Sync NI Magazine Spring 2022 by Sync NI

www.syncni.com Spring 2022

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Bazaarvoice 12 Applied Systems 28 EY 38

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Inside Northern Ireland’s booming tech sector 08 Big Data Belfast: Netflix, McLaren Racing, Disney Plus and many more…

22 ADS: Growing the aerospace, defence, security and space industry in Northern Ireland Supported by

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Welcome to the spring edition of the Sync NI magazine Foreword

John Healy

Vice President & Managing Director, Allstate Northern Ireland

s we enter the second quarter of 2022, I wanted to reflect on the technology sector in Northern Ireland.

The pandemic impacted businesses, our communities, and our lives in ways that we could never have imagined. From going about our daily lives to being in lockdown overnight was a shock to us all. The pandemic brought with it many challenges, from a personal and professional point of view. Overnight we transitioned to working from home full time; many employees already worked from home a few days a week, but now entire workforces were working remotely and while the work could continue, as Leaders we had to think about how to keep employees engaged, connected, and motivated in the long run. The technology sector in Northern Ireland is adaptable and resilient at the best of times and it took this change and disruption in its stride. The biggest shock to many was the sheer scale, magnitude, and duration of the pandemic. In February 2020 I don’t think anyone would have believed that we would be working from home for two years. Despite the pandemic, the output from employees in Allstate and other technology companies was exceptional. Employees adapted, they embraced the change and delivered results. Employees are the number one most important asset of any company and it is the people of Northern Ireland that make this place such a great place to live and work. They are some of the most dedicated, passionate, and accomplished people anywhere in the world. Technology does not develop on its own, it needs people and that is why there is a huge demand for software development and engineering jobs. This

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About Sync NI Sync NI is proud to be the voice of Northern Ireland’s vibrant technology and business sector. The Sync NI website and magazine brings readers the latest tech and business news, views, jobs and events in Belfast and beyond. Sync NI Contacts Editorial Phone: 028 9082 0944 Email: team@syncni.com Advertising & Partnerships Phone: 028 9082 0947 Email: louis@syncni.com

brings with it its own challenges with a shortage of skilled employees. The skills deficit is affecting all sectors as employers try to recruit the kind of staff they need. We must look at new and innovate ways to meet the demand now and in the future. As demand for workers outstrips supply, competition for qualified candidates is soaring. Skill shortages are not ‘industry exclusive’; hospitality, retail, health, construction, manufacturing, and IT are all being affected, with wage growth reflecting these skills shortages. What we need is a clear pathway for young people through school, enabling and inspiring them to acquire appropriate skills within the existing curriculum. Progression routes to Apprenticeships and Further and Higher Education should be maximized. Recently, The Executive and Department for the Economy announced their commitment to create a “10x Economy for Northern Ireland” over the next decade. To achieve this goal, there will be an increasing demand for a digitally competent workforce and an even greater demand for software engineering skills

that will in turn, grow the NI economy. Another challenge is diversity. In the technology sector there is a major underrepresentation of females. A more widespread adoption of inclusive diversity practices and policies will make a genuine difference to diversity & workplace culture on a cross-sectorial basis and will help make the most of Northern Ireland’s talented workforce in a global, competitive economy. We know that diversity matters, and there are several ways the technology sector can change to reflect this: create a culture where every individual can contribute their full potential, develop diversity champions, ensure everyone values each other and create a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. Looking to the future, the technology sector offers excellent opportunities for the next generation of employees: good salaries, exciting career opportunities and working in an ever-changing environment. The future is exciting, there will be bumps along the way but as technology impacts our lives more and more there has never been a better time to be involved in this sector.

General Enquiries Sync NI Rochester Building 28 Adelaide street Belfast BT2 8GD Phone: 028 9082 0944 Email: team@syncni.com Online: www.syncni.com Copyright No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written permission of the copyholder and publisher. Sync NI accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of contributed articles or statements appearing in this magazine and any views or opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Sync NI, unless otherwise indicated. No responsibility for loss or distress associated to any person acting or refraining from acting as a result of the material in this magazine can be accepted by the authors, contributors, editors or publishers. Sync NI does not endorse any goods or services advertised, nor any claims or representations made in any advertisement in this magazine.

Inside this edition 08 Netflix, McLaren Racing, Disney Plus and many more… 10 Jonathan Cummings: A career in cybersecurity 12 Bolstering big data with AI in e-commerce 15 The importance of female leadership post-pandemic 16 Levelling Up is a prime opportunity to cement Northern Ireland as a tech trailblazer

30 Citi Belfast ‘Changemaker of the Year’ Hannah McNamara: “Conversations about equality made me feel included as soon as I walked in the door” 32 Appropriate support 'essential' for tech companies to grow 33 Female tech talent recognised at Northern Ireland’s first Women in Tech Awards

18 PwC continues to evolve

34 Q&A with Nathan Wardlow from Highroads

20 Blockchain in Belfast

36 Allstate NI: redefining hybrid working

22 Growing the aerospace, defence, security and space industry in Northern Ireland

38 Simon Fahy and Susanna Carlstedt on EY’s exciting new investment in Northern Ireland

25 Q&A with PEAK6 Northern Ireland’s Darren Abel

40 BT Ireland Innovation Centre showcase highlights NI is leading the way in global research and development

26 Liberty IT announce new Senior Leadership Team

28 Recruiting in a hot market: Q&A with Applied’s recruiting expert

BIG DATA BELFAST 2022 ICC BELFAST 25.05.22

VISIT BIGDATABELFAST.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION

Big Data Belfast 2022 will welcome speakers and panelists from industry leading brands including McDonald’s, McLaren Racing, ASOS,

Colin McFarland Netflix

Daphne Cheung Disney Plus

Karl Boyce McDonald’s

Chris Southworth Int. Chamber of Commerce

Netflix, Disney Plus, the International Chamber of Commerce, EY and many more! Tickets for Big Data Belfast 2022 are on sale now and are priced at £100+VAT. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.bigdatabelfast.com. To purchase tickets via invoice, please contact info@analyticsengines.com.

and many more... Headline Sponsor

Supporting Sponsors

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Analytics Engines Head of Sales & Marketing Geoff McGimpsey gives us the inside track on this year’s Big Data Belfast conference

ig Data Belfast returns to the ICC Belfast on Wednesday 25th May 2022.

The conference is designed to be the ideal opportunity for both business and technology professionals to learn from and network with thought leaders about the transformative impact that data can have on their organisations. Presented by Analytics Engines and with support from headline sponsor EY, in addition to ASOS, Daily Pay, Dell Technologies, Aflac, APEX Fintech Solutions, Allstate Northern Ireland, MCS Group, Magnite and Queen’s University Belfast, the conference will present the very latest insights into the world of data, with a variety of speakers and panel sessions across a range of topics including AI & ML, Environmental Sustainability and Governance, Digital Transformation, and Business Analytics. This year’s conference seeks to build upon the 2019 event that saw more than 550 delegates attending, representing over 160 local and international companies. This event featured speakers from industry-leading organisations such as GitHub, Diaceutics, Dell Technologies, Reach, Allstate NI, Citi, and Liberty IT. In recent years, the adoption of data-driven technologies

Netflix, McLaren Racing, Disney Plus and many more…  Author

Geoff McGimpsey

Head of Sales & Marketing, Analytics Engines

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has grown exponentially. Gartner predicts that by 2023, overall adoption of data analytics will increase from 35% (2021) to 50%, with much of this growth driven by vertical and domain-specific augmented analytics solutions and the commodification of data analytics technology. As a result, data and advanced analytics are increasingly becoming a core component of how modern businesses operate. A fundamental enabler to driving high-quality datadriven insights is highquality data. From our own perspective at Analytics Engines, we are seeing an increasing demand for solutions addressing data quality issues. A 2021 report from headline sponsor EY found that 41% of respondents deemed quality to be the most important characteristic of their data with regards to their organisation’s success. EY goes on to state that “the downstream costs caused by data quality issues (including duplicated effort, process inefficiencies, potentially wasted future spending and other opportunity costs) can be eye-watering. Some estimates put the cost of remediating a data quality error at 10 times the cost of preventing it in the first place...” Providing insights around many of these issues and understanding how data can support business objectives lies at the core of the Big Data Belfast conference. The growth of the event

(L-R) Geoff McGimpsey (left) with Shay Cullen, Director and Head of Data Platforms & Engineering at #BDB22 headline sponsors EY

speaks to the quality of the local technology ecosystem. The 2021 Tech Nation Jobs and Skills report found that 27% of all advertised roles in Belfast were Digital Tech roles, one of the highest proportional rates in the entire UK. In 2021, fDi and TNW placed Belfast at 11th (2nd in the UK) on their Tech Cities of the Future list; a list focused on finding European cities with the most promising prospects for start-ups, technology and innovation investment.

Netflix; Daphne Cheung, Senior Data Analyst at Disney Plus; Edward Green, Head of Commercial Technology at McLaren Racing; and Karl Boyce, Head of Digital for UK & Ireland at McDonald’s amongst others.

Looking ahead to this year, we’ll be welcoming speakers including Colin McFarland, Director, Experimentation Platform and Core Data Science & Engineering at

For more information and to purchase tickets visit bigdatabelfast.com. To purchase tickets via invoice, please contact info@analyticsengines.com.

A full list of announced speakers for this year’s event can be found at bigdatabelfast.com. Tickets for Big Data Belfast 2022 are on sale now and are priced at £100+VAT.

About Analytics Engines Specialists in data integration, machine learning, AI, in-depth analytics and visualisations, Analytics Engines leverages connected technology and data analysis to deliver better insights and outcomes for customers. We break down our customers’ data silos and enable organisations to understand how, where, and why their data is connected.

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Jonathan Cummings: A career in cybersecurity The Sync NI team sat down with Chief Information Security Officer at ESO, Jonathan Cummings to find out about his journey, the company and the ever evolving threat of cyberattacks

onathan has just recently started his journey as Chief Information Security Officer at ESO but has been in the cybersecurity industry for around 10 years. His role is to help the business protect their information and data and keep the

business functioning despite any cyber threats they might face.

for emergency medical services (EMS), fire departments and hospitals.

Jonathan tells us that he was attracted to a role at ESO mainly because of their mission to improve community health and safety through the power of data. The company provides an integrated suite of software products

ESO’s suite of software products enable EMS agencies to dispatch trained, equipped and informed professionals to help communities. The software seamlessly shares patient data with the receiving hospital to improve patient

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outcomes. ESO’s industryleading fire software tracks incident data, property inspections, vehicle inventory and fire hydrants. ESO then use the deidentified data they have collected from over 2,000 EMS agencies, fire departments and hospitals, for use in research and benchmarking projects to help improve community health and safety. Jonathan says that the company's values are aligned with his own. He tells us: “ESO is actually making a difference in the world. The opportunity to be part of an organisation, on a mission that was actually doing something to contribute to society, was really appealing to me.” The other thing that attracted Jonathan to ESO was the culture. He explains: “ESO has got a culture that most companies would be envious of. They look after their employees just the same way as they look after their customers and their customers look after the patients and so on.” Jonathan also adds that every employee in ESO knows the mission of the company, believes in it and everything they do relates back to that mission about improving community health and safety through the power of data. As Jonathan has been in the industry for around ten years he has had time to

see how cyber attacks have evolved. He explains that although the goal is still the same in most cyber attacks, the tactics and techniques the attackers use have evolved, becoming more complex. Jonathan also tells us that attacks have become more brazen. For example, at the moment, attackers are publicly advertising for employees to come and work with them to sell their credentials and sell their access. Having previously worked for Financial companies, Jonathan is able to see the difference in attacks on fintech and healthtech companies. He tells us that difference isn’t really in the risks and threats but the impact the attacks have. Jonathan explains: “The impact of an attack in a financial organisation is more of a nuisance, it's more of a disruption to someone’s life and routine, but whenever you then start to compare that to the implications of an attack in health tech, or an organisation like ours, that is totally different, where ESO is operating and working with emergency medical services the implications of cyber attacks are disastrous.” He continues: “These attacks could generally mean the difference between somebody getting immediate life changing medical attention, or having to suffer the consequences

of a delayed treatment.” He also adds: “Think of someone having a stroke every second counts, we’re potentially talking about paramedics not being able to get access to the information they need to diagnose or treat that patient quickly enough. This is why we are seeing hospitals and organisations that work with the health tech sector taking great care to ensure that providers like ESO, have all the necessary cybersecurity protections in place, due of the severe implications of getting it wrong.” Jonathan explains that cybersecurity is an ever evolving industry. Therefore, for those who want to get involved in the cybersecurity industry he believes the key thing is people being curious about the topic and wanting to know and learn more about it. He tells us that it's not just the types of attacks that are changing, but it's how attackers do them, and why they do them too.. He adds: “It's not the sort of thing that you can do a one off training course per year and be happy that you know everything, you've got to want to come home in the evenings and read up about it or keep an eye on the news to see what's happening or research the latest technology.” Jonathan also doesn’t believe that a third level education is necessary for everyone to work in cybersecurity. He tells us that there are a great number of cybersecurity

apprenticeship schemes out there and ESO will be engaged in a number of those in the near future. He explains that “in previous roles, individuals from all sorts of careers transition into cybersecurity but the one thing they all had in common was before they applied for their first role, entered into an apprenticeship scheme, or took on a degree, was that they all took the time to learn and develop themselves beforehand. They had a curiosity about the topic and wanted to understand it.” Jonathan's best advice to those who want to get involved in cybersecurity is “Only enter into it if it's something that you're genuinely interested in. This is not a nine to five type job, these attackers have this horrible habit of attacking us at the worst possible moments. If you still want to work in cybersecurity, then learn the basics either through an apprenticeship, third level education or by undertaking training such as CompTIA Security+ and build on it from there.” Jonathan concludes: “You have to go into it with your eyes open and realise that you're going to have to constantly develop yourself. However, there are great rewards in cybersecurity, lots of opportunities to try new technology and try new things, possibly even travel depending on the company that you're in. It’s definitely worth doing but it’s an intense career path.”

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Bolstering big data with AI in e-commerce The Sync NI team sat down with Bazaarvoice to find out more about how AI can transform the world of e-commerce Figure 1

nline shopping has seen profound growth since the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This is reflected by the volume of retail sales (attributed to online activity) between 2019 and 2022 in the UK growing by a colossal 58%, according to Statista[1].

This phenomenon has forced an acceleration of technology strategies for organizations who reside in the e-commerce industry, rewarding those who have the agility to adopt emerging technologies to maintain, or perhaps carve out a competitive advantage.

Data Is the spark, artificial intelligence is the flame

E-commerce is a thriving melting pot of data. Data ranging from products, user demographics and social content are just a few that contribute to the evolving landscape of information available. This is data that is ripe for capitalisation through employing a spectrum of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, which can act as fuel for enhancing product offerings. With this premise in mind, this article will explore how innovative organisations are seizing this opportunity.

Bazaarvoice Inc., primed to disrupt the e-commerce industry with AI

You only have a few seconds to catch your shoppers’ attention. That means you need to master getting the right content, in the right place, at the right time. Bazaarvoice is the leading provider of product reviews and user-generated content (UGC) solutions, helping brands and retailers tap into wider communities of customers to acquire UGC. One prominent type of UGC is consumer reviews, a source of buying information so widely used, that in fact 79% of shoppers expect a product to have at least six reviews before making an informed purchase[2]. UGC is the insightful, vibrant, trustworthy companion that shoppers are looking for. Bazaarvoice enables brands and retailers to provide shoppers with what they need at every stage of the journey. To effectively support our brand and retail partners we need data, figure one highlights the breadth and scale of Bazaarvoice’s network and communities. This is big data at a grand scale, with content that spans images, video, text and beyond.

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When paired with AI, this data can be applied in several ways, helping bazaarvoice drive increased value for their clients.

Contemporary uses of AI in e-commerce

To appreciate the direction of travel for AI in the industry, it is key to consider the historical benefit AI has generated for companies in the UGC space. Sentiment analysis is one of the several techniques used by Bazaarvoice Inc., to enhance our understanding of text based reviews. There are multiple benefits, the main one being that it gives additional transparency to our clients regarding the public perception of their product in the Bazaarvoice network. See figure 2 for an example of how we present this information to our clients, in which we augment the application of sentiment with keywords and intelligently inferred “themes”.

Content moderation is a key service we offer our clients. Our AI supported content moderation system leverages an ensemble of modeling and scoring tools to detect profanity. This is just a taste of the type of AI that is used within the e-commerce industry. While these are highly valuable, how can organisations continue to leverage AI to disrupt the status quo assumptions within the industry?

Transforming the status quo

UGC is an essential ingredient in the e-commerce cocktail. Retailers and brands are very aware of this fact and they work hard to increase both the quality and volume of reviews associated with products on their websites. To do this, brands in the Bazaarvoice network can syndicate content to certain retailers. Syndication is the distribution of a brand’s

Figure 3

consumer-generated content, like customer reviews and photos, to the websites of retail partners who sell the brand’s products. To illustrate, figure 3 showcases how product ratings and reviews sourced directly from shoppers on a brand's website can be amplified to take advantage of the enormous Bazaarvoice retail network. This is the power of review syndication, one review has the potential to be displayed on numerous client websites.

Figure 2

Historically, ratings and reviews providers in e-commerce enable review syndication through a

process known as “product matching”. In the vast majority of cases this is an automatic process, however for certain client catalogs, manual matching (via humans) is required. Manual product matching is inherently a methodical and time-consuming process. Bazaarvoice identified the necessity for innovation in this workflow, overturning the status quo to support our teams of human product matchers. The solution introduced an AI model to evaluate the entire product matching backlog. The model leverages sophisticated natural language processing techniques alongside a

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suite of other data points to either approve a product match or defer the decision to a human. This is a ‘cobot’ methodology, with the human team remaining in the loop. Over time, this innovation will lead to a significant increase in product matches. Ultimately leading to a dramatic impact on the ability of Bazaarvoice to support review syndication.

Stepping into the time machine

So far we have delved into the historical and modern ways in which AI is changing the e-commerce industry, but what if we look to the future and speculate on the potential for radical (almost sci-fi!) transformation. The art of the possible includes but is not limited to the examples below.

q Increased prominence of behavioral analytics, applying social media like data points to understand shoppers like never before. This gives the ability to personalise experiences based on usage patterns, personality traits and preferences. q Moving beyond sentiment, augmenting review data with emotions such as anger and joy, offering fine grain understanding of shoppers’ experiences and opinions.

q Use a set of images to create a 3D mesh of the product, enabling the shopper to fully explore products rather than being

Figure 4

limited to a handful of photos in an image gallery.

q Overhauling how reviews are presented to shoppers with intelligent ordering, powerful search capabilities and even using AI to help the shopper compose high quality reviews.

How do you take advantage of this opportunity?

For Bazaarvoice the answer lies in shaping an alignment of purpose across all of Product Development, making AI an embedded part of our technology toolkit. This was initiated through an internal conference known as the “AI Summit”. A two-day event to inspire and propel the organisation towards increased AI adoption. While it’s true that in the past (and present!) Bazaarvoice has embraced the technology, the AI Summit was intended to accelerate the future use of AI within our products. The AI Summit was a strategic event to solidify the embrace of AI in Bazaarvoice. Why is this important? We have a belief

that our interpretation of the technology tea leaves indicates AI will offer enormous rewards, supporting our ability to delight our customers. Ultimately the pairing of AI within the rapidly growing ecommerce industry acts as a catalyst for innovation, helping Bazaarvoice achieve our business objectives.

Citations [1] - Statistica, Feb 24th, 2022 https:// www.statista.com/ statistics/315506/ online-retail-sales-inthe-united-kingdom/ [2] Bazaarvoice Shopper Experience Index, 2021

About the author

Jordan McDonald Jordan is a Staff Machine Learning Engineer at Bazaarvoice, tasked with leading the development of ML centered solutions that derive business value for the organization. Outside of his working life, Jordan helps organize the AI NI Meetup group and strives to get lost in nature (and a good book!) as much as possible.

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The importance of female leadership post-pandemic The pandemic has negatively impacted the amount of female representation in employment. In light of this, the Sync NI team sat down with Whytematter to discuss the importance of female leadership post-pandemic

ociety (employment) was changing for the positive because of increasing female representation in business leadership. Unfortunately, the pandemic has negatively affected this trend. The therefore it is more important than ever to promote women in leadership because of their valuable traits.

When Covid-19 hit in March 2020, the reality of the workplace changed dramatically, and possibly forever. All of our preconceived ideas about what it meant to ‘go-to-work’ disappeared overnight and demanded workplace flexibility in its greatest form. The last 2 years have been about survival, and also about great leadership.

Jacinta Ardhern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, who led her country while having a toddler at home.

Female leaders are adaptable

(L-R) Whytematter's Jordan Foster, Mairead Moore and Kirsty McDowell

to the majority of good leadership characteristics, they still remain massively underrepresented. While we have all felt the challenges of the pandemic, it is clear that the effect of the lockdowns, have been particularly difficult for female leaders and particularly those who are working mothers.

The concept of great leadership changed overnight too with the focus becoming more people centric. Sales, profit, and process became replaced with flexibility, inclusivity, and communication. The qualities and characteristics of a great leader became less about gender, and more about personal attributes and the ability to adapt.

Due to the nature of society, women tend to carry the burden in terms of domestic responsibilities and childcare, which can feel like a second full-time job after a full day in our career roles. But during the pandemic this had a huge effect on many women’s ability to juggle their time, resulting in them having to make a choice between a career and their children.

Undeniably, those qualitative traits tend to be more inherent to females. And while the data now tells us that women are rated higher than men when it comes

According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, by May 2020, mothers were 1.5 times more likely than fathers to have either lost their job or quit since March, and were

more likely to have been furloughed. The Fawcett Society also found 35% of working mothers have lost work or hours due to a lack of childcare support during the pandemic. Gender equity researcher Equileap found that in 2021, women made up only a fifth (20%) of executive team members in the UK, and as a result of the pandemic there are now fewer female leaders in employment. As women we need to manifest the unique values and traits of our sex to excel in our careers and lead in big business.

Female leaders are great in a crisis

It was widely reported in the media towards the start of the pandemic, that female leaders globally, managed the Coronavirus crisis much better than their male counterparts, responding faster and communicating better which is testament to their ability to act fast in a crisis. An example being

In life things do not always go to plan. The ability to multitask, be flexible and adapt in almost any given set of circumstances becomes second nature to females and is a core skill when it comes to leading a company.

Female leaders have empathy

Our innate female desire to nurture and empathize may sometimes be mistaken as weak, but it can be used as a powerful business growth tool, to engage staff, behave with more compassion and emotional intelligence, and create an inclusive workplace. As women we have an ability to develop a team-orientated, collaborative, and inclusive leadership style. The ability to sit down face to face with staff, to problem solve and develop long-lasting and meaningful professional relationships. Post-pandemic this approach to business is more important than ever. So, as women, we just need to remember that we possess unique and valuable qualities that we each need to utilize to our own advantage to be successful leaders right here, right now.

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Levelling Up is a prime opportunity to cement Northern Ireland as a tech trailblazer Sync NI caught up with Mark Owens, Managing Director at Civica NI, to discuss the key factors which will secure Northern Ireland’s future as a powerhouse of innovation

ith the worst of the pandemic hopefully now behind us, the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda could not be timelier. Two years of Covid turmoil have taken their toll on our economy, with a sharp decline in output and substantial job losses. As we rebuild our economy, it makes sense for the government to help each region play to its strengths and in Northern Ireland, our tech sector is top among these.

A smarter economy needs skilled people

Despite its relatively small size and population, Northern Ireland is a tech trailblazer. We’re Europe's number one destination for FDI in new software development and around one in four jobs advertised in NI last year were digital tech roles, a higher number than anywhere else in the UK. The software sector alone employs over 30,000 people, earning more than the national average. But despite these advantages, we run the very real risk of losing our edge. While our region offers fantastic opportunities to those seeking a career in the technology and software industries, the supply of skilled experts simply isn’t keeping pace. For this reason, I’m particularly encouraged to see such a strong focus on skills in the Levelling Up White Paper. The Government’s target to increase the number of people successfully

completing high-quality skills training across the UK by 2030 will be pivotal to ensuring that Northern Ireland remains attractive for tech investors and graduates alike. Industry must, of course, play its part also. At Civica, we work with schools across Northern Ireland, promoting software as an exciting career choice and our NorthStar innovation lab offers opportunities for apprentices, sponsored students, and graduates to work on ideas using data and automation that can create the future of public services.

Data – the foundation for success

While skills will be critical to fuelling the Levelling Up agenda, data is key to ensuring that it is built on the right foundations. Making sure that all the UK’s nations and regions get to share in the spoils of economic growth is no easy task, as the Levelling Up White Paper acknowledges. But one thing we can be certain of is that success will hinge on the quality of the decisions that are made, whether these be on large scale investments or smaller, more targeted measures. And good decision-making depends, above all, on data. Given the complexity of the UK’s governance arrangements, its perhaps no surprise that harnessing data to drive better, smarter decision-making has long been a challenge. But the good news is that the solution is relatively straightforward. In Civica, we call this the 3Ss – Standards Skills and Sharing.

 Author

Mark Owens

Managing Director (NI), Civica

Standards: Robust, consistent rules for the collection and management of data will ensure that public bodies from Whitehall to Belfast City Hall are better able to understand and interpret crucial information without having to constantly check what it means or where it came from. Skills: People with the skills and confidence to be able to interpret and use that data effectively, can make smarter, more informed decisions. Sharing: Data will never deliver to its true potential unless it is easily accessible, when and where it is needed most. Data, no matter how high quality, is of no use to those making crucial decisions in support of the regions if it is sitting idle on a sever in London or elsewhere.

Conclusion

With offices from Belfast to Bristol, Civica knows first-hand what the regions have to offer. Here in Northern Ireland, homegrown innovative software like the CovidCertNI app have ensured we can live better, safer lives despite the global pandemic. With the right focus and investment, from government and industry alike, we can secure Northern Ireland’s future as a powerhouse of innovation.

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The quack’s mighty and the tech matters Find your next tech role aflacni.com

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PwC continues to evolve The professional services firm is now pushing into a market where it’s competing with Northern Ireland’s many technology startups and innovative businesses for the best talent

wC’s clients are demanding different services, led by humans and powered by technology, and PwC’s approach is changing in response. Businesses are under pressure to transform complex business processes to remove structural cost, radically improve customer experience and digitise faster than ever before - which is where PwC comes in. PwC’s Merchant Square office, which opened in the summer of 2021 in Belfast city centre, is home mostly to staff from its Operate business. This is the fastest-growing part of the professional services firm, which deals with clients’ operational and technical needs so, for instance, they stay ahead of regulation change or implement transformation. Dominic Mac, PwC Operate’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), heads up

its Operate Digital unit: “We work with some of the most recognisable organisations worldwide - we deliver managed solutions as well as transforming and running complex operational processes that many businesses don’t have the skills or capacity for in their day-to-day. “To do that, we harness the power of tech and data, and our newly established Office of the CTO shapes the strategy and identifies transformation opportunities. We’re growing the part of our business in new areas that we’re seeing emerging demand such as in cloud, in application managed services, in ongoing testing and also in data and analytics as a service. And then we have ARC.” Last summer, PwC Operate launched its Advanced Research and Engineering Centre (ARC) in Belfast. This £40m initiative saw PwC join forces with Ulster University and Queen’s University

Belfast, and is being part-funded by Invest NI. The idea? To fuse the best innovative minds in the country with a business imperative to create solutions for the needs of PwC’s clients into the next decade and beyond. The ARC team is already 60 strong, with 100 expected on board by the end of the year. “ARC is a critical component for where we need to be,” adds Dom. “Through

Dominic Mac, CTO, PwC Operate

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our software engineering excellence, we’re building technologies that enable us to be more efficient and effective operationally, be they propositions themselves or the technology component of new propositions in Execution Managed Services and in the cloud space.”

northwest is an important step for us. ARC will continue to be based in our Merchant Square HQ in Belfast, but we’re keen to recruit from as wide a talent pool as possible. To be able to offer opportunities to people across this country is something very close to my heart and I believe fundamental to the success of this initiative.”

Ian McConnell, PwC Operate’s lead partner, is confident that ARC’s collaboration between business, academia and government will prove fruitful and that Northern Ireland is the perfect place for this new approach. The investment will create 771 new technology and operational jobs as well as a further 38 university research posts by 2026.

PwC Operate recently signed the contracts with Ulster and Queen’s universities to formalise their alliance. The first visible move will be for PwC to open a space at Ulster’s Magee Campus in Derry/Londonderry, which will house a small but growing team from ARC. There, the ARC team will be co-located with university postgraduates working on research projects that feed into the software engineering function of ARC. Ian adds: “Having a presence in the

support. “Cyber is a broad topic - you must successfully defend against an attack all of the time, whereas the attackers only need to be successful once,” explains Ronan Magee, Director of Forensic Services at PwC in Belfast. “Reputationally, operationally and financially this can be very damaging. It’s about having a good cyber ‘posture’ - pre-planning for an attack, testing those plans and being aware. Businesses may consider these things, but without action it can be too late.” Aside from cyber threats, businesses have turned to PwC’s expertise in data analytics in Northern Ireland to ease some of their burdens and improve how they work.

“Our goal is to turn amazing ideas into technology that’ll solve complex business problems into the next decade and beyond,” he explains. “We’re creating a team of engineers and technologists who’ll work within a bigger innovation ecosystem to help our clients take giant leaps, rather than incremental steps. “Opening this centre is a huge statement of confidence from PwC UK’s Executive Board in our Operate business and our local talent in Northern Ireland. The strength of our people has already enabled us to turn Operate into PwC’s fastest-growing division and I’m very proud that this gives us the opportunity to create hundreds more highly skilled jobs in Northern Ireland.”

PwC is helping an infrastructure business to make better informed asset-management and safetyrelated business decisions by providing a service to automate a series of manually prepared corporate and regulatory reports.

Ian McConnell, Lead Partner, PwC Operate

But it’s not just in Operate that PwC is innovating in Northern Ireland to meet the needs of clients. It is taking the fight to online criminals: our team is offering clients protection from phishing and cyber threats, including ransomware one of the biggest threats to business today. The team supported the response of the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), the organisation responsible for managing billions of euros of EU funding into Northern Ireland, to a malicious cyber attack. In another incident, within seven minutes we stopped a novel cyber attack on several of our Managed Cyber Defence (MCD) clients. MCD combines real-time threat intelligence and accurate detection with rapid-reaction response and recovery

This has involved technical build of the reports and data platform, alongside testing and handling the communication and business change. It is being delivered primarily out of the Belfast office, with support from a new team in Kolkata, India. Technology senior manager Richard Thompson says: “The aim is to reduce the manual workload and streamline processes, as well as improving the standard of the client’s key asset management decisions that enable the safe, efficient and effective delivery of services.” PwC in Northern Ireland is staying ahead of the needs of clients, ensuring that as it innovates with technology it is evolving as a business to deliver services that not even 20 years ago would have been on its - or its clients’ - agenda.

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Blockchain in Belfast The Sync NI team sat down with Mike Eller Staff Software Engineer at Rakuten to discuss the company’s Blockchain technology as well as their journey in Belfast As a multi-billion dollar conglomerate Rakuten is well known around the world in many different industry sectors however in Belfast it is best known for developing world class blockchain technology. As a software engineer having worked for a number of large global corporations what specifically attracted you to Rakuten?

Rakuten doesn't have a big presence in the UK, but word travels fast in a small town like Belfast. Some ex-colleagues of mine that I respect were working in the Blockchain Lab. They talked about the team culture, and the talented engineers who work there. Its a relatively small closeknit team with a can-do attitude, but with the backing of a big global corporation. I have an interest in Blockchain Technology, and thought this would be a great chance to push myself to pick up a new technology. At Rakuten's core is a desire to contribute to society by creating value. This aligns with my aim to make the world a better place through my work. I have been impressed by Rakuten's response to the COVID19 crisis where they setup free-of-charge vaccination centres for residents of Setagaya Ward in Tokyo. In more recent times, Rakuten's founder Hiroshi Mikitani (Mickey) made a substantial personal donation to Ukraine for humanitarian aid.

For the layman can you give us a definition of blockchain and the principle on which blockchain technology is based on?

With a Blockchain, you can record information in a way that makes it pretty much impossible to change. You can think of it as a database (or ledger) where every participant in the network has an exact copy. New records (or blocks) are added to the database in a way that cannot be undone and existing records are preserved in their current form forever.

Defining the specific principles; Immutable Ledger Information in each record cannot be changed. This is because the record's digital signature (or hash) is included with the next record. This is what forms the chain. Decentralised, Peer-to-peer Communication between members of the network is direct, not through any central authority. Distributed Every member of the network has a complete copy of the database. Consensus There is a mechanism by which members of the network must agree with each other before a new record is added to the database. Rules of the Network The rules are enforced by software. The code for this software is generally freely available and can be examined by anyone. Each member of the network must run their own copy of the software.

When people think of blockchain they often think of Bitcoin and digital wallets. How is blockchain different from banking ledgers?

Banking ledgers are centralised whereas blockchains are usually decentralised to some degree. With a banking ledger, a single entity is usually responsible for the control for the ledger. This includes, among other things, controlling who will be represented on the ledger and how, who can access the ledger, which updates are valid and how should the ledger be secured. This system is built on trust. As a customer we trust that the bank will look after our money, allow us to access it

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and process our incoming and outgoing transactions. Blockchains can offer an alternative where this trust is not required. The system is controlled and secured by the network participants. The more decentralised the network, the less trust is required in any particular participant.

Beyond Bitcoin there are multiple uses for the technology in modern life. Can you provide some examples of how the technology has revolutionised some sectors of industry?

DeFi (Decentralised Finance) is having a big impact in the financial services industry, providing open access to borrowing and lending services, trading and speculation with many advantages over the traditional centralised services and markets. It is still a new and evolving area and carries significant risks but also great potential. Outside of finance, it's is having a big impact on various industries such as supply chains and logistics (e.g TradeLens), provenance (e.g. Everledger) and medical records (e.g. MediChain), among others.

Equally can you share some examples of how blockchain has made tangible and positive impacts on our daily lives in recent years?

The first thing that comes to mind is the cryptocurrency donations to the Ukraine government, charities and people since the start of the war. Cryptocurrencies are allowing donations to be sent quickly and directly to where they are needed. The Washington Post reported $42 million in cryptocurrency in less than six days. The number has grown since. Other examples include El Salvador becoming the first country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender, and the use of cryptocurrencies to escape some of the effects of hyperinflation in countries like

Venezuela. Looking beyond cryptocurrency, blockchain is giving people ownership of digital assets for the first time in the form of NFTs, which are shaking up not only the content industry but also gaming and marketing.

In the future, blockchain will become more and more ubiquitous in everyday life. Where do you think it will have the greatest impact and what are unrealised benefits so far that we can expect to see?

I think it is likely that the greatest impact of blockchain, specifically bitcoin, will be in facilitating the separation of money and state, where participation in the economy is open to anyone and the value of money not controlled by a central authority. Second to this may be providing the means to regain control of our digital identities and our data. Self-sovereign identity and related concepts/ technologies could allow people to interact online without the need to trust centralised organisations. Governments and central banks in many countries are considering 'Central Bank Digital Currencies' (or CBDCs) with the goals of improving accessibility, convenience and financial security.

How does Belfast rank in terms of the global pecking order for developing blockchain technology?

I've observed a steady increase in the awareness and adoption of blockchain technology, particularly since the opening of the Rakuten Blockchain Lab in 2016. Cryptocurrency trading was the first thing people were talking about, then it was Decentralised Finance and more recently, it is all about NFTs and Web 3. The Belfast Blockchain Meetup group has grown to almost 800 members indicating the level of interest. A quick search of blockchain related vacancies in Belfast returns a fairly

small number of results, which suggests it is still very early days if you consider the LinkedIn research that show Blockchain jobs surged by 400% in 2021, 4x higher than other tech jobs. Civic Dollars is a community currency app, developed locally which runs on blockchain. The Rakuten Blockchain Lab have delivered Cryptocurrency Exchange and an NFT Marketplace, so you don’t get much better than that.

For anyone considering a new career in Blockchain what specific skills are required and desirable?

A Blockchain Engineer and a regular Software Engineer aren't that different. Knowledge of the software development lifecycle is a crucial skill. You should know each step you go through, from writing code, to testing, to deploying into production, and the various environments your software should go through. You'd definitely want to be able to write code in the company's programming language of choice. A lot of systems these days run in the cloud. You'll likely need to work with Docker and Kubernetes and have a working knowledge of Cloud Providers, such as AWS, Azure or GCP. It would be desirable to know some DevOps principles, such as Infrastructure as Code or GitOps, along with knowledge of tools such as Terraform, Puppet and Helm. Building an NFT platform on top of an existing enterprise blockchain is similar to integration with any other piece of infrastructure (for example a database). This is different of course to working on a blockchain protocol, which is effectively product development and comes with its own unique challenges. This would be different again to Smart contract authoring on the Ethereum Blockchain with Solidity. I think in most cases, a willingness to learn and a can-do attitude will as well as a solid foundation in software engineering will take you further than you think.

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Growing the aerospace, defence, security and space industry in Northern Ireland

DS is the UK trade association for the aerospace, defence, security and space sectors and has more than 1,100 members.

Whether representing industry, connecting members with business opportunities or driving forward innovation and growth, ADS is at the forefront of an array of activities, events and programmes that benefit its members. Membership ranges from major global organisations with substantial UK presences, to hundreds of small and medium sized (SMEs) companies in every part of the country. The organisation is headquartered in London and Farnborough and is headed by CEO Kevin Craven.

ADS NI overview

ADS Northern Ireland was established in 2010 and is led locally by Dr Leslie Orr – Director, ADS NI. Starting with a membership of 7 member companies, ADS NI has grown to more than 100 companies who contribute more than £1.9bn per year to the NI economy.

ADS NI works to further grow and support the success of the aerospace, defence, security and space industries. In Northern Ireland, these sectors are vital and support high-value skills, jobs and UK prosperity. ADS NI is directed by an industry council and works closely with national & regional government and Invest NI to drive forward the sector strategy. ADS NI has six industry working groups focusing on Sales, Skills, Research and Development (R&D), Supply Chain, Defence and Security, and the Space sectors.

Aerospace industry

Northern Ireland is home to great engineers and pioneering spirit and is a regional aerospace cluster with significant aviation heritage, more than 100 aerospace companies within Northern Ireland are within a one-hour radius of each other. These companies have spear-headed aircraft innovation for decades and are supporting the UK as it works towards net zero by 2050. For example, composite wings for the Airbus 220 are made at Spirit AeroSystems in Belfast

and are lighter than conventional aluminium wings, cutting CO2 and NOx emissions. There is also a significant specialism in the aircraft interiors market and Northern Ireland is responsible for around 50 per cent of the UK’s aircraft interiors output. Any seat from economy to luxury business class seats and like flat cabins are manufactured in the region and companies such as Collins Aerospace and Thompson Aero Seating produce one third of the world’s aircraft seats.

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This is the specific focus of the ADS NI Defence and Security Special Interest Group, bringing companies together to promote and grow the industry. Members of ADS NI have a unique opportunity to be part of the United Kingdom Pavilion at various trade shows and exhibitions such as the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) and Security and Policing. During the shows, members get the opportunity to engage with Government, industry stakeholders and international delegations. In recent years, there has been very good engagement with the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy that will lead to prosperous opportunities for ADS NI members operating in the maritime sector.

Security industry

There are a number of Security sector members operating in the region, and one particular strength is in Cyber Security – a vital strength relevant to all organisations, no matter the sector. ADS often comes up with new and innovative ways to support its members, and many Northern Ireland members such as IPC Mouldings and Bradfor operating in the aircraft interiors sector can be found in the ADS Digital Cabin. The ADS Digital Cabin is a virtual aircraft space allowing members to showcase their products and services to a global audience in a new and immersive way and

was launched at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Supporting the larger Northern Ireland organisations is a very strong SME supply chain, with more than 100 companies. These small and medium enterprises have vital expertise and supply nearly every major aerospace programme across the globe and their supply chain excellence is

recognised through the ADS 21st Century Supply Chains (SC21) and Operational Excellence programme with many organisations in the region retaining consecutive gold standard awards (more on that later).

Defence industry

Northern Ireland has some specific strengths in the defence sector and there is real opportunity to further grow the defence industry.

Queen’s University Belfast is home to the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT), the UK’s national innovation and research centre for cyber security. The ADS team works closely with CSIT to host business engagement events and promote NI capabilities and technologies. Recently the RAF announced that they would set up an innovation node at CSIT to engage

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with the great industry capabilities in the region, a key indicator of the region’s strengths in Cyber Security.

Space industry

The global space industry is growing rapidly and by 2030 is estimated that it will be worth $600bn, the UK has set an ambitious target to capture 10 per cent of this market share. ADS has a Special interest Group and hosts the secretariat for the NI Space Leadership Group with the goal of further growing the space industry here. Already Northern Ireland has some great strengths in the space sector. NI based companies are working with NASA to develop solutions for Space Weather prediction and developing many satellite data applications. Queens University are doing research into CubeSats, and Ulster University has patents with NASA on technologies for deep space exploration. The space sector presents “Upstream” opportunities in manufacturing hardware like satellites, propulsion equipment and rockets and “Downstream” space opportunities is developing software applications to process and commercialize vast amounts of valuable space data. Northern Ireland with the industry capabilities is well positioned to grow in both these areas.

Business excellence

Northern Ireland is the leading UK region in

aerospace and defence business excellence and leads the national SC21 Medal table. The SC21 programme is a voluntary programme designed to accelerate the performance and competitiveness of the aerospace and defence sector supply chains and is coordinated by ADS. Launched 14 years ago at the Farnborough Air Show, it has grown into the largest Supply Chain Improvement programme in the UK Aerospace and Defence sector. Becoming a participant in the programme is free of charge and is endorsed by the Aerospace Growth Partnership, Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, Ministry of Defence as well as leading aerospace and defence companies. In Northern Ireland the programme is supported by InvestNI. The programme has had more than 880 participating companies engaged in a continuous performance

improvement journey. Companies achieving the criteria in terms of delivery, quality, sustainable improvement and the associated improvement frameworks (business, manufacturing and relationship excellence) receive national recognition in the form of a Bronze, Silver or Gold Performance Standard Award. Northern Ireland companies hold more than 25 per cent of the national awards and 5 out of 6 of the gold awards, with many the majority being retained for consecutive years.

Outlook

What is the outlook for this region that plays a vital role in the global aerospace, defence, space and security sectors? 2022, is already a significant year – we are starting to see slow but sustained recovery in demand through increased aircraft orders and deliveries as the aerospace sector moves past the COVID-19 pandemic. The backlog of aircraft continues

 Kevin Craven Author

Chief Executive, ADS

to rise with demand and is above 13,000 - a positive marker for the long-term health of the sector. In the coming years, the backlog could be worth up to £186.2 billion to the UK aerospace industry and with its expertise, Northern Ireland is well positioned to gain a good share of this. There is no doubt that the ingenuity and innovation in the region will continue to be leading the way. This year, Farnborough International Airshow takes place, and I look forward to seeing Northern Ireland companies big and small showcasing how they solve challenges and support the global ambition of net zero by 2050.

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Q&A with PEAK6 Northern Ireland’s

Darren Abel

start-up in the telecoms sector, before making the switch to work as a Software Engineer for a large investment bank in Belfast.

For anyone who maybe isn’t familiar with PEAK6, can you explain a bit about what you do? PEAK6 Investments (PEAK6) was founded nearly 25 years ago by Jenny Just and Matt Hulsizer. Due to the success of the company in the trading space, PEAK6 has expanded by investing in several different businesses and domains. In Belfast, we have a very strong team of Engineers, Support, and Operations staff, who deliver value to all of our core businesses, including PEAK6 Capital Management, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, Apex Fintech Solutions, National Flood Services, and the esports team Evil Geniuses.

What’s your favourite thing about working for PEAK6?

There are so many different things I love about working for PEAK6, but if I had to choose one, it would be the culture. PEAK6 aims to do things “as they ought to be.” That means embracing and empowering consumers through technology, simplifying processes, and improving performance. This attitude is at the core of all of our businesses. We aim to continuously improve and are not afraid to change our approach as we learn from our mistakes or identify better ways of working. PEAK6 has an open-door policy where you can speak

Darren Abel, PEAK6 Northern Ireland

with leaders at all levels of our businesses, and we operate with a lean mindset. We also have a fantastic environment.We work hard, but also have lots of fun in the process.

Evil Geniuses recently launched their new product, Factor. Can you tell us a bit about what went into that milestone?

Factor is an analytics platform that transforms raw data taken from League of Legends matches into meaningful insights that users can understand. This product has been developed by a team of Evil Geniuses developers in both Belfast and in the United States. It has attracted a lot of attention from the League of Legends gaming community due to its live analysis and predictive analytics engine that was developed here at PEAK6. The first release of

the project to the public took just over six months, and we are continuing to add new features daily based on user feedback and requests.

PEAK6 has been doing some great work in fintech. How did you get started with that? As I mentioned earlier, PEAK6 is involved in many different areas, but a large portion of our businesses operates in the fintech space. This is a fiercely competitive industry, and PEAK6 has become a force for change, actively promoting and supporting a diverse work culture and making it easy for regular people to trade.

For me personally, my career has always been in the software industry, and I’m a programmer at heart. I started out working for a small network management

One of the biggest changes for me in moving from telecommunications to fintech was the shift in mindset. I was now working for a firm that operates 24 hours per day and therefore required our software to also be running all the time. If the system went down, then trades could not be performed, which means the business would potentially be losing a lot of money. It's imperative to focus on writing quality code that was rigorously tested. After working for a large firm for numerous years, I decided to work in consultancy for a few years, before I got the exciting opportunity to join PEAK6 as a Director of Engineering in Belfast and also employee number two.

What does the future look like for PEAK6? The future is extremely exciting for PEAK6. We are continuing to grow through, and PEAK6 NI is central to the firm’s strategic growth plans due to the quality of talented people in Northern Ireland. Over the last 18 months, we have hired a fantastic team of over 60 employees in Belfast, and we plan to double that in 2022.

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Sync NI sat down with Liberty IT to find out more about their newly announced Senior Leadership Team responsible for setting the strategic direction of the organisation and overseeing the company’s ambitious growth plans

oining the recently appointed Managing Director, Tony Marron, is Emma Mullan, Senior Director of Talent; Sam Mawhinney, Senior Director of Emerging Business & Technology; Jonathan White, Senior Director of Engineering and Brian Craig, Director of Architecture. The new leadership structure comes during a period of sustained growth for the leader in digital innovation which creates software, service and solutions for its parent company, Liberty Mutual Insurance, in support of its worldleading insurance products and services. Tony Marron joined Liberty IT in 2001 as an Engineer and was appointed Managing Director in January 2022. Over the last 21 years, he has worked across the business in a number of roles including Software Engineer, Programme Manager and until recently, the Senior Director of Emerging Business and Technology, with responsibility for positioning the company within the wider Liberty Mutual organisation, leveraging his network of business and IT leaders, internally and externally, to explore emerging technologies, capabilities and relationships. “There’s something very special

Liberty IT anno Senior Leaders about Liberty IT – it’s our people, the culture and how we collaborate. We’re developing technology that’s really driving the customer experience. The things we are doing help people live safer, more secure lives. When things go wrong, we help our customers build their lives back together. We’ve seen more change over the last two years than ever before as COVID-19 has accelerated the shared plans with our parent company, Liberty Mutual

Insurance, for digital enablement and innovation,” Tony said. “Liberty IT has a long tradition and heritage over 25 years in developing engineering services and solutions globally for the Liberty Mutual operation. Over the past six years in particular, we have invested heavily in building our innovation services and solutions and in the strength and depth of our talent. Most recently, this has

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into what is now a key part of Liberty IT’s strategy. As Senior Director of Emerging Business and Technology, Sam is responsible for supporting the achievement of the strategic business goals and ensuring value realisation of innovation internally within Liberty IT and parent company, Liberty Mutual, by utilising emerging technology, ways of working and consultancy experience. Jonathan White joined Liberty IT in 2018 and has over 25 years’ experience in financial services and technology. As Senior Director of Engineering, he has overall responsibility for the Engineering activities across the company, ensuring the delivery of high-quality enterprise scale products and solutions to meet the needs of the business, customers and parent company, Liberty Mutual Insurance.

ounce new ship Team (L-R) Jonathan White, Emma Mullan, Tony Marron, Sam Mawhinney, Brian Craig

included a new Senior Leadership Team and joining me on the team are Emma Mullan, Sam Mawhinney, Jonathan White and Brian Craig. Collectively, we will play a pivotal role in driving the business through engineering and innovation across the Liberty Mutual enterprise, which employs 50,000 people worldwide,” Tony continued. Emma Mullan joined the company in 2013 and has held several positions

during this time including Talent Business Partner, HR Operations Manager, Talent & Development Manager and most recently Director of Talent Management. She is also coExecutive Sponsor of Liberty IT’s Women in Tech employee resource group. Over the last 18 years, Sam Mawhinney has led teams in the Claims area of the business and played a fundamental role in establishing the Incubator function

Brian Craig has been with Liberty IT for 22 years, joining as a Senior Engineer and has progressed through a number of Senior Technical and Leadership roles. He now leads the architecture team which is focused on the evolution of the company’s engineering practices. “Each member of the Senior Leadership Team brings a different specialism which helps drive our vision. These include engineering, innovation, consultancy, transformation, API, data and analytics and a sharp focus on creating the environment that unleashes the potential of our people.” “Together, supported by the exceptional talent we have in Liberty IT, the Senior Leadership Team will ensure we continue to incubate new and differentiating capabilities to deliver customer value. It’s a dynamic, energetic and fast paced environment where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Working closely, sharing information and opportunities ensures the team will keep Liberty IT at the edge of what’s possible and central to reimaging how insurance operates globally.”

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Recruiting in a hot market: Q&A with Applied’s recruiting expert Sync NI sat down for a Q&A with Josh Oliver, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Applied Systems Europe, to get his professional insight on recruiting in a competitive market

ince 2020, there have been many changes, specifically in the recruiting world. As the world of work continues to shift towards new ways of working, people are re-evaluating their current roles and considering how it fits with their needs and expectations.

Across industry sectors, we see that significant numbers are leaving their jobs to pursue other, more fulfilling careers. A study from HR software company Personio of workers in the UK and Ireland showed 38% of those surveyed planned to quit in the next six months to a year. In the UK, developers tend to

explore new opportunities after 2-3 years in a role, so whilst this move to switch roles is not new, it is the pace that has changed. We are currently in the era of The Great Resignation. Along with the title brings forth a hot market for talent. Companies are re-evaluating how they attract and retain top talent and asking how to navigate a tightening labour market to hire the right people. To give his professional insight on recruiting in this competitive market, Applied Communications sat down with Josh Oliver, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Applied Systems Europe.

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How has this competitive market affected talent acquisition?

The current recruitment landscape has made the competition for talent intense, especially in Belfast where there’s a finite amount of people who work in technology, challenging companies to rethink their traditional ways of recruiting. We re-evaluated our original hiring process and saw that there were many duplicated steps and redundant questions that inhibited our hiring functionality. To compete, we introduced a more streamlined interview process, combining multiplestep processes together into a simpler recruitment experience. Simplifying the steps allows for a more engaging process for both parties, allows us to be more deliberate on what kind of questions we ask, helps us focus on a “value fit” for our company, and improve the candidate experience.

What are we doing to stand out from other tech companies?

The beauty with Applied is that so many people stay with our company for a long time. In fact, we had a 33% increase in staff numbers during the pandemic and I believe we have one of the highest retention levels in our industry. On top of which there have been hundreds of promotions across the business, in Belfast and worldwide. I’ve seen people moving up, moving left and right to further their careers in different ways. We encourage growth in a multitude of ways, not only for potential candidates, but also for our current colleagues. Our teams are encouraged to challenge what is possible and take bold steps to looking at new ways to approach everything we do, supporting new personal and professional learning.

I joined Applied Systems on the first day of lock-down in the UK. I was used to meeting candidates in person and going for coffee. A virtual environment is more about being as engaged as possible with the candidate. Before I start talking about Applied, I like to build rapport with the candidate and dive into their professional life. This opens the door to having a conversation and building that personal connection, instead of grilling candidates on their work experience. At Applied, it is this personal connection that we really value and strive to identify in all our candidate interactions.

We strive to build a team that reflects a diverse community of individuals, encouraging different thinking, backgrounds, experiences, and individual qualities and Applied has done extremely well at creating an environment of inclusivity and support. We have a strong Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiative that has created Community of Interests (COIs), formed by employees with commonalities in areas such as ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation. Our COIs are supportive, inclusive networks of employees who share knowledge, celebrate culture and backgrounds, build meaningful relationships across our company and contribute to a strong business.

Due to the shift to a virtual environment, we must adapt how we interact in an interview since it is now mostly online. We’ve had to evolve our hiring training to include skills that develop body language, processes to avoid accidental prejudices, and active listening. To help our hiring managers understand interview bias, they work closely with our Diversity and Inclusion team.

Adapting to a virtual environment encouraged us to help our employees continue to make those personal connections. We’ve had virtual events, like our global Holiday-palooza where we connected through games, magic shows, and much more. In addition to that, we didn’t lose sight of learning and development. We introduced new online opportunities such Linkedin Learning and provided Pulse Surveys,

How has the transformation to virtual affected the recruitment process?

encouraging all employees to give feedback and ask questions through open channels direct to our leadership. Supporting our employees as they learn and grow, in a dynamic and global environment, has helped us build a strong team and supports retention.

What should businesses prioritise when recruiting and retaining in a hot market?

Over the last several years, we have seen a shift in what employees are looking for from companies. We find that whilst financial benefits are still critically important, employees are taking into consideration many other factors such as company values, work life balance and career opportunities. It is critical that we as talent partners embrace and champion our company values, enabling candidates to get a very real insight into what it is like to work at Applied. Additionally, training is critical for managers to manage their own teams efficiently. If managers are not equipped with the skills necessary to properly lead their team, talent will quickly walk out the door. Proper education and training should be a priority for companies to succeed in this market. In conclusion, this is a candidatedriven market, and companies must be prepared to adapt. There are so many aspects to consider in this market, and frankly, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer. However, there is one most important aspect companies should prioritise: your current employees. Candidates are people. They are so much more than what is on their CV or resume. Your current colleagues are people who provide the talent necessary to fuel your company’s goals. Build those relationships, encourage growth, hone in on your company’s values, and provide an inclusive space. People will spend one-third of their life working, so make that portion of their life worthwhile.

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Citi Belfast ‘Changemaker of the Year’ Hannah McNamara

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Conversations about equality made me feel included as soon as I walked in the door

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Following her naming by Stonewall UK as a ‘Changemaker of the Year,’ Sync NI sat down with Hannah McNamara, an Infrastructure Senior Technology Analyst at Citi Belfast, to discuss her journey of coming out in the workplace, the encouragement and support she has felt from her employer, and how Citi has helped to foster a work environment where staff can bring their whole selves to work each day

s a Computing and IT student at Queens, a friend of Hannah’s recommended she consider Citi and invited her along to a CitiSpire event, one of a series of events held by Citi for women students applying for graduate programmes in Belfast. She was encouraged to apply for the Citi technology academy and, following her application journey, was successfully placed within the Citi Technology Infrastructure (CTI) department. She underwent 7 weeks of intensive training including technical skills, business and financial skills, team building skills and more, culminating in a large project with teams of 40 other grads which were presented to managers in various departments at Citi. Following her two rotations within CTI, Hannah put her interest in data analysis and SQL to work in End User Services. “I wanted to use more of my technical skills and

got my permanent position in User Experience Core Services Quality & Analytics within End User Services,” Hannah says. Her current role includes data analysis and reporting for the user experiences of all end users at the bank, over 300,000 users globally. Her team gathers metrics on the performance of their machines that they work on every day and create dashboards and reports using Elastic Stack, SQL, PowerBI and more. She was promoted to Assistant Vice President in this role in 2021 enjoys the opportunity to use her technical and analytical skills to help find and solve issues affecting end users. In addition to the wide range of career pathways which Hannah has been able to explore in her time at Citi, she explains that her bond to the Citi team has been strengthened by its approach to ensuring an inclusive and supportive workplace for all of Citi’s staff. “Citi has five affinity networks within our Belfast-based team which staff actively engage with including Women, Pride, Families

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Matter, DisAbility and Multi-cultural. I was delighted in 2020 to be elected as Co-Chair of the Pride Network, making LGBTQ+ issues part of my day job,” she says. Hannah learned about the Citi Pride Network during her training in the Technology Academy. “We had a networking event that had representatives from all of our affinity networks at Citi and I happened to get chatting to the Co-Chair of the Pride Network,” she explains. “A few months later they were advertising for new members of their steering committee and I leapt at the chance to join. Citi had been working on the marriage equality campaign and seeing my workplace be a leader on an issue I had been campaigning for myself since 2014 was life changing.” LGBTQ+ issues were especially important to Hannah as she navigated her own sexuality both in and out of work. Hannah was active in campaigning for marriage equality from 2014 – and even marched in the marriage equality rally in 2017 on her graduation day, still wearing her graduation robes. “In 2018, I had only been at Citi a few months but was getting heavily involved in the campaign for marriage equality with the Pride Network, as well as campaigning outside of work, running for election and still finding myself,” she says. “I joined a group called Bi+ Ireland, which is a peer support space for bisexual+ people on the Island of Ireland. Very few of my friends knew and my family didn’t know at all, I had maybe only come out to the co-chairs of the network at work. However, I met such a wonderful group of friends at Bi+ Ireland, including my partner, who were all supportive and out there living their best queer lives, I knew I could do that too.” Hannah got the opportunity to attend the Pink News summer reception in

2018, hosted by Citi. The event was to be the first LGBTQ+ event attended by a DUP representative with then First Minister Arlene Foster present. “I was able to speak to senior leaders at Citi before the event, sharing my personal experiences and what marriage equality would mean to us. Later that evening, I came out to our Pride Network business sponsor (and later on my boss), Peter Holden. He was so supportive and even encouraged me to talk with my family. Since then he has been such a key ally for me and many others at Citi.” Following that night, Hannah was able to come out to her family, friends and colleagues as bisexual in a speech she gave at an event called Alternative Queer Ulster. There, she stood on the steps inside Stormont and spoke her truth. In September 2018, Hannah ran Citi Belfast’s first bisexuality awareness session with The Rainbow Project and has run this event annually ever since. Commenting on how supported and encouraged she felt by the team at Citi on coming out, Hannah reflects on the active support she receives from all levels of the Citi Team. “My manager and team are so wonderfully supportive of me and the Pride Network. Some of my team also have LGBTQ+ family members and friends and we openly talk about our experiences and Pride events that we run in Belfast.” “Locally in Belfast, we are supported by our business sponsor and my senior manager Peter Holden, who is a fantastic ally and advocate for us. Being a good LGBTQ+ ally means listening to what matters most to us, being passionate about LGBTQ+ rights and leading by example. My team is split across Belfast, America and Singapore and it’s so great to also have allies in the Global Citi team.” Driving home Citi’s commitment to workplace inclusivity and equity, the organisation was named among the UK’s Top 100 most inclusive employers

by Stonewall, the world’s secondlargest LGBTQ+ charity. Citi’s Belfast teams received added commendation by receiving the title of Northern Ireland Employer of the Year, and Hannah was recognised as a ‘Changemaker of the Year’ for her tireless work to shift mindsets and provide leadership in enabling important discussions to promote cultural changes at an organisational level at Citi Belfast. Commenting on her personal recognition Hannah said, “Working at an inclusive and diverse company like Citi gave me the confidence to bring my full self to work and have the voice to make changes that benefit all LGBTQ+ people and our allies. When I first started working at Citi, conversations about inclusion were already happening thanks to those who came before me and the support from our senior leaders. I am thankful for them to have created a safe and welcoming space to allow people like me to grow and make change at a local and global level and I am honoured to have been awarded one of Stonewall's Changemaker of the Year awards." “My experience at Citi as a queer person has been so different and unique compared to the many other places I have worked over the years. There have been places I have worked where you couldn’t have even mention the word gay other than with hushed tones; where homophobia, biphobia and transphobia were the norm and joked about in the office.” “I spent many years feeling very isolated, especially being bi. At Citi, conversations about equality which were already happening made me feel included as soon as I walked in the door. The Pride Network was long established and it was a safe and welcoming environment for me. However, we still have a lot of work to do to make all workplaces safe and more inclusive for all LGBTQ+ people, especially trans and non-binary people.”

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Appropriate support 'essential' for tech companies to grow The Sync NI team caught up with VenYou to find out more about how their offices are helping NI’s tech companies reach their full potential

elfast's tech sector is booming and has been for a few years. The UK tech sector as a whole recorded its best year ever in 2021, with Belfast ranking in the top 10 in terms of capital raised.

According to Donna Linehan, Client Services Director at VenYou, which manages three buildings in Belfast City Centre – the Scottish Provident Building, Ascot House and Northern Court – attracting investment is important for the future growth of tech companies, but so too is an appropriate support system which enables them to do this. This is where, Donna claims, the serviced office sector can assist. “One of VenYou’s unique selling points is that we offer our clients complete flexibility,” explained Donna. “We offer our clients a service that allows them to remain agile and better react to market changes and challenges, which is vitally important when it comes to business growth and securing investment opportunities. “This is where VenYou has really held its own. Quite a few sectors realised how important flexibility is when the pandemic took

broadband connection means that connectivity will never be lost.” In addition, the VenYou team has also added enhancements to the security system across all three buildings. VenYou's Jonny Hill and Donna Linehan

hold however, VenYou has been offering this since its inception in 2019.”

time on them. We know that time could be better spent taking care of other things.”

In addition to flexible leases, VenYou provides an array of business services which aim to alleviate the administrative pressures of running a business, enabling clients to concentrate on growing their companies.

Elsewhere, establishing a tech company within a modern office building that is fully equipped with all the latest technology is vital for daily operations but also when cementing opportunities for growth and investment.

Donna continued: “When it comes to running a business, we want to make it as easy as possible for our clients, which is why we offer a number of business services. “VenYou offers mail handling and reception services including answering and transferring telephone calls. We also have a dedicated housekeeping team who ensure that offices, communal spaces and kitchens are kept clean and tidy. “These tasks may seem menial, but businesses often spend quite a bit of precious

“Each of our serviced office buildings are modern and beautifully decorated, helping companies to portray a professional image to clients and investors alike,” commented Jonny Hill, VenYou Operations Director. “We always ensure that our buildings are fully equipped with all the latest technology so our clients can host in person and virtual business meetings whenever they need to. Our video conferencing software allows our clients to connect to calls and apps quickly and safely and our high-speed dedicated

“The health and safety of our clients is of paramount importance to us,” Jonny continued. “That’s why all of our buildings have a custombuilt security system installed, which enables our clients to access their office 24-hours a day via a key fob,” Jonny added. “Each office, including our meeting and conference rooms, has its own security system as well. We no longer use keys to open doors and clients can only access interior offices and rooms if they have an activated key fob. “At VenYou, it’s our mission that by providing a supportive environment, companies can progress to the best of their ability.” With a stellar business support offering and modern, central and sustainable buildings, VenYou certainly has much to offer the Northern Ireland tech sector and is best placed to assist the industry with future growth plans.

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Female tech talent recognised at Northern Ireland’s first Women in Tech Awards Sync NI finds out more about Northern Ireland’s outstanding women in tech who were celebrated at the inaugural Women in Tech Awards at the Europa Hotel

Roseann Kelly, CEO at Women in Business, commented: “It’s an honour to bring together so many inspiring and successful women from across Northern Ireland for the first Women in Tech Awards.

early 300 guests from all business sectors came together to recognise and reward the innovative individuals operating in today’s tech sector, in what was the first ceremony of its kind in Northern Ireland. Hosted by Sarah Travers and featuring a keynote speech from Deepa Mann-Kler, Chief Executive of Neon, the awards honoured seven amazing women and one inspiring male. The Outstanding Woman in Tech 2022 award, sponsored by Version 1, was presented to Patricia O’Hagan MBE, CEO of Core Systems, whose 20 years of international tech experience spans the fields of engineering and product development. Patricia is a long-term ambassador, mentor and role model for women in tech across Northern Ireland and in 2013 was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s 2013 Royal New Year Honours list for services to the NI Economy.

The Women in Tech 2022 award winners C Level Woman of the Year sponsored by PwC UK

q Mary Scullion – Fujitsu

Digital Transformation Leader sponsored by Core Systems q Julie Shannon - Almac Group Ltd Entrepreneur of the Year sponsored by Allstate NI q Tori Cameron - SNAP - Social Media Marketing Tech Team of the Year sponsored by Realtime q BT - team led by Melanie McMordie & Janet Burns Tech Advocate of the Year sponsored by CIVICA q Louise Black – PwC Returner of the Year sponsored by Deloitte

“This is a hugely exciting time for the tech sector locally, and with it comes an opportunity to platform those individuals leading the way. These Awards are crucial to promote positive recognition and encourage others to strive towards achieving their goals and challenging outdated stereotypes across NI and beyond.” Lorna McAdoo, Group Director of Environment, Social & Governance (ESG) and NI Lead at Version 1, sponsors of the Outstanding Woman in Tech Award added: “The 2022 Women in Tech Awards was a celebration of just some of the great women who work across the broad spectrum of technology here in NI.

q Jude McVitty

Male Advocate of the Year sponsored by Diversity Mark q John Healy - Allstate NI One to Watch in the Future sponsored by Slice q Ellen Marks – ubloquity Outstanding Woman in Tech Award 2022 sponsored by Version 1 q Patricia O’Hagan MBE

“I was incredibly proud to see so many join in the celebration of each other’s successes. All of the winners should be incredibly proud of their achievements and our hope is that this will go on to inspire other women and unlock opportunities for future generations of women in tech.”

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Q&A with Nathan

Wardlow from Highroads The Sync NI team caught up with Nathan Wardlow, Director of Engineering at Highroads to hear all about his current role Having graduated in Applied Maths and Physics at Queens, you then went on to complete a PhD specialising in Nuclear Physics in a medical environment. From there you have held a number of data science roles across retail, InsureTech as well as developing AI and Machine learning for media and advertising companies you have come full circle to be working in the Health sector once again. As Director of Engineering at Highroads can you tell us a bit about what this role entails?

native” or “cloud-first” organisations spinning up, which would have been pretty hard to imagine 10 years ago. These changes have ushered in the possibility of hybrid/remote working which has an abundance of upsides (particularly noticeable in the covid era).

HighRoads’ main product is a platform for the configuration of US Health Insurance policies and the generation of associated documentation. The company is headquartered in Massachusetts, though the engineering team has a wide geographic spread and is concentrated around our Belfast office.

With these foundational changes to both volume and infrastructure has come the emergence of the Data Engineer and the Data Scientist, where previously we had only DBAs and BI Developers. Data Engineer, Scientist and Analyst job titles have boomed in the past decade, with a wider understanding of the roles, capabilities and anticipated outputs maturing more recently. This has not only provided many people with exciting careers but also given business incredible opportunity for data-driven decision making.

Thanks for the introduction. My role at HighRoads pivots a bit from my previous positions which were more focused on data science – HighRoads is first and foremost a software company and my job involves oversight of many of our platform’s features and capabilities.

As part of the engineering leadership team, we look to both improve and add to our existing platform, across the AI/ Machine Learning, Cloud-native and more traditional spaces. One of the areas we’ve carved out for focused innovation is Data Analytics and Reporting, which falls under my remit.

In terms of Data Analytics can you share some insights into how the industry has evolved over the last decade and how these have had a positive impact?

One change we probably didn’t see coming is that now (almost) everything has moved off-prem. Cloud service costs and the knowledge/training required for implementation were big barriers to adoption, and the thought of emptying the server room into a skip would have made the CFO cry. That’s turned on its head now, with data and compute power both physically off site. We’ve seen a plethora of “cloud-

Storage space has become a non-issue – where previously we may have had to limit the data captured or set strict retention policies, now we often see “capture everything” mindsets with every event or adjustment being tracked. Alongside this has been the rise in unstructured or semistructured data. Both of these have required adjustments to data analytics practices – tooling has evolved to handle truly BIG data and the potential insights from the mass of available data are staggering.

Having at various times held positions as a data scientist, VP of product development and currently Director of Engineering what would you say are the most satisfying and rewarding aspects of each of these roles?

As a data scientist I was most excited to see my contributions come to life – there’s nothing quite like seeing a new model perform for the first time (and get it right!), then productionising the model and analysing the improvements when it starts impacting customer journeys. I was VP of Product Development at a smaller company so had more involvement across the operation – satisfaction

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you can often use that grey area to add value to your employer and yourself!

If you could spend a day shadowing one person in the global tech sector who might that be and why? I’d love to spend some time with Paul Miller of Bethnal Green Ventures – BGV sees all sorts of up-and-coming initiatives seeking acceleration or funding to use technology for positive societal impact. It would be great to be a fly on the wall for a couple of pitches. Paul’s incredibly knowledgeable and is bound to have a wealth of insight into what potential improvements are around the corner, or which worthwhile projects could use some extra development muscle.

For anyone considering a career in AI and Data Analytics what advice would you give to them?

often came from taking an idea to the executive team and receiving feedback and sign off, then getting the rest of the development team on board and working alongside them to bring the plan to life. Currently as Director of Engineering I’m more responsible for a team than my individual contributions. Here I love seeing the team flourishing; individuals doing well and achieving their goals, growing their skillsets, and contributing to the product. Cross-functional relationships are also an important part of my role and it’s incredibly rewarding when I’ve been part of a healthy process from inception to delivery, with both internal and external stakeholders delighted with the finished feature.

Is there anyone you can think of who has been instrumental in the development of your career?

My first line manager, post-academia, Marion Rybnikar, took a chance on someone coming from a non-traditional background into the commercial Analytics space, gave me the space to experiment and try new things, and approached the business with value propositions. She encouraged me to explore and stretch myself, which ultimately led to me seeing my first business data science project (an eCommerce recommendation system) come to fruition. Since then, I’ve continued trying to get as much personal growth as possible out of any position I've held – there’s always room for flexibility beyond the job description;

Although public understanding has improved a bit in the past few years, there’s still an aura of mystery surrounding AI – don’t let that put you off, it’s really not that scary! If you’ve any affinity for data and a knack for teasing out solutions to problems, the AI and Data space could be a great fit; at its core you’re trying to teach a computer to do what comes naturally to you (though ideally at a much grander scale), so you can then spend time using the insights to make the best decision. Working with data can be painful – a good chunk of your time will be spent sifting through, cleaning and mapping source data, but as it’s been likened to “the new gold” or “the new oil”, both need refinement before their true value can be realised. Once adequately prepared you’d be amazed how quickly you can land on actionable results. If you’re considering it, it’s an easy space to get a feel for – public datasets for tutorial-level problems are readily available so download something that seems interesting and spend a few hours getting your hands dirty – if you like what you find then keep exploring!

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Allstate NI: redefining hybrid working

Sync NI caught up with Allstate NI to find out about how they are redefining hybrid working

round the world, businesses are rethinking the way we work. The pandemic has upended established routines, abruptly moving us to remote working. The results were unexpected.

Through numerous employee surveys we have established that our employees found working from home made them happier and more productive, and that when we return to the workplace, things will not be the same as they were before. Results indicated a large shift in employee preferences now and in the future, with the vast majority of employees preferring some type of hybrid working arrangement. At Allstate, we are very proud of the culture we have in place. One of the most important steps is creating an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace. Since the pandemic began our employees have boldly embraced new technology and learned fresh and innovative ways to connect with one another. Our goal is to increase collaboration and innovation, while continuing to keep all that is good about Allstate

including a strong sense of connection and community. What Allstate has landed on is a fully flexible hybrid way of working. While some companies are mandating how often and when employees should come into the office. The Allstate hybrid working approach offers employees the best of both worlds, a mixture of working from home and working/ interacting/socializing in the office. The hybrid workplace gives our employees the choice of working in one of our offices, working from home, or splitting their time between the two. The Allstate hybrid approach means there are no minimum or maximum days designated to being remote or office based. We believe that offices will play an important but fundamentally different role in the future. The Allstate offices have evolved to allow collaboration, socialisation and interaction rather than just work – it will enable in-person connection, community and partnership. Allstate have made significant investment across all offices

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to ensure an optimal experience, offering a flexible office space, meeting, collaboration and social areas. Employees have a choice of what area of the office best suits the type of work they need to do at that moment, whether it’s focusing on a task in a quiet zone or getting up to speed with colleagues over a coffee.

The new Allstate hybrid model gives employees the complete freedom to choose where and when to do their best work

The hybrid workplace prioritizes the employee experience. In the short term, hybrid working offers vital reassurance as the pandemic subsides. But in the long term, the hybrid workplace offers flexibility for those who want it. It will attract a new generation of workers who demand it. The hybrid workplace boosts employee happiness will ensuring connection between those in the office and those at home.

They can choose to avoid commuting at busy times. With the office being less densely populated, they can focus on tasks without the noises and interruptions of the traditional office environment. By implementing greater flexibility, most employees won’t have an assigned desk to work at all day, every day. Instead, a system will be in place where desks can be shared – to help us use our spaces and resources more effectively.

to support employees across different tasks, such as standing desks, relaxed lounges, meeting rooms & booths, and coffee areas for informal team chats. Employees are encouraged to collaborate using our new meeting rooms and portable touch screens; socialize over a game of pool or table football or have some friendly competition playing arcade games; and develop through strategy sessions and training.

For some, we appreciate that working from home can be isolating or distracting. A hybrid workplace mitigates many of the downsides of pure remote working, creating a professional space outside the home for you to collaborate and socialize with colleagues.

The pandemic has taught us a lot about how we work at Allstate. It’s proved that our usual routines are not set in stone, and that alternative ways of working are not just viable but can have a lasting impact on our employee’s happiness, productivity, and wellbeing. The future of work is flexible and turning to the hybrid model is a way to achieve the flexibility our employees need.

The Allstate offices incorporates a mixture of versatile spaces designed The Allstate offices will become an even more integral part of the Allstate culture and fabric as a company. The reimagined offices will be more useful and necessary than they have ever been, evolving to serve a wider role for Allstate as a collaborative, learning, and social space, with shared spaces designed around networking and team building. The Allstate hybrid approach will increase productivity: allowing employees to utilize their time better.

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Simon Fahy and Susanna Carlstedt on EY’s exciting new investment in Northern Ireland Hot on the heels of EY’s announcement of a major investment in its Transactions, Strategy and Execution (TSE) practice in Belfast, Sync NI caught up with local senior Director, Simon Fahy and Susanna Carlstedt Assistant Director in EY’s London office

imon will be managing this new development here in Northern Ireland while Susanna is based in EY’s London office, and works closely with Simon and 260 other professionals supporting organisations in the private equity and corporate finance sectors.

Before we delve into what TSE involves, we first asked why Belfast was selected to build out this specialized team within EY. Simon has recently relocated from Toronto and explained that there was strong competition from several regional EY hubs in the UK. Aside from the obvious attraction of Belfast and Northern Ireland as a desirable place to live, with a vibrant technology sector, the strong talent pool of professionals in the FinTech space played a part in the decision. The move has created Northern Ireland’s first specialist TSE resource within the region. Ireland represents

around 10% of the UK market for M&A activity and the new division will not only support UK and Ireland businesses but will in time provide services to EY clients globally undertaking cross border transactions. Simon explains that the evolution of remote working practices accelerated by the pandemic means that the opportunities to work within teams on a global basis is now a reality. Susanna underscores this point by highlighting that she is currently working on a deal for a client to acquire another company in New Zealand. It was the variety of working across many different industries and sectors that attracted her to the job and why she finds it so rewarding. Traditionally EY has been recognized as one of the ‘Big 4’ accountancy firms and while many would think of them as an audit specialist EY is also an emerging global leader in

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Digital Transformation, Cyber Security and Sustainability and of course TSE. As Simon explains, this is borne out of ‘the need for EY as an organization to evolve with the wider economy while continually striving to be ahead of the competition.’ In part this is driven by EY’s diverse talent pool across both its global and local employee base and a desire to build inclusive teams in line with the needs and demands of its corporate client base. The Transactions, Strategy and Execution practice is comprised of dedicated teams of professionals with a broad range of technical skills and has grown exponentially over the last 15 years due to the strong support and leadership of EY London Senior Partner Alex Gaunt who has been there since its inception. Supporting Private Equity companies and corporates they can pull together and deploy teams of experts with multiple skill sets to analyse, quantify and ultimately realise or enhance the intrinsic value within a business or organisation making it more valuable as an asset, accelerate growth or as a proposition to sell accordingly. Drawing on teams with accumulated skills and experiences across multiple functional areas and industry sectors EY’s TSE team are well adept at maximizing the inherent and potential future value of a business. Susanna uses the term ‘plugging and unplugging’ when talking about how they execute for success. In short this basically means removing the less valuable aspects or parts of a business and /or adding complimentary products and services to a company or organisations offering to incorporate and increase value. Simon and Susanna are classic examples of bringing diverse skills and backgrounds to the table, which means their clients benefit from a host of expertise across their teams. On graduating from Nottingham University with a masters in Chemical Engineering, Simon spent 5 years on

the factory floor in manufacturing with GlaxoSmithKline in England before moving into his first role at EY, advising corporate and private equity clients on operational issues around M&A. He then progressed through a variety of roles within Grant Thornton and PwC, most latterly in Toronto specialising in operational value creation in deals before his recent move to Belfast to lead the new team here. Meanwhile Susanna, originally from Finland, completed a degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Aalto University followed by a masters in Economics and business administration from Hanken School of Economics. She completed her apprenticeship in Edinburgh then working for Nokia and Microsoft, deploying and driving adoption of IT solutions before joining EY in 2015. Susanna is in her own words ‘passionate about delivering exceptional IT end user experiences ensuring that the process of blending businesses, functions, technology or cultures after the conclusion or a merger, acquisition, joint venture or investment is a success’ It became apparent during the interview that both Simon and Susanna are passionate about their work. The satisfaction they derive from meeting so many people who are dedicated to driving innovation across industries is palpable. Susanna says that ‘one of the most satisfying benefits of my work at EY is seeing so many of my colleagues becoming friends.’ The sense of doing great work for clients seems built into the company culture but it’s clear there is also a huge emphasis on employee well being and personal development. In house careers counsellors are on hand to support and develop individuals to achieve their personal goals, to help find new opportunities within the business, including overseas secondments all the while emphasising that there is no cap on promotion. Every EY employee is given the

opportunity to pursue a FREE Tech MBA certified by Hult International Business School, that can be achieved part time while working and completed online. The course comprises 16 modules and the scope of modules includes areas such as AI, Blockchain, Robotics, sustainable development as well as a range of DI and ESG disciplines. Susanna explains; “The MBA is a unique opportunity for any employee to develop both the technological skillsets and business mindsets they will need to continue providing exceptional client service and to thrive in tomorrow’s workplace.” Sync NI enquired about the sort of people and backgrounds they expected to join the new Belfast TSE team and Simon shared just some of the qualities he was most interested in. From junior level with broad technical skills to mid and senior level appointments Simon told us ‘ideally we are looking for individuals with a good knowledge of enterprise applications, Cyber, Infrastructure and networks along with Data Centre experience are desirable. Just as important we want people with transferable skills who can learn quickly. We want people who are curious and analytical with ability to ask questions, people who want to know how things work and why. We want individuals who are looking for a new challenge, are interested in learning about transactions and are comfortable with a high level of uncertainty within projects, that is not having all the information but can make informed conclusions.’ In the short time Sync NI spent with Simon and Susanna we came away feeling that there has never been a more exciting time to work in tech. The opportunities to grow a career within EY are practically infinite and the benefits from both a professional and personal standpoint are super. We wish Simon luck as he builds out his new team within the TSE practice for EY in Belfast and the positive impact they will make for EY’s global client base.

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BT Ireland Innovation Centre showcase highlights NI is leading the way in global research and development

The BT Ireland Innovation Centre (BTIIC) based in Belfast has become an internationally recognised global centre for excellence in research, innovation and development since it launched in October 2017. The Sync NI team sat down with BT to find out more

collaboration between BT Technology’s Applied Research and IT departments and Ulster University, the ten year programme is being jointly funded by local government as well as Invest Northern Ireland with a combined investment of £28million.

postdoctoral and senior researchers and 12 PhD students from Ulster University.

The BTIIC consists of a team 130 people and it is unique as it combines industrial researchers, university researchers and industrial engineers within a single centre. It also includes 20

Leading the way in Research and Development

A showcase, attended by a number of industry professionals has taken place at W5 in Belfast to highlight the industry leading projects being created right here in Northern Ireland.

Cliona O’Boyle, senior manager of technical solutions at BT in Northern Ireland, said: “At BT, we have always led the way in

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Research & Innovation Programme and our showcase of projects highlights the very best of this research and development as we have embraced collaborations to innovate for good. Our aim is to create and ultimately deliver high quality products and services for our customers.”

Showcasing the best of innovation Cyber security

Cliona added: “With cybercrime continuing to escalate across the world, it is more important than ever that we disrupt criminal organisations that try to launch attacks. “At BT, our security team tackles more than 6,500 global cyber-attacks every day. We work 24/7 and 365 days a year to keep nation-states, governments, the world’s largest companies, our business and millions of our customers safe from cyber-attack. “Our BTIIC Security project that we have showcased, is the result of partnering with research & academia, to pair industry-leading network insights with advances in AI and automation to predict, detect and neutralise complex and evolving security threats, before they get a chance to inflict damage. These capabilities are invaluable in helping us to always be one step ahead of cyber criminals and to protect our customers.”

research and development and we are at the forefront of driving technological change. We are the third largest investor in R&D in the UK, investing £632m in innovation. “I am proud to be leading the local BT Ireland Innovation Centre, a highly collaborative programme using the very best of technical talent that Northern Ireland has to offer including a wealth of talent coming out of Ulster University. “BTIIC is the cornerstone of BT’s Global

Belfast Harbour Intelligent IOT ValueAdd Services

“Part of the BTIIC programme focuses on developing innovative and open IoT Value-Add Services (IoT VAS) that generate rich Intellectual Property Rights in the IoT market. “In our demonstration, we have showcased some examples of Video Anonymisation and Fall Detection for Belfast Harbour in the context of use-cases relating to privacy protection and Health and safety monitoring. Our commercial relationship with Belfast Harbour has meant that we have been

able to accelerate the concept-tomarket journey of this project to allow for the fast deployment on customer premises and quick testing with these real-life commercial use-cases.”

Healthcare @ Home – Reassuring remote carers of loved ones wellbeing

“As people are living longer, the population of those aged over 65 years old is increasing.” Cliona continued: “This coupled with falling birth rates and rates of chronic disease, means an increasing strain on Health & Social Care services. In BTIIC, we are exploring the use of everyday technologies along with cutting edge AI techniques to increase the quality of care for the older population in their homes and residential care. “Our project, Health@Home, is a novel activity monitoring system to provide care home staff with a digital overview of their elderly residents. This allows the care home to provide a more personalised care plan in addition to detecting and mitigating risky activities such as falls that may result in lifechanging injuries. This can all be done while maintaining the privacy and dignity of residents. Using systems like Health@Home, we can enable the older population to live safer and for longer in their own homes and reduce the pressure on Health & Social Care services.” “I am also delighted to confirm that this project will be going into a UK care home in the coming months to trial it with residents, further demonstrating the impact that our projects are providing to the public.”

The importance of R&D and looking to the future

Commenting on the showcase, Professor Liam Maguire, Pro Vice Chancellor of Research at Ulster University added: “This programme is a real demonstration of how to improve the knowledge based economy of Northern Ireland by securing

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(L-R) George McKinney, Director of Technology and Services, Invest NI, Mark O’Flaherty, BT Enterprise CIO, Cliona O’Boyle, Senior Manager of Technical Solutions at BT and Professor Bryan Scotney, Ulster University

collaboration between Ulster University and BT. “From a research perspective it has been hugely beneficial and we have seen a high number of quality publications, international patents as well as staff receiving awards both nationally and internationally. Within Ulster University it has influenced the teaching provision with the creation of new Masters courses in AI and IOT as well as newer upskilling courses released during the pandemic.” Cliona continued: “The showcase also highlights the importance of the continued ground-breaking research and development being carried out locally here in Northern Ireland. Myself and my team are excited to see the outputs of how some of our research impacts people’s lives through advancements in healthcare, security, software production to name a few.”

“BTIIC is also collaborating with BT’s other research centres around the world including in the Middle East and China, India as well as MIT in Boston in order to share knowledge and expertise to continue to develop innovative projects. In fact, since the centre was established, we have welcomed 27 visiting researchers from across the world, who are interested to see our technological developments. “To date, the BTIIC has also been responsible for creating 10 jobs in the centre itself in addition to 28 graduate jobs and adding a significant amount of money in salaries to the Northern Ireland economy.” George McKinney, Director of Technology and Services, Invest NI, said: “We’ve worked closely with BT for many years to help drive growth in innovation and technology. We supported the BTIIC from the outset, offering a £9m

grant for R&D. It is great to be at this showcase to celebrate the five-year milestone and see the impact of our support for innovation in action. “By embracing innovation and investing in R&D, companies are better positioned to stay ahead of their competitors and thrive in the global marketplace. BTIIIC’s R&D projects, and collaboration with local academia, will enhance Northern Ireland’s reputation as a leader in innovative technologies, and encourage a knowledge spill over across the wider Northern Ireland business community. Basing BTIIC here is testament to BT’s confidence in Northern Ireland, and I look forward to future developments.” Cliona continued: “Investment locally in R&D is key to retaining our talent here and demonstrating on the world stage that we are a leader in research and innovation.”

SYNC NI MAGAZINE

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