Ambition Issue 38 (January/February 2020) by NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

January/february 2020 ISSUE 38 £2.95

CIPR PRide Awards 2017 - Best Publication

Family Values

Incoming NI Chamber President Ian Henry on the growth of henry brothers ltd

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January/February 2020 Issue 38

Contents NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER

Property Figured Out Property Palsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Chief Economist Jordan Buchanan discusses economic trends.

Managing Editor: Christopher Morrow Features: Emma Deighan Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Managers: Lorraine Gill & Gerry Waddell Editorial Assistant: Kellie Burch & Joanne Harkness Email addresses: Christopher.Morrow@northernirelandchamber.com/ lorraine.gill@ulsterjournals.com / gerry.waddell@ulstertatler.com Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com / www.ulstertatler.com Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim. Cover by: Andrew Vaughan

NI CHAMBER PATRONS

At a Glance News: 06 Engaging with the Assembly and Executive 10 Staying Connected with BT 82 Faster Broadband for Rural Areas Columnists: 14 Bill Roy 18 Brian Murphy 22 Chris Wynne 23 Gavin Kennedy 24 Claire Clerkin 60 Cara Taylor and Lisa McCaul 62 Brendan Drain 96 Feeling the Squeeze

Chamber Chief: 26 CEO Update 28 Climate Change Report 30 Social Events 32 The President’s Banquet 34 Quarterly Economic Survey 36 Looking Forward to 2020 38 Export Services

Features: 12 My Ambition 8 A Year in Review 16 A Good Sport 20 Stairway to Seven 42 Family Values 46 The Future of Technology in Business 50 Property Figured Out 54 Redefining Convenience Retailing 58 The Link Between Health and Productivity 74 Tapping into Talent 78 Health and Wellbeing at NIE Networks

Special Focus: 64 Neil Gibson 66 Simon Lawson 68 Ursula Lavery 70 Dr Peter Fitzgerald 72 Kieran Hegarty

Appointments: 84 New Year, New Job?

Lifestyle: 88 Business Class Motoring James Stinson 94 Fashion: The Five P’s Joanne Harkness 95 Dine & Wine - Chris Rees and Andrea Mola

38 42 Cover Story Magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 ISSUE 38 £2.95

CIPR PRide Awards 2017 - Best Publication

74 FAMILY VALUES

INCOMING NI CHAMBER PRESIDENT IAN HENRY ON THE GROWTH OF HENRY BROTHERS LTD

editorial

President’s Perspective

Getting 2020 up and running

fter three years of political paralysis, January finally marked the long-awaited return of the NI Executive. This return to power-sharing has been welcomed by all pillars of society – business, community, unions, education and health, who earnestly hope it signals a long-term, sustainable future for devolved government in Northern Ireland. It focuses on delivering what matters to our citizens – better public services, a stronger economy and a fairer society. The ‘New Decade, New Approach’ text acknowledges that the economic context has changed significantly in the three year abyss, which itself has caused significant damage to business and the economy. Our politicians are going to need to work fast to begin the process of reversing the harm, whilst simultaneously standing up for business as Brexit reaches the Joint Committee stage and complex trade deals are negotiated in the wake of the UK’s departure from the EU. Looking to what the immediate priorities for new Ministers should be, for businesses, a number of things must be top of the list. Minister Dodds now needs to implement an economic/industrial strategy with trade and export at the centre whilst also prioritising other strategies around skills, energy and tourism. These strategies are urgently required to provide a pathway to growing our economy in the coming years. At a time of immense change for the wider UK economy, it is critical that we get our approach to trade and export right. Businesses here have products and services that are second to none and as an export focused organisation, we certainly welcome the focus on investing in business growth for the future. This includes the new Northern Ireland International Trade plan, the establishing of a Trade Advisory Board, a Trade Accelerator Plan and a “Made in NI” campaign. With 8 in 10 NI Chamber members currently finding it hard to fill vacancies, addressing the skills shortage must be a key focus for the next 12 months. All members – agri foods to IT and manufacturing – have a big demand for skills. That’s compounded by our flawed university funding model. We need to be able to meet the demand by lifting the cap on students and encouraging more people into apprenticeships. At a time of critical recruitment shortages, an Immigration Bill that allows businesses to recruit staff at all skill levels cannot be delivered soon enough. In terms of infrastructure, roads, sewerage, broadband, public transport and the North South Interconnector are all examples of key areas for business and projects that will require attention from Minister Mallon. The restoration of the executive, along with the decisive General Election result and the reintroduction of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill last year, should mean that businesses enter the first

quarter of 2020 with more of the certainty they have been calling for. NI Chamber looks forward to working with all Ministers as they begin to address the damage caused by three years of paralysis and develop action plans for economic growth.

John Healy President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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NEWS

GRAHAM BEGINS €9.3M REVAMP OF IRELAND’S LARGEST SHOPPING CENTRE GRAHAM has begun working on a €9.3m revamp of Blanchardstown Centre, Ireland’s largest retail development, which will see the centre welcome eight new stores and unveil a modern, reimagined space upon completion in November 2020.

OCO GLOBAL ACCEPTED INTO UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL COMPACT

International trade and investment specialist, OCO Global, has been accepted onto the UN Global Compact, a movement of international stakeholders and companies who are committed to driving corporate sustainability.

MALLAGHAN ENGINEERING ANNOUNCES MULTIMILLIONDOLLAR CONTRACT Mallaghan Engineering has announced a multimillion-dollar contract with Delta Air Lines for the supply of bespoke Maintenance Platform Lifts for use at airports across the United States. The equipment provides access to all areas of fixed wing and rotary aircraft, allowing maintenance teams to undertake work at height safely and efficiently.

IFA AGREES NEW TRAVEL PARTNERSHIP The Irish FA has announced Travel Solutions as the official Northern Ireland Supporters Travel Partner. The Belfast-based tour operator is also now an official patron of the Irish Football Association’s Education and Heritage Centre, which is an integral part of the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

ENGAGING WITH THE ASSEMBLY AND EXECUTIVE

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); John McCallister (speaker); Brendan Mulgrew (MW Advocate); John Healy (NI Chamber) and Christopher Morrow (NI Chamber).

The skills and expertise of businesses and third sector organisations can play a vital role in helping the restored NI Executive meet the myriad of challenges it faces in the coming years - that was the message from NI Chamber’s ‘Your Assembly and You’ event which saw businesses, charities, social enterprises and local government organisations gather to discuss

the return of the NI Executive and Assembly. At the event, hosted by Allstate NI, attendees heard from former government Special Advisor and Managing Partner of MW Advocate, Brendan Mulgrew along with former UUP MLA and Deputy Leader John McCallister.

MULTI-MILLION POUND INVESTMENT BY ARMSTRONG MEDICAL

Armstrong Medical is investing £8 million in the growth of its manufacturing business including the creation of 24 new jobs. The company currently exports to more than 60 countries and is expanding its presence in Coleraine. Pictured (L-R) are Kevin Holland (CEO of Invest NI); John The family-owned Armstrong (Executive Chair of Armstrong Medical) and manufacturer specialises Dawn Hart (Financial Director at Armstrong Medical). in respiratory products for use in hospitals and by health care providers. The expansion includes an investment in new machinery and a new 26,000 sq. ft. warehouse to accommodate increased production. Invest NI has offered the company £800,000 to support the expansion and creation of the new jobs. 12 of the 24 roles are already in place.

RYOBI MANAGING DIRECTOR RECEIVES HONORARY FELLOWSHIP David Watson, Managing Director of Ryobi Aluminium Casting (UK), has received an Honorary Fellowship from Northern Regional College. He is one of four individuals to receive the honour who have had an impact upon the College and the local community. A Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institute of Engineering & Technology and a Fellow of the Institute of Cast Metal Engineers, David developed his reputation with global names such as General Motors, Takata’s European Components Corporation, Magna-Donnelly and Wrightbus, before joining David Watson (Ryobi) and Professor Ryobi in 2006. Terri Scott (Principal and Chief Executive, Northern Regional College).

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FEATURE 2019

January

Poten al audience reach for ar cles linked to each story.

February

March

November October

April

1.2M

135K

Family-run Henderson Group is on target to become the latest billion-pound company in Northern Ireland. Increasing its turnover by nearly 100 million to £853M. The pa ern in stellar growth is likely to break the £1bn sales barrier by 2021.

Bushmills have plans approved for a major expansion of the award-winning Dis llery. The facility improvements are part of a 60 million plan to double produc on capacity over the next five years. At the me of repor ng, almost £100m worth of whiskey was currently maturing in casks at the dis llery.

PWC has announced plans to create 600 jobs In Belfast, increasing its workforce in Belfast to 2,900. New staff will be recruited from a pre-employment training project for graduates run by the Department for the Economy, University of Ulster and Belfast Met.

September

15.9M

May

79M

Bombardier secures a deal to sell its historic wing produc on factory in Belfast to US aerospace manufacturer Spirit Aero Systems as part of an £850M deal ending months of uncertainty for over 3,500 highly skilled workers.

Northern Ireland record levels of employment at 70%, a growth of 1.7% and a con nuing trend since 2017. The unemployment rate stands at 3.8%, a slight drop of 0.3%

Belfast Power Limited to develop a new 480-megawa gas-fired power sta on in Belfast Harbour Estate, providing electricity for half a million homes. The project expected to generate over 700 new posts

205K

201K

Energia announce a supply deal for all public street ligh ng in Northern Ireland in an agreement with DFI. The project will deliver a supply of power to around nd 300,000 sites with an es mated 285,000 streetlights, 8,440 illuminated traffic signs and lights across the country.

August

December

88M

Energy firm InfraStrata has completed its purchase of Belfast’s historic shipyard Harland and Wolff. The comple on of sale followed a £3.3M payment to administrators saving 120 highly skilled jobs.

374K

NI Water award contracts worth a combined £240 million to three local businesses – Meridian U li es, McAllister Brothers rs and Road Safety Contracts. Suppor ng the u lity in seweragee repair, maintenance and sep c tank services.

349K

The long-awaited Bangor Quayside regenera on moved a step closer a er a developer was appointed for the £50 million project. The consor um made up of Karl Group and Farrans who were tasked with delivering the scheme which aims to generate new jobs, obs, shops, office space and homes. es.

July

June

316K

Technology giant Allstate is in nego a ons to move into a new purpose-built flagship office block in Derry/Londonderry to seat 850 new employees. The site in Ebrington is expected to open within the next two to three years. The announcement will add to their present 2,100 strong payroll.

3.3M

A er Royal Portrush hosted the 148 th Open Championship, Tourist chiefs es matee the famous tournament could be worth £80M 80M to the Northern Ireland Economy. With th hotels, shops, restaurants, and bars in n the Causeway Coast and Glens area seeingg more than 18M spent during the Championship week.

REVIEW

A YEAR IN

Martin Breheney, Senior Analyst, NIMMS

Another year has passed and a new decade has begun. It’s an era of hyper-connectivity, where our daily lives seem to be overloaded with information from every corner of the world and for the most part, negative sentiment. With recent political uncertainty dominating news coverage, much of the positive work being done by businesses and entrepreneurs is camouflaged. This can mean we miss the opportunity to shine a beacon on the great business opportunities in Northern Ireland and its highly skilled workforce. From time to time, here at NIMMS we too suffer from information overload. However amongst it all, occasionally, we come across media coverage which illustrates hope and encouragement, reminding us that we have amongst us businesses and leaders who care for the greater good of their employees and are concerned with how the public

benefit from the decisions they make. Therefore our ‘Year in Review’ takes a look at some of the positive business stories that broke in 2019. It was a year where the historical manufacturing industry in Northern Ireland succumbed to the pressures of company restructuring but the power of the working people saved jobs and money for the local economy. At NIMMS, we have access to huge volumes of data and statistics, with powerful systems that can determine the potential audience reach for published articles. For each of the stories above, we’ve taken the figures for print and online articles, to shine that beacon on the good news stories, which got people reading last year. For more information on how NIMMS can help you with media monitoring and analysis please feel free to contact us on 02890 649012 or email mediateam@nimms.co.uk.

“With recent political uncertainty dominating news coverage, much of the positive work being done by businesses and entrepreneurs is camouflaged. This can mean we miss the opportunity to shine a beacon on the great business opportunities in Northern Ireland and its highly skilled workforce.”

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NEWS

Staying connected Only 1 in 20 of those who are deaf or have hearing loss can complete tasks over the phone, according to a new survey, leaving many to ask friends or family members for help with basic calls. The poll, commissioned by BT and in partnership with the UK Council on Deafness, reveals that despite the rise in digital technologies such as web chat and social media, phone calls remain an essential form of communication for 80% of the deaf community, with 46% calling businesses at least once a week. However, for many, the calling experience for everyday tasks such as booking appointments, paying bills, or purchasing products and services, is poor, with certain services such as healthcare and banking inaccessible for a quarter of the deaf community. The research comes as the Next Generation Text service provided by BT– which helps people with hearing and speech difficulties communicate over the phone – is rebranded to Relay UK. The Ofcom regulated service translates text to speech and vice versa with the help of a specially trained Relay Assistant based in one of BT’s contact centres around the country. The technology, developed by BT, enables a user to easily make a call based on their own accessibility needs. The user can connect to a call by selecting one of three options: Type & Read, Speak & Read, or Type & Hear. It’s free to use and is available to UK mobile customers across the UK. Claire Lavery, Northern Ireland Director at Action on Hearing Loss, said: “There are currently 300,000 people in Northern Ireland who experience hearing loss and using the telephone remains a big barrier for them to communicate with friends and family, at work, with health care providers, banks and other services. Relay UK provides a vital text relay service to help people communicate by phone with the use of a text relay assistant in real time. This service provides an essential way for people who are deaf or have a hearing loss to access everyday services, from booking

a meeting or accessing healthcare including emergency services to booking a table at a restaurant or booking a cinema ticket.” According to BT’s research, the biggest barrier to a successful call is frontline staff who are not trained or are inexperienced at taking calls from deaf customers, while the use of automated transfer services that are inaudible and a lack of technology available to help handle calls are also highlighted. With a range of unique challenges facing them, 89% of those in the deaf community said that businesses and organisations need to do more to make their services more accessible. When unable to complete a phone call with a business, almost 70% of respondents said that they have to physically go to the store and a further 18% said that making phone calls to businesses leaves them feeling like they are not valued. Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT’s

Enterprise Division in Northern Ireland, commented: “How we use technology to connect with each other has changed rapidly in recent decades, and this simple service transforms the calling experience for the estimated 12 million deaf people in the UK.” “We know from conversations with the community that bad telephone experiences are putting people off using the phone to contact businesses, which can make certain services inaccessible. We’re urging businesses to alert frontline staff to the service and download our helpful Relay UK Business Toolkit, which includes educational content about the service – and what to expect when taking a call from one of our Relay Assistants. We hope that by downloading the toolkit, businesses will be able to provide a seamless call experience for their deaf customers.” Find out more at www.RelayUK.BT.com.

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FEATURE

My Ambition is to... GILLIAN ORR, COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER AT PHOENIX NATURAL GAS

’ve never been stuck for words and after spending a week on work experience at Cool FM I knew I wanted to work in or be connected to the media industry. I was also fortunate to spend a year on placement at BBC Northern Ireland, supporting media and event activities which was instrumental in signposting me to more communication focussed roles for the future.

After completing a degree in Communication, Advertising and Marketing I knew I wanted to work with a well-known local brand and took on my first role at Ulster Bank. During my time there I had opportunities to work across a variety of roles including customer engagement, media relations, sponsorship and community, all of which had an element of building positive brand engagement and reputation management at their core. I have had the opportunity to work with some business leaders and mentors who encouraged me to build on my strengths and focus on areas of work that interest and motivate me and that advice helped steer me to my current role as Communications Manager at Phoenix Natural Gas. As an industry, natural gas in Northern Ireland although relatively new, currently employs around 3,000 people and by the end of 2022 it’s estimated 320,000 customers across Northern Ireland will make natural gas their fuel of choice to heat their homes and businesses. With ongoing construction activity to extend the natural gas network across East Down, my role is centred around engaging communities with the Phoenix brand and demonstrating the positive difference we make in providing fuel choice as well as in

supporting the communities that we serve through working with schools, community groups and local events through our Responsible Business programme. My ambition is to play a key role in the exciting future that the natural gas infrastructure will play in decarbonising the NI economy. Phoenix recently launched the ‘Natural Gas: Delivering a Low Carbon Future’ report, which demonstrated the role natural gas has played in reducing carbon emissions for energy users, with 1.1 million tonnes of CO2 saved from entering the atmosphere as a result of natural gas users in 2018. It’s a really important report as it demonstrates the significant impact of the natural gas industry since its introduction from a social, economic and environmental perspective. The report also looks ahead to how natural

gas can be utilised to drive down carbon emissions in other sectors, such as the use of Compressed Natural Gas to support carbon for heavy goods transport, as well as looking at innovations such as biomethane injection and hydrogen blending to make natural gas even more environmentally friendly. It’s inspiring to be part of a forward looking business which is such a pivotal part of the future of energy in Northern Ireland. Having been fortunate to have found great business mentors in my career, I would like to be able to achieve my ambitions whilst also helping younger people in the industry realise their dreams and ambitions by knowledge sharing and inspiring the next generation, particularly by highlighting the breadth of opportunities that exist for females within the local natural gas industry.

LORD DAVIES TO HEADLINE NI’S INAUGURAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION SUMMIT Diversity Mark NI are holding Northern Ireland’s first Diversity and Inclusion Summit taking place on Thursday 20th February 2020 at Titanic Belfast featuring Lord Davies of Abersoch, CBE as keynote speaker.

Lord Davies spearheaded ‘The Davies Review’, a government backed commission, first introduced in 2010 to examine the underrepresentation of women on boards at that time that he was Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business. Also speaking at the event is Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and regular writer for the Guardian and the New York Times. Laura works closely with politicians, businesses, schools, police forces and organisations from the Council of Europe to the United Nations to tackle gender inequality. This half day summit will feature expert speakers, panels of diversity and inclusion leaders, breakout workshops and delegates will enjoy a networking gala lunch. Diversity Mark is the awarding body of Northern Ireland’s only independent not-for-profit Charter Mark for Diversity and Inclusion. Members join a Learning Community and work towards achieving a Charter Mark to recognise their commitment to Diversity & Inclusion in the workplace. Developed in 2017 by Women in Business NI, Allstate, Queen’s University, Gilbert Ash and the Northern Ireland Civil Service the organisation now have over 60 progressive companies signed up for a Diversity Charter Mark from a variety of sectors.

Lord Davies.

Tickets for the Diversity and Inclusion Summit can be booked on Eventbrite or by emailing admin@diversity-mark-ni.co.uk. To find out more about Diversity Mark NI visit www.diversity-mark-ni.co.uk or contact christine@diversity-mark-ni.co.uk.

Titanic Belfast February 20, 2020 8.30am to 2.00pm Tickets Eventbrite or email: admin@diversity-mark-ni.co.uk

Columnist Bill Roy, Principal and Founder at BRC Partnership Ltd

Leadership and the new normal Bill Roy, Principal and Founder at BRC Partnership Ltd discusses the leadership traits and capabilities necessary for the 4th industrial revolution.

Undoubtedly robotics, AI and machines will replace the need for many of the jobs currently in existence. Take health as just one example. By 2030, it is highly likely we will be able to scan our own DNA and dispense our own pills from a 3D printer at home. More widely, it is probable that 40% of the world’s leading companies may not exist in a meaningful way in the next 10 – 15 years, according to a former CEO of Cisco. However, rather than fearing this great disruption, we need to recognise that many more new and different jobs will replace the existing ones. Certainly, a time of unprecedented opportunity, a time for the emergence of a different kind of leadership. Perhaps the key challenge for leaders will be to adapt their leadership styles in order to successfully combine the human and machine workforce. Utilising tech innovations to increase productivity while simultaneously complimenting important traits of human nature. Namely, creativity, innovation and imagination. As leaders of the new normal we will be required to not only juggle, but effectively exploit the benefits of the human/machine intelligence combination. I would suggest there are four critical areas for increased leadership capability as we move forward. This first is VISION - the disposition and willingness to see the bigger, changing picture. Visionary leaders demonstrate a commitment to communicate a consistent, clear and compelling cause and show a willingness to embrace an inclusive, expansive, societal and global orientation. The second is UNDERSTANDING. Klaus Schwab said, ‘We need leaders who are emotionally intelligent, able to model co-operative working. They’ll coach rather than command, they’ll be driven by empathy not ego. The digital revolution needs a different, more human kind of leadership.’ We need leaders with increased levels of emotional intelligence, greater resilience and mental toughness. Leaders of the future must also practice CLARITY, embodying and promoting accountability. They should be purposeful, principled and values-driven, clearly committed to communicating clarity of expectation, with an unapologetic focus on execution. Finally, AGILITY. Companies of the future will need leaders who choose flexibility and celebrate change. These leaders will encourage and facilitate hyper-connected, often virtual and empowered teams, so that initiative and decision-making thrive. The leader need not be the tech expert, rather the ‘conductor’ who ensures that the right talent is in the right place, with the right tools. In conclusion, there is so much more to be optimistic about than to fear, but leaders need to be the champions and the role-models for this new normal. There is too much to gain! The choice is stark and succinctly put by a former CEO of General Electric, a wake-up call for leaders, “If the outside environment is changing faster than the inside – the end is in sight.”

he digital revolution or the era of connectivity is not somewhere out there. It is upon us! This new revolution will arguably have a greater impact than any of the three revolutions before it. The emergence of quantum computing, robotics, AI and machine learning for example, present us with huge challenges and even greater possibilities. “There has never been a time of greater promise or greater peril”, according to the chair and founder of the WEF, Klaus Schwab.

“Perhaps the key challenge for leaders will be to adapt their leadership styles in order to successfully combine the human and machine workforce... As leaders of the new normal we will be required to not only juggle, but effectively exploit the benefits of the human/machine intelligence combination.” In my training and coaching work with leaders in NI and around the world, I see the need to properly position ourselves for this new normal. I would suggest that the leaders we need will be defined by the ability to respond out of a clear vision and with agility, rapidly engaging and aligning empowered and networked teams with clarity of purpose and a steely resolve to deliver results.

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FEATURE

A Good Sport Jodie Murphy, Business Development Manager, Excelledia Digital Innovation. What is your favourite sport and why do you like it? Sport has played a big part in my life for as long as I can remember. When I was in school, I competed in Athletics and held several Ulster and Ireland titles. I fell in love with athletics through role models like Paula Radcliffe and Jessica Ennis. After sustaining a knee injury and needing surgery, I picked up football to become part of a team again and later found Ballymacash Young Ladies. Both athletics and football are disciplined team sports which I love. The family aspect of the team, aligned with the competitive side is a perfect match. Do you encourage other members of your family to play a sport? My family all encourage each other to take part in sport. My brother played rugby and competed for Ulster U18’s, my cousins and uncle have held several boxing titles and my parents and sister have always been involved in sport in some way. We all encourage each other as we all have that competitive and driven nature about ourselves.

Are you a spectator or a participant? Both. During the football season myself and my good friend and football captain Chloe Glover live and breathe football. If we do not have a match ourselves, we go and watch other women’s football matches in different divisions. It is fantastic to see the Northern Ireland Women’s Football Association (NIWFA) leagues grow each year, with more and more women participating and enjoying football. What team (across any sport) do you follow? I have always supported Ulster Rugby, a team we have always followed in our household. In relation to football it has been great to watch Northern Ireland Football Team excel over the last few years and make us all proud! Do you think the games we play as children in many cases were designed to prepare us for life as functioning adults? I believe sport has shaped me and prepared me for my career so far. There are a lot of lessons that children can take from sport and

Rosie McKee, chairperson of Northern Ireland Women's Football Association (NIWFA), Christine Clews, Lisburn Ladies FC, Jodie Murphy, Excelledia Digital Innovation and Clare McAllister, Northern Ireland Residential Manager, Electric Ireland

bring with them throughout life. It teaches you how to be disciplined and resilient, it gives you focus and drive. These are only a few characteristics that you learn through sport, which are evidently important in later life. The commitment to sport from a young age teaches you the commitment and hard work ethic that will always be important in any chosen career. What lessons are there in sport that can be applied to business? There are many lessons to take from sport that can be applied to business and your career. If I could choose one it would be; the more you put in, the more you get out. Training is related to studying, the harder you work the bigger the reward.

“I believe sport has shaped me and prepared me for my career so far.” Do you think playing a sport or being part of a team makes you a better leader? I believe playing a sport definitely makes you a better leader and it also teaches you that there are many ways to be a leader. No two teammates are the same, just like colleagues or employees. Sometimes you have to tailor your approach to leadership to get the desired outcome. In business, do you think the phrase ‘play to win’ applies and if so why? Play to win will always apply to business when it comes to me, working in business development it is key. In business you need to be organised and strategic to win, like sport. However, you need to be prepared for when you fail, and take the lessons from that to change the outcome the next time.

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Columnist Brian Murphy, Managing Partner, BDO Northern Ireland

Congratulations, you made it through 2019! BDO’s Brian Murphy reflects on the business community’s ability to survive the turbulent year that was 2019.

that businesses are putting investment decisions on hold and are generally being even more cautious than before about their plans for the future. This is a perfectly acceptable approach to address short-term issues, but what we now have to accept is that the issues are not short term and are instead the new norm. Secondly, the potential negative impact of a ‘Wait and See’ approach can be mitigated if you, and all of your competitors and customers, are adopting the same approach. However, our trading partners across the European Union have not been sitting on their hands over the last three years. Instead they have been seeking to insulate themselves from any negative Brexit impact by, amongst other strategies; relocating offices and restructuring supply lines to non-UK suppliers. We cannot afford to be left behind as these changes continue to evolve.

t’s fairly safe to say that the business community has just experienced, and thankfully lived through, one of the most tumultuous and impactful years in living memory. For the last three years the media has issued a constant feed of speculation as to the outcome of Brexit. To add to that and to make matters worse, we in Northern Ireland have also had a political impasse to deal with. With all of this going on, it’s not really surprising that confidence levels within the local business community were so low, as repeatedly reflected in the NI Chamber and BDO Quarterly Economic Survey throughout the year. The only sentiment that seemed to be on the rise was one of frustration. Frustration with the lack of political leadership, both here and in Westminster and frustration with the resulting level of uncertainty that had permeated the business community. However, despite these issues, NI businesses yet again showed their resilience and grew, albeit modestly. However modest that growth may have been, they deserve credit and should be congratulated for having done so. The rollercoaster ride during the last year has certainly had its highs and lows, but I like to think that we are now beginning this New Year on a high. It may take time for confidence levels to be restored, but there’s no doubt that a clearer Brexit strategy will provide some of the clarity that has previously been absent. With this clarity, the NI Business community now has an opportunity to put the past behind it and get back on track. If you cast your mind back some 3½ years, you may recall that there was a growing confidence in our local economy, with businesses trading well and there being a very real prospect of the introduction of a competitive Corporation Tax rate for Northern Ireland. At that time we were on the verge of seizing a hard earned opportunity to make NI the success that we knew it could be. I believe that if government plays its role, and if we in the business community can overcome some of the inertia that has crept into our decision making processes, then in partnership we can renew those same opportunities from 3½ years ago. Whilst I am encouraged by recent political and economical developments, there are two areas that concern me: Firstly, there is a risk that the ‘Wait and See’ approach has become a state of mind, rather than a prudent approach to decision making. We’ve already watched over three years pass us by and however much I dislike the thought, it will still take time before new trade agreements are negotiated and the Brexit uncertainty is finally removed for good. The QES has repeatedly shown us

“The rollercoaster ride during the last year has certainly had its highs and lows, but I like to think that we are now beginning this New Year on a high. It may take time for confidence levels to be restored, but there’s no doubt that a clearer Brexit strategy will provide some of the clarity that has previously been absent.” So what can we do? For many NI businesses the outcome of the UK’s new trade agreement negotiations will be critically important and will inevitably have a bearing on our strategies going forward. But that should not prevent us from exploring other opportunities in new markets; developing new and even more innovative products; and improving efficiencies and productivity within our own organisations. The business community in NI and indeed across the UK needs to lift its head once again and to look for the positive opportunities that are out there. It’s time for us all to remember how strong the NI proposition can be and to move beyond the hurdle of ‘Waiting to See.’

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FEATURE

Stairway to Seven My seven steps for business success

Martin Flynn was appointed Chief Executive of Open College Network Northern Ireland (OCN NI) in June 2015 and has made an outstanding contribution to the success of OCN NI during this short period. He is a graduate of the University of Dundee and University of Liverpool and has a BA in Professional Development and PGC in Management. During his time in post, Martin has positioned OCN NI as a leading Awarding Body in Northern Ireland. The organisation works closely in partnership with education and training providers to develop and award professional and technical (vocational) qualifications. In 2018 Martin was presented with the Leading Organisation Change award at the CO3 Awards. He also Chairs the Northern Ireland Awarding Body Forum, which consists of all the major awarding bodies offering qualifications in NI. The forum liaises with key stakeholders, including NI government departments, regulators and funding agencies to represent the interests of the qualifications sector in NI.

1. BE HONEST AND SINCERE

It’s extremely important to be honest and sincere, not only with your customers but with your staff. I find this builds trust which in turn helps to form fantastic relationships.

2. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS

There have been many occasions throughout my career where I have been talked out of doing something, whether it be developing a new product, offering a new service or making a structural change to the organisation. In my experience, by not following your instincts you are only delaying the inevitable anyway. So always stick to your guns!

3. EMPLOY THE RIGHT PEOPLE

In order to maintain a successful business, you need to employ the right people. Obviously, it’s important that they have the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience in their chosen field of endeavour, but it’s also equally important that they fit the culture of the organisation and believe in what you are trying to achieve.

Martin Flynn, Chief Executive of Open College Network Northern Ireland.

4. BE AMBITIOUS FOR YOUR

ORGANISATION As a leader, I want the absolute best for my organisation and the staff who work here. I believe there is nothing that we cannot achieve as a team and that passion and excitement is an important part of being a success in business.

EMBRACE CHANGE AND BE INNOVATIVE We live in an ever changing and evolving world and it is important to keep up with these changes. Rather than fear this, I like to build a culture of embracing change and leading the way to show employees that it can work in our benefit.

5. PROVIDE GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE

7. REMEMBER TO TAKE A BREAK

Everyone has the right to high quality services which are accessible, valued and responsive to need. It’s important to set clear customer service standards so that a) your staff know what is expected of them and b) your customers know exactly what levels of service they can expect from you. Organisations should constantly strive for excellence, but you will only find out what your customers think if you ask them.

Running a business is hard work and uses up a lot of hours in your day. But it’s really important to make time for yourself and do the things you enjoy. This will provide you with an opportunity to recharge your batteries and become prepared for the next opportunity and/or challenge ahead. You will find work much more rewarding.

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Columnist Chris Wynne, Fraud & Cyber Crime Manager at Danske Bank

Fraud And Cyber Crime Risks: What To Look Out For In 2020

hether your business sells in Northern Ireland, the UK, Europe or further afield, it’s highly likely that in today’s fast-moving, digital world, at least some of your sales processes and communications with customers and staff are carried out online. The internet has made the world smaller in many respects, enabling many local companies to secure international customers and export their products and services around the world. Online banking has helped make this geographical expansion easier, enabling quick transfer of funds from one person to another. Unfortunately, the same attributes that enable global business can also act as a potent fraud enabler and despite increased awareness of the dangers of fraud, the most common types of business fraud – such as CEO fraud and invoice redirection fraud

that you need to verify your logon details and provides a link to do so. You click on the link and it asks you to sign in. You enter your e-mail and your password the screen refreshes and you’re back to logon screen. Thinking it’s a glitch, you enter your details again. So, what might have just happened here? If it was a phishing e-mail, fraudsters will create a logon page that looks very like the real thing in the hope you will enter you details. The clever part comes next. Once you enter your details the page is designed to refresh to the genuine logon page and at this point most people just assume there was some error the first time you logged in. But your e-mail and password have just been handed to the fraudster so now they can get to work. A common tactic is for the fraudster to setup mail rules, looking for key words such as ‘invoice’, ‘payment’, ‘due’ etc. and use these rules to move emails of interest into a separate folder. Once an email of interest lands they respond to it with bank account details of their choosing or edit the details of an inbound invoice and forward it to your mailbox hoping you will bite. It’s important that you have strong controls in place to try to prevent phishing emails making it into your organisation, and as a backup, training for staff on what to look out for. An important tool to prevent BEC is two factor authentication (2FA), as with this, a fraudster cannot access your mailbox with just a username and password as they will require another code, often sent by text message. The final step to prevent invoice redirection is verification that the beneficiary account details are correct for the person you intend to pay? A phone call on a number you know to be correct to verify the beneficiary account details before any payment is made is all it takes to stop invoice redirection fraud. It seems simple, but in the first half of 2019, £55.9m was lost to invoice redirection fraud. And finally, never divulge personal information such as usernames, passwords, codes from your eSafeID device or codes sent to you by text message to anyone, not even your bank. We never need to know these details. For more advice visit www.danskebank.co.uk/security

“One of the greatest risks for any exporter is failure on the part of the buyer to pay for the goods. ” – are on the rise. Much of this is driven not by the technology, but rather very clever social engineering techniques where fraudsters manipulate people into divulging confidential information to gain access to accounts, and it’s not just your bank accounts they are interested in. The information that can be gleaned from e-mail or social media can be much more valuable. Business e-mail compromised (BEC) is a key enabler in invoice redirection fraud. In short, should a fraudster be able to gain access to your mailbox, they have access to all communications between you and your customers. This could allow them to send an email purporting to be you and perhaps provide a new account number for any future invoices to be paid, or alter the beneficiary account information on an invoice you have received and are due to pay. How do fraudsters get access to your mailbox in the first place? It usually boils down to poor password policies or the logon details having been divulged via a phishing e-mail. Imagine the scene, you get an e-mail which looks to be from Microsoft 365, it tells you

AN INSIGHT INTO BUSINESS GROWTH BY GAVIN KENNEDY – HEAD OF BUSINESS BANKING NI Imagine a community of businesses sharing insights, being inspired, engaged, learning and growing together. At the end of 2019 we launched our customer initiative “Business Owners Insights” a platform enabling local Northern Ireland SMEs to do just that. And it is all about our business customers, not the bank as we’ve designed it with and for businesses. We carefully listened through customer research which included a sentiment survey identifying that half of the SMEs said their current business was just managing, with a further 16% stretched or struggling. As a result the programme purpose is to build confidence, help drive competitive advantage and enable our local SMEs to build a network of peers working together to accelerate their business growth. Customers are at the heart of the initiative, actively involved in the delivery as hosts, showcasing, pitching, supplying and speaking. They share their insights and experiences, from successes to valuable lessons learnt which participants have told us proves invaluable in running their own business. We understand running a business can be a lonely place and we want to inspire in a unique, highly interactive, engaging and fun environment so as to provoke and

encourage an endless exchange of ideas and opportunities. It’s about stimulating new thinking, connections and collaboration to create and deliver business growth opportunities. Some of Northern Ireland’s most talented and successful entrepreneurs including Niall McKenna, Chef and entrepreneur owner of James Street & Co restaurant group have already shared their business story. Speaking about best advice he’d be given in running a business which was: “The importance of looking after your staff, have the nerve to get on with it and building relationships is vital to business.” Whilst Holly Wilson, Commercial Manager, Belfast Cathedral shared the Belfast Cathedral story, openly speaking about the drivers, challenges and where they are as they pivot to commercialisation and Breda McCague, Motivational & Transformational Specialist and CoFounder for Lean-In Ireland, shared inspiring insights on developing business confidence and the art of the pitch. She said; “To land your dreams, think big, be clear about the success you want and how it feels (when you get there) and be clear on the actions you need to take to get there. After that it’s about taking on fear…The opponent of opportunity. Just go for it!”

I’m looking forward to 2020 as we continue to build and strengthen Bank of Ireland’s Business Owners Insights customer community. To find out more and register your interest visit: https://www.bankofirelanduk.com/business/businessowner-insights/

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Columnist Claire Clerkin, Co-Founder at Wiser Working

A New Way to Measure Success In her first article for Ambition, Claire Clerkin, Co-Founder at people development consultancy Wiser Working, shares a new way to think about quantifying success that moves beyond the P&L.

People will contribute more when they feel included and their core values are being met. The opposite is also true. Disengagement can happen if they are overworked, feel underappreciated, excluded or unsafe within the team context. It can also happen if they become overwhelmed by stress or if they neglect stress-mitigating activities such as proper sleep, good nutrition and adequate exercise.

raditional measures of business success can be very limiting predictors of long-term organisational health and performance. Research proves that organisational health goes beyond having a profitable business, which means companies must move away from tracking revenue or profits alone. People are pivotal and truly successful organisations in the 21st Century need to attract and retain talent in order to ensure sustainable high performance. It is as important as branding, manufacturing and finance.

A Wholistic Approach Think of the organisation as a three-legged stool. If one of the legs (dimensions) is weak or falls off, the stool does not function properly. The organisation is the same. In most businesses, leaders place most focus on the ‘Task’ dimension, leaving the ‘Team’ and ‘Self’ dimensions overlooked or glossed over. If individuals are not coping or are unhappy, it will inevitably affect how they show up in the team and, consequentially affect team performance. Equally, if there is low trust or conflict amongst team members it will affect the overall performance of the organisation.

Three Dimensions of Success My colleagues and I refer to the ‘Self Team Task’ model when we work with teams. The model, taken from the Conscious Business work of Fred Kofman, offers a wholistic view of a team or an entire organisation. Any organisation that is assembled for the purpose of providing a product or service, can be viewed through the three lenses of Self, Team and Task. These three dimensions are interlinked and require attention if the enterprise is to be sustainably successful. The model is simple to understand but in real life, it is challenging for leaders to get the balance right between the dimensions. The ‘Task’ dimension represents the measurable outputs of the team or group and is typically the focus of KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators) or other metrics. This dimension is usually associated with revenue, profits, costs, billable hours, deadlines, quality control, risk assessments and customer feedback. This task element usually receives the most attention in meetings and is crucial to ensure the ongoing survival of the group. It is also the aspect that leaders and their employees feel most comfortable to talk about. Most important organisational outcomes are achieved by groups in teams, functions or regions, which is where the ‘Team’ element comes in. Ideally, these groups need to be aligned around a common purpose and mission. The most successful groups tend to have clear communication and high levels of trust. The group members collaborate well and learn how to solve their own problems. Finally, we come to ‘Self’. Every individual in the group has their own motivations, strengths and weaknesses. They bring all of these to the group, as well as a certain level of engagement with both the team and the task.

Creating a healthier system Over the last few years, that has been a growing awareness of the need to invest in employees – usually through the vehicle of ‘wellbeing’. We see many businesses who introduce well-intentioned initiatives such as offering fruit bowls, yoga classes or wellbeing weeks. In our view, these schemes are a welcome start, but are insufficient to truly balance the three organisational dimensions needed for a healthy organisation. When leadership can foster cultures of respect, honesty and collaboration, and model behaviours that promote wellbeing (such as not emailing after hours), then there is a chance for true balance and organisation health. If you are responsible for the success of a business or a team, you could try a new approach in 2020 using this model. Ask yourself what success would look like in each of the dimensions. What is currently getting in the way of success in each area? In your team, are the workloads evenly balanced? Do people do what they promise and do they trust each other? If changes are needed, identify what you need to do to create a positive shift in each of the dimensions. Find out what team members really think and really need in order to be fully engaged. Finally and importantly, give thought to how well are you taking care of your own self dimension. Be a leader who brings positive energy to your team and lead by example, prioritising stressmitigating activities and setting clear boundaries between work and home life.

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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.

eflecting on the latter months of

everyone involved – the party leaders for

2019, the end of the year was an

their participation, host companies and

exceptionally busy period for NI

members who attended. Now that the

Chamber.

electioneering is over, it is time for our

Much of it was, of course, focused on

politicians to provide businesses with the

voicing our member’s interests during the

certainly and level of detail they need to

general election campaign, which saw the

prepare for business in 2020 and beyond.

return of the 5 Leaders; 5 Days series. Over

Especially with the Executive now up and

a period of two weeks, NI Chamber hosted

running again.

leaders of the five main political parties in

While much focus was around the

Northern Ireland, who each outlined their

general election, there was also lots more

plans for business and the economy. The

great work taking place besides. November

events were a vital opportunity for our

saw NI Chamber’s largest Meet the Buyer

members to hear first-hand from those who seek to represent their interests, and

Colum Eastwood (SDLP) and John Healy (NI Chamber).

provided an opportunity for them to ask questions of political leaders.

Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber); Nigel Walsh (Ulster Bank); Edel Redmond (Dublin Airport); Lorcan Tyrrell (Dublin Airport).

event ever, with 300 delegates and 25 major buyers in attendance. Leveraging links with colleagues in

Without exception, the 5 Leaders; 5 Days

Dublin, NI Chamber, in partnership with

events were open, informative interactions

Ulster Bank, facilitated a near-market trade

and I would like to extend my thanks to

mission to the city for 20 local companies.

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); John Healy (NI Chamber); Naomi Long (Alliance) and John Poole (KPMG).

chamber chief’s update

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); Ian Henry (NI Chamber); Dr Steve Aiken (UUP) and Andrea McIlroy-Rose (Pinsent Masons). Michelle O’Neill (Sinn Fein) and John Healy (NI Chamber).

As well as identifying new market opportunities, delegates heard from Dublin Airport on its future development plans and the National Transport Authority. We also travelled to London with eight finalists who represented Northern Ireland at the British Chambers of Commerce’s annual Chamber Business Awards. Congratulations to Henry Brothers, who won Family Business of the Year on the night, as well as FinTru, highly commended in the Employer of the Year category.

Ian Hnery (NI Chamber); Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); Arlene Foster (DUP) and John Healy (NI Chamber).

One of the highlights of the calendar year was the annual President’s Banquet

Council and Executive team, I would also

the year includes the continuation of our

in November. Over 900 guests attended

like to congratulate NI Chamber President

CEO spotlight series, technical training for

the sold-out gala event in ICC Belfast,

John Healy on ending the year as a recipient

exporters, regional networking events and

where they heard from guest speaker Louis

of an OBE on the Queen’s New Year Honour

the return of the inspirational Growing

Theroux. Our chosen charity on the night

List. John was awarded for services to the

Something Brilliant leadership series, to

was Samaritans, who we also supported at

economy in Northern Ireland. The award is

name just a few. The full calendar has now

our Annual Lunch in June. The generosity of

a fitting recognition of the unique voluntary

been published so I encourage everyone to

guests at both events was overwhelming

contribution that he has made to economic

review the schedule and attend as many as

and on their behalf, we were delighted to

development in Northern Ireland.

possible. As always, our events are open to

Looking ahead, 2020 is set to be another

present the charity with a cheque for over £35,000. On behalf of the NI Chamber Board,

forward to meeting them throughout the

calendar of events for the first half of

year.

NEW ESSENTIAL MEMBERS City Office NI Dialogic Evergreen Glen Dimplex Innovate XL Lambda Digital Massive PR

every member of your team and we look

busy year for NI Chamber. Our packed

Mile High Labs Not one Iota simPRO Studio Mindset Thunk WDR & RT Taggart

NEW GROWTH MEMBERS ABO Wind

NEW CORPORATE MEMBERS Balcas Sodexo

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

Climate Change, Decarbonisation and Net Zero 50 Report with SSE Airtricity

1. Richard Rodgers (Department for the Economy), John Fitzgerald (Climate Change Advisory Council), Ian Henry (NI Chamber), Jo Aston (SONI), Richard Bruton TD (Irish Minister of Communications, Climate Action and Environment), Denis McMahon (Permanent Secretary at Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs) and Stephen Wheeler (SSE Airtricity). 2. Richard Rodgers (Department for the Economy), Jo Aston (SONI), Denis McMahon (Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs), John Fitzgerald (Climate Change Advisory Council) participated in a panel discussion with BBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s John Campbell. 3. John Campbell (BBC) and Ian Henry (NI Chamber). 4. 100 firms attended the event. 5. Stephen Wheeler (SSE Airtricity) and Ian Henry (NI Chamber). 6. John Gilliland (Devenish Nutrition) asks a question to the panel. 7. Stephen Wheeler (SSE Airtricity) and Richard Bruton (Irish Minister of Communications, Climate Action and Environment). 8. Vicky Boden (SSE Airtricity), Louise Glennon (SSE Airtricity) and John Simpson.

8. 28

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social

NI Chamber & KPMG CEO Spotlight Series with Encirc

Adrian Curry, Managing Director of Encirc, was the guest speaker at the second NI Chamber and KPMG ‘CEO Spotlight’ event. Pictured at the event are John Poole (KPMG), Adrian Curry (Encirc) and Louise Turley (NI Chamber).

NI Chamber & SONI Energy Forum at Invest NI The event was an opportunity for over 100 major energy users and suppliers to discuss significant changes within the energy sector and learn from sustainability case study examples, including Lurgan paper packaging manufacturer, Smurfit Kappa (pictured).

Kerry Muldoon (SONI); Damien O’Mullan (NI Water); Eddie McGoldrick (The Electric Storage Company); Chris Morrow (NI Chamber); Rachel Sankannawar (Invest NI) and Paul Friar (Smurfit Kappa).

SONI’s Kerry Muldoon welcomes everyone to the final Energy Forum of 2019. 30

social

NI Chamber & Bank of Ireland Meet the Buyer

Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber), Niall Devlin (Bank of Ireland UK) and Phil Murray (NI Chamber).

NI Chamber and 1. Ann Bank of Ireland UKMcGregor (Chief Executive, NI Chamber); Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; recently hosted their Niall Gibbons (President, Dublin Chamber) and Mary Rosethe Burke (Chief Executive, Dublin Chamber). largest ever Meet 2. Niall Gibbons; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; Siobhan Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shea (Cpl); Buyer. Welcoming Richard Kennedy (Devenish Nutrition) and Dr Dennise Broderick people to the event (Galen). is Niall Devlin, Head Jo Aston (SONI); Mary Rose Burke (Dublin Chamber); Brendan 3. Business of Regional Sandvik participated Centres NI at Foster Bank of(Grant Thornton) and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. as one of 25 buyers at Ireland UK. the event.

Danske Bank Export First dinner with Nelipak Healthcare Packaging

NI Chamber President John Healy; Paul Millar (Nelipak Healthcare Packaging) and Aaron Ennis (Danske Bank) pictured at the latest Export First event with Nelipak. 31

social

The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Banquet

7. 32

SOCIAL

10.

9. 2. 3.

Ann McGregor (Chief Executive, NI Chamber); Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; Niall Gibbons (President, Dublin Chamber) and Mary 11. Rose Burke (Chief Executive, Dublin Chamber). Niall Gibbons; Taoiseach Leo Varadkar; Siobhan O’Shea (Cpl); Richard Kennedy (Devenish Nutrition) and Dr Dennise Broderick (Galen). Jo Aston (SONI); Mary Rose Burke (Dublin Chamber); Brendan Foster (Grant Thornton) and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.

12. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

13.

Mark Owens, Ann McGregor, John Healy, Louis Theroux, Terence Brannigan and Paul Murnaghan. Ann McGregor, Secretary of State Julian Smith, Louis Theroux and John Healy. Claire Healy, John Healy, Louis Theroux, Krystin Healy and Hannah Healy. Joint Secretary at the Department of Foreign Affairs Kevin Conmy, UUP Leader Steve Aiken, Anne Connolly and Ryan Feeney. Nikita Brijpaul and Louis Theroux. Louis Theroux and William McCausland. Suzanne Wylie and Katrina Godfrey.

8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Patrick Brown and Louis Theroux. Mannon Travel’s Mukesn with star prize winner Bernard Lavery, Eimer Hannon and Petrina McAuley. DUP Party Leader Arlene Foster, John Healy, Louis Theroux, Tina McKenzie, UUP Leader Steve Aiken and Ann McGregor. Donna Parker, Keith Smith, Kevin Holland, Secretary of State Julian Smith and Rose Mary Stalker. Louis Theroux and John Finucane. Louise Turley, Louis Theroux and Petrina McAuley.

“It’s Time to Start Reversing the Damage” NI Chamber says Executive must reinvigorate stagnant economy, build new infrastructure, boost skills and lower the cost of doing business in 2020

L-R: Christopher Morrow (NI Chamber); Brian Murphy (BDO NI); Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and Maureen O’Reilly (Economist for the QES).

Providing certainty around Brexit and reversing the damage that it and three years of paralysis at Stormont has caused should be the NI Executive’s top priorities, according to the latest Quarterly Economic Survey from Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and business advisors BDO. Other key concerns include reducing business costs, investing in infrastructure and addressing skills gaps. The results suggest that delaying Brexit until 31 January has had a negative effect on almost a third of businesses (32%), who say it has had an impact on investment and growth plans, negatively impacting the performance of 25% of companies. Q4 19 results show that weak economic growth persisted in the final quarter of 2019. According to the survey, almost 3 in 5 members (57%) believe the Northern Ireland economy will contract in 2020 and they enter the year less optimistic than other years. Commenting on the results, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber said: “Northern Ireland’s overall trade performance is poor. Sales within the domestic market are weak and order balances are negative. Business investment has taken a particular hit over the last few years and that will have consequences for the growth and

competitiveness of this region’s economy going forward. Cash-flow problems persist, as do recruitment difficulties. “Given recent trading conditions, these results are unfortunately not surprising. Rather, they are confirmation of the starkly negative impact three years of paralysis at Stormont and continuing Brexit uncertainty had and continues to have, on companies across the province. While businesses are more positive about their own prospects for growth in 2020 compared to the wider economy, despite best efforts, their plans are weighed down by these external factors. The Executive must move fast to start reversing the damage and restore the confidence of businesses, consumers and investors – and make sure NI does not get left further behind. It is critical that they get the approach to trade right. As an export focused organisation, we welcome the focus on investing in business growth for the future. This includes the new Northern Ireland International Trade plan, the establishing of a Trade Advisory Board, a Trade Accelerator Plan and a “Made in NI” campaign. “There needs to be immediate, substantial action to reinvigorate our stagnant economy, build new infrastructure, boost skills and lower the cost of doing business in 2020.”

ANALYSIS BY BRIAN MURPHY, MANAGING PARTNER, BDO NORTHERN IRELAND It was a difficult end to 2019 for the business community in Northern Ireland, with the ‘new norm’ of uncertainty and ongoing stagnation continuing to stymie the ambition of many within the business community. Although results from our latest Quarterly Economic Survey show an improvement on Q3 results, this is more a reflection of the factors surrounding Q3 and the

threat of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit. Since then we have seen a Brexit ‘Deal’ but this is by no means the end of the matter. There remains continued uncertainty around the detail and timeframe of new arrangements and how it will ultimately impact how our businesses operate and invest in the future. It is difficult to ignore the disparity between the level of confidence the business community felt in 2016 compared to the cautious approach demonstrated over the last three and a half years. The ground we have lost to our nearest competitors in that period

another Survey wish list. With a new NI Executive in place we now have local Ministers making decisions on these key issues for the first time in three years, as well as guiding us through the complexities of the next stages of Brexit. This is a welcome development for the business community, who have repeatedly urged for the return of local decision making to support and facilitate sustainable economic growth. The prospect of a Tourism Strategy, Skills Strategy and long-term multiyear budgets will provide much needed confidence and clarity for the industry.

cannot be underestimated. Our trading partners across the European Union have been proactively seeking to insulate themselves from any negative Brexit impact by, amongst other strategies; relocating offices and restructuring supply lines to non-UK suppliers. We cannot afford to be left behind as these changes continue to evolve. In order for businesses to achieve aspirations similar to what they were in 2016, a number of long-standing issues need to be addressed; low levels of confidence, rising business costs and the skills gap (along with Brexit) topping yet

Quarterly Economic Survey Q4 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

Weak growth in NI economy persisted as 2019 came to a close

Brexit delay to 31 January 2020

Lost ground in NI’s post-recession recovery evident, particularly for local manufacturing Investment intentions eroded by Brexit uncertainty and global growth prospects Cash flow a persistent concern for both manufacturing and services

32%

25%

say Brexit delay will reduce overall business performance

12%

say Brexit delay will increase stockpiling

Business Prospects dependent on Brexit outcome positive around business prospects if UK remains in EU

59%

Manufacturing recruitment intentions show signs of slowdown but difficulties ease for both sectors

Manufacturing

say Brexit delay will reduce investment/ growth plans

56%

Sectors

Trading conditions for manufacturers remain challenging with 8 of 14 key balances negative

negative around prospects in event of ‘No Deal’

39%

view ‘Boris’ deal as detrimental to their business prospects

Services More businesses believe that turnover and profits will grow than contract in the next 12 months

Particularly poor domestic performance sales and order balances remain negative over last two quarters

Service sector still showing some signs of growth and confidence

Fewer manufacturers were recruiting in Q4 2019, lowest across the UK regions

Only 4 out of 14 key balances are negative in Q4 - compared to 8 in Q3

Investment intentions continue to deteriorate

Special Focus: 2020 Prospects / Concerns

57%

believe the NI economy will contract in 2020

25%

57%

of members believe their own business will grow in 2020

believe the NI economy will grow in 2020

Key concerns around a recession, confidence, NI/GB relationships and skills challenges

173 members responded to the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry Quarterly Economic Survey, in partnership with BDO, during the 4th quarter of 2019. Together they account almost 16,500 jobs. Note: The ‘balance’ refers to the difference between the % of firms reporting an increase in a key indicator minus the % reporting a decrease.

FEATURE

Looking Forward to 2020 Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support at NI Chamber considers some of the key business challenges that may influence business growth in 2020 and explores ways in which companies could manage the risks.

ooking ahead to 2020, whilst Northern Ireland’s SMEs will undoubtedly continue to have ambitious growth aspirations, the current business landscape does present some key challenges for business – from sector-specific issues to general economic uncertainty. Notwithstanding these challenges, the nature of business is such that it is frequently faced with hurdles to growth and NI businesses understand the need to be agile and innovative in order to thrive. In fact, the ability to be innovative and provide bespoke solutions to customers is often identified as a competitive edge by members. In order to continue to drive growth in 2020 businesses should consider the following: • Productivity – In an environment of limited staff resource and potential margin erosion through tariffs, businesses should very much be focused on increasing productivity in order to create a strong platform for growth. Businesses should consider their options around workplace training, upskilling to develop and motivate their staff and, in turn, increase productivity and efficiency. Further, utilising technology and digital appropriately within key areas of a business can enhance production, turnaround times, communication and extend a business’ reach / profile in a cost effective manner. Investment in digital requires commitment and buy-in from the business and often requires third party expertise in order to ensure the solution is as future proofed as possible. • People – Investing in staff is one thing, retaining them and their new skillset, as well as attracting new talent, is another. Although competitive salaries are still a factor, money is becoming less important to a younger generation of workers. Instead they are seeking benefits such as extra holidays and flexible working hours and are increasingly concerned with the organisational culture and morality of the company in which they work. Businesses should take a much more holistic approach to what they offer and not underestimate the importance of non-monetary benefits.

Businesses should also understand how the emergence of the “gig” economy locally could be utilised within their business to support internal or external project delivery. The use of skilled workers, possibly based internationally, will not only open up their workforce options but also allow the business the flexibility to scale when needed without an associated fixed term investment in staff. • Innovation – Northern Ireland businesses are well known as innovative thinkers providing bespoke solutions to their customers and becoming problem solvers, as opposed to simply providing a standardised product. This builds a strong relationship with a customer and a reputation for agility and customer centricity. Businesses seeking to focus on this area should become aware of the resource and capability of both Queen’s University, Belfast and Ulster University in terms of supporting businesses to innovate. Both institutions have a commercial focus and the desire to tie in with businesses to carry out research on specific projects or provide expertise in particular areas to support research and innovation (please contact NI Chamber if you are interested in a connection with the universities to explore opportunities in this area). Further, ‘Innovation Vouchers’ provide funding for SMEs of up to £5,000 to support access to an expert knowledge provider to develop new products, processes or services. • Export – geographic diversification is imperative for businesses seeking to scale. Whilst Brexit has meant that the parameters around trading internationally are more uncertain, this should not discourage early exporters. Given that tariffs and logistics will always be a feature of international trade, businesses should ensure they are knowledgeable and have access to experts when evaluating target markets, identifying routes to market, real cost, logistics and competition. All of this should inform their international trade journey as opposed to stalling it – businesses should not be afraid of reaching out to far markets and expanding internationally, as with the right help this is certainly achievable. At NI Chamber, our International Division, supported by A&L Goodbody, Grant Thornton and Queen’s University Belfast, provides expertise to companies wishing to grow their business internationally. Further, NI Chamber has a technical export documentation team who advise and process documentation required for export as well as delivering technical training on key areas such as customs declarations, commodity codes, incoterms and an accredited training series. For more information on the NI Chamber International Division visit the dedicated microsite northernirelandchamberinternational-hub.com/ SUPPORTED BY

Growing Your Company Internationally

he final NI Chamber Scaling for Growth workshop of 2019 took place in November. It focused on International Business Growth and how SMEs can look to international markets to scale. NI Chamber’s Scaling for Growth programme, supported by Bank of Ireland UK, assists SMEs in achieving their growth strategy whether it be through sharing market knowledge, connections to the international Chamber network or companies in-market, learning from peers or introductions to funders. It also provides bespoke one-to-one support to a number of NI Chamber members to enable them to achieve growth. Alongside this support, three workshops are delivered each year, exclusive to NI Chamber members who participate in the programme, and focus on a range of opportunities and the prevailing challenges faced by SMEs when seeking to grow. Feedback from previous Scaling for Growth workshops show that 95% of attendees learnt from other companies and 84% identified new export markets as a result of attending the Scaling for Growth workshops. November’s “Growing Your Company Internationally” workshop provided SMEs with the opportunity to hear from companies who have successfully grown in a range of international markets including Canada, Russia, Australia, US, China and Europe. Speakers came from a range of sectors including software, engineering and manufacturing and provided insights into approaching new international markets, how to build connections in these markets and executing a successful international strategy.

2. Dr Hugh Cormican, CEO and Elaine Armstrong, Marketing Manager, at Cirdan Health, a top provider of innovative software and imaging solutions that enhance and speed up the diagnosis of patients. With Headquarters based in Lisburn, Cirdan also have offices in Australia and Canada, selling to customers across six continents. Hugh and Elaine shared their story in how they successfully operate this company across multiple territories and how they continue to identify and enter new geographies.

and encouraged me to look outside of the local market. As a result of attending the workshop, I intend to review our current selling approach and rethink our territory sales plans. The workshop also provided me with an excellent opportunity to connect with people from a range of sectors and I hope to gain new customers as a result of meeting with them at this workshop. Hearing from the speakers on their past experiences will influence our own strategy for international growth for example using current employees on the ground when initially setting up.”

3. Neil Collins, Managing Director at Maximus Crushing and Screening, a leading manufacturer of high performance crushing and screening equipment based in Dungannon. With a worldwide customer base in markets including UK, Russia, Australia and Indonesia, Neil discussed the Maximus international growth story including their partnership with RumbleMaster and managing a dealer network across numerous regions.

Elaine Hamilton, Environmental Street Furniture “I attended this workshop to gain insights and tips for international growth that we could implement within our own strategy. I felt that all three speakers provided valuable and practical information that we will definitely use in our own growth strategy such as managing a distributor network. The workshop also provided a good opportunity to share ideas with other attending companies from different sectors and allowed us to take a break from our daily routine and open ourselves to new ideas. At the workshop I also connected with other companies in a similar stage of their growth strategy which will not only be worthwhile connections moving forward but hopefully become future customers.”

Some of the attendees have shared their experience of the workshop: Richard Houston, Continu “The ‘Growing Your Company Internationally’ workshop opened my eyes to the potential that international markets hold for growth

10 companies from a range of sectors attended the workshop, hosted by Xperience in Lisburn, to hear from speakers: 1. Dylan Burke, Marketing Executive at Yelo, a leading test equipment manufacturer that designs, builds and supports test engineering solutions for a range of industries. With customers in the US, Europe and China, Dylan shared the Yelo international growth story focusing on how they have entered and grown in international markets. Yelo was also recently awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and was recognised for its excellence in international trade.

Tanya Anderson (NI Chamber); Mark Cunningham (Bank of Ireland); Dr Hugh Cormican (Cirdan); Neil Collins (Maximus Crushing and Screening); Patrick Leggett (Xperience); Dylan Burke (Yelo); Elaine Armstrong (Cirdan) and Catriona Henry (NI Chamber).

Surge in demand for export support services from NI businesses 39

Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry has reported an uplift in demand for export services from companies across Northern Ireland. Through its new International Division launched less than 12 months ago, NI Chamber assisted over 500 local companies in their export journey during 2019. As well as being a designated authority for the issue of certified export documents, the business support organisation provides technical training on topics ranging from Letters of Credit, to Certificates of Origin, as well as covering prevailing issues for business such as Customs Declarations and Incoterms.

“NI Chamber trained almost 160 people in Customs Declarations procedures, to help them better understand the customs requirements and the possible implications of a post Brexit environment.” According to Tanya Anderson, Head of International and Business Support at NI Chamber, whilst Brexit is a factor, a growing level of aspiration is also driving the demand for export support here: “NI Chamber has a long-held track

record of helping established and early exporters to grow globally. However 2019 saw a notable increase in demand for these services, as NI businesses are looking towards international markets with greater confidence that their goods and services can compete successfully across the world. “We have witnessed a growing number of companies wanting to upskill their own teams and make staff as agile as possible as they seek to scale. Responding to this, NI Chamber trained almost 160 people in Customs Declarations procedures, to help them better understand the customs requirements and the possible implications of a post Brexit environment. “We have also been helping companies prepare for new Incoterms, which came into effect on 1 January. Incoterms are ‘International Commercial Terms’ which provide a standard set of definitions used in International Trade. Given that these are the cornerstone of trading internationally, it’s imperative that local exporters are familiar with the 2020 version and we have already helped over 100 individuals to do so.” In response to these market needs, NI Chamber launched its International Division in May 2018: “In a short time, our new International Division has become central to supporting the execution of members’ export aspirations. In

addition to training, in partnership with International Champions A&L Goodbody, Grant Thornton and Queen’s University, Belfast, we’re delivering workshops on specific export territories and offering exporters the opportunity to share experiences through collaborative forums and peer-to-peer learning,” continued Tanya. The Division has also played a central

Export Services

role in helping companies prepare practically for the possible implications of Brexit. A free, specialist consultancy service, delivered in partnership with Robert McConnell from Pinnacle Professional has been instrumental in helping members manage the implications of delay and prepare for possible scenarios.

t es

Maintaining a competitive edge in the global marketplace is a challenge in any circumstance, none more so than now for local businesses, but according to Tanya, there is still much scope for optimism. “Companies here are producing quality, innovative goods and services which are on-par with the very best

in the world – and by accessing all of the support that’s out there, they can dramatically improve their chances of taking a share of the global market.” To find out more about NI Chamber’s export support services and technical training available in 2020 visit www. northernirelandchamber.com

Export Documentation

Target Market Workshops

Collaborative Forums

Training

One-to-one Brexit Advice

International Resource Library

including Accredited International Training, Customs Declaration Training & Onsite Bespoke Training

For more information on NI Chamber’s Export Services contact Tanya Anderson: Tanya.Anderson@northernirelandchamber.com 41

FEATURE

Family Values Vice President of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), Ian Henry, knows a thing or two about keeping a family business alive and secure during a downturn. Here, the incoming President talks to Emma Deighan about Henry Brothers Ltdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most prominent projects last year.

onstruction firm Henry Brothers in Magherafelt is not just an awardwinning family business in its own confines, but in 2019 it was recognised as Family Business of the Year nationally at the British Chambers of Commerce’s UKwide awards gala in London. It’s an accolade that Ian Henry, Contracts Director, says the company beckoned because of its integrity — a trait that has always been present at the firm since his father Jim Henry set up shop in 1976. “We were delighted and really surprised to win that award,” Ian begins. “Even when we won it locally we were surprised. We were especially delighted for my mum and dad who have worked so hard to bring this business up to what it is now. Dad was at the coalface of Henry Brothers but my mum was the steering of the ship and they both deserve this.” Ian believes it’s the strong moral compass in the company that also helped secure that win. “We’ve been brought up as a family business with strong family and Christian ethics and while my father is now Chairman of the business he remains focused on the company’s core values. We do as much as we can for our staff and they are our focus.” This integrity is further echoed in Henry Brothers’ CSR work, which sees it engage with the local community and beyond. Among its recent initiatives is its work with schools, football clubs, running clubs, womens aid and a summer project to feed children from underprivileged backgrounds. And its 25-acre nature reserve, which the company opened seven years ago, is still going strong, attracting children and adults and introducing them to the wonder of wildlife. But Ian is quick to point out none of the latter social efforts are made for personal gain. He adds: “It’s for the benefit of the local community and our employees.” There are four second-generation family members at the helm of Henry Brothers; Ian, David who is MD, Nigel and Julie. Ian’s other sister Hazel retired from the firm two years ago. “And four of the 12 grandchildren have now entered the firm in different areas to enable them to understand the workings of the company and grow with it as we all did,” adds Ian. It’s a unique position to be in given many family businesses in the UK rarely make it to third generation today. “You can see why,” Ian continues. “If a family business is successful then there is more of a will to sell up or if family relations break down you might want to sell but we’ve been fortunate in that we always get on. We’ve a relationship that says business is business and family is family and we can split the two very easily. We all have a common goal too; we want to see the business continue to grow.” It’s perhaps this harmonious working relationship that has helped Henry Brothers drive business forward, with last year being particularly buoyant despite the looming threat of Brexit and a lack of Executive. Among its biggest jobs in 2019 was its high profile role in the construction of a new £50m block at Maghaberry Prison. “That would be our most prominent project

Jim Henry, Mrs Henry and Julie McKeown (Henry Brothers) with Umerah Akram (London Stock Exchange), pictured at the recent British Chambers of Commerce awards.

of the last two years,” says Ian. “And one of our largest contracts to date. It involved building the largest prison block ever built in Northern Ireland and at one time we had around 200 working on the job between ourselves and subcontractors.” He explains that the new prison, due to open this year, while still adhering to a specific standard, “is quite comfortable” but is helping change how prisons operate. Another of last year’s key projects was Henry Brother’s role in Translink’s Glider Bus hub, its full service depot for the new fleet. “That was one we were delighted to be involved in and it was a great experience for everybody. The size and time frame of the scheme was ambitious but we still delivered it within time and budget,” he adds. Among its other contracts last year includes its work at Queen’s University and the business from its high security glazing division which can take its team to some of the most troubled areas in the world. In 2020 Ian anticipates challenges for the company as a lack of decision making at Stormont finally takes its toll on the flow of contracts into the construction sector three years on from the breakdown of the Executive but because Henry Brothers is a multi-base setup (with four sites; Magherafelt, Belfast, Scotland and the Midlands), an influx of work outside of NI will help counteract the slowdown here until decisions are made by the newly restored Executive. “But not all of our employees want to work across the water and we need to ensure we have work for them in NI,” says Ian who, as incoming President at NI Chamber will be encouraging MLAs to get busy making up for lost time. “The last quarterly survey from NI Chamber tells us that we’re in an eight-year low and it would be very easy to talk ourselves into a recession. The new Executive needs to get more confidence out there. Once we lose confidence everything goes.”

“Dad was at the coalface of Henry Brothers but my mum was the steering of the ship and they both deserve this.” Like many other organisations, the family business experienced challenging times during the recession of 2007. It was tough, but at that time the Board made a conscious decision that we were not going to take on any work that would not be profitable for the company, even if that meant losing turnover. We truly believe that was the right decision for us as we have remained in a profitable position ever since and the business has continued to grow at a sustainable rate. My father always said, ‘work yourself out of trouble’ and that’s what we’ve done ever since.” Looking to challenges that may lay ahead in a post-Brexit landscape for the firm, Ian takes the optimist’s approach; “We are all very resilient in Northern Ireland, whatever Brexit throws at us, let’s get on with it. As our company strapline says, when we all work together we are “Altogether stronger.”

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FEATURE

Dell Technologies General Manager, Mark Hopkins.

The Future of Technology in Business With the combined power of seven different industry leaders in technology, Dell Technologies has the muscle to truly shape the way we do business, now, more than ever. Its General Manager for Ireland and Northern Ireland, Mark Hopkins, talks to Emma Deighan about activity at its sites here and how it is readying businesses for the next data-driven decade. 46

“

In 25 years, I have never seen anything change at the pace technology has,” begins Mark Hopkins. “It’s night and day from when I started in the industry and to see how it has evolved has been brilliant.” Now, alongside a team of around 6,000 IT specialists in Ireland, Mark is applying the lessons from those developments to everything from the manufacturing sector to healthcare, food and education. Dell Technologies is made up of seven industry leaders. They are Dell, Dell EMC, Pivotal, RSA, Secureworks, Virtustream and VMware and collectively they are driving the global technological phenomenon. There are four Dell Technologies sites in Ireland with its Dublin, Limerick, Cork and Belfast bases performing unique roles in its Irish operations. The company’s history here spans three decades.

to provide support for critical IT systems,” says Mark. Dublin is also the focus point for Dell Financial Services, which is fully regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. More locally, in Belfast, the team “harnesses the innovation fostered in these facilities to ensure that public and private sector organisations in Northern Ireland remain at the forefront of digital transformation”. Speaking about the partnerships Dell Technologies has built and continues to build with businesses and organisations across Northern Ireland, Mark continues: “It’s about allowing customers to take advantage of developments, take that potential and help them make sense of it. It’s not about giving them what we think is clever, it’s about making them part of it. “In IT we can be guilty of talking up and hyping up things, so these centres allow us to

“There is a lot of clever collaboration going on between tech and education. None of us can do this on our own. Everything has evolved at such a pace, no matter what size the company or university we need to support each other, that’s really important.” At the Limerick and Cork sites, in particular, there is a hive of activity where world first solutions for many Irish and global businesses are being tested. It is there where Dell Technologies is providing its ‘Proof of Concept’ resource for world-leading organisations to design, build, test and validate new solutions that address specific challenges. Limerick’s Innovation Lab allows its customers to experience real-life examples of AI, 5G and the Internet of Things while both centres have a common goal to prototype next generation products and services for not just the Irish market but globally. “In Cherrywood, Dublin, our Inside ProSupport Briefing Centre showcases how our engineers are using artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR) and Machine Learning

partner with organisations. They allow us to take what is a good idea in concept and de-risk it.” Dell Technologies is also working alongside public sector figures to harness data insights from water pumping stations so as to help reduce consumption of this most valuable resource. It has also completed a project for health trusts here that will help minimise spend on paediatric MRI scans. “MRI scans can be frightening for children resulting in rescans, lengthening waiting lists and adding extra costs, so at Dell Technologies alongside the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, we have tried to solve the problem using virtual reality,” explains Mark. The idea behind the concept is that VR will help introduce children to the scanning

environment and allow them to understand the process, taking away some of the fear and allowing testing to become more efficient. It’s just one small part of a move towards revolutionising how healthcare uses technology. Elsewhere in healthcare Dell Technologies, through a new MoU with Ulster University, will support the deployment of AI, IoT, and Edge Computing at the university’s new Centre for Digital Healthcare Technology enabling scientists to develop life-changing treatments for those living with diabetes and respiratory issues. It’s part of the Belfast City Deal to support and encourage economic development across the region. “This comes in the wake of the company rolling out a new AI solution for the third level institute which will enable data scientists to detect early signs of diabetic foot disease, enabling suffers to effectively manage the condition without hospitalisation. There are currently over 81,000 adults and 1,000 young people with diabetes in Northern Ireland and over 400 million adults globally,” Mark explains. In the construction landscape, Dell is working with firms to create sensors that can be put into concrete. And in the vibrant food sector, storage and data protection solutions for Moy Park are ongoing. “We’ve been working with Tayto on an IoT project too, to help optimise production and reduce energy costs for the manufacturer. We will be using our technologies to capture real-time production data to product business insights through analytics, which will increase Tayto Group’s competitive edge through predictive maintenance, production analytics, automation and improved quality,” says Mark. Looking to the future he says: “We’re particularly excited to see how we can use AR and VR within screen and media to ensure Northern Ireland remains a global leader in the space. We’ll be opening up R&D to the media faculty at the university and making other announcements in due course.” “There is a lot of clever collaboration going on between tech and education,” adds Mark. “None of us can do this on our own. Everything has evolved at such a pace, no matter what size the company or university we need to support each other, that’s really important.” Collaborating with businesses is also essential for the evolution of tech solutions for Dell Technologies and research from the company’s Realize 2030 series would indicate that business leaders are open and ready to employ the latest advances. Dell discovered that almost 70% of those at the helm of a business expect new tech to create equal opportunities and remove bias in decision making in coming years. It also found that 86% believe that using emerging tech will improve workforce productivity while 70% welcome the idea of partnering humans with robots. Mark says: “We have set out some impressive goals over the last few weeks for the ten years ahead. They’re very ambitious goals.” Those goals will home in on societal change “creating a measurable positive impact for one billion people, every employee, customer and Dell product”. They will include 50/50 gender representation, 1:1 recycling/reuses, further extended ethics and transparency, practices and employee participation.

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FEATURE

Property Figured Out With 100,000 visitors to its website per day, PropertyPal.com made a decision to offer its growing audience more than just listings. It has developed a new dimension that will divulge economic trends here to help its visitors make more informed choices and Jordan Buchanan will head that new element as Chief Economist. Here he speaks to Emma Deighan about the property landscape in NI and the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s potential for growth.

Jordan Buchanan, Chief Economist at PropertyPal.com

ordan Buchanan has a wealth of experience as an economist and research professional. Over the years he has developed economic forecasting models to understand future growth patterns in NI’s property market. He has published extensive analytical research on key issues affecting the UK and Northern Ireland economies. His recent work includes research on Brexit and other macro-economic risks, the labour market and the housing sector. He is skilled in economic modelling and alongside colleagues in the University of Cambridge, has developed a macro-economic forecasting model of the UK economy and a gravity trade model to estimate the economic impact of Brexit. He has also lectured in economics in the Ulster Business School. Jordan says it’s a passion for the job that has accelerated his career so quickly, leading him into the role he has just taken up with PropertyPal. “I have an ambition and willingness to embrace opportunities and I credit that to the people who have supported me to date,” he begins. He credits EY’s Neil Gibson for many of his teachings, adding: “I continue to learn from him every day. He’s been invaluable in my learning curve. Aside from technical abilities, he taught me to always have a solutions-based mindset and remember that 99% of the people you talk to won’t be economists so try to make it accessible and be clear in a way that can have an impact.” And he has already put that approach into practice when, last autumn, he fronted PropertyPal’s first Housing and Economic Outlook which illustrated the trends in the housing market here. It marked what will be the first of many events for the newly founded department at NI’s leading property portal. “The role for PropertyPal came about after I spoke at a conference,” continued Jordan. “I got speaking to our MD, Errol Maxwell, of the firm and he explained the in-house role to me and how he wanted to build a research department. “It sounded like a fascinating role that would serve as an information platform for homebuyers. Buying and selling property is one of the biggest decisions in anyone’s lifetime but what is missing is information to support people making informed choices, especially in the middle of Brexit. There was no-one there to answer these questions and no expert advice, so now our role is to make home buying easy and informative through that platform.” Jordan explains that with PropertyPal’s existing data, new insights can be formed, predictions forecasted and the appetite in NI for that information is strong.

“Our research capabilities are wide and we can provide never-before-seen detail on the NI economy but aside from that, there are wider business growth plans at PropertyPal. We are investing in technology that will allow us to not just be the best here but across the world.” 52

He adds: “We have a unique insight into nearly every property bought or sold and at the minute what’s provided in terms of research could be expanded on. There are clearly significant trends beyond the usual headlines we get for NI’s property market and we wanted to drill beneath that and pull together those results.” And the conclusion has been a very detailed breakdown of the trends and figures connected to NI’s property market with specific location trends also available at a granular level. A two-day launch event showcased those more in-depth findings to everyone from property developers to estate agents, social researchers, banks, finance lenders and Government policy members who made up a 200-strong audience. “And the feedback’s been overwhelmingly positive,” says Jordan. “We’ve been inundated with requests to work with people to answer their questions too.” Among the top findings, which were broken down into a Housing and Economic Outlook, a Residential Housing Review and 11 council area reports, were house price growth rates here (which stood at 3.6% last year), a forecast of the creation of more than 21,000 new jobs here as well as micro-area analysis. Findings also revealed the median house price in NI sits at £134,200, which is 29% below the highs of 2007 and over 40% lower than the UK average, while the most popular areas to buy a home here in 2019 included Carrowreagh (outside Dundonald), Windsor, Bloomfield, Connswater and Central Craigavon. Meanwhile the Cultra and Malone areas remain the most expensive areas in NI in which to purchase a property with median property prices in those locations costing over £400,000. “This level of data is the first of its kind in NI,” says Jordan. “And there has been a bit of interest because up until now we have been operating in a cloudy transparency and there are a lot of people who can benefit from this depth of information and we want to work with them.” Among those people are foreign investors, local housing associations, government departments, councils and property developers. They will continue to benefit from the new information produced by PropertyPal including bi-annual reports on the housing market and wider economic environment. Looking to 2020 and the activity in the market, Jordan anticipates ongoing Brexit uncertainty will drive consumer confidence downwards with the potential of a recession still looming but “its potential won’t be to the same extent of the 2007/8 recession which was a once in a lifetime recession,” he reassures. And while the economic analysis department at PropertyPal is still relatively new to the market, Jordan believes it’s the start of big things to come for the digital platform. “We are growing the business in a way that will have an impact, it will help people. “Our research capabilities are wide and we can provide never-before-seen detail on the NI economy but aside from that, there are wider business growth plans at PropertyPal. We are investing in technology that will allow us to not just be the best here but across the world. “We might live in a small economy but we are looking at business growth with plans for an allisland remit. There’s a lot going on and we look forward to showcasing these developments later this year.”

SPONSORED FEATURE

CELEBRATING THE CAREER OF 4C EXECUTIVE’S IAN RAINEY

Rose Mary Stalker Chair of Invest NI, Ann McGregor Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce, and Kevin Kingston Chief Executive of Danske Bank UK.

Friends, colleagues and family members attended Ian Rainey’s retirement celebration at the Penthouse Suite, Europa Hotel Belfast. At the end of last year, leading executive search firm 4c Executive invited the family, friends and former colleagues of its nonexecutive director Ian Rainey to celebrate his long and successful career, during which he worked both locally and globally, to officially mark his retirement. Ian is best known to many in Northern Ireland as being the managing director of MSL Executive Search & Selection, a role in which he held for over 23 years until 2017. However, before returning to Northern Ireland to head up Belfast International Airport, he spent many years working internationally in senior-level, businesscritical positions in the likes of South Africa, the United States and London. In 2017, following the acquisition of MSL Executive Search & Selection by 4c Executive, Ian joined the company as a non-executive director, where he sat on the board and played a pivotal role in developing the firm’s ambitious growth strategy. Ian Rainey explained that the acquisition enabled him to pursue other business

Rose Mary Stalker Chair of Invest NI, and Ronan Larkin Director of Finance & Regulation NI Water.

Gordon Carson Managing Director of 4c Executive, Ian Rainey and Gary Irvine CEO and Founder of 4c Executive and Co-Founder of SeeMe Hired.

opportunities and gradually move towards his retirement, whilst also ensuring that the MSL business and clients remained in “safe hands”.

public and third sectors brought an additional level of expertise to 4c Executive at a crucial time in our business growth and development.

“Gary Irvine, 4c Founder and CEO, has built a solid and successful business in 4c and I was extremely impressed with everything that I had seen of the firm prior to my appointment as non-executive director,” he said.

“Beyond that, Ian has been a great mentor to me and many others throughout his career in Northern Ireland and further afield, and I would like to take this opportunity to wish him every success going forward in his retirement.”

“Having had an inside track over the past few years, it is very clear to see that 4c’s offering is truly unique in Northern Ireland. The team follows a very clever, methodical and robust model that strives to bring the very best results for the client at all times.” Gordon Carson, 4c Executive’s Managing Director, said that it had been a privilege knowing and working with Ian throughout his career in Northern Ireland. He added: “Having grown an extensive and loyal client base of some of Northern Ireland’s leading organisations, particularly during his time at MSL, Ian’s unrivalled knowledge and experience of the private,

To get in touch with a search consultant at 4c Executive, contact us confidentially on +44 (0) 28 9043 4343 or visit our website at 4cexecutive.com.

FEATURE Nigel Maxwell with Belfast City centre Centra retailer Michael Quinn.

Redefining Convenience Retailing Over the last three years, Musgrave has been expanding and revamping its portfolio across the SuperValu and Centra brands with newly designed stores at the cutting edge of convenience retail. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to imagine how the next step in its evolution will take shape however Nigel Maxwell, Sales Director for SuperValu and Centra, shares plans for 2020 and beyond writes Emma Deighan. 55

n 2017, the company behind Centra and SuperValu here in Northern Ireland, embarked on an extensive programme of opening new stores and refreshing the offer within existing ones. It was a substantial investment for the group, but one that has resulted in increased sales and customer satisfaction levels. It’s a model that Nigel Maxwell says is “redefining convenience retail”. “Over the last two years we’ve refurbished 70% of our Centra stores – an ambitious programme – but we have a concept that we know works and that us, and our retail partners are happy to invest in,” he begins. “Following extensive consumer research around four years ago, at a time when stores traditionally focused purely on grocery, we saw a shift taking place in convenience retailing towards fresh food and different types of shopper missions such as; food for now, food for tonight or food for the next 24-48 hours. Shoppers were changing to not only ensure they managed their budgets but to also support local stores and purchase great quality, local produce,” explains Nigel. One key response was in the area of Food to Go introducing new concepts in hot food eg: a carvery option alongside a new salad concept ‘Green Kitchen’ and a host of other concepts including healthy meals and its Frank and Honest coffee brand. “It sounds simplistic but it’s what the customers want and there is a huge demand for a wider range of food-options,” he continues. “We want our customers to visit our stores and have a range of meal solutions to choose from.” Additional features like sit in areas, WIFI and self-scan tills were also introduced during the roll-out that spanned stores from Dungannon to Belfast, Omagh to Derry~Londonderry – all bolstering the brand’s reputation for being able to cater for the on-the-go consumer. “All these things are designed exactly to suit what the customer wants, and the consumer feedback has been amazing,” adds Nigel. Among the stores to receive Centra’s allnew look and convenience touch are a mix of new and established sites. Just weeks before the New Year, it opened two new stores at Donegall Square East in Belfast and Curr Road in Beragh and unveiled a revamped store in Islandbawn. It was an investment of £2m, creating over 50 jobs. Centra Clogher has also saw an investment of £2m and in October three new stores cut their ribbons in Bradbury Place and York Road in Belfast and the Millennium Forum in Derry~Londonderry, amounting to a further investment of around £1m. The opening of Centra M1 Dungannon in August 2019 marked the second store opening for local businessman, George Patterson of Patterson Oil, who already owns Centra Gilford Road in Portadown. It was one of 17 new stores for the group in the past 18 months. And the investments by retailers in the new brand are paying off Nigel says, with positive results often seen immediately. The feedback from retailers working under the Centra symbol is also very positive and helping to encourage new franchisees to the fold. “Our retailers are now seeing an environment and format that they believe in and like the look

“Our retailers are now seeing an environment and format that they believe in and like the look and feel of. We work closely with our retailers to make the right investment and to ensure everyone makes a positive return on the investment and you only have to talk to those in the group, that have taken that step, to hear how successful it is.” and feel of. We work closely with our retailers to make the right investment and to ensure everyone makes a positive return on the investment and you only have to talk to those in the group, that have taken that step, to hear how successful it is.” The investment doesn’t stop with Centra; “We’ve been redefining SuperValu as well albeit with a slightly different approach to reflect the larger size of the stores. The shopper mission is very similar, but we deliver an increased range of products and services in these stores,” adds Nigel. Successes include the conversion of the former Fruitfield EUROSPAR in Richhill as well as the unveiling of the flagship store in Lisburn following a £1 million revamp. Musgrave Group, operating across the island of Ireland, has been active in all areas of its business in recent years and that activity is another confidence boost for its retailers. The new stores and refreshes are just one part of a £28m investment company wide that sets out to challenge the status quo in the NI grocery sector. In its most recent financial results Musgrave revealed that turnover grew by almost 4% to €3.9bn, with pre-tax profits rising by 5.6% to €84.5m on an all-Ireland basis. In the last quarter of 2019 the company’s NI arm announced the acquisition of beverage distributor Drinks Inc, describing the move as “an excellent strategic fit for Musgrave” and one that “will strengthen our existing offer to the market”. Nigel continues: “The Drinks Inc acquisition is another part of our business that will help us grow and will run as a separate entity while the

opening of our MarketPlace cash and carry in Duncrue to the public just before Christmas all also support growth. “We will want to acquire new stores and continue to refresh existing ones. We will keep innovating the offer, such as Moo’d, our ice cream concept which is already operating successfully in two stores. It will be rolled out across the north to 30 stores this year. Our Frank and Honest coffee brand will continue to thrive – currently in 150 stores in Northern Ireland and close to 700 outlets on the island of Ireland.” It’s that desire in the group to keep on moving that has helped it attract multiple UKwide awards and made it the envy of retailers around the UK and a pioneer in many ways. The next question is, how can convenience move further forward? “It will be all about technology,” says Nigel. “We’re going to see things like electronic shelf life labels replacing printed labels. That’s already in motion and in its infancy but we see that becoming the norm over the next five years. “What we’ll also see is more loyalty cards and apps. There’s still a lot more that can be done digitally. Of course you can’t neglect the basics – great customer service, cleanliness and good value will always be the core of any retail business.” Ultimately, Nigel says, none of this evolution, no matter how advanced and tech savvy it is, is possible without the loyalty of its retailers. “They are what keeps the whole thing thriving. They drive us on and without them we wouldn’t be seeing this level of success.”

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FEATURE Wolfgang Seidl, Partner at Mercer Marsh Benefits.

The Link Between Health and Productivity Mercer Marsh Benefits is a global operation that is, with the help of intensive health research and data specific to your business, safeguarding the ability of the current workforce in NI and globally. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a service that is helping companies attract and retain healthy talent Dr. Wolfgang Seidl, Partner at the company tells Emma Deighan. 58

ercer Marsh Benefits provides clients with a single source for managing the costs, people risks and complexities of employee benefits. The network is a combination of Mercer Marsh Benefits local offices around the world, plus country correspondents. Through its locally established office in Belfast it has a unique common platform that allows it to serve clients with unique solutions. Dr Wolfgang Seidl says his role at Mercer Marsh Benefits, which is more commonly known as a broker, is like being the Sherlock Holmes of health. The London-based Partner at the firm is a qualified psychiatrist and is currently working with businesses in Northern Ireland using intelligence gathered by insurers, absentee data, staff surveys, occupational health surveys and more to paint a picture of the health issues and risks indigenous to any given firm. “We identify the real health issues at a business by going through every piece of data we can get our hands on,” he begins. “We look at that data to get the true story of health and that helps us to create data-driven strategies, tailored to your company as opposed to an anecdote-driven one.” It’s a service that is shunning traditional research in favour of bespoke findings and has benefitted some of the biggest brands in the world including US bank Wells Fargo, which Mercer Marsh Benefits helped win a prestigious global wellbeing award in recent months. The company’s process helps alleviate costs for businesses, confront absenteeism and protect long-term health. Here in Northern Ireland many of the health issues impacting our employees relate to mental health. Wolfgang says: “Every country is a new exploration but in the UK and NI mental health issues are a big issue and often you would probably have to work with collective trauma.” Once the top three “disease categories” or conditions in a workplace are detected, Mercer Marsh Benefits will then focus on reducing the impact they have on business by putting various motions in place. “When the data is collected you are able to create a strategy, you articulate and formulate it, then you come to the implementation phase which can be a mental health pathway for example. “We would also be benchmarking you against other organisations and the gold standard in the industry to work out which package you need.” External suppliers like counsellors and therapists can be called in for issues such as mental health illness and muscular skeletal conditions and after one to two years results

“You want to create a place where employees are allowed to be themselves, where they can make mistakes because they know there is no repercussion to working hard.”

begin to show says Wolfgang. “You can prevent a lot by simple yet evidence-based interventions. For instance, a clinical pathway that allows early diagnosis and referral to the right resources has a very good return of investment. I have seen this method work well in a financial services organisation, which went on to reduce claims by around 10%. It also reduced absences by 41% and improved therapy outcomes by a staggering 60%.” Mental health is a major focus for Mercer Marsh Benefits as too is the issue of muscular skeletal issues, which is increasing due to an ageing workforce, increased morbidity and sedentary lifestyles. But it’s not age specific warns Wolfgang. “Just because we are working until we’re older doesn’t mean it’s the older generation with those problems. With the increase of obesity it can be younger people too that suffer with MSK.” Mercer Marsh Benefits has created a dashboard system for those who participate in its service, Illustrating illness potential and prevention. “If you can prevent staff from moving into medium to high risk, you prevent them from being the health insurance claimants of tomorrow. You are keeping them happy, able and at the same time making the company productive. And there is nothing wrong with that. Why wouldn’t you want to keep your workforce well and enhance the productivity of the company at the same time?” Mercer Marsh Benefits will also look at workplace culture to ensure teams are working in a psychologically safe environment and reach their potential.

Wolfgang adds: “Generally speaking work is good for us. When people are made redundant it hits us hard. You can measure that psychological scar even decades later. But we don’t want to be in an environment that is polluted, toxic and some managers do suffer from a potentially toxic management style, as the latest Mercer/BITC Mental Health at Work report shows, so we look at the culture. “You want to create a place where employees are allowed to be themselves, where they can make mistakes because they know there is no repercussion to working hard. This is linked to research about psychological safety.” Wolfgang says research shows that in organisations with “high psychological safety” productivity is 17% higher. The businesses in the Mercer Marsh Benefits’ portfolio span SMEs to FTSE 100 companies who want to challenge workplace issues. Wolfgang says it’s the high tech and finance sectors who are leading the march on such services. A recent integration with other companies has also seen Mercer Marsh widen its offering too. Wolfgang adds that; “the integration is going very well and I find that it’s good for our culture.” Returning the conversation to his passion – data and result-driven strategies – he says a wholly interactive health dashboard, created by Mercer Marsh Benefits, is now allowing firms to see exactly how any action they may take on workplace health has the potential to “move the needle” in favour of health and productivity. “Ultimately health plus engagement equals productivity,” he concludes.

‘BACKING HER BUSINESS’ THROUGHOUT 2019 Ulster Bank’s Business Growth Enablers, Cara Taylor and Lisa McCaul, have spent much of 2019 working with female entrepreneurs through Ulster Bank’s Back Her Business Programme. Here, they look back on the first year of the scheme and look ahead to what’s to come for Back Her Business in 2020. “Essentially, Back Her Business is a women-only crowdfunding initiative created by Ulster Bank and Boost, Northern Ireland’s Business Growth Hub, to better support female entrepreneurs to start and fund their own business,” describes Cara. “The programme was launched in March 2019 in partnership with Crowdfunder and forms part of the bank’s wider commitment to tackling the gender gap and creating more female-led businesses. “Many of the programme’s aims stem from the findings of the Rose Review; a governmentled study into female entrepreneurship which found that over £250bn could be added to the UK economy if women started and scaled businesses at the same rate as men. “With so much at stake, the findings beggared the obvious question – what can we do to better support female entrepreneurs? So our Boost teams across the RBS network began to seriously consider how to tackle this growing problem.” “When we started to look into the issue, it was clear that accessing finance was a huge barrier for female entrepreneurs so we knew this was an area we wanted to focus on,” Lisa explains. “Giving female business-owners better financial support helps to unlock the huge volume of untapped potential that currently exists but it also provides industry-leading, tailored advice to entrepreneurial women and

we’ve found that this can be just as valuable as the financial aid. “We have held a series of events across Northern Ireland, engaging with hundreds of business owners and signposting them towards the programme where they can access up to £5,000 through crowd funding.” Looking ahead to 2020, Cara explains that Ulster Bank remains committed to Back her Business and hopes to encourage even more women to sign up to the scheme. “It’s clear there a lot of women out there who are struggling to get their business idea off the ground, so as Business Growth Enablers, we are determined to reach these entrepreneurs and signpost them to Back Her Business so they can access the help and support they need. “We’re making plans to deliver a road show all over Northern Ireland and while a large proportion of these events will focus on securing finance, we’ll also be highlighting the importance of establishing a strong network; delivering pitching workshops and introducing ways to build confidence for female business owners.” Finally Lisa added that the pair were excited to see the next phase of Back Her Business being rolled out and following the journey of those who have already been helped by the initiative. “We are both passionate about enabling business owners to start, scale and succeed and find it so rewarding when we see the female entrepreneurs we’ve helped through Back Her

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The Magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is now available to view on Issuu. www.northernirelandchamber.com/ambition

An Ulster Tatler Group Publication

Columnist Brendan Drain, Sync NI

Techie Talk Time

Northern Ireland’s tech sector is betting big on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, but there are problems to be solved. Sync NI’s Brendan Drain looks at three major challenges with AI that will need to be tackled in 2020.

#1: Education in AI is lagging behind

Machine learning has been used to successfully automate complex tasks that we’ve always thought of as requiring a human, and in some cases it has even improved on human accuracy. AI-based solutions are now improving everything from internet search results and power grid load balancing to interpreting medical scans and trading on the stock market, but most people and companies still don’t understand how it works. The problem with any emerging technology is that skills tend to take some time to catch up, and the AI skills gap is huge even within the NI tech sector. At Deloitte’s recent AI forum event in Belfast, they discussed the fact that many businesses have no strategy for using AI at all and aren’t aware of how it could impact their field in the coming years. Deloitte’s own research showed that around half of the population of the EU lack basic digital skills and around a third have no digital skills at all. It’s likely that 2020 will be a significant year for AI as it continues to automate work and disrupt industries in unexpected ways, but education and skills in this area are still lagging behind.

#2: Understanding data bias and the limitations of AI AI can be fantastic at classifying things into known groups or finding subtle correlations between data and decision that we might miss, but it’s only as good as the data it’s trained on. Many companies are still taking the scattergun approach of throwing massive quantities of data at a machine learning algorithm to develop an AI model, but if you feed an AI biased data then you’ll end up with a biased model. Local software engineer Claire Houston spoke about the danger of biased data sets and black box AI systems recently at Belfast’s first AICon conference. She explained that a trained AI model “can only come up with the same answer humans came up with before, introducing all the flaws and biases that already exist in any given system.” While some tout machine learning as freeing us from the tyranny of “the algorithm,” in reality it just creates an opaque algorithm and bakes in all the biases in the supplied data set. Tech giant Amazon even ran into this problem when it trained an AI on job applications from successful and unsuccessful candidates and tried to use it to filter future applicants. The resulting AI accidentally learned to discriminate against women because most previous successful applicants were men. AI tech is still actively being used by other companies for recruitment, but some warn that it could open a company up to legal action on discrimination grounds and that the company wouldn’t be able to show that the decision-making process was fair if the AI is a black box.

#3: Automated fake news and harmful messaging

A disturbing piece of AI news emerged this year when tech researchers announced that they’d created an AI so dangerous that they initially refused to release it publicly on the grounds that it could cause wide-spread harm. Named GPT-2, the AI model was developed using deep learning technology and trained on a massive dataset of over eight million webpages. Its goal was simply to predict the next word on a webpage given all of the previous text, which may not sound very harmful until you start to consider potential applications of the technology. The model was shown to produce articles that sounded like they could have been written by a person when given just one or two sentences of initial direction. Researchers were worried that people would use the technology to generate propaganda and fake news on a massive scale, or to automate harassment against individuals in such a way that it appears legitimate. At AICon 2019, Seedcamp venture partner Stephen Allot spoke about the potential misuse of AI and the widespread use of “computational propaganda” in the world today. The latest University of Oxford Computational Propaganda Research Reports indicate that evidence has been found of organized social media manipulation campaigns in 70 countries around the world in 2019, an increase from 48 countries in 2018 and 28 countries in 2017. Facebook was the main platform used for social media manipulation this year, with authoritarian regimes in 26 countries using computational propaganda to suppress human rights, discredit their political opponents, and silence dissenting citizens.

Want to be the first to find out what’s happening in Northern Ireland’s tech scene? Stay up to date with www.syncni.com or follow us on Twitter @syncni

2020:

AMBITION SPECIAL FOCUS

Ursula Lavery

THE YEAR AHEAD

Neil Gibson

Simon Lawson

68 Dr. Peter FitzGerald

Kieran Hegarty

70 63

Neil Gibson.

2020: THE YEAR AHEAD

Looking ahead to 2020, it would be easy to focus on the negatives. The Executive has only just returned after a three-year hiatus with a lot of catching up to do, Brexit remains shrouded in uncertainty and long-term problems, such as high levels of economic inactivity and poor productivity, appear as intractable as ever. However, despite the challenges, there is much to celebrate in the economy.

Quality of life measures, which show Northern Ireland to be a more desirable place to work and live than the traditional economic metrics might suggest, are growing in prominence and there has been impressive economic performance too. There are a record number of people in work and unemployment is at its lowest level in 40 years. Tourist numbers continue to increase, and inward investment has remained strong, particularly in professional services. Remarkably, workforce jobs in manufacturing have reached their highest level since 2003 and private services employment is at a record level. Employment change (Q3 2014 - Q3 2019) Manufacturing: Retail: Finance and professional services: Accommodation and food: Other services: ICT:

14,800 12,700 11,100 8,300 8,100 7,600

Source: Nomis Note: Employment includes employee and self-employed jobs.

The adaptability and resilience that manufacturing and service sector firms have demonstrated will be needed even more in 2020. It has been said that a challenge is merely an opportunity that has not been thought about enough, so in that spirit, here are a few trends that industry and services will have to consider in 2020 and beyond: • Brexit: sadly, there is still considerable uncertainty as to what Brexit might mean for business in NI. Much will depend on what the Joint Committee decides is required with respect to paperwork and the establishment of a Free Trade agreement between the EU and the UK is of huge importance. For industry, a Free Trade agreement would assuage many fears but, in services, confusion remains over equivalences and other regulatory matters. All disruption creates opportunity but ensuring Brexit fatigue does not detract from being ready for the changes that might come will be a challenge in 2020. • Talent and technology: across businesses, the need to hire, retain and inspire the best talent is almost always the number one issue. Technological advances are opening the potential to gather new insights and automate certain activities. However, the journey to adopting new technology is challenging and

not always embraced by workforces. It can require new skill sets and firms in manufacturing and services are increasingly competing for the same people. This fluidity presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Talented people are a finite resource; if your firm has good staff, someone is trying to hire them! • Culture and purpose: much has been made of the need to have an effective purpose and mission that inspires staff and reassures customers. The escalation of sustainability to the point at which no firm can ignore it - and the need for firms to demonstrate a value beyond returns for their shareholders or owners - is a growing challenge. The need to demonstrate an open and inclusive working environment and a willingness to help the economy and society in which a firm operates are increasingly essential to business success. Success in NI manufacturing and service businesses may no longer be purely based on who has the best price and product mix. • No giveaways: public policy priorities are firmly focused on delivering services and improving infrastructure. There will be little in the way of giveaways and business will have to accept that this is not an era of tax reduction. In fact, ‘sin taxes’ are on the rise generally. No longer confined to alcohol and smoking, taxes designed to protect the environment and encourage healthier lifestyles are on the way. • Stable macro climate: interest rates are set to stay low and inflation appears, somewhat surprisingly, to be under control. Assuming the negotiations towards a Free Trade agreement and the global trade wars continue to abate (admittedly a big assumption) then currency and equities are projected to be relatively stable. A global recession cannot be ruled out. Many economists predict it is more likely than it has been at any time since the financial crash in 2008, but it is not the central case. 2020 is the beginning of a new era in which, as a community, we are re-assessing what success looks like. Quality of life measures are sitting alongside growth and wealth as key metrics. For manufacturing and service businesses in NI, global competition continues to increase and public policy is not likely to be offering much in the way of financial support. However, the story of 2019 is that NI firms are a resilient bunch that not even Brexit or the warnings of economists can deter! There may be tough trading conditions ahead but - with the right people, culture and technology - firms can rise to the challenge.

NEIL GIBSON

Neil Gibson

2020: THE YEAR AHEAD

Simon Lawson, Director, Regional Operation, DSV Air & Sea Northern Ireland DSV is a global supplier of transport and logistics services. With over 60,000 employees in more than 90 countries around the world, its reach is global. The organisation is divided into three divisions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Air & Sea, Road and Solutions. It employs 68 staff at DSV Northern Ireland and covers a diverse range of services such as airfreight, seafreight, roadfreight, express courier, customs clearance, warehousing and distribution.

How many people are employed at the DSV site here and what kind of roles do they undertake? Have you plans to grow operations in Belfast? In addition to employing 68 staff at DSV in Northern Ireland, we also have 20 full-time dedicated DSV sub-contractors. The roles undertaken include inside/outside Sales, Traffic Planners, Operators, Freight Forwarders, Warehouse Operatives, HGV and Van Drivers. We actively pursue growth and have plans to further expand our Road Pallet Network and our Seafreight operations in the coming months.

How would you sum up the past year? The past 12 months seem to have passed incredibly fast. It has been quite an unpredictable year as we have seen increased cargo volumes moving in some sectors but a decline in others. Overall however, it has been a successful year for DSV in NI with an overall growth reported in cargo volumes for our Air & Sea and Road divisions, in addition to significant growth for DSV Solutions for inbound warehousing and distribution. This has been mainly achieved by hard work and dedication from our entire workforce. 2019 has certainly been challenging with the continued Brexit uncertainty, which has meant that we have had to channel a great deal of our time and efforts into preparations, contingency planning and additional staff training, to ensure our staff and IT systems are ready to implement at short notice. Furthermore, DSV UK & Ireland has created a dedicated Brexit website which provides clients with up to date information and advice which will assist with their own preparations.

What route did you take to get to where you are today? After completing my A-Levels I started my first full-time job as a Trainee Shipping Clerk with a local freight forwarding company, gaining knowledge on shipping via all modes of transport. I moved on to work for another local freight forwarder within their Seafreight department before moving to DSV in the summer of 2011. At DSV I was quickly given the opportunity to further my development through on-the-job training, combined with various courses both on and off site. I progressed at the end of 2011 to Divisional Manager, then was later selected for a place in DSVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s International Leadership Programme in our UK Academy during 2017. I was promoted to the role of Director at DSV Air & Sea Northern Ireland from the beginning of 2018. My job role is extremely varied and I continue to experience and learn new things every day. I really do love to learn, even more so now than ever before.

What are the biggest developments planned for 2020? DSV recently completed the global acquisition of Panalpina, making us truly one of the largest and strongest global logistics companies. We are very excited about 2020 and the opportunities that it may bring as we continue with the integration of our new colleagues and customers around the world. Since DSV entered the NI services sector just over 10 years ago, what have the major developments been at its site here? The most major development over the years has been building long term partnerships with both local and global companies of all sizes. This is testament to the talented staff here, who we always strive to motivate and retain by offering responsibility, empowerment and growth opportunities wherever possible.

What do you enjoy most about the services sector? Logistics has a pivotal role in the services sector, and while the basic principle for most of the services that DSV offer is the same, every single day is different. The fast pace and variety of work we cover, added with the variety of people from colleagues and clients, to suppliers all over the world means there is never a dull moment. I can honestly say I have never been bored at work.

What are the challenges and what are the opportunities in the Logistics sector at present, and the year ahead? There are always many challenges working in Logistics but I would say that the biggest, not only in the Logistics sector but for most sectors here would be the situation surrounding Brexit. It is well publicised that some of the potential scenarios could have major impact on NI companies and that many across the broad spectrum of sectors have been reluctant or unable to invest in additional staff, equipment and infrastructure or plan further growth until the outcome is fully known. We would all obviously hope that talks between the UK and EU can be positive and result in any declarations and checks on goods to/from GB and EU being as frictionless as possible. Despite this negativity there are always opportunities throughout Northern Ireland due to the diverse range of skillsets amongst the workforce here. It really is a special place and somewhere I am really proud to be from.

If you could work in any other sector, which would you chose? I am very fortunate to love what I do but if I could have worked in any other sector I would have followed in the footsteps of my father and chosen to work in the financial sector, more specifically the Banking industry. How do you see the future for DSV in NI? We can never take anything for granted, but through hard work and determination we aim for continual growth and to continue to be a leading provider in the Logistics industry here in Northern Ireland.

dsv air & sea northern ireland

Simon Lawson.

Ursula Lavery.

2020: the year ahead

A top 15 UK food company, Moy Park is Northern Ireland’s largest private sector business and processes up to six million fresh chickens per week. The company produces a broad range of products across chicken, beef and meat-free categories with solutions from prepared meals and award-winning BBQ ranges, to onion rings and apple pies. Moy Park currently employs over 12,000 staff of which almost half are based in Northern Ireland. It works with approximately 800 farmers across Northern Ireland and Great Britain and has 40 million birds on the ground at any one time. How many staff are employed at Moy Park’s NI sites and how do you continue to nurture that workforce and appeal to new talent? Over 6,000 people are employed across our sites in Northern Ireland. As one of Europe’s leading poultry producers, it is essential for us to proactively attract new colleagues at all levels within the business. Agri-food is an innovative, growing sector and there are proven pathways within the industry for people to build their career within it. We have a successful Graduate Management Trainee programme, with 17 new graduates recruited in our 2019 intake. We also offer a range of apprenticeship opportunities across the company, including in agriculture, engineering and food safety. Equally important is developing our people, providing team members with opportunities for career development, and our skills development programmes help colleagues harness their potential and move forward within the business.

How would you sum up the past year at Moy Park? It’s been an interesting and positive year for Moy Park. As a business, we operate in a challenging and competitive marketplace, but we have consistently shown that with focus and determination we can still deliver on our vision to be the best in our industry. We were delighted to see the hard work of our teams across the business recognised with a number of award wins this year, including a RoSPA Gold Award for health and safety performance, British Poultry Awards for Best New, Best Seasonal and Best Foodservice products as well as accolades including a Meat Management Award for Ocado Whole British Chicken Roast in the Bag Extra Tasty. In my role as Technical and R&D Director Europe, I am particularly focused on food safety and quality and on what our scientific research and development delivers. We have had a particularly successful year bringing process innovation to the fore, delivering operational efficiencies and benefits across the business.

What route did you take to get to where you are today, and what attracted you to the food industry? I joined Moy Park as a Marketing Executive in 1987, after graduating from Queen’s University, Belfast with a BSc (Hons) in Food Science. I always had an interest in food science and nutrition, so it felt natural to work within the agri-food sector, and in particular for a Northern Ireland business with a strong reputation both locally and beyond. Soon after, I moved into the Technical and Quality Management team and I am delighted that, after 30 years, I continue to find this area exciting and can honestly say that I learn something new every day.

What have been the biggest R&D developments over the past year? As a business, we made a conscious decision to aim to be the best in the industry with respect to food safety, providing safe and nutritious products for consumers. We have backed this decision with a multimillion-pound strategy delivered over the last decade across key areas such as Campylobacter reduction. The unique insight we derive from analysing ‘big data’ and R&D is yielding tangible, industry leading results, which supports our work within agriculture and processing. Over the past five years we have gained significant insight into optimal nutritional strategies, which then have been rolled out across the entire Moy Park estate.

What do you enjoy most about your role, and what do you find most challenging? My role is diverse, managing various projects and working with different teams across the business, which I enjoy. I am privileged to be able to work with so many talented colleagues, customers and academic partners, building long lasting relationships with people from right across the food industry. R&D plays a vital role in adapting to the evolving needs of our customers, developing best practice and identifying and reacting to global trends. The industry is very competitive, and it can be quite pressurised at times, but we have an excellent team in place ensuring we maintain our position as a top 15 UK food company and leading European poultry provider.

How challenging do you anticipate 2020 to be? What are the challenges facing the food production sector at present and how do you confront them? The industry as a whole continues to face the challenge of meeting consumer expectations of great value while also addressing their concerns on sustainability and the desire for healthy and convenient food choices. Customers take it as a given that food safety and quality will always be there, but we invest time, energy and resource to develop a culture to maintain these high standards. We continually challenge ourselves to innovate to help our customers stand out from the crowd. Two big areas we are looking at are focused around convenience and health. They are a driver of growth. Chicken is widely regarded as a healthy protein and provides an ideal platform for innovation. Sustainability is a major focus for us as a business, as well as the agri-food sector in general. We continue to work closely with a number of bodies to support our strategy and investment is directed where needed. We’re also working hard to keep our plastics use down and working with suppliers to reduce plastic. We’re looking at options to make it more lightweight and we have invested in the technology to do so.

How do you see the future for Moy Park? Demand for our products remains strong across all regions and we have a strategic investment programme which is built to foster growth, building the necessary infrastructure for the future. These assets will not operate to their full capability without talented people. At Moy Park, we place a great emphasis on providing staff with career development prospects and help them understand how they can develop and harness their talent with exciting career paths across the business.

MOY PARK

Ursula Lavery, Technical & R&D Director Europe, Moy Park

2020: THE YEAR AHEAD

Dr Peter FitzGerald CBE FREng DL, Managing Director, Randox Laboratories Randox, which is headquartered in Co. Antrim, develops innovative health tests designed to facilitate earlier and more accurate disease diagnosis for patients around the world. With a 1500-strong global workforce, around 800 of its staff are based in Northern Ireland, of which 430 are research scientists and engineers. Today, approximately 5% of the world’s population – about 370 million people – receives medical diagnoses using products from Randox. Up to 25% of annual turnover is reinvested in R&D and so Randox has more tests in development than any other diagnostics company.

How would you describe the past 12 months at Randox? What have the major developments been at the company? We are excited to be bringing a range of new diagnostic tests to healthcare. By way of example, we recently unveiled a ground-breaking diagnostic which can help to diagnose and differentiate between ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke. The test, which is performed on our patented Randox Biochip Technology, measures multiple markers within the blood simultaneously, providing clinicians with more information than ever before. They are then able to administer the most effective treatment as quickly as possible, which is a vital factor in limiting permanent damage after a stroke. What has Randox got in store for 2020? What will be its main areas of focus? In 2020 we’re looking forward to sharing new technologies that can generate results for respiratory disease and STIs in just a couple of hours. Tests like these which can detect and specifically identify the infection that is present, are absolutely crucial in ensuring effective use of antibiotics, and reducing the very harmful impact of antimicrobial resistance. What are the big developments in the health sector that are influencing the work at Randox? There’s a real demand for more accessible and easier-to-use blood tests directly at the point of care. In March 2019 we unveiled a pioneering POC test to diagnose the often-deadly sepsis, the current testing method for which involves sending blood samples off to laboratories, and takes too long. Our new test will allow clinicians in A&E departments to quickly determine the exact organism and take appropriate action. The UK Sepsis Trust’s Chief Executive Ron Daniels visited the Randox Science Park and said that no other system brings sepsis diagnosis so close to the clinician on the shop floor. What are the challenges facing the sector? The main challenge we face lies in the adoption of new tests across health services. Procurement processes are lengthy and health providers may be reluctant to introduce new technologies – even if they can save costs and improve patient outcomes in the long run. This is a complex issue, but the introduction of innovation within traditionally conservative healthcare institutions has always been demanding. In a more technical environment are there challenges attracting talent? We’re lucky that we have a fantastic talent pool and enjoy a great working relationship with both Queen’s and Ulster University. The Randox working environment is a unique one

in that we offer such a diverse range of career opportunities – not only in science, engineering and manufacturing but also marketing, graphic design, sales and information technology. How do you work to protect the future generations that will be employed at Randox? We’re passionate about promoting careers in STEM and have, for example, recently partnered with the Northern Regional College on an ‘Earn as You Learn’ Higher Apprenticeship in Computing for school leavers. We also have a popular Graduate Programme and Placement Scheme. What route did you take to get to where you are today? While at Queen’s University Belfast, I committed much of my spare time looking for a niche in the biomedical product market. In my research I noted that doctors only conducted a very limited number of blood tests per patient and so I established Randox in 1982, to address the need for more comprehensive and readily available health diagnostics. This ethos of improving healthcare, which drove me to start the company, continues today, and influences every major decision we make. What do you enjoy most about the health services sector? The work we do at Randox really makes a difference. It might surprise you to know that 70% of all medical decisions are based on the laboratory results of blood tests, and yet the tests themselves only account for around 2% of the current healthcare budget. So, not surprisingly, we believe that an investment in diagnostics is needed to improve patient prognosis across a range of common health issues. If you could work in any other sector, which would you chose? I’m very committed to what I do so I honestly can’t imagine myself working anywhere else! How do you see the future for Randox? We traditionally focused on placing our products in the likes of hospitals, laboratories and veterinary clinics, but with the establishment of Randox Health, we now offer our advanced tests directly to the public in our ‘high street’ clinics, in Holywood, Crumlin, Liverpool and London. Partnerships like the Randox Health Grand National provide us with a platform to encourage more people to take a proactive approach to their health by having a full body health check. My vision for the future would be one in which people live healthier for longer. Where sickness is actively prevented, rather than just managed.

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RANDOX LABORATORIES

BANKING

Dr Peter Fitzgerald CBE FREng DL. Credit: Innovate UK.

2020: the year ahead

Kieran Hegarty Credit: Daily News, Route One Publishing.

Terex Corporation is a global manufacturer of lifting and material processing products and services that serve a broad range of industries, including construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, shipping, quarrying and mining. The company’s NI-based businesses (crushing and screening, environmental, washing and conveying) include brand names known locally as Powerscreen and Finlay, both of which have been in business between fifty and sixty years in their own right before being acquired by Terex in 1999. Terex currently operates from nine sites in Northern Ireland including Dungannon, Omagh, Ballymoney, Lurgan and Derry/Londonderry, employing over 1,800 people. softening demand in our global end markets, something that is to be expected in the cyclical business that we are in. Throughout the cycle, we will continue to invest in product and service innovation and geographic expansion to serve more customers globally. Overall I am encouraged by our consistently strong execution and long-term prospects for growth across our MP businesses.

How would you sum up the past year for Terex? 2019 was an excellent year in Terex Materials Processing, with strong financial performance thanks to solid operational execution across our businesses and growth that was driven by global demand for crushing and screening products, material handlers and environmental equipment. What were its most notable achievements/events? A major milestone for Terex in NI was the official opening of our new facility in Campsie, Derry/Londonderry as part of a £12m investment growth strategy, where we have identified the waste management, recycling and mobile conveying sectors as areas of significant opportunity. New product development has continued to differentiate Terex in the marketplace and 2019 was no exception. Our latest innovations were showcased to the world at bauma – the industry’s leading trade exposition. As well as launching new equipment, visitors saw how Terex continues to lead the crushing and screening digital revolution with the launch of OMNI by Terex technology – a tablet-based system that improves jobsite safety and efficiency. This technology won major industry awards in 2019, a true demonstration of innovation that stems right out of Northern Ireland and being recognised on an international stage.

In terms of recruitment, how does Terex appeal to future generations to safeguard its workforce? Access to early talent is critical, and in Northern Ireland Terex has close relationships with local colleges and universities, whom we have worked with to establish programmes tailored for various functional fields (production, engineering, sales and operations) to ensure young people have the right skillset that will enable a variety of career pathways with Terex. An example is our work with North West College in Northern Ireland to establish the GOLD Apprenticeship for crushing and screening. What route did you take to get to where you are today? After spending time in managerial roles at Finlay Hydrascreens based in Omagh and at Powerscreen International, based in Dungannon, I became the Vice President of the Terex Crushing and Screening, with oversight of both businesses. Since then, my role has developed as Terex has adjusted and evolved its business structure to include various other business acquisitions, resulting in my current position as President of the Terex Materials Processing division, which incorporates business lines that cater for crushing and screening, environmental, material handling and concrete and paving industries.

What are you looking forward to most in 2020? With our manufacturing capacity investments in Northern Ireland (Terex Campsie) and also at our facility in India off the ground in 2019, I’m looking forward to seeing these facilities enabling even more growth in the expanding environmental sector and position us to continue to grow in India and the broader Asian markets, as customers adopt our mobile processing technology. In addition, during the first half of 2020 we will be at two major industry shows, ConExpo in Las Vegas and Hillhead in England. These shows will be excellent platforms to showcase our latest products and world-class tools – products that keep us relevant, ahead of the competition, and help our dealers drive a better customer experience when owning and operating one of our assets.

What do you enjoy most about the manufacturing sector? Manufacturing is a great sector to be in – it spans some of most interesting high-tech industries, driving innovation with the adoption of new technologies. Manufacturing also makes a significant contribution to home and global economies and offers excellent career paths, with opportunities for global travel and to progress into leadership roles. These days manufacturing is much more than just an assembly line, covering a wide variety of disciplines, such as sales and business development.

What will be the biggest developments at the company this year (in 2020)? China – being the largest construction equipment market in the world, is a huge growth opportunity for MP and we’ve been incrementally growing in this market through investments made in a China sales office and the appointment of a Sales Director. The market for our mobile crushing and screening and recycling businesses is starting to grow rapidly in China, and 2020 will prove to be an important year to make further headway in this strong developing market.

If you could work in any other sector, which would you chose? I couldn’t imagine myself in any other sector! How do you see the future for Terex? The long-term future for Terex will focus on the things that will continue to make us successful – continued investment in people and product development, along with expansion into new markets, new geographies and new product areas that will pay dividends for the future.

What are the challenges facing your sector? Looking ahead, our bookings and backlog levels point to

TEREX MATERIALS PROCESSING

Kieran Hegarty, President, Terex Materials Processing

FEATURE

Launched â&#x20AC;&#x153;on the cuspâ&#x20AC;? of the recession in 2008, specialist recruitment firm MCS Group has overcome many challenges and, over a decade later, it is a leading talent provider for the most burgeoning and under skilled sectors here. Louise Smyth, Managing Director at MCS Group, talks to Emma Deighan about talent and why attracting skills into NI must be the next move for business. 74

Louise Smyth, Managing Director.

Talent Tapping in to

“They say if you can survive a recession, you can make it through anything,” Louise Smyth begins. And she’s right. Today the entrepreneur and her husband, Barry, are running a thriving business with huge potential for growth all of which was built in the background of what was the most catastrophic recession in this generation’s lifetime. Anything beyond that is now merely a new challenge or opportunity for the group. Together Louise and Barry, with their team of recruiters, are taking a weight off many local businesses’ shoulders – both in the public and private sectors – by tapping into their talent network, a pool of well over 50,000 people, to find the best candidates for some of the most specialist jobs in NI. And their 57 staff, many of whom began their careers outside of recruitment and within the sectors they specialise in, are ensuring that network is nurtured, and their needs are met.

of those events and sit alongside client training events and industry body workshops. Honing relationships is a top priority for MCS especially here in NI where many sectors are facing skill shortages and a restricted pipeline of incoming recruits. “While skill shortages are not a new concept in our economy, the dynamics have shifted further recently, with candidates more in demand than ever, resulting in employers having to be ever more creative and resourceful to acquire and retain the talent they need. Even the very ethics of the company will most likely be considered by potential employees as they decide where to bed down for their next role,” says Louise. “The relationship in recruitment has steered towards the candidate now and the candidate experience is crucial, so it’s more important for a business to have a good reputation to attract skills. “It’s gone full circle. Posting a dull list of job

“Posting a dull list of job duties and responsibilities online in order to find your ideal candidate simply won’t hack it. Top performers are drawn to a persuasive brand narrative, a challenge to be able to do great work and to be associated with organisations who are both culturally and socially responsible.” “The role of the recruiter has gone full circle over the years,” says Louise. “We’ve gone from screening applications and compliance to hunting and sourcing. Gone are the days when you put an ad in the paper or online and waited for response, it’s a different relationship between employers and candidates now.” MCS Group is a “boutique” recruiter says Louise. It’s a term that envelops its specialism that is supporting customers in building high performing businesses by connecting them with the most talented candidates in the market. That service spans careers in technology, financial services, marketing, legal, HR and engineering. And beyond connecting clients and candidates for careers, MCS plays a much more holistic role, opening its Adelaide Street offices to host events for industry and individual clients. “Beers and Careers” evenings are one

duties and responsibilities online in order to find your ideal candidate simply won’t hack it. Top performers are drawn to a persuasive brand narrative, a challenge to be able to do great work and to be associated with organisations who are both culturally and socially responsible.” Another priority for MCS is to support companies who are ready to recruit from outside of NI says Louise. She describes the motion to pull in talent from other countries as “building an ecosystem” that will sustain the growth and meet demand in sectors like technology, engineering, the higher levels in the finance and legal fields and beyond. “I think there is an educational piece about our understanding about recruiting from abroad. We need to take the nervousness out of it,” she says. “We have a lot of work to do to attract that

talent and being realistic, Northern Ireland could do with a massive influx of people both to build our knowledge economy and give us some social diversity. “Already Invest NI is very good at driving job creation and we hope that Boris Johnson’s proposed immigration policy, while it’s still very early days, will create a slicker system that will hopefully enable firms to go outside of our region to get the talent they need. “Once we start getting people in, there’s a ripple effect; word gets out on the NI lifestyle, standard of living and education system and more skilled people will follow. It’s like what John McGrillen at Tourism NI or Catherine Toolan at the ICC have done in attracting global audiences. We need to join it all up and put out a Northern Ireland pitch and we know where those talent pools are and how to heat map that,” explains Louise. She adds: “Growing that ecosystem will also involve deeper connections with education and business,” referencing the fast growth of Dublin’s IT landscape where there are now hubs of technical colleges across the ROI regions, mirroring establishments such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “If we can get some good case studies, we’re going to have a very interesting 10 years of change,” she predicts. “With the Executive up and running, there’s some catching up to do. Brexit is also not the only issue. The global landscape has changed dramatically and at a local level we need businesses to walk the talk and offer apprenticeships and internships to grow that future talent pool.” Looking to the next decade of business at MCS, Louise anticipates a more technological focus in the way recruiters operate. “It’s not about the robots taking over, but we’ve already adopted some cool tech to automate and improve the customer journey and generally we will strive for efficiency where we can. “If you embrace technology and complement it with personalised, deep human consulting skills then I think you can add real value.” Louise has been working in the recruitment industry now for 25 years and supports companies across a diverse range of industries. She says: “I think what’s become critical to all the organisations we partner with is the need to hire for softer skills. It’s a given that the candidate should have the technical skills for the role, but skills such as communication, influencing, self-learning, project and people management are key attributes that are nearly always necessary to complement the technical skills. This is where MCS adds value. “While a candidate might not tick every box in the essential or desirable criteria, they could have the self-drive and determination to learn quickly and bring energy to a team in achieving great results. CVs will become quite messy in the future with candidates taking different career paths to diversify their skills. The straightforward, traditional “career ladder” will not be the only route to career success going forward.” And in sync with technological advances, MCS will also morph over the next 10 years. A grand expansion plan is on the horizon, but Louise keeps tight-lipped about specific developments that will see its team grow in many ways!

SUCCESS FOR THE WILSON GROUP AT IHCP AWARDS Brenda Service from Abingdon Manor Care Centre who came runner up in the Individual Nursing Award.

The Larne Care Centre Nursing Home team who won the Care Team Award.

The excellent care and support at The Wilson Group Nursing Homes is taken as a given but it is nice to receive official recognition. At the recent Independent Health & Care Providers (IHCP) awards the Wilson Group was nominated for two awards. To be nominated they had to provide evidence of having worked outside the scope or standard normally expected in this role. Larne Care Centre was nominated and won The Care Team Award. Just one example of excellence in this area was a client who was severely immobilized through medical complications. The family were told their relative may never fully recover but with the determination and help of the Larne staff they were able to return home within a year. Family members

stated that without the care and attention provided by Larne staff she would never have been able to return home. Abingdon Manor Care Centre received the second nomination at the awards for the category Individual Nursing Award. We were very proud of Brenda Service who came runner up in this category. Brenda regularly goes out of her way to help clients. She regularly takes them to hospital appointments on her days off. On one occasion she spent her Saturday night at a residentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hospital bedside until family arrived from far off. Brenda organised for 4 residents to attend a football match at Windsor Park where they sat in the VIP box to watch the match.

THE WILSON GROUP TEAM ON THE NIGHT OF THE IHCP AWARDS.

www.wilsongroupni.co.uk

FEATURE

NIE Networks apprenticeship graduate, Melissa Graham.

Health and wellbeing focus at NIE Networks

Mental ill-health affects one in five people in Northern Ireland, meaning that 20% of employees in an average organisation may experience problems with their mental health at some stage. However, NIE Networks is making huge strides towards eradicating the negativity surrounding these issues, as well as promoting positive health and wellbeing throughout the organisation, says recent apprenticeship graduate Melissa Graham. 78

“Mental ill-health needs treatment just like a physical illness. I am passionate about helping tackle the stigma that surrounds mental health and people should never feel ashamed or guilty to talk about their mental health or ask for help.”

elissa, 21, is a cable jointer at NIE Networks, having recently completed the organisation’s award-winning three-year apprenticeship programme. Having struggled with mental ill-health from a young age, Melissa explained how she was apprehensive applying for a place on the programme. “I was nervous applying for the apprenticeship because although I knew it would be a hugely rewarding experience, I also knew it would be physically and mentally demanding. “My courage paid off though and whilst learning valuable practical skills, gaining my academic qualifications and receiving a salary throughout the three-year course, I’m now fully qualified. “There were times, especially in my final year, where I found that the intensity and demands of the experience did impact on my mental health, but thankfully the organisation has a strong support system in place which I found to be invaluable in helping me.” Steered by the internal health and wellbeing forum, which is made up of employees from across the entire organisation, NIE Networks takes a holistic approach to health, targeting

all aspects of wellness through a bespoke calendar of health and wellbeing initiatives implemented throughout the year. Having launched a number of training programmes in recent years in areas including mental resilience and toughness and mental health first aid, initiatives also include help to stop smoking, staying safe in the sun, an annual flu vaccination programme and numerous physical exercise challenges. Whilst health and wellbeing is at the forefront of the organisation’s strategy and vision all year round, the company organises an annual two-week long event specifically dedicated to raising health and wellbeing awareness. This is facilitated across various locations where NIE Networks has a major presence throughout Northern Ireland, including Belfast, Ballymena, Craigavon, Campsie and Omagh. There are a wide variety of events delivered by expert health and wellbeing professionals aimed at getting employees involved and encouraging them to take proactive steps to look after their overall health and wellbeing. This year, around 650 NIE Networks employees engaged in the event, which included ‘MOT health checks’ and various awareness and advice sessions such as mindfulness, financial wellbeing, mental health seminars, cancer awareness and good physical health.

Melissa added: “Mental ill-health needs treatment just like a physical illness. I am passionate about helping tackle the stigma that surrounds mental health and people should never feel ashamed or guilty to talk about their mental health or ask for help. “I would encourage and reassure anyone who feels that their mental health is holding them back with their career or aspirations to not be disheartened. I worked through it and found a company like NIE Networks which has offered me support when I need it most.” Applications for the award-winning NIE Networks Apprenticeship Programme open in January 2020. Delivered by an experienced technical training team, the programme offers apprentices the chance to gain hands-on technical experience and work towards achieving a nationally-recognised qualification in Electrical Engineering, all while earning a training salary throughout the course of their apprenticeship. There will be places available on the 2020 programme across metering electricians and overhead lines. For further information or to apply to the NIE Networks Apprenticeship Programme, visit: www.nienetworks.co.uk/ apprenticeships.

NEWS

MOre peOple Are gettINg fAster brOAdbANd – but sOMe rurAl AreAs Are stIll behINd

Jonathan Rose, Ofcom.

More people can get faster broadband, but some rural areas in Northern Ireland are still behind towns and cities for coverage, new data from Ofcom has revealed.

Ofcom’s annual Connected Nations report analyses the availability of broadband and mobile services across the UK and its nations. This year’s Northern Ireland report highlights further progress from industry in rolling out their networks, with more than 232,000 homes (31%) in Northern Ireland now having access to full fibre connections – which offers download speeds of up to one gigabit per second (1 G bit/s). This has increased sharply from last year’s figure (12%), with 160,000 extra homes now able to access the latest broadband technology. The report shows the average download speed delivered to premises in Northern Ireland has increased from 43 Mbit/s in 2018 to 55 Mbit/s, reflecting increasing availability of faster broadband services. Demand for getting online has also increased, with average monthly broadband data use in Northern Ireland going up from 240 GB per connection in 2018, to 322 GB in 2019 – the equivalent of watching up to four hours of HD video content a day. But the report also reveals more work is needed to improve services in rural areas,

where some customers experience slower speeds than those in towns and cities. The vast majority of homes (89%) in Northern Ireland can now access superfast broadband, which offers download speeds of at least 30 Mbit/s – sufficient for most households’ current needs. However, availability of superfast broadband in rural areas, at 66%, is lower. Ofcom expects superfast broadband coverage to increase as a number of UKwide and Northern Ireland specific public sector initiatives are currently underway or about to commence, most notably Project Stratum. Through this project, which is aimed at those unable to get superfast speeds, the Department for the Economy has identified 97,000 premises in Northern Ireland that will be eligible for a broadband boost. The procurement for the £165m project was launched in July 2019 and contract award is anticipated in mid-2020. In today’s smartphone society, being able to make calls and get online on the move is crucial to people’s personal and working lives. Ofcom’s figures show 75% of the Northern Ireland’s land area is covered by

good 4G reception from all four networks. And 97% of the country can get reliable 4G from at least one operator. But there are stark differences in the level of choice available to customers in urban and rural areas. Ninety per cent of urban areas can get 4G coverage from all four operators, compared to 74% of rural areas. However, rural mobile coverage is set to increase as a result of an industry project announced in October. Mobile operators have worked with Government and Ofcom on a plan to introduce a ‘shared rural network’. This will see high-quality 4G coverage reach 95% of the UK by 2025, as mobile companies share their existing masts and invest in new sites. Meanwhile 5G – the fifth generation of mobile technology – launched in the UK in the last year, with all four mobile networks rolling out 5G across a total of 40 UK towns and cities. Initially, 5G will be an enhanced version of 4G – offering faster speeds, more capacity and far fewer connection delays. But in the longer term it can support a host of innovative new services for mobile users and businesses, from farming to factories. Jonathan Rose, Director at Ofcom Northern Ireland, said: “This year we’ve seen full fibre broadband grow at its fastest ever rate, and the first 5G services launched in Northern Ireland. “But despite this good progress, there is more to do to bring all parts of the country up to speed – particularly rural areas. So we’re working with industry and the Government to help bring better services to people who need them.” • An interactive version of Ofcom’s Connected Nations Northern Ireland report, offering data at nation, local authority and parliamentary constituency level is available at www.ofcom.org.uk.

MEET CAROLINE MACLAUGHLIN MACLAUGHLIN HEAD OF BANKING & FINANCE CLEAVER FULTON FULTON RANKIN RANKIN Caroline MacLaughlin has recently joined Cleaver Fulton Rankin as the new Head of Banking & Finance. We take a look at some key facts about Caroline and why she believes a career in law is challenging, interesting and requires both flexibility and perseverance. Why did you choose a career in law? I enjoy being challenged and always achieve my best results under pressure. I found the variety that a career in law offered appealing, and my career to date has never disappointed. What attracted you to your position as Head of Banking at Cleaver Fulton Rankin? After meeting with Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s senior management, I was left with a really positive impression of their strategy and future vision for the firm. I saw the opportunity to take up a new challenge that allows me to bring the experiences gained in my career to a local law firm setting. I am excited to build on and develop Cleaver Fulton Rankin’s growth strategy, particularly within the areas of banking, restructuring and financial services. What is your vision for the Banking team? I am looking forward to continuing to develop, grow and diversify the firm’s banking team. I want the team to be renowned as market leading, with a strong reputation for excellence in service delivery and providing clients with a practical solutions-based approach. As well as continuing to develop the strong pipeline of quality work and existing client relationships, our team offer clients (lenders and borrowers) the experience and expertise to deliver at the highest level on financing transactions across a wide range of sectors. What are the challenges facing your sector and the economy in general? Uncertainty and the pace of change are undoubtedly two of the biggest challenges facing both the banking sector and the economy generally. Political and economic uncertainty as a result of Brexit and the three-year political vacuum at a local level, are impacting most business sectors, perhaps most evidently our infrastructure and ability to build for the future.

The banking sector has faced huge challenges and change, and as a result of this, is very resilient. This resilience is particularly visible at the moment in the mid-corporate market, where a lot of businesses and borrowers continue to perform well. There have however been a number of recent high profile business failures which paints the picture of an uncertain market. In addition, other non-bank entrants to the funding market in NI in recent years have created new opportunities and wider competition. What has been your biggest lesson in your career so far? To expect the unexpected, whether that is in terms of building your own team or in terms of the economic backdrop. Just when things are running smoothly, one of the dynamics change, however, this keeps my career interesting and requires both flexibility and perseverance. What would you say has been your key to success? Qualities such as level-headedness, self-belief and commercial awareness. I have a strong ability in terms of building relationships and leading teams. I enjoy the people development aspect of my job and get satisfaction from watching junior lawyers within my team develop. How do you achieve a work/life balance? This is a constant challenge, particularly with a young family. Achieving the perfect balance is difficult, however, I have the support of my husband and wider family. A lot of planning is required during the week, good time management and strong juggling abilities. I am someone who thrives under pressure, and hopefully in years to come I will be able to reflect and feel as though I have achieved an overall balance. The one thing I do find hard to fit into the balance is exercise! Who inspires you? Close to home, my parents have inspired me in many different ways. On a completely different level, I have grown up in a family of avid rugby fans, and I have been inspired by Siya Kolisi, who was the captain of the South African team, which recently won the Rugby World Cup. I love the way sport can lead the way in showing the business world the success that diversity and true opportunity for all, regardless of background, can bring if you really embrace it and live it.

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