74bhp petrol – SCe 75, followed by a 1.0 turbocharged unit, developing 99bhp – TCe 100. The TCe motor is clean and fairly frugal too, emitting just 99g/km of CO2 and averaging 54.3mpg.

These three-cylinder units will likely account for the bulk of sales with the smaller motor likely to appeal to low mileage city dwellers or younger drivers keen to keep a lid on their insurance premiums.

For completeness, there’s also a fourcylinder turbo with 128bhp on tap. There’s a 1.5 litre diesel too though this will likely only make sense for high mileage drivers. Hybrid versions will also be added in time.

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As is the norm these days, there are five doors in all versions and there’s plenty of head, leg and shoulder room in the front. The rear isn’t so roomy – tall adults will find it a squeeze.

But this is made up for by an enormous boot, which is better than many found in bigger cars.

There are four trim levels to choose from: Play and Iconic, plus all new S Edition and R.S. Line. Play features cruise control, automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance, Bluetooth connectivity and DAB radio as standard, and matched with the smaller SCe motor starts from £14,295.

Iconic adds must-have goodies including touchscreen infotainment system and smartphone mirroring, plus rear parking sensors, alloys, tinted rear windows and a leather steering wheel. Renault has upped the quality throughout with fabrics and finishes feeling noticeably sturdier and more upmarket than before.

The S Edition and R.S. Line versions add things like sportier seats, full LED headlights, bigger alloys and larger touchscreen infotainment systems but cost considerably more.

The sensible option is the mid-range Iconic spec with the TCe 100 motor from £16,295, which strikes a good balance between luxury, performance and economy. In this guise, the Clio has everything you’ll find in the similarly specced Fiesta and Polo but at a cheaper price.

Affinity Car Scheme Any make, any model Contact Agnew Leasing on affinity@agnews.co.uk to find out more

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NEW

Affinity Car Scheme Any make, any model Our NEW Affinity Scheme has been designed to enable companies and organisations, across the UK, the opportunity to offer their employees/ members a secure, tailored, online quotation system to help them find their perfect car.

Users will be able to log in and generate an unlimited number of quotes, selecting any make or model of vehicle and establishing monthly costs that suit their budget by adjusting deposit, term, and mileage per annum.

Key Benefits • Configure & Order Car Online • Secure Platform • Flexible Deposit, Term & Mileage • Automated Finance Decision • Full Maintenance (Optional) • RFL Included for Contract Term • Accident Management • Breakdown Recovery • Enhanced Support Terms • Competitive Rentals • Hassle Free

To find out more or register interest for your company, please contact us on affinity@agnews.co.uk

LIFESTYLE

Return of the Puma… sort of

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he original Ford Puma was a cracking car back in the 1990s – an extremely sporty little coupe. It was great looking and fun to drive but it never sold in big numbers and Ford pulled the plug in 2002.

This new Puma couldn’t be more different in style or purpose. It’s a small SUV – a sort of pumped up family hatchback that sits somewhere between the EcoSport and Kuga in the Ford range.

It’s based on the Fiesta but is longer, taller and wider which means it’s got a far greater presence and lots more space – a rival for the Nissan Juke, Skoda Kamiq, VW T-Roc and others.

One thing it does have in common with its 90s forebear are those striking looks, at least compared to other SUVs in this class.

More notable still are the new 1.0 litre

petrol engines in the Puma. They seem incredibly small to be able to power a car of this size with any vigour but thanks to new mild hybrid (mHEV) technology deliver remarkably zesty performance and economy.

The entry-level Ecoboost mHEV 125 can accelerate from 0-60mph in 9.5sec, while the 155 version knocks a full second off that. Emissions are relatively low too with the 125 version pumping out as little as 125g/km while delivering north of 60mpg… though much less if you do most of your driving in and around town.

The Puma also scores well for driver enjoyment, proving very nimble and sharp compared to similar high riding rivals. The steering is really engaging, diving into corners with precision and purpose.

The seating position is a little higher

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than a Fiesta though not as high as some and those extra dimensions mean there’s more room in and around the cabin though the rear isn’t as capacious as the Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc. The Puma’s party trick is an extremely versatile boot. Beneath the floor is a large well that will swallow two suitcases or allow you to carry a couple of pot plants standing up. There’s even a removable plug at the bottom, so you can hose any mud out afterwards.

There are just three trim levels – Titanium, ST-Line and ST-Line X. Standard kit on entry level versions includes 17 inch alloy wheels, automatic lights and wipers, climate control and cruise control.

The Titanium also boasts front seats that have a massaging function as well as rear parking sensors and a wireless phone charger and is available from £20,845.

Affinity Car Scheme Any make, any model Contact Agnew Leasing on affinity@agnews.co.uk to find out more

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agnew leasing affinity scheme gains momentum As Covid-19 has forced people to stay at home, online activity has reached new heights, and this includes car retail. The last 2-3 months have been a surreal experience for everyone and from a business perspective no one was prepared, nor expected this pandemic. Throughout this time, motor dealers have successfully kept key and essential workers on the road and whilst all dealerships were physically closed, most were digitally open.

A surprisingly high number of vehicles were reserved and bought online in lockdown, which begs the question, is this the dawning of a new era in motor retail? Has the coronavirus catapulted businesses five years in their thinking around the online offering piece? These unprecedented times have certainly given the business community time to reflect on their own business practices and if they were not looking to enhance their online presence, I’d bet most motor groups and all business for that matter, are now.

The Agnew Leasing Affinity Scheme has had more users quoting throughout lockdown than in any other period. More cars have been reserved and bought online than ever before, with no visit, static presentation or demonstration required. Having said that, only a few weeks in from the dealerships re-opening, early indication is positive with plenty of pent up demand. No doubt there’s a place for both, online and traditional showroom visits but I think it’s safe to say times are certainly changing.

For more information visit www.agnewleasing.com

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LIFESTYLE

New A3 targets the smartphone generation

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udi has taken the wraps of its all-new A3 hatchback, with prices starting from £24,900. It offers you a choice of petrol, diesel, mild-hybrid and (shortly) plug-in hybrid versions, with various different suspension setups and trim levels available.

The big news for potential buyers is that the A3 hatchback is now only available as a five-door Sportback model, and no threedoor version is planned.

The new car is wider and longer than the car it replaces with the exterior getting the latest Audi styling touches including a larger hexagonal grille, new LED headlights and

tail-lamps, plus aggressive styling for S line models. The boot has a wider opening than before and a 380-litre capacity.

Inside, the makeover is more evident, with Audi making much of what it’s calling the A3’s “digitalised” interior. It comes with a standard 10.3 inch digital instrument display and a 10.1 inch touchscreen which is the gateway to Audi’s excellent MMI multimedia platform that controls everything from the car radio and sat-nav through to your phone and vehicle controls.

Audi has foregone the rotary dial control of previous versions in favour of a touch screen option because of the smartphone

NEW

generation apparently. A head-up display can be selected, too.

Digital features include up to six user profiles, a wi-fi hotspot, handwriting recognition and improved natural voice control. As well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant will also feature.

The entry-level Technik trim represents the best value overall, giving you cruise control, air-conditioning, power-folding door mirrors, 16in alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, a leather-trimmed steering wheel and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Affinity Car Scheme Any make, any model Contact Agnew Leasing on affinity@agnews.co.uk to find out more

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NEWS

Michael McKinstry (Group Chief Executive at Phoenix Natural Gas), Economy Minister Diane Dodds, Michael Scott (Managing Director, firmus energy) and Darren Young (Head of Business Development, SGN Natural Gas).

Hundreds more new customers connecting to natural gas each week Gas network operators have marked a return to routine work by completing more than 200 new customer connections across Northern Ireland in the last week, with similar numbers expected going forward.

Phoenix Natural Gas, firmus energy and SGN Natural Gas had been providing only essential maintenance and emergency services during the lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The companies are now investing around £1million per week on new connections and on the construction of their respective networks to extend natural gas to new customers.

Robust safety protocols are in place to ensure that the thousands of gas industry staff are following the government’s safe working guidelines.

As a result of the recent work, there are now around 275,000 customer gas connections in Northern Ireland, with a plan to extend this to over 320,000 by 2022.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds said: “I am pleased that the gas industry is once again open for new business. This is a welcome boost at a time when we are starting to rebuild from the devastating impact this virus has had on our economy.

“On our pathway to net zero carbon, connecting more customers to gas is reducing emissions significantly as natural gas is the lowest carbon fossil fuel.

“I want to take this opportunity to once again thank the gas industry for working very hard during the pandemic to ensure a safe and secure supply of energy for householders.”

Utility Regulator Chief Executive Jenny Pyper said: “Fantastic progress has been made in developing the natural gas network across Northern Ireland. More consumers than ever can now choose natural gas, which provides an affordable, cleaner and convenient form of energy.

“It is very encouraging that, despite the impact of the pandemic, our natural gas industry is continuing to safely connect new customers across Northern Ireland and supporting the ambition to further grow the natural gas network.”

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“It is very encouraging that, despite the impact of the pandemic, our natural gas industry is continuing to safely connect new customers across Northern Ireland and supporting the ambition to further grow the natural gas network.”

Utility Regulator Chief Executive Jenny Pyper

FEATURE

Pictured is Julie Mckeown, HR Director at Henry Brothers, who spoke to Darren McDowell, Senior Partner at Harbinson Mulholland for their “Not Accounted For” project.

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Putting our people first

Darren McDowell, Senior Partner at Harbinson Mulholland discusses how our homegrown businesses have been dealing with the unexpected disruption of Covid-19.

H

arbinson Mulholland have been at the forefront of two campaigns in recent years, to highlight the importance of homegrown and family-owned businesses to the NI Economy.

Like most businesses, we had many plans which came to an abrupt halt from 23rd March and specifically 2 major events which we had to cancel. The first of those events was the launch of our Homegrown campaign for 2020, with the list of the Top 50 homegrown SMEs in Northern Ireland and the second, another of our Family Business Forum networking events.

This event was to feature on stage interviews with three award-winning family businesses – Henry Brothers, Glandore and Lowden Guitars and we hope to be able to re-organise this when we can. In the meantime, we asked those three businesses to give us an update on how they were dealing with the disruption from Covid – 19. The first of these updates is set out below.

Henry Brothers are the current holders of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Best Family Business Award and HR Director, Julie McKeown shares below how the business worked hard to find the right approach for the business and continuing to put its people first.

“It sounds so cliché, but this has been the most extraordinary of times on every level. This pandemic has affected global health, the global economy, education and travel, resulting in difficult decisions having to be made on so many levels.

In the 40 plus years since Henry Brothers started we have never had to operate under such unusual constraints and sending everyone home following the Government’s announcement on March 24th was the right approach for our business, our people and their families.

Around 60% of the workforce had to go on Furlough and we kept their pay at 100%. Many others were asked to work from home for the very first time. The positives are that our IT system was in a good place and able to cope with the new demands being placed on it. Our people are very important to us, so it was critical that we kept in touch with every single individual on Furlough on at least a weekly basis, and more if we felt there were any concerns.

We set up Yammer as a social platform for our employees and downloaded information on training, home-schooling, exercise, mental health and anything else that was deemed beneficial. We have had a quiz night and virtual tea and talks using MS teams.

Managers are in constant contact with those that are working from home to ensure that no one feels disconnected. Communication has been key throughout, and we have ensured that everyone has been kept up to date on the new measures that have been put in place for a safe return to work.

Our NI sites have recently returned to work, after many weeks

of planning by our Health and Safety and construction teams, and whilst things are not as they were before the new measures are critical in ensuring their health, safety and wellbeing going forward.

Each site, factory setting, office and vehicle has been individually assessed. Extra measures will include, return to work declarations, re-inductions, daily health checks, demarcations on floors, one-way systems, notices, screens and protection in our vans, investment in new wash stations and canteen facilities.

Videos have also been made for each setting to let the employees visualise their workplace prior to their return. A Covid Team has been appointed to ensure that decisions are taken and actioned effectively and a Covid Marshall will be appointed at each site along with a hygienist who will be entirely responsible for the routine cleaning of all areas, especially touch points. Employees are being phased back to work and are being fully supported as they do so.

We are a long way off normal, but when that does happen we want our legacy to be that during this pandemic we took the right decisions at the right times and put our people first”.

This forms part of a new project which we call “Not Accounted For” featuring stories from several family businesses and more which will be added in the coming weeks. You can access them on our website – www.harbinson-mulholland.com/useful info and you can follow us on Twitter @harbinsonmul for more stories.

“Our people are very important to us, so it was critical that we kept in touch with every single individual on Furlough on at least a weekly basis, and more if we felt there were any concerns.”

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FEATURE

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Safety remains top priority George Best Belfast City Airport Chief Executive, Brian Ambrose, on how the safety and wellbeing of passengers and staff remains the top priority at Belfast City Airport.

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he Covid-19 pandemic has ripped up the rule book and imposed a ‘new normal’ on personal and professional lives right across the world.

The collapse of Flybe at the beginning of March came as the aviation industry contemplated the effect of a sustained period of lockdown and travel restrictions.

This was the first Coronavirus-related impact to hit home here in Northern Ireland.

With the number of Covid-19 cases unfortunately increasing at pace, airlines reduced capacity and suspended routes in line with demand, which eventually was for all but essential travel.

Throughout lockdown, Belfast City Airport maintained a daily service to London Heathrow operated by Aer Lingus to facilitate essential travel. There are currently up to two daily returns in operation to facilitate social distancing on board and increasing demand. By July, the airline will be operating up to four daily services from Belfast – London Heathrow.

Over the coming months I expect to see an increase firstly in business travellers, followed by those visiting friends and family and then the return of leisure passengers.

Following a period of lockdown, we understand that passengers may have questions or concerns about air travel.

At Belfast City Airport, absolute care is one of the core values we adhere to as an organisation. The wellbeing of our staff and passengers is therefore of paramount importance, and processes and measures are consistently reviewed to ensure the airport provides a safe, clean, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.

With regards to the Covid-19 pandemic, we are closely following all relevant directives for airports and passengers can be reassured that significant measures have been implemented.

At Belfast City Airport our customers will continue to receive the friendly and professional experience they have become accustomed to and these additional measures will ensure a safe and reassuring journey

“At Belfast City Airport, absolute care is one of the core values we adhere to as an organisation. The wellbeing of our staff and passengers is therefore of paramount importance, and processes and measures are consistently reviewed to ensure the airport provides a safe, clean, comfortable and welcoming environment for all.” through the terminal.

The contactless and distanced customer journey can begin from home. Passengers can check in online and retrieve their boarding pass through airline apps. Car parking can be booked in advance and paid online with number plate recognition technology automatically opening the entry and exit barriers.

• passengers are advised to wear face coverings or masks within the terminal, and this is mandatory on board all Aer Lingus services • additional spacing is in place at security tray loading and repack stations

The measures introduced within the terminal include:

• passengers are called for their flight and board the aircraft in small, controlled groups.

• social distancing floor markings are in place with social distancing reminders on posters and on our digital screens

In addition to all of the above we have staff dedicated to sanitising all public areas throughout the day. These measures will be continuously reviewed as activity at the airport increases.

In addition to Aer Lingus, British Airways will operate two daily services to Heathrow from July with seats now on sale. Eastern Airways has confirmed it will commence services to Southampton and Teesside from 22nd June, with Loganair flights to Dundee also on sale.

We will have some further updates with regards to our route network in the near future and I have no doubt these will be very much welcomed by the business community as the corporate world rebuilds.

• hand sanitising units have been installed in the Main Concourse, Security, the Departure Lounge and in Arrivals • seating areas are distanced with space markings on seats • hygiene screens are installed at all close contact points • staff will be wearing the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment

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Columnist Brendan Drain, Sync NI

Techie Talk Time

Digital transformation has helped local firms thrive during the coronavirus outbreak, and could change the face of business in the next several years. Sync NI’s Brendan Drain looks at how businesses have had to adapt to the digital world.

Digital Transformation has been something of a buzzword for the past several years, with several local companies specialising in helping transform traditionally offline or low-tech businesses for today’s increasingly online world. The development of e-commerce solutions, a robust web presence, and a solid social media marketing plan has helped many businesses in Northern Ireland grow their local customer bases and even export globally.

When the coronavirus lockdown hit and businesses across Northern Ireland were forced to close their doors, the businesses that could adapt to the digital world found themselves at a distinct advantage. More firms are also now using cloud-based solutions for things such as cybersecurity and training, and the tech sector is starting to embrace remote work in an unprecedented manner.

Hillmount Garden Centre - a case study in digital transformation Hillmount Garden Centre is as traditional a business as it gets, having been a family-run business for over 80 years in Castlereagh.

It was already in the middle of a digital transformation plan when the lockdown hit and redoubled its efforts when it was forced to close its doors to the public.

Staff set about scanning every item into their new e-commerce platform, set up order and support systems via Facebook messenger, and began posting photos of new products for delivery on Twitter and Instagram. The firm saw a 66% year-on-year spike in sales as a result of its digital transformation, and is now able to analyse data on customer choices to help with everything from targeted marketing to new product order decisions.

Belfast lockdown economy gives local businesses a web presence Most of our small local businesses don’t have a significant web presence and either had to temporarily close or suffered a significant drop in sales as the coronavirus lockdown began.

Belfast FinTech startup loyalBe saw this as an opportunity to help firms see the value of having a web presence and launched the Belfast Lockdown Economy website.

The website helped put all of the local businesses that were still open during the lockdown in one place, allowing businesses to add themselves and advertise any special deals or discounts they were running. Customers found that many of their local favourites were now offering home delivery on products such as food and drink, and that small business services such as cleaning and accounting were still operating.

Alan Mercer of Hillmount.

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Cloud-based solutions may be the future Every business has certain legal, accounting, security, and staff training obligations it’s required to manage, and doing it all internally can cost a lot of staff time and money. Another way that businesses are adapting to the digital age is to use web-based or cloud-based solutions to cover those obligations. Businesses can now buy in everything from legal compliance checkers to safety training as a subscription service.

The fact that cloud-based services can be developed and managed from anywhere in the world has been good news for Northern Ireland’s tech sector too. Local firms such as secure communication provider SaltDNA and Derry-based legal compliance and training firm MetaCompliance have been able to export their platforms globally from right here in Northern Ireland.

Working from home may become the new norm

One positive outcome of the coronavirus lockdown is that it’s forced a lot of companies to try working from home, and some have been very happy with the results. Social media giants Facebook and Twitter have both announced plans to keep a large percentage of their workforce remote even after the coronavirus threat has passed, and Microsoft, Google, and Apple are all looking at long-term remote working.

The future of the tech scene globally may be in working from home, and that could bring surprising benefits for Northern Ireland. A US tech firm based in Silicon Valley could hire two or three remote developers in NI for the price of one equally qualified person at their location. The number of major tech firms opening offices in Belfast over the past few years has skyrocketed, and having most of a team working remote will significantly reduce those office costs.

Want to be the first to find out what’s happening in Northern Ireland’s tech scene? Stay up to date with www.syncni.com or follow us on Twitter @syncni

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lifestyle

Joanne Harkness

STUN IN THE SUN Debenhams Polka dot and floral midi dress, £25, George at Asda.

We have been blessed with a sun-filled spring and with lockdown restrictions being lifted, lets hope the great weather continues into summer. With the glorious sunshine it gives us the opportunity to showcase our stylish summer staples.

My top picks to see you through the season include coloured tailored suits, floaty midi dresses and quirky accessories.

Jasmine floral clutch bag, £39, Accessorize.

Sunglasses, £35, Dune London.

Blush twist shirt, £30, Dorothy Perkins.

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marks & spencer

Yellow woven sandals, £42, Next.

Palm tree earrings, £18 and necklace, £19.50, Oliver Bonas.

Top, £35, skirt, £35 and shoes, £55, Marks & Spencer.

Polo shirt, £20, Debenhams.

Grey textile boat shoes, £35, Burton.

Bardot maxi dress, Very, £35.

Sunglasses, £30, Dune London.

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Columnist Jim Fitzpatrick, Journalist and Broadcaster

The changed landscape post-Covid Journalist and broadcaster, Jim Fitzpatrick reflects on the Covid-19 crisis, its effect on the local economy and how the Executive will come to deal with the aftermath.

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be reintroduced without precipitating another wave of business closures in retail and hospitality. So where will Stormont find the funds to spend elsewhere?

This is where the imaginative thinking will have to be done.

Previous suggestions have included domestic water rates (hitherto a big political no) or the privatisation of assets such as Belfast Harbour (legally complicated and strategically controversial).

There are few other obvious options. But there may be some opportunity for greater borrowing with a spend now, repay at leisure approach.

One of the advantages of Northern Ireland’s small size is that the concerns of the various stakeholders in the economy are well known and channelled through a small number of representative bodies that have the ear of local politicians.

Being nimble and competent in response to this global crisis will be the characteristics that will make the difference in the months ahead.

ometimes it’s hard to find words to describe things. In the current crisis, words like “strange”, “challenging” and “unprecedented” are all being used frequently. And yet, they somehow don’t do justice to what’s going on.

Everyone is an armchair expert, of course, on how things should be done differently. How more lives could have been saved. How more jobs could be protected. But the reality is, we’re still groping around in the dark.

We have passed through the first phase of this awful pandemic.

We’ve experienced the human tragedy combined with the inspiring collective effort to mitigate it. Now we’re focused on the economics and another appalling vista that’s unfolding before us.

As I write, the shops are re-opening and the planes are preparing to take off once again. Many people remain on furlough. Others are working from home. And uncertainty surrounds how, and when, children and students will return to education.

The next few months will tell us how many of these businesses can return to viability in the changed landscape post Covid-19.

Unfortunately, the signs are that many will not make it. The disease isn’t defeated and living in a world of Covid-19 presents some businesses with insurmountable challenges.

In the midst of this, many look to Stormont for help and intervention. After a wobbly start, the polls tell us that people generally think the Executive has done a reasonable job. For many, it appears that the five-party coalition at Stormont has acted with more coherence than the majority government at Westminster.

But the coming months are going to test devolution like nothing before. Competence is going to be the key quality, ideology will have to play second fiddle. Effective decisions will have to be taken and measures implemented with a speed and efficacy never seen before.

And the limitations of Stormont’s powers will also become very clear. While demands for resources will be endless, Stormont’s capacity to independently raise revenue will be squeezed like never before.

We’ve already seen how the Executive has suspended most commercial rates for a year. It may be difficult for those rates to

“The coming months are going to test devolution like nothing before. Competence is going to be the key quality, ideology will have to play second fiddle. Effective decisions will have to be taken and measures implemented with a speed and efficacy never seen before.”

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Once the skies opened, so too did our world We have come a long way since our first flight in 1940. Thank you for coming on this journey with us.