Ambition Issue 34 May June by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

MAY/JUNE2019 ISSUE 34 £2.95

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May/June 2019 Issue 34

Contents NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER

Citi Living Citi Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Managing Director Leigh Meyer

Editor: Adrienne McGill Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Managers: Lorraine Gill & Gerry Waddell Editorial Assistant: Joanne Harkness Email addresses: adrienne.mcgill@northernirelandchamber.com / lorraine.gill@ulsterjournals.com / gerry.waddell@ulstertatler.com Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com / www.ulstertatler.com Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim. Front cover photography by: David Cordner.

NI CHAMBER PATRONS

At a Glance

44 72 50 76 84 88 92

News: 06 Marcon lands new fit-out contract 08 Grafton Recruitment signs partnership deal with the Irish FA 10 Belfast to benefit from free ultrafast wi-fi & phone calls 12 Recognising excellence

Columnists: 18 Jemma Geary 20 David Clements 24 Tom Verner 36 Aaron Ennis 38 Stephen Frazer 80 Edel Doherty 82 Cormac McKervey 90 Gavin Kennedy 96 Pauric McGowan 110 Brendan Drain 112 Jim Fitzpatrick Chamber Chief: 27 Update 24 NI Chamber scoops ‘Most Innovative Project’ Award 29 Danske Bank Export First Forum at Ryobi 30 Quarterly Economic Survey: Business hits the brakes 32 NI Chamber & Partners launch new International Division 34 Chamber Awards launch Features: 14 My ambition is to... 16 A good sport 22 The techy 10 42 Top tips for writing a winning entry

Stairway to seven Building the future The power behind positive thinking From humble beginnings to a market leader... A fitting tribute to diversity How digital is transforming commercial real estate An Atlantic gateway for the UK and Europe

Appointments: 94 What is in it for your business? Special Section: 57 Leaders in banking

Lifestyle: 98 Business class motoring James Stinson 108 Fashion: What’s hot this summer - Joanne Harkness 111 Dine & wine Chris Rees and Andrea Mola

40 Cover Story 72

editorial

President’s Perspective

Economic and social indicators show that progress is vital

he Secretary of State has commented that the upcoming NI Political talks process may not be easy, but our members believe that they should be approached with a positive outcome in mind. Economic and social indicators show that progress is vital. As the political stalemate at Stormont continues, as does the uncertainty surrounding Brexit. For most businesses, the 31 October ‘flextension’ agreed by the European Council will be preferable to deadlines that are repeatedly moved forward at the last possible moment. But their frustration with this seemingly endless political process is palpable. This extension buys Parliament some time to come to a consensus however businesses need answers to plan for the future, so politicians must agree on a way forward urgently. It would be a disaster for business confidence and investment if a similar latenight drama is played out yet again in October. After all, a deadline that is continuously pushed back isn’t a deadline - it’s an invitation to cancel investment, stop hiring, or move UK operations somewhere else. Our latest Quarterly Economic Survey reveals that the ongoing Brexit noise and drama is having an increasingly negative impact on business growth and investment plans here with some members understandably holding back on these plans and making big decisions about their futures. These are some of the weakest figures we’ve seen in nearly a decade, and it’s no coincidence. Rather than be drawn into the politics of Brexit, firms are looking for stability and answers. They want practical solutions to a number of issues that are still unclear ranging from trade agreements, migration rules and customs. For instance, the terms of trade agreements can affect pricing decisions, margins, even choice of business location and the geography of supply chains. Ultimately firms could face some of the biggest changes to the business environment

in over a generation, without the information and clarity they need to navigate their way forward – whilst also trying to do business in an environment with no Executive or Economic Strategy. May it be in terms of the political stalemate here in NI, or the drama at Westminster, politicians cannot afford to squander their latest chances for consensus.

John Healy President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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NEWS

GUINNESS’S NEW PLASTIC PACKAGING INITIATIVE

Diageo is investing £16m to reduce the amount of plastics used in its beer packaging by removing the plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from its multipacks of Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s. Diageo’s bottling and packaging plant in Northern Ireland will be the first site that will be up and running with the new packs, with the business investing £8m in its facility in East Belfast.

50 years of xperience Xperience Group, one of Northern Ireland’s longest established providers of IT solutions, is celebrating 50 years of business success across the UK and Ireland. Coinciding with the anniversary, the company announced 32% year-on-year growth and 27% workforce growth. The company has added ten staff, with a further 12 positions open, including graduate and engineering roles.

INVESTMENT FOR NI’S STATSports Premier League stars Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling have become significant investors as well as global ambassadors for fast-growing sports tech company STATSports. The wearable performance tracking and analysis company is favoured by elite teams in multiple sports across the world.

m. b. mcgrady & co counts on growth M. B. McGrady & Co Chartered Accountants has just opened the doors of its new Belfast office, relocating from its base in University Street to the Lisburn Road, with the creation of four additional roles. The new job roles take the company’s head count to over 30, spilt across three offices – Belfast, Downpatrick and Newtownards.

MARCON LANDS NEW FIT-OUT CONTRACT Fit-out specialists Marcon have been appointed by catering and facilities services company Mount Charles to bring a new and exciting experience to Belfast International Mark O’Connor, Director of Marcon Fit-Out; Airport. Deirdre Graffin, Commercial Manager at Belfast Working with Horscroft International Airport and Gavin Annon, Head of Design, the Marcon project Sales and Marketing at Mount Charles. team is creating a new collection of eateries called the Northern QTR, a concept conceived by Mount Charles to rival the food and beverage offering of any top tier UK airport. The new area will have a renovated Fed and Watered along with the addition of two new food and beverage destinations – Coco Diablo Mexican Cantina and the popular all-Ireland brand Chopped.

NICK COBURN RECEIVES CBE Ulster Carpets Group Managing Director and Deputy Chairman Nick Coburn has received the award of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) at an investiture ceremony performed by the Duke of Cambridge, in Buckingham Palace. He was recognised by Her Majesty the Queen in the New Year Honours List for his service to the economy in Northern Ireland. Welcoming his award Nick said, “I am truly honoured to receive this award which only comes with the support and guidance of so many good people.”

3FIVETWO GROUP RECEIVES MULTI-MILLION INVESTMENT Northern Ireland’s largest private healthcare group, the 3fivetwo Group, has secured a multi-million pound investment from a new fund dedicated to investing in Northern Ireland. The fund, created by US-based 57 Stars LLC and leading UK SME investor Foresight Group, will be used to provide additional capacity, including beds and laminar flow theatres, at 3fivetwo’s Kingsbridge hospitals in Belfast and Sligo. The investment will also enable the provision of more services in imaging, orthopaedics and specialist services such as cardiac surgery, and the expansion of medical training and optometry services Bernard C. McGuire Jr, Managing Director of 57 Stars through acquisition and (second left) is pictured with Ashok Songra, joint CEO, partnership. Jeremy McCartney, Finance Director and Suresh Tharma joint CEO from 3fivetwo Group.

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NEWS

employers urged to sign-up to the active travel challenge Employers across Northern Ireland are urged to signup to the Active Travel Challenge for a healthier and more environmentally-friendly commute this June. Employers are asked to encourage staff to leave the car at home and walk, cycle or take public transport for some of their journeys to, from and during work. The Department for Infrastructure, Public Health Agency, Sustrans and Translink have joined forces to launch the new initiative.

new era for hastings hotel Hastings Hotels longest-serving employee will step into the role of Chairman after 47 years as Financial Director. Edward Carson’s succession to Chairman will pave the way for the appointment of a new Financial Director for the group, with Belfast-headquartered executive search firm 4c Executive appointed to manage the search for the role.

MCAVOY APPOINTS NEW MANUFACTURING DIRECTOR The McAvoy Group has appointed David Clark as Manufacturing Director. David joined McAvoy in 2012 and now takes overall responsibility for offsite manufacturing across the Group. In his new role he will manage the expansion of production capacity to meet the business’s strategic growth plans.

LAGAN OPEN NEW OFFICES IN ENGLAND Aviation specialists, Lagan Aviation & Infrastructure and Lagan Airport Maintenance, have expanded their UK footprint with the opening of a regional office in Warrington’s Wilderspool Park. It will provide the team with a base to grow the businesses in the North of England.

LAW FIRM TO SUPPORT EMERGING ARTISTS Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody (ALG) is to support local emerging artists in Northern Ireland through a new partnership with Belfast Exposed. The partnership has seen ALG invest Michael Neill, Head of Office at ALG Belfast; Deirdre in the work of seven Robb, Chief Executive of Belfast Exposed; Mark local emerging artists: Blair, Partner at ALG Belfast and Glenda McStravick, Joan Alexander, Linda Marketing Manager at ALG. Conroy, Jane Cummins, Robert Ellis, Peter Evers, Yvette Monahan and Jill Quigley. Their artwork is now showcased around the firm’s offices in Belfast city centre, which were recently subject to a major refurbishment and expansion programme and house a team of over 120 lawyers and business support professionals.

NEW DIRECTION FOR CORPORATE TRAVEL

Co Meath’s independently owned Hannon Travel has launched its premium services to the Northern Ireland and GB market led by Mukesh Sharma MBE DL. It was set up by Eimer Hannon in 1999 and has led the way in providing high quality corporate services to global organisations Eimer Hannon, Managing Director at in sectors from aircraft leasing, Hannon Travel is pictured with Director pharmaceuticals and finance to Mukesh Sharma, MBE DL. equestrian, engineering and mining. The firm provides a niche and tailored service to businesses covering all aspects of their travel including transfers, accommodation, account management and travel policies.

GRAFTON RECRUITMENT SIGNS PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH THE IRISH FA Grafton Recruitment has agreed a partnership with the Irish Football Association that will see it provide employment services to the association while playing an active role in supporting the Irish FA’s mission to promote, foster and deliver football for all. Kids from Blythefield Primary School help Grafton Recruitment Ireland chief executive Tina McKenzie and Grafton Recruitment Northern Ireland Manager Michael O’Neill announce a has become title sponsor new partnership between the Irish FA and Grafton. of the Family Stand at the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, which is now known as the Grafton Recruitment Family Stand. The deal will also see Grafton Recruitment support the Irish FA’s Let Them Play youth strategy by managing the recruitment and employment of more than 80 coaches and casual staff to provide summer football camps and small-sided games centres across Northern Ireland.

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NEWS

Belfast to benefit from free ultrafast wi-fi & phone calls Lord Mayor of Belfast Councillor Deirdre Hargey said: “As Belfast builds on its growing reputation as a centre of digital innovation, it’s great to see another development for the public and businesses which supports our digital ambition and strategic vision to develop our Smart City credentials. “In addition to this, the technology being provided will offer greater connectivity for the public, helping to increase footfall on our high street, and aid retail and economic growth as a result.” Commenting on the launch, Christopher Morrow, Head of Communications & Policy at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, added: “NI Chamber congratulates BT on this exciting piece of infrastructure that will help visitors recognise Belfast as a modern, forward-looking, technologically advanced city - supporting the tourist and retail economy and helping to attract investment. “By providing facilities for people to make free calls, access free wi-fi and charge their phones, the InLink service will add much to a city already bursting with creativity and entrepreneurial spark.” Pictured at an InLink in Belfast city centre is Liam Tighe, Planning and Delivery The InLink Manager for InLinkUK at BT, Chris Morrow from NI Chamber and Matt Bird, service from BT, Belfast has become the first city in Northern Ireland to benefit from the free InLink from BT service, offering residents, visitors and shoppers the fastest free public Wi-Fi in the UK, free calls to landlines and mobiles, free mobile charging points plus a range of digital services, including local council and community information. The InLink service, which will provide an expected investment of £2.7 million in the city over the next ten years, will now join the likes of London, Glasgow and Cardiff in offering access to these innovative free services. With nine ultra-modern InLink units initially introduced into Belfast city centre, further activations are expected in the coming weeks. The new state of the art phone boxes are replacing 18 existing payphones, offering more space on pavements, as on average, one unit replaces two BT payphones. BT’s iconic red phone boxes will remain.

General Manager of InLinkUK.

Pictured at an InLink in Belfast city centre is Ulster Rugby’s Marcell Coetzee, Wiehahn Herbst and Craig Gilroy, who helped launch the InLink system in Belfast.

which is funded by advertising revenue to deliver free services at no cost to the taxpayer and local councils, already has more than 295,000 subscribers across the UK. Paul Murnaghan, BT’s Enterprise Division Director added: “At BT, we want to offer greater connectivity for everyone. Digital equality is really important to us, as we want everyone to be able to get online for free, and this project will provide the infrastructure to better help all those who live and work in Belfast. “We are pleased that we can now offer these benefits to local people and welcome the support from Belfast City Council and NI Chamber in our ambition to help make Belfast one of the UK’s most digitally connected cities. “Our InLink service is already transforming high streets across Britain, removing unwanted payphones and giving streets a modern facelift with our compact and free of charge Wi-Fi and digital services.” Matt Bird, General Manager of InLinkUK, added: “We are keen to continue our very successful roll out of the InLink from BT service to benefit consumers in Belfast. We want to support consumers’ digital innovation ambitions by offering city workers, shoppers and tourists free digital services and help to create a Smart Belfast.”

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Recognising Excellence Celebrating the achievements of NI Chamber members...

Titanic Belfast

Titanic Belfast has won the Ireland Excellence Award from the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM). Pictured celebrating the award with Titanic Belfast’s Senior Executive Team are International Directors, Judith Owens, Siobhan Lynch and Michele Scott.

Three local SuperValu, Centra and MACE stores have clinched the coveted title of ‘Store of the Year’ at Musgrave’s annual awards event. Pictured are Michael McCormack (MD of Musgrave NI); Peter McCool (McCool’s SuperValu Ballymoney); Andy Boyd (Boyd’s Centra Junction One); Frank Boyd (Boyd’s MACE Toomebridge) and Eamonn Holmes.

Pinsent Masons

Musgrave

Pinsent Masons is celebrating a triple success. The Belfast Office was named Corporate Law Firm of the year at the Insider NI Dealmakers Awards; named Legal Business magazine’s Law Firm of the Year for the second time in the past four years whilst also picking up the Energy & Infrastructure Team of the Year award. Pictured are Sarah Stewart, Lisa Early, Richard Masters and SarahLouise Baird collecting their Insider Award from Business Consultant Paul Campbell.

Nigel Walsh, Director, Corporate and Commercial Banking at Ulster Bank presents Fane Valley Chief Executive Trevor Lockhart with the NIFDA ‘Outstanding Contribution’ to the Industry Award.

Fane Valley

Whitespace

Whitespace collects the Company of the Year Award at the Digital DNA Awards 2019. Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council (second from right), presented the award to Glenn McClements, General Manager of Whitespace (far right).

Sensata was the winner of the Best Employer for Equality & Diversity (Large Organisation category) in Northern Ireland at the Equality & Diversity Awards 2019. Pictured are (l-r) Ciara Fulton, Senior Partner, Jones Cassidy Brett Solicitors; Catherine McGinnity and Adriana Morvaiova from Sensata; and Sarah Travers, awards host.

Henry Brothers

Sensata

The Henry Brothers won the Silver Award in the Considerate Constructors Scheme 2019 for its Maghaberry Site. Pictured are Don Brownlee, Contracts Manager and Deborah Madden, Group Quality and Environmental Advisor.

NI Chamber member Yelo joined Edge Innovate and Shnuggle as the NI recipients of a prestigious Queenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Award for Enterprise for International Trade. Pictured are Yelo Directors David Sinclair, Richard Furey and Lynn Good.

Yelo

FEATURE

My Ambition is to...

Kerry Kelly, Head of Compliance & Shared Services, Grafton Recruitment

wo things have shaped my career ambitions: the constant need for a challenge and my passion for ethical treatment.

After completing my A-levels at St Patrick’s College Maghera, I attended university for a year. Even though I excelled academically, I never enjoyed studying; at 14 years old I started working in a café and during my A-levels I split each week between school and four days of work. Coming from a family of five kids where we never received pocket money, my parents taught me to appreciate hard work. So when I wasn’t feeling challenged at university, I decided I wanted to learn from experience. Since I was a child, I have also been passionate about working with people and animals, trying to make the world a more ethical place. I even became a vegetarian at 10 years old, something I have stuck to since. When deciding what to do when I left university, it seemed obvious that I should focus on working with people. I started working in temporary roles and the recruitment agency I worked with, Cordant, saw what I was capable of. They gave me an

opportunity in the recruitment team and after two years I was an Audit and Compliance Consultant. I worked for a lawyer who taught me so much outside my remit – skills such as reviewing contracts and assessing risks. Today legislative compliance is such a massive part of what I do, I rely on those skills daily. After five years with Cordant, I joined Tesco Group as an Ethical Trade Manager. This involved protecting human rights through ethical procurement, dealing with recruitment agencies in distribution centres across UK and Ireland. I helped implement better pay and work conditions alongside the procurement teams, so I loved knowing I was having an impact in improving people’s lives. In that role, I joined the NI Human Rights Commission’s Business and Human Rights Forum, serving as Vice Chair (2016-2018). One of my ambitions is to help the public understand that slavery is not a historic phenomenon – it is a tragic reality in the modern world, but there are signs we can spot to prevent it. On the Forum, I was able to present at public events on how businesses can combat these serious issues. It was in this role that

I first met Tina McKenzie, CEO of Grafton Recruitment, and was drawn back to the recruitment sector, joining the business in August 2016. Today, I’m Head of Compliance & Shared Services for Grafton, managing a fantastic team of 30 people. In many ways, this was a natural progression of my career. My experience in Compliance means I understand how contractor management and payroll systems can be used to check for signs of labour exploitation, ensuring criminals are not exploiting workers by taking advantage of businesses that are less aware of the signs. In other ways, it has been a new challenge every day. Since 2016 we have acquired three businesses, all projects where I was heavily involved, and we have grown to a turnover of over £150m. Each acquisition brings in new processes, standards, and systems needing aligned to protect all 10,000 of our temporary workers. Protecting people from labour exploitation is unfortunately a never-ending task. As soon as you implement a new process to stop criminals, they find new ways to mask their exploitation, deceiving vulnerable people and fooling companies into playing an unwitting role if they are not vigilant. Those at risk of labour exploitation need the most protection, so my ambition is to stay ahead of the criminals. I am proud that as a business Grafton refuses to ignore the problem, doing everything in our power to help the most vulnerable. On top of that, my experience in contractor management systems means I am also responsible for our Payroll and Credit Control teams. It is a large responsibility, however I have a brilliant mentor in Grafton’s Finance Director, Simon Snoddy. Working with Simon means I have learned more and more about the financial side of our business, proving a massive help in my ongoing development. Ultimately, the reason I left university was that I wanted to be challenged, and I can wholeheartedly say I am never bored. Working for a company like Grafton I know my career will continue to evolve. I enjoy learning more about finance as the company continues to grow, so I am certain there will be more opportunities for me along the way. Who knows – maybe someday (many years down the line!), I could even be in Tina’s position as CEO. Wherever I end up, I know I will continue to appreciate the daily challenges and the role I play in promoting ethical practice in business.

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FEATURE

A Good Sport Neil Collins is Managing Director of Maximus Crushing and Screening. He is also a former Gaelic Footballer and GAA coach, and describes himself as ‘a very average Golfer’. What is your favourite sport and why do you like it? Gaelic Football is my favourite sport, having been raised playing it due to my father’s interest in it. I was lucky enough to play for the Down Senior team for 10 years and won two All Ireland medals. I made lifelong friends during my playing days and we still get together for a few beers and a bit of craic all these years later. Do you encourage other members of your family to play a sport? Yes, my wife is a former international athlete so we encouraged our daughters to do many sports including gymnastics, netball and horse riding. They both continue to be involved in sports now as adults. Are you a spectator or a participant? I participated for many years and then moved into coaching and I have coached with Down GAA squads for the past 13 years. I also lose golf balls on a weekly basis.

What team (across any sport) do you follow? I obviously follow Down GAA and Liverpool — I tend to go to Anfield 3 or 4 times per season. Do you think the games we play as children in many cases were designed to prepare us for life as functioning adults? Sport is a great preparation for later life. It helps to develop social skills, discipline and the ability to be coached. What lessons are there in sport that can be applied to business? Sport shows us how teams can come together around a vision to deliver results. It also helps us to see that all roles within a team are important in delivering a result. Do you think playing a sport or being part of a team makes you a better leader? I feel it does help as team sport in particular gives people the chance to develop as leaders, however there have been many great business leaders who were not involved in sport.

In business, do you think the phrase ‘play to win’ applies and if so why? As long as ‘play to win’ does not tip into ‘win at all costs’. Achieving results is very important but it is equally as important for the people in the business to engage with the journey to get there — rather than being forced.

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COLUMnIST

Jemma Geary, PPC Specialist, Loud Mouth Media

Keep clued up on customer connections

Loud Mouth’s Jemma Geary looks at how banking brands can use digital to connect with customers.

y 2023, it is predicted that 35 million people — or 72% of the UK adult population — will bank via mobile and, last year, 22 million people managed their current account on their phone (CACI, 2019). As consumers increasingly manage their banking digitally, banking brands must find new ways to reach them through online and mobile channels. For much of the past decade, with digital banking taking hold, most leading traditional banks have adopted strong digital strategies, and are increasingly investing in digital advertising efforts that can support more personalised messaging. Banks are beginning to adopt activities to better understand their audience’s behaviours, in order to reach them in smarter, more sophisticated and personal ways, with a multichannel digital approach. This is particularly important in banking, where sales cycles are lengthy. When it comes to first time mortgages, it’s important to think outside the box – your audience may not be who you think. With the average age of first-time buyers in the UK haven risen by almost a decade since 1997, according to the Office of National Statistics, it’s important for banks to target first-time buyer mortgages differently. They need to look beyond age demographics, and alternatively focus their targeting on user behaviour within digital channels, to influence purchasing behaviour. Once audiences are identified, it’s important to develop a multi-channel strategy in line with behaviours. With 20% of millennials

considering YouTube to be more relevant and interesting than TV (Consumer Barometer, 2019), this offers an opportunity to reach the right audiences, at the right time. Potential customers can be reached based on what stage they are at in the purchase funnel, when targeting users based on long-term browsing history, search terms used in the last 7 days, and life events such as ‘Moving Soon’. Display advertising complements a YouTube strategy, and helps extend a campaigns reach, with over 90% reach across all internet users. The targeting is similar to YouTube, in that different strategies can be implemented to reach users based on how far along the purchase path they are. Finally, underpinning the above with Search, ensures brand visibility when the audience with the highest intent is activity searching for similar products. ‘In-market’ audiences for Search can be utilised to weight budgets to ensure priority is given to the high intent users, that Google define as actively looking for mortgages, based on their 30-day browsing history. Banks who adopt a multi-channel approach to their digital advertising efforts, incorporating Search, Display and Video, benefit from the most effective way of converting customers. To succeed in the ever-growing digital landscape,

banks must fully embrace the sophisticated targeting options available to them, as a way to gain a competitive advantage and ultimately deliver a more personalised experience for their current and new customers.

“With 20% of millennials considering YouTube to be more relevant and interesting than TV, this offers an opportunity to reach the right audiences, at the right time.”

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COLUMnIST

David Clements, Client Director, Fujitsu

Protecting business in a hyperconnected world

David Clements, Client Director, NI at leading ICT company Fujitsu explores the business impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) and shares insight on how we can secure our connected future.

“

There are only two types of companies: those that have been hacked and those that will be.” Those are the stark words of former FBI Director, Robert Mueller when discussing the need to protect intellectual property, infrastructure, and the economy in the face of ever more sophisticated cyber threats in a digitally active society. This sentiment feels all the truer as we embed further into an era of hyper-connectivity. Research by Gartner estimates that there will be staggering 20 billion connected devices by 2020 – each one gathering data and insights to help organisations improve their productivity. Our recent report ‘The State of IoT Today’ delivered by IDG Connect, finds that 99% of businesses have either already implemented or plan to implement IoT. 45% of respondents said IoT was a key element of revenue generation while 47% deployed it for safety purposes. Working collaboratively with businesses, we help firms harness and interpret IoT data to stay relevant, understand their customers more fluently, and improve the services they offer. It is not however without its vulnerabilities. At this spring’s Holyrood Connect: Public Sector Cyber Security Conference held in Belfast, guests got an insight into the cyber threat level locally. Figures from the Joint Information Systems Committee reveal that

universities and further education colleges in Northern Ireland suffered 16 serious cyber attacks in 2017/18 while in March last year, the Northern Ireland Assembly’s email system was hit by a cyber attack. Today’s cyber criminals are quick to identify new IoT vulnerabilities as they surface, and with the growth of connected devices, they are finding more opportunities than ever to attack. Cheap as chips Today we are seeing ever smaller, more powerful and more energy-efficient processors that make it possible to attach a chip to almost any kind of device for a nominal cost. The downside is that low-cost chips come with equally low-cost built-in security, or no security at all. Devices that cannot be updated present security risks, especially as they get older. In tandem with this, machine learning and analytics have become more readily available and whilst cyber criminals can also use these techniques for their own benefit, they provide a great way for security professionals to combat security issues arising from this hyperconnected era.

“Today’s cyber criminals are quick to identify new IoT vulnerabilities as they surface, and with the growth of connected devices, they are finding more opportunities than ever to attack.” 20

The good news is that these problems are eminently solvable through designing security at the outset, thinking carefully about the network and software design and ensuring you and your team are equipped with information on the latest trends and how to spot risks. Fail to plan A well-known issue with cyber security is the difficulty with gauging whether a possible threat is actually malicious or not. Machine learning and AI can improve this by learning everything about how a company’s network operates normally. It can then generate an alarm when something out of the ordinary happens. Its benefits don’t just stop there; as global cloud security platforms track and centralise threat intelligence, others with the same technology will be updated and receive an enhancement of their security defences. To truly benefit from machine learning and AI tools, IT teams should also be constantly learning in order to stay up to date. Regular training will ensure there’s an understanding of the risks associated with the business and customer data. With more responsibility being put on businesses when it comes to security, regulations need to be understood. Following frameworks such as the Online Trust Alliance (OTA) is vital to ensure safe practice with connected devices is being adhered to. There must be a minimum security standard and framework that should be followed. The future Cyber security can no longer be the afterthought as IoT technology continues to advance. To benefit from the advancement of IoT, businesses and consumers must take the necessary steps to ensure data is being properly protected. We will continue to see advancements in the technology and security of machine learning and AI. However, human input should not be overlooked – the best optimal solution for fully-rounded security controls is a hybrid approach with machine learning in operation with humans maintaining, monitoring and defending networks.

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Ambition Yearbook 2019.indd 1

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FEATURE

The Techy 10... Maeve Monaghan, Chief Executive; NOW Group answers ten technology-related questions for Ambition’s latest feature. 1. What phone do you have? I have an iPhone X. 2. What piece of technology could you not live without and why? Most definitely my phone but my laptop is a close second. We relocated our HQ recently and I no longer have a desk never mind an office. I love the fact I can work from anywhere but it’s usually one of our Loaf Cafes. 3. What is your favourite app for business? It’s still Twitter for me – it’s my way of keeping up to date with what’s happening whilst scanning opportunities. I also like LinkedIn for connecting me and keeping up to date with connections, but I use that in a more planned way whereas Twitter is a more fun. Some of my favourite connections have been made through groups like #BelfastHour 4. And for personal use? It’s boring but it’s my Fitbit – I’ve been working hard to lose weight and get fitter. It helps me get my steps in every day. I’ve got the kids into it as well so it helps us get more exercise in at weekends and on holidays. 5. How much of your work life involves the use of technology? Day to day I’m surrounded by technology and NOW Group is working to lead the way on this in the third sector. Our work enables people with learning difficulties and other conditions to be part of the wider digital community. Many people will be aware of the JAM card –

developed by our participants to ask for ‘just a minute’ of patience when in shops, businesses or on public transport. Many of our tech savvy users have swapped their physical card for the app on their phone. The app allows users to review their experiences and keep up to date with the ever-increasing number of organisations that are joining the JAM card family. We are also at the forefront of teaching life skills courses to our participants and, for example, have helped many to learn how to make better use of their mobile phones. We might take sending a text for granted but for a participant with limited independence learning to text can be life-changing. We have worked with people who can now travel confidently by bus, safe in the knowledge that they have their JAM card or app should they need to show it and with the ability to send a text to a parent or carer to say they have arrived at their destination safely. This is technology at its best – making lives easier and less stressful! These basic phone skills have also helped some of our participants be part of WhatsApp groups and generally increased their interactions with friends and family. We continue to work hard to use technology at all levels to increase employment, training and social opportunities for our participants. 6. If you could recommend one item of technology for any business what would it be? We really like Trello as a good way to manage projects and communicate across teams.

“I am excited about the potential for tech innovation to help solve social problems.” 7. If you could make one piece of technology disappear what would it be? Definitely cables. I love working remotely but need to bring chargers and cables everywhere. They are way too messy and don’t get me started on Apple earphone cables! 8. How do you keep your technology skills current? I am always asking questions and my husband Gerry also keeps me up to date. Our home is a tech hub! 9. Are you able to detox and switch off from technology completely? If so, how? I struggle with this so now I use my time walking to and from work to chill rather than take calls and do emails. We also put our phones away at the weekend. 10. What piece of technology are you most looking forward to seeing in the future? I am excited about the potential for tech innovation to help solve social problems. It’s a real area for potential growth for JAM and the possibilities are endless.

Close bonds Global strength for a changing world Lawyers offering domestic legal excellence and a truly international reach, providing the legal insights you need in a fast-moving commercial world. Outstanding connectivity with 67 offices worldwide (including 6 across the US and 11 in the UK) and full service coverage on the island of Ireland, enables our Belfast team to advise local clients from a unique perspective. A responsive service that brings real value to the first class legal solutions we provide. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just give advice: we solve problems, we help you manage risks, we open up opportunities and deliver solutions that save you time and money. Find out how our legal team in Belfast can support your growth and development ambitions, wherever you want to be. Peter Curran Partner, Commerical +44 28 9091 8604 petercurran@eversheds-sutherland.ie

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Lisa Bryson Partner, Employment & Immigration +44 28 9568 0518 lisabryson@eversheds-sutherland.ie

Gareth Planck Partner, Real Estate +44 28 9568 0556 garethplanck@eversheds-sutherland.ie

eversheds-sutherland.ie

COLUMnIST

Tom Verner, Group Managing Director, Momentum Group

Increase your innovation with R&D Tax Credit

R&D Tax Credits hold great potential for your company – if you unlock the potential correctly. Momentum’s Group Managing Director, Tom Verner, discusses how you can claim this UK Government initiative.

he Northern Ireland business landscape is steadily growing each year, bringing success to many sectors, along with the local economy. Rising consecutively for the past four years, the number of businesses registered in NI increased by 3.4% last year to 74,060 (NISRA, 2018). While construction and agriculture saw the largest sector growth, NI’s growing reputation as a technological hub for new business start-ups is also worthy of note as new technology companies increased by almost a third last year to 160 software development and programming businesses in 2018 (RSM, 2019). As innovation becomes more embedded across all business sectors now more than ever; it is the ideal time for companies to evaluate and review their R&D activities on a regular basis as the financial rewards can be quite significant under HMRC’s R&D Tax Credit scheme. HMRC statistics revealed that NI businesses claimed a total of £55m R&D Tax Credits last year. Despite the rising number of businesses in the region, there has been a slight decrease in the number of NI companies claiming R&D Tax Credits.

Designed to drive innovation, R&D Tax Credits hold great potential for those companies with identifiable R&D activities. The finance received by way of tax credits can be reinvested into future technological advances that can strengthen the business, increase exports and employment. However, it is essential that companies unlock this potential correctly. While there are many daily tasks that can be identified internally through in-house financial teams, there are also significant elements that should be left in the hands of specialists.

“Designed to drive innovation, R&D Tax Credits hold great potential for those companies with identifiable R&D activities.” The legislation pertaining to R&D Tax Credits is complex. It requires a detailed knowledge and understanding of the technological and financial requirements of the relevant claims

process. Therefore the benefit of using expert knowledge will not only ensure financial success but keep your company compliant within the scheme. In the last tax year, HMRC has identified and prevented fraud attempts on R&D Tax Credits; worth £300 million. When working with a specialist R&D Tax Credit Advisory firm, companies should feel assured with the confidence that their R&D Tax Credit claim is being prepared competently by specialists. The Momentum Group helps hundreds of companies, from manufacturing to construction, food & drink to technology, to claim this UK government initiative. The multiaward-winning R&D Tax Credit advisory firm specialise in identifying all qualifying R&D activities to optimise the true value of R&D tax relief available. The team includes chartered accountants, business, commercial and ex-HMRC technical experts to ensure every claim gets the necessary expert scrutiny and is thoroughly investigated to meet HMRC compliance, preventing the misuse of R&D Tax Credit relief. The perception of what qualifies for R&D Tax Credits may only be a fraction of the reality that lies beneath the surface. The challenge is to identify the true potential and optimise the results, beginning with trusting expert R&D Tax Credit advisors to take care of R&D Tax Credit claims. For more information on Momentum visit www.momentumgroupni.com

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update 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 coming up and what’s taken place recently with a picture gallery over the following pages.

s we approach the summer months, May and June is an exceptionally busy period for NI Chamber. We have a number of events scheduled including our Learn Grow Excel conference in partnership with Invest NI, which will be held at the National Football Stadium, Windsor Park on 12 June. We are extremely grateful to Ulster Carpets, EY and Honeycomb Jobs for supporting this year’s conference with guest speaker STATSports. On 30 May the Developing Your Growth Potential initiative with First Trust Bank will focus on the power of networking featuring Darragh McCarthy, CEO and Founder of FinTrU.

around planning permission for the Belfast Transport Hub, Belfast Power Station and the cruise terminal at Belfast Harbour. The powers handed to Permanent Secretaries by the Secretary of State has now delivered three major decisions; however the existence of this legislation itself is a reminder of why we still need an Executive up and running. I am also delighted that NI Chamber Past-President Nick Coburn has been appointed Northern Ireland’s single representative on the Department for International Trade’s newly established Strategic Trade Advisory Group. Representing NI Chamber, British Chambers of Commerce colleagues and exporters, Nick will advise DIT ministers and trade negotiators on future trade policy and negotiations. He is the perfect

NEW ESSENTIAL MEMBERS Action on Hearing Loss Acumensis Brand Enable Camco Covato Down Royal Racecourse Gatekeeper PR Grofuse Limited Healthy Mind Coaching Historic Royal Palaces HR GO Recruitment LordWardens Consultancy Marine Hotel Ballycastle McKenzie NI Millennium Forum Theatre & Conference Centre NI Consult Pinnacle Professional Limited Pirtek SocialBee NI The Law Society of Northern Ireland

NEW Growth Members NI Chamber Past-President Nick Coburn. Darragh McCarthy, CEO and Founder of FinTrU.

NI Chamber also promises an unmissable Annual Lunch at Belfast City Hall on 28 June where we will be joined by Gaelic Football legend, Pat Spillane and former Ireland Rugby Coach, Eddie O’Sullivan who will be interviewed by the BBC’s Holly Hamilton. Thank you to our Communications Partner BT and supporting sponsors Cleaver Fulton Rankin Solicitors; GMcG Chartered Accountants and Dell EMC. There is certainly plenty for to look forward to in the weeks and months ahead. On a policy front, NI Chamber has strongly welcomed some recent decisions made by the Department for Infrastructure Permanent Secretary Katrina Godfrey. The Permanent Secretary must be commended for making positive decisions

individual to represent exporters and the interests of Northern Ireland at this extremely important time. And finally, as you will read on the following pages, NI Chamber was thrilled to be awarded the ‘Most Innovative Project’ award for our Learn Grow Excel business support initiative at the Chambers Ireland Awards held recently in the Crowne Plaza Santry in Dublin. I am incredibly proud of our team who deliver this initiative for members, and also extremely grateful to our Partners who along with the delegates, speakers and mentors, provide significant time in ensuring that the initiative is a success. It is a pleasure to work with our SME partner, Power NI and partners Bank of Ireland UK; Danske Bank; First Trust Bank; HSBC; Ulster Bank and Ulster Carpets on delivering this important private-sector led initiative.

Ashton Community Trust Black Fox Solutions Cappa Creative Commercial Interiors Unique Tours

NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS Hagan Homes Whitemountain Quarries

Membership upgrades Ards and North Down Council (to Corporate Level) Dalradian (to Corporate Level) Titanic Suites (to Growth Level)

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

social

NI Chamber scoops ‘Most Innovative Project’ Award at Chambers Ireland Awards NI Chamber has been awarded the ‘Most Innovative Project’ award for its Learn Grow Excel business support initiative at the Chambers Ireland Awards in the Crowne Plaza Santry in Dublin. The awards recognise best practice and showcase the diverse activity taking place across the island of Ireland led by the Chambers network.

Pictured are Catherine Crilly (NI Chamber); Siobhan Kinsella (President of Chambers Ireland); Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber); Colm Blake (Zurich Ireland); Catriona Henry (NI Chamber) and Petrina McAuley (NI Chamber).

SME PARTNER

SPONSORS

Regional Networking Series in DerryLondonderry with NIE Networks

2. 1. Gavin Killeen (Managing Director at Nuprint Technologies Ltd); Valerie McConville (Head of Business Development at NI Chamber); Councillor John Boyle (Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council) and Sinead Ferris (Connections Quotation Manager at NIE Networks) outside the Guildhall, Derry/ Londonderry. 2. Tara Herron (Invest NI) and David McKay (DSV). 3. Guest speaker Gavin Killeen from Nuprint.

4. Barry Desmond from Alexander Boyd Displays shares his business pitch.

social

Danske Bank Export First Forum at Ryobi

1. 30 businesses attended the event. 2. Delegates received a tour and first-hand insight of Ryobi’s production facility. 3. Aaron Ennis (Head of North Business Centre at Danske Bank) welcomes guests to the latest Exporter Forum in Carrickfergus.

4. Ryobi’s David Watson welcomes guests to Ryobi’s 32,000 sq metres site.

NI Chamber & SONI Energy Forum at Translink

Pictured at the latest NI Chamber & SONI Energy Forum, hosted at the new Glider Service Centre, are Chris Morrow (NI Chamber); Andrew Kirke (Tughans); Patrick Anderson (Translink); Alan Campbell (SONI); Dara Lynott (EAI) and Roger Henderson (NIE).

Quarterly Economic Survey: Business hits the brakes The latest Quarterly Economic Survey published by NI Chamber and business advisers BDO reveals that key forward looking indicators for the region’s economic health have weakened in the first quarter of 2019.

(51%) believe that there is a serious mismatch between the skills people have and actual job requirements which is severely hampering business and economic growth here.

Pictured are Chris Morrow (Head of Policy at NI Chamber); Ann McGregor (Chief Executive of NI Chamber); Maureen O’Reilly (Economist for the QES) and Brian Murphy (Managing Partner of BDO).

The survey shows that whilst businesses are trying to grow sales, exports and jobs, they are becoming less confident around prospects for turnover and profitability in the next 12 months. Investment intentions among members are also falling. The business organisation’s ‘Brexit Watch’ also shows that more members are making tangible preparations to leave the EU. Some 29% of members surveyed have either established or are considering establishing a presence outside the UK. Around 12% have already changed recruitment plans and 10% have refocused their target markets. Three in five members (60%) believe that Brexit is negatively impacting ability to attract skilled workers to Northern Ireland with skills mismatch also a key business concern. Just under half of firms believe that their business is currently experiencing a gap in the skills needed to grow their business. This is having a serious impact on the business performance of 20% of businesses affected and some impact on a further 43%. Confidence Business confidence is falling with Brexit’s negative impact evident. Although the balance of businesses expecting turnover to rise over

the next 12 months remains positive, this has been falling in recent quarters. Much of the gains in business confidence in both sectors post-recession is increasingly being eroded. Confidence around profitability is particularly weak in both sectors. Recruitment challenges Businesses continue to recruit with 63% of manufacturers and 53% of service sector firms trying to hire people in the last three months. However recruitment difficulties have been a persistent and growing issue for members. Around 77% of service sector firms and 74% of manufacturers are currently having difficulty recruiting suitable staff, largely skilled manual and professional/managerial staff. Three in five members (60%) believe that Brexit is negatively impacting ability to attract skilled workers to Northern Ireland. Skills concerns Just under half of members believe that their business is currently experiencing a skills gap (a gap between the skills required for the business and the actual skills its employees possess). This is having a serious impact on the business performance of 20% of businesses affected and some impact on a further 43%. Just over half

Brexit Watch A growing core of businesses are preparing in some way for Brexit. Some 29% of members have either established or are considering establishing a presence outside the UK, up from just 7% in Q2 2017. Around 12% have already changed recruitment plans and 10% have refocused their target markets. The survey highlights that around 30% of members have no plans to make any changes because of Brexit. More members are also seeking advice on Brexit compared to last quarter, with 44% of firms seeking advice from a variety of sources across the public and private sectors. Larger employers are more likely to have sought advice with 63% of medium/large businesses (50+ employees) seeking advice in preparation for Brexit compared to 19% of micro-enterprises (less than 10 employees). Responding to the survey, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber, said: “The damaging impact of Brexit is becoming increasingly apparent as Northern Ireland businesses face continued uncertainty around its outcome. Investment intentions are weakening further and businesses are telling us that they are setting up or thinking of setting up/relocating outside Northern Ireland. “Our findings should serve as a clear warning that the ongoing impasse at Westminster is contributing to a sharp slowdown in the real economy right across all of the UK regions. These are some of the weakest figures we’ve seen in nearly a decade, and that’s no coincidence. Business is certainly hitting the brakes. “In fact, much of the gains in business confidence in both sectors post-recession are increasingly being eroded by the Brexit-related uncertainty. The UK government must ensure that a messy and disorderly exit is avoided and provide firms with certainty on future conditions to prevent further declines.”

Quarterly Economic Survey Q1 2019 About

northernirelandchamber.com

The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry Quarterly Economic Survey (QES), in partnership with BDO is the largest survey of business opinion conducted in Northern Ireland and closely watched by policymakers such as the NI Executive; Treasury and Bank of England. Businesses are questioned on a wide range of issues, including: home sales and orders, export sales and orders, employment prospects, investment, recruitment difficulties, cash flow and price pressures.

Economy Watch

Brexit Watch have already established a presence outside NI

Some signs of growth in NI economy in Q1 2019 Many businesses are still recruiting

have changed recruitment plans

Business confidence is flagging Investment intentions are weakening

have made or are considering changes to their business model

Forward indicators are more uncertain

Sectors

Manufacturing

Services

Better trading start to 2019 for local manufacturers

More challenging start to 2019 for services

63%

Employment indicators are still positive although some signs of weakening

of manufacturers are currently recruiting

Weak domestic (UK) performance persists

Domestic (UK) and export order books are weak

82%

Investment intentions lowest since Brexit vote reaction

are feeling pressure from raw material costs

Skills

members can’t get suitable people for jobs

say the skills gap is impacting on business performance

believe Brexit is negatively impacting on the ability to attract skilled workers to NI

220 members responded to the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry Quarterly Economic Survey, in partnership with BDO, during the 1st quarter of 2019. Together they account almost 12,500 jobs. Note: The ‘balance’ refers to the difference between the % of firms reporting an increase in a key indicator minus the % reporting a decrease.

ANALYSIS By Brian Murphy, MANAGING Partner, BDO northern ireland

Business owners can’t be faulted for experiencing a decline in confidence, not in this market. But even with the endless barrage of votes and debates and a general lack of political progress, businesses have persevered and performed well. Just think what we could achieve if all of our stakeholders were aligned. Although our confidence in many key economic indicators has stagnated, there are a number of silver linings within both Manufacturing and Services, which show some of our businesses are continuing to buck the trend. Around half within both Manufacturing and Services Industry are working at full capacity, ranking 3rd and 4th respectively in the UK.

Although we have seen caution from many businesses due to the ongoing uncertainty of Brexit, the survey does show businesses are preparing proactively for whatever outcome, with 44% of firms seeking advice from a variety of sources across the public and private sectors. Around 12% have already changed recruitment plans and 10% have refocused their target markets. The commitment to invest and recruit is evident within both industries, even under difficult circumstances. What these businesses need is support and clarity around the major issues to allow them to develop and be competitive in the domestic and global marketplace.

NEWS

NI Chamber & Partners launch new International Division to help firms grow globally

Launching the new NI Chamber International Division are Mark Thompson (A&L Goodbody); Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber); John Healy (NI Chamber); Isabel Jennings (QUB) and Peter Legge (Grant Thornton).

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) has launched a new International Division to service businesses in a post-Brexit business environment. The division, which will be headed up by NI Chamber’s Head of International & SME Development, Tanya Anderson, is an evolution of the business support organisation’s current offering to ensure that it is in the best possible position to deliver enhanced services to members to meet their business needs and practically facilitate their growth. Supported by three International Champions, A&L Goodbody, Grant Thornton and Queen’s University Belfast, the division will provide practical business support, expert guidance and the opportunity for peer learning and connections for NI Chamber’s member businesses. The International Division will also importantly provide expert, practical assistance to members in planning for the

potential implications of Brexit. The Brexit consultancy service is led by NI Chamber and will be delivered by the team at Pinnacle Professional Limited, a consultancy practice led by Robert McConnell and Dr Scott King. It will also host collaborative forums for established exporters and focussed workshops for new exporters drawing on the expertise of the International Champions

and successful corporates. The new suite of international services join NI Chamber’s current Export Documentation Service which provides exporters with all the documentation required to get their goods to market. These include European Community, Arab and Egyptian Certificates of Origin as well as EUR1 and ATR Movement Certificates, ATA Carnets and document legalisation.

Commenting on the division’s launch, John Healy, President of NI Chamber, said: “The

suite of services provided by NI Chamber’s International Division recognise the commitment from NI Chamber and its International Champions to assist local companies with entry and expansion into global markets. “As well as our national reach, we maintain strong relationships with Chambers, trade bodies and businesses overseas. Such relationships enable us to inform local businesses on trade opportunities available, support them with their international growth strategies and connect them with markets globally.”

Mark Thompson, Partner at A&L Goodbody said:

“We are proud to partner with NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry on this new initiative, which comes at a critical time for businesses in Northern Ireland. “Whilst increasing exports has always been important for the growth of the local economy, the implications of Brexit means it is more crucial than ever to develop our export capabilities. Local companies must continue to focus on deepening and diversifying their export base through R&D and innovation. “As NI Chamber’s International Champion, we look forward to working with local firms to help them understand the many new rules associated with trading in overseas markets as they emerge in the coming months.”

Peter Legge, Tax Partner at Grant Thornton, said:

“Grant Thornton are delighted to partner with the Northern Ireland Chamber as an International Champion. We are passionate about supporting local businesses to grow globally so that they can compete and succeed in their chosen international markets. “Grant Thornton in Northern Ireland is part of the Grant Thornton Ireland partnership, Ireland’s fastest growing professional services firm and internationally we have over 53,000 people in over 130 countries. We can therefore draw on our local knowledge, national expertise and global presence to help local businesses at whatever stage of the journey they are at and wherever they are located.”

Isabel Jennings, Director of Marketing, Recruitment, Communication and Internationalisation at Queen’s, said:

“Queen’s has been a patron of NI Chamber for many years and I am delighted that we will further strengthen our long standing relationship as an International Champion. As a worldclass university ranked in the top 180 universities in the world, Queen’s delivers both local and international impact. “We continue to support our outstanding students and staff to conduct leading-edge education and research, focused on the needs of society. In particular, the University is at the forefront of developing new thinking and technologies in key areas such as Health, Reconciliation, Peace and Justice, Information Technology, Food Security, and Energy. “The unique and positive impact of Queen’s – locally and globally – is well recognised and by working in partnership with the business community we are poised for considerable success and growth.”

NI Chamber President John Healy (centre) is pictured with Pinnacle Professional’s Robert McConnell (left) and Dr Scott King (right).

NEWS

Chamber Awards to showcase best of local business

Launching the 2019 awards are Peter Girvan (from 2018 winner The Lava Group); Louise Turley (NI Chamber) and Dr Rosita Zolnourian (from 2018 winner Fortress Diagnostics).

Businesses from across Northern Ireland are invited to compete in the sixteenth annual Chamber Business Awards hosted by NI Chamber and the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). The prestigious competition is one of the showpiece events in the business calendar, recognising and promoting the best of Northern Ireland business. The Northern Ireland winners will then go on to compete against the winners from 11 other regions across the UK, culminating in a Gala Awards Dinner at Tobacco Dock London in November. Last year Dungannon-based McAvoy Group was amongst the regional winners who went on to win a national award in London. Companies can enter nine categories, covering exports, small business, people development, technology, high-growth, customer service, family business, e-commerce and health and wellbeing. Entries are now open, and one of this year’s winners will also have an opportunity to open the market at the London Stock Exchange as a prize — a rare opportunity for a private business. Louise Turley, Head of Campaigns & Events; at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “Businesses are the driving force

of the economy, which is why it is important for us to recognise and celebrate the contribution they make to both their local community and the wider economy. “The broad spread of categories in the Chamber Business Awards reflects both the diversity of industries and skills of local firms, and the range of achievements and projects that they have been involved with. “It is inspiring to see so many companies finding innovative ways to grow their business, which will in turn create jobs and wealth, and deliver economic prosperity. The Awards acknowledge the relentless efforts of these businesses and their talented employees.” The closing date for entries is Friday 28 June with entrants being assessed and then declared a winner at regional level on 23 September. Northern Ireland winners then go forward to the Gala Awards dinner at Tobacco Dock in London on 28 November. Businesses can enter the awards online at www.chamberawards.co.uk or for further information you can email: awards@chamberawards.co.uk or follow @NIChamber and @chamber_awards #ChamberAwards on Twitter.

This year’s categories: • Small Business of the Year • Export Business of the Year • Best Use of Technology • Employer of the Year • Workplace Wellbeing Award • Customer Commitment Award • High Growth Business of the Year • Family Business of the Year - NEW • E-Commerce Business of the Year - NEW

pe 28 n th for Ju en ne tr y 20 u 19 ntil

NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

Chamber Business Awards 2019 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Open for Entry Recognising and rewarding excellence in local business, the Chamber Business Awards is one of the UK's most contested and prestigious business award programmes. Each year Northern Ireland crowns a number of local winners who go on to compete against their UK counterparts to be crowned a National winner. Open to members of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

To view the categories and to enter, visit www.chamberawards.co.uk #chamberawards

www.northernirelandchamber.com

COLUMnIST

Aaron Ennis, Head of North Business Centre, Danske Bank

Competing on quality should be goal for NI exporters

Danske Bank’s Aaron Ennis reflects on learnings from the latest Danske Bank Export First event hosted by NI Chamber & Danske Bank at Ryobi Aluminium Casting in Carrickfergus.

hen we meet local manufacturing SMEs who are in the early stages of exporting or trying to get themselves into a prized position in the supply chain for major industries, it often becomes clear there is a lot they could learn from larger, more experienced companies. It was fantastic then that several of these SMEs were able to attend the recent Danske Bank Export First visit to Ryobi Aluminium Casting in Carrickfergus. Founded in 1990 Ryobi supplies engine and transmission components to the European car industry as a part of the Japanese multinational Ryobi Ltd. Ryobi is an export business which focuses on supplying a high volume of parts to a small number of key customers, shipping in excess of 3.5 million castings per year to these customers across Europe. The automotive sector continues to have its ups and downs and Ryobi has not had it all its own way since opening almost 30 years ago. But in recent years its growth has been impressive, with the company registering fivefold growth since 2008 and 2019 turnover forecast to hit almost £100m. This growth has been achieved through a combination of innovation and investment, with £45m of capital invested in the plant

over the past five years. The company has also invested in talent, with staff numbers rising from just over 300 seven years ago to almost 530 today – a significant contribution to the local economy. The company has undoubtedly benefited from being in a growth sector, as light-weight aluminium castings are increasingly replacing automotive components produced by other materials and methods. But Ryobi told the Export First visit that what has driven this growth has been a focus on its key differentiators from the competition – something that applies no matter what sized company you are. It reviewed its product portfolio to focus on high-tech products and implemented new processes to increase quality and leverage the global footprint of Ryobi. Managing Director David Watson says: “Quality is an integral part in the success of today’s fast-moving automotive industry. High-volume, safety-critical manufacture simply does not allow for anything other than world-class quality. We therefore build in quality at every stage of the process. “With shorter development cycles and at a time of rapid change within the industry due to environmental, political and economic factors, we provide customer support and design input from early development phases. This reduces the time from initial design concept through to production launch.” Dye design is one of the most critical elements of part quality. The company designs and manufactures all its dies at state-ofthe-art facilities in Ryobi, Japan before being shipped to the production facility in Northern Ireland. “In Northern Ireland, we have a strong team of automotive quality specialists who ensure the highest possible quality products. This is achieved through a range of measurement and evaluation techniques to assess product and

process quality,” says David Watson. And even though Ryobi has a laser focus on the best technology – which includes 52, six axis robots in its Carrickfergus plant – it also values in its people. “Just as important as the technology is expertise,” says David Watson. “A strong team of engineers, technicians and other quality staff work together to support the highvolume manufacture of precision automotive components. With a combination of personnel of many years’ experience and newly recruited graduates and apprentices, we value each person’s skills and attributes.” While Ryobi is dependent on the automotive sector, the close relationships it has built up with its five key clients gives some protection from what could lie ahead after Brexit. The company is now so integrated with the car manufacturers and their supply chains that the parts they produce should still be in high demand whatever the outcome. It is a company that has learned to provide solutions customers need but can’t provide themselves. “Based on 75 years of expertise we are world leaders in high-pressure aluminium die casting,” says David Watson. “Throughout the entire project, from the initial design and development concepts through to a production-ready process, our design team apply a theoretical approach to design optimisation while utilising the resources available within the global Ryobi Group to focus on creativity and innovation to overcome engineering challenges.” It’s an approach we can all learn from.

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Stephen Frazer, Managed Services Lead, Neueda

How does your IT system balance?

Stephen Frazer explains why more and more customers are adopting an Application Managed Service approach to their IT function.

echnology today is so readily available and accessible, we generally find our expectations are high and our patience is low. If tech fails us or takes longer than expected to complete a task, we typically become frustrated quickly – and understandably so. For an organisation, even a small technological issue can have a major impact on operations – and not always in the way that you might think. Solving IT problems can be a lengthy process and can distract IT resources to the detriment of day-to-day operations. And further, if your IT team is regularly spending a lot of time on maintenance and problem-solving, where is the room to test and develop new ideas: the agility to respond to business developments? Trying to maintain a stable IT system and at the same time be able to innovate, is a common challenge. It is worth regularly assessing if your tech team is empowered with the time, resource and support it needs to monitor for issues, upgrade systems as required and identify and maximise market opportunities. We are noticing more and more customers adopting an Application Managed Service approach to their IT function – a service that engages an external team of specialists to help an organisation either integrate a new

IT system with an old one or manage change from one system to another. Having this external ‘back-up’ support eases pressure on in-house tech teams, providing them with the expertise they need to foresee and mitigate complex technical problems, alleviating the time and costs associated with internal problem solving. An external support system can help you implement change, provide technical training and monitor your systems to identify and address potential issues before they impact your business. Engaging a function like this may offer you the peace of mind your organisation needs to become more efficient internally – because your IT team won’t need to spend as much time tackling problems, and they can also learn from specialist expertise. Neueda has developed the Application Managed Services function of our business significantly over the past year, as organisations

recognise the benefits of streamlining their IT support system. Whether you choose to engage additional support to manage your services or retain solely an in-house function, it is absolutely worth reviewing your team’s capability to

“Trying to maintain a stable IT system and at the same time be able to innovate, is a common challenge.”

ensure you have in place an infrastructure that allows it to not only maintain stability, but also encourage flexibility. This is the balance all organisations need to strike to remain on top of their tech game.

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A new lease of life

FEATURE

Graham Thompson, Managing Director of Agnew Leasing speaks to Ambition about the business that has been running for nearly 25 years and the recent launch of the Affinity Scheme.

“If you had told me 10 years ago that people would be buying cars online with no human interaction, signing electronic documentation and only meeting or speaking to a salesperson at the point of handover, I would not have believed it...”

gnew Leasing has been running for nearly 25 years. It was established in 1995 to provide local businesses from all sectors with leased vehicles. The firm didn’t always trade as Agnew Leasing, however, that name came after a rebrand last year, which saw the former Corporate replaced with Leasing. It’s not a major change, says Graham Thompson, Managing Director, but it marks a time of growth in personal leasing which has given way to a new service at the firm. Graham said: “Personal leasing within the fleet market is having a massive surge in popularity. Nowadays people want a new vehicle at an affordable fixed monthly cost that can be renewed every two to four years with no hassle. It’s changing times and the younger generation are leading the charge with everything from mobile phone contracts to new cars being budgeted for monthly.” He added: “We recognised the growth in personal leasing and that we needed a slice of the action, so rather than go head to head with personal broker leasing sites we have developed and launched our own new Car Affinity programme for businesses to offer their staff.” Graham says the new scheme is popular with vehicle manufacturers. He says schemes of this nature allow them to offer enhanced support terms over and above the normal fleet terms which ultimately leads to competitive rentals for employees of companies that come on board. “Agnew Leasing’s core business is, and will remain, business contract hire that caters to the company car driver and managing sizeable fleets with a strong emphasis on light commercial vehicles,” explains Graham. “Affinity adds another string to our bow. Strategically the Affinity scheme complements our business perfectly; we can now offer all our existing customers a new product that they can extend to their entire workforce but not only that, we are now in the position to talk to every business in the country irrespective of whether or not they have company vehicles.” Graham says Affinity is a way for businesses to help recruit, reward and retain their staff and informs that it’s “going down extremely well” with HR Managers with “little to no” pushback thus far. “The Affinity scheme allows businesses to offer their most important asset, their employees, a user-friendly online car quotation system to configure and price any make or model of car to suit their needs by adjusting deposit, term and

mileage per annum. Once the perfect car has been found at the desired rental, you can then order the vehicle online and, if necessary, our Affinity Team will be on hand to guide you through the process and when the car is due arrange delivery from your most convenient dealership.” Graham adds that feedback has been extremely positive and, “there is absolutely no risk to the business”. “It’s very much a staff benefit, and all the reward is with the employee. The Affinity system itself can be personalised using the specific company branding/logo and can feature on their own internal intranet site, meaning it is easily accessible with user name and password protection.” It is always very difficult to stay ahead of the curve and indeed the competition, Graham admits but he believes this technological offering is a step in the right direction. “Online buying applications are experiencing unprecedented growth,” he says. “Everyone is and has been buying goods online for years but it’s beginning to reach high value items such as cars.” In fact, Graham says Agnew Leasing has already received several vehicle orders through the Affinity Scheme where the customer had “absolutely no communication with any member of our staff”. “If you had told me 10 years ago that people would be buying cars online with no human interaction, signing electronic documentation and only meeting or speaking to a salesperson at the point of handover, I would not have believed it; it most certainly is changing times.” Agnew Leasing recognises that buying a car online is a major decision and that it needs to be competitive and sourced from a reputable organisation with a high level of service offered. Graham continues: “The Affinity scheme by nature is a competitive offering, hence the rationale for its development and we are hoping our brand name and service levels are good enough to capture some of that internet purchasing activity.” The ambition for the Affinity Scheme is to ultimately increase in annual sales, ideally by 10% in year one and double that in year two. “We don’t know what ‘good’ looks like at present as this is a new venture for us, but we do aim to convert some of this activity into orders and will grow the personnel internally as this new arm of the business develops,” says Graham. For further information or demonstration please contact Agnew’s Affinity Team on 02890386600 or by email on affinity@agnews.co.uk

FEATURE

Top tips for writing a winning entry Ambition asked the participants from a recent Irish News awards workshop to share their own particular tips on constructing an entry which will catch the eye of a judge.

Here previous award winners Christina McCloskey from Baker McKenzie and Karen Fullerton from Portview share their top tips that you can apply to any award entry. We also asked Sinead Doyle, Head of Consumer PR at MCE Public Relations and Irish News Business Editor Gary McDonald for their top tips to help firms with their award submissions.

Gary’s top tips Angle A clear story will stand out. Start with an opener that sets the scene and think about the wider picture. Impact Include quantitative figures and qualitative anecdotes plus include graphs in your appendices to back up what you have claimed. The here and now These are the 2019 Awards. So detail what have you done in the last year – not in 2017 or 2016.

Sinead’s top tips Time Management We recommend allowing a six-week window in terms of planning, developing and polishing your entry. Start the process and keep the momentum up. Don’t leave anything unexplained Presume the judges know nothing: imagine you’re explaining your business to someone that has no knowledge of what you do, whatsoever. A second pair of eyes Get someone else to fact-check, proof and edit your entry – sometimes you will not spot your own mistakes.

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

Christina’s top tips Structure Your biggest challenge is likely to be structuring the entry to showcase all the brilliant work you’re already doing, so introducing a framework can be a great way to ensure you capture everything. Show off your organisation You may wish to treat your entry like a pitch - imagine it’s your chance to show your senior leadership exactly what you’ve been doing and to gain their buy-in. Look at the bigger picture first think of your overall organisational strategy and how whatever you’re going to showcase fits in to that.

Karen’s top tips Make your application stand out A lot of organisations have a health and wellbeing strategy. What makes yours different? Showcase your innovation, creativity and culture. A picture can paint a thousand words If your teams have jumped out of planes, learned to drum or attended creative team building sessions, get their photos into the application. Provide evidence to support your application Some powerful tools for this are client and team testimonials, quotes from professional governing bodies such as the CIPD and of course statistics collected in house.

Pictured at the WEA entrywriting workshop are (from left) Irish News marketing manager John Brolly, Julie Thompson from KPMG, Elaine McGibbon from Danske Bank and Rebecca Carvill from BlkBox Fitness.

FEATURE

Stairway to Seven My seven steps for business success

Les McCracken is Managing Director of specialist fit-out and refurbishment company, McCue Crafted Fit. McCue has completed many prestigious contracts in the hospitality, retail, residential, leisure, corporate and marine sectors, not only in the UK and Ireland, but also throughout Europe. Being at the helm of the company for over 30 years, Les shares his many years of experience with his seven tips on how to achieve business success.

1. BE AWARE OF YOUR MARKET

Part of McCue’s success is understanding and knowing your market. When the recession hit in 2008 we quickly knew we had to find new markets to survive. That we did, and as a result we continue to flourish in the hospitality sector throughout Greater London and beyond. So listen to what is going on in the market, implement this into your strategic plan, then you can grow the company and build on new relationships.

2. DON’T BE AFRAID TO TRY SOMETHING

DIFFERENT In 2014, we made the decision to move into the marine sector, a decision that could have negatively affected our business at an agile time in the construction market. However, this move paid off for McCue and as a result, we’ve been fortunate enough to work on a number of cruise ships across Europe.

3. DO THE DUE DILIGENCE

We did not take the decision to move into these new markets lightly. We spent a lot of time and effort analysing how this move could potentially affect our company, as well as our employees, and it was only when we were confident that we could survive a negative response that we decided to proceed.

4. INVEST IN YOUR PEOPLE

At McCue, our success is based around our people. We are proud to nurture our employees with training and development opportunities

and some of our most prominent members of staff began their career as apprentices, before working their way up the management ladder.

5. WORK

ETHIC IS PARAMOUNT TO SUCCESS I’m a big believer in work ethic. When I was 15, I had a summer job on a farm and worked about 70 hours a week at that time, as well as cycling five miles back and forth. I believe this has stood me in good stead throughout my life. If you can apply yourself, you can achieve most things.

6. A

GOOD MANAGEMENT STYLE WILL ALWAYS GARNER RESPECT FROM EMPLOYEES I like to think I have a good management style with my employees, most of the time I’m very easy going and I do believe in

autonomy. I expect those with responsibility to be capable and willing to do their job to the best of their ability and I also have an open door policy allowing anyone to come and discuss problems, but please bring with you a potential solution too. This allows my team to complete projects from Vienna to Milan to Stockholm. We’ve been very fortunate to work with great brands, both in retail and hospitality, and on some fantastic projects both here and abroad.

7. LEARN FROM THOSE AROUND YOU

Some of the biggest lessons I have learned in my career has been from those in business, as well as my colleagues and employees. Each person can bring something unique to a project if we allow them to do so, so take this on board and apply it going forward.

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FEATURE

Citi Living

American multinational bank Citi’s Northern Ireland operation has a tagline that goes like this: ‘You really can live locally and excel globally, right here in Belfast’ so it’s not surprising that its Managing Director Leigh Meyer’s viewpoint on a talent deficit here is contrary to industry norm, writes Emma Deighan. 46

“

People think that there is a talent shortage here. If you have a talent shortage, you’re looking in the wrong place. The talent exists in Belfast, you just need to perhaps challenge the way you source that talent,” he begins on the subject. Mr Meyer has worked at the helm of Citi in Belfast for 10 years during which he has seen the operation evolve. He says the story of Citi

here is an “exciting one” and indicative of why the bank is based here. He says places like Citi and PwC prove that NI is more than a low cost alternative to London. “You don’t grow to the size we’ve grown if there were problems with the services we offer,” he says. “One of the best examples is in our legal department. Initially there was resonance about how suitable the work would be in

Belfast because we were drawing from a good base of academic lawyers, but not the depth of experience, so we were growing from scratch. If you look 14 years later, some of our most important legal documentation is handled out of Belfast.” Citi also has plans to continue investing in Belfast. When it set up shop in 2005, the bank moved 375 jobs from its London base to the

FEATURE

city. “In 2007 we moved 100 legal jobs, that’s now 120. In 2008 we moved our operation support functions and that’s when I came in,” explains Mr Meyer. He continues: “In 2013 we built out our human resource professional services models. That services 55 countries, as well as global responsibilities in some areas.” And he says, “more naturally”, in 2013 it started to build its compliance function, which accommodates 200 roles. Today its service portfolio in NI includes over 20 diverse areas including technology, operations, legal, compliance, AML, risk, human resources, internal audit and private bank, which employs 2800 people. “We will continue to build out our model here,” Mr Meyer reveals, “as per our strategic plan, which precedes Brexit by a good number of years. We have 22 different disciplines and that means if you want to work in this organisation it’s our responsibility not to give you a job but give you a career.” Which brings us back to the topical subject of an undersupply of talent here. “When we started looking at Belfast and the talent that we could tap into we looked at the two excellent universities and colleges. There was no shortage of grads, plus a smattering of people who had relevant experience in other types of industry in Belfast. There were a few people who were prepared to move from London. Fourteen people came with me and four of those are still here but the reality is, we didn’t have to take from the universities. When we were building out people thought they had to have the same kind of person as them there so they didn’t have to spend time teaching the fundamentals, which is a little bit narrow and incredibly tactical.

“We have a strong belief that a diverse organisation is a strong organisation” Mr Meyer says finding people with the right attitude and basic skills and then pairing them with the right training programmes was key to sourcing talent and promoting growth at Citi. Safeguarding its future workforce Citi has various programmes in place. This includes its apprenticeships which saw it take on eight ICT trainees last year and it is developing a new financial services apprenticeship with local colleges but Mr Meyer is quick to point out that he would like to see an equitable incentive for apprenticeships as seen elsewhere in the UK afforded by the Apprenticeship Levy. Citi has also partnered with Career Ready since 2009 to tackle youth unemployment and last year it welcomed 13 CR interns with 22 expected this year. And in 2018 launched its Citi Succeed programme, which sees Citi professionals return to their former schools to share experiences. It also operates a work model that allows it to access underemployed professionals; “The amount of underemployment is significant. There are people who are very well qualified without the roles,” says Mr Meyer referencing those returning to work, including mothers or career changers. “That whole group is left out in the cold. They have more resilience, and a level of experience.

“When I walk around this building and see people who are clearly in that category it is hugely rewarding we are filling roles here with people who are extremely versatile as well as being able to add a dimension that you don’t necessarily get from a student. They have life experience. It’s critical for the improvement for service, role and quality. It’s a whole group of people that we know when we tap into we get great quality people.” People power and diversity is a major focus for Citi. One of the largest employers in Belfast it is home to a staff pool of school leavers to experienced professionals. Some 40% of its workforce is female, who also make up 33% of the senior leaders working in Belfast. And Mr Meyer says part of Citi’s plan is to “grow our diversity footprint”. “We have a strong belief that a diverse organisation is a strong organisation. So whether it’s STEM, LGBT plus or disability we have affinity networks to support groups that are under-represented. For example our LGBT network is very active and about 20% of people are part of that network, whether they support it or are part of it. You don’t want the same kind of people all the time or you’ll get the same answer. Diversity and inclusivity will continue to drive our agenda and we’ll be at the forefront of LGBT programmes.” External factors outside of Citi, including Brexit, bear no threat to Mr Meyer’s planned growth. He says Citi and its plans will be resilient no matter what way we exit the EU. But like most firms here that show resilience goes hand in hand with challenges and Citi will continue on its upward trajectory. “We have something called concentration risk, and we have potential to grow significantly,” concludes Mr Meyer.

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FEATURE

The Power Behind Positive Thinking Kate Marshall has been a bit of a silent superpower behind many business leaders here. A highly experienced executive coach, speaker and facilitator Kate has been challenging the thinking of those in senior roles and nurturing and inspiring businesses. Here she chats to Emma Deighan about why self investment plays a big role in success. 51

FEATURE

“

Being a leader is one of the toughest jobs you’ll have and to excel you need to invest in yourself. It is tough out there so its really important to get perspective and really challenge your own thinking,” says Kate, who has been running her own company Kate Marshall Ltd since 2013 doing just that: helping leaders invest in themselves and get better results. Among the topical challenges facing her clients is the challenge of recruiting and retaining great talent, uncertainty of the future, developing the right top team and building a highly engaged culture, all of which she is tackling via her own firm KM Ltd and as part of Vistage – a global organisation that offers resources to help accelerate business performance through monthly meetings with non-competitive peers. It counts some 22,000 business leaders among its growing users and Kate and fellow chamber member Frank Bryan chairs groups here in NI. Vistage is proven to be high impact and effective in driving leadership development in scaling businesses, which has been officially endorsed by the ScaleUp Institute in its 2018 review. And companies who joined Vistage over the past five years grew 2.2 times faster than average small and medium-sized businesses, according to a 2017 analysis by Dun and Bradstreet with average compounded annual growth rate for company revenues (CAGR) 12.5% compared to Vistage members average growth rate 28%. “That’s hard to argue with,” says Kate. “I was recommended to Vistage as a speaker on leadership effectiveness though my friend Edel Doherty MD of Beyond Business travel. Edel had been a Vistage member and had great success in scaling her business with the help of the Vistage organisation and fellow business owners. Vistage provides access to world class speakers, has an experienced Chair as your mentor and that combined with peer to peer coaching, helps business leaders make better decisions and get better results. So after a year speaking to over 20 Vistage groups across UK I saw at first hand the incredible impact this style of development was having on the business leaders and their businesses. Watching leaders grow in competence and confidence is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done so doing more of that became a really attractive proposition for me,” continues Kate. Kate says being part of Vistage and operating her own company is like “putting a hand in a glove”. She says working with high performance leaders with a passion for growth “and helping them expedite that growth, developing and executing strategy, while building great teams” is one of the most rewarding roles of her life. The recognition that developing others was her true vocation in life came after 12 years of working for a multi-national as regional manager and then as a director in a local SME. “My career started in sales and marketing and I got the buzz from seeing results through

developing and helping other people with their potential. So in the 90s I retrained and refocused on people development and over the past 20 years I have invested heavily in my own continual development as a specialist in business and leadership growth including gaining an MSc in Leadership and Executive Coaching and Organisational and Relational Systems thinking. Alongside being a Vistage Chair to two groups here, Kate Marshall Ltd specialises in supporting top teams as a facilitator of strategic away days and working as a business mentor/coach and speaker at conferences and events. She has clients in Ireland, the UK and North America. Kate says a typical client can be a business leader from SMEs or larger privately owned enterprises. Her biggest client in the south of England has a combined turnover of £1.8bn

“Business growth comes from personal growth and that requires new thinking and a willingness to move out of your comfort zone.” and she is working with the owners, the boards and the executive teams. Kate also partners with her colleagues Carson Mulholland and Jeremy Gardiner of CORE Leadership to work on larger projects across UK. Describing the offering that she provides through Vistage, Kate reinforces why those in the world of business can benefit immensely from self-investment; “What we offer is a confidential peer-to-peer advisory group, access to 1-2-1 coaching and exclusive events, expert speaker workshops and materials. It’s about leaders from different sectors coming together to learn and to have their ideas challenged, their problems solved and to grow personally and professionally helping their businesses thrive.

“It’s for senior executives who are serious about growth. It’s not a country club, it’s addressing business challenges and embracing opportunities for growth with other leaders who will support you and hold you accountable for that growth. It’s an opportunity to bring your ideas and challenges to a group of noncompeting peers who have no other agenda other than helping you make the best decisions for you and your business. “One of the statements that resonates with the leaders is ‘its lonely at the top’ and often when you are the owner or CEO in an SME, there’s no-one holding you accountable. As well as sharing best practice with fellow leaders, we have international speakers covering everything you could need to know and sharing expertise and models for expediting growth. At Vistage we don’t just address business issues, it’s about health and wellbeing too.” When asked what the most common challenges are for those in power, Kate says it’s often about overcoming habitual hard-wired thinking. She explains: “The trouble with us as human beings is that we fall into familiar patterns of thinking. My job is to challenge that, to get them to think differently and to expand their thinking. Often when I work with individuals they’re not aware of what they’re holding on to is holding them back. Business growth comes from personal growth and that requires new thinking and a willingness to move out of your comfort zone.” Kate also adheres to the vibe and tribe mantra; surround yourself with great people who help and support you to grow. She adds: “What matters most for delivery of success is the time and commitment you are willing to put into developing yourself so you can lead your business better. My mantra is “clarity and accountability”. That, combined with getting the right people on the bus in the right seats, is critical. Communicate clearly and hold yourself and others accountable. Then don’t tolerate B players, always hire A players and hire for where you are going not where you are at. “Setting aside time for you and investing in your own development just makes sense. My purpose is to help you grow personally and to grow business through delivering tangible results.” And the facts speak louder than words when it comes to self-investment. Kate says stats show that business leaders who engage in some kind of personal and professional growth see their business grow faster than those who don’t. “It’s a pretty basic starting place for something that seems so obvious. Whatever the cost is of your own growth, you will get that back multiplied provided you commit and execute. It’s a smart line for any leader and the return on investment is very high when you really commit to be a better leader and a better person,” concludes Kate. Kate’s book ‘Agitate Your Thinking’ is available now on Amazon.

cultivating innovation Elaine Kerr, Deputy Director of International Synergies Northern Ireland gives a breakdown of the business and what it can deliver. Tell us about yourself? I am Elaine Kerr and I am the Director of International Synergies Northern Ireland. I have worked within industrial symbiosis for over 11 years and am lucky to say that I am genuinely passionate about the work that I do. I believe that industrial symbiosis holds the key to achieving tangible and sustainable economic improvements on a local and global scale. It is a driver for changing attitudes and approaches within businesses, industries and societies. Tell us about your company: International Synergies was established in England in 2005 and is highly regarded for its expertise in industrial symbiosis programmes around the world. International Synergies NI (ISNI) delivers the Industrial Symbiosis Service for Invest NI and we currently have three practitioners who offer support and advice to businesses that want to improve their resource efficiency. What is ‘industrial symbiosis’? Industrial Symbiosis enables unwanted business resources from one organisation to become material inputs for another providing a ‘win-win’ solution for all.

institutions and the research community. We are always keen to engage local businesses and organisations, regardless of size or location, to help them really reap the benefits of our full range of services. What are the benefits of industrial symbiosis to local businesses? There are so many! It provides opportunities for existing companies to increase their profitability and competitiveness by reducing the cost of resources, identifying new resource streams and innovative product development. It achieves huge benefits for the environment by reducing demand for virgin materials and minimising wastage. It opens up a valuable new network for your business, providing opportunities to create new partnerships and increase your reach and impact. Finally, industrial symbiosis has a strong societal impact, creating and safeguarding jobs as well as engaging social enterprises to help educate and upskill within local communities. What type of support do you offer? Our team undertake feasibility visits

What type of businesses do you work with? We work with a wide range of stakeholders including public and private sector clients,

and assessments, can deliver full scale implementation or can arrange introduction of a facilitated industrial symbiosis network. We have a strong network of businesses and organisations that are actively looking for materials as well as those looking to find a solution to landfill for other resources. What is the IS Service planning to do over the next six months? We are organising a number of events across Northern Ireland which will provide opportunities for attendees to identify cost saving opportunities, find solutions for wasted resources, engage in structured networking, be inspired and become more resource efficient. These events are completely free of charge to attendees and can be booked via our webpage: https://www.investni.com/support-forbusiness/industrial-symbiosis.html or by calling us on 028 3833 3438. In addition, we are always happy to provide speakers at events where attendees may also be interested in finding out more about any of our services.

Lisburn Castlereagh and London Connect as Two Cities Over 200 businesses, investors, developers and key influencers joined Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council at its very successful annual business and investment event in London. This year the delegation met in Mansion House; the prestigious residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London to develop trade links for local businesses and encourage inward investment into the council area. Meeting with key individuals in the UK capital allows us to showcase the proactive nature of Lisburn Castlereagh in the short, medium and long term. As the local council we are committed to both existing and new businesses to create an economically sustainable city. The ambition of the council is to create balanced growth and economic opportunity across all communities in the council area. The council’s investment team proactively invites those it engaged in investment discussions with in London to site visits in Lisburn Castlereagh. The Council visited London in April as part of its ‘Cities Connect’ programme, which included a three-day dedicated trade programme for nine local companies. The theme of ‘Cities Connect’, encompasses the strong partnership between the two cities and the success of local companies in the UK capital. The council was delighted to offer these local companies the opportunity to meet with key decision

Alderman Sir Andrew Parmley and Mrs Wendy Parmley officially welcome the council delegation to Mansion House.

makers and investors. Over 50 meetings took place across the trade programme participants with an expected combined sales total of £300,000 based on these initial meetings. The nine trade mission programme participants were: Scaffold Digital, The Robot Exchange, Connected Care Solutions, Tricord, Boomer Industries, Johnsons Coffee, AM Brands, Hinch Distillery and Knox & Clayton. Other local businesses that attended the Mansion House event included Andrew Ingredients, Graham, Arcatech Ltd as well as Historic Royal Palaces.

2019 in London saw the council showcase Lisburn Castlereagh’s Professional, Scientific & Technical Services sectors which have experienced significant growth, a trend which is set to continue with Lisburn’s planned e-SERC Centre of Excellence in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Recent investments from Qatar’s Excelledia and Nottingham’s Robot Exchange are testament to the availability of skilled people and the region’s focus on this key sector.

Participants in the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council Trade Programme to London are pictured with Alderman William Leathem, Development Committee Chairman. (l-r) Deepak Samson, Philip Johnston, Terry Cross, Laurence Power, Sarah-Jane Carruthers, Rachel Kelly, Philip Mills, John Rodgers, and Andrew Robinson.

The council’s cross party delegation at Mansion House is pictured with local businessmen Dairmuid O’Kane and Garry MacDonald and the council’s Chief Executive David Burns.

Connect Invest Transform Investment was a key focus of the event in Mansion House as the Mayor, Councillor Uel Mackin delivered the message ‘Connect, Invest, Transform’ to the UK market when he launched the council’s £250 million investment plan proposition. This ambitious 10 year investment proposition will transform and modernise the approach taken by

the council to develop key capital & infrastructure projects, innovation, a digital first approach, community empowerment and economic growth.

A very busy investment and networking event in Mansion House

Lisburn Castlereagh is investment ready, and we have a number of prime development opportunities to showcase. Our communities, our businesses and our area matter; and we want to modernise with this plan for the betterment of Lisburn

Castlereagh. The council intends to develop new funding streams to support investment, local businesses and jobs growth as well as improve the city centre and community infrastructure. While we have drafted this proposition we are very open to suggestions on projects and feedback from all our stakeholders. This can be provided through our online ‘Connect, Invest, Transform’ consultation at www.lisburncastlereagh.gov.uk/ consultations before 5.00pm on the 30th June. This proposition marks the start of an exciting era for the council and we want to hear from local businesses, residents, partners and developers so we can make the journey together. Pictured at Mansion House launching the council’s £250 million investment plan proposition are Andrew Robinson, Chairman of Lisburn Enterprise Organisation, Councillor Uel Mackin, Mayor of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and David Burns, Chief Executive of the Council.

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AMBITION special focus

Leaders in Banking

AMBITION TALKS TO SOME OF THE KEY PLAYERS Ian Sheppard

Kevin Kingston

Adrian Doran

Adrian Moynihan

Gillian Morris

Richard Donnan

68 57

Leaders in Banking Ian Sheppard, Managing Director Northern Ireland, Bank of Ireland UK. How long have you been in your role? Three years ago I was appointed Managing Director for Northern Ireland to lead the development and delivery of the banks business growth strategy here. What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? The biggest changes include the increase in regulation and the very low interest rate environment weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve

been operating in for some time. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen the advance of digitalisation, driven by customer expectations who demand an accessible responsive service 24/7, while globalisation has brought increased competition from disruptors and niche providers offering various lending options. Bank of Ireland UK is in the process of a transformation programme and we are making significant investments in our infrastructure, culture and brand. We have developed an offer that combines face-to-face branch banking

with online, phone and mobile banking to deliver the access and convenience customers are looking for and our partnership with the Post Office ensures customers can use Post Office branches to carry out a range of simple transactions. What route did you take to get into your current position? After qualifying as a chartered accountant, my early career was spent at Coopers & Lybrand, mainly on secondment to client companies. I

Where do you see the Pound in two years’ time post Brexit? In the short term our view is that the pound is trading at something of a Brexit discount and if uncertainty is removed then we could see a partial recovery in its value. In the long term, currency moves will be driven by economic fundamentals and the key for businesses with import and/or export exposures is to have a strategy to mitigate currency risk. Our local Global Markets dealing room has a highly experienced team and a suite of tools to support businesses through this. How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? In the economy, short term risks are driven mainly by uncertainty and the potential for harder Brexit outcomes, while long term they will be influenced by factors such as how fiscal policies, investments in infrastructure and skills will respond. For the large majority of our customers there will be little or no change to their banking arrangement as Bank of Ireland in Northern Ireland is within BOI UK Plc. and as part of the BOI Group it operates across jurisdictions in Dublin, London and Belfast. We consider ourselves well positioned to help steer our customers through the emerging final scenario.Our focus is on supporting customers as they seize opportunities and work through any challenges they may face. It may mean business will need to drive efficiencies, review supply chains, enter new and near markets in GB, ROI and beyond the EU and secure new customers, suppliers and revenue streams.

have led Business & Corporate customer relationship teams throughout my career and played a key role in the direction of Bank of Ireland in Northern Ireland. I’m actively involved in the local business community and a past chair of the IoD in Northern Ireland.

bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? We funded Northern Ireland’s largest hotel development, the Grand Central Hotel, in Belfast and we led and arranged a syndicate of four banks to provide £130m funding to First Derivatives plc.

If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? Competitive, changing and dynamic.

Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? Our strength lies in our people and in the relationships we have with our customers. We recently launched ‘Bank

What are the most significant deals the

If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? We work with and support customers across all sectors in NI. In the past 12–18 months we have experienced increased activity in the Agri sector, export-led manufacturers and hospitality. Our experienced local business teams are supported by experts in Working Capital, Asset Finance and Global markets from start-ups to corporates. For us it is about understanding the business, the people in the business and sharing their ambitions so we can support them on their journey. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? Running a 5 star hotel.

BANK OF IRELAND UK

of Ireland Begin’, a new brand platform that demonstrates our core purpose of enabling customers, colleagues and communities across Northern Ireland to thrive. The next ‘begin’ opportunity is in every stage of life, whether it’s in your personal life or businesses moving from start-up to scaling for growth – and we are here for them all.

Leaders in Banking

How long have you been in your role? I joined Barclays in Northern Ireland in 2000 as employee number five – we were effectively a start-up operation in the region at that stage, so my role has changed significantly as we have grown our presence over the intervening period. What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? The financial crisis was a game-changer for our business – our market share has grown significantly as companies looked for new banking partners or diversified to deal with more than one bank. The other big change is around the importance of digital technology, and being part of a large UK bank that has invested significantly in this area over the last decade has been a real competitive advantage for us. Barclays has always been ahead of the field on digital innovation, so while many of the local banks are now playing catchup, we have already made the investment and in many ways we’re leading the way on the digital transformation of banking. As a result of these changes in the market we have expanded rapidly into the SME area, culminating in the opening of our Eagle Lab business incubator in Ormeau Baths, which supports start-ups in technology and the creative industries. We also opened a new wealth management business here at a time when there was a “flight to safety” for deposits and clients’ personal investments. This business has grown significantly and is now one of the market leaders in Northern Ireland. What route did you take to get into your current position? Like many local bankers I trained as a chartered accountant, working in corporate finance before joining Bank of Ireland as a relationship manager. Barclays approached me to come and lead their corporate banking business which is how I ended up in my current position. If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? Technology, reputation, regulation. What are the most significant deals the bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? Going back to my earlier point about the importance of digital technology, we are currently seeing a number of large clients move their operational banking to us, partly due to the strength of our digital platform. For instance, Ulster University has recently moved its banking to us. Their ambition is for all their campuses to be completely cash free, so our digital innovation was

a really important feature for them. This is a really important and ground breaking initiative which we are excited to be delivering. Last summer we also completed a bond issue for Mutual Energy’s Gas to the West project. Having an in-house investment bank means we are one of the few banks that can offer bond as well as bank finance, and in fact we’ve managed to lead most of the bond deals completed in Northern Ireland over the last decade. We think this will be an increasingly important source of capital for some of our larger companies and housing associations going forward, and we expect to see much more bond activity in the coming years. Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? I believe we have at least three key USPs – our digital offering includes our own Barclaycard business – we are the only local bank with an inhouse credit card business. As more payments move from cash to card, this is a real USP for us. Likewise, our in-house investment bank is a source of incredible expertise and research – we regularly tap into this expertise for our local clients. And finally, although everyone says this, our people are a real differentiator. We have managed to attract and retain an excellent team and this has meant we’ve been able to build really strong, trusted relationships with our clients. Where do you see the pound in two years’ time post Brexit? Things will have changed by the time you’re reading this, but right at this moment while negotiations are still ongoing it’s hard for me to make any firm predictions! How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? It’s just too early to say as the type of Brexit has not yet been decided – a hard Brexit could have repercussions for our economy, whereas a softer Brexit might allow a more manageable transition. One could also make the argument that if we ended up with the backstop this would give Northern Ireland a unique position which could help attract FDI and stimulate economic growth. If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? Tough question to pick just one. I think there are some incredible new technology businesses in NI – our Eagle Lab has given us a real insight into this sector – this would probably be the sector that I would invest in. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? Drummer in the rock band The Killers. If only Barclays hadn’t come calling…

BARCLAYS CORPORATE BANKING

Adrian Doran, Head of Barclays Corporate Banking, Northern Ireland.

Leaders in Banking

Kevin Kingston, Chief Executive, Danske Bank. How long have you been in your role? I have been chief executive since 2015.

main strength is the calibre of our people, backed up by the quality of our technology.

What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? Without a doubt the biggest change has been the pace of digital transformation in recent years. We are seeing more than 4 million digital logons from our customers each month and a 35% increase in digital transactions year-on-year. New customer offerings from Danske Bank over the past 12 months have included the introduction of a new customer App, as well as the introduction of Samsung Pay, Google Pay and Garmin Pay. The year before we also made Apple Pay and Fitbit Pay available. On the business banking side we have brought in digital credit decisions. This has been very well received, transforming the credit journey for both business customers and our business relationship managers. In most cases credit decisions using the digital facility are now being made in minutes, as opposed to days.

Where do you see the pound in two years’ time post Brexit? I learnt a long time ago that currency forecasting is far from an exact science! So I don’t think I will speculate.

What route did you take to get into your current position? I studied accountancy at UCD and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Dublin. I then returned to Belfast and spent 17 years in Corporate & Business Banking at UIster Bank, before moving to Danske Bank in 2008. At Danske Bank I was previously Managing Director of Business Banking and also Deputy Chief Executive. If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? 3 C’s – competitive, changing and challenging. What are the most significant deals the bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? As the biggest bank in Northern Ireland we play an integral role in growing and supporting the local economy. In terms of business deals, over the past 12 months, some notable deals have included the provision of funding support for customers like Andras Hotel Group, Novosco, SHS Group, Devenish Nutrition, Westland and U-Form. Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? As always with a successful business, it is a mix of things. But if pushed, I would say our

How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? As many of your readers will know, I have been very outspoken about the dangers of no-deal Brexit – referring to it as the biggest risk to the Northern Ireland economy in a generation. Now that we have a delay, politicians must use the coming months to sort out the impasse. The business community needs certainty, needs a deal. We must not allow ourselves to once again be teetering on the brink of a no-deal Brexit come the autumn. If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? Amidst ongoing uncertainty, we must continue to champion innovation, providing an environment that supports the entrepreneurs behind the growing number of digital and knowledge-based start-ups who have the potential to compete globally with the products and services they’ve developed. The scale of the opportunity for some of them to grow, create wealth and become major employers should not be underestimated. However, competition is fierce in the tech world and these fledgling companies need support to scale their businesses. Securing investment, hiring talent, product testing, network development, sales and marketing strategies, customer retention, intellectual property – the list of challenges for early stage ventures can be daunting. But it is our belief that these companies can be a driving force for the local economy in future. That’s why Danske Bank has partnered with entrepreneurial support expert Catalyst to create the Catalyst Belfast Fintech Hub, Belfast’s first dedicated fintech hub, on the ground floor of our city centre headquarters. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? When I left school I had two university offers. One was to do medicine and one was for accountancy. At the time it was a very difficult choice as both had a strong appeal for an 18 year old me. So I suppose I could have been Dr Kingston in a different life.

DANSKE BANK

Leaders in Banking

Photo courtesy of Business Eye

What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? Changing consumer behaviours have led to a significant change in how customers are choosing to access banking products and services. For example, when we embarked on our transformation programme in 2017, we had experienced a 40% decline in branch usage since 2010 while, at the same time, we had witnessed a 117% increase in mobile transactions in two years. To respond to this, we made a significant £10m investment to future-proof our customer offering now and in the future. This included the creation of five new business centres across NI and a partnership with the Post Office that enables customers to conduct their everyday banking transactions in 500 Post Office outlets as well as investing in our online banking channels. What route did you take to get into your current position? I’ve always had an interest in business, which I credit to my father who ran his own business where I helped out when I was younger. After completing a business degree at college, I joined the AIB Group and have spent almost 20 years working across a variety of roles including Group Head of Housing Strategy, Head of Wealth Management & Deposits and Head of Strategy & Planning for AIB in Ireland. The positions I have enjoyed most throughout my career have been customer facing roles with the opportunity to lead a team, helping our customers achieve their dreams and ambitions. If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? More to do. While the sector has made strong strides in learning from the past, we still have more to do to regain the full trust of our customers and stakeholders. It is imperative that we do this, and I am confident that we will. What are the most significant deals the bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? In 2018, we saw strong customer demand with our new lending volumes increasing by 40% year on year. We estimate that First Trust Bank is providing over 20% of new funding into the NI business and corporate markets. We are proud to support the expansion of a host of ambitious local firms. We recently supported the sale of the iconic Metro Building in Belfast city centre which was one of the biggest NI’s property market has seen and is a prime example of the great opportunity

Belfast’s office sector presents to investors. Other highlights include aiding the development of a number of hotels including Killeavy Castle in Armagh as well as the expansion of Finn Lough and Rossharbour Resorts in Fermanagh. Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? Our people. We have an incredibly talented, committed and customer focussed team. Where do you see the pound in two years’ time post Brexit? Without clarity around Brexit, it is difficult to predict with any degree of certainty where it will land. We do expect to see a degree of volatility from current levels as we move throughout 2019 and therefore developing appropriate hedging strategies for business is critical. How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? With no certainty on what form Brexit will take, if any, it is still extremely difficult to say what impact it will have. I do believe the current deal on the table represents the best deal at this juncture, albeit a more appropriate description may be the ‘least worst’. While Brexit undoubtedly present challenges, there will be opportunities which local companies should be seeking out. Key to success will be planning and preparation and we would encourage all businesses to undertake scenario planning. If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? We operate across all sectors of the business and corporate markets, with a focus on six key industries; agri food, manufacturing, tourism & hospitality, healthcare, energy and property, so I would be loath to just pick one! Personally, I’ve always had a particular interest in the technology sector and how banks can better support the unique funding requirements of tech companies. I don’t believe the sector has quite cracked that just yet so the challenge of finding that solution is appealing. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? I would like to think I would follow in my father’s footsteps and run my own business. The part of my current role that I most enjoy is the opportunity to create growth and enable progress – for the business, for customers, for our team and for our communities. Similarly, I believe that is exactly what entrepreneurs do when they take the brave step to start a business and I would like to think I would have been brave enough to do the same.

FIRST TRUST BANK

How long have you been in your role? One year.

BANKING

Adrian Moynihan, Head of First Trust Bank.

Leaders in Banking

Gillian Morris, Head of Corporate Banking, Northern Ireland – HSBC Commercial Banking. How long have you been in your role? I was appointed to the role in January 2019, but joined the HSBC UK Corporate Banking team in August 2017.

year to date. To build on that HSBC UK launched a £12bn SME fund last September, with £150m available to SMEs in Northern Ireland.

What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? I have been in financial services for over 20 years and automation and digitalisation of processes has been a continual change. A constant however has been our maintained focus on customers and ensuring that our ways of working make life easier for them.

Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? In Northern Ireland, HSBC UK stands out as whilst we are a very local bank with our team based in Northern Ireland, we are able to draw on the product, skills, resources and connections of one of the biggest banks in the world. We are able to support our local customers to build connections across the world to suppliers and customers whilst providing a strong local service.

What route did you take to get into your current position? After graduating from Queen’s Belfast, I joined Lloyds Bank as a graduate trainee and over the years have worked in a broad variety of roles, including relationship banking, structured asset finance and strategy & business performance. All of these were in London before leaving Lloyds to join HSBC UK in Northern Ireland in 2017. If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? ‘Together we thrive’ – the HSBC strapline sums up our collaborative and partnership approach. What are the most significant deals the bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? At the heart of our business, HSBC UK continues to support large and small business customers across varied sectors of the Northern Ireland economy including agriculture, franchising, manufacturing, retail and renewables. All of the transactions completed in the past 12 months have been notable in that they have been important to the individuals and businesses concerned! Last year was the team’s most successful

Where do you see the pound in two years’ time post Brexit? If I had a crystal ball I’d be able to tell you! I’m more focused on meeting the needs of my customers today. How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? We don’t know the outcome of Brexit yet so it’s very difficult to say. Our main focus at HSBC UK is supporting our customers through Brexit, whatever the outcome may be, and we are speaking to them regularly to ensure they have the help they need. If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? Our customer base is so diverse that it’s very difficult to choose one sector. We are seeing exciting businesses across manufacturing, creative industries and agriculture, amongst others. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? I come from a family of Northern Irish entrepreneurs so I would probably be working in business. I think business runs through my veins!

HSBC COMMERCIAL BANKING

Leaders in Banking

ULSTER BANK

Richard Donnan, Head of Ulster Bank, Northern Ireland. How long have you been in your role? I’ve been in my Head of NI role for four years – following in the footsteps of the inimitable Ellvena Graham. What are the biggest changes over the years in the banking sector and how has your organisation moulded its offering to accommodate? I have seen huge changes in the banking sector with a greater scale and faster pace of change in the last five years than the previous twenty five of my career. Therefore we have had to adopt a more agile approach to change – both in terms of how we work internally and also how we leverage new technologies and collaborations to give our customers more choice and better propositions. Our mobile app, paperless mortgage application process, our community bankers and the establishment of our entrepreneurial hub are all examples of that. What route did you take to get into your current position? I’ve worked right across the business: in branches; risk, strategy and in roles w i t h i n b o t h personal a n d

business banking. More recently, my role involved heading up the retail banking business for Ulster Bank across the island of Ireland. From there, I moved back into the world of SME and corporate banking, taking on the role of Managing Director for that business in NI. It’s given me a great feel for our customer-base and colleagues right across the bank and the island of Ireland. If you could sum up the banking sector in three words, what would those words be? Customers, colleagues and community. What are the most significant deals the bank has been involved in over the past 12 months? As in any year we have been involved in quite a number of significant deals and acquisitions over the past 12 months – in a diverse range of sector and deal sizes. One worth commenting on is CDE, where we have supported the company’s expansion on a number of fronts, but in particular, the acquisition and rejuvenation of the ex-Caterpillar site in Monkstown. This was not only important for our client’s expansion plans, but also of significant importance to that area which has suffered a number of job losses in recent times. In addition, we have also supported the development of their state-of-the-art premises in Cookstown which will produce even more high-quality job opportunities in that area. Which area of your bank is a strength/a USP that makes it stand out from the rest? We combine a first-class digital offering with a deep local understanding and affinity with Northern Ireland consumers and businesses, stretching back almost 200 years. Being part of the wider RBS group also means that we can tap into significant sector and scale capabilities to develop propositions that wouldn’t be possible for a business operating purely on a local scale – our open banking

innovations on our mobile app, where you can view your accounts from 15 other different banks within the Ulster Bank app, and our entrepreneur Accelerator Hub, part of a network of 12 across the UK, are proof of that in action. Where do you see the pound in two years’ time post Brexit? I wish I had a crystal ball. I normally leave the speculation to our chief economist, Richard Ramsey! A Brexit deal of some description would likely be a catalyst for a slightly stronger pound, although downside risks remain, as the nature of a future trading relationship will still need to be negotiated. How do you envisage Brexit impacting the economy and banking? What we see is that on a smaller scale, businesses are getting on with their dayto-day activities – they’ll react when they have hard information to respond to. Larger corporates are giving themselves strategic options and preserving their flexibility to operate in different market environments. Uncertainty is not positive for the economy and in turns impacts our customers and our business. As a bank, we are prepared for whatever the outcome will be and are focusing on supporting our customers through it also. If you had to choose one sector in NI to invest in what would it be and why? As a banker and a risk manager, I wouldn’t choose just one – I’d go for a diversified portfolio in different sectors and in businesses at a different stage of their lifecycle. We have many wonderful examples of NI businesses competing and winning on a global stage in different sectors, both emerging and established. If you weren’t working in the banking world, what would you be doing? I really enjoy supporting customers and I seek to continually improve the way we do that. If I was not doing that it would be something related to my faith.

News Maybeth Shaw, Partner – BDO Northern Ireland.

BDO Northern Ireland exceeds £20K mark for new charity in its first year

n April, business advisory firm, BDO Northern Ireland announced a recordbreaking fundraising programme for their first year supporting The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, raising over £23K. The much needed funds will go towards supporting staff, patients and families in the Children’s Haematology and Oncology Unit at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

The two-year charitable partnership, which initially identified £20K as their target for the two years, succeeded in reaching the milestone in the first year thanks to the impressive work carried out by the BDO NI team. Maybeth Shaw, Partner at BDO Northern Ireland, said, “Improving lives is a big part of our ethos. Across the firm, colleagues have been deeply touched by the work of The Children’s Cancer Unit. We are proud to be investing our collective time, energy and creativity towards those who through kindness, care and support make so much of a difference for so many children and families. “Year-on-year, we’ve significantly raised our fundraising ambitions and, as a result, have

broken all of our longstanding records. More than £21,000 raised for good causes in the last two years alone. We have been able to improve on this figure again, and in our first year have went beyond our initial target over two years, raising over £23K. We hope we can continue this great work into year two”.

“Integrating into a community and contributing to good causes can provide a more positive and engaging workplace for employees.” 70

BDO Northern Ireland not only under-took a range of fundraising activities to reach this milestone but also volunteered time and professional services to assist the charity with a range of financial and administrative responsibilities. Some of the activities undertaken in the first year of the partnership included the Belfast Marathon Relay, Christmas fayre, busking, and a clothing initiative. The Children’s Cancer Unit was gifted a collection of specially tailored clothing to help children who are receiving treatment at the Royal Belfast hospital for Sick Children. Staff at BDO NI volunteered their time and skills to produce the childrenswear, before delivering the items in time for International Childhood Cancer Day. Another creative initiative undertaken by BDO NI was an exclusive fashion show, which offered the chance for kids from the Children’s Cancer Unit to join professional models to walk the catwalk. The event, attended by over 200 guests, saw a showcase of fashion from local and high street retailers, presented by radio DJ and stylist, Rebecca McKinney. Local girls Elsa and Erin not only modelled their styles but shared stories of their cancer diagnosis and their special treatment at the Children’s Cancer Unit. The event alone raised over £16K. Maybeth continued: “At BDO Northern Ireland, support for corporate social responsibility has been long-standing, with a range of initiatives not only raising money for important and worthy activities but also providing an opportunity to reflect and reinforce business culture and its values. “Corporate Social Responsibility has become more than just ‘a nice to do’ for businesses, with many recognising it has the potential to go beyond providing some positive public profiling for the company. “It is no longer enough for companies to focus solely on profit margins and revenue streams; to be sustainable there is a need to integrate and give back to the communities they are operating in.” She advises: “Integrating into a community and contributing to good causes can provide a more positive and engaging workplace for employees. Instilling a strong corporate social responsibility culture throughout an organisation will help in creating a more productive, thriving atmosphere. The same activity can also lead to other business benefits, including the development of new partnerships, attracting or retaining investors as well as employees.” Every two years the BDO NI CSR committee announces their support of one charity as the focus of their fundraising activities. This committee has membership from across the business, from partner’s right through to support staff.

sage ireland announces pinnacle as its highest growth sage 200cloud partner Pinnacle, a Sage software and IT Services provider, has been named by Sage Ireland as its Highest Growth Partner for sales of Sage 200cloud in FY18. Siobhan Marley, Business Development Director, Pinnacle, James Spencer, MD, Pinnacle and Fran McKee, Marketing Director, Pinnacle.

Pinnacle’s Belfast and Dublin teams have secured multiple new contracts to implement and support Sage 200cloud across a variety of industry sectors. New customer acquisitions include outdoor and clothing distributor Target Dry and Film production company, Fine Point Films. Search Workshop Supplies, one of Ireland’s largest suppliers of garage and workshop equipment, have also partnered with Pinnacle for Sage 200cloud and IT services. Olivia O’Dea, Marketing Manager of Search Workshop Supplies, commented on the current project. “From our initial meeting with Pinnacle’s Business Development Director Siobhan Marley, we were given a solid reassurance that Pinnacle fully understood the growing needs of our business. Through Pinnacle’s wealth of experience as a provider, not only did we upgrade our IT Solutions, we gained the expertise necessary in streamlining several areas of the business.

Having completed Phase I of our Sage 200cloud project, we look forward with confidence, to the continuing support Pinnacle has bestowed”. Pinnacle’s high performance was acknowledged by Barry Murphy, MD of Sage Ireland, who commented, “The team at Pinnacle are incredibly passionate in supporting their customers to thrive in an ever-evolving market. They constantly add value through a brilliant attitude and technical nous, allied to their strong focus on innovation. Pinnacle build relationships slowly but surely with their partners and customers alike and is a testament to their values – they truly believe in ‘customers for life’. It was a real honour to present Siobhan Marley, Business Development Director of Pinnacle, and Fran McKee, Marketing Director of Pinnacle, this award and we really look forward to working long into the future with the brilliant team in Pinnacle”. James Spencer, MD of Pinnacle, “As a nationwide business we focus on local

successes. This award is fantastic news for Siobhan and her team who have worked very hard in 2018, particularly considering the economic and political challenges in this region. We are continuing to heavily invest in our teams to ensure our customers have the highest levels of service and to reach our ambitious growth plans. We are currently in recruitment mode in both our marketing and technical support teams in Belfast”. Follow the #FacesOfPinnacle @ www.pinnacle-online.com www.instagram.com/Pinnacle_SageBP www.twitter.com/Pinnacle_SageBP www.facebook.com/Pinnacle.SageBP T: 028 9067 4970 E: sage@pinncale-online.com

FEATURE

Building The Future

Hagan Homes has big plans as it enters its fourth decade in business. They include a pledge to build 200 new homes a year throughout NI, amounting to some 2000 by 2028. That figure could be much higher if planning processes here were speedier and less bureaucratic says founder and chairman of the Ballyclare firm, James Hagan, writes Emma Deighan. 72

FEATURE

ate last year James Hagan and his eight-strong team of design, planning, construction, quality control and financial staff committed to building 2000 homes in ten years here which coincided with the firm’s 30th anniversary. It’s an ambitious plan that has been a long time coming given the last decade has dealt firms like Hagan Homes a harsh blow. According to a government house price index, average house prices here peaked in 2007 when they hit £224,670 before crashing to their lowest at £97,428 in 2013 - around 60% below peak. Today the average Hagan Homes property is worth £125,000. “In June 2007 the market started to turn, and we didn’t realise it would be as bad as it was,” begins James on what was one of the lowest points for the property sector in recent history. It was a challenging period for a firm that had been successful and just one year after the company reached its highest ever level of unit sales in 2006 (275 units). A lack of market activity and large bank loans saw James reexamine the company’s financial position and so he focused on generating sales from his existing land bank, by reducing sales prices. “By September 2007 we started to reduce prices by 10%. It didn’t go down very well, and we were getting phone calls every day from competitors who were saying we were going to ruin the market. But those houses were worth what they were worth.” In the first year of the recession, Hagan Homes sold 90 houses. “We kept reducing prices and in some areas those prices fell by 50%. I sold a large apartment block on the Beersbridge Road in Belfast where individual prices peaked at £230,000 before the recession. Within six years I had bought back two of these apartments for £50,000 each.” recalls James. Today it’s a different story for James and his team. Its housing developments are selling fast and the market has levelled out with a steady rise that is outdoing the rest of the UK. And in 2016/17 the company recorded a turnover of over £18 million and celebrated the second biggest year of home completions in its history. And in terms of bank debt, Hagan Homes has reduced the company’s bank funding from £32million to zero (from 2007 to 2016). It is now a business completely free from debt, which has a land bank that will satisfy the company’s sales projections for the next seven years. “First time buyers are getting 95% mortgages and the banks are lending. Co-ownership has also grown, which is a great way for people to get a first home. Around 15% of our properties are sold to those with Co-ownership mortgages and around 15% of our sales would be to investors because our properties give them such a good return with no maintenance.” The only stumbling block getting in the way of bigger sales projections is the NI planning process admits James who reveals he could have an additional 800 homes being constructed right now if decisions were made quicker. “I was on site in Glasgow and was told planning permission would take six to nine months. If that was here, I wouldn’t have that

permission for two years. Our Ballymoney site took three years, we have a site in Comber waiting permission and we are in a consortium where there are plans for 900 houses to be built but we’ve been waiting seven to eight years to get approval. “I believe the current planning process in Northern Ireland is not fit for purpose. It is significantly slower and more bureaucratic than in England, yet we are shouting about a need for houses and social houses. Not only does it prevent jobs and people getting houses, it also prevents big inward investment.”

no matter what form it will take, will have little to no impact on the market. “In my personal view it will not make that much of a difference. They’re going on about this border and I’m 66 now and I remember a border when I was 20 and it was no big deal. I believe that people will always find a way of doing business.” Beyond his ten year plan, James plans to enjoy his hobby of Historic F1 racing. It’s something of a conversation starter he admits, and a pastime that suits his big personality, one that is well known in business circles. “I hired a car to do Monaco once,” he says.

“Around 15% of our properties are sold to those with Co-ownership mortgages and around 15% of our sales would be to investors because our properties give them such a good return with no maintenance...” Hagan Homes’ £300m investment that will be spent over the next ten years will see sites developed in The Rose Garden, Derriaghy; Shimna Mile, Newcastle; Ballyoran House, Dundonald; Lawnbrook Avenue, Belfast; Old Dundonald Road, Dundonald; Utility Street, Belfast; Gaffiken Street, Belfast; Burn Road, Coleraine; Charlotte Street, Ballymoney; Enler Village, Comber; Ballyveigh, Antrim and Thaxton Village, Lisburn and more. James says the homes will be affordable, which is the typical offering from Hagan Homes. They’re aimed at first time buyers. “They’re value for money. They’re nice houses and that’s what people want; they want a good home with a nice style, that’s carpeted and painted. We find new buyers want quality and style and an open plan living and kitchen area, a stylish bathroom and kitchen and that hasn’t changed over the years, perhaps with the addition of a bit of stone work.” In terms of the location of his properties, James is interested in reviving existing communities that have altered over the years or lost their appeal to the new buyer. He adds: “We like going into those areas because we find there is demand. We built in the middle of Rathcoole and Ballybeen and found that people want to stay in their area and these developments lift that area. We’re building on the Donegall Road and we have doctors and solicitors buying there. 20 years ago, no-one wanted to go there and that’s a great thing for us to look back on. We have five people in that development and 25 sold.” Has he hopes that the property sector could return to its pre-recession lucrative setup with such buoyant activity in the market at present? “It’s levelled now, and I don’t want prices to go up to what they were before. We want prices to stay affordable and at the minute they’re going up by two to four percent a year. In its heyday people couldn’t afford those prices,” explains James who feels the imminent Brexit,

“That was ten years ago, and I really enjoyed it. It’s just a great sport and I just try not to crash,” he jokes. James travels the world competing in Historic F1 championships, racing his highly coveted Hesketh 308/1, which used to be owned by James Hunt, the British racing driver who won the Formula One World Championship in 1976. “It’s about the people you meet, the boys that run it,” he adds before signing off; “I’ve enjoyed my career in the building industry and the ten-year plan I have is going well. I have a brilliant team running the business and they are doing a great job. I hope I will be on the right side of the turf in ten years and making another ten-year plan with “Team Hagan”.

WHEELS TURNING FOR CONSTRUCTION SECTOR DESPITE UNCERTAIN BACKDROP

CAHAL CARVILL OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING GROUP AT LEADING LAW FIRM ARTHUR COX DESCRIBES THE POSITIVE OUTLOOK FOR FIRMS IN THE CONSTRUCTION SECTOR DESPITE CONTINUING TO OPERATE AGAINST AN UNCERTAIN BACKDROP. There is one word that has dominated discussions about the Northern Ireland economy over recent months and years – ‘uncertainty’. An uncertain backdrop has existed since the decision by the UK to leave the European Union, impacting business decisions across the region and further afield. However, concerns around Brexit and the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU have been exacerbated further in Northern Ireland by the lack of a functioning devolved government. Executive Ministers have been absent from Stormont for more than two years, with the impact felt across all sectors, including construction. It has been reported a hiatus of political decision making has caused around £2 billion worth of infrastructure projects to be caught in limbo. Recent developments, however, suggest that the wheels are beginning to turn again. Planning decisions have been made on Translink’s new Belfast Transport Hub and the new power station in Belfast’s harbour estate. Combined, the projects are worth around half-a-billion pounds and are expected to support hundreds of construction jobs. Meanwhile, the Secretary of State, Karen Bradley, has given the go ahead for the Belfast Region City Deal, to which the government has pledged £350m.

The primary intention of the programme, which covers six council areas, is to help grow the region’s business strengths in life and health sciences, ICT, digital and creative industries and advanced manufacturing. As firms grow, there will no doubt be new opportunities for the construction industry. Challenges for the sector remain, and a number of high-profile recent insolvencies such as JBE, WDR & RT Taggart, and Interserve illustrate the continued risks for contractors and suppliers operating in the industry. The most recently available official statistics, which covered the fourth quarter of 2018, also showed a 4 per cent decline in workloads over the three-month period. However, this followed a hugely positive third quarter during which output had grown significantly while the longer-term trend recorded by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) is of rising workloads. This reflects a wider resilience among local businesses from which construction firms have benefitted. Building work is evident across the region, particularly in Belfast city centre as companies continue to invest and expand regardless of wider perceived uncertainty. Construction is under way on the £70m Merchant Square development where PwC will make its headquarters, while Kainos Group recently purchased the Bankmore

Square site on Belfast’s Dublin Road and has plans to move there in 2021. NISRA’s fourth quarter data also noted a large increase in the amount of infrastructure work undertaken across Northern Ireland, rising by 13.3 per cent over the three months to reach a five-year high. Looking ahead, the outlook remains positive with further infrastructure and major building projects anticipated to come online. These include the North South Interconnector, the York Street Interchange, Casement Park sports stadium, and the Belfast Waterside development at the former Sirocco site. With extensive experience working on large scale infrastructure projects, advising both employers and contractors operating in the construction sector, Arthur Cox is well positioned to provide sound legal advice to those in the industry as they continue to trade successfully despite the uncertain backdrop.

The Construction and Engineering Group at Arthur Cox is well placed to advise on all aspects of the construction sector. Please call +44 28 9023 0007 for further information from Cahal or your regular Arthur Cox contact.

FEATURE

From humble beginnings to a market leader... Ambition talks to Declan Gorman, Business Development Director at NOONAN.

OONAN launched in 1977 as a family owned cleaning business. From these humble beginnings, the firm has grown to become a leader in the outsourced services market. Today the business employs over 15,000 people and delivers a wide range of services including cleaning, security, technical support services and facilities management. As Business Development Director, Declan Gorman has a broad set of responsibilities however in 2019 one of his key priorities is driving the growth of NOONAN’s Technical Services business across Northern Ireland. Commenting on NOONAN’s success to date, Declan begins “NOONAN has always been a market driven business. We work hard to understand our markets, to understand trends and most importantly to understand our customers’ needs and priorities. This approach has helped us to ensure our strategies are effective in protecting and growing our market share.” It is evident that the market driven philosophy runs through every part of the business. Declan comments that: “Every person, across our entire management team, is adept at understanding the needs and priorities of our customers and they know how to develop solutions which meet their needs and priorities.” “For an organisation of our size, we are remarkably good at working as a team. We collaborate cross-functionally to enhance our understanding of our customers and to deliver more value to them. That shared objective, of delivering more value to customers, helps us all pull together.” Despite having a very experienced business development team, Declan claims that NOONAN isn’t in the business of selling - at least not in the traditional sense of the word. Declan says: “Our customers are sophisticated and well-informed buyers. Many conduct thorough multi-stage procurement processes. Our business development team works hard to understand their needs and create well-

developed and compelling propositions. We don’t do this alone. We mobilise our directors, senior managers and subject matter experts from across our group to help craft a solution to deliver superior value.” He adds: “If we’ve done our job right, selling, in the traditional sense, is completely unnecessary. We operate as consultants, developing solutions which add value to our client’s operations and leveraging on NOONAN’s key differentiators.” When asked what these key differentiators are, Declan lists the firms customer-centric approach, highly capable management team, robust nationwide operating platform and self-performance capability. He comments: “Generally, we can allocate more resources and attention to serving the needs of our customers than either large or smaller competitors. Our key customers have chosen us as their partner for multiple services; this enables us to unlock more value for them.” And quality is just as important as price. He continues: “Our customers can be sensitive to price but they place a lot of value on the quality of service we provide too. We are very good at applying insights and harnessing group resources to create solutions which meet our clients’ needs and deliver maximum value to them. We have a highly engaged workforce, this is very important to us and to our customers.” Employee engagement is important to NOONAN also. “Employee engagement is critical, not just because it’s core to achieving high levels of productivity but also because it is critical to delivering good customer service. The attitudes of frontline staff have a very real impact on customer satisfaction. When your people are engaged they focus more on customer and business outcomes. They care more about quality and they are highly motivated and passionate about delivering exceptional service to customers. They look for opportunities to deliver better support to customers. They go the extra mile for them.” Declan continues: “We pay a lot of attention

“For an organisation of our size, we are remarkably good at working as a team.” to our people. We recruit great people and train them well, but that’s not enough. The culture of our organisation and our teams plays a big role in shaping the attitudes of our people. We take time to think about the culture we are creating. Managing the development of strong positive culture is challenging, especially when you are managing teams across all of the UK and Ireland. To do this well we have to rely heavily on our managers; we make sure the managers we hire all know how to build a strong positive culture. More recently we have been developing digital solutions to improve how we connect with each other.” Commenting on the digital solutions under development, Declan says: “We want our people to feel connected and empowered wherever they are working across the UK and

Ireland. We have invested millions to develop a digital toolkit to achieve this goal. Last month, we launched ‘Gateway’ our new online learning platform. Gateway allows our people to access training modules on a wide variety of subjects on-demand from any device with an internet connection.” Apps also play an important role within the firm. “We have an app which enables our people to access their personal employment records, review rosters, interface with our central support teams and carry out a number of other functions from anywhere at any time. We developed a dynamic risk assessment app which helps our people identify the hazards associated with their work activities and to ensure that appropriate controls are in place before work commences. The App links the implementation of the Safety Statement directly to the work activity.” Declan notes that there are many more in use and many more in development. “We want our people to have the resources and information they need at their fingertips, every day, to work more efficiently, achieve higher levels of performance and be content in their work” he says. Finally, Declan reflects on how Brexit and changing market conditions could impact on the business. “NOONAN’s core markets are

stable and have been growing circa 5% on average year on year. The impact of Brexit and international trade tensions may reduce the overall opportunity in the market, however

the NOONAN business is well positioned, as a streamlined organisation which offers highly efficient solutions, to continue its growth, even under difficult market conditions.”

Nursing and Residential Home

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The Belfast Village is a village setting all under one roof!

• Conservatories • Quiet rooms • Village hall • Chapel • Library • Award winning reminiscence room • A caring environment • Experienced and loyal staff with very low staff turnover promotes continuity and provision of high quality holistic care

NAZARETH HOUSE CARE VILLAGE, BELFAST SHINES AT THE 2019 CARE AWARDS Nazareth House Care Village in Belfast at the Staff Nursing Care Awards for 2019 has won an award in the category for ‘Creative Use of the Environment’. In this category the judges were looking for the best use of the available indoor and/or outdoor space to increase patients’ levels of physical activity to improve their mobility, flexibility and wellbeing. They were also looking for evidence of how the use of space has encouraged the use of all motor skills, improved endurance and strength, reduced stress levels and promoted relaxation. The awards were presented at a glittering black-tie awards event at Titanic Belfast on 14 March 2019. The awards evening was compered by broadcaster Claire McCollum and Patricia McMullan; the General Manager of Nazareth House Care Village was presented the award by Fiona McAnespie from Radius Housing.

Overall it was a very successful night for Nazareth House Care Village who were runners up in five other categories including Nursing Home of the Year. The Staff Nursing Care Awards set out to reward good practice and to celebrate achievements. The awards recognise innovation and outstanding clinical excellence in healthcare professionals in care homes, residential care settings and domiciliary care teams across Northern Ireland.

From left: Host Claire McCollum, Patricia McMullan General Manager Nazareth House Care Village and Fiona McAnespie from Radius

Please contact Nazareth Care Village Belfast with your enquiry 516 Ravenhill Road, Belfast, Co. Antrim, BT6 0BW Tel: 028 9069 0600 Email: patricia.mcmullan@nazarethcare.com

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

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15/04/2019 16:36

COLUMnIST

Edel Doherty, Managing Director, Beyond Business Travel

Big Data and Business Travellers

In recent years Big Data has been transforming most areas of business and none more so that the travel sector. Edel Doherty discusses the associated opportunities for local firms.

he ability to analyse incredibly large data sets allows companies to track trends in human behaviour and interactions and to rethink their product offering and services accordingly. By analysing information gathered from digital activities and platforms, travel providers can make more informed recommendations, based on customers’ needs and preferences, therefore improving the customer experience and often the cost. Big Data refers to the huge quantity of data that floods companies on a daily basis. Every time you click, search, book or pay, data is generated which can be tracked, recorded and analysed. At every moment in a traveller’s journey, from the time they book their hotel or search for train times, to when they choose their seats on a flight, their actions create data. This data presents a valuable opportunity for us to provide better travel options to our clients and to improve their experience.

The Potential of Predictive Analytics With the rise in Big Data has also come the growing prevalence of predictive analytics. By using the swathes of data at their fingertips, companies can now make predictions about future events based on the analysis of data surrounding past transactions and using algorithms to detect patterns. There’s a growing need amongst our clients to go beyond simply booking travel based on price. What we are experiencing is a growing demand for personalisation and a streamlined experience. Utilising predictive analytics within our technology systems allows to meet this demand and more. Imagine you are booking a business trip to Dubai. You begin your search for accomodation and the travel booking platform returns hundreds of hotels. One option is to spend hours narrowing these down, based on location, facilities and price. Another is to use predictive analytics and allow the system to recommend hotels your colleagues usually choose, or one that has similar features to another you’ve previously stayed in with the assumption that these will best suit your needs. You can make decisions quickly and based on trust. It is imperative that we in the travel sector use predictive analytics to provide these kind of filtering and sorting of options to avoid information overload which leads to decision paralysis. Each year a global software company sends hundreds of employees to conferences, meetings and events around the world. By using using predictive analytics our Travel Management Company can provide recommendations on how best to reduce spend through advance booking. We can also analyse historical data on traveller choices, flight prices, preferred airlines, reviews and other factors, and highlight ways clients can improve their travel programmes, boost compliance and get the most from their budget.

In addition we also offer bespoke data handoffs to clients’ financial and ERP systems. The benefits of this are: • More detailed information can be collected at source, which in turn provides better data analysis and more accurate allocation to cost centres and projects. • Reports can be generated by the budget holder for control and accountability. Significant reduction in the time taken for the laborious reconciliation of company credit cards and expense reports. Many companies now want to translate their data into insights and are keen for us to help them improve efficiency and overall experience using this information. Our cutting edge analytics technology provides clients with on-demand access to real time data, reports and analysis, allowing them to easily monitor and manage spend, trends and traveller behaviour.

“At every moment in a traveller’s journey, from the time they book their hotel or search for train times, to when they choose their seats on a flight, their actions create data.”

WHO ’S WRI T I N G T H E N EXT C H A PT E R O F YO U R COMPA N Y’S SUCC ESS?

Prospects of farming on the agenda As we approach the 2019 Balmoral Show, Cormac McKervey, Senior Agriculture Manager, Ulster Bank discusses the future of farming. As we approach Balmoral Show, the focus is very much on the future outlook for farming. And indeed, at a recent conference I attended, the prospects for NI and UK agriculture were explored. As ever, Brexit is the big unknown, and across the many possible scenarios of deal, no deal, and everything in between, the conference ended with a call to action – that farmers continue to focus on what they can control. It’s sound advice. Brexit has become allconsuming and will remain so for some considerable time. Who we trade with and under what conditions? What will the UK agricultural policy look like compared to the CAP? Will sterling weaken or strengthen as a result? These are crucial issues that will impact on farm businesses, but there is little farmers can do to affect the outcome. The authors of the report, The Andersons Centre, demonstrated the long-term trends in farmgate prices for milk and wheat over a near 50-year term to 2017. When adjusted for inflation, it showed that farmers in 1970s Britain were receiving the equivalent of over 60 pence per litre (ppl) for milk and £500/t for wheat. The same could likely be shown for other farm commodities. It’s shocking that good quality food, produced to the highest standards, has been devalued so much over time. Today farmers are getting an average of 27ppl for milk and £200/t. How do farmers survive

and grow their businesses against a background where their farm outputs were continually declining in value? They focus on the things they can control. They reduce their costs of production through better grassland management and forage quality, breeding better stock coupled with lower replacement rates, improved carcass conformation, and meet FQAS and Red Tractor standards. They protect their business by contracting all/part of their output with fixed price supply contracts, by knowing their costs of production and by adopting new technologies or best practice techniques that they have seen at farm walks, CAFRE or AFBI. This in turn has allowed them to grow in scale in an effort to lower fixed costs. They don’t expand in order to ease losses. Instead they grow in an effort to increase profitability. But how big does a farm business need to be? The Anderson Centre offers some suggestions, but with a health warning that there are many other variables to consider. For dairy farms, they suggest 125 cows. This is possible where the buildings are well laid out and the grazing area etc is close by. However, for suckler farms, they suggest 100 cow, their replacements and all finishers. This would be a busy farmer and its unlikely all land would be in one block. For pigs it’s 300 sows through to weaning, or 1,000 ewes or 600 acres of crops. Scale isn’t everything. There comes a point beyond which extra land, labour and machinery is needed

and there is always a risk that as units increase then the management involvement is diluted. So as commodity prices have fallen, the scale of farming has increased in an effort to remain profitable. Farmers who focus on the issues they can control have likely followed the path of being good at what they do and then scaling up rather than scaling up in the belief that somehow they will become more efficient.

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FEATURE

A Fitting Tribute To Diversity High end construction and marine fit-out firm, MJM Group says its bucking the trend when it comes to family businesses here. Now in its second generation the company is at the forefront of a changing sector, for the better. Here Director of MJM, Naoimh McAteer chats with Ambition. MJM is a group of businesses belonging to the McConville family. It was set up by Brian McConville more than 35 years ago in Rathfriland. Brian, now the Chairman for the Group, has overseen acquisitions that have made it a go-to company for some of the most prestigious fit-outs in the world. In 2014 the McConville family acquired fit-out specialist Mivan and in 2018 went on to purchase Topglass, a specialist glass contractor who had supplied MJM

Marine and Mivan for many years. The family also owns a property portfolio that includes the former Shackleton Barracks in Ballykelly, which has just been shortlisted as a potential location for a Heathrow logistics hub and; Clarence Chambers in Belfast city centre which has just been given the green light for a major restoration. The delivery of growth across a number of businesses and managing an expanding property portfolio did not happen by accident, says Naoimh McAteer, Brian’s daughter.

“One of the catalysts for growth for the McConville group of businesses has been the interest from the family, in pursuing careers within the business,” she says, talking to Ambition just weeks after been short-listed for the IoD Young Director of the Year Award. “I think one of the keys to success is to grow up in the business and grow with the business; showing respect to those around you and their values and ideas; whilst remaining authentic and consistent. MJM was established a couple of years before

FEATURE

I was born, so effectively I have been around it my whole life,” says Naoimh. “I could see the sheer volume of work in the early days to make ends meet and the sacrifices both of my parents had to make to make the business work, even if I didn’t fully understand it at the time. I always had an idea that I would work in the business and worked there during my summer holidays. For my two brothers, my sister and I, we became part of MJM as much as it became part of us.” Even though Naoimh knew a career in the family business was her future she still pursued her own goals. “I was however, very keen to find my own way, and was encouraged to study and work outside MJM. I studied Business Management and spent a couple of years in Ernst and Young as an audit associate, which was invaluable to learning about other businesses before returning to our own. I served my time, as Brian would say, working through the different areas of the business in MJM Marine. I worked as a cost analyst as part of our Business Improvement team, looking at LEAN initiatives for production and project delivery.” It was the acquisition of Mivan in 2014 that allowed Naoimh to really get her teeth into a project at the firm. She adds: “I worked as part of the due diligence team on structuring the transaction and following through to the implementation phase. I then worked with the management team to adjust to the changes that any new owner inevitably brings. Five years on, Mivan is in a fantastic place with a strengthened senior team; a strong order book; and a positive, forward-looking plan for the future growth of the business.” She explains that overseeing and managing this new transaction give her and her brother, Conleth, the “confidence” to manage future acquisitions, the next of which was Topglass in 2018. “Topglass is a welcome addition to our group, with a talented team which is flourishing, with an ambitious plan going forward.”

And then came the property ownership adds Naoimh, one of which is up for the role of a new Heathrow hub; “In 2016 we successfully acquired the Shackleton Barracks, Limavady, which I was also involved in as I knew it has so much potential. One of the things I was passionate about driving over the last 18 months has been the Heathrow Logistics Hub bid for the site. I am delighted to say that we are now down to the final 18 across the UK for this project with four sites in the final selection process. If we were to get one of these offsite construction hubs in Northern Ireland, we know from our experience of managing global

of evolution, so it’s an exciting place to be,” she begins on the subject. “Inclusivity and diversity, in my opinion needs to be one of the key objectives of any management team. Particularly within our industry, the promotion and inclusion of women in a typically a male dominated environment, needs to be led from the top to ensure we are attracting, and retaining the brightest and best, regardless of gender. Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we have some of the best people in the business in our team. In MJM Marine and Mivan we are above the UK average for the number of women in senior roles in

“Inclusivity and diversity, in my opinion needs to be one of the key objectives of any management team” logistics in the cruise ship refit market that, it would be a game changer for the Northern Ireland construction sector and its supply chain,” she says. While Naoimh has played a huge role in the firm’s most recent business activities she’s also at the front of pushing diversity at the company. “There are several values and principles within the business that I have sought to encourage and bring a focus to. I believe that the family ethos and the core values have remained the same since day one. The journey of growth in the past five years in particular has allowed us to focus on developing our brand; harnessing the culture of team spirit and innovation and to help the business prepare for the next phase Naoimh McAteer with father Brian and brother Conleth.

the construction sector and this is something I particularly want to continue to champion. It can be difficult to get women into the traditional construction sector but we believe we offer something a bit different in the marine and high end fitout sector. The females in our team play a vital role in our success. We have senior women on our board, in our finance, HR, Communications, ERP, Logistics and QS teams in particular, and we are always seeking to build on this.” Naoimh says creating a “truly gender diverse” workplace is a leadership issue. She says the theme must run through the company’s policies and way of thinking. “In our engagement with schools and colleges we have been keen to highlight the diverse roles in construction and manufacturing to engage and inform females early in making their career choices,” she continues. Away from gender issues, Naoimh says another challenge for the firm is Brexit and, again, she has been at the forefront of making sure her voice is heard she adds. “I was keen to take a lead in voicing our concerns about the implications for Brexit for our group of businesses and for Northern Ireland. This took me to Brussels, Downing Street and led us to host a number of senior cabinet figures at our headquarters in Newry to put forward our concerns. This threat has not gone away but the disruption and uncertainty caused by the even the imminence of Brexit earlier this year, leaves us under no illusion that we are much better off if we remain. “We, as a group of businesses and a team, are still learning. We are still growing, and we have high ambitions to continue to build our group beyond mine and the next generation. We are excited for the future. My family and I want to leave a positive legacy in Northern Ireland and across the many parts of the world where our people live, work and do business.”

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19/12/2018 09:54

FEATURE

How digital is transforming commercial real estate Brian Lavery, managing director at CBRE in Northern Ireland, explains how technology is revolutionising commercial real estate.

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riven by technology, changing industry-wide culture and wider business disruption, investors and occupiers are looking harder than ever at ways in which they can deliver advantage across their portfolios, their buildings and their people. How we choose to live, work and play is evolving at an exponential rate, and the need to revolutionise space to meet clients’ everchanging expectations creates new challenges for investors and occupiers across the offices, retail and industrial and logistics sectors. In essence, there are five key challenges that the real estate world faces in the modern age: Efficiency Technology is crucial in understanding the challenges that businesses are facing. We need to ask ourselves: what questions are organisations trying to ask? What is the problem they are trying to solve? How do we help solve it? What is the right technology which enables greater efficiency and helps drive a digital agenda? Barriers to efficiency are inevitable in business and we are always striving to be more effective in what we do. Technology helps unblock those barriers, as it provides us with the data, knowledge and understanding we need to make the right decisions going forward. It is a great enabler to unlock how we can enhance the real estate world in general. Visibility Data visibility is the goal. In order for organisations to transform and improve, the starting point is information. Digitalisation enables businesses to become more efficient, productive and customerfocused, however, data needs to be stored in a useable format which will allow for instantaneous access to information and creates a new way of looking at the real estate world. If data isn’t stored in a useable format, visibility is poor, which in turn has a knock-on effect on productivity. Experience Technology has fundamentally changed the end-user experience, so it is critical to understand who the customer is and how the customer is changing the way we live, work and play in the built environment. There are three types of customer to consider; the investor, the occupier, and the consumer. Digitally-enabled, tech-savvy customers, particularly the younger generation,

are demanding technology to be implemented throughout buildings, and there is a challenge in meeting these requirements. Flexibility Employees expect flexibility in their workplaces; businesses need to adapt to provide it, and real estate owners need to offer it. As our working patterns continue to evolve, providing flexibility to end-users and occupiers in a meaningful way is key to sustaining future growth in business. We now know that useable data is critically important to businesses as they seek to evolve, however, we also need to be flexible, as investors and end-users are demanding a bespoke, tailored service to meet their individual needs and requirements. Productivity Greater productivity is the goal of every effective organisation driving profitability and business efficiency. Embracing technology and implementing it throughout an organisation makes decision making more predictive and forward-thinking, as opposed to being reactive and on the back foot. Productivity is the positive return on investment that investors and landlords need to enable them to provide evidence that the technology in which they are implementing in their buildings is delivering profitability.

“Technology has fundamentally changed the enduser experience, so it is critical to understand who the customer is and how the customer is changing the way we live, work and play in the built environment.” 89 57

Exploring tech hotspots in the UK The UK tech sector has been growing almost three times faster than the rest of the economy and the digital tech sector is currently worth £184 billion. Rapid global expansion of the creative and digital economy has fuelled competition between and growth across UK towns and cities. CBRE’s recent UK-wide ‘Tech Cities’ report provides up-to-date analysis of its top 25 UK tech destinations, in which Belfast ranks ninth. The continuing appeal of regional cities in the UK to the wide spectrum of specialisms making up the tech sector, will provide cities like Belfast with the ability to grow as technology and innovation hotspots and to improve the quality of their business support ecosystems, infrastructure and amenities. The majority of tech businesses are small in scale and many have realised the value of situating close to each other in multioccupancy technology and innovation hubs. This affords the potential to acquire well located, cost effective, quality office accommodation. Businesses can benefit from having increased opportunities in knowledge and resource sharing, as well as access to larger talent pools with varied specialisms that they may be able to tap into for particular projects. Flexible work space is a trend which Belfast has adapted to very well, with the introduction of the likes of Ormeau Baths and Clockwise at River House entering the market, both of which offering flexible, high-end, contemporary co-working space. These entrepreneurial-focused working environments are accommodating some of the best indigenous tech start-ups and are equipping them with the tools and resources they need in order to thrive in the global marketplace.

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Getting a clearer picture on Brexit Gavin Kennedy looks at Your Business & Brexit — Introducing Bank of Ireland UK’s Brexit Hub. It’s important that businesses are prepared for the challenges and opportunities that Brexit might pose. Amid the continued uncertainty, Bank of Ireland UK is working with customers to support businesses and help them face this with a greater degree of confidence. Companies in Northern Ireland are looking at how they can overcome the challenges arising from Brexit by examining their supply chains and routes to market: their supplier’s suppliers and their customer’s customers, how they will be impacted by Brexit, and how they can plan or react accordingly. The potential impact will vary across different sectors which is why each business needs to look at what they do, as well as where and how they trade. The impact of Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector could be strongly felt throughout the economy, especially as its contribution extends significantly beyond the jobs, economic activity and wages directly associated with the sector. The Agri sector has the potential to be one of the most affected by Brexit, with £1.3bn* of Agri Food exports going to the Republic of Ireland each year. Historically it’s an area where

there has been strong growth, driven primarily by strong global demand for produce. However, this high exposure could be a significant challenge for the sector moving forward. There are potential opportunities for food and beverage companies in Northern Ireland to compete with Great Britain and Republic of Ireland suppliers that sell into the European Union. However, the main challenge with this is likely to relate to perishable exports. To mitigate against this, we’ve seen a number of companies invest in frozen storage, reconfigure their production processes, or look at how and where they produce their products. Other businesses are trying to ensure they will have refrigerated logistics to try and counter any impact of disruption that might arise. Retail is another sector where businesses will need to understand their supply chain - where their products coming from and how there could be a disruption as a result of Brexit. No matter what sector or size of business, at Bank of Ireland UK, we’re here to help and support all our customers. There are a number of ways we can do this. You can visit our Brexit Hub: bankofirelanduk.com/business/Brexit where you’ll have access to information and

view our range of support available. You can also talk to our Business Banking team who will be delighted to help and who are out talking to customers at their place of business every day. *Source HMRC 2017

Lisburn Castlereagh engaged the future at MIPIM Cannes Representatives of the council’s investment team were part of a Northern Ireland (NI) delegation at MIPIM Cannes this year. Top of the team’s agenda was to welcome new investment and develop the Lisburn Castlereagh tourism and hotel sector. They met with potential investors and developers to give them an insight into the number of impressive development opportunities available. There was great interest at MIPIM Cannes on the emergence of NI as a new and important global tourist destination. Within Lisburn Castlereagh there is evidence of an increased demand for hotel and leisure accommodation. The council was delighted to announce during MIPIM Cannes the development of the new Beannchor hotel ‘Haslem Hotel’ in Lisburn Square later this year. This new development hopefully will be the first of many new accommodation providers within the area. It will offer accommodation for some of the additional 200,000 visitors to the newly refurbished Hillsborough Castle & Gardens. A number of hotel sites have been identified in both Hillsborough and Lisburn City Centre including a city centre site currently in public sector ownership, which has been identified as having potential to accommodate an 80100 bed hotel. The council used the opportunity of MIPIM to promote a major city centre regeneration initiative at Laganbank Quarter (LBQ). This exciting new development scheme as identified within the City Centre Masterplan

The council’s investment team visited the newly refurbished Hillsborough Castle & Gardens before heading to MIPIM Cannes to talk tourism development opportunities. Pictured are: Hazel King, Portfolio Manager; David Burns, Chief Executive; and Suzanne Lutton, Regeneration and Infrastructure Manager.

will service the growing trend for sustainable mixed use development, offering approx. 12.6 hectares of prime development land. The council has earmarked this area for residential, retail, hotel and leisure development. It is committed to working to derisk sites identified within LBQ in terms of progressing statutory approval processes, and proactively working with investors to deliver sustainable regeneration projects.

Renowned as one of NI’s premier investment areas, Lisburn Castlereagh is an ambitious and entrepreneurial city. Combined with its connectivity, strong infrastructure and pro-business outlook, it really is a superb choice for investors who require a strategic all-island base offering easy access to the UK and the Republic of Ireland. It offers a competitive cost base, low commercial rates and return on investment to suit all requirements from investment and development companies through to pension funds, and other institutional investors. Maximising broadband and digital connectivity is a priority, with the majority of the council area now offering superfast broadband, with further investment planned in broadband infrastructure and connectivity. If you are looking to relocate your business, start your business or undertake a development then please get in touch with the council’s investment team on 028 9244 7484. Lisburn Castlereagh is open for business and investment opportunities in the area can be viewed online at www. investlisburncastlereagh.com

Chief Executive, David Burns presented Adela Cristea with her prize which she won at MIPIM Cannes. The council had a competition running at its stand in Cannes and Adela, the Senior Director, Head of Business Development UK & Ireland, Radisson Hotel Group was the lucky winner.

FEATURE

An Atlantic gateway for the UK and Europe Ambition speaks to Chief Executive, Brian McGrath on the commercial realities of running a successful port operation on the frontier between the UK and the European Union.

he attention of the global media has been fixed on Foyle Port recently as it serves up a ‘classic Brexit case study’ during uncertain times. One thing that has remained steadfast is the growth at the Port, its plans for a new international cruise ship terminal and the creation of its own bespoke enterprise zone. Foyle Port is unique in that it operates cross border, with its jurisdiction stretching from the city’s Craigavon Bridge to Greencastle in

Donegal and across Lough Foyle to Magilligan in north west County Derry/Londonderry. In many ways, it serves as the Atlantic gateway for the north-west city region. Although the port operation is in Northern Ireland, its pilot station is in Greencastle and both the Irish and UK governments recognise Foyle Port as the competent harbour authority for the area. The port, in effect, doesn’t recognise the border, and neither does the trade traffic that it attracts.

“Half of the freight arriving by sea into Derry/Londonderry comes from the European Union, with about 40 per cent from the United Kingdom and the remainder from the rest of the world. Of that total, about 40 per cent is then re-exported to the Republic of Ireland by road and may cross the border many times without realising. It’s so intertwined. It’s like bringing something into your front garden and then going into your back garden which is in another country”, McGrath says.

As a bulk cargo operation trading in commodities worth about £1.5bn every year, the port deals in agricultural products, including feed and fertiliser, handling imports of oil and coal for the entire north-west region. Diversification at Foyle Port also sees a rapidly growing consulting engineering arm, stateof-the-art steel fabrication facility and wider marine services, helping to deliver sustained growth. “Animal feeds are coming in here to be sent to mills in Lifford to be processed, and then part of that product is going to come back across the border. The oil and petrol that is being delivered into the Donegal region is going into cars crisscrossing the border. If there was a hard border and a hard Brexit, it would be catastrophic for the work that we do as it would effectively make us the most isolated UK port”, says Brian. But any threats that Brexit may pose have been offset by the Port’s latest financial results which show a multi-million-pound annual turnover, marking six years of consecutive growth. “It’s the continual reinvestment of all profits that allows the Port to improve the business and upgrade facilities, giving it the ability to undertake a period of significant capital investment, including a recent expansion in the harbour estate across its 160 acres and increased capacity of the marine fleet at the port.” Chief Executive, Brian McGrath is in buoyant mood and praises his team for maximising profitability and says that the potential of the port to add jobs and lead growth into the future is an exciting prospect. “The outstanding corporate performance of the organisation, year on year, demonstrates the strength of our operational team”, he stated. “The port’s location at Lisahally underpins our key position as an Atlantic gateway for the United Kingdom and Europe. The Port Economic Zone naturally sits across the wider city region. With multi deep-water terminal locations within the harbour and an extensive port landbank with proximity to industrial power, we are ready to play our part as an industrial platform in support of a City Deal for Derry / Londonderry.” “Our strategy was set out several years ago and since then our performance has outstripped targets and the port business has continued to grow. This model has increased our resilience and put the Port on a strong footing to meet any challenges that lie ahead. We have the flexibility required to adapt to a new commercial context and the innovation needed to capitalise on all new opportunities arising in the future.” “Our plans for an international cruise terminal are still at an early stage, but we are looking at a multi-million-pound investment which will bring visitors from all around the world to

the north-west. Joining the Causeway Coastal Route and the Wild Atlantic Way, we have a strong proposition for tourists and the wider tourism sector. We expect to create hundreds of jobs in the build and operational phase which will have huge positive economic impact for the local area. It is envisaged that the number of cruise ships that will dock in the North West could potentially treble or quadruple from current numbers. This could be in the region of 50-70 ships per annum once fully operational and marketed internationally”, said Brian. “We are also looking at options around the creation of an Enterprise Zone specific to the Port which would complement the significant land bank we have at our disposal. The connectivity offered by Project Kelvin and a ready source of industrial power on our doorstep means we have all the infrastructure in place to welcome indigenous and international investors of all types”, enthused McGrath. The port Chief McGrath is confident that whatever the Brexit negotiations at the time of writing and the next year brings, the port has the capabilities to build on recent successful business performance. “We are not ignoring the reality on the ground – 30 per cent of our staff come across the border from Donegal every day and 40 per cent of our imported commodities go back across the Border and we recognise there could be challenges, but we’ve faced others during our 165-year history and we will still be here after Brexit – we are prepared for what’s in front of us. The potential for the wider port economic zone is immense”, Brian concludes.

“Our plans for an international cruise terminal are still at an early stage, but we are looking at a multi-million-pound investment which will bring visitors from all around the world to the northwest.”

appointments

NEW

PPOINTMENTS in the business community

Aimee Larkin

Andrew irwin

jacob Gray

Ashleigh allen

Associate (Banking) at A&L Goodbody

Solicitor (Property) at A&L Goodbody

Solicitor (Corporate & Commercial) at A&L Goodbody

Financial Director at ASG & Partners

Jennie mccurry

JOnny Lester

Andrew Webb

JOhn Lavery

Communications Director at Smarts Communicate

Poultry Technical Manager at Devenish

Chief Economist at Grant Thornton

Associate Director, Economic Advisory at Grant Thornton

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At PRL Recruitment we believe that our job is to represent your company as the employer of choice within your sector and we use a range of recruitment techniques to fill even the most niche roles. At PRL Recruitment we know your recruitment needs will change depending on whether you’re recruiting for an entry-level position or need to headhunt a candidate to fill an executive position. We are talent hunters, seeking out the best candidates for roles in your company. Our experience and expertise is invaluable when it comes to finding the right person for the job, looking at a range of factors; including skills, qualifications, personal attributes and salary expectations. We have our finger on the pulse in our specialist markets and will find the ideal individual to suit your needs, making sure your business goals are met. Although advertisements are great for posting a potential job, they can sometimes get lost within the talent pool of people who are too busy to read them and apply. With a recruitment agency there is an extended reach, aiming at people who are actively looking for jobs – you can be guaranteed that your job listing is put on a recruiters website it will be looked at and gain interest from the right people. We know that businesses are experiencing ever-tigthening budgets and stretched resources, especially with the uncertainty that comes with Brexit. Not all companies have the luxury of in-house recruiters, HR Departments and managers who can take the time to sift through CVs and shortlist for interviews. This is when recruitment agencies can step in and allow business owners to get back to what they do best and not have to juggle yet another task. At PRL Recruitment we have a reputation for recruiting the highest calibre business professionals at all levels. Our experienced consultants focus on matching your requirements with the experience and aspirations of candidates, leading to long-term, sustainable business relationships for all involved. We pride ourselves on the ‘stickiness’ of our candidates once placed, so much so that We offer a guarantee period on all permanent placements. If the candidate moves on or is not suitable for the role as provided to us at the point of briefing, we will identify an alternative candidate at no cost to your organisation. For more information on how PRL Recruitment can find your business the ideal candidates please email Glenn McCormick; glenn.mccormick@prl.uk.com

new rOles at deli lites Brian and Jackie Reid welcome the appointment of Brendan Dowling as chairman and Eamon McKey as chief operating officer at DELI-LITES. The appointments follow the firm’s ongoing investment in its home market, as well as its focus on expansion into new export markets.

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Professor Pauric McGowan, Ulster University Business School

Release your company’s potential for real growth

Ulster University Business School has developed an MSc programme in Strategic Growth, targeted at company owners and senior managers. Pauric McGowan discusses this unique opportunity for skills development.

n the UK, small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) contribute to local economies by bringing growth and innovation to the community in which they operate. They also help to stimulate economic growth by providing significant employment opportunities. Research also shows that many SME owner-managers say that they do not have confidence in their ability to achieve three years of continued growth and, worryingly, many believe it is hard to turn a small company into a medium sized enterprise. Increasing numbers feel that it has never been more difficult to grow a small business in the UK. The uncertainties of Brexit have heightened concerns and sapped confidence. In the current, highly competitive, fast changing environment where most difficulties experienced by owner-managers appear to be external to their businesses, there is realisation that solutions must come from within the business. This points to the need, specifically, for a greater focus on the competency development agenda. There is a clear and urgent imperative to support SME owners who still see potential to grow their businesses despite uncertainties, to address

issues of confidence and to develop leadership skills. In response, Ulster University Business School has developed an MSc programme in Strategic Growth. The programme is a unique investment opportunity targeted at company owners who have decided that now is the time to realise their ambitions to shape their company’s future growth potential. It is designed specifically for company owners and senior managers who recognise that their next significant stage of growth has to be planned

a part of the Business School’s network while drawing on experienced Business Executive Educators at Babson College in Boston, the leading centre for entrepreneurial learning and practice in the USA. Key learning themes focus on issues of entrepreneurial thinking and leadership, competitiveness and the innovative management of scarce resources, including human, social, financial and reputational capital. The programme will launch in October 2019 and will be presented on a part-time

“In the current, highly competitive, fast changing environment where most difficulties experienced by ownermanagers appear to be external to their businesses; there is emerging a realisation that solutions must come from within the business.” strategically. It provides support to individuals in managing the disruptive impact of strategic growth on their company commercially and on them personally. Drawing on the cumulative experience of other participants the programme creates a supportive community of learners and practitioners. It builds on UUBS’s forty years of working with owners of SMEs supported by business practitioners who are

basis, over eighteen months. Participants will take one module on average every three months lasting four days with a further four half-days of company-based workshops. Action learning and active decision-making will be emphasised during the programme. This is a unique opportunity to develop your leadership skills and to realise your ambitions to shape the future of your business.

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