Why Quality and Quantity Matter Today’s finance teams run so much more than just the numbers and NI Chamber is no different. The Finance and Assurance function has responsibility for driving the organisation’s quality agenda, leading on customer relationship management systems, as well as keeping teams and individuals accountable against targets.
Staying abreast all of that alongside day-today finances is the job of Stuart Hollinger, head of Finance and Assurance and his team.
“Of course, the primary role of the Finance and Assurance team is the essential finance function, incorporating invoicing, banking, debtors and creditors and periodic reporting. But we also look beyond the finances at other key metrics and qualitative information, which helps tell the story behind the numbers. That’s where our team comes into its own and adds real value both internally and to our members, which is crucial,” says Stuart.
“In recent years, we have invested both time and resources in developing the best systems for a membership organisation like ours. This allows us to extract quality data in real time and provide all teams across the business with really valuable insights. That in turn allows them to provide the best service possible to businesses across Northern Ireland.
“Culturally, NI Chamber has gone through a real shift recently and everyone is much more data driven. As a result our decision making is faster and better, which has been particularly beneficial over the past year, when so much has had to change quickly. “Our business intelligence data has improved through the integration of CRM and Power BI reporting, meaning we are getting more realtime insights into member engagement and the return on investment they are getting on their membership fee. We can take action from these reports to add value to those members who are under-engaged or identify those growing businesses who are ready to benefit from our business support programme, Learn Grow Excel. Of course, the data does not tell the whole story as it is the people that matter in business, but it improves the business performance through driving service engagement and relationships through the KPI metrics.” NI Chamber was re-accredited with the ISO 9001:2015 international quality standard at the end of 2020, which was an important milestone. Stuart explains: “The ISO accreditation is well regarded and gives members and stakeholders confidence that NI Chamber is a qualitydriven organisation. The job of maintaining the standard is continuous, though, and for it to work, every single member of staff must be behind it. Thankfully, continuous improvement is embedded within the NI Chamber team and innovation is one of our corporate values, so there is a natural enthusiasm for it.” Obtaining an accreditation like this is often perceived as a very arduous process,
28
particularly for SME businesses, but Stuart has some encouraging advice for any organisation considering it: “I have had a good experience with the standard in the accreditation and audits and it is very rewarding to receive external validation. Since the update to ISO 9001:2015 it is more about the processes and the objectives rather than the paperwork. So if a business has a continuous improvement culture with a strong purpose, objectives and processes, it could be a great strategic fit to help it grow locally and internationally. “It’s also not the only quality standard out there – industry-specific ones can be just as valuable. For example, NI Chamber is also accredited by the British Chamber of Commerce. As an accredited Chamber, we are part of the UK network and assessed on our governance, resources and services. Our staff are also qualified to deliver export documentation and customs declarations services. That is a very important facility and we adhere to rigorous, externally assessed processes in order to be able to deliver what is a very important service for the local economy. “That focus on training doesn’t just apply to export documents. We are a really peoplefocused employer, which is why NI Chamber was awarded Investors in People Gold. That award is indicative of how we train and develop our staff across a wide range of areas including leadership, management, professional sales skills and digital capabilities. This standard is really important and has helped us to attract some of the best talent we have. It’s one I would certainly recommend to others.” With such a wide variety of accreditations behind it, Stuart is keen to remind members
