Ambition Issue 58 (May/June 2023)

AMBITION

EMBRACING OPPORTUNITY

Allstate NI’s new Managing Director talks talent and innovation

honeycomb.jobs

We’re the right people to find the right person for the right job.

and Opportunity in North America

Managing Editor: Olivia Stewart Interviews: Emma Deighan Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Managers: Lorraine Gill & Gerry Waddell Editorial Assistant: Joanne Harkness Email addresses: olivia.stewart@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,

Platforms For Good

Recently, I had the privilege of hearing President Biden’s public address at Ulster University and like most of the people in the room that day, I left feeling proud of how far we have come and optimistic for what lies ahead.

A presidential visit is an opportunity that would be the envy of many. It was, and still is, an opportunity to show the eyes of the world that Northern Ireland is open for business; to tell a captive, international audience about the unique benefits of investing here thanks to dual market access, our skilled and youthful workforce and our propensity for innovation.

President Biden spoke about how the dividends of peace are all around us and he was correct. In the past 25 years, we’ve experienced transformational social and economic change. It is apparent in our world-leading agrifood sector, in the growth of life sciences and advanced manufacturing and of course, in our fantastic universities.

While we’ve come a long way, we are acutely aware that persistent challenges remain. Northern Ireland has the lowest productivity levels in the UK (20% behind the UK average), average household discretionary spend is just £93 a week (less than half the UK average) and we have persistently high levels of economic inactivity, the largest growing category of which is long-term sickness.

US trade and investment has played a vital role in bringing prosperity to Northern Ireland. It’s played a significant part in the strides which have been made but there is so much more of that ‘peace dividend’ to be drawn down and shared equally. We warmly welcome the President’s pledge that the US will continue to be our partner as we do that.

Within days of the presidential visit, international media descended on Northern Ireland again, this time at Queen’s University as it hosted Agreement 25. It is imperative that we use opportunities like this as platforms for good. They come around rarely, so it is incumbent on each of us to put our best foot forward and focus on the opportunity ahead; building on the goodwill which exists in order to showcase what is great about Northern Ireland and leveraging the chance to progress the things we want to change for the better.

Gillian McAuley, President, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

we create trusted connections with communities across Northern Ireland.

Shortcross Gin The Right Mix For Down Royal

Down Royal Racecourse has renewed its partnership with Northern Ireland’s leading craft spirit, Shortcross Gin. The agreement will see the Co Downbased company become the racecourse’s exclusive Irish gin partner, giving the brand naming rights for Down Royal’s premium hospitality suite.

‘The Shortcross Gin Suite’ will give the brand a presence amongst the 50,000 racegoers expected to attend Down Royal’s 2023 racing calendar.

New Connections to Newcastle and Isle of Man

Aer Lingus Regional services has commenced two new routes from Belfast City Airport to Newcastleupon-Tyne and the Isle of Man. Flights to Newcastle will operate daily whilst the new Isle of Man route will operate four times per week, increasing to six times weekly for the peak summer season. Flights to Jersey are also set to take off up to twice a week on 6 May 2023.

Call for NI Applications For KPMG Global Tech Innovator 2023

KPMG has launched its Private Enterprise Global Tech Innovator competition 2023.

The competition is open to all technology or technology-enabled companies which have operated for five years or less, have generated revenue between USD $1-$10m (or have raised at least $500,000 in equity) and are registered and based in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

The Global Tech Innovator allisland final will be held on 27 June, where eight finalists will get their chance to win the Irish accolade and secure the opportunity to compete at the global final in Lisbon in November.

New HQ for Tughans in The Ewart

Belfast law firm Tughans has officially moved its headquarters to Grade A office building, The Ewart. Located at Bedford Square on Bedford Street in Belfast, the firm’s new premises spans the 11th and 12th floors with stunning views across the city centre.

The move from its previous office in Victoria Street marks a period of growth and change for the law firm, which celebrated 125 years in business in 2021, as it looks to recruit new talent and foster new ways of working. Designed by Ply Design and executed by specialist fit-out firm Somerville, the office space is open plan and purpose-built to promote collaboration.

Tughans is one of Northern Ireland’s largest commercial law firms, providing specialist legal advice across all business sectors. The firm was recently recognised as the most active law firm in Northern Ireland for the eighth consecutive year by the Experian MarketIQ M&A League Table.

Patrick Brown, managing partner of Tughans, commented:

“The move to The Ewart marks a new era for Tughans. Having outgrown our offices in Victoria Street, we sought a new office that was appropriate for the forward thinking and innovative firm that we have become. With impeccable sustainability credentials and enviable views across the city, The Ewart was the perfect choice and will support our ESG targets. We’re excited that we have now moved in and can start to make it our own.

Good Food Fund Benefits From Fujitsu Donation

Technology company Fujitsu has donated to the Good Food Fund, a Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITCNI) initiative to support primary school children and tackle the issue of hunger in NI amidst the current cost of living crisis.

The Good Food Fund aims to support more than 10,000 young people in NI this year, offering much needed support to school children and providing them with nutritious food in a safe and protected environment.

As a business, Fujitsu is passionate about championing young people and the donation to the Good Food Fund is an extension of its many educational activities. This includes championing careers in STEM through school engagement and its sponsorship of the Irish News Young News Reader Project which aids the development of literacy skills and critical thinking at Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 3 level.

Commenting on the donation, David Clements, client director at Fujitsu NI, said:

“Empowering educational excellence is a core pillar of our business and we’re proud to have strong ties with schools and educational bodies across Northern Ireland.

The Good Food Fund is a fantastic initiative, and we hope that our donation can help provide young people with nutritious food to help fuel them throughout their day.”

Toby McMurray, Partner; David Jones, Partner; and Patrick Brown, Managing Partner, Tughans.

Emma McCrory (Fujitsu) and Kieran Harding (Business in the Community).

think outside the tick boxes.

We listen to your needs, understand your company culture, & source quality team members. Not space fillers.

Columnist

Jane Shaw The Elmfield Institute

Connect with Nature to Support Our Health

Over the last 50 years or so, our western consumer tech world seems to have increasingly separated us from the natural world. According to recent research we can regularly spend up to ten hours each day inside in front of a screen compared with less than one hour outside in nature. Furthermore, our food is disconnected from its natural source, being more processed with shelf-life-prolonging chemicals and higher levels of sugar than it ever has been before. Why does this matter? Studies show that time spent in nature significantly reduces levels of depression, supporting both emotional and physical well-being. Unprocessed wholefood, meaning in its natural state, has renowned important health benefits.

We are fortunate in Northern Ireland to be able to access nature and good food relatively easily. We are never far away from a mountain, the sea or a green space. And we have an abundance of good quality meat and vegetables as well as artisan wholefoods produced in Northern Ireland and Ireland. The flourishing number of artisan food markets also speaks to an increased interest in reconnecting with healthy food and its well-being benefits. Foraging experiences are increasingly popular attractions for both tourists and locals alike.

Growing quantities of research papers show that nature acts as a balm for a distressed busy mind and body.

Spending time in nature is good for our cognitive abilities and for our physical health, as well as reducing overall stress levels. Why does this happen? The general consensus seems to be that time spent outside in a natural environment

reconnects our neuroadaptive human organism to ancestral ways of regulating the mind and body. Unlike being in front of a screen, the smells, sounds, sights and feeling of being outside all support our body to find balance and regulation. Social isolation is typically associated with worse subjective health and wellbeing. However, researchers found that when people with low social connectedness had high levels of nearby nature, they reported higher levels of well-being. This is great news for those who prefer their own company but want the health benefits of connection.

Interestingly the research also shows that by just looking at nature we can reap some benefit. So, we don’t necessarily need to go for a hike in the Mournes, surf at Whitepark Bay, or walk along the Lagan, instead we can look out of our office window at Divis and the Black Mountain to receive nature’s gifts. The sense of being connected to something bigger than ourselves triggers positive responses in our mind and body. Another benefit of reconnecting with nature is reverence for our planet, which we humans have so effectively destroyed. A reciprocal respect for tending to our natural environment while also receiving from its health benefits seems like a sensible route to now take. We are less likely to litter a natural beauty spot if we are conscious of its awe-inspiring health offerings.

Staying connected to nature can provide a variety of physical and mental health benefits. Even small doses of nature exposure, such as a walk in a park or a view of greenery from a window, or sampling some delicious locally grown fruit or salad leaves, can have positive effects on our well-being.

Six benefits of spending time in nature

1. Reduces stress. Nature has a calming effect on our minds, helping to reduce stress levels. Being surrounded by green, fresh air and natural sounds helps to lower heart rate, cortisol levels and blood pressure.

2. Boosts immune system. Exposure to natural environments can help boost our immune system. Studies show that people who spend more time in nature have stronger immune systems, reduced inflammation and are less likely to develop chronic health conditions.

3. Enhances mood. Nature has been shown to enhance our mood and selfesteem and decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Spending time outside in nature can increase feelings of happiness, contentment and overall well-being.

4. Improves physical health. Taking physical exercise while outside in nature has increased benefits compared to being inside due to more endorphins, serotonin and dopamine being released when in nature. Vitamin D levels are also boosted.

5. Increases creativity. Nature has been shown to increase creativity and problem-solving abilities. Exposure to natural environments can help boost our cognitive functioning and increase our ability to think creatively.

6. Better sleep. Spending time outdoors and being exposed to natural light can help regulate our circadian rhythms, which can improve the quality of our sleep.

American Psychological Association. (2020, April 1). Nurtured by nature. Monitor on Psychology, 51(3). https://www.apa.org/ monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

Professional Services that build diverse and inclusive work places are thriving

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MY AMBITION IS TO...

Matthew Stockton, Business Development Manager, The Old Inn Crawfordsburn

Working in hospitality is much like playing as part of a rugby team: both require an ability to communicate well with those around you, a great deal of self-motivation and dedication, and a talent for keeping calm in a fast-paced environment.

Outside of my role as business development manager at The Old Inn, I train with Donaghadee Rugby Club, and it was this love for sport that led me to study a sports science degree at Loughborough University. I was also able to combine my affinity for sports with an interest in business management, which formed part of my degree and covered everything from psychology and accounting to marketing and business strategy within the sport and leisure market but also hospitality and tourism.

It’s funny how things can come full circle. I now find myself harnessing this knowledge of business management for my current job within the same industry that gave me part-time work during my teenage years.

I began with a job clearing tables in an American diner-style café in Bangor, before moving to a catering company which really opened my eyes to how enjoyable a career in hospitality can be, as I learned so much from a team of very talented and experienced people. I carried this interest through to my years at university when I worked as a cook in a small restaurant and learned how the different teams within a hospitality establishment – the kitchen, front of house and senior management – come together to deliver a high-quality service.

After university, I worked in a few office jobs in the sports industry – firstly in occupational health for which I carried out health assessments on people with muscular skeletal issues, followed by a sales role in a company that sold software to sports clubs.

I found that I really missed the networking opportunities and ongoing

interactions with different people that I had experienced during my time in hospitality – especially as I had been working remotely throughout the pandemic. I wanted to get out from behind my computer and find a role that married together my experience in business management with my love of working as part of a team, as that’s where I thrive.

That’s when I saw an exciting job opportunity come up for Galgorm – a big name with a great reputation in the hospitality industry – for the newly acquired Old Inn, Crawfordsburn. For the role to be with a local hotel that I’d been to so many times growing up was just the icing on the cake. I still remember the cosy atmosphere of the warming fire at my grandad’s 80th birthday, and that homely charm still remains today.

The main responsibility of my role is the management of customer enquiries and bookings for a range of events, from small family gatherings to intimate weddings. This means bringing together all the moving parts and making sure that everyone involved is on the same page and has everything they need – for example a rota for the waiting staff, table plans and dietary requirements for the events team, or even just a much-deserved glass of champagne for the bride and groom!

I’m also really enjoying the opportunity to promote The Old Inn as a premier corporate hospitality, conferencing and events destination throughout the UK and Ireland, and have relished the chance to

work with wider tourism, hospitality and business stakeholders to drive the overall success of Galgorm Collection. I try to get out and about as much as possible and attend a range of conferences, networking breakfasts and local Chamber of Commerce events to meet with likeminded businesspeople.

My ambition is to build on the types of events we do here, and to host more corporate conferences, exhibitions and even executive retreats. As The Old Inn is situated only 20 minutes from the city centre, it’s the perfect spot for delegates coming over to Northern Ireland, and with our new £2.5m treetop spa available to residents of the hotel, they can unwind after their meeting in the hydrotherapy pool, steam room, sauna and hot tubs.

Both professionally and personally, I would love to see more international business coming to the thriving Crawfordsburn and surrounding County Down area, and I look forward to doing my part in realising this for The Old Inn and for other local businesses.

Collaboration, cooperation and relationship building will always be where I excel – whether that’s with American tour operators to have them include The Old Inn and the nearby pottery studio to their Northern Ireland trip itineraries, with other business development managers across the suite of Galgorm Collection properties, or even on the rugby field – teamwork is what makes the job enjoyable and helps us all to succeed.

Columnist

Elton Nitschke Telefónica Tech UK&I’s Head of Modern Workplace

Unlock the Benefits of Modern Workplace Tech

As the traditional four walls of the workplace continue to expand, Telefónica Tech UK&I’s Head of Modern Workplace, Elton Nitschke, considers five key tech trends which will shape digital workplace initiatives in 2023.

1. Improving the Employee Experience

Since the pandemic, there has been a spotlight on the technology being used to keep employees secure, productive and connected in the modern workplace.

Leaders are now faced with the challenge of analysing whether implementing a mandatory returnto-office policy might affect potential talent. This is reinforced by a Gartner survey that revealed that nearly half of the respondents found greater productivity from having flexible hours, while almost a third of participants indicated that the absence of a commute allowed them to be more productive.

It is essential for employers to recognise the need for a balance between work and personal lives, whilst also providing employees with a good digital experience. To do this, it is important for leaders to consider the digital employee experience from every angle – from device-as-a-service, workplace security, fast network connectivity, workplace analytics and productivity and collaboration tools.

2. AI-Driven Workplace Insights

Intelligent AI-driven insights will help leaders make informed decisions across different areas of the workplace, including hiring, cross-functional collaboration, and employee wellbeing. Modern workplace technology should also be inclusive of different working styles, helping to create a more productive and innovative workforce. Finally, AI-driven insights can help organisations create a more diverse and inclusive workplace. By leveraging

AI-driven insights, employers can identify problematic issues in the workplace, such as unconscious bias. This can help ensure fair and equitable hiring practices and create a fairer and more dynamic working environment.

As AI becomes more embedded within day-to-day workplace activities, it is important that we work carefully toward fairness in AI systems as well, to prevent them from perpetuating human and societal biases, and ensure that they do help humans to make fairer decisions.

3.

Shift to As-A-Service

As IT services are increasingly delivered as-a-service, IT teams have more of a focus on delivering a great user experience rather than on running and managing back-end infrastructure. This helps to both improve the employee experience and evolve the IT team away from tedious, manual tasks to more strategic projects which are essential in alleviating the IT skills gap. In the future, no one needs to open a laptop, plug it into a network port, put in a USB key, or watch it build itself to a standard image. This is just tedious and time-consuming!

4. Sustainable Workplace IT

Organisations conscious of their ESG goals need to manage their IT devices and assets accordingly. This means focusing on reducing consumption, reusing and recycling end-of-life assets, asking questions up front and managing IT based on transparent data.

In the past, many IT assets would have been destined for landfill, but thanks to IT Asset Lifecycle Solutions organisations can begin to improve sustainability within the sector, as well as clawback value to fund innovation projects.

Recycling and reusing assets helps to reduce CO2 emissions and reduce the amount of e-waste sent to landfill. Additionally, removing the need to remanufacture and remine assets also helps to reduce water consumption and

reduce the tonnes of earth mined as part of the process of producing IT assets.

To keep data safe and meet the required regulatory standards, it is important to collaborate with a partner, such as Telefónica Tech, whose IT lifecycle service has been CO2 assessed as part of the Carbon Footprint Standard and who can provide data destruction certification and authentication.

5. Cyber Security in the Modern Workplace

As the workplace evolves, cyber security must remain a crucial element. With the increased use of cloud-based systems, remote working and digitalised data, organisations face the potential for more attacks on their networks and systems. To counteract this, advanced cyber security strategies need to be implemented to protect assets whilst maintaining employee productivity. Solutions such as Zero Trust enable organisations to provide layers of protection that defend against cyber attacks.

Nonetheless, businesses must find a secure and productive balance between security needs and employee experience, which requires the right cyber security skills, budget and resources to be in place. To address this challenge, tech leaders may need to consider outsourcing security operations to an experienced provider, or leveraging the expertise of a virtual CISO. As the workplace continues to modernise, so too must its security measures, ensuring that productivity goals remain balanced alongside appropriate cyber security protection.

At Telefónica Tech UK&I, we provide the necessary support and tools to help organisations optimise their modern workplaces safely and securely, and empower employees with the freedom to innovate.

Columnist

Kate Marshall Coach Speaker, Author, Facilitator

Setting Up For Failure? I Think So!

If there is one thing I see frequently in my work with entrepreneurs and successful businessmen and women, it’s their ability to embrace failure as a function of growth and learning

Embracing failure is the first part, having the tenacity and resilience to bounce forward (not back) is the second part. Failure is tough and it can grind you down, but as we discover it’s not failing that breaks an organisation or an individual, it’s how you respond to it.

Two great entrepreneurs, separated by a century, offer some great insights about failure.

Thomas Edison remarked on his struggles with the light bulb: “I have not failed 10,000 times – I’ve successfully found 10,000 ways that will not work.”

Bill Gates: “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

The reality is if a business doesn’t see failure as a teacher or creates a culture where failure is not an option, then you discourage innovation. Worse still, if you shun or punish failure then your ability to grow your people or your business is lessened. It’s a fine line leaders need to walk – create a culture where it’s ok to fail (and learn) and demand perfection. So, what are the steps to creating a fail fast, innovate, improve and learn organisation?

Step 1 – Adopt the mindset of “Failure teaches you things that nothing else can teach you”

If an entrepreneur or leader I’m working with admits failure I smile – not because their failure amuses me, but because they have learnt something that nothing else can teach you. In

failing you begin to understand why the things you missed or ignored are important. Even if they can’t see the learning, they will have had to face something they didn’t expect or want to face. They learn quickly that burying your head in the sand isn’t a good response in life.

Step 2 – Walk the talk

Share your story. I’ve failed and here is what it taught me. Be prepared to share your ups and downs. Be willing to show your war wounds. Failing hurts and the more you can make it real and share the impact on you or the organisation the more authentic you become.

Step 3 – Embrace failing as a healthy part of life

People who haven’t yet failed are less resilient. They’ve had less opportunity to look inward to discover their motivations and triggers. Failure builds deeper resilience and greater self-awareness which helps to stave off ego or arrogance. Confidence or being fearless is great but having that understanding of failure and your response is even better. Statistics prove that fear of failure or failing to learn from failure, is one of the biggest reasons why people and organisations never achieve full potential.

Step 4 – Fail fast approach and fire bullets then cannon balls

In his book Great by Choice, Jim Collins introduces the concept of first fire bullets. Low-cost, low-risk, lowdistraction experiments to figure out what will work – calibrating your line of sight by taking small shots then once you have empirical validation you fire a cannon ball, concentrating your resources on a bigger bet. Calibrated cannon balls correlate with outsized

results, uncalibrated cannon balls correlate with disaster. The ability to turn small proven ideas into huge hits counts more than the sheer volume of ideas or approach to innovation.

Step 5 – Harness the belief that failing creates strong, wise people, not soft weak people

Often in our culture we associate failure with embarrassment or shame. The pain of failure is there regardless of how you respond and it’s how we respond that turns the failure into something we can harness for good. If someone you know talks freely about failure, it’s likely that they have seen the benefits of the direct learning from those failures. Their mind is wired to look for the wisdom to be gained and understand that screwing things up isn’t a diversion from your journey, it’s part of it. Those who have failed, reflected and grown stronger in spite of the failure, tend to be strong, compassionate, loving people.

In summary I believe this all comes back to a few simple things:

The belief that the Event plus my Response determines the Outcome E + R =O. Sometimes it’s hard not to fall into the trap of blaming the event or the circumstances when we need to look at ourselves and our part in the failure.

• Understanding that failing fast can also be a painful failure – there is no easy way to avoid the pain of failure other than to focus on the learning.

• Know that learning is personal, failure is not. Make sure you can learn the lesson that nothing else can teach you.

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Founding Partners

Stairway to Seven

My seven steps for business success

Last November, Belfast City Council appointed Steve Daniels as new chair of the Board for ICC Belfast, Waterfront Hall and Ulster Hall –iconic venues that have shaped Belfast’s live entertainment scene for many years, and more recently have put Northern Ireland on the map for world-class business events. Steve hails from South London and has lived in Northern Ireland for over 25 years with wife Lesley and their daughter Katie. He brings a wealth of leadership to his role as chair, having earned his reputation for exceptional commercial and business delivery in senior leadership positions across the international financial sector.

1. HAVE PASSION

Passion is make or break in business. Our venues accommodate the entertainment industry, they’re crucial to supporting Belfast’s night-time economy, and a vital part of our tourism infrastructure. Having a team that is passionate about delivery is something we take seriously. Each person I meet across our venues has outstanding passion for what they do, and collectively the team works incredibly hard to deliver wonderful and memorable experiences.

2. KNOW THAT ENTHUSIASM IS INFECTIOUS

In my experience enthusiasm breeds enthusiasm – and nurturing enthusiasm will have a positive effect on the entire

business. People recognise that they too want to contribute to a workplace culture that is productive, and where everyone is working towards a shared goal. Failing to recognise or encourage enthusiasm can often be detrimental.

3.

COMMIT TO THE VISION

Having a clear vision, and being committed to it, is crucial. It is vital that this vision engages staff, and is owned right across the business, so that all of the team believe in what they are doing. Our vision – to create a world-class stage where people make great things happen – binds us as a team in everything we do from providing sustainable hospitality to being innovative in our approach to a client’s needs. I’ve seen first-hand how our vision is empowering our team to bring our venues to life and ensure that great things do happen.

4. BE COLLABORATIVE

Enhancing our networks is crucial to continued success. Northern Ireland’s first Business Events Strategy was introduced last year with plans laid to generate £209 million in direct economic impact and up to 2,000 new jobs by 2030. Our contribution to this is vital, but we are part of an ecosystem that includes ongoing collaboration with Belfast City Council, Tourism NI and Visit Belfast. Similarly, collaboration is required within your organisation too. We recently appointed five new non-executive Board members who each bring a wealth of insight and experience and will work collaboratively to support and improve the business.

5.

APPRECIATE THE POWER OF REPUTATION

Every person on your team plays an important part in your business’s reputation – they are your shop window. But a good reputation is hard won and easily lost so it’s important to appreciate those team members who serve as ambassadors. For instance, when people visit our venues, they leave with incredible memories of our team’s hospitality, and this is a crucial step to building and maintaining our reputation as a conference city. Delegates experience what we call the “Belfast Welcome” and leave wanting to come back with family or friends for more.

6. BE VISIBLE

Visible leadership is more than being seen. It’s rather a commitment to lead in a way that embodies the organisation’s vision, mission and values, and recognise how crucial every colleague is in that process. It’s about influencing the culture within an organisation. As leaders we must ensure all opportunities to empower and motivate staff are met, and that everyone’s behaviour is clearly aligned with our values.

7. REMAIN OPEN TO FEEDBACK

Engaged staff create better organisations and improve business performance. Therein asking for and acting upon employees’ feedback is an integral part of effective leadership. Not only does this help people to feel acknowledged for their work, it also means we benefit from their ideas that often deliver necessary improvements to our operations.

The New State of Play

Dr Stephen McKeown was appointed vice president and managing director of Allstate NI earlier this year but his impact on the company has been felt long before that. Here he talks to Emma Deighan about his plans and priorities in the driving seat of the largest IT company here.

Stephen McKeown’s career has seen him lead in business transformations, from digital strategy to analytics and AI while working with some of the world’s biggest names in the corporate world and running some hugely successful entities.

He’s made a big impact at Allstate since he joined the business in January 2018 and was quickly made the first chief information officer outside of North America in the corporation’s history, yet his name and profile have stayed relatively under the radar back at home.

Now he has stepped into the limelight and has big goals to keep Allstate NI at the top of its game, specifically in future-fit tech solutions in the insurance sector in America and as a gold-standard employer.

Allstate NI provides a range of forward-thinking solutions to the main Allstate business which is one of the largest insurance and personal protection businesses in North America, serving over 16 million customers directly and with more than 190 million total protection policies. Among the services NI supplies are software development, data, AI, cybersecurity and finance.

“Since I’ve been at Allstate it has gone through some great changes in how we work and deliver our product to customers. There are huge opportunities ahead for the Allstate NI team here to be incredibly impactful for the wider global corporation,” Stephen begins.

“What we are doing here is making sure we are leading the change the global company is undergoing and Allstate NI has always been at the forefront of that, delivering these products and services that our customers find valuable. In my new role, I have been asked to ensure we continue to lead on cutting-edge technology, data and analytics and we are bringing and will continue to bring that to the wider enterprise.”

Stephen’s lead-up to the senior post at Allstate is an eventful one.

He studied at Queen’s University Belfast, graduating with a PhD in Digital Systems and has an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago and WHU in Koblenz, Germany.

He held roles in financial services, developed strategies in industries including oil and gas and aerospace and in 2012 formed and grew Analytics Engines to become an award-winning specialist in cutting-edge data and analytics.

He’s an industry expert on digital technology and data science and has brought those skills to the European Commission advising on the investment of its €80bn research and innovation budget.

He joined Allstate as director of data science – a post that saw him “transform the business’ decision-making process driving profitable growth through realtime insights and the use of analytics at enterprise scale”.

Then in 2019, Stephen became chief information officer, managing a global team in seven international centres across North America, Europe and Asia and delivering transformation through data, machine learning and AI. It was the type of opportunity that he said is the reason why he joined Allstate.

Today he plans to continue pushing forward solutions that keep Allstate on top but to do that he is tasked with the job of nurturing existing and future talent.

“Our technologists are on a par with any of their peers globally and we have access to wonderfully talented people,” he continues.

He says without that talent, we wouldn’t attract and retain the likes of Fortune 100 company Allstate.

“Allstate is going through great changes in terms of how we work too and we’ve had to adapt and change since 2020 when Covid hit. The flexibilities we put in place are still there, and productivity hasn’t been impacted because our people have really stepped up.

“We offer the right flexibility to our employees and a calendar of social events, and they decide what is the right balance for them.”

Allstate NI was named Workplace of the Year at the Digital DNA Awards last year for its approach to the new way of working. More impressive is its recently awarded Gold Diversity Mark, which makes it the first company in the UK and Ireland to earn the top distinction for an inclusive and diverse workplace.

Stephen was key in attracting that title as executive sponsor for the Allstate NI Employee Impact Groups.

It also follows on from its Silver Diversity Mark achieved in 2020 and backs up Stephen’s principles about creating lasting change in diversity and ensuring Allstate is a workplace people want to be part of.

“Our aim is to make sure we have the right talent to make sure Allstate delivers. We’ve been continually bringing in people and continuing to develop all of our people and having the Gold Diversity Mark puts the focus on the fact that this is a great place to work and shows that people want to work here.

“It also shows that there are opportunities for those in tech or those who want a career change into IT. We will continue the transformation of this Fortune 100 firm, which is a big opportunity.”

Among some of the firm’s achievements in creating opportunities and diversity is a 10% growth in female leadership over the last four years, demonstrating the equal opportunity for progression. It has also shown that those same opportunities and mobility are available regardless of age, with employees ranging from 18 to 70.

Stephen sees the accolade as a team effort but also a duty as one of the biggest employers here.

Looking at the bigger picture and the impact global economics and politics have on the business itself and its growth potential, Stephen says there is an increased focus from the firm’s shareholders and “now more than ever we need the type of talent and innovation to help Allstate build a digital enterprise with the customer at the centre”.

He adds: “I have every confidence the people here have the incredible talent, tools and the training to do that.

“If we look back 25 years ago when Allstate came here, it was a huge statement and one that allowed others to follow. It was the first big international firm to set up here and it instilled confidence.

“We will continue to be part of that success.”

“What we are doing here is making sure we are leading the change the global company is undergoing and Allstate NI has always been at the forefront of that, delivering these products and services that our customers find valuable.”

Columnist

Nick Read Business Development Manager, Ulster University Business School

Empowering Talent

The workplace of today looks very different to what it was a decade ago. New technologies, the rise of hybrid working and shifting demographics have influenced the business environment significantly, as organisations strive to adapt to the social, technological and physical needs and expectations of employees.

For the first time, five generations make up the current workforce, with each generation bringing a unique set of experiences, attitudes and values. Working parameters continue to be redefined by businesses as employees pursue more flexibility in where and how they work – changing the structure of talent and work across almost every industry sector.

The shifting dynamics between employer and employee are fuelling labour market challenges, guiding trends such as the “great resignation”, “quiet quitting” and the “upskilling imperative”. And although many firms have shown remarkable resilience under such exceptional circumstances, this unsettling landscape is challenging talent management strategies across the globe.

According to a new Microsoft survey, 52% of Gen Z and Millennials were likely to consider changing employers in 2022 (up 3% from 2021). Accessing and retaining the right talent is arguably one of the most important business issues facing leaders today.

So how can leaders empower talent in this new era of work?

Three renowned thinkers and business leaders; René Carayol MBE (internationally renowned keynote speaker) Caroline van der Feltz (HR director, Danske Bank UK) and Barry Winkless (head of the Future of Work Institute and chief strategy officer at CPL Group) explored this question at a recent leadership event in Belfast,

organised by the Management and Leadership Network.

In 2022, research by Visier found that over 40% of UK employees quit their jobs because of poor leadership. The capabilities required of leaders to succeed in today’s diverse environment are being reshaped, with inclusive leadership emerging as a critical factor in helping organisations attract, inspire and engage talent.

People and resources can be anywhere in the new working world and, as such, leaders need to be able to connect, engage and adapt. Understanding and practising inclusive leadership will help managers and leaders move their organisations forward.

Studies show that inclusiveness is one of the biggest drivers of business performance and directly improves employee productivity. Harvard researchers found that teams with inclusive leaders are 17% more likely to report that they are high performing and 20% more likely to say they make highquality decisions.

Let’s look at some of the specific actions leaders can take to create inclusive workplaces:

1. Promote a culture of lifelong learning – invest in training and skills development, encourage a variety of learning credentials (relevant degree programmes, apprenticeships, certificates of accredited learning, short courses) and provide your employees with the space and time to learn.

2. Build trust – as a leader, establishing strong relationships and trust with your colleagues is one of the most important things you can do. Follow through on commitments, convey intent and approach situations with empathy.

3. Define your purpose – we are living in the age of experience and it’s no longer enough to just have a ‘job’ or ‘career’. People want to work for organisations that provide meaningful experiences and help them on their journey of transformation.

4. Foster an inclusive work environment – ask yourself, what am I doing for new staff joining my organisation from a different background to make them feel included? Creating a sense of belonging and inclusion among your team will promote equal opportunity. Leaders should prioritise creating inclusive and balanced working environments where everyone can bring their authentic self, where employees feel valued and heard.

5. Adopt a skills-based approach – move beyond the idea of a ‘job’ and narrowly defining a person by their ‘role’. Instead, focus on the person and the skills and capabilities they bring to the workplace.

Authentic and inclusive leadership, diversity, upskilling and organisational culture are much more than buzzwords and are quickly becoming the core enablers of the talent equation.

At Ulster University Business School (UUBS), we work flexibly with organisations of all sizes and sectors to help them access and nurture talent to better leverage the skills and expertise in their business through advisory support on programme offerings to customised programmes, degree apprenticeships and targeted reskilling and upskilling courses.

For more information on UUBS’s portfolio of learning and development solutions, or if you would like to discuss specific organisational needs, please contact engage@ulster.ac.uk.

Investment Fuels Further Growth For Hill Vellacott

Belfast-based accountancy firm Hill Vellacott has laid out ambitious plans for future expansion, building upon significant growth already recorded in recent years.

Kieran McCaughey, Conor McCaffrey, Eoin McMullan, Paddy Hegarty.

Powered by an investment of around half a million pounds in premises and people, this will see the firm continue to serve a prestigious client base – including big names in the world of TV and film – and maintain an upward trajectory.

And, while many of their existing clientele are technically “home grown”, Hill Vellacott has spread its wings further afield.

“We service a diverse client base across all sectors – cinema chains, restaurants, retail pharmacy, solicitors and lots of tech start-ups,” said Eoin McMullan, who started as a trainee 10 years ago and made partner in 2020.

“Our clients range from SMEs and family-owned businesses to large companies based in Northern Ireland, the UK and the Republic of Ireland, but where a client has gone, we’ve tended to follow.”

Indeed, its reach now extends to Asia and the Middle East.

Having been around in its current form for over three decades, Hill Vellacott has forged an enviable reputation in the business, banking and professional services sectors.

It’s also, however, inextricably linked to television and film, with the latter having grown exponentially in Northern Ireland in recent years.

“Paddy Hegarty, another partner here, has always had strong links to the television sector,” explained Eoin.

“Before we had film, Northern Ireland was already punching above its weight in television, so we’ve worked with the production and post-production sector for years.”

Perhaps Hill Vellacott’s most currently recognisable client is Floodlight Productions, which produced ‘An Irish Goodbye’, the Oscar-winning live action short action film starring James Martin.

Floodlight first started working with Hill Vellacott as a freshly formed business in

the film industry and has since gone from strength to strength.

“No one could have imagined that ‘An Irish Goodbye’ would have done so well but it was great to work with them, be part of that journey and help them in a small way.”

“As the film and screen industry has grown here, we’ve grown with it and now represent several production and postproduction houses,” Eoin continued.

“We also work closely with various producers and executive producers, including international film producers.”

After studying accountancy at Queen’s University Belfast, Eoin entered his training contract at Hill Vellacott anticipating that he would move into industry.

“In my first interview I said I’d stay for three and a half years to get qualified and then planned to run my own business. Nearly 10 years later, I’m still here,” he said.

Eoin reflected that this is a trend which is coming more and more to the fore at Hill Vellacott.

With graduate training an undisputed strength of the firm, Eoin and another partner, Conor McCaffrey, are both alumni of its in-house programme.

“Hill Vellacott has always been renowned as a leading training firm in Northern Ireland,” Eoin explained. “With that, we typically tended to see ambitious young graduates excel in their training contracts with us before spreading their wings and going off into roles in industry or larger firms.”

The firm produces high-quality professionals; search Hill Vellacott on LinkedIn and you’ll find a significant number of chief financial officers, financial directors and very senior businesspeople who’ve gone through the firm.

“More and more now, though, many of our young talent are choosing the same path as Conor and me and opting to stay in the firm because they see a clear career pathway here and a wealth of opportunity to progress that they mightn’t necessarily get elsewhere.

“We’ve created new layers of management so people can move up.”

It won’t surprise anyone that Hill Vellacott was one of the early adopters of high-level apprenticeships, run in conjunction with Belfast Met.

“Two young managers in the company – probably two of the quickest promotions in the firm – came through the scheme,” said Eoin.

Acquiring new talent signals growth, in keeping with a plan to prepare Hill Vellacott for the future.

“We’re looking towards the next 20

years. That’s where the growth piece kicks in.

“It’s about bringing in the right people, top and bottom.”

Two key players joined recently –Jonathan Dickey, from a top six firm, who previously worked for Hill Vellacott and has returned as a partner; and Phillip McMaw, a retired KPMG partner, came on board as a consultant, a move described by Eoin as “a real coup”.

“In the few months that Phillip has been here, the tax advisory side of the business has seen strong growth,” according to Eoin.

But Eoin said that while big hitters are important, so too is bringing talent in and staying true to the firm’s established reputation in training young accountants up.

“The average intake each year for us is four to five trainees but this year we’re looking for at least six just to sustain the current growth,” he said.

“Next year we’ll need more again. We’re also recruiting mid-level management.”

He added: “We number around 40 now. By this time next year, we’ll be about 50 –and that’s only the start.

“Nowadays it’s all about staff – about attracting good people.

“Qualified talent is very hard to get. We want people to come for our expertise base; to learn a lot but also to carve out a career. There is space for expansion.”

Eoin, who now specialises in advisory, is determined to make the company a desirable job destination and a great place to work.

“We have an open-door policy and open communication,” he said.

After Covid, both he and McCaffrey became partners in November 2020, alongside Hegarty and Kieran McCaughey. There followed six to 12 months of “brand refreshing”.

In tandem with staff acquisition, the office is being refurbished to modern standards.

“It’s about providing collaborative spaces for staff and creating comfortable spaces in work, as well as social spaces,” he said.

“We’re becoming more flexible. We understand the importance of work life balance and have recently introduced a new hybrid working policy.

“As part of this ongoing investment in our employee wellbeing and workplace culture, we have implemented a thirdparty helpline for staff mental health and wellbeing.”

He added: “We know we will only attract and retain the best people if our company is one of the best workplaces in Northern Ireland.”

“We service a diverse client base across all sectors – cinema chains, restaurants, retail pharmacy, solicitors and lots of tech start-ups.”

It’s been another very busy few months for the NI Chamber team, who have welcomed almost 50 new members in recent weeks. We are delighted that you have chosen to join our network and look forward to supporting your growth aspirations.

In recent weeks, we’ve been working hard on your behalf, including travelling to North America to profile the many reasons why Northern Ireland is a fantastic place to do business. During a visit to Toronto and Washington, our delegation experienced incredible goodwill towards Northern Ireland. In both Canada and the USA, we witnessed the depth of support which exists for our economic growth and prosperity. Internationally, there is recognition of the mutual benefits which exist for those who invest here and the team will continue to follow up on the many excellent connections made.

Looking ahead our events calendar is as busy as ever, with many events filling up in record time. We’re particularly looking forward to the sold-out Annual Lunch at the end of June. Don’t forget to save the date for the Festival of Business in September too, as it returns to St George’s Market on 20 September. Before then, we have planned a brilliant schedule designed to help members grow their networks and learn about a host of topics including leadership, marketing, energy, sustainability, skills, international trade and more.

Finally, earlier this year I announced my intention to step down as chief executive of NI Chamber after 15 wonderful years. My last day will be at the end of May, however, to facilitate a seamless transition, I will remain available to the incoming chief executive until October.

In my last CEO update for this magazine, may I take the opportunity to say ‘thank you’ to the member businesses I’ve had the opportunity to support during my tenure. It has been a personal and professional privilege to lead this fantastic organisation as chief executive. Members sit at the heart of everything we do here; supporting your growth and watching businesses thrive has made this job thoroughly enjoyable and most rewarding.

Thank you for trusting me to represent you well. I wish you every future success.

Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber

AB Cargo

Adair Building Solutions

AH Global Consulting

Basalt Distillery

BGF

Bryson Charitable Group

Callow Event Management

Cancer Focus NI

Decom Engineering

Down Royal Epic Experience

Errigal Contracts

Erudite

Communications

Expedia Group

Expeditors

Fultan AMC

Gen Tech Recruitment

Glanbia Cheese

Greiner Packaging

HMG Powder Coatings

Intertrade Ireland

Kane Group

Lagan Networks

Listo

Louise Brogan Ltd

Manabu Learning

Martin Property Group

McGimpsey Brothers

Removals

MHL Connect

NI Protective Clothing

Nico Brand

NovoGen Engineering Solutions

Portadown Chamber of Commerce

Prison Island

Radius Housing

Rubik Technologies

Rutledge Recruitment & Training

SePaCo

Slemish Business Hub

South West College

Thoughtbox

Training Solutions NI

Trouw Nutrition

Verbatim

Communications

Water Tecnik

WD Meats

Whitenoise Studios

NI Chamber Photo Gallery

1. Jonathan Campbell (NI Chamber), Gillian McKee (Giraffe Associates), Seamus McGuckin (AIB) and David Lucas (Openreach).

2. Jonathan Campbell (NI Chamber), Áine Smith (Eversheds Sutherland), Dr Laura Steele (Queen’s Management School) and Peter Curran (Eversheds Sutherland).

3. Mike Brennan (Department for the Economy) addressed delegates at an In Camera event.

4. Attendees at a recent Successful Sustainability event learnt why supply chain sustainability is important.

5. Delegates had the opportunity to network at the In Camera with the Department of Finance.

6. Neil Gibson (Department of Finance), Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and Mark Ennis (SSE).

7. Bridghin Carlisle and Joleen Stewart (Legacy Resources).

8. William Redpath (Manabu Learning) and Kerry Boyd (Survitec Group).

9. Jonathan Ireland (Lanyon Group), Connor Kenny (Professional Development), Niall Devlin (Bank of Ireland) and Jonathan Campbell (NI Chamber).

10. Roisin Kelly (Equality Commission for Northern Ireland) spoke at a recent Future of Skills event.

11. Sylvia Moorhead (Southern Regional College) and Claire McCleery (Honeycomb Jobs).

12. At NI Chamber’s recent Understanding Sales and Winning Business event, Jonathan Ireland (Lanyon Group) shared the importance of establishing your personal and corporate brand.

Promoting Advantage and Opportunity in North America

In March, a delegation from NI Chamber and Dublin Chamber visited Toronto and Washington as part of a joint initiative to promote Northern Ireland and Ireland as great places to do business.

Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement, ‘Advantage’ was focused on how we go purposefully, positively forward in 2023. The team spent two days in Toronto and three in Washington, with the objective of using the anniversary of the agreement as an opportunity to re-focus international attention on the island of Ireland as a place to trade with and invest in.

The delegation was led by NI Chamber President Gillian McAuley and Stephen O’Leary, President of Dublin Chamber. They were joined by senior staff from both Chambers, who attended a series of high-profile events and engagements with business figures, political leaders and key stakeholders over the course of the week.

5.

Acting British Consul General in Toronto, Greg Quinn OBE and Stephen O’Leary, President, Dublin Chamber.

1. Mary-Rose Burke (Chief Executive, Dublin Chamber), Gillian McAuley (President, NI Chamber), Stephen O’Leary (President, Dublin Chamber) and Ann McGregor (Chief Executive, NI Chamber).

2. Gillian McAuley pictured outside the White House before a St Patrick’s Day reception hosted by President Biden.

3. NI Chamber President Gillian McAuley pictured with Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

4. The NI Chamber delegation included Olivia Stewart, Stuart Anderson, Gillian McAuley, Phil Murray, Ann McGregor and Christopher Morrow.

NI Chamber President, Gillian McAuley,

6. NI Chamber President, Gillian McAuley, Senator Chris Murphy and Head of Public Affairs, Stuart Anderson.

Business Confidence in Northern Ireland Improves Significantly

From securing EU/UK trading arrangements to addressing labour and skills challenges, Northern Ireland’s economy requires a razor-like focus on growth, says NI Chamber

• 60% of NI Chamber members are positive that turnover will grow over next 12 months

• 55% believe their business will grow in 2023, while 33% expect it to contract

• Expectations to raise prices have softened but remain high by historical standards

• 84% of members report being negatively affected by energy costs

• Recruitment difficulties are a persistent concern

Business performance in Northern Ireland improved in Q1 of 2023, with signs of confidence returning around business growth and profitability. That is according to the findings of

the latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) from Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and business advisors BDO NI, published on 4 April 2023.

Confidence has improved significantly, with 60% of survey respondents positive (47% Q4 2022) that turnover will grow over the next 12 months compared to 18% who believe it will contract. But the persistent challenge of finding and keeping the right people with the right skills continues to dominate, with 92% of manufacturers and 82% of services businesses finding it difficult to get staff.

When asked about the top three asks to drive growth, the response was dominated by agreement on the Protocol, with 3 in 5 members (62%) believing that an EU/UK deal on the NI Protocol is key to unlocking Northern Ireland’s growth potential. The Windsor Framework was announced during the survey fieldwork period. This was followed by improved access to labour and skills (46%), lower corporation tax (40%) and support with energy costs (39%). One in 5 (19%) believe

Maureen O’Reilly (Economist for the Quarterly Economic Survey), Brian Murphy (BDO NI) and Stuart Anderson (NI Chamber).

business rates reform is key. The survey also revealed that inflationary pressures are showing some signs of easing but remain high, with labour market costs now becoming one of the top concerns for businesses. In Q1 23, 86% of manufacturers and 80% of services firms were reporting labour costs as one of the key pressures on them to raise prices.

There has been some easing of energy cost pressures in Q1 2023, however, 1 in 2 businesses have experienced an increase in energy costs of more than 30% in the last quarter. For 1 in 4 respondents, higher energy costs are significantly affecting the sustainability of their business.

Manufacturing performance

Both manufacturing and services saw a stronger performance in Q1 2023 compared to the last six months of 2022. Almost all manufacturing balances are positive with the exception of domestic sales and orders and cashflow. With these exceptions, NI is performing above the UK average across all key indicators and is in the top tier of UK regions for all other indicators. Q1 23 has been a particularly good quarter in terms of export sales and orders. Labour and raw material costs still dominate as the two key pressure points for businesses to raise prices (86%). Interest rates have also become a more dominant concern, affecting 43% of members within the manufacturing sector.

Services Performance

It has been a strong start to 2023 for the services sector, with all key indicators positive. Northern Ireland is a top performing region for 9 of the 11 key indicators. After a challenging end to 2022 where some key balances including domestic and export sales were negative, all key trading balances are positive in Q1 2023 with particularly strong indicators around employment and recruitment intentions.

Prices and Costs

Labour costs are now one of the most dominant cost pressures facing firms. In Q1 2023 86% of manufacturers and 80% of services firms are reporting labour costs as one of the key pressures on them to raise prices. Raw material costs remain significant for manufacturers (86%) and utilities for both sectors (79% manufacturers and 73% services). Interest rates are a growing concern in both sectors with 43% of manufacturers and 35% of services reporting it as more of a concern than three months ago.

There has been easing of energy costs pressures in Q1 2023 although this still remains high by historical standards. One in 2 members (52%) have experienced an increase in energy costs of 30% plus in Q1 2023, down from 79% in Q4 2022. One in 4 businesses state that higher energy costs are significantly affecting the sustainability of their business, with 84% of members negatively affected to some degree.

Recruitment

Hiring expectations among manufacturers continues to improve quarter on quarter, with a balance of +33% of businesses expecting employment to grow in the next three months. In services the balance of firms expecting to grow their workforce is the highest on record at +47%. Most businesses are still engaged in some level of recruitment, with 75% of manufacturers and 73% of services recruiting.

EU Exit

The Q1 2023 findings highlight that most businesses have adapted to new trading arrangements post EU Exit. 33% have adapted well to new trading arrangements, up from 23% at the end of the first year of EU Exit in 2021. 23% had found new trading arrangements difficult but are now able

to deal with them. However, EU Exit is still having a negative impact on some businesses with 1 in 6 still finding trading arrangements difficult and 7% stating that they are posing significant challenges for their business.

Debt and Repayment

Two in 5 businesses (41%) have some form of debt, made up of 12% with COVID-related debt only (e.g., CBILs or BBILs), 21% with other forms of debt and 8% with both. Just under half (46%) of those with debt have some concerns about their ability to meet debt repayments, with almost 1 in 5 moderately/seriously concerned at present.

Commenting on the survey findings, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber said:

“With political agreement reached on the Windsor Framework and the 25th anniversary of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement soon upon us, 2023 is a year of potential that Northern Ireland must harness. This means turning targets into action and being confident and ambitious about economic growth now.

“After a notable decline in business confidence in the second half of 2022, results from Q1 of this year show a significant and timely improvement.

“Three years of economic challenges including EU Exit, the pandemic, global supply chain crises, inflation and political instability have all taken a significant toll on our members, so it is encouraging to see sentiment improving, albeit from a weak base.

“What matters now is that policymakers commit to an absolutely razor-like focus on economic growth – that includes listening to businesses on how to drive it. We must capitalise on the opportunities offered by the Windsor Framework and ensure that operational challenges are minimised. Of course, that is just one part of the jigsaw; for optimal growth businesses need a restored, functioning Executive to support them in attracting and retaining the best people, with the right blend of skills. Helping businesses tackle the skills challenge is just one of the many reasons we need to see the devolved institutions restored urgently.”

Brian Murphy, Managing Partner, BDO NI added: “It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such positive momentum and sentiment from Northern Ireland businesses, and it is great to see it. Although local companies still have challenges to face, it is hugely encouraging that we are seeing such levels of consistency in positive sentiment across all sectors.

“The survey highlights that 4 in 5 businesses are trading either well or reasonably well. This is particularly notable given the testing backdrop of rising costs and barriers to recruitment. Within manufacturing, local businesses are outperforming the UK average and in the service sector, we are the top performer in the UK across 9 of the 11 indicators.

“The impact of the pandemic is still being felt by many businesses, particularly in how they are managing their debt. Whilst there is still a significant number of organisations with at least some concern in how they can maintain debt repayments, it is notable that over 47% are currently debt free, a significant achievement in this climate.

“For Northern Ireland companies to continue to compete there is an urgent need for investment in people and skills. This will facilitate access to a diverse and skilled workforce, which is clearly in demand. Such investment would play a key role in boosting productivity across the economy and as a result, unlocking our future growth potential.”

Brian Murphy, Managing Partner, BDO NI, discusses the latest QES findings

Better Days Lie Ahead

As the days are getting longer and with the weather really starting to improve, it’s encouraging to see that business confidence remains strong in Northern Ireland; in fact there is even an increasing view that better days lie ahead. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen such positive momentum and sentiment from Northern Ireland businesses, and it is great to see it. Although local companies still have challenges to face, it’s greatly encouraging that we are seeing a level of consistency in positive sentiment across all sectors.

The improvement in performance across key indicators for both the manufacturing and services sector, alongside improved confidence (60% compared to 47% in Q2 of 2022), demonstrates that the local business community is showing optimism for future growth.

The survey highlights that 4 in 5 businesses are trading either well or reasonably well. This is particularly notable given they continue to operate against the testing backdrop of fluctuating energy costs, rising inflation, rising labour costs and barriers to recruitment.

Within manufacturing, Northern Ireland businesses are performing above the UK average across the majority of key indicators, with a particularly good quarter in terms of export sales. Confidence regarding turnover and profitability for the next 12 months is also improving. The recent ‘Full Capital Expensing’ policy announced by the UK Chancellor, which will allow businesses in manufacturing to invest in plant and machinery whilst accessing immediate 100% tax relief, should support the sector further.

Looking at what businesses see as the key areas that could unlock growth in Northern Ireland, it’s not surprising that an agreement on the NI Protocol tops the wish list, with 63% of members believing this could have the biggest positive impact on growth.

For Northern Ireland businesses to continue to compete there is also an urgent need for investment in people and skills. This will facilitate access to a diverse and skilled workforce, which is clearly in demand. Such investment would play a key role in boosting productivity across the economy and as a result, unlocking our future growth potential.

Businesses continue to acknowledge the need to lower corporation tax, which as of 1 April is double that of our neighbours in the Republic of Ireland who operate with just 12.5% compared to our 25%.

The impact of the pandemic is still being felt by many businesses, in particular in how they are managing their debt. Whilst there is still a significant number of organisations with at least some concern as to how they can maintain debt repayments, it is notable that over 47% are currently debt free, a significant achievement in this climate.

Turning this confidence and investment intent into further sustainable growth will be determined by a range of factors, some of which are beyond the control of the business community. What this survey shows is that companies across sectors continue to look for opportunities to invest, innovate and grow and if decisions on key policy areas are taken to facilitate this, then our longer days will become the better days we know they can be.

Quarterly Economic Survey

Q1

2023

General Business Performance

• A stronger performance amongst members in Q1 23 after a challenging end to 2022 with most key indicators improving over the last quarter

• The share of businesses operating below capacity has fallen to 51% (55% Q4 22 and 62% Q3 22

• The domestic (UK) performance is still challenging although marginally more businesses reported increased domestic (UK) sales in the last 3 months (26%) compared to those reporting a fall (20%)

• The same share report that domestic orders for the next 3 months have fallen, compared to those reporting stronger order books (20% for both)

• The export performance has improved this quarter with 31% stating that export sales have increased against 17% reporting a decrease

• Confidence has improved significantly with 60% positive (47% Q4 22) that turnover will grow over the next 12 months compared to 18% who believe it will contract

• Recruitment intentions remain high with 74% of businesses trying to recruit, similar to previous quarters. However, recruitment difficulties persist with 87% currently finding it difficult to get staff. Rising labour costs have become a much more significant concern and for 3 in 4 members is feeding into expectations to raise prices

• Expectations to raise prices do appear to be easing though with a smaller share of members expecting to raise prices in Q1 23 (60% Q1 23 vs 75% Q4 22 and 77% Q3 22)

• Despite this, inflation continues to dominate member concerns with rising interest rates also more concerning for members

Sector Performance

• Stronger performance for both manufacturing and services in Q1 23 compared to the last 6 months of 2022

• Almost all manufacturing balances are positive with the exception of domestic sales and orders and cashflow

• NI services sector is a top performing UK region for 9 of the 11 key indicators

243 members responded to Quarterly Economic Survey for Q1 2023.

Driving Growth

3 in 5

indicated that an EU/UK deal on the NI Protocol would be the key to unlocking NI’s growth potential

Energy Costs

followed by

1 in 2

members have experienced an increase in energy costs of 30% plus in the last quarter

improved access to skills lower corporation tax support with energy costs

Some easing of energy cost pressures in Q1 23

1 in 4

business state the higher energy costs are significantly affecting the sustainability of their business with 84% of members negatively affected

Trading Conditions

4 in 5 1 in 5 just covering costs or struggling

businesses say they are still trading well or reasonably

Fewer members are seeing a slowdown in demand, 56% compared to 64% in Q4 2022

Debt & Repayment

41% 46%

of businesses have some form of debt

46% 40% 39% of those with debt express some concern about making debt repayments

Senior Appointments at NI Chamber J

NI Chamber has recently announced the appointment of three new senior managers from within its team. The promotions reflect significant growth across core member service areas including business development, communications, events and training.

onathan Campbell, who joined NI Chamber last year, is now senior business services manager, with responsibility for leading the team and delivering the extensive calendar of flagship events, networking and training programmes.

As senior business development manager, Caroline Coyle will head up the team responsible for growing NI Chamber’s membership footprint across Northern Ireland and for ensuring that existing members get maximum value from the network.

With four years’ experience at NI Chamber, Olivia Stewart is now senior communications & engagement manager, assuming responsibility for communications and marketing activity. She has also taken over the role of managing editor of Ambition magazine.

Announcing the news, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive said:

“I am delighted to congratulate Olivia, Caroline and Jonathan on their recent promotions, which reflect their individual talents, commercial acumen and commitment to delivering the highest standard of service for our members.

“Last year, NI Chamber implemented a new business strategy which has already led to significant growth across a number of service areas. That’s opened up opportunity for colleagues to progress and move to the next stage of their career. The fact that all three positions in our new management layer have been filled internally is reflective of our commitment to learning and development, as well as to the mentorship of our existing Heads of Department.

“I have no doubt that all three of our new senior managers will continue to grow and develop within these new roles and look forward to watching their progression.”

Pictured: Olivia Stewart, Jonathan Campbell and Caroline Coyle with NI Chamber Chief Executive, Ann McGregor.

CAROLINE COYLE, SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Caroline works with NI Chamber members in all sectors, ensuring they make the most of their membership by utilising each of the services available to them. To speak with Caroline about joining NI Chamber or for assistance with existing memberships, contact caroline.coyle@ northernirelandchamber.com.

JONATHAN CAMPBELL, SENIOR BUSINESS SERVICES MANAGER

Jonathan helps NI Chamber members to network and learn from each other through the planning and delivery of a calendar of events and training. If you have a query relating to events, sponsorship or training, contact jonathan. campbell@northernirelandchamber.com

OLIVIA STEWART, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS & ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Olivia helps NI Chamber members across Northern Ireland to raise their own business profile through membership. For advice on accessing profile enhancement services or editorial enquires for Ambition magazine, contact olivia.stewart@ northernirelandchamber.com

Columnist

The Question of Stability

The sustainability of our public finances is not a one-off; it is the greatest challenge the Executive will face over the next decade and beyond to deliver meaningful transformation, writes

Stuart Anderson, head of Public Affairs at NI Chamber.

At a recent roundtable event, I was struck by the words of one of our leading manufacturers. During a discussion, this local businessperson told us that when he meets with international customers or potential investors, invariably he is faced with the same question. It’s not a query about product quality or cost. Rather, the question he’s asked repeatedly is “How stable is Northern Ireland?”

To answer the question honestly, we must consider ‘stability’ in the fullest sense.

So often, we adopt the line that ‘business is just getting on with it’ and to its credit, it really is. Just ask our new US economic envoy Joe Kennedy III, who in recent weeks spent considerable time engaging with our world-leading businesses. During his visit, Mr Kennedy saw first-hand how local firms are innovating, growing and investing in everything from energy to cyber security. All of this is being done in the absence of an Executive, which begs another obvious question: “How much stronger could our proposition be if we had a functioning devolved government?”

Pressures on the operation of a mandatory coalition are to be expected – in Northern Ireland, we know that by

now. As has been repeatedly stressed by NI Chamber, the return of a fully functioning, stable Executive and legislature at Stormont is our most urgent priority.

However, recent budget allocations from NI Secretary of State Chris HeatonHarris have brought into focus the greatest challenge a restored Executive will face over the next decade and beyond. That is the sustainability of our public finances.

Prioritisation, Tough Choices and Revenue Raising

The point is not that this year’s painful, sticking plaster budget is a one-off because the Executive is not sitting. Yes, it has exacerbated and accelerated the problem but with or without an Executive, our fiscal challenges are here to stay. And they will only get worse unless action is taken. Such circumstances would put pressure on any government, never mind a power-sharing coalition. So, what can be done about it?

To find the answers, we must restate some more well-known questions. Can we ever get an Executive to make difficult decisions? To raise revenue?

To make unpopular but strategically important choices for longer term transformation?

I believe the answer is ‘Yes’ – a Northern Ireland Executive can make difficult choices. But it requires an agreed Programme for Government (something we have not had for over a decade) to ground tough decisions

in evidence with a strategic, crossdepartmental focus. A Programme for Government needs to be agreed with a sense of urgency and it must be done with meaningful input from stakeholders, not least the private sector.

To illustrate, let’s take the example of the statutory targets on renewable generation and emissions reductions to 2030 and beyond. While a Programme for Government that prioritised a sustainable future would drive an Executive to make difficult decisions, it could also provide the confidence and focus necessary to attract investment. After all, the UK Committee on Climate Change was clear that most of the additional investment required can be delivered by the private sector. And the private sector is up for that.

In fact, there is a wall of green capital building up ready to invest but to do so, we need action from the Executive on areas including planning, regulatory reform and green skills investment. A Programme for Government created in partnership with business that prioritised the transition should be a tool to unlock that much needed investment. In its absence, the money will simply go elsewhere.

The Barnett Squeeze

Yet we must be clear that an agreed Programme for Government, taking tough decisions and introducing revenue raising measures will not solve all of Northern Ireland’s fiscal problems. The impact of the Executive’s inability to take tough decisions is an issue, but if we

Stuart Anderson Head of Public Affairs at NI Chamber

want to deliver transformation, it is time that we widened the debate to reflect on how we are funded from Westminster as well.

Around 95% of resources allocated to funding Northern Ireland’s public services comes via the Block Grant by way of the Barnett Formula. The Barnett Formula has been applied since the late 70s. But is it still fit for purpose?

In its 2022 Sustainability Report, the Northern Ireland Fiscal Council highlighted Treasury figures showing the Block Grant is set to rise by 3.6% a year between 2019-20 and 2024-25, compared to a 6% annual increase for the UK as a whole.

By continuing to apply the formula in its current form, the Block Grant will grow at a slower rate than UK Government

equivalent spending. The result is a fastapproaching convergence in spending per head of population between Northern Ireland and England, otherwise known as the “Barnett Squeeze”.

Relative Need

The formula is calculated on the historical amount that is devolved. Crucially, ‘population’ is the key factor and not ‘need’. Yet just this week the Fiscal Council confirmed that the estimated level of need for public spending in Northern Ireland is around 24% higher than that in England. This simply underlines how difficult the situation facing our senior civil servants is currently. However, the challenge of ensuring funding from Westminster meets the demands of relative need is not unique to Northern Ireland. Indeed, several years

ago the Welsh government secured inbuilt protections to the formula to ensure that funding in Wales never falls below a certain level, taking into account the issue of ‘need’. Whether or not that would work for a power-sharing government remains unclear, but we need to kick-start the conversation now.

The recent budget was uncomfortable reading but without this discussion and answers to these questions, it is a challenge we will face on repeat. In recent months, we’ve all reflected at length about progress and learnings from the 25 years past. Tackling these fiscal challenges is arguably our greatest opportunity to ensure stability through public sector and societal transformation for decades to come.

NI Chamber takes Networking Series on the Road

NI Chamber and NIE Networks have launched a new calendar of networking events, which are set to take place in locations throughout Northern Ireland over the course of this year.

The Regional Networking series is designed to provide member companies in all sectors across the province with opportunities to network and make new connections with people outside of their own industries, as well as learn from expert speakers on a host of pertinent topics. To date, events have already been hosted in Cookstown and Larne, with more planned in the coming months.

Encouraging businesspeople to use the series as an opportunity to expand their networks, Christopher Morrow, Head of Communications & Engagement at NI Chamber said:

“The Regional Networking series encompasses some of the most popular events in NI Chamber’s calendar, so we’re delighted to partner with NIE Networks again for 2023. It gets consistently excellent feedback from delegates, who tell us that attending is an ideal way to build their network in new locations and learn from others they may not routinely encounter. Many also find it a great way to meet potential customers and partners. We encourage anyone who is interested in building their network to come along.”

Ian Hunter, Commercial Manager at NIE Network Connections added:

“NIE Networks is pleased to continue this partnership with NI Chamber. The Regional Networking series is a fantastic way to meet new people and open up potential business relationships. We know from experience that it’s successful in helping attendees to increase their own visibility, make impactful connections and in turn, creates opportunities for business growth.”

Christopher Morrow (NI Chamber); Ian Hunter (NIE Network Connections) and Petrina McAuley (NI Chamber) launch the 2023 Regional Networking Series.

The Future of Leadership with Ulster University Business School

1. Christopher Morrow (NI Chamber), Mark Simpson (Journalist), Peter Russell (PR Business Growth Services), James McIlroy (former GB athlete), Jenna McCorkell (Chique Sports), Gillian Armstrong (Ulster University Business School) and Petrina McAuley (NI Chamber).

2. Samantha Haddock (Orchardville) and Katie McKeegan (Nightcap Event Group).

3. Neil Hanna (Nimbus Computer Solutions Ltd), Kieran Donnelly (Morrow Communications), David Lewis (Fluent Format Ltd) and Chris McMinn (Inspiro Learning).

4. Christopher Morrow (NI Chamber) welcomed guests to the Future of Leadership event.

5. BBC Dragon’s Den businesswoman and Founder of Chique Sports, Jenna McCorkell discussed the leadership traits which enabled her to turn her sporting passion into a successful global business.

6. Delegates had the opportunity to network at the leadership event.

7. Panellists shared their expertise on leadership and success, current leadership roles, and the impact of the future of leadership in their industry.

Connecting the dots Bringing together local knowledge and global experience to take your business further

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Inviting Marketers to Breakfast

NI Chamber and Bank of Ireland hosted a business breakfast specifically for marketing and communications professionals on Friday 12 May in Custom House, Belfast.

Part of the popular ‘Business Breakfast with Bank of Ireland’ series, the event was designed to help marketers operating in all sectors to discover more about how emerging trends in branding, advertising and communications can be utilised as catalysts for business growth.

Attendees had the opportunity to learn directly from exemplars including Hilary Quinn, Marketing Director, Diageo Ireland, as well as Jeremy Poots and Paul Martin, joint Managing Partners at brand and advertising agency, Mammoth. The breakfast event also provided delegates with the opportunity to network and learn from their peers in the profession.

The Business Breakfast Series with Bank of Ireland is part of NI Chamber’s Lean Grow Excel Programme, delivered in partnership with SME Partner, Power NI.

A Tribute to John Simpson

Across the business community, tributes have been paid to renowned economist John Simpson, who passed away recently aged 90.

A much-respected commentator, John provided razor-sharp insight and analysis on business and the economy over decades. His knowledge about Northern Ireland’s economy was unparalleled and he was invariably intelligent, inquisitive and meticulous in his approach.

Paying tribute to him, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber, said:

“It was a privilege to know John, and indeed to learn from him. He was a great friend of NI Chamber, so we were greatly saddened to learn of his passing.

“John took a lot of interest in what our member businesses were doing – in his own way, he was invested in their success, so was always keen to learn about their plans. As a Chamber, we appreciated his candour and like many others, we listened to what he had to say.

“On behalf of the President and Board of NI Chamber, I extend sincere sympathy to his family. He will be missed.”

L-R Olivia Stewart (NI Chamber); Paul Martin (Mammoth), Mark Cunningham (Bank of Ireland) and Jeremy Poots (Mammoth).

Photo Credit: Belfast Telegraph.

Eimear McVeigh, Commercial Business Partner at Fibrus, and Linda McMillan, Chief People Officer at Fibrus.

The WomenDynamic Redefining Northern Ireland Workplaces

Female-friendly firms are on the rise in Northern Ireland, with an emphasis on attracting women into – and back into – the workplace. Here, senior leaders of two companies in traditionally male-dominated industries reveal what they’re doing to redress the gender imbalance, while employees explain what’s working well for women staffers.

Chief People Officer Linda McMillan, who’s been in her role for 17 months, is responsible for attracting and retaining talent at Fibrus.

The human resources professional relishes heading up a team that “really wants to make a difference”, adding that Fibrus is a great place for women.

“Research has shown that female colleagues encourage more collaboration, share ideas and feedback honestly, and work as one team,” she said.

“Fibrus is actively encouraging women to work for the company by offering flexible working patterns, part-time work and hybrid work. There’s also support for those who need time off for family issues.

“Working partly from home and working flexible hours at Fibrus are a given – not a special request.

“We have policies that support women starting a family, including time off for fertility treatment, enhanced maternity leave, parental leave and dependants leave.

“We also have support for older women, those going through the menopause or who wish to work fewer hours a week.”

Linda pointed to an increase in female applicants, adding that 41% of new hires in the last 12 months were women.

She added: “At present, 34% of Fibrus’ employees are female; our target is to achieve 50% by 2028.”

Research from McKinsey shows that women want to work for companies that prioritise flexibility, employee well-being, diversity, equality and inclusion.

“That’s what Fibrus endeavours to do through our policies around expected behaviours in the workplace,” she said.

“We also ensure a level playing field by regularly reviewing our gender pay gap, being open around promotional opportunities and rewarding performance through a robust process. It’s a workplace meritocracy.”

According to Linda, companies must continue to create opportunities for women to get experience through mentoring programmes, leadership seminars and education, as well as ensuring that there are female role models in senior positions.

“Fibrus is an active member of Women in Business, which it supports by advertising jobs via the women-only portal Timely Careers, providing female mentoring and hosting training events,” she said.

Linda added that finding and retaining talent is the enabler for Fibrus to deliver its vision and objectives.

“My role is to ensure our colleagues love working here and understand what we want to achieve,” she said.

“Fibrus is providing broadband in rural and under-

serviced communities is making a huge impact on people’s lives.”

Commercial Business Partner Eimear McVeigh supports the Sales and Marketing and Service Delivery functions at Fibrus. She’s been with the company for 21 months.

The Co Armagh mother-of-four, who cut her working hours in order to get a better work/life balance, said flexible working from home suits her.

“I have a long commute to the office from Belleeks near Newry and, with four children, it’s tricky to arrange childcare around early starts and later evenings,” she said.

Eimear feels “inspired” to be working alongside like-minded people at Fibrus.

“The women I work with are all about encouraging each other,” she said.

“They genuinely like to see each other do well, inside or outside work.”

According to Eimear, other companies could do more to attract more women to roles.

“They should be implementing hybrid working policies and offering an inclusive, supportive working environment where women feel they can fulfil their potential,” she said.

“Being a mum should never put you at a disadvantage in the workplace.”

NIE Networks’ Head of HR Paula Leathem is one of a team of 18 supporting the company’s 1,400 employees.

A clerical apprenticeship with the company in 1987 was a springboard to “a fantastic and varied career” spanning over 35 years.

“During my first 20 years, I had the opportunity to work part time to suit my family commitments,” she explained.

“This work pattern also allowed me to study more, which was all supported by NIE.”

She herself “turned up the dial” in recent years through various new policies, born out of her own experience, which resulted in NIE’s acquisition of awards for diversity in the workplace.

“I was instrumental in introducing new guidance procedures which include menopause, breast feeding, post-natal

depression and fertility treatment,” she said.

“I was also involved with benchmarking our maternity provision, which now compares very favourably against other employers.

“I developed our Agile Home Working policy and we also have a maternity returners process and support network.

“I also introduced a female network group, internal female mentor programme and a female development programme called Flourish.”

NIE makes changes where necessary “to ensure we’re meeting needs and expectations”.

Paula added: “We’ve opened new areas of conversation. This has resulted in female staff offering suggestions on supporting other female colleagues, such as implementing a programme for reusable sanitary products.”

The Carrickfergus mother-of-four said people are “at the core and heart of NIE” making it “a great place for women to work”.

“We provide great support for all women, irrespective of age, career aspirations and goals,” she said.

“We encourage women to consider careers in engineering and technical roles as well as more traditional positions in procurement, finance, HR and communications.

Paula said it is incumbent upon companies to make jobs attractive to women.

“Our people are our greatest asset and our organisation will nurture, develop and support individuals to reach their highest potential,” she said.

Digital Transformation Manager Gemma McHale is developing the

company’s digital strategy and putting a team in place for its delivery. She’s been with NIE for 24 years, and has seen “significant and positive” changes.

“It’s a company with people at its very heart,” she said.

“The introduction of agile working policies and female-friendly policies has helped to make it a compassionate workplace that supports employees.”

The Co Down fitness fanatic praised NIE’s initiatives tailored to women, including special leave for miscarriage and for both partners undertaking fertility treatments.

She added: “There are also guidelines for menopause and post-partum depression and initiatives, including a sustainable menstrual product pilot.”

Gemma lauded NIE’s “overall culture and environment” for women, adding that there’s been a notable increase in females in senior managerial roles over the last number of years.

“Females are less likely to put themselves forward, to apply for promotions or speak up in the boardroom so it’s important to belong to an organisation that’s making it easier for women to step up and be visible,” she said.

“NIE is a very inclusive, people-centred organisation that supports employees through policies, health and well-being initiatives, coaching and mentoring.”

Gemma’s university degree involved a placement year with NIE.

“I applied for a permanent position and started working three weeks after graduation,” she said.

“I love feeling that I’m coming to work in a positive environment to make a real difference to people’s lives.

NIE’s Gemma McHale and Paula Leathem.

Building Diversity

Sarah Dugdale was appointed partner at A&L Goodbody (ALG) earlier this year, just a couple of months after giving birth to her second child. A defining moment for Sarah, it was a reflection of the corporate law firm’s longstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Sarah Dugdale, partner in ALG’s corporate and M&A team, has “risen through the ranks” of the firm to become the first female partner in that team and the sixth female partner in the ALG Belfast office.

She joined as a trainee after concluding her law degree at Queen’s University, and has been a solicitor in the Belfast-based corporate and M&A team since 2012. ALG would refer to her move to the top as a reflection of her success and its commitment to offering clients the most relevant and timely specialist legal expertise.

Looking at the bigger picture, Sarah’s appointment is also a reflection of the diversity in the business, and it sends a message to those working their way up in the firm that being female and a mother need not be barriers to your progression.

“The Belfast office opened in 2007. When I started as a trainee in 2010 there were just 25 people operating from one floor on Fountain Street. Despite the recessionary environment at that time, the firm was in growth mode. We had a group of extremely capable and driven partners keen to take the business to the next level, as well as access to great clients,” said Sarah.

“I feel fortunate to have received excellent training from marketleading colleagues, and I have also

benefited from the infrastructure and resources available when you train and work in an organisation like ALG. I am proud to say that I am one of three people to date who trained in the Belfast office and have since progressed to a partnership position.”

She continues: “Due to the smaller team, I feel I obtained greater exposure and insight to wider aspects of running a successful professional services firm, such as business development, than I might have elsewhere. I became passionate about the firm and its success and this hands-on experience early in my career very much shaped my style and approach.”

Today the business employs 140 people in Belfast alone.

With a new baby and a three-yearold, Sarah says she is illustrative of how being at the top and balancing a family can work. She is also very aware of the pressures on working parents and is grateful to have a supportive husband and family network who make it possible for her to continue to pursue her career and prioritise her kids.

She’s not immune to the pressure that is knowing she will now lead by example.

“As a woman and parent in a senior role within the business world, I know how challenging it is but I also know what opportunities there are. I’m conscious that I’m a role model for some of my colleagues. They’re

Sarah Dugdale.

watching because they are at a similar stage in life, considering the future of their role and whether balance is achievable. I will strive to make it work and let people see that it can.

“I’ve always maintained an open dialogue with my line managers, particularly when I am struggling, and I believe that has helped me shape my role and working style in a way that works for me and our team.

“Everyone is different. It’s about carving the role out so that it works for you. Everyone in ALG is extremely intelligent and talented and it would be a loss not to make that work.”

Going forward, Sarah will be one of two partners at the firm to lead on diversity and inclusion (D&I), alongside Real Estate Partner John Tougher.

John says the key to diversity and inclusion in the workplace at the top tier begins at the conversation level, “looking at how you might help people, talking about things as simple as taking full maternity, paternity or family leave and the support available within the firm”.

John explains that ALG has placed a strong focus on embedding the D&I agenda into the very core of the firm – something which saw it highly commended as an ‘Equality Trailblazer’ at last year’s NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry Awards.

“It’s something that cuts across absolutely everything we do as a firm,” he says. “Having worked hard to achieve Silver Diversity Mark, we have introduced some outstanding new initiatives, such as the Aspiring Solicitors social mobility scheme and our partnership with Platform55, an organisation focused on creating more inclusive workplaces for parents.

“We are very genuinely committed to embedding a culture where all working parents are supported and encouraged to succeed in their careers in parallel with managing family life.”

With working parents very much “the norm” in ALG, Sarah reflects on growing up in a home where both parents worked.

She says: “My parents worked together as a team in terms of getting home and raising my sister and me. It was normal to me that both of my parents worked. I just assumed I would do the same.”

“I loved to visit my mum in her office. I know working parents can be full of guilt but my experience is positive. It motivated me to get out and get

a career that I’m passionate about,” she adds. Her promotion exemplifies ALG’s commitment to its diversity objective of giving its people the same opportunities and experiences to progress in their chosen career path, regardless of gender. A diversity report from last year showed that over the last four years, approximately half of all staff promoted to partner at ALG have been women.

Sarah specialises in corporate transactions and corporate advisory matters. She has extensive experience advising on local and international acquisitions and disposals, and private equity and venture capital investments across a range of sectors.

Some of her most recent high-profile projects have been Haldane Fisher’s acquisition of Prowood Holdings, Ready Egg’s acquisition of Skea Egg and advising the shareholders in 3173 in relation to an investment by Synova. Among other notable NI corporate deals, she also advised Kingsbridge Healthcare on various transactions and the IFA on the redevelopment of the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

“Despite the challenges out there, the corporate world here is an impressive machine. Our strong local businesses continue to attract interest from prospective buyers and investors, and

continue to make their own targeted acquisitions,” she says.

“I’m really looking forward to taking up the partner role and hitting the ground running on my return from maternity leave. I’m excited to once again work with our clients to help them meet their objectives and grow, as well as helping ALG go from strength to strength. An important part of that will be building upon the huge strides the firm has made through its D&I agenda alongside John.”

John Tougher.

“We are very genuinely committed to embedding a culture where all working parents are supported and encouraged to succeed in their careers in parallel with managing family life.”

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This Is Belfast’s Time

Writes Naomi White, Director of Sales Marketing, Tourism NI

Last month the President of the United States of America described Northern Ireland as being poised to drive unprecedented economic activity and investment with Belfast its beating heart.

Joe Biden spoke of a vibrant place where young people could see their futures and described Belfast port being filled with cruise liners packed with tourists.

Northern Ireland is now at home on the global stage, comfortable with the eyes of the world on us as an outstanding place to visit, to stage international conferences and to do business in.

Belfast is officially the Best Conference Destination after recently winning the prestigious accolade for the second consecutive year at the influential Conference & Incentive Travel Awards.

Our world-class venues and facilities, supported by a dedicated business events strategy, have helped conferences here become a key driver for the local economy, helping to create jobs and attract investment.

In recent years we’ve staged incredibly successful events which were beamed around the world such as the Giro d’Italia and of course The Open Championship at Royal Portrush, so successful the R&A had

no hesitation in confirming the Causeway Coast course for the 2025 tournament.

And we know when people visit here, they embrace the giant spirit of this place and want to come back. Last year there were a record-breaking number of trips to Northern Ireland taken by people from the Republic of Ireland, with two out of every three saying they intend to return.

Northern Ireland has also recently returned its best placing in the Nations Brands Index Survey, ranking 24 out of 60 countries. Unsurprisingly those who had visited were more likely to score us higher. In terms of international visitors, we are well on course to return to pre-pandemic numbers as the global appetite for visiting Northern Ireland remains strong, with particular interest in the US which has been further buoyed by the presidential visit.

This is the perfect time for Belfast to host the One Young World Summit, the perfect time to welcome delegates from all over the world and the perfect time to showcase just why Northern Ireland is so popular with visitors.

The One Young World Summit is the world’s largest gathering of the next generation of global leaders. The summit brings together young leaders representing over 190 countries and more than 250 organisations, to confront the biggest challenges facing humanity and accelerate their social impact.

Over 2,000 delegates will come to Belfast for four incredible days of knowledge-sharing and networking, where they will be counselled by some of the most influential political, business and humanitarian leaders in the world.

They will focus on five plenary challenges which have been agreed following a global consultation process. Fittingly, as the summit takes place in Belfast, peace and reconciliation play a central role. I’ve no doubt there is much the rest of the world can learn from our journey towards lasting peace.

The 2023 plenary challenges are:

Climate Emergency: How can we insure responsible stewardship of our planet’s resources?

• Food Crisis: How can we end this global food crisis before it becomes a hunger catastrophe?

• Education: How can we fight inequality through education?

Naomi Waite Director of Sales Marketing Tourism Northern Ireland

• Mental Health: How can we make mental health a priority?

• Peace and Reconciliation: How can communities build and sustain lasting peace?

This summit has the power to be lifechanging for the young people taking part and I know Belfast and Northern Ireland will leave a wonderful impression on them.

With support from the Northern Ireland Executive, Tourism Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, Visit Belfast and the summit partners, there has been a real spirit of cooperation with everyone focused on showcasing the best of Belfast and Northern Ireland to this global audience. When we speak about the giant spirit of this place, this partnership approach has been a shining example.

With 43% of Belfast’s population under 30, there is a synergy between the ethos of One Young World and the young people of Belfast who are driving positive change for the future of this vibrant and exciting city.

The summit itself also represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local

businesses to sign their best young people up as delegates, join the One Young World movement and aid their development as future leaders.

With some of the biggest corporate names on the planet confirming their attendance at the Belfast summit, it’s also a unique opportunity for Northern Ireland companies to have their voice heard as some of the major challenges facing our world today are discussed.

The summit will take place at locations such as the world-class ICC Belfast and the SSE Arena. The closing ceremony will take place in ICC Belfast and across Titanic Quarter and will summarise an amazing week of learning, networking and personal legacies.

I’ve also no doubt when these international businesses experience our conference facilities, the summit will create a legacy of helping to attract these household names back to Northern Ireland for future conferences, exhibitions and events.

The city’s hotels, bars and restaurants will also showcase to the delegates just why this place is earning an international

reputation for amazing hospitality and world-class food and drink. These young delegates will also meet some of the warmest and friendliest people in the world as Belfast provides a welcome like no other city can.

We’ve come a long way in the past 25 years and we’ve the accolades to prove it such as Belfast and the Causeway Coast being named Best Places to Visit by Lonely Planet and Belfast being awarded City of Music status by UNESCO.

I’m excited to see how our story can provide hope to many of the young people visiting Belfast for the summit. Many of these young people will come from countries in the grip of conflict and will look at Northern Ireland’s journey and be inspired.

In a few years we will come to know the next generation of global leaders. Many of these people will have taken their first steps in leadership at One Young World in Belfast.

Northern Ireland will be a special place for them, and we will look forward to them returning in the future.

“Northern Ireland is now at home on the global stage, comfortable with the eyes of the world on us as an outstanding place to visit, to stage international conferences and to do business in.”

One Young World Ambassadors with Ella McKay, MD at One Young World.

Wilson Nesbitt Appoints Ciara Barlow to Director

Wilson Nesbitt has announced the appointment of Ciara Barlow to director level within the firm. Ciara focuses on Private Client and Family Law, and has extensive experience specialising in Divorce, Financial Settlements, Pre & Post Nuptial Agreements, Adoption, Surrogacy and all family-related matters.

Ciara Barlow joined the firm in 2010, and following her qualification in 2014, secured her place on the firm’s family law team. Ciara confidentially acts for clients in complex and demanding matters, building long lasting and valued relationships along the way. She is an expert at providing an enhanced and holistic approach to all financial and family matters.

Commenting on the announcement, Partner Lenore Rice said:

“Ciara is formidable in her efforts and commitment to her clients. She has earned great respect internally from her team and I, from her clients, but also from her professional peers.

Recently our family law team has undergone innovative improvements which help us optimise delivery and streamline legal processes, along with engaging in pivotal business development opportunities. Ciara has actively welcomed and supported these changes, implementing them in the team and has shown strong performance and leadership qualities.

We’re exceptionally proud of Ciara and all of her achievements. She is a very talented individual. We know she will continue to bring fresh ideas to the team, which make a real impact for our clients and our firm. Ciara’s promotion to director level is well deserved and recognises her significant contributions over recent years.”

Managing Partner Gilbert Nesbitt added:

“Ciara’s promotion is testament to her unfaltering commitment and dedication in delivering high-quality services and expertise to our valued and diverse client base. We will continue to support all in our teams to progress along their career paths. We understand our people are our greatest asset and continually strive to develop a unique culture which promotes responsibility and innovation at all levels.”

Wilson Nesbitt employs more than 75 people, based across two offices, one in Belfast and one in Bangor, and has recently been recognised in the Legal 500 for 2023, strengthening its position as one of Northern Ireland’s leading firms.

By Ronnie Crawford, MD Calibro

Tell us a bit about Calibro Workspace. Calibro is a design and build specialist with an experienced team of office designers, fitout specialists and wellbeing consultants. We are committed to putting space to work so it benefits its people, their wellbeing and productivity. We create spaces both sustainably and responsibly, that inspire people to do amazing things. Our team works closely with a range of business owners, project managers, architects, agents and contractors from across Northern Ireland and Ireland, and has offices in Antrim, Belfast and Dublin.

What does the term ‘Destination Workspace’ really mean?

The term Destination Workspace is really a workspace of the future, one that promotes innovation, collaboration, and social interaction. Work is no longer just a ‘place’, but more a ‘hub’ in which people are enabled to operate seamlessly and efficiently. It’s a space that employees love to go to, that supports new ways of working and enables our people to remain connected.

What challenges are employers experiencing in the workplace right now?

Over the last four years, we have collated a significant amount of data which has highlighted the many challenges faced by employers, but the one constant that has remained is the importance of maintaining staff engagement and culture, which as we all know impacts staff retention and attraction. As one of our clients said

CREATING A DESTINATION WORKSPACE

recently, “We are renowned in the city for our culture, but we are at serious risk of losing it!”. Understanding the culture and finding ways to bring that culture to life has been and always will be a massive driver of how Calibro design a workspace.

How does Calibro Workspace assist with enhancing productivity in the workplace? There are many ways to address productivity in the workplace but every company and individual works differently. So, the key is to truly understand the client and their people and then create a space that enables their people to work in the best way at any time, including working remotely and from home. But the real answer to your question is by creating a Destination Workspace!

How can employers build a strong community culture with the rise of hybrid working?

Many companies have seen a negative impact on culture since the inception of hybrid working but this doesn’t need to be the case! It is crucial to acknowledge that there is not a one size fits all solution, you can’t copy someone else’s culture, it is entirely unique to every company. We work closely with our clients to understand their culture and get to the heart of what makes their organisation tick and then create a space, which is aligned and supports this unique proposition.

As one of our clients commented following the completion of a successful project – “They understand way beyond design, they understand you.”

What can employers do to attract new talent to their organisations, along with retaining their current employees?

The talent war at the minute is real, it is so tough out there and there are so many factors that will influence an employee’s decision. In working with some of the

leading recruitment companies across Ireland, what has become very clear is the workspace you provide plays a large part in this decision-making process for current and potential employees. All people really want is to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of achievement, if you can provide the environment for them to do this, you’re on to a winner!

Wellbeing is a big focus in the workplace. How does office design impact on the wellbeing of employees?

Companies are increasingly recognising the importance of looking after both the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees and it is essential that it is reflected at the heart of your company culture and DNA. At Calibro our vision is ‘to improve the wellbeing of people at work’, it’s what we strive for every day and in every project. The overall design of an office space plays a significant role in promoting a sense of belonging and helping to ensure the needs of every individual is catered for. It also aims to promote positivity in the workspace and provide a sense of security wherever employees are working.

What trends do you see happening in the workplace with your clients across Ireland and the UK? Or what trends do anticipate during 2023/2024 in the workplace across Ireland and the UK? Flexibility! Along with remote work, companies are likely to offer more flexibility in terms of work hours and schedules, and differing styles of working within the office. Office life has evolved and it can no longer be a 9-5 job, sat at a desk all day. The office has to be reconfigured to improve and support flexibility, this will help employees balance their work and personal lives, and also increase productivity.

www.calibroworkspace.com

Welcoming Back Tourists

Adrian McNally is general manager of Northern Ireland’s leading hotel, Titanic Hotel Belfast. Passionate about the tourism and hospitality industry and a native of Middletown in Co Armagh, Adrian started his career as a bartender in a local hotel in Monaghan, before studying for a degree in hotel tourism and management at Ulster University’s Magee campus which took him to work in some of the world’s most luxurious hotels in Africa, America, China, Republic of Ireland and Great Britain.

Adrian has enjoyed a varied career which gave him invaluable experience to take on the role of general manager at Titanic Hotel Belfast. He has worked in conference and banqueting, reception, hotel bars and restaurants and is committed to nurturing the next generation of hospitality professionals who realise that the industry can be the perfect way to see the world.

Returning to Northern Ireland, Adrian managed the G8 Summit at Lough Erne Resort before moving to the Culloden and then being presented with the challenge of opening Titanic Hotel Belfast. He said: “It was a no brainer for me to take the job at Titanic Hotel Belfast. It was an honour to take on the challenge of opening this hotel steeped in rich history having opened so many hotels for Fairmont and Ritz Carlton. The allure of taking charge of opening this new and exciting venture in the most unique of venues, in the heart of Belfast – it was a dream come true!”

Fast forward five years and the

landscape is unrecognisable. The impact of the pandemic and cost of living crisis have taken their toll on the tourism and hospitality industry but Adrian remains buoyed by the learnings that he has taken from the past three years.

Adrian comments: “The staff are so committed to offering visitors an exceptional experience from the moment they step foot into Titanic Hotel Belfast. This could be the first opportunity the guest has had to enjoy a night away in the past few years and our staff are trained to ensure it’s unforgettable in every way.

“In the last couple of years we have welcomed so many new domestic visitors who live on our doorstep and from the Republic of Ireland who may not necessarily have considered a staycation before and it was overwhelming to see local people fall in love with our hotel and its heritage as well as what Titanic Quarter and Belfast in general had to offer. Now we’re welcoming foreign travellers again in numbers we only dreamed of previously and I am extremely proud of the team who ensure that Titanic Hotel Belfast operates to a worldclass standard every day.

“Hospitality is about welcoming guests in, it’s about putting a smile on a guest’s face, it’s about the anticipation of trying to do something that really makes the customer go ‘wow, that’s a little different’. And we have achieved that at Titanic Hotel Belfast.”

Adrian is an advocate for the industry and would recommend any young person who is interested in travelling to consider

a career in tourism. He worked with local government to develop an Apprenticeship Programme for the hotel.

Adrian added: “I firmly believe in apprenticeships, having started my career gaining experience from two summer placements at the Renaissance at London Heathrow, before being offered my first full-time position in the hotel which catapulted me to work in four continents.”

These apprenticeships are offering full pay, not the typical apprenticeship rate of pay, and the apprentices have the opportunity of working across different divisions of the hotel over a year. They experience a real-life environment with an NVQ qualification at the end of the 12 months and see first-hand the value of a career in the industry.

Multi-award-winning Titanic Hotel

Belfast has been named Northern Ireland’s Leading Hotel by World Travel Awards for five consecutive years since opening in 2017. The landmark heritage building features a 119-room hotel with a nautical personality and a rare collection of White Star Line and Titanic related artefacts.

Titanic Hotel Belfast is well equipped to manage every aspect of corporate meetings and events, from the smallest of intimate boardroom meetings to medium-sized conferences and the largest of company away days, managed by a team of trained staff including dedicated meeting planners who ensure every requirement is catered for.

Jim O’Hagan, Managing Director.

Future-Fit Business Solutions

Business services firm Bidvest Noonan has been offering an increasing range of security and cleaning solutions to the corporate world here for 46 years. More recently it has introduced robots to its team. Managing Director Jim O’Hagan explains all to Emma Deighan.

Jim O’Hagan joined Bidvest Noonan as managing director late last year bringing with him a hearty background in B2C and B2B firms.

Prior to taking up the post, he held senior executive roles for Curry’s, leading both the Irish operations and UK B2B enterprise teams.

An Ulster University alumnus, he has also played key roles at McDonald’s, Aldi, Musgrave and Superdrug.

“I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to join a business that is in an exciting growth phase in Northern Ireland,” he begins, referring to that move to the top at Bidvest Noonan.

“The executive team is very hungry to grow the business and I want to be part of the project. I also felt I could bring my experience from working in both the UK and Ireland to the role. These have been key motivators for me to join.”

Bidvest Noonan has been a leader in Northern Ireland for many decades in the services market. Its presence has strengthened during that period through both organic and acquisitive growth.

In the 1990s, Federal Security joined the group, followed by the acquisition of Resource FM Group in 2014, and more recently, industrial cleaning services firm Amber Support Solutions has bulked up the company.

“This growth has seen us become a leading business in the security, cleaning and industrial cleaning industries in NI,” Jim continues.

He credits the “highly accomplished team with vast sector and service expertise” for keeping the company at the top of its game here.

“Our management team alone has over 300 years of combined experience in both the cleaning and security industries working across the education, transport, manufacturing and retail sectors.

“We’ve developed a really ambitious three-year growth strategy for our business here in Northern Ireland. I’m thrilled to be working with a management team that has already achieved so much and is well-equipped to build on that success and deliver on our plans.”

He continues: “Our strategic plan for Bidvest Noonan in Northern Ireland is all about making our vision a reality with a heavy focus on creating a culture of collaboration, developing the strengths of our people, and delivering operational excellence for our customers. We’re doing that by using metrics that matter such

as people data to make smart decisions, giving our teams a voice with our new ‘Make a Difference’ survey and engaging our leadership team with clear goals for the year ahead. By doing this, we can have a positive impact on the day-to-day operations of our customers’ businesses.”

The company measures its customer experience through Net Promoter Score (NPS) and has set goals to improve metrics “to a world-class standard”.

“Communication, relationship building and developing long-term goals as partners are all key components of this long-term customer plan,” Jim adds.

Jim says helping businesses on their journey to net zero is “one of the defining issues of our time”.

“It’s the actions of businesses that will have the greatest impact towards a better future and Bidvest Noonan is playing its part, and we have some bold and exciting plans.

“Our own Carbon Reduction plan is a big part of our efforts to create a greener world. We’re working hard to become operationally Net Zero by 2035, and we’re already making significant progress. In Northern Ireland, for example, we’ve made great progress on our transition to a fully electric fleet, which is a big step forward. We’ve also introduced some really innovative water-saving technologies

across our contracts, and we’re using smart building technology to make sure we’re only using resources when we need them. It’s all about being responsible and doing our part to create a better future.”

Technology is playing a big role too with Bidvest Noonan introducing robotics into the mix, making it one of the most innovative in its sector.

“Technology has really changed the game for facilities services. We can do so much more now than we ever could before. One of the biggest benefits is how it’s made us more efficient. We can keep an eye on energy consumption, make sure spaces are being used effectively, and catch issues in real time.

“For example, our Dynamic Cleaning Solution has been a game-changer for our customers, resulting in cost savings, lower energy use and improved productivity. But that’s not all: we have also introduced robotic technology to work alongside our cleaning teams, handling repetitive and monotonous tasks such as large area cleaning.”

At the time of print, the company unveiled its new robot, Spot, which boasts “cutting-edge features like advanced mobility and autonomy”.

“That will bring huge benefits to our security operations. We are one of the first companies on the island of Ireland to have this kind of technology.

“It’s exciting to think about all the ways technology is changing the facilities services sector, and we’re proud to be leading the way here at Bidvest Noonan.”

Jim says the business will work with its strategy despite a challenging backdrop of inflation, labour rises and more working with supply chain partners to manage pricing and ensure continuity of supply.

“We have also invested in a new recruitment tool called the ‘Applicant Tracking System’ launching in May to support our people leaders attract and retain the best talent in the market.”

Coupling the latter with a five-stage customer service plan and recent national award wins including Best Security Team, Outstanding Act, and Service to the Customer at the British Security Awards (BSAs), Jim is very optimistic about the firm’s future.

He adds: “We have had some amazing contract wins, and also some retentions with important customers too. But most notably, we are ahead of schedule on the plan I set out on day one and look forward to delivering on it with my incredible team.”

“Our strategic plan for Bidvest Noonan in Northern Ireland is all about making our vision a reality with a heavy focus on creating a culture of collaboration, developing the strengths of our people, and delivering operational excellence for our customers. ”

Lagging Financial Literacy

AFinancial Literacy Score1 Index, commissioned by Bank of Ireland and conducted by Red C, has revealed that Northern Ireland has an average financial literacy score of 53%, with just over half of test questions answered correctly. The Index also reveals a striking di erence across gender and age, with women scoring almost 10% lower than men. Overall, 18 to 24-year-olds score lowest (42%) with the highest score for those between 45 and 64 (58%).

Compared to the Global S&P Financial Literacy survey2, the most recent closely comparable global study, carried out in 2015, Northern Ireland’s score of 53% significantly lags peers including Australia at 64%, Germany at 66%, and the USA on 57%. Northern Ireland’s financial literacy score does, however, compare more favourably with France at 52%.

The Financial Literacy Index also found that less than a third (29%) feel knowledgeable about financial matters. While one third claim to know about mortgages, only one fifth say they are familiar with investments and pensions. Encouragingly, almost two thirds (67%) said that they review their finances personally each month.

Key findings:

• There is a striking difference across demographics – those aged 18 to 24 score lowest at 42% with the highest score of 58% achieved by those between 45 and 64.

• Socio-economic factors also play a part with the highest overall average score of 59% among ABC1s, compared to C2DE at 48% average score.

• Financial literacy is a gender issue too. Women in Northern Ireland score almost 10% lower than men (49% answered correctly by women versus 58% by men).

• 26% of those who took part got less than 10 questions correct and would be considered to have very poor financial literacy.

• The best scores are achieved on basic numerical tests where 70% were answered correctly and prices with 69%

• Knowledge of savings and tax reliefs was lowest with 34% of answers scored correctly on savings and 22% on tax relief.

• All groups do poorly on ways to reduce credit card interest with just 24% able to identify all ways to reduce interest on credit cards

Dawn Bailey, head of financial wellbeing, Bank of Ireland, said: “The right financial decisions can have a critical impact on our lives. If we are more financially knowledgeable and literate, we are better placed to make sound choices and improve our financial wellbeing. “Good financial habits, like any positive habits, begin at an early age. That’s why we continue to invest in our financial literacy programme for schools, including our Financial Wellbeing resources for 16 to 18-year-olds and our primary and secondary school financial education programmes delivered in partnership with Young Enterprise NI.

“Recognising that financial literacy plays an important part throughout our lives, we have also developed a series of free financial resources which are available to parents, teachers, community groups and employers, ensuring access to financial literacy and wellbeing support at all life stages.”

Bank of Ireland’s commitment to financial wellbeing in 2022 saw the delivery of financial education programmes to over 5,000 young people in 84 schools across Northern Ireland, in addition to 450 hours of virtual financial wellbeing session delivery to community and voluntary groups, with appetite for financial literacy sessions continuing to grow in 2023. Draperstown-based

Helping young people improve their financial wellbeing, Bank of Ireland Community Engagement Managers Catriona

voluntary charity S.T.E.P.S., who recently received support from Bank of Ireland’s Begin Together Community Fund, work to raise awareness in their community of suicide prevention and mental health support. They requested Bank of Ireland’s help to deliver a financial literacy session to students at St Colm’s High School after the students advised that financial planning and understanding was important to their personal development and to having good mental health.

Speaking after the session, Karen McGuigan, S.T.E.P.S., said: “It’s great to see young people want to learn and make informed financial decisions as these are areas which can have a significant impact on wellbeing and mental health, especially as young people prepare to make the move to university or into employment. The session from the Bank of Ireland team was so informative and delivered in a way that met the students’ needs and expectations and I have no doubt that they will apply that learning in a practical way for many years to come.”

Free resources to support financial literacy and wellbeing are available from Bank of Ireland at: Financial Wellbeing Team - Bank of Ireland UK.

Research Sources:

1 The Financial Literacy Score study was completed with a nationally representative sample of n=758 adults aged 18+ living in Northern Ireland.

2 International comparisons are made to the most recently available comparative study. The S&P Global FinLit Survey is a global measurement of financial literacy, probing four basic financial concepts: risk diversification, inflation, numeracy, and compound interest.

McGirr and Shirleen McCann are pictured with Karen McGuigan from S.T.E.P.S. ahead of a financial literacy session with pupils at St Colm’s, Draperstown.

In Mark Crimmins’s 25 years with Ulster Bank, he has seen a lot of change in the economy, the sector, and the bank. The recent adoption of NatWest’s Tomorrow Begins Today brand positioning is the latest, and it’s one he is very positive about, not least of all because it re-affirms NatWest’s commitment to Northern Ireland. But whilst he’s keen to talk about the benefits of the change for customers, he’s equally keen to talk about the things that remain the same.

“Customers will have seen our digital platforms adopt the fresh new look and feel during March, and a major marketing and communications campaign has been showcasing our adoption of the Tomorrow Begins Today brand positioning to businesses, consumers, and stakeholders across Northern Ireland. We’ll also see the refresh begin to take effect in our branches and other buildings over the months ahead. It’s an exciting time,” he points out.

“But whilst the look and feel of the brand change, the Ulster Bank name of course remains, as it has since 1836. And there’s real significance in that as we continue to focus strongly on our local people and local presence, whilst leveraging the technology and investments of our parent bank, NatWest. So, it’s about commonality around brand and products and tech, but still dealing with the same local people,” he continues.

“We’re currently gearing up for our 15th year as principal sponsor of Balmoral Show in May. We’re also marking seven years as principal sponsor of the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards, and we’re principal sponsor of the Spirit of NI Awards in June too. Our sponsorship of some of Northern Ireland’s premier business and community events provides a fantastic platform to showcase our brand refresh. They also provide a great opportunity for us to highlight our continuing commitment to Northern Ireland’s economy, its businesses, and its communities.

“The reality is that whilst the adoption of the brand refresh on digital channels happened overnight, the change is part of a well-thought out, long-term strategy. It’s incremental change really, and for customers, it’s business as usual in terms of how they deal with the bank and our people.

“But it’s also change that brings clear benefits. There are a wide range of pluses for Northern Ireland, Ulster Bank, and our customers from us being part of NatWest and being more fully integrated within it. As NatWest invests in technology, propositions, and products, those investments now directly benefit customers in Northern Ireland too.

“There’s also a stability associated with being part of one of the largest banking groups in the UK and the financial strength that comes with that. Our business has continued uninterrupted and seamlessly in spite of some significant turbulence across the wider financial services sector in the past six months or more. I hope that will help reassure customers who may have concerns about the sector, especially given recent developments with Silicon Valley Bank and Credit Suisse.

“In fact, despite the external turbulence in recent times, we’re actually seeing stability in our own business and amongst our customer base. The portfolio is holding up well with strong levels of liquidity and no abnormal flows on impairments. That’s testament to the quality of the book, the financial choices made by our customers and their resilience and adaptability in the face of the many challenges – increased costs, supply chain, staffing, and pressures on consumers from the cost-of-living crisis. But despite that, firms on the whole remain relatively upbeat and continue to invest in their operations.

“The most recent Ulster Bank PMI provides some economic insight into how local businesses are faring. The reports for February and March show clear signs of improvement in the private sector, with business activity increasing and cost pressures easing a little. Firms are also more positive about the 12-month outlook than they were.

“Similarly, I would take a relatively positive view of the outlook for the business community. I don’t think we’re expecting any spectacular economic growth in the near term. But if companies keep innovating and investing, which I am confident they will, I think they will continue to fare well. An improvement in the political environment would be warmly welcomed and that would stimulate confidence and provide something of a tailwind relative to where things are currently.

“Ulster Bank for our part remains strongly committed to supporting our customers, our local economy, and our communities in Northern Ireland. The new look and feel of the brand bring us even closer to NatWest. However, we remain a Northern Ireland business with local people serving local customers and that is hugely important to me, as is the brand name. Our purpose is to champion potential here. We want to help people, families, and businesses in Northern Ireland to achieve their ambitions. When we say Tomorrow Begins Today, it’s not just a strapline. It’s at the heart of how we want to support customers.”

Ulster Bank’s head of Northern Ireland says the bank’s new brand positioning is a real positive for customers and NI.

Pupils Meet The Charity Challenge

The inaugural John Wilson Memorial Trust School Charity Challenge saw teams from each school representing the Kevin Bell Reparation Trust, Aspire NI, Reach Mentoring, Southern Area Hospice and Voice of Young People in Care.

The John Wilson Memorial Trust was set up in memory of the late John Wilson, son of Ulster Carpets founder, George Walter Wilson, and is dedicated to supporting local community projects. Each team took part in research for five weeks before making a presentation to a panel of judges from the Trust outlining why their charity should receive funding.

Dr John Wilson, chairman of Ulster Carpets and trustee of the John Wilson Memorial Trust, explained, “When the Trust was established in memory of my father, the idea was to build on his legacy of supporting the community.

“We saw this as an ideal way to

connect with young people and help them to understand the important role that charities play in their community. The presentations were of the highest standard and all the pupils should be proud of themselves.”

The judges deemed the presentation by Reach as worthy of the top prize of a £5,000 donation, while the other four charities received a £500 donation.

The positive feedback from all of those involved has encouraged the trustees to continue the challenge.

Heather McDowell, pastoral vice principal at Clounagh Junior High School, said, “The students from CJHS felt privileged to represent their chosen charities, Reach and Aspire, to the board of the John Wilson Memorial Trust.

“Each student enjoyed the opportunity to advocate for young people in their own community who benefit from additional support in school which enables them

to achieve their full potential. We were delighted that Reach will receive £5,000 as a result! The day was interesting and the students particularly enjoyed seeing how Ulster Carpets serves the local and global community from the design stage right to the production floor. For us it was a highlight of this school year!”

Áine Cushnahan, St John the Baptist’s College, added, “Taking part in the John Wilson Memorial Trust School Charity Project 2023 has been an incredible experience and something we will always remember. We have represented our school and chosen charities with pride, gained confidence and empathy and got closer as a class throughout the process.”

All the pupils also enjoyed a tour of manufacturing facilities at Portadown’s head office as well as learning more about design, health and safety, and health and wellbeing as part of their visit.

www.johnwilsontrust.com

The John Wilson Memorial Trust has joined forces with St John the Baptist’s College and Clounagh Junior High to support five charities.

Staff and pupils from St John the Baptist’s College who were presented with a cheque for Voice of Young People in Care from The John Wilson Memorial Trust.

Carson

announce a 2-year partnership supporting the Ulster University Belfast School of Art Annual Degree Shows

independent law firm Carson

two-year partnership with Ulster University’s Belfast School of Art, to and showcase the outstanding work

Ireland’s arts calendar, the Annual Degree Show will return for 2023, opening to the public on Friday 9 June on Ulster University Belfast campus, York Street

original artwork created by Final Year

and Masters level students across the School’s Art and Design courses visitors will see Fine Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography and Video, Product Design, Silversmithing, Ceramics, Textiles and Fashion exhibit alongside more contemporary forms such as Animation, Games Design, User Experience and Service Design. Ranked in the Top 10 for Arts & Design in the Times Good University Guide 2022, the Belfast School of Art plays a central role in the cultural and creative life of the region and makes a significant contribution to contemporary art and design both at home and abroad.

"We are delighted, post-pandemic, to be reigniting a partnership that began in 2012 and to continue to showcase the world-class talent and skill of our creative students. There is a great synergy between the history and values of our organisations, for example Carson McDowell was established in 1852, only three years after the Belfast School of Art, and so we also have a considerable amount of heritage yet are passionate about crafting a modern, dynamic, progressive and independent local law firm that thinks creatively to bring quality solutions to our clients.

The Arts and Creative Industries is a hugely important growth sector in Northern Ireland that is already recognised on the global stage. By supporting the Ulster University Belfast School of Art Annual Degree Shows we believe we are investing in our shared future, as the successful career development of these individual artists and creatives will generate additional social and economic benefits for the region through the development of innovative concepts, ideas, knowledge and networks."

Dr Brian Dixon, Head of the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University commented:

“The Belfast School of Art is delighted to enter this renewed partnership with Carson McDowell which feeds into a series of exciting recent developments for the School. For example, last year saw alumni and PhD researchers win the Turner Prize as members of the Array Collective and, through our contributions to the Ulster Screen Academy, we continue to lead on creative industries growth within the region. We are also very proud to be launching a bespoke School brand this summer, further establishing our presence on the global stage.

Collectively, all of this builds on an esteemed legacy, stretching back to 1849. Indeed, some of the most celebrated artists on the island having such as Paul Henry having previously been studied here historically. Carson McDowell’s partnership will allow us to continue support emergent artists and designers to make their mark, shaping culture and driving positive social change both locally and around the world.”

Neasa Quigley, Senior Partner, Carson

McDowell stated:

McDowell

(L-R) Tania Carlisle, Corporate Engagement Partner, Ulster University; Neasa Quigley, Senior Partner, Carson McDowell Solicitors; Dr Brian Dixon, Head of the Belfast School of Art, Ulster University.

Growth and Diversification

Terex contributes to a bright history and future

Twenty-five years post Good Friday Agreement, there has been much coverage comparing Northern Ireland before and after it came into effect. The growth of Terex, a global manufacturer of materials processing machinery and aerial work platforms has coincided with that period. Its success reinforces that the US-owned company is committed to the region and recognises its potential as a fantastic place to do business.

Terex first entered Northern Ireland in 1999 when it purchased Powerscreen, based in Dungannon, and Finlay, based in Omagh; two innovative, industry-leading crushing and screening companies. Since then, Terex has continued to grow and invest here, expanding its portfolio of businesses manufactured across the region to include Terex Washing Systems (washing equipment for sand and aggregates), Terex Ecotec (environmental equipment), EvoQuip (compact crushing and screening equipment) and ProStack (conveying equipment).

Alongside growing its businesses, Terex has substantially increased its manufacturing footprint and global shared services in Northern Ireland. In 2015, Terex purchased a fabrications site in Ballymoney as well as a new parts and distribution facility in Dungannon, which currently drives the supply of parts to Terex customers globally. The same year, Terex consolidated global back-office financial teams to Lurgan, reflecting the company’s confidence in the quality of financial professionals in Northern Ireland.

In 2019, Terex opened a new facility in Campsie to build equipment for the growing environmental sector. This was its first location in the Northwest, providing access to a new labour pool with proximity to Ulster University’s School of Engineering at the Magee campus. As recently as last year, Terex purchased a further site in Cookstown, another manufacturer of heavy fabrications serving the crushing and screening industry.

As a result, Terex now has a large footprint in Northern Ireland, currently operating across eight locations and employing over 2,000 people locally. This team of people, some of whom have been around for as long 50+ years (originally with the Powerscreen and Finlay businesses), are the backbone to the success of Terex in Northern Ireland.

To develop its team, the company invests heavily in young people across functional fields including production, engineering, sales and operations. It does so through established programmes facilitating apprenticeships, foundation degrees, graduate programmes and welding academies.

To accomplish this, Terex partners with organisations including MEGA –Manufacturing & Engineering Growth & Advancement, Ulster University, Queen’s University and regional colleges in the locations in which it operates.

For example, when Terex Campsie opened, most of its new starts from the Northwest were not from the sector and needed skills training. This led to the establishment of a partnership with NWRC to launch the Hydraulics Training Course.

Terex is also very active in its outreach to local schools and is committed to educating the next generation about the variety of career paths that are available working for a global company while being on their doorstep in Northern Ireland.

Terex has a strong diversity, inclusion and equality strategy. Female team members are a minority in the engineering and manufacturing industry but Terex has been successful in attracting women to manufacturing, engineering and managerial roles. An example is the Female Fitter Academy – an innovative recruitment drive to break down the stereotype that manufacturing roles are just for men. It’s focused on actively reaching out to women, encouraging them to join their manufacturing workforce and accommodating them where needed, such as through adapted hours to suit childcare arrangements.

Terex also has people from many cultures and backgrounds across its sites in Northern Ireland. To nurture inclusivity, it has hosted culture nights, enabling team members from different countries to educate their colleagues on their background, such as Polish or East Timorese. In Ballymoney, Terex has recently started a group of team members from India, who took the opportunity to relocate from a Terex manufacturing facility located at Hosur, which also manufactures crushing and screening equipment for the global company. Another initiative recently announced by NOW Group, a leading social enterprise in Ireland, is that Terex has

been named as its first strategic partner in the manufacturing sector across Ireland. The partnership will focus on increasing employment opportunities for people with learning difficulties, autism or a communication barrier in the manufacturing industry. Terex will work with NOW Group to provide training, mentoring, employment opportunities and sponsorship with the aim of creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce.

The Terex teams and facilities across Northern Ireland are centres of excellence, well known across the world for being leaders in technology, design and innovation. The products manufactured in Northern Ireland support the aggregates industry, necessary for global development, and its environmental

products support the circular economy. This is a key growth area for Terex and is central to its Economic and Social Governance strategy.

As well as supporting the circular economy with products that process waste, up to 70% of the Terex product offering has electric options which reduce emissions and support its customers in reducing their carbon footprint. Customer demand for these products is evident across the factories in Northern Ireland, with increasing numbers of electric machines coming off the line.

As well as innovating to create more environmentally friendly products, Terex is investing in its facilities to reduce emissions from its operations. Carbon and energy reduction initiatives are planned throughout its geographic locations, which are conducting energy-related audits to reduce reliance on energy consumption, reduce GHG emissions and identify other areas for short, medium and long-term improvements. One example is the addition of electric charging stations and ATVs/forklift trucks.

Alongside investment to make its operations more environmentally friendly, Terex is continuing to invest in its existing facilities. For example, a complete office renovation at its main Dungannon site, home of Powerscreen, and investments right across Northern Ireland to digitalise its factories with, for example, robotic welding.

It is certainly a story of continued growth, investment and diversification for Terex in Northern Ireland, in terms of its team, manufacturing footprint, operations and product portfolio, and one that makes the next 25 years look promising.

As Northern Ireland looks ahead to the next decade and beyond, the role an effective, successful and well-funded public transport network can play is immense, bringing clear, cross-cutting benefits environmentally, economically and socially.

It is clear that a modal shift towards public and other sustainable forms of transport is essential to address the climate crisis, regenerate our communities and improve public health.

Translink is focusing on the theme of Better. Connected in the years ahead as we develop our plans to make public transport your first choice for travel, today for tomorrow.

Investment

We are planning major enhancements to our service offering, including increased passenger capacity, fleet decarbonisation and infrastructure upgrades, as well as investment in the rail network, new and improved station facilities and ticketing and technology upgrades.

Our passenger levels have recovered well from the pandemic, and we’re now back to around 90% of our pre-COVID level, with an expectation that full recovery will have taken place by 2024.

It is clear that no path to Net Zero is possible without an effective public transport system, but per-head spending on public transport in Northern Ireland is consistently below other parts of the UK, at approximately 35% of the UK average. This must be addressed as a matter of priority if we are to achieve the targets set out in the Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 and continue to deliver for society.

Climate Action

As we work to deliver the goals set out in that legislation, as well as in Northern Ireland’s Clean Air Strategy, it is important to remember that the climate crisis is the most pressing challenge our society faces, with the potential to impact on how we live our lives in the decades ahead. Translink is playing our full part, thanks to the ongoing introduction of our Zero Emission fleet.  Over 100 Zero Emission buses are now in operation across our bus

network, and this figure will continue to grow.  Already, about one third of Metro vehicles in Belfast are Zero Emission, and in the coming months, 100% of Derry~Londonderry’s Foyle Metro fleet will be as well, with the initial rollout on Ulsterbus commencing this year.

A Zero Emission rail network is also on our agenda, and we are considering plans for electrification and the roll-out of Net Zero technology across NI Railways.

Connecting Communities

The delivery of Belfast Grand Central Station, currently proceeding at pace in Belfast city centre towards a 2025 completion date, will transform public transport in Northern Ireland and provide a key transport gateway across the island of Ireland, providing much-needed additional passenger capacity and scope for greater service provision.

The cross-border Enterprise service is vital, not only for the growing and vibrant Belfast – Dublin corridor, but for Northern Ireland as a whole. To help drive further improvements, we are working with Irish Rail and others to procure new fleet and make the transition to Zero Emission technologies, as well as making plans to deliver an hourly frequency on this vital inter-city corridor.

The much-anticipated All-Island Strategic Rail Review, expected to be published in the

period ahead by DfI and the Department of Transport in Dublin, is also expected to recommend expansion of and investment in our railway network, as well as improving connections to ports and airports.

Improving inter-city connectivity between Belfast and Dublin to the North West is also a key priority, along with exploring the opportunity to re-open the former rail line between Lisburn and Antrim, which opens up the possibility of rail connections to Belfast International Airport for the first time.

Supporting Health and Wellbeing

Public transport means less congestion on our streets and arterial routes, with cleaner, better quality air to breathe.  Recent research indicates that health costs associated with air pollution in Northern Ireland are already impacting on our health service, with an anticipated 84,000 new cases of pollutionrelated illnesses expected between now and 2035.

Public transport also supports active travel modes, including walking and cycling, and we are working to make our network as accessible as possible for all our users.

Conclusions

While the connections outlined above are strategic in nature, it is worth taking a moment to consider Translink’s vital role in our communities every day – in a society where around 20% of households have no access to a car (even higher in major urban areas), people depend on our bus and rail services to get to where they need to be.  We take 50,000 pupils to and from school every day, with over 500,000 people using Translink services to get to and from medical appointments; 100,000 young people aged 16-23 avail of our 50% iLink discount.

Public transport acts as a lifeline for communities, urban and rural, providing connections to employment, education, healthcare, and leisure and social opportunities, as well as supporting the visitor and tourist market.  It is vital that public transport in Northern Ireland continues to be supported so that it can deliver its’ vital role for People, Planet and Prosperity.

Find out more at www.translink.co.uk/betterconnected

Backing Public Transport for a Future that’s Better. Connected

Terry Moore.

Outsource Group: Innovating in Cyber Security For Over 20 Years

Belfast’s recent staging of CYBERUK 2023, the UK’s flagship cyber security event, was a fitting symbol of Northern Ireland’s new-found status as a leading global cyber security hub, with hundreds of businesses now contributing jobs and millions of pounds in investment to the local economy.

One of the foundations of this success has been the reputation and achievements of local indigenous IT focused firms, such as the Outsource Group, an IT security and managed services group of companies which has been innovating and delivering cyber security solutions to the local market for over two decades.

Founded by IT innovator Terry Moore in 2000, Outsource Group has grown year on year into what is now recognised as the leading locally owned IT security and managed services business in Northern Ireland, with over 70 staff, five offices and a compelling suite of IT related services on offer.

Originally established as an IT managed services business, Outsource has grown into a security focused group, with IT security underpinning all products and services. Security is the number one priority of Outsource, whether it be via its suite of managed services, cloud, telecoms or consultancy offerings.

To further enhance the Outsource focus on security and as part of the group’s growth plans in 2022, Outsource acquired one of the most highly respected cyber security consultancies, on these islands and beyond, in ANSEC IA.

This acquisition was a key part of Outsource’s strategic decision to become the ‘powerhouse in IT security services’, with ANSEC adding additional skills, experience and reputation, underpinned with some of the most experienced and technically proficient security consultants in the industry.

Based on this growing reputation for service, innovation and delivery, the growth of Outsource is no longer confined to Northern Ireland, with additional new business secured in the last 12 months in ROI, USA and Australia.

Terry Moore says: “Despite our overseas success stories, Northern Ireland will always be our core market, with the region’s growing reputation as a global hub for cyber security underpinning our growth plans. Being involved in CYBERUK 2023 and having the USA President Joe Biden declare that Northern Ireland is leading the world in cyber security, all helps cement this place as a world leader in cyber security.”

With specific regard to the recent acquisition of ANSEC, Terry goes on to say: “Businesses like ANSEC are key to developing the Outsource global brand. The acquisition is a statement to the market that any company which requires exceptional levels of security expertise and experience needs to consider Outsource as the ‘go to’ group for IT security. No other local company can provide the depth and breadth of security services that Outsource can and with all group technical staff holding individual security clearances no other group in Northern Ireland can deliver the levels of security support and services, to every public or private entity, on these islands and beyond”.

Outsource’s plans remain to double in size over the next three years, which is supported by the acquisition of ANSEC, however, the group continues to seek additional new acquisition opportunities, where it is considered its expertise or footprint could be further enhanced.

The group is also experiencing strong growth in its new cloud business, OSG Cloud. Another wholly-owned subsidiary of Outsource Group, OSG Cloud was formally built and developed in partnership with the Dell Group and is a full Dell, VMware, Veeam designed hyperscale cloud and direct competitor to the market-dominating ‘Big 3’ public cloud providers of Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Service and Google.

Terry explains: “OSG Cloud was another innovation by the group and was developed from the ground up in partnership with the leading global IT solution providers in the world. Our Cloud delivers an enterprise grade solution to the mass market, delivering greater performance than the incumbent players at more competitive, ‘guaranteed’ price points. With the entire solution built with a security first objective, OSG Cloud will enable businesses to accelerate productivity, optimise IT and maximise return on investment.”

“OSG Cloud enjoyed exceptional results across its first full 12 months of trading, exceeding all our expectations by recovering its initial capital investment and enjoying a positive cashflow position, almost two years ahead of original forecasts. We expect the extremely strong demand for OSG Cloud to continue as companies prioritise cyber resiliency and disaster recovery services,” he continues.

Like all fast-growing businesses in the IT sector, a big challenge is around finding enough high-quality people to enable and sustain expansion. Outsource Group has had real success in this area though, more than doubling its workforce in the past few years. The company puts a high priority on its culture and on providing learning and development opportunities for its team.

Terry Moore says that this has been really important in attracting talent. But he says that they have big plans to further enhance their offering.

“To sustain growth in the IT sector, you need great people and to get great people, you need to offer a great working environment where people are paid well for what they do, treated extremely well, and given everything they need to learn, perform, develop and grow. That’s where our focus is, and we’re working hard to further enhance our offering, with new benefits and incentives being added at the minute,” he continues.

“2023 won’t be without its challenges and continuing to attract the right talent is one of them. But we expect this to be another very strong year for Outsource Group, and we’re excited about the possibilities this year and into the years ahead.”

“Despite our overseas success stories, Northern Ireland will always be our core market, with the region’s growing reputation as a global hub for cyber security underpinning our growth plans.”

A&L Goodbody and Inspire Celebrate Charity Partnership

A&L Goodbody (ALG) and social enterprise and wellbeing charity Inspire have marked the completion of a three-year partnership, which the corporate law firm described as “hugely beneficial and inspiring”. Over the past three years, ALG has raised more than £16,000 for the charity. In addition, through volunteering and pro bono legal advice, ALG’s 140-strong team in Belfast has supported Inspire’s invaluable work in delivering mental health, learning/intellectual disability, autism, addiction and workplace wellbeing services.

Doherty Pension & Investment Consultancy Ltd Joins Mattioli Woods Group

Doherty Pension & Investment Consultancy Ltd in Belfast has become part of the Mattioli Woods Group. Mattioli Woods plc is a listed company with over 800 employees, in excess of £15bn assets under advice and administration and offices throughout the UK. It is one of the UK’s leading providers of wealth management, corporate benefits and pension consultancy services. The consultancy’s new relationship with Mattioli Woods will bring added benefits of scale, wider geographical reach and an increased breadth of service.

Local Job Market Defies Expectations

Hiring platform NIJobs says that optimism and investment are some of the factors contributing to healthy recruitment levels as the local market continues to defy expectation.

The Q1 NIJobs Report with Ulster Bank also signals that the normalisation of the job market continued following previous record highs. The total number of advertised job vacancies decreased by 8% in Q1 2023 and represented the fewest number of job listings in two years. However, the level of recruitment activity in the latest quarter still exceeds anything that occurred prior to the pandemic and was 41% above the corresponding quarter in 2019.

PwC NI Launches Maths4Girls Programme

Professional services firm PwC has partnered with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to launch Maths4Girls, a volunteering programme that inspires girls in Northern Ireland to continue the pursuit of maths.

The aim of the Maths4Girls programme is to increase engagement and interest levels of girls aged 11-14 in maths because this opens up highimpact STEM-related careers. An initiative by Founders4Schools (F4S), the programme is designed to increase the number of girls taking maths beyond GCSE, by connecting young girls with women professionals and role models who use maths in their careers. The highly acclaimed pilot involved 25,000 girls in England and showed material increases in girls’ confidence and intention to study maths post GCSEs.

Cat McCusker, regional market leader, PwC NI, said: “We were fully on board with the opportunity to support the launch of Maths4Girls in NI. The initiative has the potential to make a big difference in addressing the significant and persistent shortfall in STEM skills that currently exists here.

“Fewer than one in 10 girls in NI pursue STEM to the point of employment, and despite women making up almost half of Northern Ireland’s workforce, only 11% of engineers are female. When this is combined with the fact that only 18% of primary school teachers in NI specialise in maths, and that physics A-level is only available in a few select grammar schools here, it paints a stark picture. Especially when we consider that more and more jobs are increasingly demanding important STEM skills.

“A significant area of focus for PwC is to nurture upcoming talent, so that jobs of the future aren’t threatened by a scarcity of key skills. We need to increase the skills pipeline in Northern Ireland to make sure that future demand for STEM skills is met, for the benefit of our young people, and ultimately for the prosperity of this region.”

Ulster University partners with Carson McDowell in support of Belfast School of Art annual

degree shows

Ulster University and independent law firm Carson McDowell have announced a twoyear partnership to support Belfast School of Art’s annual degree shows, showcasing the outstanding work of the school’s talented artists and creatives.

A significant annual event in Northern Ireland’s arts calendar, the Annual Degree Show will return for 2023, opening to the public on Friday 9 June on Ulster University Belfast campus, York Street and is free of charge to visit.

Presenting original artwork created by Final Year and Masters level students across the school’s Art and Design courses visitors will see Fine Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography and Video, Product Design, Silversmithing, Ceramics, Textiles and Fashion exhibit alongside more contemporary forms such as Animation, Games Design, User Experience and Service Design.

Carson McDowell has announced a two-year partnership to support Belfast School of Art’s annual degree shows.

Alison Rowan McEwan (F4S), Cat McCusker (PwC NI) and Priyanka Sethi (TCS UK&I).

Introducing IntoMedia

The Irish News’ own story is one of change and evolution spanning more than 100 years and its future is set to be every bit as progressive as Emma Deighan discovers when Deputy Managing Director (MD) Sinead Cavanagh unveils plans to introduce the new multimedia group IntoMedia this month.

(L-R) IntoMedia Senior Leadership Team. Stuart Duncan, Claire McGrath, Paul Donnelly, David Wilson, Dominic Fitzpatrick, Sinead Cavanagh, Noel Doran, Annette McManus and Thomas Carey.

IntoMedia is the new umbrella group name for the Irish News, Q Radio and Interpress – the three businesses owned by the Fitzpatricks, the family behind the success of the organisations.

Launched this month to unite the three brands and herald a new era for the family, their employees and businesses, IntoMedia will be housed at the Fountain Centre, the iconic building on Belfast’s College Street purposely built by the family in 1978.

“The newly formed IntoMedia group’s mission is to use our independent voice to play a positive role in society,” Sinead Cavanagh, deputy MD, begins.

“We inform the conversation, entertain and inspire debate by telling compelling stories,” she adds. “And this was the natural next step for the business and its group companies.”

Over the past year, IntoMedia has worked with FT Strategies, the consultancy arm of the Financial Times, which has supported it on “an exciting journey with an incredibly ambitious growth strategy,” to the tune of a sevenfigure spend.

“When we read of contraction at other media houses, we’re doing the opposite by investing in technology and adding to our team of 132,” Sinead continues.

“We will also rebrand the Irish News later in the year when readers will see a big difference, but with that change, they can be assured that our quality journalism and trust will remain the same.”

“The rebrand is essentially us doubling down on our ethos and who we are. We recognise our unique role in the north and beyond and in some ways, we consider the Irish News to be an ‘institution’ that has a crucial part to play here, with authoritative, trustworthy, highly credible journalism, notable by its balance and integrity.”

AI and a newer digital transformation are also on the cards.

“We’re not afraid of change and for us it’s about how we can add to what we are already doing and make the absolute best of what we have.

“People talk of digital transformation in newspapers but we’ve been on that journey a long time and we were one of the first to enable a paywall here to protect the value of the work our journalists were doing and that has stood us in very good stead. This investment gives us the right environment which gives us the best advantage.”

Having worked at the group for 25 years, Sinead has been at the forefront of

many of its biggest milestones, including that paywall, its acquisition of the Q Radio network and the establishment of Interpress – a print press which prints 40 newspapers daily including The Belfast Telegraph and Mirror group publications.

She’s well versed in change and how to shape the business to be a future fit one.

Joining at a time of monumental change for Northern Ireland – 1998 –and the year she got married, Sinead continues leading this transformative journey alongside her senior management team led by Dominic Fitzpatrick (MD) and seven industry experts including Irish News Editor Noel Doran, the longest serving editor of any daily newspaper in the UK and Ireland.

“Twenty-five years sounds like a long time but it doesn’t feel that long, and I think that’s because things change here all of the time and we haven’t stood still over that period,” she says.

Walking around the new offices at the Fountain Centre, which is also the home of Q Radio, a station considered one of the most successful commercialised radio stories in the UK and Ireland, entertaining an audience of almost 230,000, there’s an air of enthusiasm.

From the purple colour palette that runs throughout and in sync with Q Radio’s branding to the bright and airy boardrooms, the soon-to-be expansive Irish News newsroom, the soundtrack of Q’s broadcast and the occasional singing of the famous Fountain Centre Alice Clock, it feels like IntoMedia is taking its rightful place in the heart of Belfast and is ready to take on the future of media.

Its launch also coincides with the handover of the paper’s Donegall Street home of over a century to Ulster University and the move of journalists to the Fountain Centre.

“The Irish News is part of the city and

that’s why it was important for us to come here and not set up in an industrial estate,” Sinead explains.

“The sale of Donegall Street to Ulster University will create a fantastic legacy for our newspaper. It makes a lot of sense to pull everything together and have all our resources in one space, where we can share best practices and stories and collaborate.”

The Fountain Centre is also home to broadcasting studios which will be instrumental in the ongoing digital evolution of the Irish News, allowing it to build on its offering, but this by no means signals the end of print for the publication, Sinead says.

“The Irish News has over a century of operating history with a heritage stretching back to 1891 and though committed to the printed page, we are an all-Ireland media brand with ambitions to reach a global audience and to compete on a global stage.

“Over 40% of people who visit our website don’t live in Ireland so we have a very important role to play for the many Irish who live abroad.

“For us, it’s about being everywhere and anywhere our readers are now and in the future. We don’t see our reader as simply print or digital. We’ve seen a rise of the ‘blended’ reader who enjoys both and where we go in the future will always be dictated by their demands. Our readers still have an appetite for print and we sell on average 25,000 papers every day, outselling all of our local competitors.”

The Irish News is the second biggestselling daily newspaper in the whole of the UK. It’s an impressive stat, given the size of Northern Ireland.

Q Radio, which is the only national station here capable of splitting content to offer advertisers a national and hyperlocal model thanks to its seven frequencies, is also recruiting and will welcome one of the most sought-after comedians in the UK and Ireland, Cork native Andrew Ryan, to its presenter line-up, in tune with the rebrand that focuses on its ‘Big personality, Big Reach credentials’.

“Our priority now is to build a sustainable business model, continue to strengthen our market leadership locally and identify opportunities further afield.

“By bringing our talented people together in one location, we will unleash synergies that clearly exist and ensure we continue to deliver the best journalism and entertainment for our readers and listeners across all our platforms,” Sinead concludes.

“We’re not afraid of change and for us it’s about how we can add to what we are already doing and make the absolute best of what we have.”

BT Group Adds £690m to NI Economy

The activities of BT Group added £690 million to the wider economy of Northern Ireland last year and supported more than 7,300 jobs, according to a new report.

The report from consultancy firm Hatch looked at the spend of employees and suppliers of BT Group – which includes EE, BT, Plusnet and Openreach – and the estimated knock-on impact that has on economies across the UK.

The report found that BT Group, the UK’s largest telecommunications company which employs more than 3,200 people in Northern Ireland, made a direct contribution to the NI economy estimated at £420 million in the last financial year (2021/22). Through the company’s employees and its supply chain, and their subsequent spending, Hatch estimates the resulting boost to the NI economy came to a total of £690 million.

The company’s spending with suppliers based in Northern Ireland came to a total of £140 million. According to the study, BT Group’s combined activities supported

a knock-on total of 7,340 jobs across Northern Ireland.

The report highlights BT Group’s presence across Northern Ireland and its current major investment in the rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G. It also profiles the range of activities by BT Group colleagues across the UK, from the volunteers helping care home residents avoid isolation and loneliness, to the teams protecting customers and the UK from cyber threats.

BT Group is also transforming its offices and contact centres across the UK. It recently officially opened the multi-million pound refurbished Riverside Tower building in Belfast city centre. BT Group has already opened two brand new regional hubs in Birmingham and Bristol with new hubs set to open in Manchester and Cardiff this year.

It is part of the company’s Better Workplace Programme, one of the largest workplace improvement schemes of its type ever undertaken in the UK. The fiveyear programme will see the company

shift from having around 300 locations in the UK to around 30, with a focus on creating new, modern workspaces.

Philip Jansen, chief executive of BT Group, said: “BT Group plays a vital role at the heart of the Northern Ireland economy. We’re one of only a handful of companies that serves customers in every corner of the UK.

“We’ve continued our major investment in building next generation full fibre and mobile connectivity rapidly across the UK. We’ve already reached 9.6 million premises with full fibre, and our 5G mobile network now reaches 60% of the UK population. The benefits to families and businesses are huge: new jobs, economic growth and innovation, across every nation and region.

“We’re also transforming BT Group so that we’re fit to power the Northern Ireland economy of the future. Our new state-of-the-art offices, spread across the UK, are a central part of that, bringing colleagues together in brilliant spaces that will enable collaboration and help us to better serve our customers.”

BT Group’s activities provided an estimated boost of £690m to the Northern Ireland economy last year and supported more than 7,300 jobs.

NEWAPPOINTMENTS

IN THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY

PATRICIA BURNS

Interim Chief Financial Officer, Belfast City Airport

KATHY TOYE Commercial Manager, Belfast City Airport

BRIAN LENEHAN HR Consultant at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore

FLORENCE SMITH Associate Director, Cleaver Fulton Rankin

PAULA MORROW

Associate, Cleaver Fulton Rankin

MATTHEW EVERS Director of IT Recruitment, VANRATH

MICHAEL JACKSON

Head of Commercial, Belfast City Airport

CAITLÍN BROWN Solicitor, Cleaver Fulton Rankin

KPMG Bolsters Deal Advisory Practice With High Profile Appointments

KPMG is continuing the next stage of its Northern Ireland growth strategy with a number of key senior appointments to further strengthen its Deal Advisory practice.

James Neill has been announced as a partner in KPMG and the new head of the Restructuring and Forensics practice in Northern Ireland, one which boasts deep experience and a market-leading reputation for handling some of the province’s largest and most complex turnaround and restructuring projects.

James will be joined by Director John Donaldson, who also has extensive experience advising on business turnarounds, corporate restructuring and insolvency.

Johnny Hanna, partner in charge at KPMG in Northern Ireland, said: “I am delighted to welcome James and the team to KPMG. They bring with them a wealth of experience and knowledge within the restructuring and forensics area which will help to grow our reputation as a market leader in the sector.

“We take our role as a true partner to the local economy seriously and this latest investment highlights our commitment to invest and broaden our skills base to meet the changing needs of business. KPMG is perfectly placed to help Northern Ireland’s public and private sector take advantage of the growing wealth of levers – a range of city deals, dual market access to the UK and EU and the chance to devolve corporation tax-setting powers – which will act as a catalyst for economic and social growth and a prosperous future for the province.”

James Neill said: “I’m excited to be joining KPMG at a time of growth for the firm. The team and I are focused on building upon the firm’s reputation within the restructuring sector throughout Ireland.

“The skills and experience of the team, combined with the breadth and depth of expertise from the wider KPMG family worldwide, provide an exceptionally strong offering for our clients.”

Cleaver Fulton Rankin Grows Employment & Immigration Team

Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s Employment & Immigration department continues to cement its reputation as a thriving market leader in 2023. The dynamic team now boasts six leading experts in NI Employment & Immigration law, including Head of Department, Michael Black, who has been recognised as a ‘Leading Individual’ in the Legal 500 Guide, and award-winning Associate Nathan Campbell who is listed as an ‘Associate to Watch’ in Chambers & Partners.

The team is headed up by Director Michael Black, a solicitor with over 30 years’ experience, and supported by Director Suzanne Keenan. The team has also recently welcomed Associate Director Florence Smith, who brings with her over 14 years’ PQE in employment law.

Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s growing Employment & Immigration team has also gained a number of prestigious accolades in the past year, having been ranked as a Tier 2 firm for Employment in the Legal 500 and as Band 2 in the Chambers & Partners guide for 2023. In July 2022, Associate Nathan Campbell won the Rising Star Award at the LawNet Awards for his dedication to exceptional client service and business development.

Passionate about sharing information on the latest legal news and developments, the Employment & Immigration team has recently published podcasts on prevalent legal issues such as menopause and fertility policies in the workplace, sexual harassment at work, and managing the risks of social media.

The Employment & Immigration Team at Cleaver Fulton Rankin.

James Neill, partner in KPMG and the new head of the Restructuring and Forensics practice in Northern Ireland, and Johnny Hanna, partner in charge of KPMG in Northern Ireland.

Columnist

The Stress Cycle

Do you notice yourself holding tension in your shoulders?

Is there a permanent knot in your stomach? Does your throat feel tight or are your jaws permanently clenched? Do you experience brain fog and lack the mental clarity and focus that you need to complete tasks efficiently? These are all subtle signs that you are in the ‘stress zone’. This is a state of hyper activation in the body known as fight or flight, which occurs as a response to a perceived ‘threat’.

In the past, our perceived ‘threat’ might have been an animal approaching us while we are out hunting. Upon returning back home to safety and being connected again with family, the stress cycle would be complete. Stress cycles were frequent, and the reaction to them was very physical in nature. But the stress cycle was always completed, bringing the body back into its resting state, resolving any experienced stress.

With today’s lifestyle, the stress response in our body is the same, but our stressors are very different. The threat could be a deadline that is due, childcare challenges, commutes, financial pressures – and the list goes on. Essentially we are living in a stress response, constantly in this activated state of fight or flight.

We never truly give ourselves time to close the stress cycle in our nervous system and therefore we live with cortisol and adrenaline running through our system all the time. Living in a survival response of stress, anxiety and overwhelm has become the norm!

Our body then very quickly begins to let us know that we are out of balance through physical ailments, and, if left unchecked, burnout and breakdown.

When we are in this fight or flight response, it can feel disorienting to slow

down and we can become addicted to the busyness of being productive.

So, how do we regulate our nervous system and close the stress cycle? How can we settle into a slower pace without increasing anxiety about slowing down? Will we actually discover a more efficient level of productivity if we allow ourselves moments to slow down, reset and restore?

BREATH, TOUCH, SOUND AND MOVEMENT REGULATE THE NERVOUS SYSTEM.

We can ‘train’ our system to close the stress cycle, coming back to a state of feeling more regulated again.

We can do this by ‘toning’ our vagus nerve. Our vagus nerve supports our ability to come out of the fight or flight response and to be in the calmer space of ‘rest and digest’.

So, how do we tone our vagus nerve?

1. Slowing the breath down with deep belly breaths, making the exhale a bit longer than the inhale. For example, breathe in for a count of 4, breathe out for a count of 6.

2. Place one hand on your breast bone and the other hand on the lower belly as you slow the breath down. The contact of the hands with the body can have a soothing effect on a stressed system. Connect with the contact of your feet on the floor to feel more grounded and settled.  Set your alarm to do this on regular intervals throughout your day.

3. Movement: moving your body in any way!

- maybe a few stretches in the morning or regularly throughout the day

- yoga/pilates/high intensity workouts/ low intensity workouts

- dance, walking, running, the gym! Any form of movement that leaves you

feeling energised and uplifted rather than exhausted and depleted.

4. Cold water exposure has also been shown to tone our vagus nerve.

5. Spend time outside in nature if that’s possible for you, and feel your feet on the ground or sit on the earth; resting your nervous system and opening your senses to the life force of nature around you. The healing and connecting powers of being in nature make it a powerful, restorative force, even if only for a few minutes each day.

Know that when you are doing these practices, you are actually rewiring and retraining how your nervous system responds to stress and the demands of modern-day life.

Our time is precious. But can we give ourselves permission to take care of our nervous system health? Taking time throughout our day and week to regulate our nervous system can have a significant positive impact not only on our physical health, but our mental and emotional wellbeing.

Toning the vagus nerve helps us to develop a more healthy stress response, improving emotional regulation and becoming more resilient as we are more able to cope with stressful situations.

Slowly and gently, we can rewire our nervous system into a more calm state so that stress, anxiety and overwhelm are no longer the norm. As we learn to complete the cycle of stress, could our ‘new’ normal be in capacity for greater connection, feeling more compassionate, in a state of flow, feeling relaxed, calm and productive?

Imagine the potent agent for change that this could be for all!

Lucille Cassidy Physiotherapist and founder of Sandhill House Donegal and Studio Be Glenavy

WITH JAMES STINSON

There’s a lot of publicity around electric cars at the minute. Since the start of the year, sales in the UK are up nearly 19% on 2022. However, they still only account for just over 15% of all new cars sold, roughly the same as a year ago.

Over the same time, there’s been a much bigger rise in the number of mild or fully hybrid vehicles. These are cars that use a petrol engine (mostly) aided by some electric/battery power to help drive up economy and lower emissions. Mild hybrids (MHEVs) use a very small battery and electric motor to augment engine output while full hybrids (HEVs) use larger battery packs and electric motors.

The latter can also drive for short distances and at lower speeds on electric power alone. The increase in sales of both is currently outstripping the sales of battery-only vehicles (BEVs) and for very good reasons. Hybrids help reduce emissions (something car makers are required to do), drive up economy (something drivers want) and are considerably cheaper than fully electric cars… presently.

They also provide a lot more flexibility than BEVs. You don’t have to charge them: you can drive them just like you would a conventional petrol or diesel-powered car. How liberating!

“They could be the future”, I hear you say. Well… not exactly. The UK and Europe are banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035 because these hybrids still aren’t clean enough. But for the next decade or so hybrids like this Juke will be the path many of us likely take… either because we can’t afford to go fully electric or, on a very practical level, we’ve no means of charging up at home.

The second generation Juke has been around in its current guise

THE POWER OF CHOICE

Hybrid Juke

for a few years now. Though having largely invented the supermini derived crossover segment with the launch of the first Juke back in 2010, the latest Juke is competing in a far more crowded market. Rivals include the closely related Renault Captur, the Citroen C3 Aircross, the VW T-Cross and the Skoda Kamiq.

The Juke still features much of what made the original car such a great success – bold styling, compact yet practical dimensions and a high-riding stance and driving position.

Buyers will welcome the extra power and efficiency of the 141bhp 1.6-litre petrol hybrid unit: the petrol engine produces 93bhp, topped up by 48bhp from the electric motor.

As with any hybrid, it rewards careful drivers; always moving off in EV mode and able to achieve up to 34mph using battery power alone. The petrol engine works as a generator to help keep the battery charged which means the electric motor is able to consistently deliver its maximum 205Nm of torque.

All hybrid versions come equipped with Nissan’s e-Pedal Step which, when activated, allows the movement of the car to be controlled using just the accelerator pedal. When the foot is lifted from the accelerator, moderate braking is applied (up to 0.15g) and will decelerate the Juke to a crawl.

Combined mpg is a claimed 57mpg, some 10mpg better than the standard non-hybrid versions, which remain on sale. Emissions are around 20g/km lower, which pushes the Juke into a lower VED bracket.

There’s a price to be paid for all this complexity though. The Hybrid Juke is only available on N-Connecta and above trims. Within that grade the Hybrid starts at £28,210, more than £2,000 higher than the non-hybrid automatic version and nearly £4,000 more than the non-hybrid manual version. The very cheapest Jukes are available from £20,985. Though not directly comparable in terms of size, a similarly specced all-electric Nissan Leaf is priced from £30,495.

The journey to fully electric motoring will be via hybrids for most of us, writes James Stinson.

The New People’s Car

If electric cars are going to be truly universal, they’re going to have to be a lot more a ordable and VW thinks it may have the answer with this new ID. 2all concept.

The German giant, maker of the original people’s car, believes it can make its new entry-level electric car for less than €25,000 (£22,000. The Modular Electric drive (MEB) entry project is an offshoot from the MEB platform that delivered the likes of the VW ID.3 and Skoda’s Enyaq – but it’s designed from the outset to support smaller, cheaper vehicles. As such, it switches layout from rear- to front-wheel drive and makes use of the less complex rear suspension design to boost practicality and keep costs down.

Even though the ID. 2all won’t go on sale for two more years, VW has taken the unusual step of confirming several of its key technical details. The concept’s single front-mounted motor produces 223bhp –enough, the firm says, for a 0-62mph time of around seven seconds. The battery pack will come in two sizes: 38 and 56kWh. VW says that it expects a WLTP range figure of around 280 miles for the larger pack, and that DC charging will take the battery pack from 10 to 80% of its capacity in around 20 minutes thanks to a 125kW peak charging capacity.

The new concept is said to have been created in less than two months, under the guidance of VW’s latest design boss, Andreas Mindt, who only joined the brand in February. The former Audi and Bentley man describes the new concept as “an homage to the Beetle, Golf and Polo” that encompasses what VW calls its key values: stability and likeability. Significantly, the ID. 2all showcases an entirely

new design language that will feature on all of the firm’s future EVs. This is part of a major brand revamp that’s intended to, in the words of boss Thomas Schäfer, “make Volkswagen a genuine love brand”. That philosophy involves the firm embracing its heritage as a key point of difference from new EV rivals, and the ID. 2all shows clear influences from the Polo and Golf, with more traditional styling than the ID.3.

Volkswagen previously revealed an ID. Life crossover concept that was intended to preview the first MEB Entry model, but that has now been shelved after it received a poor reception. The ID. 2all is 4050mm long, making it slightly shorter than the current Polo, but its 2600mm wheelbase is significantly longer, allowing for far greater interior space.

It features a 490-litre boot, with 1330 litres of capacity when the rear seats are folded down. There’s an extra storage box underneath the boot floor and a lockable 50-litre storage area under the rear bench seats. That area is intended to be used for charging cables and a breakdown kit, while also offering secure storage for valuables.

Inside, the front cabin is dominated by the pair of displays – a 10.9inch screen for the instrument panel, and a 12.9-inch infotainment system. Significantly, there are simple physical switches below the central display for front-occupant temperature adjustment and heated seat controls – and there’s a rotating knob to raise and lower the volume.

Volkswagen said the ID. 2all will be offered with some of the advanced assistance systems usually only seen on higher-end models, including Travel Assist and Park Assist, LED matrix headlights, massaging electric seats and a panoramic sunroof. The production version of the ID. 2all will be shown in 2025 before entering production in Spain, alongside the closely related Cupra and Skoda models.

It will be one of 10 EVs that Volkswagen will launch by 2026, also including the facelifted ID.3, the long-wheelbase Volkswagen ID. Buzz, the ID.7 saloon and the compact SUV that will join the ID. 2all in using the MEB Entry platform.

THE POWER OF CHOICE

VW aims to bring electric motoring to the masses with this new concept, writes James Stinson.

Citi Belfast Announce Charity of The Year

Citi Belfast has announced that, following a business-wide vote by staff, they have chosen Marie Curie as their Charity of the Year.

The charity will now receive dedicated support from over 3,700 colleagues across the Citi Belfast locations over the next year as they engage in fundraising activities, awareness events and volunteering to benefit Marie Curie.

Win for Mivan at Apprenticeship Awards

Charley McAuley, Mivan picked up the Mentor Award at the NI Apprenticeship Awards 2023.

Congratulating him John Cunningham, CEO, said: “The work Charley puts into the Apprentice Programme is vital to our future and we can all see the benefits of the programme. His dedication, knowledge, enthusiasm, and desire to help improve young people have been truly recognised.”

Andras Hotels Opens Riverside Hotel Coleraine

Northern Ireland’s largest hotel group has opened its first hotel outside of Belfast. The Riverside Hotel Coleraine was officially opened by Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Councillor Ivor Wallace.

The hotel, which is located at the Riverside Retail Park in Coleraine, was acquired by the hotel group at the start of the year and has undergone a refurbishment and rebrand as the Riverside Hotel. Director of Andras Hotels, Rajesh Rana, said, “It is great to be opening a hotel in the Causeway Coast and Glens area after such a long period of being solely Belfast-based. This opening marks the start of a major investment by our company in the north coast, which is the epicentre of tourism in Northern Ireland.”

Openfolde Sets Sights On Future Growth

Openfolde is the new name for Germinal Holdings, a parent company with a portfolio of locally managed businesses that share a vision for innovation, collaboration and a sustainable future. The company recently restructured its operations, relocating its head office back to Belfast after 50 years with a clear objective: the promise of growth.

Courtney McKay Sync NI

Innovation and Opportunities

CATAGEN study shows pathway to cut cement industry emissions by at least 18%

CATAGEN, a net zero innovation company and Mannok, the cement and construction products manufacturer, have announced the findings of a six-month feasibility study exploring the decarbonisation of Mannok’s operations using CATAGEN’s future suite of ClimaHtech technologies.

The cement industry provides a crucial material for development and construction but currently accounts for 8% of global carbon emissions, relying on energy and cost-intensive industrial processes.

The potential to generate renewable hydrogen and oxygen from CATAGEN’s HGEN (renewable hydrogen generator) aided by waste heat recovery from the cement process represents a significant decarbonisation opportunity across the cement industry.

The same study found that biohydrogen generation from waste biomass can generate larger volumes of hydrogen with less renewable energy required compared to electrolytic hydrogen generation. The use of BIOHGEN technology could reduce the carbon intensity of cement produced at this site by a further 18% by reducing fossil fuel use.

The decarbonisation of the cement sector is integral to sustainable and responsible construction of the built environment, and to further CATAGEN’s mission to clean and decarbonise the air. This aligns with Mannok’s 2030 Vision and other ongoing decarbonisation activities and integrates the solutions CATAGEN is developing across renewable hydrogen and oxygen generation, e-fuel generation and compression and dispensing technology.

Dr Andrew Woods, CEO and co-founder at CATAGEN, said: “Collaborations like this are the only way to make significant changes for the future and continue to progress CATAGEN’s purpose to clean and decarbonise the air.”

Kevin Lunney, operations director at Mannok Holdings DAC, said: “Achieving Net Zero is now the primary goal for our business and I expect CATAGEN will play a significant role in our achieving that goal, which we expect will have major benefits for the sector overall.”

The spotlight continues to shine brightly on Northern Ireland’s technology sector.

‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’ event returns to Collins Aerospace

Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel is continuing to encourage more female students to pursue a career in engineering with the return of its successful ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’ event.

The company welcomed over 25 female students from four local schools to its facility late last month for the annual event, which is now in its 22nd year. During the event, members of the company’s dedicated STEM council showcased the many opportunities and career pathways that are available by choosing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) related subjects.

In-person and virtual events took place at 45 Collins Aerospace sites across the world, with over 2,800 young females aged between six and 18 attending, and 800+ employees involved in the planning and execution of the events globally.

With over 800 employees at the Kilkeel facility, many of whom are women in leadership and key engineering roles, the students heard first-hand stories of women being inspired to study engineering and how they’ve progressed in and pursued their own successful careers.

Speaking about the event, Alan

Henning, managing director of Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel, said, “We were delighted to host the ‘Introduce a Girl to Engineering’ event once again. We’re very proud that it has become such an important event not only for us, but also for the local schools. It’s imperative to maintain the interest of females in STEM related subjects, as it tends to fall off once they enter secondary school.”

NI schools named as leaders in digital excellence at the 2023 ICT Excellence Awards Ceremony

Sean Kelly from Newbridge Integrated College, Loughbrickland said, “This was such an important event for our students. Females are still underrepresented in STEM subjects so to be able to attend Collins Aerospace’s event and see what future careers are available after studying STEM will be inspirational to the students.”

The winning schools were St Brigid’s Primary School, Downpatrick; St Colman’s College, Newry; and Clifton Special School, Bangor. A collective entry on behalf of the post-primary EOTAS (Education Other Than At School) service also received an award at the event.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Professor John Anderson, chair of the Innovation Forum, said: “In this seventh year of the ICT Excellence Awards, we are seeing a step-change in just how well digital technologies are being used to support learning for the benefit of pupils, teachers and parents.

“The theme this year of Collaboration was absolutely aced by the radical change across all 27 post-primary EOTAS centres acting together to introduce ‘state-of-the-art’ devices, online collaboration and new digital qualifications.”

Alison Chambers, Department of Education’s Professional Learning and Collaboration director, speaking at the Awards commented: “The ICT Excellence Awards are a fantastic opportunity to showcase how schools and EOTAS centres are enthusiastically and innovatively utilising digital technologies to enhance collaboration and teacher professional learning for the benefit of our children and young people.”

The world-leading practice displayed by Northern Ireland schools was praised by eminent educationalist Professor Don Passey. He said: “The practices and uses of technologies in schools (primary, post-primary, special) and in EOTAS centres are worldleading. Leaders and teachers have embraced the potential that technologies can offer –with creative solutions, focused for educational needs, integrated to support learning, teaching, administration, management and parental engagement, both on-site and online.”

Duchess leather black hobo bag, £140, Dune London

Ulster Tatler’s Fashion & Beauty Editor, Joanne Harkness, looks at fashion pieces that are perfectly Parisien, from trench coats, to shoulder bags and ballet pumps.

Short trench coat, £30, Primark

Joanne

Perfectly Parisien

Ginette dress, €260, Gaala

Forever Comfort® Ballerina Shoes, £24, Next

Tortoiseshell print chunky rectangle sunglasses, £19, Monsoon

Stella pocket cardigan, £99, Whistles

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Gavin Murphy

Head Chef

Pan Fried Duck Breast, Pak Choi, Heritage Carrots, Blackberries and Chocolate Sauce

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 Good Size Duck Breast

2 Heads Pak Choi (cut into quarters)

METHOD

1. Boil vinegar, water and sugar and reduce by half, leave to cool a little

2. Boil carrots in water and add 25g of butter and leave aside

3. Add blackberries into pickle liquor

4. Pan fry duck breasts skin side down in vegetable oil for 6 minutes on medium heat

5. Meanwhile, pan fry the pak choi in 25g of butter until a little wilted

500g Heritage Rainbow Carrots (cut into thick slices)

20 Good Size Blackberries

100g Dark Chocolate Drops

200ml Good Game Stock

50ml Vegetable Oil

100g Butter

100ml Pickle Liquor

1/3 white wine vinegar

1/3 water 1/3 sugar

6. Turn the duck breasts over and add 50g of butter, cook for 4 minutes and baste with butter, then rest for 4 minutes

7. In a small saucepan add the game stock and chocolate allow to simmer

8. When all components are cooked begin to plate

9. Cut duck breasts in half-length ways

10. Divide pak choi evenly onto 4 plates, add the carrots and 2 halves of the duck breast

11. Divide the blackberries evenly between the 4 plates

12. Drizzle with the chocolate sauce and serve

Executive

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DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIONSOMETHING

Award-winning global engineering, technology and consulting service provider, Expleo employs over 200 staff in NI and in 2023, with the help of Diversity Mark, they intend to double this creating a further 100 jobs in their Belfast office.

Hannah McAteer, Human Resource Business Partner at Expleo explains; “Our global network of customers, suppliers and stakeholders are diverse, and we believe that the workforce that delivers our products and services should reflect that customer base.

We have now signed with Diversity Mark to support our strategy and to help us not only understand and connect better with our employees on a more meaningful level but also to provide us with an accountability partner.”

For more information visit www.diversity-mark-ni.co.uk

EV CONSULTANCY... ELECTRIFYING YOUR FLEET

For many fleet managers and businesses, the thought is how rather than when to transition their internal combustion engine fleet to an electric vehicle fleet. There are many reasons to convert to EVs, most notably saving money, decreasing your carbon footprint, and attracting and retaining employees.

Whether you are planning to electrify some of or all your fleet, Agnew Leasing have the tools and experience to help you find EVs that suit your business and create a model that shows accurate Whole Life Costs to support your business in managing this process and helping to achieve your sustainability objectives.

Some key factors to consider are:

• While EV’s may have increased monthly costs they can have significantly lower whole life costs when corporation tax offset and Class 1A NIC savings are accounted for.

• Clearly Driver Benefit in Kind (BIK) costs are significantly lower with EV’s so including these can be a recruitment, retention, and reward tool for your business.

• New model EV battery ranges are improving meaning they may now become more suitable for your fleet compared to previous models.

• How your employees are reimbursed for business mileage can have a significant impact on your true costs.

• Offering a properly costed EV car scheme can be more cost effective for both company and employee compared to a cash allowance solution in some cases.

• Introducing EVs can assist with your company’s overall carbon reduction and sustainability agenda.

For more information on how Agnew Leasing can help your business please contact David McEwen, Head of Business Development on 028 9038 6600 or email david.mcewen@agnews.co.uk

WE MUST DELIVER ON

Columnist

Feeling The Squeeze

Writing about the prospects of the private and public sectors in recent weeks the contrast could not be more stark. In parts of the private sector there is a palpable sense of light at the end of the tunnel. In the public sector the only explanation for light in the tunnel is the approach of a budget train, which is about to mow everyone down.

First the good news: most indicators suggest that the local economy has been gradually improving since the end of last year, having been knocked hard by the energy price shock which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The official data from the NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) suggests that shock actually caused a technical recession in the middle of last year, meaning two consecutive quarters of falling growth. But the economy recovered strongly in the final quarter, growing by 1.4%, driven by expansion in services and construction. That performance in the final quarter took economic output to 5.6% above pre-pandemic levels and meant we finally surpassed the previous peak hit way back in the third quarter of 2007.

Survey data from the first quarter of this year suggests momentum has been sustained. According to Ulster Bank’s Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) the private sector was growing in February and March. The PMI also suggests business confidence is taking a positive turn, which will hopefully feed through to investment. That was echoed by the Chamber’s own survey of members in the first quarter of this year which pointed to some softening in inflationary pressures, an improving export environment and a big lift in confidence.

What I hear most commonly from businesses is ‘We’re doing OK’ which tends to mean that things didn’t get as bad as was feared this time last year. That isn’t of course a universal sentiment: some digital services businesses have been motoring since the pandemic while at the other end of the spectrum parts of hospitality and manufacturing are still hurting due to energy costs.

Meanwhile in the public sector confidence is on the floor with the expectation that cuts have only just begun. Chief among the short-term issues is the repayment of last year’s £300m Stormont overspend.

A source with first-hand experience has described “the worst possible set of circumstances” for spending discipline in the last financial year. There were still ministers in place with the power to direct spending. But there was no Executive, meaning that Stormont’s already weak collective decision making was non-existent. No Executive also meant that the regular budget reallocation process, known as monitoring rounds, couldn’t take place.

The lack of Assembly, particularly Assembly committees, meant there was no public oversight of ministerial decisions. All that would have been bad enough but it was taking place against a background of the highest inflation we have seen for a generation, increasing the cost of doing government, including accounting for the cost of significant nominal pay claims. And of course the cherry on the cake was the lack of a budget meaning no hard spending limits were in place.

In this environment some ministers seem to have operated on the assumption that the money would eventually turn up, be it through

monitoring rounds or some other way. But it didn’t. There has been a tradition of additional money for Stormont attached to political deals, such as the DUP Confidence and Supply arrangement with the Conservatives. But we are now in a period where that sort of funding, which helped paper over the cracks, has been exhausted. We also shouldn’t forget that departmental austerity during the 2010s was real and helped create those cracks.

There is a striking chart in the Fiscal Council’s analysis of last year’s (belated) budget, which shows that from 2010/11 to 2018/19 the resource block grant was either flat or falling in real terms in five of those years.

The bad news still to come is that the block grant is undergoing what is known as the ‘Barnett Squeeze’ which means that the spending per head premium for NI is being eroded. The Barnett formula means that when the UK government increases spending in England the block grant for NI rises by the same amount in pounds per head. Because spending per head starts higher in NI than in England, increasing spending per head by the same cash amount means a smaller percentage increase in NI.

This means gradual convergence over time in NI relative to UK government spending in the rest of the UK. And if our population size and characteristic mean the Executive needs to spend a given percentage more to deliver equivalent services, then this squeeze will put even more pressure on local public services over the next decade.

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