Ambition Issue 13 (Nov/Dec 2015)

MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

november/december 2015

A NEW BEGINNING Introducing the all-new Volvo XC90 Made by Sweden It’s our most exclusive car ever.

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Official fuel consumption for the all-new Volvo XC90 in MPG (l/100km) ranges from: Urban 28.8 (9.8) - 45.6 (6.2), Extra Urban 40.4 (7.9) - 52.3 (5.4), Combined 35.3 (8.0) - 134.5 (2.1). CO2 Emissions 186 - 49g/km. MPG figures are obtained from laboratory testing intended for comparisons between vehicles and may not reflect real driving results.

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November/december 2015 ISSUE 13

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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • Special focus fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland • Chamber Award winners head to London final • Jim Fitzpatrick on why tech has to connect

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CONTENTS

08 Major investment by Electric Ireland 10 Aston Martin showroom opens 12 Fishing company sets sail with new trawler 14 Luxury at Galgorm Resort & Spa

FANTASTIC FLAVOURS OF NORTHERN IRELAND 42 Catch of the day 46 Cheese guaranteed to please 56 A crafty brew

93

10 66 42

65

NEWS

november/december 2015 | ISSUE thirteen

Columnists 20 Siobhan Lavery 65 Brian Telford 76 Natalie Gray 96 Jim Fitzpatrick

FEATURES

36 CIGA - Top for tests 40 Hungary for business 66 Kingsbridge - Finger on pulse of hospital care 70 Entrepreneurs - Spreading wings in business

LIFESTYLE

84 Magnificant Mazda MX-5 - James Stinson 92 Get on track...and train - Mukesh Sharma 93 Culinary delights - David Gillmore

MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

NOvEMBER/DECEMBER 2015 ISSUE 13

Cover story-Page 18 esri puts geography on the business map.

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Esri maps thE way forward

aLso iN this issUE: • spEciaL focUs faNtastic fLavoUrs of NorthErN irELaNd • chambEr award wiNNErs hEad to LoNdoN fiNaL • Jim fitzpatrick oN why tEch has to coNNEct

Editor: Adrienne McGill Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Manager: Catherine Patton Editorial Assistant: Ashleigh Addis Email addresses: adrienne.mcgill@northernirelandchamber.com c.patton@ambitionni.co.uk Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com, www.ulstertatler.com Addresses: Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 4-5 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT15JA Tel: 028 9024 4113 Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim Front cover image: Taken by Khara Pringle at Life Centre, Belfast.

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[editorial]

driving ambition Serving up the best of Northern Ireland

A

s 2015 draws to a close, the year has been marked by a global upturn in the economy, which while undoubtedly felt throughout the UK, has not had the same impact in Northern Ireland.

However, our fortunes have to some degree picked up and there are a number of very notable success stories among our indigenous businesses with announcements of expansion and jobs creation.

Invest NI has continued to attract some major Foreign Direct Investment projects, offering a glimpse of what might be achievable with a reduced corporation tax, and the tourism effect is highly visible in Belfast. The list of new hotels announced or planned is also encouraging and we are poised to make a significant mark in the conference sector with the new, extended Waterfront Hall opening next year. A range of high profile events are already

provisionally scheduled.

In addition, with 2016 designated Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink, there will be a sizzling array of events taking place to whet appetites as the flavours, for which the region is renowned, are celebrated.

In this issue our special focus, ‘Fantastic Flavours Of Northern Ireland’, gives a taste of some of the companies, covering large firms and small artisan businesses, who are responsible for putting Northern Ireland on the menu as a tantalizing location for food and drink.

The strength, quality and uniqueness of our local produce from beef to beer and from salmon to cider, which is inextricably linked to the region, has made an impact on the experience visitors can expect in restaurants, hotels, visitor attractions, cafes and pubs which of course is a boost for the local economy.

In addition to the food fest, we have a scintillating range of news and features and Ambition’s columnists give their insightful take on topical issues. Maureen O’Reilly swoops on being a dove or a hawk when it comes to an interest rate rise while Siobhan Lavery focuses on Periscope, which is owned by Twitter and is described as “the closest thing to teleportation.”

Meanwhile James Stinson gets into gear with the magnificent Mazda MX-5 and top chef David Gillmore, who has just been named Best Chef in Ireland at the prestigious YesChef Awards, cooks up delicious seasonal dishes whose warmth are guaranteed to banish autumn and winter chills.

So enjoy the read and have a very Happy Christmas and prosperous New Year.

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[editorial]

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

T

he twists and turns on the political road that is Northern Ireland are never boring, that’s for sure. What is frustrating for those of us in the business

community is that when some degree of progress is made, it appears to be followed by a setback; a case of one small step forward and too many steps back.

take steps and move on

06 NI Chamber

It could be the case though that this last month will, in time, come to be seen as a kind of milestone. Significant events included the publication of a stark report into paramilitary levels of activity, the ending of the ‘in/out’ Ministerial policy and the resumption of more intense political negotiations.

We have been fortunate enough to receive support and encouragement from around the world as we have moved from a difficult and divisive past into a more positive future. In particular the US Government has become directly involved in our negotiations and two years ago ex-diplomats Richard Haas and Meghan O’Sullivan sacrificed a significant chunk of their Christmas holidays to try and cajole our local leaders into a deal.

That work laid the foundations for the Stormont House Agreement which emerged at the end of 2014. The implementation of that plan stalled at the first major hurdle and that roadblock has in large part left us where we are now, at the point of another round of political discussions.

Ultimately our politicians will have to come to their own agreement, and more importantly, implement any agreement but if a little outside support is available, why not take advantage?

The USA remains an important trading partner for us and should an agreement eventually be reached which includes the reduction of corporation tax, then Invest NI and our Ministers will be looking stateside for possible FDI projects. It is important to maintain those business as well as political links.

I think it is safe to say that all of us in civil society are longing for a political settlement which puts an end to instability and lays the foundations for real peace and prosperity.

Maybe politics is too important to be left solely to the politicians. As in the past, the political parties have the support and encouragement of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry as they set about the business of coming to a sustainable and all-embracing agreement.

They have the support too of other business, community and third sector bodies. It is important to re-emphasise that from time to time.

Stephen McCully President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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[news]

800 Teleperformance jobs in Fermanagh Call centre company Teleperformance is creating 800 new jobs in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh over the next 3 years.

Teleperformance provides outsourced customer service for wellknown brands and government organisations.

The jobs will generate £12 million in salaries for the local economy and will have an average salary of £144,700.

Invest NI is offering financial backing of £2.5 million to the project.

Teleperformance opened its first call centre in Bangor in 1998 and now has 182,000 employees across 270 centres in 62 countries. It currently employs nearly 2,000 people in Bangor and Newry.

Finance Minister Arlene Foster said: “This major investment is great news for Northern Ireland and I am delighted to have played a part in the journey that has brought Teleperformance to Fermanagh.”

Alistair Niederer, CEO for Teleperformance UK, Ireland and RSA said the company was delighted to be growing its presence in Northern Ireland, and to be creating the new contact centre in Enniskillen.

Major investment in Northern Ireland by Electric Ireland

Clare McAllister, Sales and Marketing Manager, Electric Ireland and Jim Dollard, Executive Director Electric Ireland.

Electric Ireland has announced it is entering the residential market in Northern Ireland with a £5 million investment, creating 45 new jobs.

The company, which is part of the ESB Group, says it will provide greater choice for consumers with competitive rates.

Electric Ireland has been operating in the business energy market in Northern Ireland since 2001.

It is opening an office in Belfast, with 30 new jobs already in place.

More jobs will be created in early 2016 across marketing, business development and customer care.

Currently the electricity market in Northern Ireland has three main players - Power NI has about two thirds of the market, SSE has about a quarter and Budget Energy has about 7 per cent.

Electric Ireland executive director Jim Dollard said it would provide “enduring competitive rates”.

The ESB Group, which employs about 1,400 people in Northern Ireland, owns and operates NIE Networks and Coolkeeragh ESB power plant in the north west, along with five windfarms across Northern Ireland.

Utility Regulator chief executive Jenny Pyper said the full-scale entry into the Northern Ireland market of Electric Ireland along with new suppliers Click Energy and Open Electric was “good news for consumers”.

08 NI Chamber

“It is our objective to provide world class customer service through our top quality, well trained staff. It is our philosophy to transform passion into excellence and Northern Ireland has proven to be a great place for us to do this,” he said.

Alastair Hamilton of Invest NI, Executive Ministers Arlene Foster and Stephen Farry and Alistair Niederer of Teleperformance.

Mark Thompson.

A&L GOODBODY NAMED ‘NI LAW FIRM OF THE YEAR’ Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody was recently named ‘Northern Ireland Law Firm of the Year 2015’ by leading international legal publication, Legal 500 UK. The award is based on research carried out by Legal 500 with clients, peers and business leaders in Northern Ireland and is presented in recognition of the highest standards of legal advice and client service.

Speaking on behalf of A&L Goodbody, Mark Thompson, Head of the firm’s Belfast Office said: “This accolade is

an outstanding achievement for A&L Goodbody and firmly cements our market position and reputation as the leading corporate law firm in Northern Ireland. This award is testament to the hard work, drive and high quality of work produced by our industry-leading team of over 100 people in our Belfast office.

Earlier this year the firm was named ‘European Law Firm of the Year’ by The Lawyer and has been consistently ranked as the ‘Most Active Legal Advisor’ for deal activity in Northern Ireland by Experian Corpfin.

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Help for what matters Important Information Ulster Bank Limited, Registered in Northern Ireland No. R733. Registered Office: 11–16 Donegall Square East, Belfast, BT1 5UB. Member of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority, and entered on the Financial Services Register (Registration number 122315). Calls may be recorded.

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23/10/2015 11:52

[news]

Marcon soaring high after Air Museum contract win Antrim-based fit-out specialist, Marcon has landed a major fitout contract at the American Air Museum, one of the exhibition spaces at the renowned IWM Duxford, part of Imperial War Museums.

The American Air Museum at IWM Duxford, Cambridge houses a unique collection of American aircraft which is the largest collection on public display outside the United States.

Since opening to the public in 1997, the Museum has hosted over five million visitors who have come to pay tribute to the American airmen who lost their lives fighting for world freedom from Great Britain. IWM Duxford is the UK’s best-preserved Second World War fighter station and was home to the US Eighth Air Force’s 78th Fighter Group from 1943–45.

Working closely with leading interpretive designers Redman Partnership, Marcon will reconfigure the museum space to provide an enhanced experience for visitors Mark O’Connor, Director, Marcon Fit-Out said: “We are really proud to have been entrusted with this prestigious project by Imperial War Museums and we are looking forward to working closely with the project team at the American Air Museum and the design team at Redman.”

Jenny Cousins, American Air Museum Project Leader said the transformed American Air Museum would encourage new and returning visitors to IWM Duxford, one of the premier visitor attractions in the East of England, at Easter 2016.”

The American Air Museum.

At the launch are (L-R) Colin McNab, Charles Hurst Group Operations Director; Marcus Blake, Aston Martin Regional Director UK and South Africa; Richard Gould, Head of Business and Andy Bruce, Chief Executive of Lookers.

Aston Martin showroom revs into action

Charles Hurst Group, Northern Ireland’s biggest car retailer, has revealed its brand new, state-ofthe-art car showroom designed exclusively for luxury brand Aston Martin.

The £1 million investment by the company adds an additional seven new jobs at the Boucher Roadbased dealership.

Officially opened by Aston Martin Regional Director, UK and South Africa, Marcus Blake, the news comes as Aston Martin takes centre stage in Spectre, the latest instalment in the James Bond franchise. The Aston Martin DB10, designed and built exclusively for the film, was unveiled for the first time at the launch of the new showroom.

Charles Hurst, a division of

Lookers plc is the only car retailer on the island of Ireland licensed to offer this elite brand. It has constructed a bespoke, hightech new retail unit to exacting standards for this sought-after marque, featuring floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a unique luxury interior.

Colin McNab, Operations Director, Charles Hurst, said the new showroom underlined the company’s focus, commitment and continued investment in the world’s best car brands.

“Aston Martin is a premium, high-performance brand and its customers expect the best. This new £1 million facility has been completely transformed and delivers this on all fronts,” he said.

Laboratory will contribute to bio-energy research CREST, Northern Ireland’s largest green technology and training facility, has opened the doors on a new purpose-built bioenergy laboratory designed to advance international research and boost local industry.

The state-of-the-art laboratory was part-financed through the INTERREG IVA Programme with support from the Special EU Programmes Body, and is the latest addition to the CREST Centre which opened at South West College’s (SWC)Technology and Skills Centre in January. The facility has been match funded by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland and Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation in Ireland.

Understood to be the most extensive research facility of its type in Northern Ireland, the unit is the latest development for the £2.9 million project and puts South West College among a small group of international

10 NI Chamber

colleges with the capacity to contribute to world-leading bioenergy research.

The lab is equipped with a suite of specialist technologies that can be used to process and analyse various biomass residues to assess their suitability for producing biofuels, energy and value added products.

The facility will also support the operation and energy production from Anaerobic Digestion plants that generate extract heat and power from materials including agricultural waste.

Tim Stokes, CREST Centre Manager said: “The lab will enable us to undertake a range of practical industry research projects relating to bioenergy on behalf of businesses and farmers in the region. It is an excellent addition to the CREST R&D facilities which include the CREST Passive Pavilion and innovative solar and energy storage installations.”

Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive (Designate) SEUPB; Vincent Reynolds, CITC; Malachy McAleer, SWC and (front) Tim Stokes, CREST Manager, SWC.

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[news]

Stefanie M sets sail following multi-million pound investment

It’s a case of ‘all hands on deck’ for the Stefanie M Fishing Company, following a recent multi-million pound investment in a new 51 metre fishing trawler with the support of First Trust Bank. The high-tech vessel will improve yield quality through its innovative refrigeration and storage system, with the investment also expected to increase turnover at the firm.

Established in 2002 by Samuel McCullough, the family owned company is based in Kilkeel, County Down, but will dock its new boat in Belfast Harbour due to its size. The vessel can also been seen making port at various harbours across Northern Ireland and Europe, including Warrenpoint, during the fishing season.

The majority of fish caught by the Stefanie M is sold to fish processers in Kilkeel and Ardglass, who supply the local food industry and export to a number of countries across Europe, Asia and North Africa.

Speaking about the investment, Stefanie M Managing Director and Skipper, Stephen McCullough said: “The whole company is delighted

with the investment in the new boat which is set to improve many aspects of our business including quality of produce, safety, fuel usage and efficiency.”

Eoin Donnelly, First Trust Bank with Stefanie M Managing Director and Skipper, Stephen McCullough and Kevin Fitzpatrick, First Trust Bank.

Staffline takes over Diamond Recruitment

Tina McKenzie.

Recruitment firm Staffline has acquired Diamond Recruitment in Belfast for an undisclosed sum. Staffline, which has offices in Belfast and Dublin is a stock market listed firm that is based in Nottingham and has an annual turnover of £500 million.

Diamond Recruitment, which is based in Belfast city centre, specialises in temporary and permanent recruitment.

It has a number of major public and private sector clients including Moy Park and Almac.

As one of the largest recruitment agencies in Northern Ireland, Diamond provides over 2,500 workers a day from a database of over 59,000 candidates, adding significant scale to Staffline’s local presence.

Staffline said Diamond brought a number of “large blue-chip clients” on its books and had an “excellent reputation”.

Locally, Staffline is run by the prominent business woman Tina McKenzie.

She said: “We’re happy to welcome the Diamond team to Staffline Group Ireland. This acquisition fits our strategy of selective bolt-on acquisitions and enhances our reach and customer base considerably across Northern Ireland.

Combining Staffline Recruitment, PeoplePlus NI and Diamond, we will ensure that local employers have a wider range of services available to them while jobseekers, learners and staff have a greater choice of career opportunities.”

Panto set to dazzle audiences

NI Chamber member, Belfast’s Grand Opera House, brought panto magic to Belfast recently for the official launch of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which starts at the historic venue at end of the month.

The undisputed queen of panto, May McFettridge, leads the all-star cast as May the Cook with the X Factor’s Chico making his Grand Opera House stage debut as the dashing and handsome Prince Chico.

This year’s pantomime is sponsored

by Northern Ireland’s largest electricity energy company Power NI. Mary Clare Deane, Chief Executive of the Grand Opera House, said: “We are very much looking forward

12 NI Chamber

to getting Panto season well and truly underway. It is always a pleasure to welcome May McFettridge back onto our iconic stage, 26 consecutive Pantos is sure to be a record that won’t be broken. The chemistry between the cast members this year will ensure the timeless classic Snow White is sure to be the biggest and brightest Pantomime in all the land.”

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will dazzle Northern Ireland audiences from Saturday 28 November 2015 to Sunday 10 January 2016. Tickets can be booked on 028 9024 1919 or www.goh.co.uk.

May and Chico with fellow cast members Paddy Jenkins, Lauren Nevin and Rachel Stanley.

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[news]

RANDOX LANDS £1.5 MILLION DEAL WITH LEADING LABORATORY IN NEW YORK Randox has welcomed success at the seventh annual Golden Bridges conference in Boston as part of an event promoting transatlantic partnerships between northwest Ireland and the US. The global bio-tech firm, which is headquartered in County Antrim and has a key R&D site in Dungloe in County Donegal, announced a new £1.5 million deal with a leading laboratory in New York as representatives from the northwest region of Ireland explored strengthening links across a number of areas with the US. Mark Campbell.

The delegation attending the conference, which included representatives from Invest NI, Councils in Donegal, Derry City and Strabane, as well as the University of Ulster, Údarás na Gaeltachta, and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology, were meeting key figures in Boston to promote partnerships in the areas of business, community, education, arts and culture.

Mark Campbell, Senior Manager at Randox Laboratories, said: “We are delighted to announce this major contract with a leading laboratory in New York, which demonstrates the value of strengthening relationships with key contacts in the US through events such as Golden Bridges. This news contributes to the wider business success story which is emerging from this region.”

EXPANSION PLANS

BY WARD SOLUTIONS Ward Solutions has announced plans to expand its operations in Northern Ireland.

The company, which is headquartered in Dublin and has a base in Belfast’s Talbot Street, is Ireland’s largest Information Security provider and provides information security and risk management solutions to clients which include blue chip companies, the top 1000 firms in Ireland, central government departments, state agencies and semi-state bodies.

Ward Solutions recently Alan McVey. appointed Alan McVey as business development manager in Northern Ireland – one of 20 new roles created across its operations.

The jobs are part of a new £1.5 million investment to fund significant expansion and upgrade of all services delivered in Ward’s operational centres in Dublin and Belfast. This includes the enhancement of services such as managed security, digital forensics, e-Discovery and security analytics.

Alan, who is responsible for managing the company’s existing relationships in Northern Ireland with clients spanning the public and private sector, said: “We have significant plans to grow in Belfast and Dublin both in terms of increasing our staff numbers and adding to our client base.

We aim to create a further 20 new jobs by the end of next year and are particularly keen to recruit IT technicians and security consultants.”

Ward Solutions currently employs 60 staff.

Galgorm Resort and Spa unveils multi million pound expansion Galgorm Resort & Spa has opened a landmark £11 million expansion which includes the creation of a unique Thermal Spa Village plus an additional 48 deluxe guestrooms and suites bringing the overall room offering to 122.

The development brings the total investment at the Resort to over £35 million over the past 10 years.

Managing Director Paul Smyth said: “This project was undertaken to create a world-class addition to the already outstanding guest facilities here. This latest chapter in the Galgorm story is a testament to the drive and vision of the team not just at Galgorm Resort and Spa, but also to Martin and Hamilton and the 100-strong construction team, and our architects Douglas Wallace who all worked together to bring the development to life.”

The Ballymena-based venue has forged a reputation as one of the UK and Ireland’s leading spa destinations since it first opened in 1998. This stunning new facility includes 75,000 square feet of luxurious Thermal Spa experiences, the first of its kind in the UK & Ireland, use of which is complimentary to all guests staying within the hotel. Idyllically located on the banks of the River Maine, guests will enjoy the tranquillity of nature and experience pure relaxation with an extensive selection of riverside hot tubs, indoor and outdoor heated pools, steam rooms and saunas.

Terence Brannigan, Chair of Tourism NI, said the expansion will enhance Northern Ireland’s reputation as a must-visit destination.

14 NI Chamber

Terence Brannigan, Chair of Tourism NI and Paul Smyth, Galgorm Resort & Spa Managing Director.

THE NEXT GENERATION OF SMALL BUSINESS CREATORS

By Andy Mills, Regional Director, Commercial Banking at Ulster Bank.

I

n my role as a Director of Commercial Banking I’m privileged to see new business ideas every day and to get to talk to the creative people who demonstrate this appetite for new and exciting ventures. At Ulster Bank, we believe that a bank can and should meet a great customer proposal with responsive and innovative support of our own – to help us build trust and put in place solid foundations for mutual success.

I’m proud of the fact that we work across Northern Ireland with innovative and exciting small businesses with excellent growth potential – but we’re not content just to admire them. We look to take what they do on board, and incorporate it into the way we approach problems, and design funding solutions.

Our commitment to entrepreneurs is based on a strong belief in the contribution that they can and do make to economic life in Northern Ireland – but in addition to that, the way they can contribute to growing a culture of risk-taking and celebrating new ideas. This virtuous circle is vital to inspiring the next generation of small business creators – something that we look to encourage and celebrate through the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards.

The scale of their achievements ought not to be understated. Early stage businesses have a vitality and energy that is inspiring and engaging to deal with – but they also come up against great challenges. Having the right people and products in place is our way of mitigating that and letting them get on with

developing their business. We’ve introduced a dedicated start-up proposition for those taking their first steps on an entrepreneurial journey, we continue to invest in digital developments such as fingerprint login for our mobile apps, and we have developed a wholly online process for loan applications.

We will continue to challenge ourselves to be more entrepreneurial and determined in serving customers better.

Our ambition is to be the number one bank for customer service, trust and advocacy by 2020. Building trust, showing passion for small businesses and creating deeper and lasting relationships means that we will be better placed to provide the advice and finance needed to support small business growth.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR BACKS PRINCE’S TRUST CAMPAIGN TO BOOST YOUTH ENTERPRISE

A

young entrepreneur from Belfast is backing a new campaign from youth charity The Prince’s Trust and Ulster Bank to encourage unemployed young people to start up in business.

Michelle Hagan, who runs a business called Headcollarz which personalises equestrian headcollars using unique and fun designs, is just one of 87 unemployed young people in Northern Ireland who received help from the charity to set up their own business last year.

Michelle said: “I would definitely recommend the Prince’s Trust Enterprise programme. I am always telling people how good I think the course is and how I’m glad I did it. I have even encouraged some of my friends who were thinking of starting up a business to do the course for themselves. After the course, I felt like I wasn’t going into running my own business with my eyes closed just hoping for the best. I am equipped now with the information on how to make it a success, and the Prince’s Trust give me continued support through a one-to-one mentoring scheme which has been very supportive. If anyone is interested in starting a business I would recommend it 100 per cent!”

Ian Jeffers, Prince’s Trust Northern Ireland Director, said: “Young people have skills and

16 NI Chamber

Michelle Hagan, a young entrepreneur from Belfast joins Colin Jess from Ulster Bank to back a new Enterprise campaign from youth charity The Prince’s Trust and Ulster Bank to encourage unemployed young people to start up in business. talent that are vital to the economy and, in the past year alone, The Trust has engaged with over 8,600 young people looking to solve their own unemployment via our Enterprise programme.

“All too often, young people have difficulties to overcome but given the right support – such as our low interest loans, business mentors and ongoing advice – we can support young people

to succeed and thrive in their business.” * To learn more about the Enterprise programme, visit www.princes-trust.org.uk, call 028 9089 5000 or email OutreachNI@princes-trust. org.uk Follow the Prince’s Trust on Twitter: @ PrincesTrustNI or find it on Facebook: facebook.com/princestrustNI

MAKE A LITTLE SPACE FOR A GREAT PROFESSIONAL

Let’s Connect for Growth

By Sean Sheehan, Regional Director (NI), Consumer and Small Business, Bank of Ireland UK.

B

ank of Ireland UK is looking forward to delivering its 12th Enterprise Week programme which will take place between 13 – 20 November. Enterprise Week has become the twice yearly highlight of the Bank’s rolling programme of activities delivered across the Northern Ireland business community.

A record number of businesses in Northern Ireland participated during the last Enterprise Week, held in May with over 1,000 companies engaged in over 40 events covering a wide range of sectors. The Bank is hoping to exceed this number in November through the diverse schedule of events planned right across the region from Ballymena in County Antrim to Enniskillen in County Fermanagh.

Let’s Connect NI for Growth continues to be the key ambition of the programme and major events include ‘Meet the buyer’ with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry on 10 November; ‘Opportunities for growth’ in the residential property sector on 17 November and ‘Future farming prospects’ in the Agri sector on 18 November. Show Your Business, an initiative which invites local businesses into their local branches to display and sell their products and services, has proven very successful over the years. This year, the bank will open a pop up branch in Castlecourt Shopping Centre giving customers the opportunity to display their wares in the heart of Belfast’s retail district.

Bank of Ireland UK is committed to supporting and encouraging Northern Ireland businesses to grow through investing in new products and services which can be exported throughout the world.

Bank of Ireland’s experienced business managers and advisors, together with experts in areas such as foreign exchange, trade finance and invoice financing will be available at all events, engaging in the business discussions and listening to business’ needs. The Bank continues to find practical ways in which it can help support the growth ambitions for all business types from start up to larger companies seeking to grow internationally.

Also this month the Bank will launch its partnership with the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and Trinity College Dublin to deliver the International Growth Programme, aimed at executives who are looking to scale their business through export driven growth.

The packed programme promises to deliver many opportunities for businesses to meet the right people, to share new ideas and best practices, and ultimately to do business together.

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[feature]

Putting geography on the business map With location-based analytics predicted to grow to $14.3 billion by 2020, a growing number of companies are taking a geographic approach when it comes to decision making Paul Synnott, Country Manager, Esri Ireland tells Ambition.

Paul Synnott, Country Manager esri Ireland.

W

here we live; where we work; where we send our kids to school; where we do our shopping; where we go on holidays; these are some of the questions that we ask and make decisions on a daily, weekly and annual basis.

What sets these decisions apart from any other is the simple word ‘Where’. Where requires us to think ‘spatially’ and thinking spatially requires us to visualise, analyse and optimise information that is directly

18 NI Chamber

associated with location.

Answering these questions require us to think analytically in the context of location and our geographic surroundings. Some decisions, we make in the blink of an eye, others we may choose to think and reflect on a little more deeply. For the most part many of these decisions come naturally to us because we are so in tune with the geographic context of our personal lives.

Playing a central role in this is Environmental Systems Research Institute

(Esri), a global leader in the field of Geographic Information Systems tools.

The privately owned global organisation is an international supplier of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, web GIS and geodatabase management applications.

Its customers are spread across a range of sectors including utilities, transportation, retail, banking, insurance, central and local government and construction, all of whom leverage geography and place within their data to help them make better decisions.

The $1.5 billion company is headquartered in Redlands, California with offices all over the world including Ireland which oversees a division based in Northern Ireland in Holywood, Co Down.

GIS software allows companies to use mapping and geography to visualise, question, analyse, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends relevant to their business. There is a growing interest in and awareness of the economic and strategic value of GIS to businesses of all sizes and in almost every industry.

Paul Synnott of Esri Ireland says if we can think spatially in our personal lives why is it so challenging to think spatially in our businesses?

“Whether you are working in a public sector organisation or a private sector business harnessing the power of location, place and geography provides greater business insights and the potential to make better business decisions.

“Over the last three years it has become more and more evident that employing a geographic approach to decision making makes sense for business. Spatial information (geography) is the new working language for business; a new business intelligence tool and a means of turning location into a valuable source of competitive advantage.

“Given the unique ability for spatial information to provide a common canvas on which to make complex business decisions, ‘geography’ should now be considered a new business platform for change and transformation at local, national and global levels of business. Taking geography into consideration when examining key performance indicators, evaluating current market conditions, and analysing trends brings to life patterns and influences that are otherwise difficult to recognise when using tables or graphs.”

Paul says the concept of geography as a platform may be new to the business world but evidence suggests there is no better way to assimilate and communicate business information and market trends than understanding and knowing ‘where’ things are – a picture paints a thousand words.

“The power of ‘place’ provides valuable insights for business. Knowing where things happen, where your coverage is poor, where your assets are located, where your resources are best deployed, where you have under-supply, where you are prone to certain problems, where your services are needed, where demand is coming

from and where it’s likely to increase, are all fundamental ‘location’ based questions that businesses need to answer. And, if we accept this proposition, then every aspect of driving business success and maximising return on investment should be considered “location” dependent,” says Paul.

“Geography, encapsulated as spatial information helps ensure that we are asking the right questions by visualising, analysing and optimising the impact and evidence on which to make better business decisions.

“Geography is a powerful way to connect people to place, transactions to actions, responses to trends, and customers both to where they do business and what kinds of business they do. However, in today’s constant battle for customers, it is the customer and the consumer that are holding the cards. It’s no longer a case of ‘build it, and they will come’, it’s no longer about bringing the consumer to your business, it’s more about bringing your business to the consumer. You can only do this if you know where the consumer is.”

As a result businesses and Government, are recognising that ’geography’ is an increasingly important variable in the provision of value for their customers. The fundamental premise behind this realisation is the need to deliver a marketing message that is localised to where the target user is located. By knowing ’where’ customers are and, just as important, ’where’ they are not, allows businesses to build up a microgeographic view of their markets and their future potential.

“We all know that better business decisions are made by asking the right questions. ‘Geography’ facilitates more powerful information via map-driven analysis providing a new way to tackle an old problem—how to query and manipulate data. For example businesses and Government can instantly see where to maximise their investments thus reducing the risk associated with investment decisions.

They do this by asking new questions and getting precise answers. Financial institutions manage loan books, liability and risk to better understand consumer behaviour and inform new consumer services. Transport companies can optimise their routes to reduce operational costs and ensure a more cost effective and efficient delivery service for their customers,” says Paul.

“And by using geography as a platform to make better sense of complex business problems, decision makers now have the ability to stand over any proposed investments in people, time and effort, providing clear evidence of more prudent use of company

resources and cash reserves.”

The result is access to more complete information and analysis at every level to help better understand business performance.

Paul stresses that by not utilising the ‘geographic intelligence’ that is contained in their data, businesses may only be getting half the picture, and could be losing ground to the competition. He says that geography provides deeper insights so that you can see your business data in new ways.

“Location based data analytics lets you visually explore and craft business intelligence far beyond putting dots on a map. For example insurance companies perform location based risk assessment that in turn inform our premiums. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development perform location based analysis of farms in Northern Ireland to ensure that appropriate farm subsidies and grants are paid out to the farming community. In this way they use geography to identify relationships and patterns that charts and graphs simply don’t reveal.

“Geography delivers richer understanding to ensure that businesses get the complete picture. Geo-Enrichment allows you to take advantage of location in every type of decision. When you tap into demographics, lifestyle, business, and weather data, you create a more accurate and actionable plan for success. For example retailers can analyse and localise marketing effectiveness and add real-time visualisations of their market share and target audiences when they need them.

Healthcare can identify chronic illness and pandemic patterns such as with the recent and ongoing Ebola crisis.”

Furthermore, geography allows companies to take back control of their big data holdings. Paul says that no matter the size and complexity of data, businesses can make the difficult easy and the complex consumable when they employ location based data analytics. Location and place brings it together by exposing geographic patterns, finding spatial relationships, preforming predictive modelling and mapping consumer sentiment through social media.

“Perhaps there is no better system than ‘geography’ to understand the interconnectedness of business and Government in the twenty-first century,” says Paul.

“Knowing where things happen matters and separates the usable from the unusable demonstrating that not only is knowing ‘where’ the answer but, in this fast moving world of commercial activity, it’s fast becoming the only answer that matters.”

NI Chamber 19

[Columnist] SIOBHAN LAVERY, DIRECTOR (NI) OF INTEGRATED MARKETING AGENCY ICAN

Up Periscope Discovering the world through someone else’s eyes means the possibilities are endless says Siobhan Lavery.

T

here has been a lot of chat about Periscope in recent months and we are starting to see smart marketers and media

realising its potential and really tapping into what the channel can offer. Periscope, which is owned

by Twitter, describes itself as “the closest thing to teleportation”. Only with Periscope, can you take a virtual trip on your phone or tablet device to Coachella, to a Stan Lee talk at ComicCon, observe fruit picking in New Zealand, learn Swedish from a local or speak to Kermit the Frog from his house in California! It also operates as an effective business communications platform.

Brands such as Burberry pioneered this tool, but now many brands across the UK and Ireland are considering the possibilities of live fan interaction and engagement through Periscope.

Best class examples include Turkish airlines “experience of flying with us”, which showed consumers the entire experience of flying with the airline, from arriving at the airport, the flight itself and leaving the place at the final destination.

FX Network’s American Horror Story used Periscope to broadcast the red carpet live at the premiere of AHS Hotel and Doritos was the first

interact with live and can also give them multi-

is a ready-made audience available to you. We

brand to host a competition on the platform,

coloured love hearts, to show “we get you, we

recommend using Periscope alongside other

a live roulette game, tying in with their new

like what you’re doing and we may come back”.

platforms, especially Twitter as they are closely

“Roulette” crisp.

At ICAN, we used Periscope recently with our

linked and all content created on Periscope will

client Bulmers during their headline sponsorship

post automatically to your Twitter fan page,

of the Forbidden Fruit Music Festival in Dublin this

ensuring your fans are kept up to date with the

summer. Concert-goers at the festival enjoyed

latest news and announcements.

“some people are calling periscope the greatest social invention since instagram and we all know how long it took for ceos to start seeing potential in this social media channel.”

bands live, and our followers at home got the

So where is Periscope going next? More

experience of being there live through Periscope.

people like you and I will start to broadcast from

The ICAN team was on site broadcasting live

holidays, to share their experiences with family

acts directly to anyone with Periscope, as a thank

and friends and even people looking to explore

you from Bulmers. We earned over 400 likes,

an area of interest, a virtual Trip Advisor if you

an additional 90 followers and had over 100 live

will. There are already presentations and blogs

viewers of our broadcast on Periscope.

circulating with Periscope predictions for the year

Periscope has been in operation since February

ahead, one being that we will see a presidential

of this year, but we are only seeing commercial

address via Periscope before the year is out. We

adoption in the recent months. In August 2015,

will also see a new home for beauty or education

the company announced it had amassed 10

tutorials, for YouTubers etc. The possibilities are

million users globally. We have no doubt that

endless really. From a brand perspective, we

this will grow exponentially. Some people are

expect to see Periscope footage used in video

calling Periscope the greatest social invention since

and TV advertising, as well as in print and digital

crowdsourcing to function. Nobody wants to

Instagram and we all know how long it took for

display.

present to an empty audience and the same

CEOs to start seeing potential in this social media

applies on Periscope. A person or indeed a brand

channel.

The beauty of Periscope is that it requires

broadcasting has to perform for our attention,

When you tweet, you essentially start at zero.

It continues to be an exciting time for social media and Northern Ireland businesses should continue to educate themselves with technologies

interact with us or give us something of value.

With Periscope you can invite your existing

and new channels to drive lead generation,

In return fans leave comments for the brand to

Twitter followers to join your broadcast, so there

conversion and brand awareness.

20 NI Chamber

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[News]

Are you excellent?

A new writing project has been taking shape across Northern Ireland industry and commerce, actively seeking companies that embody excellence in everything they do. Ambition hears about the creation of ‘Excellence in Northern Ireland’, from its publisher Dr Claude Costecalde. their company but the whole of Northern Ireland, giving validity to our assertion that we are ‘world class’ and showcasing our economy to potential inward investors.

While the book is filling rapidly, Dr Costecalde confirmed that he still has some space available for the right companies.

“Put simply, it is not enough in itself to be excellent at what you do – you must have the

Excellence in NortherN IrelaNd

L

eading local publisher, Dr Claude Costecalde is currently compiling ‘Excellence in Northern Ireland’, which is set to showcase Northern Ireland plc in a way that will make the world sit up and take notice.

Featuring up to 100 of our most innovative and exceptional organisations, this book will tell readers around the globe that here is a place where business means business.

“Excellence in Northern Ireland will be different in many ways,” explained Dr Costecalde. “It will be a substantial, large-format coffee-table book with high production values and engaging content, which will ensure that it sits in the right boardrooms and bookcases places for years to come. This book will make an impactful statement about the strength of the Northern Ireland economy and those companies profiled in it will be positioned right at the forefront of that.”

Excellence in Northern Ireland will not be simply a catalogue of companies with the highest turnover or most employees, but rather a showcase of business excellence in all its forms. “Many of the companies profiled will be very well known, of course, but also we have found new stories to tell,” said Dr Costecalde.

22 NI Chamber

“Excellence is not about statistics, it is about product, processes, people and overall ethos.

We have many companies included, from the giants of our business news pages to the quiet conquerors of international trade, and the exuberant pioneers of new markets and leading-edge technologies. This is a book for every sector of our economy where excellence is to be found.”

The book also profiles organisations that are charged with supporting and developing the local economy to grow on a global stage, including Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Northern Ireland Science Park and Invest NI. The natural beauty and tourism potential of Northern Ireland is celebrated too and the book will be punctuated with stunning images of our landscapes and places.

The pages of Excellence in Northern Ireland have been filling quickly, as companies with vision see the book’s potential for discreet but powerful corporate promotion at the highest level, yielding international reach and an extended shelf life. Those companies committed to the book also recognise the significant part it will play in promoting not just

“We have many companies included, from the giants of our business news pages to the quiet conquerors of international trade, and the exuberant pioneers of new markets and leading-edge technologies.

This is a book for every sector of our economy where excellence is to be found.”

vision to share your company’s story and see the potential that this book offers for the future.

There will be up to 10,000 books distributed throughout the world, each reaching a very conservative estimate of 50 ‘browsers’. That’s a minimum reach of half a million business people over the next few years, who will see your company as a leader in the Northern Ireland economy. It’s quite something to be part of.

Moreover, business will be encouraged to donate free copies to Business Studies teachers in Northern Ireland Secondary Schools and colleges.

“I would urge any companies who wish to be considered for inclusion to contact me as soon as possible,” added Dr Costecalde.

“This is a one-off opportunity to be part of a very special project for each of the companies profiled and for the Northern Ireland economy.”

• For further information please contact Dr Claude Costecalde on T: 07403 781 529 or E: cbc.editionsdusigne@gmail.com.

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

Garvan Rice, Jonathan Bell MLA, Gordon Cartwright and Paul Rice.

a major investment Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment, Jonathan Bell MLA, recently opened a major phase of a seven year, £6m investment plan

by The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn. Danny Rice who bought the Hotel in 1983, and his two sons Paul and Garvan have invested more than £4.5m in this 17th Century Inn over the last five years with a planned future spend of £1.7m. This investment has significantly enhanced the design and appeal of the conference and banqueting facilities and incorporates a fibre-speed digital backbone for customer services and internal data. Welcoming the development, Minister Bell said: “The substantial investment being made in this hotel will strengthen further the local accommodation offering and enable Northern Ireland to continue to compete for vital international business that is so important for our tourism and business sectors. As an industry leader, the investment in the Old Inn Crawfordsburn - not just now, but over the last three decades - is a massive vote of confidence in the future of Northern Ireland tourism.”

396.23 mm x 184.16 mm Width should be 2.15 x Height from bottom of letter T to top of letter L

Adrienne Hanna and Don McCann.

CRAWFORDSBURN

Business enquiries can be made via phone 02891 853255 or email events@theoldinn.com.

Jonathan Bell MLA speaking at the opening of the new development at The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn.

Kathryn Thomson, Colin Neill and Caroline Adams.

Old Inn General Manager Gordon Cartwright with Caroline Adams, Kathryn Thomson and Ards and North Down Mayor Alan Graham.

Alderman Alan McDowell, Alderman Marion Smith and Brian Ambrose (Belfast City Airport).

[Columnist] Maureen O’Reilly, NI Chamber Economist

Dove or Hawk – which would you be?

An interest rate rise next year looks like it is on the horizon but there are many economic indicAtors to consider before the Bank of England makes its swoop says Maureen O’Reilly.

I

f you were faced with the choice between high unemployment or high inflation which would you choose? This is largely the distinction made between what are known in monetary policy terms as ‘doves’ and ‘hawks’. A dove places greater emphasis on fighting unemployment and maintaining a stable and growing economy through low interest rates. They are less concerned about the effects of inflation. A hawk, as the name suggests, takes a more aggressive stance, placing more weight on the target rate of inflation and increasing interest rates to maintain this.

The main goal of monetary policy in the UK is to maintain the government’s inflation target of 2 per cent. Inflation focuses on the

24 NI Chamber

“A small level of inflation is typically good for an economy as it is a sign of growth but too much or too little both have their challenges.” general level of prices and the target has been set at 2 per cent because this is viewed as the most appropriate rate to maintain price stability and with that a stable economy. A

small level of inflation is typically good for an economy as it is a sign of growth but too much or too little both have their challenges.

Inflation is currently around 0 per cent and has been for most of 2015 which is why interest rates have been kept low.

The inflation target is controlled through the Bank of England base rate which is set by the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Bank of England. The MPC is made up of nine members, 5 Bank of England staff and 4 independent experts, who meet on a monthly basis and based on the evidence presented, vote on the position of the Bank of England base rate.

So who are the doves and hawks in the MPC? A recent article in the Financial Times

suggested that there is currently one dove, three hawks and described the rest, including the Governor Mark Carney, as ‘neutrals’. The hawks’ view that an interest rate rise is needed is strongly focused on the fact that there is wage growth in the UK economy, the labour market is performing well with falling unemployment and a rise in those in work and that inflation is going to start to rise. The single dove, Andrew Haldane who is the Bank of England’s Chief Economist, argues that there is still too much downside risk in the economy to warrant any base rate increase, citing factors such as the slowdown in the UK economy and knock on effects of China’s economic woes as key factors. He has gone as far as to suggest that a rate cut might actually be needed to stimulate the economy. In terms of those described as ‘neutral’ some had adopted a relatively dovish stance but are positioning themselves to take a much more hawkish view going forward, Mark Carney included. It would appear to be a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ a rate rise will take effect.

In its last meeting on 6 October 2015 the MPC voted 8–1 that the bank base rate should remain at 0.5 per cent where it has been since 2007. The decision was based on the latest evidence to suggest that UK economic growth had slowed and sharp falls in unemployment

had levelled off. It did note that some sectors were doing well and indeed showing signs of capacity constraints and that private sector pay was rising. However, the consensus was that those factors were not enough on their own to suggest that the UK economy was on a stable growth trajectory. One member, Ian McCafferty, did vote for the rate rise by 0.25 per cent as he has done during the last 3 months. He believes that zero/low inflation will not last and will start to rise gradually. He also referred to increased wage pressures combined with less slack in the economy i.e. fewer people available for work than thought as part of his reasoning.

So what are the current odds on the timing of an interest rate rise? During the summer Mark Carney gave a strong indication that interest rates would rise next year (2016) because the economy was ‘starting to head back to normal’. In essence, he was starting to prepare both businesses and households for a rise. However, since then the view on how the economy is/will perform seems to change on an almost weekly basis depending on events both nationally and internationally. There is still a view that the bank rate will start to rise in the first few months of 2016 largely because of the pace of wage growth. The more hawkish (and

probably majority) in the MPC would suggest this to be the case. However, others (largely outside the MPC) are predicting that it could be 2017 before the rate starts to rise because the overarching picture around UK and indeed global economic growth is far from positive.

There are such mixed signals around the economy which makes this a difficult call for the MPC. The NI Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey is perhaps a good indication of this. It suggests that growth in the Northern Ireland economy has slowed in recent months and that business confidence is falling. At the same time there does appear to be some employment growth and wages are rising. In the latest QES Qtr3 2015 almost 60 per cent of businesses are expecting to award pay rises in the coming year. Indeed, almost half of businesses are feeling pressure to offer higher wages to attract new staff suggesting some form of labour market tightening as businesses compete to fill jobs. Taken together this is all something of a conundrum.

So dove or hawk – which would you be? At the moment I think I am a dove. I would like to see greater signs of stability in the economy and an improvement in business confidence before considering any rise in interest rates however small that may be.

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Chamber chief’s

From networking events to meetings with government ministers and in-camera dinners with leaders in business, the hectic round of activity spearheaded by NI Chamber for the benefit of members never stops. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor gives a taste of what’s taken place recently with a picture gallery over the following pages.

It has been an intensely busy couple of months at NI Chamber with a swirl of activities which have been every bit as energetic as the gusts of the autumn wind.

And while a seasonal chill may be in the air, nothing other than a warm glow surrounded NI Chamber’s recent Autumn Networking Conference at Belfast’s Europa Hotel.

More than 500 members of the local business community came together for the event, supported by firmus energy and Fleet Financial, which also featured a market place with over 60 companies exhibiting their products and services, to showcase the best of Northern Ireland business.

Delegates heard from keynote speaker Trevor Jordan, Sales Director at UTV on the Power of TV and from Sarah Travers and Camilla Long of Bespoke Communications

Trevor Jordan.

who provided businesses with advice on how to effectively communicate key messages in order to grow sales and develop networks.

Adding a further element of excitement, 6 members attending the event won £10,000 worth of advertising from UTV after they ‘survived’ a bush tucker trial.

Local businesses have also been busily engaged in attending the latest in a series of

26 NI Chamber

events organised by NI Chamber under its Danske Bank Export First programme. The initiative aims to assist local businesses to develop and expand through exporting.

The most recent speaker in the series was John O’Donoghue, Chief Executive of the Noonan Services Group, which was formed in 1977 and now employs over

American Airlines. On the move this time was Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell who met local businesses and heard their views on the economy. Mark Cuskeran, Managing

John O’Donoghue.

14,000 people with an annual turnover of £300 million. He shared the story of his success with members at a dinner in Belfast’s Merchant Hotel. At an earlier event in the series, which took place at the Ulster Museum, guests heard from Mark Godfrey, Chief Executive of Automated Intelligence and Simon Cole, Chief Technology Officer who are co-founders of the Belfast based software company. They gave an insight into how to deliver growth and success.

There was also an Export First visit to Norbrook Laboratories in Newry. Attending was Chairperson of Stormont’s Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee, Patsy McGlone who outlined the Committee’s current priorities in front of an audience of 50 businesses. The Permanent Secretary at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment Andrew McCormick attended the event on behalf of Enterprise Minister Jonathan Bell.

Meanwhile, SDC Trailers in Toomebridge hosted the third in the Minister on the Move series, partnered by British Airways and

Minister Jonathan Bell and Mark Cuskeran.

Director of SDC Trailers, which has grown to become one of the largest trailer manufacturers in Europe, inspired guests with the story of the firm’s phenomenal success.

Turning to NI Chamber Connections, partnered with Ulster Bank, the latest event focused on the theme of ‘Growth through Innovation’. At a round table discussion at the Galgorm Manor Hotel in Ballymena, guests heard from David Barnett, Advanced Products Director at The Wright Group and Kevin McNally, Sales

David Barnett, Kevin McNally, Sandra Scannell (NI Chamber) and Andy Mills (Ulster Bank).

Chamber chief’s update Director at SPHERE Global, who outlined the importance of innovation within their organisations.

There was lots of tweeting activity with Nick Pickles, UK Policy Lead at Twitter, who was guest speaker at a networking

Chamber’s Council to brief members about it. We have submitted a response on the process following consultation with members.

On an enjoyable sporting note, NI Chamber members and staff swung into action at our Annual Golf Day, sponsored by Charles Hurst Jaguar and Land Rover which this year took place at the prestigious Royal Belfast Golf Club. At the end of the day the winning team was Forth Communication (NI), second place went to Ulster Bank and in third place was Enterprise Rent-A-Car.

Accountants PGR Accountants Business Services Big Box Office Bradley Gieves Dunrath FIG PC Leopard Business Services McGimpsey Brothers (Removals) Ltd. Northside & Bradbury Graphics PHS Datashred Titanic Suites Ward Solutions Wilsons Auctions Charity Ashton Community

Nick Pickles.

event, part of a series hosted by NI Chamber and First Trust Bank. At the event which took place at Belfast’s Grand Opera House, Nick provided businesses with a range of creative ideas and inspirations, as well as simple tips and planning tools to help firms reach more people via the social media platform.

I’ve had the opportunity to speak about energy issues recently and was delighted to be part of the panel at the 10th Eirgrid Annual Customer Conference at Titanic Belfast hosted by BBC broadcaster Wendy Austin.

NEW MEMBERS

Forth Communication (NI) team.

Topping the individual leader board was Matthew McDowell (Forth Communication NI), followed by Benjamin Matson (Ulster Bank) and in third place Gareth Williamson (NI Chamber).

Finally, I’d like to congratulate those who were named winners at the NI Chamber awards. They included young entrepreneurs Katie Waddell who scooped the Young Person in Business award and Sorcha Lynch who was highly commended in the

Construction Blue Clarity Creative Wolfhound Media Education Open College Network Green Sector Bailey Waste Hospitality & Tourism Edenmore Golf ICT B4B Kelway Zine UK Manufacturing Advantage Control Ryobi Professional Services Bibby

Speakers at the Eirgrid conference.

I also had the opportunity to talk at the Energy Association for Ireland’s mid-term review of the Strategic Energy Framework. It was important for the views of NI Chamber’s members to be heard at these events as energy costs and security of supply have become major issues for members.

NI Chamber has also thrown its weight into taking part in The Big Conversation around the sustainability of higher education in Northern Ireland. The Department of Employment and Learning is spearheading the initiative here and Minister Stephen Farry attended the most recent meeting of NI

Property Connolly Longhurst Estate Agents Katie Waddell, Stephen McCully (NI Chamber) and Sorcha Lynch.

same category. We wish all the winners the very best of luck as they progress to the finals in London later this month.

With NI Chamber’s annual banquet at Titanic Belfast fast approaching later this month, we are looking forward to a thoroughly enjoyable evening with actor James Nesbitt as the star guest and speaker.

It will be a totally glitzy and entertaining event!

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

NI Chamber 27

Autumn Networking Conference

6 members each won ÂŁ10,000 worth of advertising from UTV at a bush tucker trail at the event.

Maureen Fox and Helen Bingham from the Ulster University Business School.

Nadine Campbell and Fiona McCann from Clic Sargent NI and Leigh Rodgers from Nespresso Business Solutions.

Over 500 delegates attended the event.

Stephen Keane from roomex.com and David Mackay RLA Group.

28 NI Chamber

Trevor Jordan (UTV); Sonia Graham (Charles Hurst & Fleet Financial); Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); Sarah Travers and Camilla Long (Bespoke Communications) and Paul Stanfield (firmus energy).

Twitter Networking Event

Aisling Press from sponsor First Trust Bank.

Brian Scott (Navigator Blue) and John Brolly (Irish News).

Gerard Lawlor (Grand Opera House); Sandra Scannell (NI Chamber); Aisling Press (First Trust Bank) and Nick Pickles (Twitter UK).

Grant Thornton’s Ian Davison and Gareth Latimer.

Guests at the event.

Guest Speaker Nick Pickles, UK Public Policy Manager at Twitter.

NI Chamber 29

Annual Golf Day

Cathal Geoghan tees off.

Mathew McDowell gets his round underway.

Leigh Meyer admires his drive off the first fairway.

Peter Holden, Brian McAreavey, Leigh Mayer and Roland Shaw.

Paul McGuire unleashes a drive.

30 NI Chamber

Ryan Magee, Mathew Kennedy, Alan McVey and Gareth Williamson.

Katie Waddell of ‘Spoon Street’ has been awarded the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry ‘Young Person in Business’ honour, having launched the thriving East Belfast yogurt bar in November 2014 and a second store in Ann Street Belfast city centre. Katie (right) is pictured with NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor and NI Chamber Communications Manager Chris Morrow.

Firms scoop NI Chamber Awards Seven companies from across Northern Ireland and the Co-owner of innovative new frozen yogurt bar have been crowned winners of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) Chamber Awards for 2015. The winners will now compete with fellow regional winners from Chambers of Commerce across the UK in the national finals as they seek to win a top UK business accolade.

NI Chamber has announced the seven firms – Concentrix; Henderson Retail; M&M Contractors; Northern Regional College; Selective Travel Management; The Lava Group; Windell; and Katie Waddell, Coowner of ‘Spoon Street’ as the Northern Ireland winners in their respective categories of the awards.

The Chamber Awards is a highlight of the business calendar, showcasing the pivotal role local businesses play in the UK’s continuing growth story. The national winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Chamber Awards Gala Dinner on 26 November 2015 at the Brewery in London.

Ann McGregor, NI Chamber Chief Executive said: “The Chamber Awards are the perfect

opportunity to take stock of the outstanding performances of businesses over the past year – something made all the more impressive by the continuing global economic headwinds they are facing.

“The creativity and determination that has been shown by each year’s entrants never ceases to impress us, and is a source of encouragement knowing that the Northern Ireland economy is being driven by such hard-working and talented professionals.

“It’s important that we recognise and celebrate these businesses, and ensure that we can provide the support and assistance they need to help them realise their growth ambitions. I wish them well as they go into the UK finals with a sense of pride in what they have achieved to date.”

Commenting on the award, Katie Waddell said: “I am delighted to win the Northern Ireland Chamber’s ‘Young Person in Business’ award, and also delighted that Spoon Street has been recognised for its impact on the Northern Ireland business scene. With Spoon Street, my Partner and I wanted to create a fun factor and atmosphere around the product and business

– something which has been embraced by people from all ages and backgrounds right across the Province.”

Spoon Street was the first self-serve frozen yogurt bar in Northern Ireland and is enjoying great success and popularity amongst both young and old customers. The company has also recently expanded their already successful US-inspired yogurt concept into Belfast City Centre’s Ann Street.

The full list of winners is overleaf.

Highly Commended awards were also claimed by Agnew Corporate (Best use of Technology to Improve Business Performance); Coca Cola (Business in the Community); Belfast Metropolitan College (Education and Business Partnership); Kitchenmaster (Exporting Business of the Year); Concentrix (High Growth Business); The Henry Group (People Development); Seating Matters (High Growth Business) and Sorcha Lynch from The Present Tree (Young Person in Business).

NI Chamber 31

w Chamber chief’s update The full list of winners (pictured with NI Chamber President Stephen McCully) is as follows: • Best use of Technology to Improve Business Performance – Concentrix • Business in the Community – Henderson Retail • Education and Business Partnership – Northern Regional College • Exporting Business of the Year – M&M Contractors • High Growth Business – Selective Travel Management • People Development Award – The Lava Group • Small Business of the Year – Windell • Young Person in Business – Katie Waddell, Spoon Street (pictured on previous page) Concentrix.

32 NI Chamber

Henderson Retail.

Lava Group.

M&M Contractors.

Northern Regional College.

Selective Travel.

Windell.

[News]

‘Let’s do business’

Chamber of Commerce network unites for first time in a call to local Councils.

Members of the chamber of commerce network across Northern Ireland – 18 chambers of commerce representing over 5,000 Northern Ireland businesses – who have drawn up an action plan focusing on reducing the cost of doing business.

‘Let’s do business’ – that is the message delivered to Local Government in a new action plan released by the chambers of commerce network across Northern Ireland.

‘Let’s do business’ makes over 20 recommendations that will reduce the cost of doing business and lead to the creation of thousands jobs across the Province in the construction, retail, tourism, manufacturing and service sectors.

It is the first time that chambers of commerce have joined forces in such an appeal and comes on the back of Northern Ireland’s growing town centre vacancy rate which is the highest in the UK at 17.3 per cent according to the latest Springboard survey.

With footfall also down by 4.5 per cent, the chambers of commerce here are seeking a firm commitment to a ‘town centre first’ approach from each council area.

Commenting on the launch of ‘Let’s do business’, the network said: “Chambers of commerce throughout Northern Ireland are committed to protecting the vitality and viability of their towns and city centres through sustainable development and effective regeneration. The chambers of commerce network in Northern Ireland therefore seeks a firm commitment to a Town Centre First planning policy being produced for each of the new district council areas.

“Building upon the excellent relationships between local chambers and Local Government, we believe that it is the chamber of commerce network that is best

placed to work with Local Government on community plans. We now encourage local councils to support our recommendations and help instil confidence back into businesses.”

Amongst the recommendations made by the network, are those around business rates. Recent research by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry revealed that a massive 78 per cent of Northern Ireland business owners want to see the decades old system reviewed

“Chambers of commerce throughout Northern Ireland are committed to protecting the vitality and viability of their towns and city centres through sustainable development and effective regeneration.”

and consideration given to a system which more adequately reflects economic and business conditions. Particular concerns were expressed around the equity of the current system and members also asked for greater

transparency around what their business rates actually pay for.

The action plan states: “In areas with higher rates, the impact could be the difference between businesses in these areas remaining viable and having to close. If an increase in rates is unavoidable, Councillors must chose the maximum period of adjustment allowed to ensure the viability of those businesses and protect local jobs.

“Government must target and encourage new businesses with rates incentives and an imaginative rates strategy that learns from best practice from other countries.”

The Northern Ireland wide document also calls on local Councils to support business in putting forward the business case for investment in Northern Ireland’s infrastructure.

“There is currently a lack of delivery around key projects, for example the North South Interconnector, the A5 and the A6. In addition to this, our current road networks are not well maintained and some urban areas, including Belfast, have insufficient capacity.

“Businesses rely on transport networks to move goods and people; on energy infrastructure to keep production lines and technology running; on telecoms to deliver services, and to connect with customers and suppliers. Failure to invest in capacity and maintenance is hampering business growth and costing jobs.

“A world-class economy needs world-class infrastructure to support economic growth, and businesses need certainty that crucial improvements will be delivered.”

NI Chamber 33

[Columnist] Trevor Annon, chairman of the mount charles group

The platform for a better working environment Having the right business support services can help companies of all sizes build a better employee culture says Trevor Annon.

I

t is widely accepted that happy employees are productive employees.

A good staff morale is an important part of any successful business and an employee that enjoys their work and feels comfortable in the workplace will almost certainly be a more valuable asset than those who do not.

Not only that, but it is conventional wisdom that a positive staff culture is an important part of the recruitment process, as it will make it easier to attract and retain quality employees.

It’s about job satisfaction and while there are ultimately a wide number of varying factors that influence this, every company should think about the steps they could take to enhance the workplace, no matter how small.

At one end of the scale, you have companies like Google and Microsoft, who are renowned for their creative offices, perk schemes and employee management.

Google for example, specifically designed their canteens so that employees are forced to queue, because staff will chat while they wait and they believe that chat becomes ideas, which becomes innovation.

Similarly, computing monolith Microsoft has introduced offices where employees can move the internal walls to arrange and allocate space as they see necessary.

They have tried to give employees more control and are designing their operations to help them reach their optimum potential.

There are many companies, both large and small, that have tried to follow their lead and

34 NI Chamber

while some may dismiss their efforts as a gimmick, there is clearly some logic behind their approach.

Google and Microsoft should be considered two extreme examples of how multinational corporations tackle their employee culture, but the underlying principles are the same for local firms.

Whether it is an oversized colourful slide connecting floors or simply a well-maintained, clean office, it will have an impact, but the difficulty for many is allocating the appropriate resources to the daily running of their premises.

Having worked in foodservice and business

“having worked in foodservice and business support for more than 35 years, i’ve seen how hard it can be and how the needs of local businesses have evolved”. support for more than 35 years, I’ve seen how hard it can be and how the needs of local businesses have evolved. Today we see more and more emphasis placed on employee care while economic pressures have heightened.

It’s a trend that has greatly influenced The

Mount Charles Group’s offering, as although we originally started out as a contract caterer, we’ve gradually evolved to include cleaning, vending, retail, and security services.

We also provide a number of integrated business support services including reception staff, maintenance and a remote switchboard service.

All of these functions allow us to work with firms and help them provide the best possible facilities for their staff and clients, and they are delivered through cost effective packages tailored to the individual needs of each one.

For some businesses this package might include their catering and their cleaning, and our role is to ensure that their employees always have a clean and well-maintained environment to work in, as well as providing quality, locally sourced food and drink.

For others it is security and waste management, while sometimes it can be all of the above.

It’s the little things that count and providing the best possible working conditions should be a priority for any business.

Our ‘bundled’ contracts help to make that as simple as possible, as we can bring together the core services that underpin a business, consolidating them into one manageable package.

It allows companies to reduce their operating costs and save valuable time while increasing the quality of service they receive, and that ultimately helps to keep the directors and senior management happy too, not just the wider workforce.

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17/08/2015 14:09:36

[Feature]

Top for tests At-home diagnostic tests provide patients with valuable information and enable them to seek medical intervention earlier as Adrienne McGill hears from CIGA Healthcare Chief Executive Irwin Armstrong.

CIGA Chief Executive Irwin Armstrong.

C

IGA Healthcare has become one of the leading names in its sector throughout the world in the last 10 years.

The Ballymena based company, which employs 20 people at its purpose-built facility in the town, specialises in rapid test diagnostics and its wide range of products is sold in over 70 countries across the globe. Every five seconds someone uses one of its SURESIGN branded products designed for over the counter (OTC) sales in pharmacies, which include self-diagnostic tests for pregnancy and fertility, cholesterol, diabetes, temperature and heart monitoring.

Self-diagnostic kits provide patients with information about their current health condition, which enables them to make informed decisions.

Although the use of diagnostic kits may be convenient, the kits should never replace a follow-up visit with a doctor. Proper use of these tests and adhering to the manufacturer’s directions regarding testing protocol are crucial to obtaining accurate results.

It is a field in which CIGA, a family owned company, has experienced rapid growth and now supplies approximately 40 per cent of the pregnancy tests purchased in the UK. CIGA Chief Executive Irwin Armstrong, who established the company in 2005 says the original idea for the company was around the development of point of care testing to widen the range and accuracy of tests.

While shopping around for something to actually market and sell, Irvine discovered a gap in the market which he felt he could exploit. The result was the creation of the SURESIGN brand of self-diagnostics.

“SURESIGN offers a complete range of tests and devices to enable you to protect your family’s health from the comfort of your home. We developed the SURESIGN brand by travelling

36 NI Chamber

around the world and identifying products that we wanted to add to our range under the SURESIGN brand. Our products began to be sold in independent pharmacies but also in Boots, Sainsbury’s, Asda,Tesco and Morrisons under their store brand and under the SURESIGN brand,” he says.

“We have gone on to develop products such as ultra early pregnancy tests. Some of the products have been developed through our partnerships with the Connected Health Innovation Centre (CHIC) at Ulster University whose expertise across a range of health and technology is invaluable.”

Irwin points to new innovations on the way which could dramatically change how health tests are used.

In developing countries, for example, large numbers of people live in rural areas far away from hospitals and medical centres which reduces their access to diagnosis and treatment. There are also far fewer doctors per capita compared to the developed world. Experts in healthcare strategy say unless consumers in developing countries monitor their health by using self-diagnostic kits, it is impossible to deliver care to those people who need it.

It is against this background that CIGA is working with CHIC on developing new products that make use of technology — such as phonebased systems that track all of a person’s health data, and sophisticated hardware and apps that let a person sample and test their own blood, DNA and urine. These innovations will change where and how people get their health needs met.

“There are 3 parts to what CIGA is doing,” says Irwin. “ Phase 1 concerns our OTC tests but phases 2 and 3 are about point of care for hospitals or primary care with doctors and surgeries

where a diagnosis can be made regarding a particular problem and having it confirmed by a SURESIGN test. Phase 3 in particular involves the development of a hand held diagnostic device that can be used anywhere in the world even by people with only basic training.

“I am trying to bring diagnostics and medical care to the world – that is my vision. We will have a working prototype in the next 12 months.”

SURESIGN’s tests are manufactured all over the world including in the Far East, China, Taiwan, Europe and North America.

However in 2010, when Irwin began exploring export markets with a focus on growing the business internationally, he initially found obstacles.

“At the start it proved to be difficult because we wanted to sell products that were heavily regulated. We found it could take 3 years from the first meeting until our products were actually sold in some countries.”

Since then exports have achieved huge growth. The US is the firm’s largest export market while sales to the Middle East, the Arabian Gulf and Asia are particularly strong.

CIGA now sells SURESIGN in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. The company secured its first business in Libya in 2011 following a partnership agreement with Jafara, a pharmaceuticals business in Tripoli, however due to the current problems there this business has stopped.

For Irwin, it no doubt helps that his career has been steeped in business for more than 40 years.

He graduated in business studies in 1971, at a time when business was relatively new as an academic subject. After college, he qualified as an accountant and later worked for the Northern Ireland Development Agency, which was the precursor to the Industrial Development Board (now Invest Northern Ireland).

“After Margaret Thatcher’s government decided to close it, some of those that worked for the Development Agency were offered a small handshake. I took it and set up my management consultancy company, Centrehouse Management.

Over the last 30 years I have worked for some of Northern Ireland’s largest companies and other International businesses.”

Looking to the future Irwin says the company will continue to focus on R&D and creating new products in the diagnostic arena.

“We have expanded our business with all of our customers especially the large multiples. We have major contracts in the US and we have also signed a contract with a company in the Far East to distribute our products to 9 countries there.

“We are heading into a new era of diagnostics – where products are more accurate, faster and cheaper.

“At the end of the day we want, through innovation, to develop unique products which are going to help peoples’ health across the whole world.”

[feature]

what’s in it for me?

HOW NI CHAMBER HAS HELPED MY BUSINESS… WITH ALAN YOUNG, SENIOR REGIONAL SALES MANAGER NI, COMMTECH SOLUTIONS.

What makes your Business stand out?

What makes us stand out I believe is our people and our relationships with our customers. The people at Commtech are highly experienced in IT across many areas and have a real understanding of what it is our customers are trying to achieve. We offer more than just IT distribution to our partners – we offer, training and product certification, solution design, marketing and of course we try to make working with us as easy as possible. All this makes us stand out in a very competitive market.

How has NI Chamber helped your company achieve its goals?

We’ve always worked with IT partners in Northern Ireland and last year the company decided to go that one step further and put people on the ground locally. Our goal was to establish our business and to raise our company profile. NI Chamber has helped with this greatly by offering support in terms of networking events and sharing knowledge about the local market.

It’s good to know you’ve got expert advice at hand when you need it.

What would your advice be to other NI Chamber members to help get the most from their membership?

My advice to other members would be to use the Chamber as an extension and resource for their day to day business. If you’re running an event, workshop or would like an introduction to a certain company or member, use the Chamber to help you. I would also say keep an eye on the website for business updates and for events around networking opportunities. NI Chamber always has plenty of events and programmes going on so there is no shortage of business opportunities.

Describe your Business Commtech is a leading UK and Ireland distributor of value added IT solutions.

Established in 1997, Commtech specialises in Data Centre Infrastructure, Unified Communications and Security Solutions. The

company is headquartered in Dublin and has offices in London and Belfast.

Commtech’s partners include Barracuda, Brocade, Dell, Emulex (Avago), EMC, McAfee (Intel Security), Violin Memory and Veeam.

HOW HAS THE NI CHAMBER HELPED YOU AND YOUR STAFF DEVELOP YOUR PROFESSIOAL SKILLSET? The Chamber has helped us develop real business plans and define areas where we see growth and potential using the information and support they’ve given us. In addition, the Chamber has helped me personally to meet people from various business sectors from all over Northern Ireland that I would never have met otherwise.

NI Chamber 37

[columnist] Mark Orr QC, the Bar of Northern Ireland

‘Informal discussions provide no defence to a claim for repayment’ The relationship between a bank and its customers is based on a contract explains Mark Orr QC.

S

ince the crash in the property market in 2007, claims by banks against customers to recover loans have inundated the courts here in Northern Ireland and elsewhere. Most claims have been successful regardless of the many and varied defences raised on behalf of the borrowers.

In a recent Belfast case, the Judge commented: “The standard of the Plaintiff’s (Bank’s) record keeping and dealings with the Defendant were quite frankly abysmal.” The Judge refused to award the bank any interest on what was a substantial loan and went even further, ordering the bank to meet its own legal costs. However, despite his sympathy for consumers and business owners, he still had to order repayment of the principal sum borrowed.

In this particular case, there were major issues surrounding the administration of important papers such as documents not being signed on the dates printed, the customer claimed to not be in Northern Ireland on one of said dates and differing versions of circumstances in which the documentation had actually been signed.

Unfortunately the criticism of banks and the business community more generally has not been sufficient to prevent claims being successful. Furthermore the Court of Appeal

38 NI Chamber

“The bank will take care to ensure that all of its contractual rights are set out in writing.” has stated that there are no grounds in law for a claim in “negligent lending”.

Sadly, this is not an isolated case and more and more are coming before the Court. A customer whose loan has been called in, may be aggrieved by the conduct of a bank and feel that there has been a breach of trust. Many feel there was an understanding between them and the bank but, in the vast majority of cases, informal discussions provide no defence to a claim for repayment – no matter how friendly you think you are with your account manager.

It must be remembered that the relationship between a bank and its customers is based on a contract, a contract that almost invariably is prepared by the bank. My experience as a commercial barrister over the past few years leads me to offer eight top tips to business (and personal) customers of banks.

This is my check list for the canny business person wanting to avoid falling foul of the

lenders.

1. Personal Guarantees: A personal guarantee should be signed only as a last resort. Take time to read it over. In particular, it should contain an upper limit of liability so consider the terms at home - do not feel pressured to sign in the bank.

2. Take your time: Facility letters should be examined carefully. These can be lengthy documents, prepared over some time by the bank and you, the customer, also need to carefully read and understand them. Do this and return to your bank with any questions.

3. Caution! Particular care should be taken with ‘renewal facility letters’. These letters normally provide that the terms set out are deemed to have been accepted by the customer continuing to avail of the loan facilities.

4. Repayments Reminder: It must be emphasised that most loan arrangements offer full repayment on demand by the bank. I have come across many instances of customers, servicing their loans, who received a letters calling for repayment in full. This seems very unfair but the bank are perfectly within their rights to do so.

If there is an agreement that the loan will not be called in so long as repayments are made, this should be set out clearly in writing before the loan is drawn.

5. In general, documents should not be signed on bank premises. Always take paper work away with you and examine them while free from distractions.

6. Records of phone conversations should be made and retained.

7. All arrangements/representations should be reduced to writing.

8. Records of all dealings with the bank should be retained.

A loan is a contract between the customer and the bank. The bank will take care to ensure that all of its contractual rights are set out in writing. The customer does well to remember the words of the Hollywood mogul who said – “a verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”

•Members of the Bar of Northern Ireland and Commercial Bar Association specialise in the provision of expert independent legal advice, opinion, dispute resolution and courtroom advocacy. For more information, visit our website at www.barlibrary.com

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

Heyn Handling Solutions has been in operation since 1823 providing a range of services to businesses throughout Ireland. Located in the Port of Belfast Heyn are long established as a high quality, professional and innovative company offering customers a unique combination of experience, technical expertise and professionalism.

The company’s core activities include Engineering services, Shipping and logistics solutions, Forktruck service and Environmental solutions. The four divisions are long established as leading suppliers in their markets and offer premium quality products coupled with service excellence.

Heyn Engineering Solutions offer a comprehensive range of materials handling solutions to leading industrial, manufacturing and warehousing sectors in the UK and Ireland. Heyn are representatives in Ireland for a number of leading manufacturers including Demag Cranes & Components and SEW Eurodrive Geared Motors. Heyn Engineering Solutions has broadened its services from traditional marine engineering to include a comprehensive range of cranes, hoists and drives, lifting equipment and accessories, TRACTEL Safety components, machinery moves and installation, Equipment Examination and Inspection including LOLER and PUWER testing, Service and Maintenance and Ship Management and Repair. Heyn Engineers can provide a completely bespoke solution tailored to meet individual problem-solving requirements. The Carrick-aRede Rope bridge, is a well-known example of Heyn’s bespoke rigging solutions.

Heyn Forktruck Solutions represent the Jungheinrich range in Northern Ireland. Both share a commitment of providing customers with the very best tailored materials handling solution.

Heyn’s forktruck division offers customer focused solutions to a number of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies including in-house servicing and maintenance support.

At their operations in the heart of Belfast Port, Heyn keep an extensive stock of parts with quick delivery times and great value prices. Parts in stock include, Jungheinrich, BOSS Lancer, Hyster, Toyota, Linde, Steinbock and Nissan-TCM. Engineers are also available for ad-hoc repairs, breakdown recovery and LOLER testing to comply with Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations.

Heyn Shipping Solutions are the longest established division of the business, dating back to 1823. Heyn Shipping offer extensive transportation and logistics solutions linking Northern Ireland with the rest of the world. Heyn are agents for global liners including Hamburg-Sud, DAL, Finnlines and MacAndrews and also offer an extensive freight forwarding service in conjunction with M&R Spedag. The shipping team are highly trained to take the hassle out of logistics, handling every aspect including custom clearance. A key Heyn Shipping customer, Michelin commented “Heyn Shipping’s friendly, hands-on approach and attention to our needs makes them an excellent partner for our business. Their reactivity and creativity in handling the challenges international

shipping provides has made them an essential cog in our supply chain wheel.”

Heyn Environmental is the most recent addition to the Heyn Handling Solutions portfolio. Previously known as Heyn Waste Solutions, this division has seen some great growth in the market and a shift in the product portfolio and customer buying patterns to include more environmentally friendly products.

John Irwin, General Manager of Heyn Environmental states ‘I am delighted to announce the brand launch of Heyn Environmental Solutions, this has come about with the increased product portfolio of Heyn Waste, taking our core strengths in Waste & Recycling and expanding them into the new areas, such as Site Safety, Facilities & Traffic Management and Materials Handling. This will help us to provide a one stop shop for all your Environmental needs and increase our service levels to all our customers.’

In October 2015, Heyn Handling Solutions launched a brand new e-commerce platform to update their online presence and to promote online sales across the UK and Ireland. The previous platform reflected only the Environmental division; whereas the number of products with the new platform has trebled and spans the four divisions. Online, users are able to purchase a wide range of goods from engineering, environmental and forktrucks divisions.

There is also extensive information on all Heyn services, casestudies and customer testimonials as well as downloadable guides to provide expert advice to customers across the UK and Ireland. Visit www.heyn. co.uk to see the new website, with free delivery on selected products and all orders over £500 ex VAT.

Heyn Handling Solutions 1 Corry Place, Belfast BT3 9AH +44 (0)28 9035 0035 www.heyn.co.uk

[Feature]

Hungary for business

In the last in our series of interviews with foreign ambassadors to the UK, Hungarian Ambassador Peter Szabadhegy tells Adrienne McGill about plans to strengthen economic links with Northern Ireland and of the dramatic connection Hungary has with the ill-fated ship, the Titanic.

N

orthern Ireland and Hungary have in recent years built a healthy trading relationship. A number of Northern Ireland companies have won significant business there including Wilson Agri, based near Coleraine which produces innovative cow cubicles and mattresses for farms and also Brookvent, the Dunmurrybased manufacturer of innovative window ventilation and heat recovery systems.

Exports from Northern Ireland to Hungary in 2014/15 totalled £14 million of which £5.2 million related to machinery and transport equipment. Meanwhile, imports to Northern Ireland from Hungary over the same period amounted to £4.1 million.

The Hungarian Ambassador to the UK Peter Szabadhegy believes the relationship can grow much more. Speaking during a visit to Belfast last month he said: “The last time I was in Northern Ireland I visited a Swedish engineering firm in County Tyrone. Sandvik Construction was very proud of the fact that it employs 38 Hungarians who possess great engineering assembly skills. That is a good example of how Hungary is providing value to a firm in Northern Ireland but we would like to create even more opportunities like this and create potential investment projects.

“There are many similarities between Ken Belshaw, Honorary Consul of Hungary in Northern Ireland with Peter Szabadhegy, Northern Ireland and Hungary. Both the Hungarian Ambassador to the UK. countries have a very open economy based on exports. They both rely on manufacturing completely turned around and we are eager politicians and academics and Ken is doing an and have a very strong shared services focus to capitalise on trading opportunities with excellent job at that.” for large international companies. other countries.”

Meanwhile, during his two-day visit to “The manufacturing sector in Hungary Accompanying the Ambassador on his visit Belfast, the Ambassador presented framed possesses many opportunities especially was Ken Belshaw, co-founder of Grafton Hungarian Commemorative Stamps to associated with the automotive industry.

Recruitment and Honorary Consul of Titanic Belfast Chief Executive Tim Husbands The country has 4 large car manufacturing Hungary in Northern Ireland. in honour of Hungarian born Dr Árpád companies – Mercedes, Audi, Suzuki and Lengyel, the doctor on the Opel and of course many suppliers as Carpathia which was the first well. Food and agriculture is another vessel to hurry to the aid of substantial sector.”

“There are many similarities the Titanic and the only one to In 2008 the International Monetary rescue survivors from the icy between Northern Ireland Fund, the European Union and the waters of the North Atlantic after and Hungary. Both countries World Bank announced a massive the ship struck an iceberg and rescue package for Hungary, in an have a very open economy sank in 1912. attempt to save central Europe’s His work was recognised based on exports.

They both former economic powerhouse by passengers who gave him a rely on manufacturing and from bankruptcy. The $25.1 billion medallion in gratitude. After the (£15.38 billion) bail-out aimed to have a very strong shared disaster the Carpathia’s crew help restore investors’ confidence in football team played a Hungarian services focus for large the country’s financial markets and its football team to raise funds for international companies.” currency. the Titanic Relief Fund.

“Hungary has come a long way The Ambassador also met since then with a strong government members of Northern Ireland’s and a strong economic policy that is “Ken Belshaw is an excellent Honorary business community and executives from focused on creating jobs and helping SMEs,” Consul,” said Ambassador Szabadhegy.

Tourism NI and visited the Giant’s Causeway said Ambassador Szabadhegy.

“He is ideal. We expect our Honorary and Bushmills Distillery as well as attending a “Hungary was the second fastest growing Consul to help make connections between lunch for members of Causeway Chamber of economy in the EU last year – it has Hungary and Northern Ireland with business, Commerce (formerly Coleraine Chamber).

40 NI Chamber

fantastic flavours of northern ireland Food and drink produced in Northern Ireland is exciting palates locally and internationally with a range of tantalizing tastes which have been influenced by the region’s geography, climate and history. With icy northern waters yielding fresh fish and shellfish, lush green grass enriching beef cattle and lamb and traditional skills in bread making and beer production, there’s a groaning platter of super sustenance to be enjoyed.

In this section we talk to a range of companies - big names and small artisans - involved in producing top quality Northern Ireland food and drink and hear about their appetite for success.

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Keenan Seafood Managing Director Gerry Keenan.

“We buy as much fresh fish as we can from Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie and we also buy our shellfish which includes mussels, scallops and lobsters locally.�

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Northern Ireland is renowned for its high quality seafood and Keenan Seafood has taken a very fresh approach to supplying fish to customers its Managing Director Gerry Keenan tells Adrienne McGill.

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he Keenan family name has been immersed in the fish business for three generations.

T. Keenan and Sons Fish Merchants was established in 1942 and now trades under the name Keenan Seafood led by Gerry Keenan, whose grandfather and father established the original business.

The Belfast-based company, which employs 25 people and operates from a modern purpose built facility on Kennedy Way, specialises in supplying a full range of fresh and frozen seafood to many of the leading hotels, restaurants and contract catering outlets across Northern Ireland with a fleet of refrigerated vehicles making daily deliveries to its wide customer base.

Fresh fish is sourced each morning from Northern Ireland ports including Kilkeel, Portavogie and Ardglass as well as from Scotland and the west of Ireland. Only the finest quality seafood is selected and transported to the company’s premises for further processing and order assembly.

Keenan Seafood also imports a wide range of fresh exotic seafood lines each week from Turkey, Sri Lanka and the Azores to offer a fuller choice of products to those with adventurous palates.

“We have reinvented the business in the last five years,” says Gerry.

“We are sourcing a wider range of fish from local ports but also importing an exciting range of fish from abroad.

“We buy as much fresh fish as we can from Ardglass, Kilkeel and Portavogie and we also buy our shellfish which includes mussels, scallops and lobsters locally. Our whitefish, which covers cod, haddock, whiting and hake, sells very quickly so if we can’t source enough locally we will buy it from ports in the west of Ireland and Scotland.

“We get prices through early every morning showing what is available at the ports that day.

We then decide what fish we need to buy for our business. We also have to take account of the exotic imports such as tuna, sea bass and red snapper which come from Turkey and further afield 2-3 times a week.”

The varieties and prices of fish which are available are sent to hotel and restaurant chefs as early as possible in the day so they know what to put on their daily specials board.

“Once we know what fish we have to sell – we can draw up daily offers for our customers and tell them what lines are available and the prices. That is important for their business,” says Gerry.

Keenan Seafood, which sells around 200 lines of fresh and frozen fish, has its own team of expert fish filleters who prepare the fish each day to meet customer specifications. Alongside this, the company has its own fish smoking operation to produce popular brands of natural smoked cod, haddock and coley.

The business buys around 10 tons of fish every week to meet demand from its 400 customers in Northern Ireland across the retail and catering sectors. Customers include hotels, restaurants, food service outlets, cafes and fish and chip shops as well as independent retailers and supermarkets. The company also produces a range of convenience fish lines in sauces for the retail market. In addition, it supplies to schools and hospitals.

“As people have become more aware of their health, they are eating more fish which is rich in oil and Omega 3. People have also become adventurous when they are eating out in restaurants as they are keen to try something different on the fish menu. Furthermore, very often if they have eaten a variety of fish which they’ve liked when on holiday abroad, they are keen to try to find it again when they return home which is why we have seen an increase in demand for our exotic imports such as red snapper and sea bass.”

Gerry says much of the company’s future growth will be through product development.

He points to the success of its Traditional Natural Smoked Haddock along with the Irish Whiskey and Maple Cured Smoked Salmon both of which have scooped accolades at the Great Taste Awards.

“The fact that these products have been recognised and won awards has given us a big boost. Product development is the way forward and we are keen to develop this in order to grow the business. Also, we have the storage and the process capacity to handle more fish and therefore more customers.

“We have a very energetic, dedicated and committed team in the business who are central to driving the business forward.

“Our financial turnover has doubled in the last five years and we want to continue that trend. Also our partnership with Brakes which is a food service supplier across the UK and Ireland has given us great growth opportunities.”

So with over 200 varieties to choose from does Gerry have a favourite fish dish?

“I like turbot – it has a nice meaty texture to it but I also like Kilkeel scallops which are sweet and succulent. Naturally we eat a lot of fish at home. I am spoilt for choice.”

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

CATCH OF THE DAY

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

“The blending process is a vital element in cider production. We take individual apple varieties and blend them to get the flavour profile that we want. Consistency is very important.”

Fruits of labour creates an exceptional product from the Orchard County The MacNeice family have had apples at the core of their business for over a century. Now a new division has branched out led by Greg MacNeice, who tells Adrienne McGill why Mac Ivors Cider has become a much sought-after beverage.

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he gorgeous aroma of fresh apples which envelopes Mac Ivors Cider facility in County Armagh serves as an intoxicating reminder of what goes on there.

Apart from the aroma, the view is also amazing with acres of beautiful orchards boasting red, green, and golden apples surrounding the processing plant at Ardress near Portadown.

Mac Ivors Cider was launched in 2012 by longstanding Northern Irish apple processor, MacNeice Fruit. The MacNeice family has grown apples for over 150 years on a farm in the area, with the first orchard planted in 1855 and amazingly three of the original trees from that period are still bearing fruit.

The orchards are spread across 108

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acres and the main variety grown is Bramley although 14 different varieties are used and slowly fermented for a natural fruit flavour in the making of Mac Ivors cider.

Greg MacNeice, Director and Cider Maker at Mac Ivors, is the fifth generation of the MacNeice family to have apples at his essence.

“The cider maker is always balancing flavour profiles of different apples – that is how the blend is achieved,” says Greg.

“Bramleys give acidity, our red apples which act as pollinators in the orchards give us sweet aroma and we have some cider varieties which give tannin and a depth of flavour.

“The Armagh Bramley apple is recognised

as having unique properties linked to its geographic location and the variety has just gained Protected Geographic Indication (PGI) status from the EU. It has a long, slow growing season which makes the flesh dense and full of flavour.

“Cider is really apple wine – it is the fermented juice of apples. I look at it in a simple way – apples plus yeast equals cider.

Yeast selection is critical – different yeasts used with the same apple juice will give different flavour profiles to the finished cider.

“We use a very special type of yeast which has been isolated for its aroma and flavourgiving properties. Picking the apples when they are perfectly ripe is also vital. Because we are apple growers we have control over

that process. It means that we wait until the sugars are at their highest and that transfers into alcohol through action with the yeast.

Also we want apples which are in perfect condition so we like to have fruit which is not bruised. The fermentation process and the maturing of the cider takes about 8 months to develop the full flavour of the cider.

“The blending process is a vital element in cider production. We take individual apple varieties and blend them to get the flavour profile that we want. Consistency is very important.”

Mac Ivors range includes two bottled ciders – Mac Ivors Medium (4.5% ABV) and Mac Ivors Traditional Dry (5.6% ABV). Both are produced in 500ml bottles. The Medium Cider is also produced on draught.

The Traditional Dry Cider is a rich cider with real depth made from traditional apple varieties and has a full body and long dry finish.

The Medium cider is made from predominantly sweet red apples and is fresh and fruity with a clean, crisp finish.

The ciders are made from 100 per cent cold-pressed apple juice and do not contain any concentrates, artificial flavourings or colours.

The cider is sold in pubs, restaurants off-licenses and supermarkets and is available in the UK, Republic of Ireland, Denmark, Finland and Germany. Sales have been particularly strong in cities across Ireland

including Belfast, Dublin, Galway, Cork, Waterford and of course Armagh.

More than 250,000 bottles of Mac Ivors cider are produced per annum and there is a growing kegging business also. Greg says sales are brisk which is excellent news given that the weather over the summer has not been so kind.

“We want to show people who are perhaps more used to a flavour profile in commercial ciders, what can be achieved using 100 per cent fresh pressed apple as the base of the cider. That is what makes a craft cider different from some of the large commercial ciders. From fresh pressed apple juice you get a really strong flavour. It is quite different and matches really well with food.”

Despite still being a young cider business, Mac Ivors stole the show at the prestigious International Brewing and Cider Awards earlier this year and was declared Cider Champion after beating off competition from 1,000 other ciders and beers. The awards, which took place in the Guildhall, London, are internationally regarded as amongst the most important and influential industry events. It became the first Irish cider producer to win a gold medal for its Traditional Dry Cider.

“This endorsement is immensely important to Mac Ivors Cider as we seek to expand our business in Europe and the US, a target market for the company. It also signals that Northern Ireland is fast becoming a significant

producer of the finest quality cider and we are proud to be part of that,” says Greg.

But from where does the name Mac Ivors come? Just like the apples, it’s in the family.

“The maiden name of my grandmother Annie was Mac Ivor and she lived on the farm in Ardress. The neighbouring townland is Annaghmore where my grandfather Mathew MacNeice came from and he married Annie,” says Greg.

“From the very beginning I thought it would be great to name the cider after my grandmother. She was a formidable lady and would have enjoyed it.”

Mac Ivors Cider and the apple processing business has a workforce of 15 which increases to 40 at apple picking season from the beginning of September to mid-October although it is slightly later this year because of the inclement weather. There is also a canning factory on site which peels, cores and slices Bramley apples for the catering trade.

Greg focuses on the fruit selection, the fermentation, the blending and maturation of the cider while the bottling and labeling is outsourced.

“I see the future of the business in developing a brand which is built on using delicious fresh apples to make a drink that delivers real fruit flavour,” says Greg.

“We make great food and drink here in Armagh and I would love to see it showcased across the world.”

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Greg MacNeice, Director of Mac Ivors cider.

Picture by Paul Canning.

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland Kevin and Julie Hickey with two of their Dart Mountain Cheeses.

Cheese guaranteed to please A small artisan food producer is capturing taste buds across Northern Ireland and beyond with its range of cheeses which capture the flavour of the local countryside where they are made. Adrienne McGill talks to Kevin and Julie Hickey, the couple behind Dart Mountain Cheese.

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et in the undulating beauty of the Sperrin Mountains in County Derry is an artisan cheese making company whose award winning flavours are creating quite a stir.

Tamnagh Foods has created a range of rich and delightful cheeses which have been inspired by the beauty of the surrounding countryside under its Dart Mountain Cheese brand.

Husband and wife team Kevin and Julie Hickey established the company in 2010

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near the village of Park with a view to creating cheeses which reflect the enchanting landscape of the locality featuring verdant hills, lush foliage and the crystal waters of the River Faughan.

The cheese range, named after the mountain beside the production facility, has a distinctive flavour akin to that found in the natural landscapes of the Sperrin Mountains and all the products carry a sketch of Beaghmore Stone Circle in the Sperrins

across the packaging.

Every cheese, which carry local historic land names, is produced using traditional production methods and hand-crafted to perfection.

American born Julie, a native of Boston in Massachusetts and Kevin, who is from Derry, met while they were studying at Queen’s University. Both have been involved in the food industry for more than 18 years and Kevin also spent time working with small farm

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

businesses. The couple have worked as chefs and owned a restaurant but they always had an interest in cheese, particularly Julie, who has attended a number of cheese production courses across the UK and Ireland.

So when the opportunity arose to convert a disused farm shed at the rear of their home – which is set deep in the leafy countryside – into a modern approved food unit incorporating a modern production kitchen, a cheese production area and specially constructed cheese maturing room to facilitate the controlled ageing of the cheese, the couple jumped at the chance.

“I have always loved cheese, and my sisterin-law is a goat farmer, so I first made it with her and found the process really rewarding.

It’s fascinating that you can take the same basic ingredients, and by applying different ageing techniques etc, you can achieve so many flavour variations,” says Julie.

As a supreme cheesemaker, Julie looks

the flavour. after the production side of the business “The cultures react to the environment while Kevin is responsible for the financial and in which the cheese is being made and over management end. time how the cultures age will determine the “We really wanted to develop our own flavour and texture of the cheese. It can be a artisan cheese business but we were also difficult process because after making a batch keen to produce hand crafted small batches of cheese we have to wait three months to of great tasting granola, relish and chutneys,” taste it. It is vital to get the recipes right,” says says Kevin.

Julie.

“Half of the production building is used for Tamnagh Foods currently supplies cheeses the production of the chutneys, relishes and to Henderson Foodservice for distribution to granola, while the other is dedicated to the restaurants and hotels across Ireland and also manufacturing of the cheese. to independent stores while the cheese is also “We completed many trials of variations available to buy online. of cheese to establish the type most This Irish artisan food company has been representative of our local region identifying quietly working away for the past five years, the best taste and flavour. but nonetheless it has gained increasing “We spent almost three years developing notoriety the recipes for after scooping the cheeses a clutch of and we now prestigious have a range “We work long hours awards. of five. and late into the night These include: “We but we love what we do.”

Sperrin Blue released the Cheese, Irish first one in Food Award June 2014 2015 (Gold); which is Dart Mountain Dusk Cheese, World Cheese our Sperrin Blue and in November 2014 Awards 2014 (Bronze); and Kilcreen Cheese, we released our Dart Mountain Dusk. In Great Taste Awards 2015 (Gold Star).

February 2015 came Kilcreen and we have Julie also handcrafts small batches of great just released Banagher Bold which is a beer tasting award winning granola, relish and washed cheese using a local craft beer. Next chutney under the Tamnagh Foods brand May we plan to launch our fifth cheese called which is all done on site at the production Tirkeeran.” facility.

Cheese making requires skill and patience The granola is either flavoured with maple, both of which Julie has in abundance. fruit and nuts or honey, nuts and seeds. The “It takes a couple of days to make a cheese relishes and chutneys are all free from artificial which involves turning the milk into curds and flavourings and colourings. The granolas which whey but most of the work comes down to took Gold at the Irish Food Awards in 2014, ageing it which can take up to a year,” says can be found in a number of top retailers Julie. including Harrods in London and Globus in “As the cheeses age, the flavours intensify Zurich. and the texture changes. We test every batch “We are keen to grow the export potential to see when they are at their best and then of the granolas and chutneys,” says Kevin. we release them.

“But we also want to add more ageing “The actual process is very complex as you rooms to our existing facility for the cheeses as have to age it according to very strict timing our range grows.” and humidity conditions in order to develop In addition to the artisan food production, different characteristics in the cheese. Food hygiene remains a priority at all times. There is all the labelling, packaging and dispatching of the products is done on site by the couple so lots of cheese making in the South of Ireland, there aren’t too many hours left for relaxation. but not so much up here, so we hope we “We work long hours and late into the night have found a niche in the market.” but we love what we do,” says Julie.

The milk for the cheese is sourced from “We are committed to artisan food local farms via Strathroy Dairies in Omagh. production and of maximizing the natural Kevin is committed to food integrity and sourcing directly from local farms to guarantee flavours of food.

“It is a great time to be working in the food traceability. In particular, he believes it is sector in Northern Ireland. There is greater important to support local dairy farmers who awareness of the provenance of products can deliver a consistent product which results and of supporting small local food producers. in the creation of the unique flavours.

There are a lot of people here coming For each of the cheeses, Julie uses up with great food businesses and we are different bacteria – each culture will result in a delighted to be part of that.” different taste and it can be difficult perfecting

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Hooked on the king of fish Succulent salmon farmed in the Irish Sea off the Antrim coast is creating a sensation in top hotels and restaurants across the world. Adrienne McGill talks to John Russell, Managing Director of Glenarm Organic Salmon and hears how the company’s unique fish has become a gourmet dish.

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he king of fish is the salmon – beautiful audited vigorously on that. We have to be whom are marine operatives who go out to to watch and delicious to eat. able to show our customers that we have sea every day to feed the salmon, check on Overseeing the kingdom in complied with the strict standards. It costs their welfare and make sure they look good.

Northern Ireland is Glenarm Organic Salmon more than double the amount to produce an “The salmon are fed on a diet of natural which is the only Atlantic salmon farmer in organic salmon than it does a conventional and organic ingredients. The operatives the Irish Sea and is the sole producer of one salmon because of the standards and the way monitor the size of the fish and their appetite, of the top premium organic salmon products we farm. Therefore we have to demand a the amount of daylight they are exposed in the world. premium price. to and the temperature of the seawater.

Based in the historic village of Glenarm, “Our organic salmon, most importantly, These guys are like shepherds – they are the County Antrim, the company produces up has a rich and distinctive flavour that comes shepherds of the sea,” says John. to 600 tons of premium organic salmon each from being raised in seawater farms located “Their care means the salmon have the year which are distributed weekly across in the Irish Sea, where they benefit from an highest levels of flesh quality and flavour.”

15 countries from Singapore in the East extremely clean and healthy environment.”

At the end of last year the company to San Francisco in the West to discerning The salmon have plenty of space to grow launched a new venture selling premium customers – mostly top hotels and highwith maximum stocking densities of 10kg smoked organic salmon which John describes end restaurants – seeking premium quality per cubic metre, minimizing environmental as “a hugely important stage in the life cycle seafood from responsible and sustainable impact and providing the salmon population of the business”. aquaculture.

He says that developing The farms where value added products from the these beautiful salmon farmed salmon has long been “Our organic salmon, most are reared are located a key part of the company’s importantly, has a rich and in Glenarm Bay and Red export growth strategy. distinctive flavour that comes Bay off the Antrim coast, “Market feedback has separated by 11 miles from being raised in seawater farms been excellent and has led of fast flowing coastal to encouraging orders from located in the Irish Sea, where they seawater. Each farm is major hotels abroad for the benefit from an extremely clean stocked with a different new salmon. generation of organically “The smoked salmon has and healthy environment.” reared smolts all sourced a distinctively rich flavour that from the island of Ireland comes from a new curing enabling the company, which markets the with a living environment that reduces stress recipe that we have developed with an salmon under the brand Glenarm Organic and promotes healthy growth and freedom experienced local seafood curer.”

Salmon, to supply its customers with fresh to thrive.

And that “experienced” curer is Belfast premium organic salmon all year round.

John, who hails from Scotland and returns fishmonger Ewing’s, established in 1911, The salmon swimming in the offshore to his home in the Scottish Highlands every which cures the fresh salmon using a unique farms are exposed to the clean, clear and fast weekend from Glenarm, has an unrivalled family recipe in its own kiln at its processing moving coastal waters of the Irish Sea. The knowledge of the salmon business with a plant. Ewing’s uses traditional techniques to currents and tidal flows mean they have to career in the industry spanning 40 years. smoke the salmon slowly over a fragrant mix work hard but it pays off by giving them firm He has worked all over the world for some of beech and oak wood chips. muscles and gorgeously pink flesh. Chefs of the largest commercial salmon farming Glenarm Organic Salmon is set on can’t get enough of it. companies one of which was Marine Harvest growing its export business particularly in “The salmon don’t have a fishy taste or where he was in charge of the production of lucrative markets. The company already texture. It is more a meaty texture so it more than 40,000 tons of salmon a year. supplies smoked and fresh salmon to has quite a unique taste,” says John Russell, The scale is much smaller at Glenarm many of the royal palaces in the UAE and Glenarm Organic Salmon Managing Director.

Organic Salmon where John produces also to customers in Singapore and Hong “We are winning business increasingly between 500-600 tons a year.

Kong. Around 95 per cent of the product because we have established a strong It has been an amazing turnaround for the is exported across the world with the reputation as a producer of premium Irish company, which was formerly the Northern remaining 5 per cent going to customers in salmon. Our customers understand that our Salmon Company, after a stinger jelly fish the UK. salmon is farmed to the rigorous standards of attack in 2007 killed the entire stock of “We are able to harvest, process, and the Organic Food Federation. premium salmon leaving the future of the dispatch the salmon all within 24 hours. This “An important marketing theme for us business in doubt. means we are able to ship products across is that our salmon are farmed using only Relaunched in 2008 as Glenarm Organic the world in just three to four days, ensuring responsible and sustainable techniques.

Salmon with backing from a number of a fresher product and a longer shelf life for “We don’t use any chemicals or any investors, it has gone on to become one the retailer and consumer,” says John. medicines. Our priority is the health and of Northern Ireland’s most highly prized “Salmon really is the most beautiful and welfare of the fish, as well as the long-term commercial ventures. delicious fish in the world.” protection of the environment and we are The company employs 10 people, 7 of

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

John Russell, Managing Director of Glenarm Organic Salmon (right) with Farm Manager Nigel McClure.

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Michael McKillop, Director of Glens of Antrim Potatoes.

“We are trying to get varieties which produce a reasonable skin but have the flavour and taste for the local market. It is all about getting a great flavour sensation.�

Potatoes have been central to our diets for centuries and an increasing number of new varieties are being brought onto the market. Michael McKillop, Director of Glens of Antrim Potatoes, tells Adrienne McGill why there is nothing humble about the crop.

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he potato remains an iconic vegetable here arriving nightly on the dinner table in many homes in a big steaming bowl – boiled, floury and in skins.

Introduced into Ireland in the late 1500s, the potato quickly became one of the main staples of the Irish diet. However, in the mid 1840s much of the country’s potato crop was destroyed by disease, causing widespread famine. Luckily it regained its place on people’s plates and continues to play a significant role in Irish cuisine.

Supplying potatoes to the large multiples has become big business and one of the leaders in this is Glens of Antrim Potatoes.

The Cushendall-based company, which supplies supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Lidl, Marks & Spencer, Dunnes Stores, Henderson’s (Spar) and Tesco across Great Britain and Ireland with branded and own brand potatoes, was established in 1972 by the McKillop family. With a staff of more than 60, it has become the largest employer in the Glens area.

“I think part of the appeal is that we are family-run, and we take pride in our business,” says Michael McKillop, Director of Glens of Antrim Potatoes.

“It’s not like a commercial company that just packs potatoes and ships them off in the hope the consumer eats them. We spend time looking at the different varieties that we use, and we think about what the consumer will want because we are consumers ourselves.”

The company has grown rapidly over the years since the entry of the large multiples into the Northern Ireland market place in 1997.

“Potato growers had to change their growing techniques – the large supermarkets were looking for a perfect skin finish – which is something we were not used to and there was also the introduction of cold storage to store the potatoes through the winter,” says Michael.

“That taught us to look more at the land and the nutrients in the soil in order to give a better finish to the potatoes and give more yield. Farming techniques had to change.

Farmers used to plant potatoes in 28 inch drills and now they are up to 34 inch drills which meant growers had to change their equipment. We have more than 20 plus growers who grow a mixture of varieties which will grow at a different rate and be harvested at different times of the year.

“For instance, some early varieties are

Premier or Saxon whereas Pinks, Piper and Rooster are all later main crop. We are trying to get varieties which produce a reasonable skin but have the flavour and taste for the local market. It is all about getting a great flavour sensation.”

Glens of Antrim Potatoes, whose main packaging plant is in Cushendall, processes an average of 350 tons per week. The company employs an Agronomist, who provides the link between the growers and Glens of Antrim Potatoes in developing and producing the most suitable varieties for various customers and end consumers.

“Our Agronomy function maintains contact with the growers throughout the year to produce the most suitable varieties according to soil conditions, seed quality and weather patterns, as well as planning for harvesting and future volumes,” says Michael.

Once the potatoes are picked they are transported to Glens of Antrim Potatoes’ second site in Ballymena where they are graded for size e.g. baby, regular and baking.

They are then taken to Cushendall and washed, polished and put through packing machines after which they are dispatched to supermarket depots all over Ireland and in GB. Michael is fanatical about the business and is constantly developing new varieties of potatoes – he has an array of trial plots in the garden at his home in the Glens where he will assess them for suitability in the market and annual yield. If he finds that they are suitable, he will bring them to the next stage which involves developing micro plants and then to mini tuber production to produce tiny seeds. The whole process from starting a variety to finish can take up to seven years.

“Planting seeds, making sure they harvest well and ensuring the growers can grow them correctly all takes time and perseverance. You have to get the colour, the skin finish, the flavour and the yield right.

Just because it works in a trial does not mean it is going to work in the field – you could be four years down the line before you realise a variety will not come to fruition.

“Our season is so ad hoc – a wet spring, too much rain in the summer, sunshine in autumn and freezing conditions in winter. Weather patterns are changing and that affects growing conditions. Planting, harvesting, lifting, storing, and meeting the specifications of the supermarkets is difficult but we are totally committed.

“You can waste a lot of time and money – but for me it is important to see what

works and what doesn’t. We are all striving to create something better – the perfect potato.”

Recently the company invested £1.25m in new packaging machinery. “The new quad pack was launched in the autumn and it sits upright on the supermarket shelf, so it’s easier to read and less likely to fall over,” says Michael.

“We are looking at developing different types of packaging and varieties to target different markets, as well as producing microwavable products.

“In a world where low-carb diets are promoted and young people are increasingly favouring rice or pasta, potato companies are battling to prove their produce is healthy and worth putting on the plate.

“People still need to eat potatoes, but we have to adapt to get consumers to buy them, and we need to give them information.

Some of our potatoes are great for soups and stews, while other varieties are perfect for chips or wedges.

“We tell consumers on the packaging that the potato in the packet is best suited for chips and wedges. That helps the consumer identify the correct potato for its best use because not every potato is suitable for what the consumer wants to do with it.”

But potatoes are fighting back against rice and pasta with a campaign called ‘The Mighty Spud’. Backed by the Northern Ireland Stakeholder Potato Promotion Group, a cooperative of potato farmers, it aims to highlight the healthiness, versatility and value of potatoes.

There are long-terms plans for Glens of Antrim Potatoes to further expand with hopes of breaking into the European market.

Closer to home, the company says that its homegrown credentials are helping them to trump the competition.

“We are looking at trying to counteract imports coming in because as we expand further into Great Britain, GB companies are also trying to come into our market.

Thankfully, the supermarkets that we deal with want more local produce,” says Michael.

“The consumer also wants something that’s locally grown, but it has to be at the right price, and it’s got to be competitive.

The industry here can’t price itself out of the market.

“We want potatoes to regain their rightful place as the King of the dinner table. There is nothing humble about spuds – they are mighty!”

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

The ‘Mighty Spud’ strikes back

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Ruling the roost Demand for poultry from Northern Ireland has never been greater as Jason Winstanley, Senior Insight and Research Manager at Moy Park explains.

Quality local chicken is supplied to retailers and caterers across Northern Ireland.

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t’s fair to say that the UK loves its chicken!

As a protein which is seen as versatile, healthy and excellent value for money, fresh chicken is bought by 92 per cent of UK households at some point in the year1.

In the UK, we each eat an average of 33Kg of poultry meat per year, which accounts for over 40 per cent of our total meat consumption2, and, with a retail value of £2.9 billion across all fresh sectors (and another £800 million in frozen)2, poultry is one of the UK’s most important grocery categories.

To illustrate, the combined fresh market in the UK is worth more than, for instance, the whole retail canned goods market, or the entire retail breakfast cereal market1. And it isn’t just the retail market which is important for the poultry industry – chicken appears more frequently on fast food and casual dining restaurant menus than any other protein3.

So, it probably comes as no surprise

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that a category with such huge demand requires a large but detailed agriculture and manufacturing infrastructure to support it, and a great deal of that infra-structure is based in Northern Ireland. This is largely thanks to the presence of Moy Park, which is the UK’s second largest chicken producer4 and the largest commercial employer in Northern Ireland5. With two large primary processing facilities and two further processing facilities located within the region, Moy Park is the main driver behind Northern Ireland’s poultry industry. Its range of products cover a wide spectrum of sectors and consumer needs, ranging from fresh raw chicken, through coated and ready to eat products, BBQ products and meal solutions. Moy Park’s products are sold across the island of Ireland and in the UK, and are sold via branded, retailer own label and food service channels.

In 2014, an estimated 11 per cent of

the almost 900 million broiler chickens (i.e. chickens bred for consumption), reared and processed in the UK6, were farmed and processed in Northern Ireland7. Given that the region only accounts for 2.9 per cent of the UK population8, it is clear that Northern Ireland is an important net exporter to the rest of the UK, and further afield. In fact, demand for home-grown chicken has never been higher, and, in the wake of the 2013 Horsegate crisis, many of the UK’s major retailers reviewed their policies on sourcing fresh meat and poultry, and the result is that, in today’s supermarkets, over 90 per cent of the fresh chicken sold is farmed in the UK9. Given that chicken requires a complex farm to fork supply chain, encompassing a network of farms and feed processing sites, as well as processing and packing facilities, this means that the infrastructure present within Northern Ireland is a key component of the

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

animal welfare is an issue which no producer at Christmas, when premium product is UK industry. Another point in Northern can afford to ignore. most sought after. Bronze, Free Range Ireland’s favour is its geography – being and Organic Turkeys are all produced in However, animal welfare is not the only located on the western edge of Europe and ethical issue at the forefront of shoppers’ Northern Ireland, and sold through some of being separated from the rest of the UK by the UK’s most important retailers, so many of the Irish Sea means that the region is relatively minds; the IGD research shows that a net the UK’s Christmas dinner tables will feature a 33 per cent of shoppers expect to buy isolated. This is an important advantage more local foods in the next 12 months, and Northern Irish turkey this year. in terms of bio-security and provides an almost two-thirds think the distance food has So, it is no exaggeration to say that Northern additional protection. travelled is at least “fairly important”10. So, as Ireland is a key component within the UK These days, consumers are more well as being an important exporter from the poultry industry. The trust and expertise interested than ever in understanding the region, one of Moy Park’s other key strengths which has been built up over generations of provenance of the food they eat, and the is to be able to provide quality local chicken farming puts the region in an ideal position to conditions under which it has been farmed for retailers and caterers across Northern benefit from some of the biggest consumer and processed, so the importance of the Ireland, and, indeed, the island of Ireland in and shopper trends we see today. Beyond the trusted relationships which Moy Park has general. patchwork of the region’s green fields lies an been able to establish with its local farming So far, we have just looked at chicken intricate supply chain which has to effectively cocommunity over a period of 70 years cannot ordinate supply and demand be over-stated. This patterns, and match the needs rich heritage has of farmers, consumers and enabled the company “In 2014, an estimated 11 per cent livestock. The end result to be at the forefront of is a thriving industry which developing innovative of the almost 900 million broiler ultimately delivers far more and ethical farming chickens (i.e. chickens bred for product to the rest of the practices, and to help consumption), reared and processed UK than is consumed within lead the way in many of the developments in the UK, were farmed and processed Northern Ireland.

•Sources: 1 – Kantar seen in animal welfare in Northern Ireland.”

Worldpanel 52 weeks to 13th in recent years. The September 2015; 2 – BPEX structure of the market 2015; 3 – M&C Allegra Food for fresh chicken is and, to some extent, that is no surprise Service, Menu and Food Trends, July 2015; complex, with different tiers of welfare as it accounts for 90 per cent of UK retail 4 – NFU 2014; 5 – Belfast Telegraph Top catering to different consumer needs, and the poultry sales. However, another important 100, 2015; 6 – DEFRA, year ending 2014; farming environment needs to reflect this, aspect of the Northern Irish poultry scene 7 – Moy Park estimate, based on DEFRA so the network of farms across Northern is turkey, which represents about 8 per data for England & Wales; 8 – ONS, mid-year Ireland encompasses both Free Range and cent of annual sales, with one-third of these estimates, June 2014; 9 – based on stated Organically-reared flocks, as well as those coming in December2! Although the two retailer sourcing policy and market share data reared in barns. And with recent research largest turkey processors in the UK are from Kantar Worldpanel, 52 weeks to 13th from the IGD showing 84 per cent of UK based in Great Britain, Northern Ireland is an September 2015; 10 – IGD Shopper Vista shoppers state that the welfare of farmed important producer in its own right, especially September 2015 animals is at least “fairly important” to them10,

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland Michael Murphy, Chief Executive of Irwin’s Bakery.

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Mixing tradition with modern trends in bread varieties has seen Irwin’s Bakery rise to the top of the industry. Adrienne McGill talks to its Chief Executive Michael Murphy.

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read is a truly universal food. In Northern Ireland it is definitely part of our daily culture. Whether it is bought in one of the wealth of delightful home bakeries or supermarkets or made at home, bread is served at every meal in a traditional Northern Ireland house. The great thing about Northern Irish bread is that it has survived all the food fads over the years intact.

One bakery epitomises the world of Irish bread like no other – and that’s Irwin’s. Its range of pan and batch breads, soda farls, potato farls, pancakes, rolls, hotplate breads, speciality Irish breads, scones, muffins and of course wheaten – are the produce of essentially traditional recipes which are decades old. Over the course of more than a century it has risen to become one of the leading bakeries in the UK with its breads firmly regarded as family favourites.

Irwin’s is Northern Ireland’s largest independent bakery and was founded in 1912 in Portadown by W.D. Irwin whose grandsons still play an integral role in running the business with Brian as Chairman and Niall as Technical Director.

The bakery, which employs 380 people, supplies a wide range of traditional Irish breads to supermarkets throughout the UK and Ireland including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons.

Irwin’s Bakery Chief Executive Michael Murphy says traditional home baking quality recipes have been the cornerstones on which the company is founded.

“We make bread the way we did 50 years ago. For example, we make batch bread the old fashioned way. The bread when it comes out of the oven is ‘batched’, hence the name. It takes a 6 hour baking process from the mixing and fermenting of the dough to the baking and resting of the bread. The technique of baking batch bread has been handed down through generations of the Irwin family. These methods are what gives the bread such a distinctive flavour. The bread is baked on the sole of the oven which gives it a crunchy top and bottom crust.

“Our wheaten bread, soda farls, potato farls, barn brack and batch bread set us apart from any other region of the UK. These are specific to Northern Ireland and come with a

great history of having been made years ago on a griddle over the family fire.

“A lot of our products have essentially remained the same in terms of the main ingredients used but there have been slight changes to some of them to cater for customer tastes such as adding more fruit or introducing different fruits.”

But it’s not only breads that are in Irwin’s mix. Howell House, part of Irwin’s family, specialises in the manufacture and distribution of a range of cakes and biscuits.

In 1993 Irwin’s moved from its premises in High Street, Portadown to a new purposebuilt bakery spanning 100,000 sq ft with straight line production. The bakery produces over one million bakery products weekly for its retail and food service customers. It operates 24/7 and runs 364 days a year.

More than a decade ago Ireland’s first TV Celebrity Chef Paul Rankin joined forces with Irwin’s Bakery to create a range of products that would give consumers in GB a real taste of Irish breads and in particular wheaten bread.

The Rankin Selection which was recently relaunched in GB and Ireland comprises four breads: soda farls, potato farls, brown soda bread and sliced stoneground wheaten.

“Currently there is a trend towards lighter breads – wheaten bread is quite dense so we have slightly changed the Paul Rankin wheaten bread to open the texture up more. Over the years we have added more buttermilk to our wheaten bread to make it softer,” says Michael.

Meanwhile Irwin’s potato farls, are a traditional potato bread made from real potato flakes, flour and salt, shaped into rectangular slices and cooked on a hot plate.

This bread started out in the late nineteenth century as a means of making use of mashed

potato leftovers, the potato being a staple part of the Northern Ireland diet.

A total of 50 per cent of Irwin’s products are sold in Northern Ireland, 35 per cent in GB and the rest in the RoI. In addition to supplying its range of bread, biscuits and cakes to major retailers in these markets, the business also exports to customers in international markets, including Spain, Italy, Belgium, Dubai and also to China where Irwin’s is about to launch a new range of biscuits.

Michael Murphy, who has worked for Irwin’s for 15 years joining as National Account Manager, before being appointed Commercial Director and then Chief Executive last year, points to the fact that Northern Ireland consumers spend twice as much on bread than consumers in GB mostly due to the fact that there is such a wide variety of breads available. However, he is all too aware that while retaining traditional recipes is important, so too is the introduction of new products.

With more than 100 years’ trading, success derives from pre-empting and responding to change.

“We are constantly looking at trends and forecasting which involves looking at healthier breads and convenience breads. For instance, we have just launched a sliced soda farl because it is more convenient for people as is sliced wheaten. The growth of biscuits and cake is also something we are looking at.”

Bakeries have been in Michael’s life from an early age. He recalls as a young boy the scent and taste of beautifully warm, soft, freshly baked bread which came from the bakery near his home in Belfast.

“That is where my love affair with bread started…it is a great memory to have,” he says.

“The technique of baking batch bread has been handed down through generations of the Irwin family.

These methods are what gives the bread such a distinctive flavour.”

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Thorough bread

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

A crafty brew

As Northern Ireland’s craft beer revolution continues to grow, Mourne Mountains Brewery is one of the newest to toast success. Adrienne McGill talks to its founder and owner Connaire McGreevy and Master Brewer Tom Ray.

Mourne Mountains Brewery founder Connaire McGreevy with Master Brewer Tom Ray.

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ocated at the foothills of the Mourne Mountains in County Down stands a microbrewery whose beers are cascading their way to mounting success.

Mourne Mountains Brewery was established by Warrenpoint entrepreneur Connaire McGreevy who said he wanted to offer drinkers a change from mass-produced lagers.

Since launching 10 months ago, the brewery’s range of high quality crafted beers has received a “fantastic” response from stockists and consumers.

“In Northern Ireland we’ve developed a real taste for high quality crafted beers,” says Connaire.

“That demand is part of the inspiration behind our brewery, but there’s also a strong personal interest for me.

56 NI Chamber

“Craft beer is something I’ve been passionate about for many years and as a keen traveller I’ve visited craft breweries and bars all over the world and have seen how exciting the industry can be.

“I wanted to take that passion and my research to produce the finest artisan beers in the country and cater for the growing thirst for local brews.

“We are no longer satisfied with the mass-produced offerings of big breweries and instead are looking for something different and more interesting for our taste buds.”

In addition to seasonal specials, the brewery produces three core beers: Mourne Gold pale ale, Red Trail Red IPA and Big Rock wheat beer. They are available both on draft and in bottles.

Master Brewer Tom Ray is the man

charged with devising the rich and varied recipes for the beers. He spends hours experimenting with different blends to get the perfect flavour for each beer.

“Tom is dedicated to producing the finest quality craft beer and his extensive experience has allowed us to develop a varied and balanced range of flavours,” says Connaire.

“Using his knowledge and the fresh spring water from the Mournes, we’ve created a range that caters to both speciality beer aficionados and regular beer drinkers.

“We’ve already received a fantastic response, both from stockists and consumers, and we intend to keep on producing great beers.”

The beers are available in independent offlicences across Northern Ireland and in bars in the Mourne area including Warrenpoint,

Tom Ray in the brewery.

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Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Rostrevor, Newry and Newcastle. in Newry. To give the beer a real taste of “Our location in Warrenpoint is perfect.

Tom Ray, who has an infectious autumn, Tom combined speciality crystal We get our water straight from the Spelga enthusiasm for his craft, has brewed awardand chocolate malts with selected spices and Dam and a couple of other small reservoirs winning real ales for microbreweries in English Challenger hops, making is a perfect – the water is very soft which is great for England and worked at a number of global ale to enjoy by the fire as autumn takes its brewing. We use a lot of water in our beers breweries. He says all of Mourne Mountains’ chilly hold. and it is very important that the quality of the range of beers have their own particular “In addition to the pumpkin we have added water is good,” says Tom. characteristics which is what makes them so some cinnamon, spice, nutmeg and ginger “In the brewing process we mix hot water special. to give a bit of a warming feel to it. We have with crushed grains, usually malted barley to “Mourne Gold is a pale ale (4% ABV) just done one brew of Pumpkin Porter – make a malt extract, and within that there are which is light in flavour, the sugars that the yeasts our German-influenced will ferment into alcohol.

Big Rock wheat beer ”We have different “Our location in Warrenpoint is (5 % ABV) has some colours of malt which spicey flavour going on allow us to give red, perfect. We get our water straight because of the different amber or orange hues from the Spelga Dam and a couple of yeasts that we use in in the different beers other small reservoirs – the water is it and we also have and a bit more body and our Red Trail Red IPA sweetness as well. It very soft which is great for brewing.”

(5.5% ABV) which is depends on the style we stronger in alcohol and are brewing.” in the hoppiness and the So far the brewery maltiness of the flavour we brew into it. once the beer is gone it is gone and then we produces one brew per week which means “We also have 2 special beers – our are moving on to our Winter and Christmas producing 1600 litres of each batch of beer Mourne Mist is a pilsner larger at (4.5 % ABV) beers. equating to 4,500 bottles but kegs and casks which is brewed with Czechoslovakian hops “Seasons are very important for brewers are also included in the process. and we also have our East Coast IPA (Indian – they evoke different tastes. In the summer “It is quite a challenge to keep up with Pale Ale) which is an amber colour and is people may favour a nice light beer whereas demand for each of the individual beers in bitter.” in the winter they may want something that is addition to the fact that we do all the bottling The brewery has just unveiled a special darker and more warming.” and labelling. In time we want to be brewing limited edition autumnal beer to welcome the Water from the Spelga Dam, a fresh and bottling every day of the week. It is all season called Pumpkin Porter (5% ABV). water reservoir in the heart of the Mourne about driving volume,” says Tom. Dark and mysterious, the beer is brewed Mountains, is essential to the brewing “The world of beers is wonderful and I love with fresh local pumpkin from Alderside Farm process. talking about it.”

Fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland

Grazing greatness

Traceability is key to Northern Ireland’s top quality beef and lamb as Frank Foster, Supply Chain Manager with Linden Foods, tells Adrienne McGill.

“We are unique in Northern Ireland in that we have the best traceability system in the world.”

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orthern Ireland’s beef and lamb produce is famed for its unique flavour and delightful succulence. From sirloin steaks to burgers and from lamb shanks to cutlets, the essence of perfection of the meat comes down to how animals have been reared and the quality of the grass they have been fed on – this is critical to the flavour.

As beef and sheep remains Northern Ireland’s largest farming sector with an estimated turnover of £1.2 billion each year, it is of immense importance to maintain production of high quality livestock.

Linden Foods is a market leader within the Northern Ireland fresh meat processing industry and sources and processes top quality beef and lamb.

The Dungannon-based company, which is part of Fane Valley Food Group, serves the retail food and food service sectors throughout the UK. Customers include Marks & Spencer, Tesco, McDonalds and Lidl, wholesalers who supply to restaurants and also the wider catering industry. The company processes around 88,000 cattle and 125,000 lambs per year at its plant in Dungannon. Beef is sourced from approximately 2,200 farmers and lamb from 1,600 farmers across Northern Ireland.

Employing over 900 people, the firm has forged strong relationships with local farmers over the years through direct supply chains.

Frank Foster, Supply Chain Manager with Linden Foods, says: “We are unique in Northern Ireland in that we have the best traceability system in the world. The extensive traceability controls throughout the supply chain assure our customers of the total integrity of our beef and lamb.

“We also have the benefit of having the Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assurance 58 NI Chamber

Scheme (FQAS) which is operated by the Livestock Marketing Commission. It sets the standards for the care of animals and the farm environment. Consumers can therefore be assured that our beef and lamb is wholesome, safe and free from unnatural substances.”

FQAS is a ‘Guarantee of Quality from Farm to Fork’ – and is fully accredited to the strict EN45011 European standard.

Frank says consumers can taste real quality in Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured beef and lamb. It all comes down to the lush, green, wholesome grassland the animals are free to graze on which, of course, is largely due to our mild yet wet rainy climate.

Across the Mournes, Glens of Antrim, Sperrins and the Fermanagh lakelands there is no shortage of supply of lush grass.

Northern Ireland’s grass fed beef and lamb is noted for being distinctly lean, tender, naturally nutritious and wholesome and is internationally renowned for its succulence and texture.

Linden Foods has helped to pioneer the Northern Ireland FQAS to give consumers assurances about the farm end of the production chain with 3 key pillars: food safety, animal welfare and care for the environment.

Consumers who see the logo on meat products can be sure the meat is of premium quality and of the highest standards.

Grass Fed Beef And Lamb Can Have Human Health Benefits A study conducted by the University of Ulster (now Ulster University) found that beef cattle and lambs reared on grass rather than cereals can have potential health benefits for humans eating the meat.

Researchers at the University, supported by AgriSearch, found that grazing for at least the final six weeks prior to slaughter gives beef and lamb much higher levels of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are known to enhance human health.

The long-term implications for human health are positive with long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids widely recognised as providing numerous human health benefits, particularly to heart health.

The collaborative research project was supported by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) of Northern Ireland.

Dr Alison McAfee from the Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (NICHE), based at Ulster’s Coleraine campus, said: “The research shows that moderate consumption of red meat from grass fed animals could increase blood plasma and platelet long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in healthy humans without any effect on blood pressure or serum cholesterol.

“Stock finished off grass was shown to have higher levels of these desirable fatty acids, than livestock finished on cereal-based diets.”

[Columnist] Mark Maguire, Fujitsu Chief Technology Officer in Northern Ireland

Forward to the Future The film Back to the Future II had a vision of a hyper connected world which is where we are today says Mark Maguire.

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orthern Ireland, birth place of the famous DeLorean car, celebrated an important date recently. On the 21 October 2015, the past caught up with us and we reached the point in time where Marty McFly travelled to in the classic movie, Back to the Future II. Coming from an ICT company that prides itself on enriching society with innovative technology, I can’t help but examine how the world we live in today measures up against the 2015 envisaged by writer Bob Gale and film director Robert Zemeckis 26 years ago.

While the iconic DeLorean did not quite make it to mass ownership and hover-boards are still in their infancy (although some firms like Lexus do have working prototypes!), what is striking about the movie is how much of the technology has come to fruition and how its vision of a hyper connected world rings true in today’s society.

Back to the Future II correctly envisaged a word of automation – with petrol stations today pretty much computerised (albeit not yet suspended in space) and non-military drones (such as the one dispatched by newspaper USA Today in the film to take a photo) being used today for a variety of purposes – including being considered for home delivery in the near future. The

“back to the future ii corretly envisaged a world of automation.”

imagined home-life with centrally connected systems to control living conditions was also very close to the mark. Smart home technologies are already a reality with many people and businesses able to control power, lighting, security and sound systems with the touch of a button from their smart phones and watches.

Fujitsu’s recent ‘Digital Inside Out’ report predicts that within the next 5 years, 30 billion devices will be integrated across our homes and linked to our utilities. Today, smart living systems are also evolving to learn our habits over time – predicting when we will be at home and turn on our heating in advance. Online retail giant Amazon has also launched a new product called the Amazon Echo, a cloud-based voice service, which provides information, answers questions and can turn on other devices when asked, from anywhere in your home or office.

While Back to the Future II predicted voice activation services, recent innovations like the

Echo are surpassing it in in terms of scope and application. Automated dog walkers and waiters were perhaps a step too far, but with the advancement in robotics, it’s perhaps not that ridiculous a suggestion.

Biometric recognition software, also prominent in the movie, is now commonplace, with many people unlocking their smart phones with a scan of their fingertip or even a blink of the eye using software like Fujitsu’s Iris recognition technology. Companies today can also avail of technology like our palm vein authentication systems and fingerprint sensors and solutions which are being deployed in hospitals, universities and ATMs across Japan, helping businesses safeguard data and point of service access. The application to the McFly home with a scanner replacing a doorknob is perhaps closer than we think.

While many of the inventions envisaged in Back to the Future II are available in some form today, what I find most interesting is its portrayal of a connected world. Today, technology has in many ways surpassed that predicted in the movie – and of course, despite the vision of the film’s writer and director, they hadn’t imagined the creation of the internet which has enriched us with hyperconnectivity and data rich information. Allied to this they hadn’t envisaged the power and ubiquitous nature of the mobile phone, with functioning phone boxes still a common site on the streets of Hill Valley.

It will be the next generation of entrepreneurs and young professionals in our ICT sector and wider knowledge economy who will imagine the future and we would do well to do all we can to encourage them. The next generation of computer programmers, software developers and digital designers are key to enriching society with new thinking and new innovations to ensure we make the world progressively more connected in order to further realise business and social value. Earlier this month, we were delighted to support the Digital Futures Final, where teams of young people showcased their ICT inventions in City Hall. Perhaps it will be one of these ideas that leads to the next big Northern Ireland invention and take us forward to the future.

NI Chamber 59

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

hard work and honesty Live Event Production

Warwick Event Services has been operating for over 30 years specialising in the delivery of AV, Production and Exhibition Services to the Conference and Events Industry throughout the UK and Ireland.

Our Belfast office, in the Europa Hotel, allows us to operate at the heart of the city, close to our clients and the outstanding venues offered by the city. We are committed to providing an excellent standard of service to all our clients, with dedicated Account Managers offering support from event conception right through to production.

We employ exceptional staff whom are fully trained and boast superb experience in running, managing and delivering Production and Exhibition services for a variety of events and organisations.

Whilst we have developed and expanded our services over the years, we remain focused on delivering the desired results for our clients, and it is through these close working relationships that we have established what we have become today.

This is an example of what one of our clients has to say: “Just a quick note to say a HUGE thank you to you, Mark, Sophie and the rest of the team for doing such an amazing job at our Visit Belfast showcase event last week. We probably couldn’t have thrown any more challenges at a production company. The production was first class and it really helped to make the event a huge success. Your ‘can-do’ attitude makes it a pleasure to work

with you and the Warwick team. I don’t think that you have ever met our expectations of a production company – you exceed them at every event. Please pass on my thanks to the wider team and thank you so much again!”

Rachael McGuickin - Director of Business Tourism – Visit Belfast

were endlessly adaptable to the revisions and additions that were coming up during the install and did whatever it took to make the event happen The event was a huge success and that’s thanks to the time and skill of everyone involved so please make sure that everyone on board knows how much we valued them. Thank you again and hope our paths cross again.”

Production: Having delivered AV and Technical Production for a variety of diverse conferences, awards and much more we continually use our knowledge to assist our clients in developing and evolving their events.

We have recently made a huge investment of the very best lighting, projection and audio equipment, ensuring we are at the forefront of technical delivery.

Anthea Roy – MTV Awards

Stage set and design: Warwick Event Services’ out of the box thinking has enabled us to lead the field in creativity for all stage set and design work, for our clients.

We continually develop new ideas, formed from client briefs, to create a focal point incorporating lighting, graphics, screens and dressing.

We would love to work with you on your event. For more information on our services, to arrange a meeting and receive a proposal for your event requirements please contact Laura Greenhill on laura@wce.co.uk/08453510392 (Option1).

Another example of what our client’s have to say: “The Warwick team on site at MTV were a huge asset to us over the period of events. Everyone worked incredibly well together and I really felt that each department was run by a set of professionals who could handle whatever was thrown their way. Your staff

Exhibition: Our Exhibition services department has been built on a combined knowledge of delivering, developing and managing exhibitions for many years. Our in house services includes shell scheme, electrics and furniture, as well as bespoke exhibition stand design and build.

You can also see more examples of our projects via our Twitter account @WarwickEventsWE

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[Feature]

My Ambition is to…

Lisa McLaughlin, Director of Herbert Smith Freehills’ (HSF) Belfast office.

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t is hard for me to believe that our HSF Belfast Office will be celebrating its fifth birthday next year. Our business has enjoyed exponential growth in that time; from opening in April 2011 with a team of 26 we have grown to a team of 230 and are busier than ever. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time and feel privileged to work with such talented, passionate people. My overarching ambition is to continue to diversify the services provided from our Belfast office as part of the firm’s newly launched Global Alternative Legal Services offering.

Inspired by my parents who both worked full-time jobs while supporting a large family, I have always had a strong work ethic. From an early age, I gained useful transferable skills, such as client service and good communication, by working part-time jobs as a shop assistant and a variety of waitressing and administrative jobs during university.

While studying Law and Accounting at Queen’s University, I discovered the world of international law during a trip to London with Queen’s law school. The workshops and networking events I attended piqued my interest and, following a year studying international business in America’s midwest, I studied the Legal Practice course in Nottingham before starting my training contract with HSF in London.

Almost 13 years later, I am still with HSF but have enjoyed two distinct phases to my career to date. Initially, upon qualification, I worked as an international arbitration lawyer

62 NI Chamber

“I AM PROUD THAT WE WERE AT THE FOREFRONT OF BRINGING NEW TYPES OF LEGAL OPPORTUNITIES TO nORTHERN IRELAND AND MY AMBITION IS TO KEEP INNOVATING.” based in our London office and spent 6 extremely enjoyable years working on highprofile international disputes matters and travelling to places such as Vienna, Cairo and Mumbai to meet clients and witnesses.

In September 2010, the second phase of my career was launched when Sonya Leydecker (HSF Co-CEO) asked me to work with Libby Jackson to open our Belfast office.

As an international disputes lawyer and as a result of my contacts within HSF, I was well placed to take on the role of Quality Manager working very closely alongside Libby as Belfast Office Director. My principal responsibility was ensuring that our fledgling teams delivered legal services of the highest calibre and building our brand with internal and external clients. Although those early days of the Belfast office involved extremely long hours and demanded high levels of energy and commitment, Libby and I thrived on the challenge and the thrill of building new legal service offerings with our team.

I was very proud to take on the mantle of

Director in May this year and am very lucky to be in a position where I genuinely love my job. No two days are ever the same and I thrive on the variety and challenge of my role.

Within a “typical” week, I might be speaking to colleagues in Australia, Asia and London, liaising with our local universities regarding recruitment strategy, brainstorming innovative new service offerings or ways of engaging technology and hosting an external client visit.

I am also very much enjoying living and working in Belfast again. I am proud that we were at the forefront of bringing new types of legal opportunities to Northern Ireland and my ambition is to keep innovating – both in terms of the type of legal services we offer from Belfast and the way in which we deliver them. In 2011, we had a small team of 19 lawyers and law graduates, (7 additional roles were in business support), conducting e-discovery work for our internal clients across our global network. Fast forward to today and our legal team has grown to over 220 and offers expanded legal services including complex claims assessment work, due diligence and asset management work across the firm’s core practice areas. Our teams frequently work closely with internal and external clients and we have had many successful secondments both to external clients and to teams within our global offices.

Our tremendous growth has been facilitated by the fantastic talent we have found both within the local legal market and through attracting senior lawyer “returners” back to work in Northern Ireland. We are a young, high-energy office and our team members are passionate about being active in the local community, whether through engaging with local schoolchildren as part of our successful literacy programme, working on flagship and inspiring projects with the National Trust, or abseiling down the Europa to raise money for charity.

As our Belfast office integrates into our newly launched Global Alternative Legal Services offering, I will be concentrating my energies on ensuring that we are as successful over the course of the next 5 years as we have been to date. Our offices in France, Germany and New York are expanding rapidly, and I can see us working much more closely with them over the next couple of years. I also envisage further diversifying the types of legal services we offer clients from our Belfast office, an intense focus on embracing intelligent technology and increasing opportunities for our team members to spend time on international secondment. The next five years promises to be even more exciting than the last and I am very excited to be in the middle of it.

[NEWS]

BT calls up 35 new jobs BT is creating 35 new jobs at its contact centre in Northern Ireland.

The new roles will be based in BT Flex, BT’s contact centre operation in Riverside Tower in Belfast, and will include full-time and part-time customer service advisor roles.

BT Flex first opened in Northern Ireland in 2012, a unique concept for BT Group that was set up to be a highly skilled, flexible resource centre that can provide extra capacity to different parts of the company quickly and help enhance the service BT provides to its customers.

The additional 35 new roles will bring the total number of people employed in the BT Flex centre to 447, a significant increase on the original 120 roles announced in 2012.

Alex Crossan Managing Director, BT Networks Northern Ireland said: “This is an exciting time at BT. Innovation is happening right across our business, from fibre broadband to sports broadcasting and cloud computing. To align with this innovation, BT continues to invest in its customer service, and we’re delighted that Northern Ireland will benefit from this expansion, given the competition that exists across the globe for foreign direct investment.”

BT plans to complete the recruitment process for these roles before the end of 2015.

Susan Leahy, BT Flex Support Services Manager and Alex Crossan Managing Director, BT Networks Northern Ireland.

Initiative builds talent BT is urging companies in Northern Ireland to participate in Business in the Community’s Building on Talent Programme.

The initiative, supported by BT, seeks to help businesses identify talented individuals within their organisations and channel their drive and enthusiasm through tailored short-term projects within the community and voluntary sector. The programme is endorsed by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and provides employees with real and necessary projects in a voluntary sector organisation to develop their strengths and identify areas for improvement.

Alex Crossan, Managing Director, BT Northern Ireland Networks said: “We’ve found that by encouraging our people to take their skills out into the wider community, it not only benefits the charities and community groups they’re working with, but helps them as individuals develop new skills and experiences which they ultimately bring back into BT. I’m very proud that a number of our people are involved with the ‘Building on Talent’ initiative and would encourage other businesses to consider the benefits of such a rewarding programme.”

Addressing an event at which nine people graduated from the programme, Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry said: “I congratulate all the participants on their successes, who have risen to the challenge of investing in their skills and expertise to benefit their local communities.

“It has never been more important for companies to continue to invest in the skills and talents of their staff as we seek to grow our local economy.”

Business in the Community’s Claire Gordon, Director of Community Programmes said since the programme began five years ago, more than 100 people from eight companies had participated, helping over 40 community groups.

“The sector benefits are immense. These organisations are able to undertake and have completed a project they would not be able to resource themselves, and one that brings lasting benefits. We are recruiting now for more participants from any size, sector or geographical location across Northern Ireland.”

Kieran Harding (Business in the Community); Employment and Learning Minister, Stephen Farry; Alex Crossan (BT Northern Ireland Networks) and Building on Talent participant from BT.

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[news]

business bites from brussels IN THE LATEST BULLETIN FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, MEASURES UNDER CONSIDERATION WILL HAVE REPERCUSSIONS FOR BUSINESSES, CONSUMERS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN NORTHERN IRELAND. HERE WE DETAIL WHAT’S UNDER PROPOSAL IN BRUSSELS.

Action Plan to boost Have your say on geobusiness funding and blocking and platforms investment financing in the online economy The European Commission has launched the Capital Markets Union Action Plan to help build a true single market for capital across the 28 EU Member States. The Capital Markets Union (CMU) is a key pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe and aims to tackle investment shortages head on by increasing and diversifying the funding sources for Europe’s businesses and long-term projects. Alternative sources of finance, complementary to bankfinancing (including capital markets, venture capital, crowdfunding and the asset management industry) are more widely used in other parts of the world and should play a bigger role in providing financing to companies that struggle to get funding, especially SMEs and start-ups.

The Commission wants to break down barriers that are blocking cross-border investments in the EU to make it easier for companies and infrastructure projects to get the finance they need, regardless of where they are located.

Action to help longterm unemployed return to work The European Commission recently proposed guidance to EU Member States to help long-term unemployed people get back to work. In Europe there are more than 12 million people who have been unemployed for over a year. The aim of the proposal is that all jobseekers who have been jobless for more than 12 months receive an individual assessment and that they receive a job integration agreement, offering them a concrete and personalised plan back to work before reaching 18 months of unemployment. The proposal looks into the services that are offered to long-term unemployed people to help them to re-enter the labour market and proposes specific actions to strengthen them. It draws on best practices gathered

by Member States. The proposal calls for the active involvement of employers through partnerships with public authorities, enhancing the range of services they can receive, as well as offering them targeted financial incentives.

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The European Commission has launched two public consultations: one on geo-blocking and another on platforms, online intermediaries, data, cloud computing and the collaborative economy. The consultation on geo-blocking and other forms of geographically-based restrictions will gather opinions on unjustified commercial barriers which prevent buying and selling products and services within the EU. It covers, for example, customers who are charged different prices or offered a different range of goods depending on where they live, but it does not cover copyrightprotected content and content licensing practices. The second consultation will look at the economic role of online platforms, which include search engines, social media, video sharing websites and app stores.

To take part in these and other European Commission consultations go to www.ec.europa.eu/yourvoice/

Border obstacles in the UK and Ireland For 25 years, border regions have worked together through Interreg to find joint solutions to common challenges.

Interreg has provided financial means to improve living conditions in the regions by focusing on the real needs of citizens.

However, funding from Interreg is not enough to solve all the remaining challenges. In border communities, citizens and businesses still face many obstacles, often of a legal or administrative nature, when they engage in cross-border activities. Because of this, a significant economic potential remains untapped in border areas. In September European Commissioner for Regional Policy, Corina Cretu , launched the “cross border review”, which will study the obstacles that people in border regions are still facing and come up with concrete conclusions and recommendations on how to solve them. One important part of the review is an online public consultation, open for three months. To take part in the consultation, go to: www.ec.europa.eu/eusurvey/runner/overcomingobstacles-border-regions

[COLUMNIST] Brian Telford, Head of Markets, Danske Bank

Make currency fluctuations work for you Get used to it – the pound’s strength is more than just a blip says Brian Telford.

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f you are running an import business in Northern Ireland, right now, the world is a great place.

Exporters, however, are in a sustained period of pressure due to the strength of the pound against the Euro. At its recent peak, Sterling had jumped 20 per cent in value against the Euro since the start of 2013, to trade at highs of €1.44. It remains about 12 per cent to 14 per cent higher than it was this time last year.

For anyone selling a product or service into the Eurozone, that represents a huge challenge. Where many businesses thought 18 months ago that the spike in Sterling was a blip and were content to sit tight until it drifted back down to €1.10, that mind-set is now gone. People realise they have to be proactive and do something different.

You can’t change what happens to a currency but you can affect what it does to you by employing hedging strategies that give a degree of certainty on sales volumes and values. The key for many companies here is trying to match what they expected to get paid when they went into a market and what they NEED to get paid to make a profit now, with what they can now realistically expect

“RECENT NI CHAMBER STATISTICS SHOWED NORTHERN IRELAND FIRMS ARE TRYING TO SELL MORE WITHIN THE UK, AS WELl AS THE REST OF THE WORLD, RATHER THAN TO THE EU.”

to get paid for a product or service in their sector.

When selling into Europe if you have a bespoke product or are operating in a quality driven market segment, currency fluctuations can be less of a factor. It is clearly more of a challenge if you are selling a more ‘commoditised’ product and your competitors are located within the Eurozone and therefore don’t face the currency challenge that you do.

Some export companies I’m aware of are taking steps to net out costs by changing their own procurement practices and sourcing raw materials in Europe. They are looking to reduce their input costs and we are seeing

some form materials sourcing and production partnerships with the very companies they are selling to or indeed whom they may have competed with in the past. This could have significant implications for Northern Ireland companies who may currently be part of this supply chain.

Another option is to look for new markets.

Recent NI Chamber statistics showed Northern Ireland firms are trying to sell more within the UK, as well as the rest of the world, rather than to the EU. Northern Ireland companies are now targeting jurisdictions where the currently more palatable US dollar is the primary trading currency such as the Middle East and parts of Asia. That includes China because even though its economy is off the boil, in relative terms it is still growing strongly and is driven by affluent consumers who increasingly want quality products. Selling directly to the US is harder – the market is not as open as the EU – but many Northern Ireland companies with high end, high value add products and services are succeeding. And of course, having sales in geographically diverse markets can offer some potential to smooth out exposure to the differing currency exposures – it would be unlikely that the pound will be strong against all currencies at the same time.

It is likely that good export companies are looking at all of the above: netting arrangements, making their products more appealing, changing procurement strategies and entering new markets.

Entrepreneurs are focused on how to overcome the challenges and are thinking smarter. Part of their strategy now may even include choosing not to compete in certain markets. Some companies are knowingly ‘taking a hit’ on margin to ensure the long term future of a relationship, which can work depending on the length of that trough.

And that really is the big unknown. There is nothing in the economic fundamentals in the UK or Europe to suggest anything is on the cards that will create weakness in Sterling.

The EU referendum has the potential to create uncertainty the closer we get to it (Sterling was all over the place in the run up to the Scottish referendum). But Greece’s economic woes, low growth and low inflation all mean the risks to the EU aren’t going away any time soon.

NI Chamber 65

[Feature]

Breathing new life into hospital care It’s a hospital which feels like a hotel with state-of-the-art facilities. Kingsbridge Private Hospital Chief Executive Mark Regan who is also the Business Development Director OF its parent company, the 3fivetwo Group, tells Adrienne McGill why the operation is expanding so rapidly.

Kingsbridge Private Hospital Chief Executive Mark Regan.

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espite the availability of free healthcare through the National Health Service (NHS), thousands of patients in Northern Ireland opt for private care every year.

There are a number of differences between private health services and the NHS, which will affect a patient’s decision on how to be treated.

These include the care environment, waiting lists and the emergency procedures that can be carried out.

Because of the huge demand on the NHS there tend to be long waiting lists for free treatment.

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In Northern Ireland currently there are 250,000 people either waiting on surgery or for their first consultation. Given this backlog an increasing number of patients are turning to private healthcare institutions in order to be treated more quickly.

The hospital or clinic setting and services can be a big deciding factor in where patients receive healthcare. Generally, private hospitals tend to be new and patients will have their own private room with an ensuite bathroom and the choice of food is greater.

This is where Kingsbridge Private Hospital on

Belfast’s Lisburn Road comes into its own. It offers patients 5 star treatment in state-of-the-art facilities and an environment which is more like a luxury hotel rather a sterile medical facility.

For instance, ahead of a consultation with a doctor, patients can wait in the calm and comfortable Diamond Lounge where they can enjoy rich coffees, superior blends of teas, freshly squeezed orange juice and freshly made fudge cakes.

Patients who are being cared for in private en-suite rooms complete with Wifi, TV and luxury complimentary toiletries are served

a gastronomic dinner menu created by awardwinning restaurant group Deanes.

It means the clinical services delivered in stateof-the-art theatres are matched by an unrivalled level of patient comfort.

“If you need a hip or a knee replacement, you will be on a NHS waiting list for 1-2 years in Northern Ireland,” says Mark Regan, Chief Executive of Kingsbridge Private Hospital who is also the Business Development Director its parent company, the 3fivetwo Group.

“If you go to a private heathcare provider you can see a GP on the same day and be on your way to seeing a consultant and having scans and surgery within 2 weeks. You can either self-fund – or pay for the services through your health insurance.”

The 3fivetwo Group , Northern Ireland’s largest independent healthcare provider, was established 13 years ago at number 352 Lisburn Road in Belfast. In addition to Kingsbridge, the Group also comprises 3fivetwo Healthcare, Origin Fertility Care, Dental Excellence, the Training Academy, Optique, Cosmetech and H3 health insurance as well as the Chelsea Private Clinic on King’s Road, London.

The Group recently made a £3 million investment, which was funded by the company internally, leading to the creation of 20 new jobs as part of ambitious expansion plans. This has included the building of Northern Ireland’s first Private Cardiac Assessment and Imaging Centre and a new intensive care facility at Kingsbridge Hospital.

“As NHS waiting lists have grown, so has demand for our services such as dermatology, cardiology and rheumatology and therefore our expansion has been both necessary and extensive,” says Mr Regan.

A new cardiac investigations department and bespoke outpatients department has also been provided as part of the Kingsbridge extension, along with expanded car parking.

It means for the first time in the private setting, patients will be able to have CT and MRI scans as well as a host of Cardiac investigations including ECG Treadmills, Echocardiography and remote ECG assessments, in a single facility.

There will also be an increase in facilities for the private GPs who see patients at Kingsbridge which is one of the busiest services the hospital operates.

“With government budget cuts set to bite even deeper, we expect demand to increase exponentially into 2016 and beyond,” says Mr Regan.

“The NHS is struggling with demand and many people who previously would have been prepared to wait are realising it could be a year or more before they see a consultant or have surgery.

Private treatment that gets them back to work and improves their quality of life sooner rather than much later is a good investment.

Kingsbridge Private Hospital.

“IF YOU NEED A KNEE OR HIP REPLACEMENT, YOU WILL BE ON THE NHS WAITING LIST FOR 1-2 YEARS IN NORTHERN IRELAND.” “In the last three years, we have grown our business to deliver a multi-million pound turnover which currently employs 240 people and utilises the services of 400 consultants and 300 nursing staff on a regular basis.

“Until now, local patients have either faced delays while waiting for a private slot in local NHS facilities or have had to travel to the Republic or GB for treatment.

“The Centre will offer local patients more choice by allowing us to compete more effectively with Dublin-based hospitals, which are currently the only sites on the island capable of delivering this service on a fully private basis.

“It will also increase our ability to attract patients from the Republic and beyond - in recent years, we have seen medical tourists from as far afield as Libya.”

The Group is also spending an additional £350,000 plus on their bespoke Training Academy at Boucher Road in Belfast.

The investment at the Training Academy includes 6 training suites, a 100-delegate auditorium and a 1,000sq metre incident simulation facility.

“As a company which employs many people, training is required at every level including GPs, surgeons, midwives and students. Medical professionals have to undergo continuous training,” says Mr Regan.

Recently the 3fivetwo group expanded into the Republic of Ireland with the purchase of St Joseph’s in Sligo, a private hospital which has 19 beds and employs about 60 people. It has been re-branded as Kingsbridge Private Hospital Sligo.

“The ROI has its own issues with waiting lists through HSE and we have had many patients from the ROI coming to Kingsbridge in Belfast for treatment. It therefore made sense to acquire St Joseph’s in Sligo,” says Mr Regan.

He points to the European Cross Border Healthcare Directive which places a duty on Member States to arrange to allow European citizens to seek any healthcare service, including private healthcare, in another European Economic Area that is the same as, or equal to, that provided by the healthcare system where they live. It also allows the citizen to claim reimbursement of costs up to the amount that the treatment could have cost had it been provided by their home healthcare system, or the actual cost of treatment if this is lower.

“This is one the best kept secrets in the healthcare system,” says Mr Regan. “It allows any EU citizen to travel to another European country and have medical treatment immediately if they are referred by a doctor in their own country and their country picks up the bill. This has made private healthcare accessible for many more people.”

Overall Mr Regan says patients can be assured of a “concierge” service at Kingsbridge Hospital.

“Staff take patients from their initial phone call and guides them to who they need to see be it a GP, consultant or surgeon and are with them for the whole journey. It is like a concierge service. Our mission is to make private healthcare accessible and affordable to all.”

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[News]

Differing fortunes While wages look like they’ll be on the rise next year, the same can’t be said of the economy, according to the latest economic survey from NI Chamber and BDO.

“We had been seeing a particularly strong improvement in business performance within the domestic economy for Northern Ireland businesses but this appears to have stalled this quarter.”

Maureen O’Reilly (Economist) Peter Burnside (BDO) and Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) pictured as details of the latest Quarterly Economic Survey were revealed.

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majority of companies expect wages in their firms to increase in the coming year but a significant number feel under pressure to do so in order to attract new staff.

That is just one of the findings published in the latest Quarterly Economic Survey published by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and business advisors BDO. Almost 60 per cent of businesses who were surveyed said they expected wages to rise over the next year with 45 per cent of companies feeling pressure to offer higher wages to attract new staff. Whilst the majority expect any wage increase to be under 2 per cent (34%), 1 in 4 expect to make pay awards in the order of 2 per cent plus.

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Northern Ireland’s largest private business survey also reveals that there has been a loss of momentum in Northern Ireland’s economic recovery and although most key balances remain positive, indicating there is still some economic growth, that rate of growth appears to have slowed.

The deterioration in the performance of both manufacturing and services sectors in the home market stands out this quarter with 11 of the 14 key balances in manufacturing falling in Q3 along with 12 of the 14 key balances in services.

Commenting on the findings, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber said: “This quarter’s QES has not been particularly strong for Northern Ireland.

There has been deterioration in most of the key balances across both manufacturing and services. It was good to see the manufacturing export balances return to positive territory this quarter but the sector remains under pressure, a good indicator of which is the fact that its cash flow balance is still negative, where Northern Ireland is one of only four regions in the UK where this is the case.

“We had been seeing a particularly strong improvement in business performance within the domestic economy for Northern Ireland businesses but this appears to have stalled this quarter. Business confidence has also fallen back and concerns around profitability are particularly apparent in both sectors.

Whilst most key balances remain positive this quarter, it appears that the momentum in Northern Ireland’s recovery has slowed.

“Businesses here appear compelled to raise wages in spite of the challenges they face. Whilst an increase in wages is good for the economy, it will however put pressure on companies’ profits and prices which may not be sustainable particularly for some sectors. Northern Ireland also has a higher share of micro businesses than the rest of the UK and it will be important to assess if they can afford to pay their employees more.”

[news]

KEY POINTS OF THE SURVEY:

ANALYSIS

By Peter Burnside, BDO Managing Partner.

T

he latest results in the NI Chamber and BDO Quarterly Economic Survey show that the pace of economic recovery has slowed across the UK and unfortunately this trend is reflected locally as well. The Northern Ireland economy is typically some way behind national trends and our precarious recovery is typified by lower confidence on issues of turnover and profitability among Northern Ireland businesses than throughout the UK. However, there are some positives and more Northern Ireland businesses are reporting increases in local sales

and employment than are reporting a fall while manufacturing export performance has improved although it does remain too early to see any sustainable trend emerging.

One important issue addressed in the survey is wage levels, a current topic in light of the Chancellor’s recent announcement of a ‘National Living Wage’ of £7.20 per hour which will take effect next April.

While the majority of employers, 63 per cent are in favour of the new Living Wage, a much smaller number anticipate an increase in wage levels. Just under 30

per cent, expect wage levels to remain static with 34 per cent anticipating an increase of less than 2 per cent.

Interestingly 45 per cent of companies highlight increasing wage levels as a means of attracting new employees. The current lack of confidence about future turnover means that three quarters of companies say they cannot afford to pay higher wages.

It is important to take a long term view and we will continue to work with our clients businesses across all sectors to take advantage of growth opportunities where they emerge.

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[Feature]

Lynsey Cunningham, Entrepreneur Development Manager (Ulster Bank) and Ken Whipp, Excellence Engineer, (Entrepreneurial Spark) with Richard Donnan, Head of NI at Ulster Bank.

Spreading wings in business Entrepreneurs may get the chance to spark life into their ideas with the launch of a new initiative, powered by Ulster Bank, which aims to help business ‘chiclets’ grow as Adrienne McGill explains.

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new Hatchery for entrepreneurs who want to make the break-through with their business is set to open in the heart of Belfast in the new year.

Powered by Ulster Bank, the Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery will provide free space for up to 80 entrepreneurs, hands on mentoring, a start-up ‘bootcamp’ and

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a free programme of up to 18 months of advice, support and funding clinics.

Based in Lombard Street, the new accelerator and growth hub is ready to receive applications from new and existing businesses with exciting growth potential and will add to seven other Entrepreneurial Spark locations that are already open in Scotland

and England.

The completely free programme sees entrepreneurs (otherwise known as ‘chiclets’), take space in the Hatchery as they benefit from intensive support, as well as essential start-up necessities such as superfast broadband, office space and telephones – removing many of the day-to-day obstacles

to entrepreneurship and fostering a like-minded community of exciting young businesses.

The initiative is being operated by Ulster Bank in partnership with Entrepreneurial Spark, a business accelerator for early stage and growing ventures from all sectors that takes no equity in supported businesses.

At a launch event last month at Ulster Bank’s HQ in Belfast’s Donegall Square, entrepreneurs from across Northern Ireland heard how they could benefit from the innovative programme.

Successful applicants will form part of the first intake for the new Hatchery in February 2015, embarking on a six-month programme of business acceleration.

Richard Donnan, Head of NI at Ulster Bank,

said Northern Ireland was well known for its entrepreneurial culture.

“Ulster Bank was founded by a group of local merchants in 1836 who were seeking to generate funding to support their enterprises as they sought to take advantage of the industrial revolution. Entrepreneurship is therefore in Ulster Bank’s DNA. There is also a rich history of entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland with people like Harry Ferguson and John Dunlop and we see it today with companies like Kainos. It shows there is entrepreneurism and innovation alive in Northern Ireland.

“With this initiative we want to see entrepreneurs develop as people just as much as we want to see their ideas develop – this is a fresh approach.

“Creating a culture that is supportive and welcoming towards entrepreneurs is essential in developing the local private sector. This new Hatchery will bring creative, like-minded people together under the same roof and I look forward to seeing the results.”

The hubs will be physical workspaces for up to 80 entrepreneurs selected to join the programme through a competitive application process, with each hub hosting two intakes every year. At the end of the programme each hub will host a ‘graduation’ event bringing together the entrepreneurs and giving the opportunity to the graduating businesses to pitch. Growth awards of up to £50,000 will also be launched across the UK offering cash injections to businesses when they need it most.

RBS, which owns Ulster Bank and NatWest, says it is committed to supporting the UK’s entrepreneurs and pro-actively help them grow and develop by setting up the hubs in cities renowned for their entrepreneurial spark.

“Applications are open to anyone who literally has just got an idea or anyone who already has a business with a significant turnover,” said Mr Donnan.

“The key thing is to work with the entrepreneur to accelerate his/her idea. The strength of the initiative is that it lasts for up to 18 months where people will have the opportunity to work in an intense, challenging and collaborative environment which will help them accelerate their business with good mentoring support.

“I have seen in some of the hubs in other parts of the UK, entrepreneurs who come in with an initial idea, they stress test it but it doesn’t quite make the mark. However, they prove to be really talented and have gone on with a different idea which has been successful.

“It is not an easy experience but this is about building entrepreneurs and helping them to develop.”

Jim Duffy, Chief Executive Optimist at

“The key thing is to work with the entrepreneur to accelerate his/ her idea. The strength of the initiative is that it lasts for up to 18 months where people will have the opportunity to work in an intense, challenging and collaborative environment which will help them accelerate their business with good mentoring support.”

Entrepreneurial Spark, who spoke at the launch event said: “I am really looking forward to opening our Belfast Hatchery in partnership with Ulster Bank and to what we hope will be a collaborative approach to supporting the entrepreneurial community in Northern Ireland.

Belfast has a great start-up culture and we can’t wait to be part of it.”

Jim also said while the process could be tough, the reward was worth it.

“You will need a workable idea and the spark, drive, determination and commitment to make it happen. You can start just with an idea or have been trading for up to 4 years.

“Start-ups can be full-time or part-time, but must have the oomph to make progress. We ask all our entrepreneurs to have a view that they will move on to working on their business full-time in the future. The more you are physically in Entrepreneurial Spark and the more you engage in the process the more you get from it.”

“Nothing in life is easy. Starting a business is one of the toughest, but most rewarding things a person can ever do. Sure, you may have to step outside your comfort zone. That is when you will learn new stuff. The team at Entrepreneurial Spark will support you. It is a friendly, creative, safe place where we proactively want to make things happen for you.”

•For more information on the Belfast Hatchery and details of how to apply visit www. entrepreneurial-spark.com NI Chamber 71

[FEATURE]

mums with power Ruth Cleland is Front of House Operations Manager and Deputy Director of Operations at Titanic Belfast. She is married to James and the couple have two children Andrew (9) and Rory (6).

2.Unless an email urgently requires a response out of work hours then I do not answer them.

In 2012 James and I bought a touring caravan and it is singly the best investment in work/life balance that we could have made. When we are away my focus is 100 per cent on my husband and children, I have no housework, no work, no computer games and no complications, just lots of fun and adventures to be experienced with my family.

How does having children impact your personal and working life? It turns everything upside down in the best possible way! I frequently wonder what I used to do with my time before we had the boys. Our life is organised around the boys, their education and their after school activities. Andrew and Ryan make my career worthwhile and they make my personal time precious. James and I try to have time for us as well, we are lucky to have fantastic parents and siblings who will take the boys on occasion so that we can get a night away or out with friends.

Describe your job My role is to oversee daily operations in all front of house areas at Titanic Belfast including Ticketing, Visitor Experience, Photographic, Titanic Store, Bistro 401 & Galley Café, Housekeeping and Security. I am also a member of the Senior Executive Team and am involved in the running of both the SS Nomadic and Titanic Exhibition Centre.

It is a very demanding job but one that I absolutely love! I have been very fortunate in that I have always enjoyed the industry that I work in. My entire career has been focused on venue and event operational management, so when the role in Titanic Belfast was advertised in 2014 I had no doubt that it was the job for me!

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What is your favourite part of the day?

Waking our boys up in the morning. I get up early so that I am almost ready for work before I waken them. I love the warmth of their skin, their sleepy eyes and messy hair.

They always curl up and hide under their duvets, but the calmness of that moment with them is precious and is usually the last moment of tranquility in my day!

What do you do to ensure a work/life balance?

I aspire to be good at this but it is something that I really have to work at! I have two unspoken rules: 1.I leave work at 5.30pm on a daily basis unless there is something on that I absolutely have to be there for.

Are working mums in greater need of state support than stayat-home mums?

James’ parents live close to us and are an amazing support. They take the boys to and from school on a daily basis and I know how lucky we are to have them. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to live in the house that we do and we would have to make significant changes to our expenditure (which isn’t extravagant) to enable us to pay for after school care. I do think that the cost of childcare has become so exorbitant that it is preventing a lot of women from returning to work. Additional support from the state in bringing down the cost of childcare would mean that more women could work and more grandparents could enjoy their retirement without the daily school runs!

Do you think you will always remain in employment?

Yes, it sounds sad but I love being a working mum! Andrew and Ryan are so proud of me and of my job at Titanic Belfast, I think it is important that they understand my need to work isn’t just financial but that it gives me a real sense of achievement. I cannot imagine not working but if something happened that would necessitate full time care in our family then that would absolutely be my priority.

[Columnist] Ian Rainey, Former International Banker

truMp plays his card Could Donald Trump become President of the United States?

Ian Rainey analyses the prospect.

“trump portrays himself as a ‘self made’ man but even that is misleading.”

The phenomenon that is Donald Trump and the thought of him becoming US President dominates the US press as probably no candidacy has done beforehand.

Trump has built his cult personality on the back of the NBC reality TV show “The Apprentice”.

Thank God we seem to be protected from the likes of Alan Sugar touting for our Prime Minister’s job. In America voters are angrier than ever before with the political class in Washington. Voters seem to loathe Barack Obama and the Democrats with a passion and despise Republicans in Congress for failing to thwart him, despite controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Against this, Trump is describing America as “a hell hole which we are disappearing down fast. We can’t get anything right. We’re a laughing stock all over the world. The American dream is dead”.

Sophisticated reporters scoff that surely no one would want this erratic tycoon’s fingers anywhere near the nuclear button. Yet as of mid-October

he remains well ahead in the polls at a time when the respected Huffington Post newspaper announced that it would only publish stories about Trump in its “entertainment section”. In the New York Times Mark Leibovich refers to a comment by Mario Cuomo, a former New York Mayor and a Democrat who stated that “a politician campaigns in poetry and governs in prose”. Leibovich believes that this comment does not include Trump whom he believes “campaigns in poetry in much the same way as a wild hog sips chardonnay”.

Those of us who would be aghast at such a loud mouth being the GOP candidate can take comfort in the fact that outsiders don’t win presidential nominations any more. Ever since George McGovern, an anti-war insurgent, won the 1972 Democratic primary and then lost 49 of 50 states to Richard Nixon, every major party nominee has been a former senator, governor or vice-president.

Trump’s success can be put down to the fact

that America is so bereft of plausible candidates that for the ninth time in 10 presidential elections a Clinton or a Bush may be on the ballot. What concerns the more intellectually sound Republican voters is that should Trump win the Republican nomination he would virtually guarantee victory for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats in next November’s Presidential election.

Trump portrays himself as a “self-made” man but even that is misleading. His father Frederick Trump was a property developer who made a fortune by building low cost housing in the outer Boroughs of New York City. His obituary estimated that he left around $300 million dollars to his four sons. It is difficult to criticise Donald’s success but it should be pointed out that he has endured four insolvencies on his way to amassing the $10 billion he claims to be worth. Forbes Magazine estimated that his true net worth is closer to $4 billion. He also claims to be a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance which somewhat disturbs me as I have had the pleasure of graduating from that great school’s International Finance Program.

Whether his fortune is $4 billion or $10 billion he is not the only plutocrat in the race. Out of more than 20 candidates still vying for the nomination, 14 are worth more than $1 million and 9 have fortunes of over $10 million and 5 are in the top 0.1 per cent of wealthy Americans.

This includes two women - on the Republican side Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of HewlettPackard who has amassed $58.9 million having joined the company as a Secretary. Hillary Clinton who claimed she and her husband were broke when they left the White House has garnered approximately $32 million into her fighting kitty.

There are many who believe she will need every bit of it to fight the abuse she is likely to take for using a ‘home brew’ internet server when she was Secretary of State under Obama. However, her performance in the Las Vegas debate on 13 October has been generally regarded as outstanding. She has apparently been viewed favourably by 79 per cent of Democrats in one of the latest polls. The Rev Jesse Jackson said after the debate that there was now “less of a call for Vice President Joe Biden to come in and save us” (in fact Biden has since confirmed he will not stand for nomination). Or as the New Yorker put it Hillary Clinton won the debate because all of her opponents are terrible. For the very same reason I believe she would walk the Presidential election next November if Donald Trump is her opponent.

NI Chamber 73

[appointments]

Global airline Emirates has announced the expansion of its sales team with the appointment of dedicated sales executives for Northern Ireland and the Munster region together with an additional sales executive for Dublin and Connacht. The newly expanded Emirates sales team includes Helena Sweeney, Filippo Rocchi, Anita Thomas, Country Manager Enda Corneille, Lynsey Lamont and Lisa Rabbitte.

new appointments

Mark Fraser has been appointed Business Development Manager at Rainbow Communications.

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Peter McConville has been appointed Divisional Finance Manager at Rainbow Communications.

Darryl Craig has been appointed Business Development Manager at Rainbow Communications.

Dr Jonathan Heggarty has been appointed Director of Curriculum at Belfast Met.

Manufacturing Companies in Northern Ireland worth £18 Billion

By Bronagh Hughes, Business Manager – Engineering and Technical, Grafton Recruitment.

Looking to know where the big bucks are made? Then look no further than the manufacturing sector!

Over the last decade, Northern Ireland’s manufacturing/engineering sector has experienced significant change as the result of technological advances and the pressures from competing businesses around the world. Engineering and manufacturing play a pivotal role in determining and improving Northern Ireland’s economic performance and competitiveness.

Infrastructure matters – and Northern Ireland is leading the way for rest of the UK with foreign investors flocking to these shores on the back of global success stories, not to mention the growing talent pool.

Northern Ireland has a strong tradition in manufacturing and engineering particularly within the transport sector, predominantly in aircraft, ship and bus production. In recent years the region has placed a greater emphasis on advanced engineering, specifically innovation, design and development. As Northern Ireland

Michael O’Neill has been appointed as Continuous Improvement Lead at Moy Park.

companies continue to develop their advanced engineering skills and capabilities, it is vital that we at Grafton Recruitment secure the right people with the right employers.

Why choose a career in manufacturing and engineering?

The manufacturing/engineering industry within Northern Ireland has seen total sales estimated to be worth £18.1 billion in 2013/14. As the industry grows so does the need for skilled, qualified staff. With increased confidence in the market, job flow is at an all-time high and therefore Grafton Recruitment are actively and confidently helping young students to make informed career choices, exploring the widespread opportunities for career advancement.

Working in the engineering sector is a job that is skilled, demanding and worthwhile. Imagine answering the question “What do you do?” with: “I’m essential to the long-term wellbeing of the

Larry McGrath has been appointed Operations Manager for Ireland with The Mount Charles Group.

economy.”

An added bonus is the continued growth of salaries especially for qualified roles (Mechanical/ Electrical Design Engineers for example). This in turn has given candidates more choices when it comes to their careers. Candidates are looking at more than just basic salaries. Factors like pensions, health care, location and career progression have become more relevant when deciding what their next move will be. Employers have reacted to this and are aware of the sensitivities around maintaining and attracting critical talent for their businesses.

Grafton Recruitment’s Specialist Engineering team – formerly “BluePrint” is proud to be recognised as one of the most highly regarded brands within the Engineering recruitment sector, with 45,000 engineering candidates registered on our database. We are experienced in placing the right people with the right employers.

Adrian Clark has been appointed Director of Business Development with banah UK.

David Clements has been appointed Client Director with Fujitsu.

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[Columnist] NATALIE GRAY, MARKETING EXECUTIVE, SYNCNI

Tech Scene Round up

It’s been an exciting year for tech innovations says Natalie Gray.

2015, a year where the tech world turned everyday words on their heads. Google decided that a Panda was no longer an animal, Android made a marshmallow ‘inedible’ and as for Raspberry Pies, well don’t expect to find them in your local bakery. What else happened in 2015? Let’s take a look back at some of tech highlights:

January – March

The second generation of Raspberry Pi arrived: Raspberry Pi Model 2 b is the latest installment from the famous lowcost circuit board.

It has the same components as the previous model, only the power has increased from a single-core 700MHz CPU to a quadcore 900MHz, and additionally has an extra 1GB RAM. Back in February it became the bestselling British computer.

Twitter’s live-streaming video app, Periscope, launched back in March: allowing users to see the world through someone else’s eye. The app is very polished: it has a private broadcast function which is perfect for first time users who want to lock down their video stream to selected followers. It also has the advantage of using Twitter’s social graph which lets users refollow their Twitter network on Periscope. It is clear Periscope is ahead of competition from the likes of Meerkat and YouNow, but how convinced are you that video streaming will become a daily occurrence?

July – September

UK’s First Arena App was launched by SSE Arena, Belfast. The Arena App will allow customers to access information on upcoming events, tickets, merchandise and to avail of special offers.

During live performances, App users will be able to order food and beverages from their seats to collect at App-only collection points. It seems so simple; how has this not been developed sooner?

April – June

Mobilegeddon! This year Google announced that websites need to be fully mobile responsive in order to rank on Google Search. It definitely worked as it sparked many into updating their websites in fear of losing traffic, and Google reported a 4.7 per cent increase in mobile friendly sites between March-April 2015 alone. After all, more than 60 per cent of searches are on mobile so it’s only natural websites should accommodate this.

Belfast got a taste of Dublin’s Web Summit this summer, as Money Conf and Enter Conf arrived to T13. The quirky location brought various start-ups, entrepreneurs and first class speakers to make noise about current trends in the digital world. Money Conf proved to be the better attended of the two conferences, which is probably why it’s confirmed to return in 2016, further highlighting Belfast as a superb location for businesses in the tech industry to settle and prosper.

Kickstarter is a great platform for crowd funding – and it’s what cycling technology group SeeSENSE used to attract revenue for their innovative product, ‘ICON’. The small piece of technology easily fits on to a user’s bike and helps transmit information back to their smartphone to help enhance and protect the cycling experience. Within 16 hours ICON’s fundraising target of £24,000 was smashed online.

If you’re into cycling, you will want to buy this.

October – December

With the release of the Apple Watch earlier this year, many companies have been forced to rethink their offering to customers. In this fast-paced world we live in, convenience is crucial: people are busy and want to do things fast, especially when it comes to banking. Ulster Bank has adapted to this trend with the launch of their new Apple Watch App, which allows customers to securely manage their money on the go and make transactions without their card.

Although 2015 is coming to an end, we can be sure the tech sector is still operating. For example, Chain Reaction Technology’s inaugural eCommerce Hackathon aims to highlight the eCommerce technology sector in Northern Ireland. The event is open to anyone with a background in technology who is up for a hacking challenge!

Roll on 2016…

Want to be the first to find out what’s happening in Northern Ireland’s tech scene? Stay up to date with us on Twitter @syncni Email: natalie@syncni.com

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[Face to Face with....] Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank’s Director of Business and Corporate Banking

Checking in on a growing sector

Northern Ireland must capitalise on any opportunities to grow the tourism and hospitality sector Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank’s Director of Business and Corporate Banking, tells Adrienne McGill.

T

ourism and hospitality is a burgeoning industry in Northern Ireland and in the past couple of years it has added the second highest number of jobs of any sector (around 7,000) to our economy. Around £756 million was spent on overnight trips in Northern Ireland between October 2013 and September 2014.

The recent series of high profile events including the Tall Ships have helped move tourism to the heart of economic development. Northern Ireland has grown in stature as both a leisure and business tourist destination which has acted as a catalyst for the future growth and development of the industry which will bring with it increased visitor numbers and spend.

Tourism NI’s direction is set by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment’s Draft Tourism Strategy for Northern Ireland to 2020. The ambitions detailed on the strategy include increasing visitor numbers to 4.5 million, increasing earnings from tourism to £1 billion and supporting indigenous high quality businesses to grow.

Richard Ennis, First Trust Bank’s Director of Business and Corporate Banking says: “The 2020 strategy indicates 15 per cent growth over the next 5 years for the tourism industry – so that is extremely positive and gives great potential for us all to think about how we can best take advantage of that tourism growth.

“We should be able to bring in an extra

“The 2020 strategy indicates 15 per cent growth over the next 5 years for the tourism industry – so that is extremely positive and gives great potential for us all to think about how we can best take advantage of that tourism growth.” £300-£400 million into the local economy and in the process create 11,000 jobs by realising our potential and raising our standard to a level we can achieve.

“Belfast, for example, has a number of major projects on-going with several hotels in planning which will come to fruition in the next number of years.

“In addition, an international game-changer for business tourism is going to be the extension of the Waterfront Hall and the conference facilities. This will also give an

added impetus to the new hotels which are due to be built in the city.

“Furthermore, we are seeing an expansion of restaurants and bars all the time and it’s fantastic to see Belfast gaining Michelin stars again.”

Food tourism already generates over £350 million per year to the local economy and Richard believes Northern Ireland can capitalise significantly on the Year of Food in 2016.

“This is a really great chance to showcase the best of Northern Ireland. We know we have strong food companies such as Dunbia, Moy Park and United Dairy Farmers but we also have an incredible array of artisan food producers and there is no reason why they cannot start to export or increase exports and compete on a more global scale.”

However, growth requires financial backing but Richard insists that banks are willing to lend.

“There is availability of funding across the banking sector and demand for that funding is coming through as well. As those two come together you will see confidence grow.

“Over the last 12 months we have seen lending rise 120 per cent year on year and we have approved £600 million in loans over that same period to businesses of all scale from small to very significant corporates.

“These loans are much more capital driven investment growth projects and that is in stark contrast to two or three years ago when it was just about working capital and cash flow needs. We are now seeing investment in projects by people who are thinking about the future.”

However, Richard acknowledges that the tourism and hospitality sector faces some specific challenges which, if they were overcome, would help improve the local economy.

“These include the strength of sterling which means businesses are facing a competitive threat from the RoI. Also there is a differential in the VAT rate with pubs and restaurants in Northern Ireland paying 20 per cent – compared to the 9 per cent paid by their counterparts in the RoI.” Up to 13 EU member states, including the RoI have introduced a reduced rate of VAT within their tourism and hospitality sectors for hotels, restaurants and pubs which have impacted positively on the industry.

“There is a UK national campaign to reduce the VAT on the sector to 5 per cent and that would be a tremendous boost for the economy here,” adds Richard.

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[feature]

bright young business brains Jack Wallace is presented with his innovation award by Joanne Stuart from the Northern Ireland Science Park and award sponsors, Tom O’Gorman and Jim Finnegan.

Teen wins £10,000 prize for tourism app

A

n 18-year-old from Dungannon has been announced as the winner of the Northern Ireland Science Park’s 2015 Generation Innovation Internship Prize, which includes a £10,000 grant to develop his start-up business.

Jack Wallace has created an application called Travellise which provides a personalised tourism experience for visitors to any destination.

The prize was developed in collaboration between the Science Park’s Generation Innovation programme and two local entrepreneurs, Tom O’Gorman and Jim Finnegan. It was awarded during the Create: 2015 conference at CultureTECH in Derry.

Jack said: “This summer has been an incredible experience for me – a real opportunity of a lifetime. Through Generation Innovation and the Science Park, I have had the chance to meet some of the best of the best in Northern Ireland and they have given freely of their advice, insight and experience.

“I’m so grateful to the sponsors and everyone who has challenged and guided me along the way. With this fantastic prize money, I will now be able to move my app, Travellise, forward and turn my idea into a real business. I can’t wait!”

Six young inventors, aged between 15-18 years, fought off tough competition to win paid internships and spent the summer working at the Northern Ireland Science

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Park, developing their entrepreneurial ideas.

The interns were matched with an entrepreneur-in-residence, who worked with them on their business model pitch. The interns also made pitches to various experts in key areas of business model strategies, including go-to-market, commercialisation and funding and used the constructive feedback to refine their business models.

Bringing energy, enthusiasm and advanced concepts to their work, each of the interns benefited from a substantial programme of workshops to hone their business skills. It was structured similarly to NISP CONNECT’s highly successful Springboard programme, which is known for its innate ability to support high growth potential companies in Northern Ireland, through to scalable businesses. Springboard gives tough love to Northern Ireland’s most promising entrepreneurs to ensure a sound commercialisation strategy is developed.

“Our proven formula was applied this time to young people, and it’s been a privilege to work with some of our most inspiring and motivated young people,” said John Knapton, Director of Springboard at NISP CONNECT. “This programme wouldn’t exist without the support of sponsors Tom O’Gorman and Jim Finnegan. Our interns benefitted enormously from their generosity. There is an opportunity here for additional local philanthropists to get involved in the 2016

“With this fantastic prize money, I will now be able to move my app, Travellise, forward and turn my idea into a real business.

I can’t wait!”

programme. Hats off to Jack for his much deserved win.”

The Generation Innovation Internship Prize sponsor, Tom O’Gorman, said: “It was inspiring to see how the each of the teenagers developed their idea. It was a hard task to pick the winner but we believe that we have selected a young person with a great idea and lots of potential.”

Jim Finnegan said the reason to develop the prize with the Northern Ireland Science Park was to encourage more entrepreneurship among young people and to support the best ideas.

“All six interns have shown real entrepreneurial talent and exceeded our expectations in what they have achieved,” he added.

Visit by astronaut leaves students over the moon

Former NASA Astronaut Colonel Greg Johnson, Belfast Met’s Director of Curriculum Jonathan Heggarty, and physics students Tammie Girvin and Tony Liu.

F

ormer NASA Astronaut and advocate of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM), Greg Johnson touched down at Belfast Met recently to present an inspirational talk to staff and students and encouraged more young people to become the future scientists of tomorrow.

Colonel Johnson, who is now retired from the US Air Force, has a wealth of experience in the Space Science arena serving as a pilot on his first space mission, which delivered the Kibo logistics module and the Dextre robot arm to the International Space Station.

He has also served in numerous roles for NASA including as a Capcom for several missions. At present he is the President and Executive Director for the Centre for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS).

Prior to CASIS, Colonel Johnson was a decorated officer and pilot with the US Air Force. He flew 34 combat missions in support of Operation Desert Storm and 27 missions during Operation Southern Watch. In 1994, he was assigned to the 445th Flight Test squadron at Edwards Air Force Base, where he flew and tested the F-15C/E, NF-15B and other aircraft.

During his nearly 25 years in the US Air Force,

Colonel Johnson logged over 5,000 flight hours in more than 50 different aircraft.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the US Air Force Academy in 1984, a Master of Science in flight structures engineering from Columbia University in 1985, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Texas at Austin in 2005.

During his presentation Colonel Johnson highlighted to students the significant technological developments in Space Science and he shared his experience and stories of working on space missions.

The event was part of a series of initiatives to educate and ignite the ambitions of young people who aim to engage with STEM industries. It took place at Belfast’s Titanic

Quarter Campus by special invitation from the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) and in partnership with Invest NI, Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) and Nacelle Systems Consultancy.

Belfast Met’s Director of Curriculum Jonathan Heggarty said: “Inviting inspirational speakers like Greg Johnson to speak to our students illustrates that their aspirations and dreams can be realised. STEM skills are highly sought-after in the current Northern Ireland job market from IT to Biomedical Science therefore Belfast Met supports young people into the STEM industries and steers them towards achieving their ambitions.”

“Inviting inspirational speakers like Greg Johnson to speak to our students illustrates that their aspirations and dreams can be realised.”

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[feature]

Record number of graduates joining PwC

P

wC’s Belfast office is amongst the fastest growing in the UK, recruiting 190 graduates (13 per cent of the national total) and 42 school and collegeleavers, most of whom will join PwC’s Northern Ireland Higher Apprenticeship programme.

Overall across the UK, PwC received its highest ever number of applications this year, with over 41,000 students applying for over 2,400 graduate, school leaver, paid internships and work placement positions.

This year, PwC recruited 2,415 mostly graduates, school and college leavers across the UK, with 327 of these (13.5%) joining PwC in Northern Ireland.

Following the firm’s decision to scrap UCAS scores as an entry criteria for its graduate roles, UK-wide applications increased by 15 per cent, on the same period last year.

Gaenor Bagley, Head of People, Community and Sustainability at PwC, said: “The level of interest in our student roles this year is simply astounding, especially given the fierce competition for top talent.

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“The surge in applications, since we changed our graduate recruitment criteria, is an early indicator that efforts to attract students from wider pockets of society is working.

“We are seeing young people begin to rethink the career options available to them and make informed decisions about their future career.”

Underlying the firm’s commitment to attracting and recruiting more women into the profession, graduate intake across the UK is 47 per cent female this year, up from

“Anyone with the right talent and transferable skills, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed in our business.”

41 per cent in 2014.

Alongside this growth in graduate interest, appetite for alternative training options has also increased, with the number of people applying to the firm’s Higher Apprenticeship programme rising 17 per cent since last year.

Nationwide, PwC now offers over 165 Higher Apprenticeship roles a year and around a quarter of these are in Northern Ireland.

In October 2014, PwC announced it would recruit a further 800 people in Northern Ireland; there are currently over 1,300 people in the region and this is expected to rise to around 2,000 by 2018.

Paul Terrington, PwC’s Northern Ireland Regional Chairman, said: “Anyone with the right talent and transferable skills, regardless of their background, has the opportunity to succeed in our business.

“However, recruitment standards remain incredibly high so graduates and schoolleavers should consider their options early and thoroughly check out potential careers routes.”

Some of this year’s placement students alongside Laura Jackson, Partner at BDO (centre), Suzanne Creed, Senior Manager (far right) and Claire McFall, Director (far left).

BDO adds to student numbers This year local accountancy and advisory firm, BDO Northern Ireland, hosted 30 summer placement students between June-September 2015 – a record for BDO. Taken on as part of BDO’s extensive mentoring and support programme for

Northern Ireland’s future leaders, each placement student received real life working experience at the firm’s Belfast office as well as working with many of Northern Ireland‘s top 100 companies with ongoing mentoring support from the firm.

They also gained a useful insight into BDO as a business and experience at the heart of the firm, working on interesting projects alongside graduate trainees and experienced professionals.

Progressive inspires students to consider career in finance With three quarters of CEOs now stating that skills shortages are the greatest challenge to their business, Progressive Building Society believes businesses and organisations should provide more opportunities for school children to gain a better understanding of the roles and functions of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and financial focused careers.

As part of a Business in the Community initiative, Progressive welcomed 12 students from schools across Northern Ireland to champion the STEM and financial agenda and associated crucial skills base, and promote how they are becoming increasingly relevant and important to the Northern Ireland economy.

The interactive programme gave pupils an insight into various roles within Progressive Building Society and sought to draw out the student’s personal skill sets and match them with the needs of the business.

Speaking about the event Darina Armstrong, Progressive Chief Executive, said: “It is important that businesses in Northern Ireland support the STEM

Maddy Miskimmon from Strathearn School in Belfast with Louise McAleer, Marketing Executive at Progressive Building Society.

curriculum and the development of young people interested in finance and STEM careers. These revenue generating qualifications play a pertinent role in Northern Ireland in helping to drive an investment and knowledge based economy and we must continue to equip

our young people with the essential skills and knowledge required to fulfil these demands.”

Progressive Building Society is Northern Ireland’s largest locally-owned financial institution with more than 100,000 members and 12 branches.

NI Chamber 81

[profile]

Arlene McConaghie, General manager at Riada resourcing

What influenced you to pursue your chosen career in Recruitment?

Recruitment gives me a sense of purpose, it enables me to help others find their purpose, offer great opportunities and guide people to the right job. We help a wide range of people, from those looking for their first job or needing help in choosing their career path, to those who are looking for a career change. By getting to know them on a personal level and establishing their career dreams, I am then in a strong position to match them to their ideal job.

What has been the highlight of your HR career?

Joining the team at Riada and becoming General Manager. Being responsible for drawing up Riada’s strategic plan that has lead to the attainment of a Gold Investors in People accreditation, I’m very proud of how the whole team delivered on this.

What do you enjoy most about your job at Riada?

The satisfaction of seeing people grow and develop in their chosen role is one of the most enjoyable aspects of my role.

I like to see the impact that I can have on someone both inside with the Riada team development and outside with clients and candidates. At Riada we do a lot of work with high growth companies and this creates the challenge of recruiting the perfect staff quickly but to a high standard, I enjoy fulfilling this vital part of a company’s growth strategy. Riada now has recruitment specialists in Engineering, Professionals, Industrial, Care and Hospitality.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice I have been given is to be firm but fair. This means working hard, treating everyone with respect and sometimes taking difficult decisions.

What are your priorities for the year ahead at Riada Resourcing?

To build, develop and support our team, candidates and clients and to cement Riada’s position as a top recruitment company in Northern Ireland.

Doing Cross-border Business for the First Time One of the biggest challenges currently facing small business owners is dealing with the decrease in demand in their home market. Exporting is clearly one option, which can significantly help increase turnover and enhance business performance.

For a first-time exporter, trading in Ireland is the perfect place to begin according to Thomas Hunter McGowan, CEO, InterTradeIreland.

‘Ireland holds many advantages for businesses based in Northern Ireland (and vice-versa). It is geographically closer than our other European neighbours, and there are no language barriers.

Cross-border trade is currently valued circa €3bn – so substantial opportunities exist in both jurisdictions’.

Supports available from InterTradeIreland InterTradeIreland can help your business capitalise on the extraordinary possibilities that exist right here on our doorstep.

• If you own an established business, and you want to explore your export options within the island, our sales and marketing programme, Acumen, can help fund key sales and marketing personnel in the cross-border territory.

• If you have a micro-business looking to identify cross-border markets and customers to win new business, funding for specialist consultancy support is available through our Elevate programme.

• The Trade Accelerator Voucher scheme provides small businesses with financial support towards professional advice in relation to cross-border trading and regulation, such as legal,

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accountancy, marketing and other business services.

• Download our FREE guide helping business owners with simple & practical advice on all aspects of cross-border trading.

Thomas Hunter McGowan, CEO InterTradeIreland

For more information please visit www.intertradeireland.com/salesgrowth

BUSINESS CLASS MOTORING

By James Stinson

18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W: agnewcorporate.com

Business Class Motoring by James Stinson AD.V2.indd 1

Sponsored by

19/05/2015 14:26

[LIFESTYLE] james stinson, business class motoring writer

The magnificent Mazda MX-5

Motoring doesn’t have to be dull… not with the Mazda MX-5 around, writes James Stinson.

I

t’s quite a claim but I doubt there’s been a better car than Mazda’s MX-5 these last 25 years or so. Since its launch and in all three versions, it’s been easily the best car of its type.

And that’s because Mazda has never strayed from the original and very simple idea of making an inexpensive, good looking, funto-drive rear-wheel-drive sports car.

This latest fourth generation MX-5 is no different. There are no turbochargers, twin clutch gearboxes, flappy paddle gear changers or similar technical frippery. Instead, there’s either a 1.5 or 2.0-litre petrol engine mated to a simple six speed gearbox.

Moreover, it’s very light (some 100kg lighter than the model it replaces). And because it’s light, that means performance is strong, even with the relatively low-powered 129 bhp 1.5 litre engine.

This modest power plant is good for a 0-62mph figure of 8.3 secs and is capable of going on to a top speed of more than 125 mph. The bigger engine knocks a second off the 0-62 figure.

Still, this car isn’t about numbers on a piece of paper. Indeed, the thrill of the MX-5 is in powering through gentle bends and short

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straights on country roads with the hood down.

It’s a nimble little number, aided by a low centre of gravity and steering that is light and very responsive while the six-speed is about as good as manual boxes get, with a beautiful, mechanical-feeling and short-throw shift action. It all makes for a very involving driving experience even when you’re just tootling.

The smaller 1.5 unit feels plenty quick enough but the 2.0 litre version does provide better mid-range punch. It also boasts stiffer suspension and a limited-slip differential, which boosts traction out of corners and it

costs just £850 more.

Looks wise, the new MX-5 is more pert and purposeful than its predecessor, which was cute but a little too feminine.

It’s no long-range grand tourer, but the MX-5 uses its modest dimensions effectively to prove surprisingly spacious. Driver and passenger sit close together but there’s ample leg and shoulder room. Visibility is good and in top gear with the hood down, it’s a comfortable place to be.

When you want to enjoy some open air motoring, the lightweight fabric hood can be folded back easily from the driver’s seat with one hand. The boot is small but cleverly the load area has been reshaped so that it can swallow two carry-on suitcases – something that the old model could not achieve It all adds up to a car that you could easily use every day, unless you need to carry large, bulky items on a regular basis.

Standard equipment includes alloy wheels, LED headlights, and a leather steering wheel.

It’s also worth noting Mazda’s solid reputation for reliability and build quality that sees it appear regularly near the top of owners’ surveys.

And here’s the punchline, you can have all this reliability, style, and driving fun for £500 less than £19k. To put that in context, when it was first launched back in 1990, the 115bhp Mk1 MX-5 cost £14,249 (equal to £31,687 in today’s money).

[LIFESTYLE] james stinson, business class motoring writer

New A4 sets sights on classy rivals

Dial 7 (Series) for comfort

Audi is on a roll with record sales and more than 50 models now in the range including this all new A4 saloon.

The list of improvements over the old car is as long as your arm so here are the highlights: it’s 120kg lighter than outgoing models and up to 21 per cent more fuel efficient. It’s a slippery beast too, boasting a lowest in class 0.23 drag coefficient, boosting economy and refinement.

Customers get to choose from a wide range of four and six-cylinder engines with outputs from 150bhp to 227bhp, including a 2.0 TDI ultra with sub-100g/km CO2 output. It’s also longer and wider which means more legroom and headroom.

Prices start from £25,900, which is competitively priced and it needs to be against the C-Class, 3 Series and the recently arrived and highly impressive Jaguar XE. Buyers in this class really are spoilt for choice…

Driving or being driven in a big German saloon is a sure sign that you’ve made it and this is BMW’s latest effort to woo high rolling customers.

Larger, lighter (thanks to its new carbonfibre construction), more efficient and loaded with the very latest high-end tech, the new BMW 7 is intended to bridge the gap to the classleading Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

Available with four-wheel drive, and in hybrid format for the first time, the 7-Series can also be had in a limo-like longwheelbase version.

Even in standard wheelbase form, the 7 Series is five metres

long and seats four adults in comfort. There’s plenty of leg and head room, while the boot offers a similarly capacious 515 litres.

The new cabin is plush, trimmed in Nappa leather with extensive use of wood veneers and metallic surrounds. There’s plenty of nice technical touches too including a key that has a 2.2 inch screen and can display a whole host of information about your car.

Prices start from £72k for the 3.0 petrol engine version and that’s before you consider hiring a chauffeur…

Hyundai i20 is the choice of experts Looking for a quality small family car, then check out the little Hyundai i20.

It recently picked up the coveted Car of the Year award at this year’s Ulster Motoring Writers’ awards.

The i20 was praised for its “sophisticated styling, high quality interior, secure handling and excellent choice of engines”. But best of all said the judges is the price, which represents “excellent value for money”. Prices start from just under £11,000.

Since its launch in January, Hyundai has sold nearly 12,000 units across the UK and it’s already the brand’s 3rd biggest seller in Northern Ireland behind the ix35 and i10.

Other category winners in the NIIB Finance sponsored awards included the Mazda2 (Small Car category), Seat Leon (Family Car), Suzuki Vitara (Lifestyle SUV), and Audi RS3 (Sports Performance), while the Mazda6 Tourer was named Executive Car of the Year.

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Introducing the new GLC. From £392* a month with an Advance Payment of just £2,352.*

The numbers work.

The dynamic SUV comes with an abundance of intelligent technology as standard. AGILITY CONTROL ensures a well-balanced ride, while DYNAMIC SELECT allows you to adapt the character of your drive.

With an impressive CO2 figure of 129g/km, the new GLC demands serious consideration.

Contact us today to find out more.

Mercedes-Benz of Belfast on 02890 689000 6 Boucher Crescent, Belfast, BT12 6HU www.mercedes-benzofbelfast.co.uk Mercedes-Benz of Portadown on 02838 337373 Carn Court Road, Portadown, BT63 5YX www.mercedes-benzofportadown.co.uk

Official government fuel consumption figures in mpg (litres per 100km) for the new GLC range: urban 51.4(5.5), extra urban 60.1(4.7), combined 56.5(5.0). CO2 emissions 143-129. Official EU-regulated test data are provided for comparison purposes and actual performance will depend on driving style, road conditions and other non-technical factors. Whilst this offer is only available through Mercedes-Benz Finance, we do arrange finance on behalf of other finance

companies as well. *Business Users only. Advance Payment applies. All payments subject to VAT at 20%. No ownership option. Finance based on 36-month Contract Hire agreements, 10,000 miles per annum on a new GLC 220 d 4MATIC SE (Advance Payment £2,352). Vehicle condition, excess mileage and other charges may apply. Rental includes Road Fund Licence for the contract duration. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Orders/credit approvals on selected new GLC models only between 1 October and 31 December 2015, registered by 31 March 2016. Subject to availability, offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Please contact your Mercedes-Benz Retailer for availability. Credit provided subject to status by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Limited, MK15 8BA. Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with company number 2448457 and has its registered address at Tongwell, Milton Keynes, MK15 8BA. Prices, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions correct at time of going to print.

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

the small perks that make a happy workforce

Be Winter ready, by being prepared.

Gordon Thompson, Nespresso Commercial Manager Ireland

Winter driving tips Driving in Winter is very different than in other times of the year. Adverse weather and longer periods of darkness makes driving more hazardous. Keeping your vehicle well maintained is important all year round, but doubly so in the Winter. Did you know that you are six times more likely to have a prang in your car during the Winter months, slippery leaves on wet roads, followed by snow and ice, create hazardous driving conditions and increase accidents on the road by as much as 267%.

The key to being Winter ready is having your vehicle fully inspected. At Agnew Corporate they recommend that your vehicle has a 6 point Winter check which includes checking your tyre pressure, coolant levels, brakes pads, wiper blades, exterior lights and screen wash. The only part of your vehicle that touches the road is your tyres, tyre grip is crucial for the potentially slippery months ahead. Inflated tyres affect vehicle handling, whilst underinflated tyres increase fuel consumption.

By carrying out these Winter checks you are dramatically reducing the chances of your vehicle breaking down. Don’t let unexpected vehicle maintenance costs ruin your Christmas holiday season.

Research carried out by Nespresso, in partnership with ComRes, shows that the provision of small perks in the office play a surprisingly important role when it comes to improving employee morale, talent retention and staff motivation.

a take away coffee and saves time on having to step out to get one.”

Quality coffee and ergonomic office equipment top the list of small perks which have the greatest impact on employee morale and seven in 10 (70%) across five key sectors state that the provision of quality coffee in the workplace would help them feel valued by their employer, demonstrating the growing importance of coffee in the business environment.

Gordon Thompson, Nespresso Commercial Manager Ireland says, “The requests for Nespresso machines in the workplace are rapidly growing because people can see the value in having great coffee in house; it saves money on buying

Graham Thompson (General Manager), Claire Lynn (Accounts and Charity Champion), Deborah Carlin (Marketing Executive), Nadine Campbell (Area Fundraising Manager for CLIC Sargent)

dangling from the edge On the 20th September, fifteen members from Agnew Corporate took on the abseil challenge down the Europa Hotel Belfast, in aid of raising funding for CLIC Sargent. CLIC Sargent is the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. They provide clinical, practical and emotional support to

help them cope with cancer and get the most out of life.

Agnew Corporate are delighted to announce that the abseil challenge was a complete success, with the help and support from all of their customers, friends and families they have been able to raise £3,812. If everyone contributed a little,

together it would make a huge difference in the fight against cancer. For this reason, Agnew Corporate as a company has decided to double the £3,812 making the grand total for CLIC Sargent £7,624.

Agnew Corporate would like to thank everyone who helped to support such a worthy cause.

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26/10/2015 13:37

[SPONSORED FEATURE]

Stephen Wheeler, Managing Director of SSE Airtricity (right) with Robert Fitzpatrick, CEO of The Odyssey Trust, at the announcement of a ten year naming rights partnership for The SSE Arena, Belfast.

Pictured in The SSE Reward Lounge at The SSE Arena, Belfast for the concert by Florence & The Machine are (from left) Barra Best, Pamela Ballantine and James Hughes.

perfect partnership When Northern Ireland’s largest and most famous entertainment venue re-opened following a summer refurbishment, the new seats, the enhanced wifi and the internal branding weren’t the only things which had changed. The Odyssey was now renamed The SSE Arena, Belfast following the long-term partnership deal with Northern Ireland’s second largest energy provider SSE Airtricity which was announced in September. The SSE Arena Belfast will join the UK-wide stable of SSE entertainment venues including the SSE Hydro in Glasgow and the SSE Arena, Wembley.

The world famous venue first opened in 2000, and has hosted local and international stars from the world of music, sport, comedy and even politics. The partnership with SSE involves a new name and new identity and also introduces a range of other benefits for SSE Airtricity customers including a dedicated customer lounge, exclusive offers and priority booking.

SSE customers have signed up in their thousands to the SSE Reward programme which unlocks all of these

associated benefits. SSE Airtricity Managing Director, Stephen Wheeler explained why the energy company is keen to strike up such long-term relationships.

“At SSE we place our customers at the heart of everything we do and this agreement not only signifies our growing commitment to Northern Ireland, but delivers direct benefits to customers by giving them a unique experience when they visit the world class SSE Arena Belfast. We have taken time to understand what motivates customers, we engage with them and we understand that saving on energy costs is important, that’s why since 2010 we have be able to save our customers £17 million in lower cost electricity. In Northern Ireland sport and entertainment feature very strongly in how people live, relax and participate in community activites. All of that made the partnership between SSE and the Arena a perfect fit.”

Jillian Saunders, SSE Airtricity Brand Manager, adds: “This was already an iconic

venue, and following the refurbishment we can be sure that The SSE Arena, Belfast will continue to deliver world class events and entertainment to people from across Northern Ireland and beyond. From the first post rebrand concert by Florence and the Machine through to the Belfast Tattoo and the Belfast Giants ice hockey games, the reaction from our customers has been terrific.

They love the experience they are getting at The SSE Arena and a quick glance at the upcoming events shows that there will be something for all our customers to look forward to. For instance, between now and Christmas we will have U2, family entertainment at Disney on Ice and the return of comedian Kevin Bridges for more sold out shows. And because we believe energy is there to be enjoyed, our new partnership means that our home and business customers are first in line for the very best in live entertainment and upgrades at the Arena. That’s why, through this exciting and perfect new partnership, we’re proud to be making a difference for our customers.”

DISC OUN on a ll ord T place ers d PRE Nov 30 th

[lifestyle] Mukesh Sharma, Managing Director, World Travel Centre

Get on track… and train In the travel industry, investing in staff training means being up to speed with what’s best in the sector, says Mukesh Sharma.

T

he travel sector has long been recognised as one of the fastest moving (if you’ll pardon the pun) of all business sectors, while tourism is, famously, one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world.

Clearly, there is business to be done and money to be made, but it’s not an arena for the faint-hearted or the ill-equipped.

The secret of success is training … and I should know. Within the last two years my company, Selective Travel Management (part of The World Travel Centre Group), moved into new corporate headquarters at Murray’s Exchange in Belfast and has doubled staff numbers from 50 to 100, with an accompanying investment of more than £350,000 in software, hardware, training and IT. Business is at an alltime high and growing fast, with impressive new contracts gained, while 2015 has also proved a record year for awards and accolades.

Direct internet booking completely revolutionised our industry and technology is continuing to drive change at a pace which would have been unimaginable even a decade ago. Today, in order to create, then maintain a meaningful business edge you must proactively embrace new ways of doing things, invest in technology and, above all, train and prepare for success.

It’s almost a given that people are the

92 NI Chamber

“we are currently working towards our ipp accreditation endorsing our genuine commitment to high performance, working through continual staff development, training and best practice.”

most valuable asset within any business, but sometimes businesses merely pay lip service to that ethos. Serious, successful players really focus on their staff and invest in giving employees the knowledge as well as the equipment they need to fulfil their role.

There is simply no end to staff development and training – as fast as you equip people with skills, new challenges come along. It’s all about having the correct mind set and creating an environment which nurtures continuous improvement.

We are currently working towards our IIP accreditation endorsing our genuine commitment to high performance, working

through continual staff development, training and best practice.

I am so passionate about the importance and value of training in the travel sector that I have decided to pilot a new educational initiative, designed to help newcomers break into the industry and allow those who have already taken the first step on the travel career ladder to develop marketable skills.

Created in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College and SUDT, the venture which began this autumn will bring a small number of students to Selective Travel Management’s corporate headquarters where they will benefit from a bespoke training scheme.

We’re hosting it at our headquarters so that our students will get a real feel for the pace and nature of the industry and get steeped in the culture we create. As well as hearing from tutors and our own highly professional in-house training team, they will have the opportunity to mix with people who are already making the grade in the industry and I hope that will serve as added inspiration.

The first launch phase will focus on industry newcomers but it is our intention very speedily to follow that introduction with two additional layers of learning, bringing creative opportunities to those who want to improve basic skills and others who are really starting to focus on building their careers in our sector.

We are quite deliberately being as open as possible about our intake, encouraging applications from all people who are enthusiastic and ready to learn. If people come to us with the right attitude, commitment and good basic skills, we believe we can equip them to launch into a travel career.

As a business whose roots are firmly in Northern Ireland, we are delighted to put our skills and resources to work for the benefit of the wider community. A vibrant, well-educated and enthused pool of potential employees is a bonus for the whole sector and who knows what talent we will connect with as a result of this initiative?

We certainly don’t present travel as an easy option, but this is a hugely fulfilling and exciting career path … and there is a world of opportunity out there for anyone with the drive and ambition to succeed.

[Lifestyle] David Gillmore, Head Chef, James Street South

CULINARY DELIGHTS

For such a small country, we can truly hold our heads high on the global food stakes and autumn and winter are the two seasons when some of the best meat, cheese, fruit and veg become readily available. These two dishes from award winning chef David Gillmore make their respective ingredients sing! There are few finer feelings that enjoying the warmth of these dishes in front of a fire with a glass of red wine.

Game Pie Serves 4 1kg of pheasant, pigeon, rabbit and venison, skin off and deboned 2 glasses red wine 2 carrots peeled, chopped 1 onion peeled, chopped 1 tsp tomato puree 1 garlic clove, chopped 4 juniper berries, crushed 1 bay leaf 1 tblsp picked thyme 2 tblsp rapeseed oil 1 litre beef stock 3 tblsp plain flour 25g butter 1 egg 300-350g puff pastry Salt and pepper

Heat the butter and fry the onion until soft, add the carrot and remaining flour, tomato puree and stir for one minute. Stir in the marinade, then the stock and bring to the boil, add in the meat and simmer for 2 hours until the meat is tender. The sauce should have a thick consistency and the meat should be braised.

Once cool, transfer to a pie dish, discarding the bay leaf.

Roll out your puff pastry on a floured surface and cover the pie dish, nipping in at the side to form a seal. Brush lightly with beaten egg and cut a small slit in the centre to let steam escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 180deg for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp.

Place the game in a bowl with a marinade of the red wine, garlic, thyme, bay leaf and berries, cover the bowl in cling film and place in the fridge for up to 2 days beforehand.

Once marinated, drain off and keep the marinade to the side. Heat the oil in a heavy bottom pan until hot. Dust the meat lightly with seasoned flour and fry off, removing from pan once coloured.

Apple and Plum Crumble 6 apples, peeled, cored and chopped 8 plums, stones removed, chopped 100g sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 100g butter 100g flour 50g almonds Start by lightly stewing the apples by placing in a pot with 50g sugar and 25g butter and cook for 5 minutes at a low heat, you do not want the apples to lose their shape or make a puree.

Get your baking dish ready and add in your plums with the cinnamon and 1 tblsp of sugar, add in your apple mix and leave to side.

To make your crumble place the cold butter and flour in a processor and pulse until the texture is like breadcrumbs. Stir in the almonds and the remaining sugar and cinnamon and scatter over the plums and apples.

Cook for 40 mins at 180deg until golden. Serve with custard.

NI Chamber 93

[LIFESTYLE] Ashleigh Addis, Woman’s Editor, Ulster Tatler

festive style Make life simple for yourself and visit The OUTLET, Banbridge for all the latest trends for him and her. Home to more than 50 of the world’s best-known retail brands, it is a shopping and leisure destination like no other. This issue Ashleigh Addis looks at the latest trends for the upcoming festive season. add that extra touch to your winter wardrobe with these stylish accessories.

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94 NI Chamber

Jaeger Outlet Wallet, OUTLET £45 (RRP £65)

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Jaeger Outlet Black Lace Dress, OUTLET £125 (RRP £199) Chapelle Jewellery Citizen Ladies Eco-Drive Watch, OUTLET £149 (RRP £249) All items available from The OUTLET, Banbridge

NI Chamber 95

[Columnist] jim fitzpatrick, INDEPENDENT BROADCASTER

sign off...

Telling stories Technology has to connect in a human way otherwise it won’t succeed argues Jim Fitzpatrick.

Chuck D of Public Enemy talking to Jim Fitzpatrick on stage at ICONS.

T

he tech revolution is well and truly upon us, changing our global economy and the world in which we live with dramatic effect.

The changes are difficult and for many existing businesses are negative. Local bank branches are disappearing as customers go online; high streets are empty as the convenience and price offered by giants such as Amazon disrupts the existing retail model; newsagents have all but gone as the daily paper becomes an online read while newspapers themselves are closing or scaling back as they desperately chase new ways to fund their operations.

Records and CDs have become niche products as customers download and stream their music; bookshops and publishing have also been traumatised by the swift changes in consumer behaviour.

I’ve always been an early adopter of new technology, but when I pause for thought and consider the changes I’ve experienced in my working life I still find it shocking.

I learnt about computers on a BBC B Microcomputer sometime around 1984. It had about as much processing power as a calculator, but I still picked up a few BASIC programming skills, could play some reasonably fun games, and even used it to create graphics for video projects.

96 NI Chamber

and anyone can be an instant publisher and broadcaster - print, audio, and video, connected to a potential global audience.

The changes may be most directly evident to me within the media industry, but they are equally dramatic in just about every industry with the speed of change continuing to accelerate day by day.

And while this change is problematic, it provides huge opportunities too. For a small, peripheral economy such as ours in Northern Ireland it is, perhaps, our best chance at building a new economy that could rival the glory days of our 19th century industrial power.

I recently helped run a major event called ICONS Festival where we sought to examine the opportunities presented by the convergence of technology, music and screen (with screen representing everything from mobile ads, to film production and gaming).

We brought some of the best in the world to Belfast including US hip-hop legend Chuck D and we showcased the best we have here.

“Records and We heard from people like Cooktownborn Nigel Eccles, founder of FanDuel. It’s a CDs have become company you may not have heard of. But it’s niche products a big deal in the US where it dominates a new as customers market in fantasy sports gaming and is valued download and at over $1 billion. It’s an entirely new market stream their that couldn’t exist without the crowd-sourcing power of the internet and the algorithmic music; bookshops complexity it facilitates. and publishing Based in Edinburgh, the company is growing have also been rapidly. When it floats on the stock exchange traumatised by its founders, investors and employees will the swift changes all receive handsome rewards. And a lot of that money will flow back into the Scottish in consumer economy. That’s what we need to see here behaviour.” in Northern Ireland, and as Nigel’s heritage demonstrates - there is no reason why we But when I came to study journalism in 1989 can’t.

And amidst all the change and flux, the at the College of Business Studies in Belfast, it one thing we demonstrated at ICONS that was as if computers didn’t exist. We tapped has remained constant and is perhaps more our copy out on big manual typewriters – valuable than ever is that need for coherent carbon paper providing the extra copies for subeditors and the print guys to work on. We and compelling storytelling. Tech that doesn’t had one landline phone in a class of 20 students connect in a human way cannot succeed. So, the principles I learnt on a typewriter are now which we shared to arrange interviews more important than ever – to all businesses. and follow-up on stories. We recorded conversations and public meetings in shorthand Creativity has never been more vital.

So let’s embrace the technology, craft a story (100 words a minute was the necessary speed) of success and make it a 21st century reality. in notebooks.

Nowadays all it takes is a smartphone

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Tuesday, 27 October 2015 16:35

MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

november/december 2015

A NEW BEGINNING Introducing the all-new Volvo XC90 Made by Sweden It’s our most exclusive car ever.

A seven seater SUV with all the best from Volvo. First class comfort for everyone in the car and a world class safety level.

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S M W Belfast

November/december 2015 ISSUE 13

28/10/2015 16:39

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE: • Special focus fantastic flavours of Northern Ireland • Chamber Award winners head to London final • Jim Fitzpatrick on why tech has to connect