Ulster Business January 2023

A newyear with new opportunities

It’sa newyearandonewhich,atthe timeofwriting,wewere heading intowith a seriouschillintheairand iceontheground.

WelcometothisspecialLeadersinBusiness editionof UlsterBusiness forJanuary, in whichweshowcaseandspeaktosome oftheheadsofbusiness,commerceand industry, aswellasprofilingtheyounger entrepreneursandfuture leadersofour privatesector

We alsohearfrom a hostoftopeconomists andbusinessmindsastowhattheythink isinstore formanyofusin2023 – the challenges,theopportunitiesandthe landscapewhichawaitsusintheweeksand monthsahead,aswecontinuewithout a workinggovernmenthere.

We’veallbeentalkingaboutthe‘R’word inthelastfewweeks,butit remainstobe seenhowthisparticularperiodofeconomic and fiscaluncertaintyplaysout.Certainly, somesectorsare facingchallengesgreater thanothers,whilemanyare notonlyback topre-pandemictrading,butseeingtheir businessesgrowand flourish.

Oneofthosecompaniesisourcoverstory Fibrus – thefull fibre broadbandbusiness whichhasbeenon a stellartrajectoryinthe spaceofjustfouryears.

I speaktochiefexecutiveDominicKearns aboutitslatest£108mcontracttoconnect around60,000homesinCumbria,plans toextendthat reachwithinthecommercial spacefurtherstill,andincreasingits workforceto1,000employees.

Inthispackededitionthere’s also a plethora ofexclusivenews,interviews,features, profiles,analysisandmore.

I’m repeatingmyselfagain,butit requires repetition. Weremainwithoutlocal governanceinto a secondyear There’s talk ofgettingbacktothetableandbanging outanagreementinandaroundthetimeof thesigningofanotheronewhich,25years ago,beganthe roadtopeaceand renewed prosperityinthissmallplacewecallhome. Let’s hopewecangetthere again.

Andwiththat,have a happyNew Year –UlsterBusiness willbehere throughout 2023showcasingthebestNorthern Ireland hastooffer ■

JohnMulgrew

Publisher UlsterBusiness c/oMediahuisUKLtd Belfast TelegraphHouse,33ClarendonRoad, ClarendonDock,BelfastBT13BG

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Editor JohnMulgrew Advertising Sarah-AnnGamble,s.gamble@mediahuis.co.uk

Graphicdesign SusanMcClean,MediahuisIrelandDesignStudio Coverphoto ElaineHill

UlsterBusinessMagazine @ulsterbusiness www.ulsterbusiness.com

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3.5%

A month innumbers TradebetweenGreat Britainand Northern Ireland seesbillionpoundboostin wake ofNIProtocol

Thenewbaserate setbytheBankof Englandwhichisnow ata14-yearhigh.

£108m

Thevalueofthe latestcontractwinby Belfast-basedfullfbre broadbandbusiness Fibrus.

150

Thesizeofthe workforceGreg Bradleyhopeshis businessBLKBOXwill growtosoon.

£77.1bn

Thetotalvalueofsales amongcompanies inNorthernIreland in2021,uparound 13.6%ontheprevious year.

ByJohnMulgrew

TradebetweenGreatBritainand NorthernIrelandhasseenamore thanbillionpoundbump–upby 7%theyearaftertheNIProtocolwas introduced.

FreshfguresshowthevalueofGBsales rose to£14.4bnin2021.

Meanwhile,salesfromNorthernIrelandto GBincreasedby£1.5bnto£12.8bnin2021, up13.1%overtheyear,accordingtothelatest fguresfromtheNorthernIrelandStatisticsand ResearchAgency(NISRA).

Andoverall,totalsalesbyNorthernIreland companiesincreasedby13.6%(£9.2bn).That meantsalesrisingto£77.1bnin2021–the largestvalueoftotalsaleson record,not takinginfationintoaccount.

Concernshadbeenraisedbysomecorners thatcompanieselsewhereintheUKwereno longer,or reducingtheirsalesintoNorthern Ireland,becauseoftheNIProtocol–the mechanisminplacetokeepNIintheEUsingle marketfortradeingoods,butleadingtosome additionalchecksbetweenhereandGB.

Meanwhile,thetotalvalueofexternalsales

hereincreasedby14.5%.

“Thetotalvalueofexternalsalesby NorthernIrelandcompanieswasestimated tobeworth£24.9bnin2021,”accordingto NISRA.

“This representsanincreaseof14.5% (£3.2bn)overtheyearincurrentprices, comparedtoadecreaseinthepreviousyearof 3.6%.”

AndtradewiththeRepublicmadeup6.7% oftotalsalesand6.3%oftotalpurchases.

“SalesofgoodsandservicestoIrelandmade up6.7%(£5.2bn)oftotalsales(£77.1bn),” accordingtoNISRA.

“Ofthis,74.7%(£3.9bn) relatedtothesale ofgoodsand25.3%(£1.3bn)tothesaleof services.

“TheCovid-19pandemichadamajor impactontheeconomyduring2020,due tolockdownmeasuresbeingintroducedto mitigateitsspreadandprolongedperiods ofbusinessclosures.Thisshouldbebornein mindwhenconsideringthechangeintrade estimatesbetween2020and2021.”

Butitsaid“whenthefguresareviewedin thebroaderpictureoftrendsobservedoverthe pastnumberofyears,the2021fguresbroadly alignwithwhatmight reasonablyhavebeen expectedwereitnotfortheimpactofthe pandemicin2020”.

TheSDLP’sBrexitspokesman,Matthew O’TooleMLA,said:“Thisdatashouldfnally puttobedtheideathatProtocolisruiningthe NorthernIrelandeconomy,oreventhatithas severelydentedtradebetweenGBandNI.For nearlytwoyears,DUPpoliticiansandBritish ministershaveexaggeratedanddistorted theeffectoftheprotocolontradefowsand businessacrosstheIrishSea.

“BycontrasttheSDLPhasbeencallingfor aspecifcstrategytopromotethebeneftsof dualmarketaccesswhichgivesbusinesses wholocatehereacompetitiveadvantagethat shouldbeusedtoenhanceoureconomyand generatenewjobs.”

Fibrus to grow workforce to 1,000 staff

FullfbrebroadbandbusinessFibrus couldseeitsheadcountrisingto around1,000staffinthenextcouple ofyears, UlsterBusiness can reveal.

Itcomesasthebusinesslandedanother hugebroadbandcontracttoprovidefull fbreconnectivitytoalmost60,000homesin

DominicKearns, chiefexecutive ofFibrus

Cumbriaaspartofa£108mdeal.

Fibrushasitselfgrownfromasmallteam ofacoupleofdozentoabusinesswitha workforceofaround350andafurther400 peopleinits Viberoptixbusiness.

AndchiefDominicKearnssaysthecompany willgrowtoaround1,000staffinthemonths andyearsahead.

“Weknowwhatwearedoingandknowwe aregoodatit.Bringingintheseniorteamat thestartwasakeycomponentinbeingableto deliverthis–it’saboutgettingtherightpeople todeliverit.”

Inthespaceofjustthreeyearsthefrmhas connected200,000homesandbusinesses,the majorityofwhichareinNorthernIreland.

Thecompanyisalsoaimingtoincreaseits reachtoaroundonemillionpremisesinthe verynearfuture.

Readthefullarticleonpage18-20

NI facing recessionheading into 2023

NorthernIrelandisfacing continued recessionandgrowing unemploymentashighinfation, interestratesandlowconsumer confdenceslowdowntheeconomy,it’s beenclaimed.

DanskeBankhas reviseditspreviousforecast of a 0.5%annualfallineconomicactivityin 2023downwardsandnowexpectsoutputto contractbyabout1%nextyear

Itbelievesthe retailsectorwillbeworst affectedby recession,shrinkingby4.5%in 2023,more thantwice a predictedcontraction rateof2.2%forthisyear

ConorLambe,DanskeBankchiefeconomist, said:“TheUKeconomycontractedinthethird quarterof2022andwethinkthateconomic activityinNorthern Irelandisalsolikelyto havedeclined.Outputisthenprojectedto fallfurtherinthefnalquarteroftheyearand throughmostofnextyear, withbotheconomies experiencing a periodof recessionas a number offactorsadverselyimpactactivitylevels.

“Infationisexpectedtodeclinegradually during2023but remainelevatedandweigh downonhouseholdpurchasingpower Consumerconfdenceisalsoparticularlylow andmonetarypolicyistightening.

“Lookingforward,andwhilenotingthe considerableuncertaintyaroundtheoutlook, weexpectannualoutputinNorthern Irelandto declinebyaround1%nextyear.”

Butthebankhasforecastthattheeconomy willhavegrownbyaround4%bytheendof thisyear, refecting a relativeimprovementon

Quotes of the month

theCovid-19pandemic.

Businessesandconsumershavebeenhitby risingcoststhroughout2022,withinfation promptingtheBankofEnglandtoincrease interestratesto3%.

AccordingtotheOffceforNationalStatistics (ONS),theUKeconomyshrankby0.3%over thethreemonthstoOctober, althoughthere was a reboundinOctoberitself.

Aswellas retail,otherconsumer-facing sectorssuchasaccommodationandfood,along witharts,entertainmentand recreation,are

alsopredictedtotakeheavyhitsduring2023. DanskeBankforecastdeclinesofnearly4%for bothsectors.

Andoutputformanufacturingcompaniesis alsoexpectedtoshrinknextyear, with a 1.1% fallinoutput,whiletheconstructionsectoris tippedfor a similarrateofcontraction.

However, slightgrowthispredictedforthe worldofinformationandcommunication,as wellasscientifcandtechnicalservices.And educationandadministrativeandsupport servicesare alsopredictedtoavoiddecline.

“Theupcoming 25th anniversar y of the Good Friday Agreement will providean opportunit y to refect on how the economy here has changed in25 years.”

Andrew WebbofGrant Thorntonwritinginthis editionof UlsterBusiness.

“A silverlining is that infationar y pressuresdo thoughseem to beeasing, with input costs andoutput price infation rising at their lowest rates in21months.”

UlsterBankchiefeconomist RichardRamseyspeaking aboutthestateofthe economy.

“We want to grown and be sizeablein the years to come. We know there is further investment required.”

FormerNovoscochiefand founderofSpadetown BrewingPatrickMcAliskey speakingaboutplansforhis newLurgan-basedbusiness ventures.

ConorLambe

NIsalariesup 5.6% inlast year

AveragesalariesinNorthern Irelandhaverisenby5.6%over thelastyear, itcanbe revealed. Accordingto recruitmentfrmHays,salariesacrosstheUK increasedby5.4%,whilewageshere are up5.6%overthelast12 months.

TheUKrisewaswellabovethe2.8%backin2021and1.2%theyear before that.

“EachyearincompilingourHaysSalary & Recruiting Trendsguide, weanalyseover10,000salariesusinginformationgatheredfromour offcesacrosstheUK,basedonjoblistings,joboffersandcandidate registrations,”JohnMoore,HaysNImanagingdirectorsays.

“Ifyoucombinethiswithoursurveywhichformspartoftheguide, whichthisyear receivedover13,500 responses,it’sa comprehensive picture ofsalaries, recruitingtrendsandinsights.”

InNorthern Ireland,ofthe20 roleswhich receivedthehighest percentageincreases,sixwere inengineering,fourwere intechnology, threewere inmarketingandcommunications,threewere inlegal,two were inHR,oneinproduction,supplychainandlogisticsandonein

businesssupport.

“Lookingtooursurveydata,83%ofemployerstoldustheyhad increasedtheiremployees’salariesorratesofpayoverthelast12 monthscomparedtojust57%whodidsotheyearbefore.Overhalf (54%)saidthiswasnotonlyto retainstaff butwas a direct resultofthe riseinthecostofliving.”

Read thefull articleonpage 13

JohnMoore

Germanairline Lufthansalaunching new directservice fromBelfast to Frankfurt

AirlineLufthansawillbringdirect fightstoGermanyfromBelfast nextyear – thefrsttimeforthe carrier

Theairline,whichisoneofEurope’s largest, isenteringtheNorthern Irishmarketforthefrst timeandwilloperatefightsfromBelfastCity AirporttoFrankfurt,GermanyfromApril2023.

FlightstoFrankfurtwithLufthansawill operateuptofourtimes a week,givingboth leisure andbusinesspassengerschoiceand conveniencewhentravellingtotheinternational hub.

KatyBest,commercialdirectoratBelfast CityAirport,said:“Attractinganairlinesuchas LufthansatoNorthern Irelandthatwillprovide theonly routefromthe regiontoGermanyis a majorwinfor, notonlytheairport,butthe widertourismandbusinessindustry

“WithGermanybeingthethird-largest marketforoverseastourismtotheislandof Ireland,there is a cleardemandfordirect connectivity

“Frankfurtisanimportantcityforcommerce, culture,andtourism,anditsairportisoneofthe busiestinEurope.

“As a baseforLufthansa,Frankfurtis a key destinationinitsnetworkandgivespassengers anattractiveoptionforconnectingfightsto marketsfurtherafeld.

“Lufthansa’s commitmenttoexcellent customerserviceandgreatvaluemakesit a superbftforBelfastCityAirport,andwelook forward towelcomingpassengerstravellingto Frankfurtandbeyondtotheterminal.”

DrFrank Wagner, generalmanagersales, UK,IrelandandIcelandforLufthansaGroup, said:“We are excitedtoannouncetheaddition ofBelfastCityAirporttoLufthansa’s global networkwiththeinauguralfighttoFrankfurt onApril23,2023.

“Thisnewnonstopconnectionwillbring Northern IrelandmuchclosertoFrankfurtand totheheartof Western Europe.Connecting passengerswillenjoy a convenientandfull serviceconnectionbeyondourhubtoourvast

networkofover200destinationsinsummer 2023.”

MelChittock,interimchiefexecutiveof InvestNIsaid:“Germanyis a powerhouseof theEuropeaneconomyandonewhichoffers tremendouspotentialforourlocalbusinesses toexporttoaswellasbeing a majorsourceof internationallymobileinvestment.

“Itskeysectorsare wellalignedwith Northern Ireland’s strengths,particularlyin advancedmanufacturing,lifeandhealth sciences,foodanddrink,andfnancialservices. Infact,weare currentlystrengtheningour Europeanteamtosupportexportersexpand intoGermany, AustriaandSwitzerlandand topromotetheNorthern Irelandinvestment propositioninthe region,with recruitmentfor a numberofkey rolescurrentlyunderway

“Directairconnectivityisanimportant elementofgrowingoureconomyandthe establishmentofthisnewdirect routewillmake iteasierforcompanies,bothhere andinthe region,todobusinesstogether.”

AnnMcGregor,NorthernIrelandChamberof Commerce,KatyBest,GeorgeBestBelfastCity Airport,MelChittock,InvestNIandMarionLübbeke

BLK BOX ‘growing workforce to 150 staf’

ByJohnMulgrew

Aftnessmanufacturerandft-outfrmissettogrowits workforcefrom90to150staff following a bigcontract win, UlsterBusiness can reveal.

BLKBOXisworkingwith a hostofbignamesacrosstheglobeandone ofitslargestwinshasbeenwithlow-costchainPure Gym.

FounderGregBradleysayswiththatworkloadincreasinghisteamlooks settogrownsubstantiallyinthenextyear, witharound150staff intotal.

Hehasgrowntheteamtoaround90staff,whichincludesthose workinginmanufacturing – suchaswelders,fabricatorsandmachine operators – alongwithdistributionandlogistics,sales,marketing, e-commerceandfnance.

“Thatwillgrow a fairbitinthenextyearwiththePure Gymcontract kickingin,”hesays.

Itscustomersincludeconsumersaroundtheworldaswellasmajor brandsandsportsteamssuchasAdidas,PureGym,IrishRugby, ArsenalFC andKerryGAA.

BLKBOX,whichisbasedinMonkstown,producesstrengthand conditioningequipmentforgymsandfacilitiesacrosstheglobe.

MrBradleysaysthefrm’s biggestclientisPure Gym.Thefrmbegan

workingwiththelow-costgymin2018butsincehasbecome a key supplieramidthefrm’s grand rolloutacrosstheUK,Denmarkand Switzerland.

Readthefullinterviewonpage56-57

GregBradley

MartinPropertyGroupbuys ScottishMutualBuildingwith freshplansforcityhotel

ByJohnMulgrew

Belfast’sScottishMutualBuildingwill fnallybeturnedintoanewhotel afterbeingboughtoverbyanorth westpropertygroup.

MartinPropertyGrouphasboughtthebuilding onBedfordStreet.Itwaspreviouslydueto betheGeorgeBestHotelbyBedfordHotel Limited.

BedfordHotelLimitedwaspartoftheoverall SignatureLivingcollectionofcompanies,which wasrunbydeveloperLawrenceKenwright.

MrKenwrighthadplannedtoturntheformer ScottishMutualBuildingintotheGeorgeBest HotelbeforeBedfordHotelLimitedentered administrationtwoyearsago.

UlsterBusiness reportedinNovemberthat biddingwasatan“advancedstage”after atotalof10offerswere receivedforthe property.

PaulMartinofTheMartinPropertyGroupsaid: “Weareimmenselyproudtohaveacquired

TheScottishMutualBuilding,becomingthe custodiansofoneofthemosthistoricallyand architecturallyimportantbuildingsinBelfast.

“Aswellas restoringandpreservingitswealth oforiginalfeatures,wewillbeaddinganew luxuryhoteltothecity,inamovewhich refectsourconfdenceinBelfast’sabilityto attractbothbusinessandleisuretourists.

“Welookforwardtoengagingwithkey stakeholdersintheproject,includingBelfast CityCouncilandtheHistoricEnvironment Division,amongothers,whocanshareand shapeourvisionforthisimpressivebuilding. Itisaprivilegetohavetheopportunityto preserveandenhancesuchanimportant landmarkinthecityandenrichBelfast’sbuilt heritageforfuturegenerations.”

LastyeartheSundayIndependent reported theMartinPropertyGroupofferedtopay between£4mand£4.5mtoacquirethe debtsofBedfordHotelLimitedandfund thecompletionofthehotelbeforeitwas rejected.

Thenewpurchasebythegroupwasmade

fromtheadministratorKroll,followinganopen marketsalesprocess.

A reportfromadministratorKrolllastyear hadsaidatotalof10offerswere received fortheproperty,then reducedtoeight,while interestedpartieswereinthe“advancedphase ofbidding”latelastyear.

“Initialbidswerecalledfor12pmon September16,2022andthejoint administrators receivednineindicativeoffers frominterestedparties,whichdemonstrated thehotel’swideappeal,”thelatest administrators’ reportsaid.

“OnSeptember30,2022,thejoint administratorscalledforthebestandfnalbids whichagain resultedinnineinterestedparties, either reaffrmingorincreasingtheiroffers.A subsequentbidwasalso receivedshortlyafter thisdatebringingthetotaloffers receivedto 10.

“Theinterestedpartiesthatsubmittedthe bestofferswere reducedtoeightfollowing afurtherperiodofbuyerduediligenceand negotiations.” ■

Salariesstillrisingascompetition fortalentpersistsinkeysectors

ByJohnMoore,managingdirector,HaysNI

At thistimeofyear, wenormally takestockoftheyearthat’s just endedandlookatthetrendsin the recruitmentmarketinordertoforecast whatmightlieaheadinthenext12 months.

To anyonetrackingthejobsmarket,itwill comeasnosurprisewhen I saythatsalaries havecontinuedtoriseoverthepast12 months,fuelledby a combinationofthe infation-drivencostoflivingcrisisandtalent shortagesin a numberofsectorswhere demandisstrongest.

Butforthemostin-demand roles,employers are willingtoincreasepayby10%-20%in orderto retainthebesttalent,particularlyin somespecialist roles.

Althoughthepaceofhiringwesawinthefrst halfof2022hascalmedslightly, employersare stillgoingoverandabovetoattractthestaff theyneedtogrowandnavigatethechallenges ahead.Itisanupward trendthatisexpectedto carryonwellinto2023.

EachyearincompilingourHaysSalary & Recruiting Trendsguide,weanalyseover 10,000salariesusinginformationgathered fromouroffcesacrosstheUK,basedonjob listings,joboffersandcandidate registrations.If youcombinethiswithoursurveywhichforms partoftheguide,whichthisyear receivedover 13,500 responses,it’sa comprehensivepicture ofsalaries, recruitingtrendsandinsights.

Accordingtoourguide,salariesacrosstheUK increasedby5.4%,andwhilethatmightseem quitemuted,itwaswellabovethe2.8%we sawin2021and1.2%theyearbefore that. InNorthern Ireland,thedatashowedthatthe averagesalaryincreasewasslightlyhigherat 5.6%.

Unlikeotheryears,where salaryincreasesare

largely refectiveofthedemandforstaff,this yeartheriseininfationandthecostofliving hasmeantthatemployersare workingharder thanevertoensure theirsalariesmeetmarket expectations.

Lookingtooursurveydata,83%ofemployers toldustheyhadincreasedtheiremployees’ salariesorratesofpayoverthelast12months comparedtojust57%whodidsotheyear before.Overhalf(54%)saidthiswasnot onlyto retainstaff butwas a direct resultof theriseinthecostofliving.Additionally,a greaterproportionofemployersofferedstaff a performance-relatedbonusthisyear(58%) comparedtolastyear(42%).

Thelistofthetoptwentysalaryincreasesfrom 2022provides a goodindicationofwhere we are seeingthemostdemandforstaff atthe moment.

InNorthern Ireland,ofthe20 roleswhich receivedthehighestpercentageincreases,six were inengineering,fourwere intechnology, threewere inmarketingandcommunications, threewere inlegal,twowere inHR,onein

production,supplychain & logisticsandonein businesssupport.

Thiscomparesto a UK-wide reportwhichwas alsodominatedbytechnologyandengineering, withsevenofthe roleswiththehighestsalary increasesintechnologyandfveinengineering. Lifesciencesalsomade a strongappearancein theUK-widesurvey, withthreeofthe rolesin thetop20list.

InNorthern Ireland,electricalcomputer-aided designtechniciansandcybersecurityanalysts saw a salaryincreaseof26.7%,thehighest increase,followedbymarketinganalystsand PRmanagerswhosawanincreaseof25%.

Otherjob roleswhichexperiencedabove averageincreasesincludedimport/export administrators(20%),headsoflegal(18.2%) andheadsoftalent/resourcing(17%).

IntheUK-wideanalysis,salesforcesolutions architectssawanincreaseof18.5%,the highestincreasewithinthetop20,while systemsdesignengineerssawanincreaseof 18.2%.ThreeofthetoptwentyUKsalaryrises were forlifesciences roles, receivingincreases above11.9%.

Despitewidereconomicuncertainty, fourout offveemployersacrosstheUK,and85%of thosesurveyedinNI,saidtheyintendonhiring staff overthenext12months.

It’s reallyimportant,therefore,foremployers andhiringmanagersaliketobeaware that salaryisn’t everythingwhenattractingand retainingprofessionals.

Although a competitivesalaryisclearly a good waytoattractandmaintaintalent,weare increasinglyseeingemployeescaringabout otherfactorssuchascareerprogression, wellbeing,worklifebalanceandhybrid working.Peopleare alsomotivatedtoworkfor organisationswhoprioritisesocial responsibility sowewouldencourageemployersnotto neglecttheseareas. ■

Tr ust-basedleadershipiskey toCiti’scontinuedgrowthinNI

As Northern Ireland’s largest fnancialservicesemployerwith over3,500staff,covering21 businesslinesfrommarkets,operations, andlegal,totechnologyandHR,Citi Belfastis a companythatchampionsitsfull teamwhileempoweringtheirgrowthand success.theirgrowthandsuccess.

Astheworld’s mostglobalbank,Citifnds strengthinitsdiversityandaimstoensure everyoneacrosstheorganisationisencouraged totakeownershipofcreatinganinclusive workplaceforall.

CitiBelfastisproudofitsteam-ledinclusion networks,whichfocusonimproving inclusivenessanddiversity Thebusiness’ affnitynetworksincludegroupsforwomen, multiculturalism,Pride,disabilityandfamily mattersaswellasprogrammeslikeCitiSpire, whichempowerfemalestudentsinSTEM (science,technology, engineeringand mathematics).

With a commitmenttosocio-economic responsibility, Citihasdonatedover£1m andthousandsofvolunteerhourstolocal charities.CitiBelfastaimsto‘walkthewalk’ whenitcomestobuilding a culture focusedon empowerment,diversity, equityandtrust.

“Trustexistsineveryareaoflife,”Carla McGlynn,siteleadinICG Technology, says. “We askemployeestotrustinothersandtrust inusasleaders,more importantlytrusting themselves.Thisisanessentialpartofmoving beyondanemployer-employee relationshipand reallyfnding a careerthatfulfls.”

A memberoftheCitiBelfastteamforover14 years,Carlahasbenefttedfromtheemployer’s culture oftrustandnowworkstobuildthis trustacrossherteamofover1,000staff.“Every dayinBelfast,ourglobalteamsinteractwith employeesinover100countries,processing over a trilliondollarsinpayments. We develop andsupportnext-generationtechnology solutionsforthefranchiseanditscustomers globallytoensure wedeliveronourmissionof

enablinggrowthandprogress. Trustis a core principlewhichempowersourteamsandhas drivenustogrowthesuccessfulbusinesswe are all a partoftoday.”

AccordingtoCarla,who recentlyaddressed attendeesatthe WomeninBusiness Voices ofLeadershipConference,trust-based leadershipiskeytoCiti’s continuedgrowthas a localemployer “Trustisembeddedacross ourdiverseteams,whoembraceideasand possibilitiestoensure CitiBelfastis a success businessand a greatplacetowork,”shesaid.

CitiBelfaststrivestoensurea highlevelofjob satisfactionbygivingstaff opportunitiesto growtheirareasofinterestwithintheir roles. Bycreatingtheinfrastructure,CitiBelfastallows employeestoaccesstoolstobuildanddevelop keyskillsaswellasnewwaysofthinking, engagingwithaninclusivenetwork,oreven championinganimportantcause.

“IamgratefulthatCititrustedmetopursue a passionbyleadingtheuniversityandschools portfolio,anareawhichisclosetomyheartas a womaninSTEM.Beinggiventheopportunity todrivedevelopmentoftheCitiSpire programmehasnotonlygivenmeanimmense feelingofjobsatisfaction,buttheprogramme

hasalsocontinuedCiti’s culture ofinclusion andequitybyengagingwithwomenstudying STEMsubjectsandmaking a spaceforthemto feelvaluedandinspiredintheirpursuits.”

Commentingonthe rolethattrustplaysat thecore ofleadershipCarlasaid:“Timehas taughtusthat realleadershipisaboutothers, empoweringthemtosucceedandmakingsure theimpactyouhavecontinuesinyourabsence. Leadershipisneveraboutthe role,butalways aboutthegoal. Traditionalleadershipnarratives are allaboutyou:yourvision,yourabilityto maketoughdecisions,thehard callsandbe thehero,butCiti’s approachtotrust-focused leadership reallyshowshowanempowered workforcebuiltaroundtrust – bothwithinits teamsandinitslocalcommunity – cantruly enablesustainablegrowth.”

TheimpactofCiti’s effortstoleadwith trustanddeliveranempoweredanddiverse workforceare underscoredbydata.The franchiseboasts40nationalitiescurrently workingon-siteandtheimpressivestatisticthat 47%ofCitiBelfast’s leadershippositionsonsiteare heldbywomen. ■

Findout more about career opportunitiesatCiti visit https://jobs.citi.com/belfast

CarlaMcGlynn,Citi,JoanneHession,LIFTIreland,LorraineAcheson, WomeninBusiness,BeverleyNoye,Citiand ClodaghRice,presenterattherecent WomeninBusiness VoiceofLeadershipConference,sponsoredbyCiti,at GalgormResort

Familyretailercontinuing togrowitsoffering

NewellStoresisafamily-owned, second-generationindependent supermarketwithstoresin DungannonandCoalisland.

Thebusinesswasestablishedin1998bythe parentsofColinConway,managingdirector. Theyaddedasecondstorein2013andnow employs295intheMidUlster region.

Heavilyembeddedinthelocalcommunity, it remainsindependentandaswellasthe offeringasupermarketandofflicence,placing ahugeemphasisonfreshfood,allmadeand preparedinstore.

Thecompanyoperatesitsownbutchery,deli andahotfoodofferingwhichmakesbreakfast lunchanddinner,sevendaysaweek.

Keentounderstandhowthebusinessisbeing impactedthecurrentcostoflivingcrisisColin Conwaysaid:“It’shardtomeasureatthe minuteaswe’reinaconstantstateofchange butweusefootfallasanindicatorwhich thankfullyhasbeensteady.

“Freshfoodcontinuestobeattractiveanda realpointofdifferenceforNewellStores.”

AsthefirmbehindtheHomegrowncampaign, DarrenMcDowell,seniorpartneratHarbinson Mulhollandknowsonlytoowellthechallenges facingourSMEsector.

Withaclientbaselargelycomprisedof homegrownandfamilybusinesses,Darren seesoptimism,comingfromthebusinesses themselves.

“Resiliencehasbeenusedalotoverthepast fewyearsbutSMEshaveauniqueoffering, totapintothis resilienceasit’seasierforthem totakequickdecisionsandtakealongterm view,”hesaid.

Colinalsotalksaboutthefutureplansfor thebusinessincludingsustainabilityandhis experiencesoffindingstaffin recentmonths.

TheHMHomegrowncampaignhighlightsthe

significantcontributionofSMEss,withthis year’sanalysisshowingover10,500people areemployedbythe Top50companies,43of whicharefamilyownedand13ofwhicharein the retailsector. ■

YoucanlistentotheUlsterBusinessPodcast onSpotify,AppleorSoundcloudtohearmore aboutNewellStores.

chiefexecutive ofFibrus

Fibrus: Lightning fast growth with bigger planson the horizon

DominicKearns,

ThegrowthandexpansionoffullfbrebroadbandbusinessFibrus appearstobeasrapidasthespeedy connectionsit’sbuildingacrossNorthern IrelandandthroughouttheUK.

Inthespaceofjustthreeyearsthefrmhas connected200,000homesandbusinesses,the majorityofwhichareinNorthernIreland.

AndaccordingtoitschiefexecutiveDominic Kearns,thecompanyiswellonitswayto doublingitsworkforceacrossthegroupand crackingthe1,000employeemarkfollowing yetanothermajorcontractwin.

Italsoaimstoconnectonemillionhomestoits fullfbrenetworkoverthenextthreeyears. Theinvestmentfgureisasequallyimpressive forwhatisaveryfreshfrmwhichisquickly growingintoagiantintheindustry.

“Wehaveover£700mincommittedcapital,” Dominicsays.“Wehave£200mfromour investors,£220mfromourbankingconsortium andthe restiscomingfromGovernmentpublic subsidy.That’smoneygoingintoconnectivity infrastructureandlevellingupruraland remote communities.”

AndthewinskeepcomingforFibrus. FollowingitsProjectStratumdealhere–an overall£197minvestmenttodelivergigabit capablefullfbrebroadbandtoaround 80,000homesandbusinesses–ithasnow landedahuge£108mcontractwiththeUK Government.

Around58,000premisesinCumbriawill beneftfromthefastestbroadbandonthe marketthankstothe record-breakingdealwith

Fibrus,which representsthebiggestcontract todateundertheGovernment’sambitious programme.

“ThatistheequivalentofProjectStratum hereinNorthernIrelandandwillincluderural broadband,”Dominicsays.“TheUKhasanew programmetryingtoaddress5%oftheUK withgigabitcapablespeeds.

“Theyareassumingthemarketwilladdress 80%andtheyaresubsidisingthenext1520%.”

NIisactuallyconsiderablyfurtheraheadthan the restoftheUKwhenitcomestobroadband connectionswithsome87%coverage.

“Wehavecreatedacompetitiveenvironment here. We canseetheimpactourpresencehas hadonthemarket,giventhatourcustomer offeringrivalsmanyofthebiggestplayers currentlyoperatinginthemarket.”

Fibrushasalreadydeliveredaroundhalfofits ProjectStratumcontract–connectingaround 40,000premises

“It’sahugeprojectanditwasabrilliant challengeforustogetthatofftheground. We starteddeliveringtheprojectfromdayone.

“BythetimewearefnishedinNorthern Irelandwethinkwewillhavearound400,000 homesandbusinessescovered.”

Dominicsaysthecompanyisalsointhe processofupgradingitsonegigabitG-PON networktoanXGS-PON–capableof connectionsupto10timesthatspeed.

“Fullfbreisinfnitecapacityrightintoyour

home,”hesays.“Oncetherightinfrastructure isinplaceeithersideofthefbre,itopensup anopportunitytoavailoffasterconnections.”

MuchoftheworkFibrusisdoingisconnecting ruralhomesandbusinessestoafullfbre networkforthefrsttime–something increasinglyimportantinadigitalage,and where remoteandhybridworking remainpart ofthelandscape.

“Lotsofthosebusinesseswanttodiversifyand beabletodootherthings.Thisiscompletely transformingtheircompanies.It’salsoallowing familiesandlocalpeopletobeabletowork fromhome.

“YoucanbebasedinFermanaghandwork foracompanyinBelfast,forexample,keeping

Thepandemichasobviouslyplayedapart inthebusinessplanandtrajectoryofalmost everycompanythroughoutNorthernIreland andacrossthesectors.Butwithburgeoning demandforfasterinternetconnectivityand remoteworking,andbeingata relatively earlystageinitslifecyclewhenCovid-19hit, Fibruswasabletoadaptquicklyandexpand.

“Ourfrstsixmonthswasfocusedontrying togetofftheground.Butwhenwegot going,Covidhitusintheface.Butbecause wewereanewcompany,wewereableto growwithCovid,ratherthanhavingtoadapt toit.

“Thatallowedustosetupthebusinessto beabletoworkhybrid–otherfrmswere forcedintoit.Itwasn’tachallengeforus,we wereabletobuildourmodelaroundthenew worldofwork.

“Thankstothetechnologywe’reproviding, peopleinNorthernIrelandwhopreviously couldn’tworkforglobalcompaniesnowcan. Softwaresuchas TeamsandZoomispart ofthelandscapenow–atFibrus,40%of ourinteractionisintheoffceandthe restis online.”

Fibrusnowhastwooffces,acentralbase inBelfastcitycentreandalargelocation innorthBelfast,andDominicsaysitsstaff

havethechoiceofworkingintheoffce,orat home.

Andsustainabilityandthegreenagenda remainverymuchatthecoreofwhatFibrusis doing.Byitsverynature,allowingmorepeople towork remotelyandforgoinglongjourneys toworkplacesishelpingto reducecarbon emissions.

“It’snotjustaboxtickingexercise,”Dominic says.“Withourservicespeoplecanstayoff the road,haveabetterwork/lifebalanceand improvethingsingeneral.

“Wehavecommittedtoelectrifyingourentire feetandhavetargetstohitoverthenextthree yearstogetthere.Forus,itftsintoouroverall sustainabilitytheme.”

Dominicsayswhileit’ssettodeliver connectivitytoaround58,000premisesaspart ofitsUKGovernmentwin,it’salsoidentifed afurther120,000homesintheCumbriaarea whichitwillalsodevelopout.

“Wehaveidentifed120,000homesin Cumbriawhichwewillbuildusinginvestor funds,andthe£108mcontractis58,000rural premisesontopofthat,”hesays.

“Inruralareas,peopleoftendon’thaveaccess totheservicesavailableintownsandcities,so

thedemandisclearlythere. Youcreateaname forimprovingpeople’sprovisionandthatin turntranslatesintothemorecompetitiveareas whereconsumershaveoptions.”

Dominicsaysasidefromitsinfrastructurework, Fibrusisalsoaserviceprovideraswellandthat areaissomethingwhichcouldbeextended furtherstill.

“GiventhatFibrusisagrowingbrandwithin NorthernIrelandwemayinthefutureoperate asaserviceprovideronothernetworks,”he says.

Andlookingahead,whileFibrushasalready undertakensignifcantandsizeablework hereinNorthernIreland,alongwithitslatest contractintheUK,Dominicsaysthenextstep inthejourneywillbegoingafterachunkof themillionsofhomesstillwithoutfullfbre.

“Around40%oftheUKhasfullfbre coverage,andthereare30millionhomesin theUK–sothere remains60%ofthattobe delivered.That’swhatwearegoingafter.

“Weliketooperateinruraland regionalareas, wheretherehasbeenalackofinvestment. We canseeapathwaytoamillionhomesinthe nextthreeyears.Thisisinfrastructureforthe nexthalfcenturyandweintendtoplayour partindeliveringit.” ■

Buildingaboomingbusiness parkin

Itwasasparkofanideaandthe backingofUlsterBankwhichhelped puta reasonably remotebutnow burgeoningCo Tyronebusinessparkon themap.

PaddyHughesisthemanbehindClonoe VillageBusinessPark,locatedinthesmall villageofthesamename.Inthespaceofjust fouryearshe’sturnedaformerhouseintoa hubofaround17businesses–eachofthem continuingtothrivedespitethechallenges facingmanysmallfrmsinthelastfewyears.

“Therearenowaround17businessesherein totalandwehavea realmixtureofcompanies –fromaccountantstosolicitors,hairdressers, ourownAirbnbbusinessanddentalhygiene,” Paddysays.

“Ihavemyownstoveshopinitandeveryone isdoingwell.Everyonewhohasbeenhere hasbeenherefromthestart. We’vebeenvery luckyfromthatpointofview”.

Paddysaysthebusinessesattheparkhave largelybeentheresincedayone.

Thefrstphasewascompletedaroundfour yearsago,initiallyeightunits.Paddybought whatwasaformerhousewithplansfora newshowroomforhisownstovebusinessbut followingmeetingswithplannershedecided toaddinadditionalunits.

Theparkisnowinitssecondphase–with20 unitsnowfully rented,withahostoffrms fromacrossthesectorscallingithome.

“Phasethreeisonthecardsforthebeginning

ofnextyear,whichwillbeanothersixorseven units,”Paddysays.

“Thatwillhopefullyincludeacoffeeshopand potentiallyanotherAirbnb.”

Andwhilethelocationis reasonably remote, Paddysaysitsstrengthliesinbeingclosetoa

maincommuting routetoandfromBelfast, alongwithhavinghundredsofhomesbeing builtinthearea.

“Itwaseithermeorsomeoneelsecomingup withtheidea,eventually,”Paddysays.

AndwhileCovid-19forcedmanyofthe

PaddyHughes

Entrepreneurialhub breaksbarriersandhelps tofosterstrongnetwork

ByMaryO’Neill,businessdevelopmentmanager,UlsterBank

Theimpactsofthecurrent recessiononhouseholdsand consumer-sensitiveindustrieswillmorethanlikelyleadto businessconfdencetakingahitin2023.

Whilewecannotpredictjusthowlongthedownturnwilllastorhow deeplyitwillbefelt,alreadythereisafeelingthatrisingenergycosts andinfationarypressureswillseeconsumerspendingsomewhat reducedthisyear.

Businessesarealreadyfacinghigherrates,interest,taxes,andpotentially ahigherwagebill,soanysignofbelt-tighteningora reductionin unnecessarypurchasesisboundtocauseconcern.

Thankfullybusinessownersherehavea reputationforgritand resilience. Tenacityalonemaynotpaythebills,butwehaveseentime andtimeagainfrmswhohavedefedtheodds,learnedtoadaptand

businessestoshutupshopforsometime, Paddysayshedidn’tchargethetenants rent duringthatdiffcultperiod.

“Wewerestillsellingproducts.Forus,Covid probablybeneftedus. We alsomanufactured frepitsandprobablyhadafourorfvemonth periodoutofthat,whichwas reallygood.”

Thatjourneyofgrowthandexpansionhasbeen

beenagileenoughtoweatherdiffcultstorms.

Evenagainstabackdropofchallengingeconomicforecasts,thereare stillsomeshootsofoptimismandopportunitiestobegrasped.Thiswill verymuchbeourmessagetoourbusinesscustomersthisyearandwe remaincommittedtolendingandsupportingtheirgrowth.

Whenbusinessesaretradingindemandingcircumstances,itismore importantthaneverthatthey remainconnected.Thisincludesleaning intothesupportweofferasbusinessmanagerseitherbycontactingus directlyorthroughouronlinebusinesshub.

Butthereisalsoabeneftin remainingconnectedtotheirpeersand thosearoundthemwhowillbeexperiencingmanyofthesamehighs andlowsontheirownbusinessjourney.Localbusinessparksare especiallysuccessfulinthis regard.Oftenindividualentrepreneurswill besharingadviceandsupportaswellas resourcesandmaterialsand workingtogethertogrowalargercustomerbase.

Ruralbusinessesfaceauniquesetofchallenges.Ontopoftheobvious challenges,quiteoftenruralbusinesseshaveanadditionalsetof hurdlestoovercome. Withoutthesamelevelsofinfrastructureorpublic transport,howdoyouattractcustomerstoa remotearea?Andcanyou always relyonyourbroadbandandtelephonesignalstokeepyouas wellconnectedasthosecompaniesinbigtownsorcities.

Creatingahubofentrepreneursbreaksdownsomeofthesebarriers andhelpstofosteranetworkoflike-mindedindividualswhocanadd valuefortheircustomersandthewidercommunity–bringingjobsand investmenttoalocalarea.

PaddyHughesandthewiderteamatClonoe VillageBusinessParkarea greatexampleofthis.Morethan20businessesnowoperatefromthe parkandplansarealreadyunderwaytogrowthisevenfurther.

Aswellastheeconomicbenefts,thebusinessparkhas revitalizedthe areaandthereisagenuinedesirefromthecommunitytosupportlocal frms.

Inthesediffculttimes,itisimportantthatallbusinessownershave accesstothesupporttheyneedandwhetheritcomesfrompeers, industrybodiesor relationshipmanagers,itisworthholdingonto.

fuelledinpartbyUlsterBank–a relationship whichPaddyhashadsincehisteenageyears.

“I’vebeenwithUlsterBanksincesettingup myfrstaccountat16or17,”Paddysays. “WheneveritcametothisideaIwasthen assignedabusinessmanager,andthatwas whenIbegandealingwithMaryO’Neill.

“Shewasawareofhowlucrativetheareawas

andbelievedinitfromdayone…sheplayeda key roleinhelpingandguidingus.”

Lookingahead,Paddyhopestosubmitplans forthethirdphaseofthedevelopmentearly in2023.

“Ifplanninggoesinearlyin2023Iwouldlike togetsomesortofakickstartaroundFebruary andMarch,”hesays. ■

BU SI NE SS SHOWCA SE WI TH UL ST ER BA NK

Leadingthewayin entrepreneurialeducation

The UlsterUniversityBusinessSchool isaleaderinentrepreneurialeducation acrosstheUKandIreland,boastingsome5,300studentsacrossthreecampuses. Andit’sworkingwithindividualsandcompaniesbothlargeandsmalltodevelop andgrowrightacrossNorthernIreland

UlsterUniversityBusinessSchool’s credentialsandexperienceacross businesseducationare evidentfor alltosee.

Itcurrentlywelcomessome5,300students acrossitsthreecampuses – Belfast,Coleraine andDerry~Londonderry – with a workforceof 140academicand40professionalservicestaff.

Andasidefromitswidespreadundergraduate work,theUlsterUniversityBusinessSchool (UUBS)isforgingitsplaceas a leaderin educatingsomeofourownleadersinbusiness, fromjuniorlevel,tomiddlemanagementand rightuptochiefexecutivesandmanaging directorsfromacrossthesectors.

ProfessorMarkDurkinistheexecutivedeanof UlsterUniversityBusinessSchoolandhasbeen withtheuniversitysince1996.

Inlinewiththeuniversity’s strategyof‘People, PlaceandPartnership:DeliveringSustainable FuturesforAll’,theBusinessSchooldrivesand supportsindividual,companyandeconomic potential.Muchofitsworkwithstudents andinbusinessdirectlyempowersfuture andcurrentemployeesandinvestsintalent acrossdiversesectors.Theteamnurtures longstandingpartnershipswithbusinessacross curriculumdevelopment,visitingprofessorships, internshipsandplacementsand rewarding graduateemployment.

CommentingonNorthern Ireland’s business environment,Marksays:“We have a roleto playinsupportingourbusinesscommunityto thrivein a regionandplacewithsuch a unique SMEeconomy, throughourundergraduate andpostgraduateprogrammesbutalsoour research,includinganalysisbytheEconomic

PolicyCentre. With a fullrangeofbusiness programmeswe’re committedtobeing a progressiveproviderofentrepreneurial educationintheUKandIreland.

“It’s aboutcreatinganddevelopingvalue – it’s aboutseeingopportunitieswithinchallenges andbeingabletoconvertthatintovalue.”

As a leaderinthefeld,UUBSissupporting leadershipandmanagementcapacityforthe businesscommunityinNorthern Ireland.

“We have a very responsivecurriculumand activelyengagewithindustrytounderstand theirlearningneeds – thishelpsensure our courseprovisionmeets realskillsneedsand emergingmarketdemands,”Marksays. HeaddsthatUUBS’s portfolioofMasters programmesare helpingtackle real-lifeissues

facedbytoday’s businessleaders.

“OurExecutiveMBAprovidessenior professionalswiththelatestbusinessthinking andpracticestodrivetheirbusinessesand careersforward.Its real-world relevance meansparticipantscanimplementskillsand knowledgeimmediatelyintheirworkplace tohelpaddressissues,driveinnovationor navigatechange.”

Addressingknowledgeandskillsgapsin leadershipandmanagementisatthecore of manyofUUBS’s courses.

“Forthoseexploringacceleratedpaths tomanagement roles,theMastersin Managementcoursecovers a broad a rangeof businessdisciplinesandfunctions – providing studentswiththekeymanagementskillsand

ProfessorMarkDurkin

At Kainoswehavethreekeygoals

– tobe a greatemployer, delight ourcustomers,andbe a growing and responsiblecompany We nowhave peopleoperatingin22countriesaround theworldandweneedtoworktogether asoneteam.Internationalexpansion bringsopportunities,butthere are challengestoo. To achieveourgoals,it’s importantthatwehavediverseleadership skillsacrossallareasofourbusiness.

We have a longhistoryofworkingwith schoolsanduniversitiestoinspire thenext generation,helpingthemtosee a future in technology Kainosinvestsinitspeople,helping themtogrowanddevelopintheir roles,and thisextendstoourseniorteam.Itbecame timelytofocusonourleaderstosupport thisaccelerationincompanyexpansionand growth.HavingpartneredwithUlsterUniversity across a rangeoflearningopportunitiesand sharedsectoral researchinterests,weturned toUlsterUniversityBusinessSchooltohelp usdesign a bespokeleadershipdevelopment programme.

Ourcolleagueswere involvedfromthestart,

capabilitiestomanage,leadandinspire with confdence,”Marksays.

Andaspartofthateducationand entrepreneurial relationshipitworkshandin-handwithsomeofourbiggestandbest businesses.ThatincludespioneeringITservices businessessuchasKainos,pharmaceuticalgiant AlmacandglobalmanufacturerCaterpillar, in additiontotechnologyconsultingfrms.

“Thewayinwhichweengageisdifferent, dependingontheexperience,”Marksays.

“It’s oftencompanyspecifc – thesubject,the levelandthetypeofeducation. We mayhave a co-creationmodelwithmore seniorC-suite employeesthatcometous.

“Theymaycometouswith a question,for example,‘weneedtoinvestinpeopleand wanttotargetdifferentmarketsandmaintain competitiveadvantage’.

“It’s aboutunderstanding, researching andlisteningtothemwith a structured

andwedesignedtheprogrammeandmodules tocomplementtheirpersonallearningand development. WithparticipantsfromNorthern Ireland,theRepublicofIreland, Toronto andacrossGB,ourfrstcohorthad a truly internationalcomposition.UlsterUniversity’s BusinessSchoolteamchallengedustoidentify ourbusinessneedsandgapsandmatched thosetobestpracticeingloballeadership development.

Thetailoredapproachdevelopedinpartnership withUU’s BusinessSchoolbeganwith a personalleadershipmodule,strongly rootedin ourcompanyvalues,culture andbehaviours. Thisverypersonalstartingpointencouraged theteamtobondas a unitandforgestrong relationshipswitheachother.A diverse rangeofpeoplefromfnance,marketing, accountleadersandtechnologistschallenged

understanding – it’s collaborativeandcreative.”

Andwhileitworkswithsomeofourbiggest businesses,Marksaystheschooliskeento supportthewidersmallbusinesscommunity

“That’s ourbreadandbutter Smallfrmsaren’t justlittlebigbusinessesandweunderstand that,”Marksays.

“We dealwiththefullgamutofcompanysizes andyouhavetoadapttoeachinordertohelp businessesgrow.”

AndUUBS remainsattheforefrontofquality researchwithinthefaculty Marksaysit remains inthetopquartileofexcellence.

Theuniversity’s multi-campus regionalmodel bringssector-specifcexpertisesuchasthe reemergenceofhospitalityandtourismfollowing thepandemic,internationalbusinessfollowing Brexitandtheemergenceofall-Islandstrength andinnovationinnewgrowthsectorssuchas fntech.

themselvestoexplore theircontributiontoour businessasleaders.

Thegroupwas a blendofcolleagueswho havebeenwithKainosfromthecompany’s earliestdays,andotherswhohaveenjoyed well-establishedcareersinothersectorsbefore joiningus.Thegroupprogressedtoconsider howtheywouldcreatethefuture through driversthatwouldgrowourbusinessandUlster UniversityBusinessSchooldeliveredthemodule through a richmixofacademiclearning,guest speakersandsociallearningtutorials.Our participatingleadersplayedbacktheirlearning andconsiderationstoourExecutiveteam, stimulatinganimateddiscussion.

Theprogrammeconcludedwith a studyvisit totheGlobalLeadershipInstituteatBoston College,oneofUlsterUniversityBusiness School’s USpartners. Workingcloselywith theBusinessSchooltoscheduleacademicand guestlectures,thisfnallearningopportunity deliveredbothacademicrigourand a practical focusentirely relevanttowhere weare as a businessrightnow, andourfuture ambitions. Thewholeexperiencehasbeendescribedas world-classbyourstaff,whograduatedfrom UlsterUniversityinDecember2022andwho continuetobringdiverseandvaluedleadership qualitiestoKainoshere inNIandfurtherafeld.

Lookingahead,withthestartof a UK-wide recession,Marksaystheschoolhastheability toassistandunderstandtheworldoftheclient atanindividualandmacro-economiclevel. “Theschoolis a friendly, inclusiveandmodern place,”hesays.

“We canhearaboutpressuresandthe negativeelementsofdoingbusiness – there are challengesbutthere are waysofaddingvalue andweare abletogivefrmsthoseenabling frameworksandknowledge – engendering a senseofpossibility.” ■

To explorehowUlsterUniversity BusinessSchool’s BusinessEngagement Teamcouldworkwithyourcompany contact:engage@ulster.ac.uk

To fndoutabouttheopportunities onpopularpostgraduatebusiness programmesvisit:www.ulster.ac.uk/ executivembaand www.ulster.ac.uk/mscmanagement

LeeCollins,headof engagement,cultureand developmentatKainos

Investmentsopened doorsforkitchenfrm

EamonDonnelly of Toomebridge-basedkitchendoorandcomponentsupplier, Uform,looksatthebusiness’sgrowthjourney,includingtherecentlycompleted dealwithCardinalPartners,anIrishprivateequityfund.Thistransactionfacilitated asuccessfulexitforgrowthcapitalinvestor BGF,itsfrstintheNorthernIreland market,enablingUformtofurtherexpanditsoperationsandincreasecapacityahead ofitsnextphaseofgrowth.

Itwasalmost30yearsago,backin 1993,thatEamonDonnelly,alongwith hisfatherandtwobrothers,decided tosetupUform,the Toomebridge-based kitchencomponentmanufacturerwhich nowemploysover400people.

Theloveaffairwithkitchensstartedearlyfor Eamon,whohadbeensellingandearning commissionsincehewasateenager,whenit wasverymuchafamilybusiness.

“Sellingkitchensbecameadrug.Ilovedevery bitofitfrommeetingpeopletoproblem solving,”Eamonsays.“Atfrst,therewerejust fourofus.Iwasfnance,salesandmarketing; myfatherwasfrontofhouseandsales;Paul wasinmanufacturing;andmyotherbrother, Seamus,workedpart-time–now,he’sanarea salesmanager.Thatcarriedthroughtilldad passedawaywithcancereightyearsago.”

Sincethecompanybegansellingoak timberdoorsforkitchens,Uformhasgrown exponentially.

“Today,weemploy415peopleatfacilitiesin CoAntrimandCoDonegalanddelivermore than1,500kitchensaweektocustomers acrosstheUKandIreland,”Eamonsays.“Our secretsauceisthatweallsharethesame values–fromthepersonwhosandsthewood tothemanagingdirector.”

In2016,EamonwasafnalistintheEY Entrepreneurofthe Year,whichbrought nationalattentiontothecompanyandalong withit,theinterestofinvestors.

“Wehadenjoyeddouble-digitgrowthfor manyyearsandhadseenotherbusinessesin oursectoracquiredbyprivateequity,”hesays. “Wewereapproachedacoupleoftimesbybig accountancyfrms.In2017,thatconversation becamemore realwhenwebroughtoneon boardtocreateaprospectus.Suddenly,we hadlotsofprivateequityfrmsandtrade buyersinterested.”

ItwasimportanttoEamonthatanypotential investorftwiththecompany’svalues.“Imet alotofpeople,whoweren’talignedtoour culture.Speakingplainly,theywerenotagood culturalftfortheorganisation.”

Despite receivingoffers,Eamonwasn’t readytosellthebusiness,insteadoptingfor astepping-stoneapproach,byde-risking fnanciallyandcontinuingtodrivegrowth.

In2019,Uformstruckamultimillion-pound dealwithBGF,theUKandIreland’smostactive growthcapitalinvestor,foraminoritystakein thecompanytofuelfurthergrowthintothe widerUKandIrishmarkets.

“BGFfttedourculture,”hesays.“Therewas

anenergyaboutthem.Theyinvestedin2019 andsincethenwe’vegrown40%ayear, signifcantlyexpandingourmarketsharein theUK,NorthernIrishandRepublicofIreland markets.”

“Thekey reasonsfortakinginvestmentwere to:expandcapacitytogrowourpresencein theGBmarket,improvecorporategovernance, facilitatesuccessionplanningbyexpandingthe execteamandassistwithstrategicplanning. Itwasalwaysafamilybusiness,andweknew itcouldbecomebetter.SinceBGFcameon board,wehavebuiltatopteamthat’ssecond tonone. We alsoinvestedinourproduction facilitiesandnewstate-of-the-artequipment, aswellasexpandedtheproductrange.”

AspartofthedealwithBGF,JimMeredith wasappointedtotheboardofUformas non-executivechairmanfromtheBGF Talent Network,toprovideanobjectiveperspective outsideofthebusinessownersaswellas awealthofexperience. Withsupportfrom JimandBGF,Eamonandhisteamwereable toshapeandfnalisethecompany’soverall growthstrategy–settingthebusinessonthe bestpossibletrajectorytogrowand realise valueforshareholderswhenthetimewas right.

Exitplanningwaskeytothisstrategyfromthe beginningofBGFandUform’s relationship.

Theteamsworkedtogetherto recognisekey milestonesthatmustbehittoattractbuyers andidentifypotentialbuyersearlyon.

In2022,theUformteamdecidedthetimewas righttoseekinvestmenttotakethebusiness tothenextstage,securingadealwithCardinal IrelandPartnersinOctober.

“Lastyear,CardinalIrelandPartnersprovided fundingtofurtherincreasecapacityatour facilities,”Eamonsays.“Thedealallowed BGFtoexititsinvestment,howeverBGFhas reinvestedalongsideCardinalandwillstay onasaminorityshareholder.Myselfandmy brotherPaul remainontheboardassignifcant shareholders.”

“Thedealisacauseforcelebration,but becauseofmybackground,Idon’tliketo

takeanythingforgranted. We grewupina socialhousingestateinthemid-1960s.My mumwasahousewifeandmyfather,when hewasn’tbuildinghouses,wasalabourer inaconcretefactory.Later,he rosetobea productionmanager,whilealsodoublejobbing forincreasedincome.

“Thethingaboutgrowingupwithverylittle isthatthevulnerabilityneverleavesyou. You neverfeelcompletelysecure,howevermuch isinyourbankaccount.Ontheotherhand,I believeourupbringinggaveusthestrengthto succeedintoughtimes.”

NowthatthedealwithCardinalPartnersis complete,Eamonwantstoenjoylife,buthe hasnointentionofslowingdown.

“Obviously,I’llstillbeinvolvedinUformas

BGFwassetupin2011andhasinvested over£3bninmorethan500companies, makingitthemostactivegrowthcapital investorintheUKandIreland.BGFisa minority,non-controllingequitypartner withapatientoutlookoninvestments, basedonsharedlong-termgoalswith themanagementteamsitbacks.BGF investsbetween£1mand£20mingrowing businessesintheUKandIrelandthrough itsnetworkof15offces. To dateBGFhas investedmorethan£70minNorthern Irelandcompanies,mostrecentlyin Ballymena-basedfacadesspecialist,Clarke.

partoftheboard,withafocusonstrategic developmentandproductinnovation.Oursis afast-changingsector–it’scrucialtostayin fashion.I’llstillbepassionateaboutthefuture ofUform,withourpartnersCardinalandBGF involved.” ■

FormoreinformationonBGF’sinvestmentsin NorthernIrelandcontactchris.nixon@bgf.co.uk

EamonDonnelly

HendersonGroup enjoyinggrowth butpreparing forheadwinds

HendersonGrouphasenjoyedoneofthemostsuccessful periodsinitshistory.

Butthe retailandwholesalegiantisacutelyaware ofthechallengesthat are aroundthecornerforthewidersector, theeconomyandsocietyas a whole,amidanongoingcostoflivingcrisis.

Thecompanyisontracktohitturnoverofaround£900mforthefrst threequartersoftheyear – uparound17%,accordingtomanaging directorMartinAgnew

“Someofthatisdrivenbyinfation,whichwesawacrosstheboard– it raisesitsheadincommoditiesandourfoodservicecompany, which suppliesthousandsofhospitalitybusinessesacrossIreland.”

Martinsaysproftsare uparound15%year-on-yearandwhilethere had beensomeconcernssurrounding a slowdowninhospitality, giventhe costoflivingcrisis, results remainedstrong.

“Whathappensin2023isthebigunknown,”hesays.“We are being optimisticintermsofourbudgeting.”

HendersonGrouphas,likealmostallotherbusinessesoutthere,hadto dealwithrisinginfationandsoaringenergycosts.

“Infationispeakingandunfortunatelywehaven’t hadtheenergy supportyet,which remains a challenge,especiallyastowhatthatwill meanforshoppers.”

ButHendersonGroupiscontinuingtogrowandinvestthoseproftsback intothebusiness,aswellasofferingshoppers a rangeofdealsalongthe way

Lookingaheadinto2023,Martinsaysthecompanyhaslaunched a range ofnewofferingsandcontinuestotargetthe‘foodforlater’market,but isacutelyaware ofthecostoflivingcrisisaffectingpeopleandthatgood valueandoffers remainatthecore ofwhatitdoes.

“We are continuingpromotionalcampaigns.Thebigoneisthe Tesco PriceMatch,acrossmore than70EUROSPARsites,andour12Deals ofChristmas,whichwasalsoverysuccessful. We alsohaveoneoffs andweeklyspecialstodriveour‘valueonyourdoorstep’positioning,

includingMegaDeals,whichlaunchthismonthandwillcontinueat burststhroughouttheyear

“We alwayskeepourselvesinsightofthemultiples. You havetospend andbudgetaswiselyaspossible.Forourshoppersit’s oftenaboutfood fornowandfoodforlater.”

HendersonGrouphasalsoaddeditsnewMealInspirationsproducts, whichincludes a widerangeoffresh,handmadeand readytoheatmeals fromitsTheKitchenselection.

“Around75%ofourfreshproducecomesfromtheislandofIreland,” Martinsays.“We are continuingtoworkwithlocalfrmstohelpsupply us.”

HendersonGrouphasalsospentaround£40monstore investment aloneinthelastyear Thatincludesnewshopsand redevelopingexisting premises.

“It’sa greatopportunitytogrowthefootprintandsizeofourstores – to makethatspaceworkharderandprovidemore choiceandvaluefor localcommunities,”Martinsays.

LikeanybusinessofthesizeandscaleofHendersonGroup,sustainability remainskeyandattheheartofwhatitdoes.Thatincludessigningup totheBritishRetailConsortium’s ClimateActionRoadmap – heading towardsnetzero by2040.

Martinsaysit’sa gradualprocesswhichtakesin a rangeofareas,from solarpanellingforitswarehousestotakingallsingleuseplasticoutofits ownbrandproducts. ■

I’m anoptimist… but trying to avoidusing phraseslike omnishambles

Andrew Webb

Itookacallfromaclient recentlywho suggestedmy recentarticlesshould comewithfree Valium.Believeitor not,anddespitethebesteffortsofthe BankofEngland,UKGovernmentandour ownlocalpoliticians,Iamanoptimist. So,whenIsetaboutconsideringwhat 2023mighthaveinstore,Ihavemadea consciouseffortnottousephraseslike omnishambles.Thatsaid,itisharderthan Ithoughtnottosumupthesituation wefndourselvesinseriouslynegative fashion.

Thinkaboutit...theBankofEnglandhas predicteda recessionthatwilllastthewhole waythrough2023andhasgoneaheadand raisedinterestratesinanefforttogetinfation undercontrol.TheGovernment,whichwould beexpectedtomeeta recessionbyinjecting demandintotheeconomy,isdoingtheexact opposite.The recentAutumnStatement hasdeliveredtaxincreasesandmuchtighter publicspendingintheyearsahead.Allthisis combiningtomeanthatourlivingstandards aregoingtofalldramatically.

Withinfationatitshighestratein40years, incomesarefailingtokeeppace.This inevitablymakesusworseoff.Overthenext year,theOffceforBudgetResponsibility forecastsourlivingstandardstofallby4.3%, whichwillbethehighestfallsince records beganinthe1950s.Thefollowingyear,we areexpectedtotakeanotherhittoourliving standardsofabout2%.Thesefallsinliving standardswillwipeoutanygainswehave madeinlivingstandardssince2013/14–a decadeofprogresswipedoutintwoyears.

Locally,theNorthernIrelandbudgetcauses graveconcernheadinginto2023.The formationofanExecutivewouldnothave solvedthe£660mover-spendinthiscurrent fnancialyearbutnowthattheSecretaryof Stateissettingthebudget,hehasdelivereda verysharpmessagethathehassetabudget tobringpublicfnancesundercontrol.Unless therearesomeveryquicklygraspednew waysofdeliveringpublicserviceshere,this meansouralreadypoorlydeliveredpublic servicesaregoingtogetworse.Itmightalso meanthatwefacesignifcantincreasesinour localtaxburden.Iwouldnotbesurprisedif regionalratesarehikedconsiderablyand,ifthe Executivedoesn’tformanytimesoon,Iexpect waterchargestocomebackontotheagenda in2023.

So,theoutlookfor2023isnotgood,andthis is refectedinconsumersentiment. Tourism NI’ssentimenttrackerfndsthat44%of peoplearegoingtoeliminatebigpurchases suchascarsand70%ofpeoplearegoingto cutbackoneatingoutinthemonthsahead. Itisn’tjustthebiggerspendingitemsthat areatrisk.Nearly10%ofusareplanningto eliminatesubscriptionstothingslikeNetfix andthegym.Justshyof50%areplanningto reducespendingintheseareas. We arenow inthe‘waitandsee’periodasfarasconsumer spendinggoes.Consumersarecuttingback nowinthehopethatthingsimprovesoon. Whensomuchofoureconomicprospects relyonconsumersthatarehunkeringdown, thatmakespredictingwhatcomesnexteven harder.

Thereare,however,some reasonstobe

hopefulasweheadinto2023.Theupcoming 25thanniversaryoftheGoodFriday Agreement(GFA)willprovideanopportunity to refectonhowtheeconomyherehas changedin25years,andhowwedohavea compellingstoryto‘sell’topotentialinvestors. Imaginethinking25yearsagothatNorthern Irelandwouldbethenumberonelocationin theworldforanytypeofinwardinvestment, andyetthat’spreciselywhatwehave achievedincyber-security.Imagine25 yearsagothatwewouldhaveathriving tourismsectorwithmanynewhotels andbecapableofhostingmajorsporting eventslikeGirod’Italia,TheOpenandthe UEFASuperCup.

We dohaveagoodstorytotell.The investmentconferencethatwasannounced inthe recentAutumnStatementwillbe heldaspartofthe25thanniversaryofthe GFAandcouldbeabrightspotintheyear ahead,andcouldteeupnewinvestment hereintheyearsahead.

Laterin2023,theOne Young WorldSummit arrivesinBelfast.Thiswillseemorethan2,000 ofthebrightestyoungleadersfromacrossthe worldarrivehere.Overthecourseofseveral daysinOctoberthesummitwilltakeplace. Whatanopportunityforthem,andforusto showcaseallthatisgoodhere,particularlyin ourhospitalitysector.So,whiletheeconomic numbersmightbeworkingagainstusjust now,2023givesusachancetopitchfor better. ■

Andrew WebbischiefeconomistatGrant ThorntonIreland

Tough times aheadbut leadershipand goodpolicy remain key

AngelaMcGowan

NorthernIrelandfrmsare preparingforcontinuedpressure ontheirbusinessmodelsas theyheadinto2023.Theeconomic environmenthasneverbeenso challengingandwithsomuch uncertainty,simplymaking plansforbusinesscontinuity, fundingorcompany investment,hasleft manychiefexecutives andtheirseniorteams scratchingtheirheads.

TheCBIhaswarnedthat theeconomicoutput willfallby0.4%in2023 duetoacombination offactors:infationary pressures,weakerhousehold spending,higherborrowingcosts andindustrynervousnessaround investment–allofwhichwillweighon GDP.TheUKeconomicperformanceisone oftheweakestamongadvancednationsand ofcourse,NorthernIreland’seconomyisa laggardperformer relativetothe restofthe UK.So,theoutlookisrathergloomy.

Nonetheless,allisnotlost.Despitethe prevailingchallenges,theCBIstill regularly hearsfromchiefexecutiveswhoarecoping well,indeedeachcrisisbringswithitsome uniqueopportunities.Andofcourse,there isalwaysthepotentialforgettingthewider economybackontrackinthemediumterm withagilityandgoodpolicydecisions.Positive policymovescouldhaveasignifcantimpact onbusinessconfdence.

InApril2023,NorthernIrelandwill celebrate25yearsoftheGoodFriday Agreement(GFA)whichdeliveredpeaceonour streets. We havea responsibilitytodeliveron theeconomicprosperitythattheGFAprovided aclearframeworkfor.

Achievingeconomicgrowthwithoutany boostfrompublicfnances requiresfresh thinking. We sawintheNovemberbudget thatweare‘outof road’intermsofboth fscalandmonetarysupport,soweneedto fndanewwayaroundthis.Thereforein2023 themindsofpoliticalandbusinessleaders mustbefocusedonthreethings:adoptinga pro-growthagenda,unlockinginvestmentand businessingenuity.

Inthefrstinstance,growthwill require government(bothnationalandlocal)toset pro-growthrules.Currently,itisgovernment thatdecideswhatwe regulateandwhatwe don’t.Itdecidestheskillsweimportordon’t. Itdecideswherewebuildorwherewedon’t. Whowetradewithandwhowedon’t. Today thoserulesarenotworkingfortheeconomy, forbusinessorforhouseholds.

Ifwesincerelywanttogettheeconomyback ontrackin2023,weneedtoget realabout tacklingthemainbarrierstogrowth–labour shortages, regulation,planningandtrade relationships.

Let’sstartwithlabourshortages.Early retirement,longtermsickness,highinactivity postCovidandlossofEUworkershaveleft theUKwithalabourandskillsshortagethat has reducedproductivityandfuelledwage infation. We nowneedtohaveeconomic migrationinsectorswherewearesimplynot

goingtogetthepeopleandskillsathome anytimesoon. We needfxedtermvisas,and weneedspeedandagilitywhenitcomesto thevisasystem.Ultimately,weneedtocreatea skillspolicythatworksforbusiness.

Gettingthebalancerighton regulationtoo iscriticalforeconomicgrowth.Abonfreof EUruleswouldthrowtheUK’sfoodsecurity agendaintojeopardyandcreatechaosforGB andNIfarmersaswellasagri-foodproducers.

Changing regulationsandcreatingdivergence forthesakeofitmakesnosense.However, ensuringrulesareproportionateandconducive totradeandcompetitivenesswillallow businesstogrow.

Andofcourse,planning–whatshouldbe agrowthenablerisunfortunately‘thegreat barrier’.Thesystemisslow,bureaucratic, fragmented,andrifewithpolitics.Planning reformisessentialifthelocaleconomyisto attractinvestment,seizeopportunitiesand transitiontolowcarbon.

Finally,weareallacutelyawareoftheneedto havesmooth relationshipsbetweentheUKand allofourimportanttradingpartners.There hasbeentoomuchfrictionfortoolongon theNIProtocol. To geteconomicgrowthback ontrackweneedtoseethatmuch-needed negotiatedsettlementbetweentheUKand theEU.Ensuringsmoothtrading relationships northtosouthandeasttowestwillallow NorthernIrelandtoharnessouruniquetrading position,raisetradelevels,attractinvestment andtalent,andraiselivingstandardsforall.

Secondly,gettingbackontrack requires thegovernment(bothnationalandlocal) tobethe‘greatunlocker’ofprivatesector investment.Governmentscan,andindeed do,movemarkets,theydirectthefowof traffcsotospeak.JustlookatPresident Biden’s$369bngreensubsidiesbillwhichis attemptingtoluregreeninvestmentintothe USeconomy.Ultimately,subsidiesandtax incentivesinfuencewherebusinesseschoose toinvest–soin2023weneedtoseethe UKgovernmentstepupintermsofenabling thecountrytobeaseriouscontenderinthe decarbonisationrace.

Locallytoo,weneedtoseeNorthernIreland’s politicalleadershiptake responsibilityfor oureconomicperformance. We needan Executiveinplacethatputsitsmoneywhere itsmouthisintermsofgreengrowthand carbon reduction.Providingactionplans forhowweadoptgreentechnologiesand removingthosewell-knownbarrierssuchas gridcapacityandplanningbottlenecks.

This regionhassomanyopportunitiesin termsofwind,bio-methane,hydrogen,and energystorageetc,andtheGovernment canplayacritical roleinpumpprimingthese newtechnologies.Growthwill requirean Executivetobeactivelyexploringinnovative greeninitiativessuchasazeroemissions feetsforthepublicsector.Government supportintermsofpumpprimingwill providecertaintyanddirectionand encouragemoreprivateinvestmentintothe greeneconomywhilesimultaneouslyhelping governmentdepartmentsmeettheirown decarbonisationgoals.

Thepublicsector requiresprivatesector supportfordeliveringNorthernIreland’s greengrowthambitionsandthe region’s widerinfrastructureneeds.Thus,with lesspublicmoneytoinvest,weneeda UK TreasuryandalocalExecutivethatare obsessedwithstimulatingprivatesector investment.

Finally,in2023wewillneedcontinuous businessingenuitytoensurethatwedeliver growth.NorthernIreland’sentrepreneurs, businessownersanddirectorshaveshown more resilience,imagination,braveryand agilitythanever.Thebadnewsisthatin 2023theycannotaffordtotakeabreak.So greaterbusinessingenuitymustbecomethe newnormalforNorthernIreland’sbusiness landscape.

Timeswillbetough,butgoodleadership andgoodpolicyhavethepotentialtobe transformative. ■

AngelaMcGowanisdirectorofCBINorthern Ireland

Challenges existin tech sectorbutinnovation will reap rewards

AdrianJohnston

Alothasbeenwrittenoverthepast yearaboutthechallengesfacing thetechnologysectorinNorthern Ireland–withmuchofit relatingtothe diffcultiesthatorganisationsofallshapes andsizeshaveexperiencedintryingto fndtalent.

Anecdotally,weknowthatsmallbusinesses intechnologydrivenindustriesarefnding itparticularlychallengingastheyareoften competingwithlargeindustrialplayers.

We’veseensomeofthebigtechemployers addressingthetightlabourmarketby launchinghighlevelapprenticeshipsto reacha morediversetalentpool,whetherthat’sgoing straightforschoolleaversor retrainingpeople whoareconsideringachangeofcareer.

Whiletheseprogrammeshavehelpedfll roles, theaddedbeneftofamorediversetalent acquisitionpipelineisthatthesenewhires alsobringdiversityofthought,experienceand background.Inthetechspacethatdiversity isproventohelpteamsdevelopmore robust products,whichinturnhelpscompaniestobe moredisruptiveintheirmarket.

Asdemandkeepsgrowing,thereisplentyof untappedtalentnotbeingutilised–whether itiswomen returningtotheworkplaceaftera careerbreak, retirees returningtoworkfrom early retirement,attractingyoungpeople furthestfromopportunityormorepeoplewith disabilities,thereisnoshortageofpeoplekeen toaccessworkplaceswhocouldprovidehuge innovationcapabilitytoteams.Decidingto goafterthismorediversetalentbase requires aculturechangefromemployers,butthe potentialisthere.

Inclusivity,openinnovationandopportunity forallareattheheartofCatalyst’snewfveyearstrategy–anditistellingthatsimilar themesareprominentintheNIExecutive’s

10Xstrategyandintheobjectivessharedby someofthekeyfundingschemesavailable inNorthernIreland,includingtheShared ProsperityFundandPeacePlus.

We havehadsuccessbuildingthe entrepreneurialecosysteminNorthernIreland overthelastdecade.Butunfortunately,alot ofpeoplestillthinktheyhavetogothrough theformaleducationsystemorhavespecifc experiencestobeanentrepreneur. We will beworkingwithpartnersinthecommunity andvoluntarysectorswhoengagewiththose furthestawayfromthesector,andwith ournetworkof155companies,toprovide pathwaystoemploymentinthesector anddemonstratethatitisverypossibleto scaleasuccessfulbusinessnomatteryour background.

IfCatalyst’slastphasewasaboutcreating anentrepreneurialecosystemthenournext phasewillbeabouthowwecanbuildmore sustainablegrowingbusinessesthrough accessibilityofinnovation,partnershipsand markets.

We havetobemindfulthatNIisanSME economythatlagsthe restoftheUKwhen itcomestoourtrack recordforfostering innovationactivity– recent researchfound just38%ofbusinessesinNIareactively innovating,thelowestofalltheUK regions.

Thedefnitionofopeninnovationisthesharing ofknowledge,skills, resources,networksand capabilitiesacrosssectors,acrossacademia, acrossbusinessesandacrossthepublicsector.

Butopeninnovationnotonlyenables organisationstoshareexpertisebut importantlytosharetheriskof researchand innovationactivity.Thisisvitallyimportantas constrainedbudgetstakeholdandbusinesses willdivertall resourcestooperationsrather thaninnovation.

However,companiesdoneedtocommitto theprocessanddedicatesome resourceto collaborationsiftheywanttobeawareof whatdisruptionmightbeonthehorizonfor theirindustriesandbuildconfdencewith otherpartnerstobuildaninnovationculture, identifynewmarketopportunitiesand contributetoeconomicgrowth.

TheotherbigtransitionwhichIthinkwill cometotheforeinthenext12monthsis environment,socialandgovernance(ESG) goalsbecomingafocus,bothforbusinesses andfunders.

Ifyoulookatwhatisdrivingalotof technologyinnovationatthemoment,itis sustainabilitytargetsaroundaffordableclean energy,sustainableinfrastructureandthe requirementfororganisationsinallsectorsto movetowardsnetzero.

InCatalyst’sownprogrammeswe’re alreadystartingtoseemoreinnovative start-upcompaniescomingforwardwhich arefocusedoncreatingsolutionstoESG challengesanditisalsothehottopic internallyformanyofbiginternational organisationsweworkwithinawiderange ofsectors.

Employersarestartingtofndthatitiseasier tohiretalentinabusinessthatismakinga societalorenvironmentalimpact-peopleare makingaspecifccareerchoice.

ThefocusonESGwillonlyintensifybut tacklingthesesocietalchallengeswillneed muchgreatercitizenengagementwhich will reinforcethebeneftofhavingpeople withdiversemindsets,experiencesandskills engagedinthedevelopmentofsolutions. Thisisinclusiveinnovation. ■

AdrianJohnstonisdirectorofstrategic businessdevelopmentatCatalyst

Businesslearning to live with persistentinfation

JohnSimpson

TheUKeconomyenters2023facing ahighdegreeofuncertainty.The optimisticeconomistsarelooking forsignsthattherateofinfationwillfall. Intakingthatambition,theyarejoined byassessmentscomingfromtheBankof England.Refectingonthepastexperience ofhighinfationrates,amorepessimistic assessmentcastsconsiderabledoubtthat infationwillfallbacktolowlevelsin2023 and/or2024.

Asbusinessesplanforthemarketconditions thatcanbeexpectedintheNew Year,thereis agreaterdegreeofuncertaintyaboutwhatcan beforecastintermsofthelevelofinfationary pressuresthatwillcontinue.Infationarrived withhastein2022.Whatchanceitwillbe reversedin2023?

Aswe reachtheendof2022,theinfationary forcesunleashedoverthelastsixmonthshave provedstrongerandlesspredictablethanmost businessesexpected.IftheBankofEngland, asthemaindecisionmakerformonetary policy,hadhadeffectiveinfuenceoninfation, as representedbythecostofliving,orRPI (retailpriceindex),wewouldbeaskingwhat happenedtotheoffcialtargetof2%.Instead, as2022ends,infationisover10%ayear.

Infationisnowacontinuingfeature.Drawing onmemoriesofinfationinthe1970sand 1980s,thepainfulfeaturewastheselfperpetuatingnatureoftheprocesseswhich generatedinfation.Costpushinfationor infationarywageincreaseswere regular phrasesinthelanguageofbusinessmanagers.

AkeytestfortheUKGovernment(and otherEUGovernments)isnowthedegree of restraintthatwouldbeneededto reduce

continuinginfation.Acriticalinfuenceliesin theexerciseofpublicsectorpaypolicy. Willthe ChancelloroftheExchequerbeabletokeep anyannual roundsofpaysettlementsona diminishingscale?

IntheNorthernIrelandcontext,thisissue becomesatesttoensurethatpublicsector earningskeepinstepwithchangesatUK/GB levels.Thenatureofpaybargainingusually allowsclaimantstoarguethatcomparative earningsshouldallowajustifedargument thatwherepay relativitieshavediverged,then a‘catch-up’tocloseagapshouldbeavalid argument.Unfortunately,thisisoftenlikely tobeastatementofambition,ratherthana logicalcomparator.

Paybargaining,whetherforthepublicsector ingeneralorspecifcsectors,hasinthepast displayedcumulativeeffectsthat,while apparentlyjustifedby relativecomparisons, ultimatelywithhind-sight,embarrassed governmentpolicymakers.

NorthernIrelandmaybefacinginfationary pressureonprices(andthecostofliving)while atthesametime,theleveloflocaleconomic activitymayfall.Theunusualcombinationof eventsmayofferaseriousproblemof‘stagfation’,oranunusualmixtureof recession, whileinfationcontinues.Ultimatelythat complexmixturewouldend–possiblywith asignifcantincreaseinunemployment. Restoringahealthylocaleconomywithan endtoinfationwillbetheambitionofpolicy makersbut, regrettably,possiblyonlyifthereis apainfuladjustmentperiod.

Paypoliciesforthepublicsectorare,atthe timeofwritingthiscomment,confusingly uncertain.Inpart,theoutcomewilldepend

onthescaleofpublicfnanceadjustment comingfromtheadjustedBarnettformula forStormont.Perverselytheinteractionof theBarnettformulawiththe reachingof agreementonpaysettlementsmayevolveas anaccidentofpoliticalagreementbetween theSecretaryofStateandtheUK Treasury. Thismaymeanthatasettlementawaits apoliticaldeal.Thatmakesitdiffcultto simplyexaminethelogicaloutcomeforthe economy.

Alongsidetheuncertaintycausedbythe infationaryimpactofpaybargaining, anothercriticalfactorforthelocaleconomy willbethestrengthoftheprivatesector. Despitethediffculttradingconditionsfacing theprivatesectorin2023,earlyevidence pointstoaninterestingtradingoutcomefor NorthernIrelandlargestlocalbusinesses.

ManyNorthernIrelandfrmshavesurvived tradingconditionsthatbecamemorediffcult in2022.Internationalenergypriceshave risensharplyandtherehavebeenshortages ofkeymaterialsbecauseofthewarin Ukraine.Perhapsbecauseinternational pressureshaverisenfornearlyallbusinesses, itis relevanttonotethattheseinternational developmentsdonotseemtohavehad uniquedisadvantagesinNorthernIreland.

Inacontinuationofa reviewcarriedoutin earlieryears,ananalysishasbeencompleted ofthechangingtradingproftsofalarge sampleofNorthernIreland registeredtrading companies.Thelocalcompanieswhich havefledtheir recenttrading resultshave performedratherwell. ■

JohnSimpsonisaneconomist

Publicsectorleaders facing long listof challenges to deliver in 2023 MarieDoyle

Whenlookingatthechallenges facingpublicsectorleadersin theyearaheaditisdiffcultto knowwheretostart.

Therehasn’tbeenaNorthernIrelandExecutive inplaceforalmostayearandwhilethere havebeensomepositivesignalsofprogress in resolvingtheNIProtocolissues,cited asthemain reasontheinstitutionswere broughtdown,its restorationisbynomeans guaranteed.Civilservantsleftinchargeat Stormontarewrestlingwiththediffcultiesof operatingwithlimiteddecision-makingpowers andoneyearbudgetswhichareconstrainedin realterms.

IfthechallengesaroundtheProtocolare resolved–anditisabigif–themain challengesawaitinganincomingExecutive willbecostoflivingpressuresandthecrisis inourNHSandsocialcaresystem.Butthere arealsoissuesaroundskillsshortages,the reformoftheplanningsystem,investmentin infrastructure,andclimatechange.

Thecostoflivingcrisisistheimmediatepriority with71%ofNIhouseholdsnowtechnically infuelpovertybecauseofrisinginfation. Thecostofenergyisalsohittingthepublic sectorhardaspriceriseshavesignifcantcost implicationsforgovernment’slargeestates, whichare–inmanycases–energyineffcient. ThishasledtosomeStormontdepartments breachingtheirspendcontroltotals.

Asinothersectorsofsociety,therearealso ongoingdisputesoverpublicsectorpay. Withunionsdemandingincreasesofmore than10%,thiswilladdfurtherpressureto ouralreadyconstrainedpublicfnancesand becausepayisapublicsectorwideissue, whoeveragreesthefrstdealwillsetthe

benchmarkforthe restofthepublicsector locally.

TheissuesintheNHSarewelldocumented, andwehavehadmanyglossystrategies outliningthe reforms required,butwenow needtogetonwithdeliveryandourleaders needtomakethosediffcultdecisions.The pandemichasalsoexacerbatedsomeofthe issuesinourhealthandsocialcaresystem, meaningtheworkneededtotacklewaiting listsisnowmuchmorechallenging,and requiresevengreaterinvestment.

Muchlikethechallengesinhealth,investment ininfrastructure,particularlysewage infrastructure,isahistoricproblem. With everyyearthatgoesbytheamountofcapital requiredbyNI Watertoaddressthebacklog, growslarger,yetthereisnoappetitefrom Executivepartiestolookatsolutionssuchas watercharging.

Theshortageofpeoplewiththerightskills isalsostartingtohampereconomicgrowth, com-poundedbyoureconomicinactivityrate ofaround28%. We havebyfartheworst economicinactivityrateintheUKaswellas theworstproductivityrate.Thereneedstobe aconversationbetweenbusiness,government anduniversitiesandfurthereducationcolleges abouthowweencouragemorepeoplebackto intowork,andhowweincentiviseupskilling.

Thefnalchallengetomentionisplanning.In Deloitte’s recentStateoftheState report,we weretoldbythoseweinterviewedthatthe planningsystemishinderingeconomicgrowth andneedsurgent reform,somuchsothat timeshouldn’tbewastedconductinganother reviewoftheproblems.

TheproblemforNIisthatourpoliticsisless

maturethanthatofGBanddiffcultdecisions areoftennottaken,evenwhenwehavea functioningExecutive.AnynewExecutive needstobesmarterinhowitspendstaxpayer moneyaswealreadyspendmoreperhead than restofUKdespitehavingamongthe worsthealthcarewaitinglists.

It’snotjustwaitinglists–citizensarestruggling toevengetanMOTappointment.Solving thoseproblems requiresbettercollaboration withtheprivateandthirdsectorsand consideringoutsourcinginthebestinterestsof thepublic.

Ideally,anExecutivewouldhavesomeability tocontrolfscalleverstoraise revenue andbalancethebookswithouthavingto continuallyholdoutthebeggingbowltothe Treasury.

Butfscaldevolutionwillonlybepossible whenministersareabletoshowtheyhave thematurity requiredtoeffectivelymanage suchtaxpowers.Theturmoilin Westminster throughout2022highlightedthehuge consequencesofgettingthebalancebetween taxationandspendingwrong,andtherewould needtobeaconsiderableincreaseintrustin ourlocaldecisionmakersfrst.

Theotherimportantaspectiscollective responsibility.Ifwearetoeffectivelydeal withthecostoflivingpressuresaswellasall theotherissuesfacingus,wenotonlyneed anExecutiveupandrunning,butwe require ministersandpartieswhoarewillingtoshare power.Insteadofsimplysharingpower,we needcollective responsibilityaroundthe Executivetable. ■

MarieDoyleisapartnerwithDeloittein NorthernIreland

SoilèirHydrationHub: Hi-techandhigh-quality

TheSoilèirGroup,knownforits ethical,premiumbottledwater companyClearer Waterhas expandeditsbusinessportfoliotoinclude HydrationHub–anewsocialimpact businessspecialisingininnovative, accessibledrinkdispenserswithintegrated refrigerationandSMARTtechnology.

HydrationHubswillhelpparticipantscreate abusinessculturewherethehealthof employeesandcustomersareprioritised. Allowingforconvenientaccesstochilledlow calorie,zerosugarbeveragesrichinvitamins andminerals.

ThefrstHydrationHubswillbepilotedinelite centresofsport,includingSouthLakesLeisure CentreandLarneAcademyofSport.The bottleddrinksdispenserswillincludeClearer Water,anaturallyalkaline,perfectly7.8ph balancedspringwater,idealforhydration duringexerciseandWOWHydratewhich providesarangeofsugar-freeelectrolyte andsugar-freeproteinwaters,essentialfor

postsport recoveryplus replenishment.

“Overthenextfewmonths HydrationHubswillappear inotherpublicvenues, workplacesandcommunity spaces,”DavidHunter, managingdirectorofSoilèir, says.

“Clearer WaterandWOW Hydratewillsupplyhealthy, handyalternativesforexcessive sugarandhighcaloriedrinks.”

HydrationHubwasdesignedto leadthepremiumself-service market,withtheaimtodeliver auserexperiencethatprioritises convenienceandaccessibility. TheHydrationHub’ssleekmatte design,strongbuildquality, refrigeratedcoreandintegration withSmartPayoptionsensures astrikingimpression,enoughto reassurecustomersthathealthyhydrationis therightchoice.

Soilèir’schairmenRossLazaroo-HoodandSitki Gelmensaid:“HydrationHubisthe resultof theSoilèirteams’extensiveanalysisofthe healthandwellbeingsector. We believethe productsavailablewithinvendingmachines needtochangeinlinewithconsumer preferences.2023willbeanexcitingyear, Clearerwillexpanditshealthcentreddrinks range,whichintimewillbeavailablewithin HydrationHubs.”

HydrationHubsaretheidealoptionfor organisationsandbusinesseswhobeneft fromnohiddencosts.Thebottleddrinks dispensercanoperate24hoursadaywithno downtime.HydrationHubendeavourstomeet theoperator’sneedsprovidingaserviceplanto

overseemaintenanceand replenishment.

HydrationHubaspartofTheSoilèirGroup willbecommittedtomakingapositivesocial impact,supportinginitiativesthatfocuson improvinglocalcommunitiesandwidersociety. Asamixedabilityemployer,bychoosing HydrationHubforyourhydrationandbottled drinksdispensingneeds,youwillbesupporting additionalneedsadultssecureandmaintain valuableemployment. ■

HydrationHubsprovideessentialbenefts tobusinesses,staffandcustomers.Formore informationaboutHydrationHubspremium self-servicebottleddrinksdispensersplease contactmanagingdirectorDavidHunterat d.hunter@soileirgroup.comandwewillbe happytohelp.

Soilèirco-ownersRossLazaroo-HoodandSitkiGelmen

Translink –Better. Connectedin2023

Aswemoveinto2023, Translink iscontinuingtolook forward,expanditsgreenfeet,connectivityandroll outcontactlessticketingthroughoutthenetwork.Its groupchiefexecutive ChrisConway examineswhat’s aheadfor Translinkin2023

Thisyearisforecasttobea challengingoneforNorthern Ireland’seconomicoutlook. However,publictransportcanactasa catalystforsocial,environmentaland economicprogress.

It’sayearinwhichwewillmakeevenmore progressinourjourneytowardsnetzero andgrowadditionalfocusonactiveand sustainabletravel.Ourfocusondeliveringnet zerothroughtechnologicalchange,withafully zeroemissionbusandrailfeetby2040,iswell known,andthiswilldevelopin2023withthe deliveryof100newzeroemissionbuses,built inBallymenaby Wrightbus.

Alongwiththeassociatedcharging infrastructure,this representsaninvestment of£88mintheNorthernIrelandeconomy. Whilemanyofthesewillenterservicewith theBelfastMetrofeet,helpingto reachanet zerotargetforthecityby2030,approximately 40willbedeployedtoourUlsterbusnetwork, helpingtocommencethetransitiontonetzero acrossNorthernIreland.

Theheadlineeventofthisyear’snetzero rolloutisinthenorthwest,whereapproximately 40locallybuiltzeroemissionbuses,both doubledeckandsingledeck,willbe introducedintoserviceinDerry~Londonderry fromthespringonwards.Thismajor investmentintheFoyleMetrofeetwillplaya keypartinthecity’stransitiontonetzeroand willbeaccompaniedbysomeotherpositive

changesintheFoyleMetrofeetaswell,which welookforwardtounveiling.

Alongsidenewfeet,passengerscanexpectto seetheadditional roll-outofourcontactless ticketingsystemthisyear,withUlsterbus customersinpartsofcountiesAntrimand Downbeingthefrsttobeneftfromthisearly intheyear,andFoyleMetrocustomersalso beneftting.AlreadyafeatureontheBelfast Metronetwork,wherewe recentlypassed themilestoneofonemillioncontactless transactions,ournewticketingsystemwillalso seethe roll-outofan‘ePurse’smartcardto deliverbestvaluefaresacrossournetwork,as wellasmaximumeaseofuseandfexibility.

We willalsofurtherourambitiousplansto enhanceourrailwaywithplanstostartthe procurementprocess,alongwithIrishRail, forthenewEnterprisefeetandplansforan hourlyservicebetweenBelfastandDublin. TheAll-Islandrail reviewshouldbepublished in2023,andwewillbeundertakingmajor trackandsignallingworkintheLisburnarea thisyearalongwithplanningtodelivermuch neededtrackandsignallingenhancements onthecriticalDerry~Londonderryrailline, securingandimprovingconnectionsbetween ourtwomaincities.

Ourpassengerinfrastructurewillalso remain afocus;workcontinuesatpaceonthe innovativeBelfastGrandCentralStation,which isontargettofullycompletebytheendof 2025andprovidemuch-neededadditional capacity,aswellasenhancingpublictransport andotheractivetravelconnectionsand replacingexistingpassengerfacilitiesatEuropa andGreat VictoriaStreet.

Workisalsounderwayonthenewstationat YorkStreetinnorthBelfast,andwehopeto

ChrisConway

beabletomakeprogresswithproposednew stationselsewhere,notablyatBallymenaand Lurgan,aswellaswithadditionalParkand Ridecapacity,includingatBallymena,Moira andMossley West.

Translinkwillfocusevenmoreonthebenefts

ofsustainabletravelthisyear,emphasising thepositive roleplayedbypublictransportin urban renewal,socialdevelopment,connecting communitiesandindriving realenvironmental change,makingourtownsandcitiesmore attractiveplacestolive,work,shopand socialiseandhelpingoursmallertownsand

ruralcommunities retainandimprovetheirvital connections.

Inshort,2023willbeyetanotherbusyyearfor Translink,butoneofsignifcantopportunity. Inwhatislikelytobeadiffculteconomic timeforusall,wewillworktosupportthe economywithahighquality,sustainablepublic transportservice.

Publictransportcandosomuchmoreand deliverforallourpeople,withtheappropriate levelofinvestment,andwewanttoworkwith awiderangeofstakeholderstoensurethat publictransportisfundedandthatoursociety canbeneftfrombetter,later,morefrequent services,withpublictransporthelpingtodrive economicandsocial regeneration,aswell asplayingafullpartintheshifttowardsan active,sustainable,betterconnectedfuturefor all. ■

Oneof Translink’szeroemissionMetrobuses

GRCspecialistfscom lookstowardsgrowth

Expansionisonthehorizonforspecialistgovernance,riskandcompliance consultingfrm fscom followingmajorinvestmentandawardwins

AlexLee,chairoffscom,hasbeen namedNon-ExecutiveDirector ofthe YearattheInstituteof DirectorsNorthernIreland Awards.

Shortlybeforethis,directoratthefnancial servicesconsultingfrmAlisonDonnellywas namedFintech/PaymentsLeaderofthe Yearby theEuropean WomeninPaymentsNetwork (EWPN)forherworkshapingfntechacross Europe.

Theseawardstoppedoffa remarkableyearfor thecompany,whichsecuredamajorprivate equityinvestmentbyworld-leadingalternative assetfundmanagementgroupBridgepoint. Lookingahead,thefscomteamhavetheir eyesonsignifcantgrowthandexpansionin linewiththecontinueddemandforfnancial servicescomplianceand regulatoryguidance.

FirstappointedfscomchairinJanuary 2017,Alexhassupportedthegrowthofthe company,whichadvisesfnancialservices institutionsintheUK,Ireland,andEuropean jurisdictionsontheir regulatory requirements.

His recognitionasNon-ExecutiveDirector ofthe YearbytheIoDNIcomesasthefrm preparestoaccelerateandgrowtheirfootprint withintoday’shighgrowthfnancialservices market.

Thecompanywasestablishedin2011by foundersJamieCookeandPhilipCreed.It isheadquarteredinBelfast,andhasa30 strongteamofex-regulators,ex-bankers, andentrepreneurswithvirtualoffcesinboth DublinandLondon.

ManagingdirectorJamieCookesaidAlex’sIoD

awardcomesatapivotalmomentfortheteam astheylooktowardsgrowth.

“Tobe recognisedbytheInstituteofDirectors isanincrediblehonourfollowingayearof majorprogressionforusatfscom,”Jamie Cookesaid.“TheexpectationsetbytheIoD isoneofhighlyprofessional,values-driven leadershipandwearethrilledtoseeAlex recognisedbytheorganisation.”

Thecompany’sdealwithalternativeasset fundmanagementgroupBridgepoint, whichcurrentlyhasover€37bnassetsunder management,wassignedtosupportits expansionintonewmarkets,teamgrowth, andambitionstodoublethecompanyinsize overthenextthreeyears.

Currentlyworkinginthepayments, retail banking,investmentmanagementand

tradingandbrokingsectors,theBridgepoint investmentwasdesignedtofacilitate expansionoftheirconsultingservicesto covercyber-security,managedservices,and environment,socialandgovernancesolutions forfnancialservicesinstitutions.

AlexLeethinksthecompany’s reputationand proventrack-recordhasdevelopedthroughout theyearsforseveral reasons,particularlythe highleveloftalentandexpertiseoflocal professionals,NorthernIreland’sunique geographicallocation,andthehealthyfnancial andprofessionalservicesecosystemthatexists here.

“ThecommitmentbyoneofEurope’smost respectedprivateequityfrmsisastrong validationofourpositionasaleadingexpert advisertofnancialservicesinstitutionsinthe UKandIreland.

AlexLee(right),chairoffscom,picturedashereceivestheIDONINon-ExecutiveDirectorofthe Yearaward2022

“Overthelastdecade,thebusinesshas developedauniqueandscalableplatformthat showsenormouspotentialforfurthergrowth, particularlygivenouraccesstothepoolof talentedprofessionalsinNorthernIreland.

“Bridgepoint’sinvestmentandstrategicadvice willbeinvaluablegoingforwardaswelookto accelerateourambitiousgrowthplansforthe frminthefuture.”

Asstrategicpartners,andasthegovernance, riskandcompliancemarketcontinuesto developinsizeandcomplexity,Alexsayshe andthefscomleadershipteamareconfdent theinvestmentwillbuildontheirawardwinning reputationandenablefscomto furthercementitspositionastheleading consultingfrminthesector.

Partofthatleadershipteamisfnancial regulationspecialistAlisonDonnelly,anfscom directorandaformerFinancialConduct Authoritye-moneyspecialist,Alisonworks

acrossfscom’sclientbasetoensurefntech andpaymentscompaniesaremeetingtheir growing regulatoryobligations.

Andher recentEuropean WomeninPayments Networkaward recognisesonewomaninthe Europeanfntechcommunitywhohasledthe wayinfnancialservicesandhelpedshape fntechacrossEurope.

Akeyelementofthis,andcrucialpartofthe roleforAlison,ispromotingdiversityand inclusionacrossthesector.

“TheEWPNisaforward-thinkingorganisation doingimportantworkrightacrossEuropeto notonlybuildacommunityofwomeninthe industrybutempowerustotakethefntech andpaymentsspaceforwardinawholly inclusiveway.

“Thisisvitallyimportantworkand collaboratingwithpeersacrossthesectoristhe bestwaytoachieve realchange.Iamthrilled

tobeconnectedwiththeEWPNcommunityin thiswayandhonouredtobenamedFintech/ PaymentsLeaderofthe Year.”

Askedaboutfscom’splansfor2023,founder anddirectorPhilipCreedsaysthefocus willbeonattractingmoretalentedfnance professionalsintothecompanywhilegrowing itsserviceofferingandclientbaseinan achievable,sustainableway.

“Wearefocusedonexpandingthefscom teamandclientportfolioina responsible way.Thisincludesacommitmenttolessair travelinordertoimproveoursustainability inthelong-term,acomprehensivetraining andengagementprocessforouremployees, afocuson recruitinginnewtalentand reaffrmingouraccreditationwithDiversity Mark.

“Lastyearwasahugelysuccessfuloneforus atfscom,andwelookforwardtowhat’sin storein2023.” ■

RI

AlexLee,fscomchairwithdirectorsAlisonDonnellyandPhilipCreed,andmanagingdirectorJamieCooke

RUSSELLCRAWFORD

KOBAULT

Howisbusiness?

It’sbeenourbusiesttimeofyear,withBlack FridayandChristmas,lotsofourclients havebeenpreppingsalesandgettingoffers inplace. We’vealsobeenpushinghardto meetourendofyeardeadlinesfornumerous projects.Inadditiontothis,we’reintalkswith somelong-termclientsaboutlargeprojects thatarekickingoffthisyear,withaviewto expandingandimprovingtheirwebsites.

Howdidyougetstartedintheindustry?

Sincemyteenageyears,I’vebeenageekwho lovedcomputersandanythingIT related.I discoveredapassionforwebdevelopmentand justwantedtokeeplearningmoreaboutit.I undertookworkexperienceatawebhosting companyandsubsequentlypartneredwith themtolaunchKobault–awebdevelopment service.Thebusinessquicklygrewintoafourpersonteamandisnowaseparatelimited companywithover250clientsacrossmultiple sectors,whoarelocatedinNIandaroundthe globe.

Typically,whoareyourclientsor customers?

We haveabroadclientbase,fromtourism providerstoe-commercebusinessesandB2B services.

Entrepreneur ofthe Month

Doyouenjoywhatyoudo,andwhatin particular?

Iloveeverydayandsometimeshavetrouble switchingoff. Workingwithnewtechnologies isaseriousperkandIenjoyexpandingmy knowledgeofITandharnessingthatto enhanceourserviceoffering.

We workwithsomeofthemostinteresting clientsandbusinessesandloveseeingthe websitesandappsthatwedevelop really workforthem.Ialsolikethedaytoday runningofthebusiness,fromplanningto strategyandmanagingprojectsandstaff.My workingenvironmentisincrediblyimportant tomeandwe’reluckytobebasedinthenew ConnectSpaceatCarrickfergusEnterprise.It’s atrulyvibrantandcollaborativeenvironment, purpose-builttoprovidequality,fexibleoffce andsupportspaceandmeetingfacilities.

Whatisthemostdiffcultpartofyourjob? Managingmultipleprojectsanddeadlines toensurethatwemeetourtargetsandour

clients’needs.Projectworkoftenfowsin peaksandtroughs,soitcanbechallengingto organisethisintoaclear,consistentworkfow forallstaff.

Whatarethechallengesfacingyoursector andtheeconomyingeneral?

Thankfullyevenwithadeclineintheeconomy ingeneral,we’reseeingbusinessescontinue toinvestindigitalservices.Atthemoment, it’sdiffculttofndgoodtalentintheweb developmentsector.NorthernIrelandisa smallmarketandfndingtherightpeoplecan bea realchallenge.It’salsohardtofndthe rightsupport.Organisationslikeourlandlord, socialenterpriseCarrickfergusEnterprise,are invaluableintheirabilitytoprovideinnovative andpracticalsolutionsforthedevelopment ofthesmallbusinesssectorhereinNorthern Ireland.Asoneoftheoldestlocalenterprise agenciesinNorthernIreland,theorganisation wasfrstestablishedtoaddressjoblosses inthelocalareaand40yearslater,itisstill helpingSMEslikeKobaulttosucceed.

Leaders in Business

Ulster

Business speaks to someofour top entrepreneurs andbusinessminds. Interviews by John Mulgrew

Louise Warde Hunter BELFAST MET

Runningalargeprivatebusiness withhundredsofemployeesisan impressivetaskinitself.

ButLouise WardeHunteris responsiblenot onlyformorethan1,000staff,butalsosome 12,000studentsrightacrossBelfast.Andit wasaloveoftheEnglishlanguageandaletter backfromSeamusHeaneywhichhelpedplant aseed,eventuallyleadingherintoeducation.

ThechiefexecutiveofBelfastMetbeganher careerworkinginthepublicsector,including aroundeconomicandsocialpolicyissues, before returningtoNorthernIrelandpreceasefrewithayoungfamily.“Ihavealways believedinthisplace,”shesays.

“Wehave12,000studentsandover1,000 staff,withahighproportionofthatour lecturersandfrontlinesupportstaff. We offer anamazingrangeofvocationalandtraining coursesandqualifcationsfromentrylevel andessentialskills,throughtotraineeships, apprenticeships,A-levelsthroughtohigher educationincludingdiplomas,foundation degreesandfulldegreespluspostgrad opportunities.

“I’vehadalongcareerworkingacrossthese islandsandinthepublic,privateandvoluntary sectors,”shesays.“Iwasseniorcivilservant for13yearsworkingonsubstantialeconomic andsocialpolicyissues.

“It’sahugeprivilegetoleadthelargestfurther educationcollegeinNorthernIreland–an award-winninglearningcommunityandone ofthetop10largestcollegesintheUK,to makeadifferencetopeople’slifeopportunities throughtheprovisionofhighquality,industry relevant,skillsandtraining.”

BornandraisedinnorthBelfast,Louise,who isalsochairoftheCollegePrincipals’Group representingthesixfurthereducationcolleges inNorthernIreland,saysherapproachto hertop roleisfoundedin“collaborativeand distributedleadership”.

“TheCavehilland Waterworksweremy playground,inspiredbyanamazingteacher atprimaryschoolwhofosteredmyloveofthe Englishlanguageanditsrichliterature,”Louise says.

“IwrotetoSeamusHeaneyasa10-year-old andhewroteback.IstudiedEnglishand AmericanliteratureinManchesterthenworked intheprivatesectortherebeforemoving toLondonwhereIwasdesignedfnancial conferencesservingthecityandinternational markets,before returningtoBelfasttosetup acivicleadershiporganisation,whichover10 yearsIgrewtoanisland-wideforceforpositive change.

“Ijoinedtheseniorcivilserviceasadirect entrantin2004andworkedacrosseducation, justice,agricultureandruraldevelopmentand wasdeputysecretaryforhousingandurban RegenerationbeforeIlefttojoinBelfastMet.

“[Intermsofleadership]mycolleagues wouldtellyoubetterthanIwhatthatlooks likeinpractice.However,Ibelievedeeplyin

collaborativeanddistributedleadership.Iam inspiredbythetalentedteamIworkwith everydayatBelfastMetwhoseknow-how, innovationandcommitmentareoutstanding. ThebestbossesIeverworkedforwherethe onesthatgotoutofmywaytoletmefy.I tryto rememberthatandasMichelangelois reputedtohavesaid–‘Iamstilllearning’.”

Butlikemanyothersectors,further educationisalsofacingincreasingly challengingheadwinds,Louisesays.

“Theprevailingfscalenvironment, particularlyforpublicservicedelivererssuch asfurthereducationishugelychallenging,” shesays.“Nomatterwhatsectoryouwork inthepressuresofcostoflivingincreases includingpayandenergypricesaretough. Thefurthereducationsectoriscurrently beingaskedtomodel£12msavingsfor 2023/24.”

Andshesaysthereis“noguaranteethat fgurewon’tgoup”.

“Whilecollegeswillworkstrenuouslyto minimisetheimpactonfrontlinedelivery regardingthecoursesweoffer,thereisno doubtthatitwillbeaffected,”shesays.

“Wearecommittedtoworkingtogether andwithDepartmentfortheEconomyto delivertheambitionssetoutinthe10X Economicstrategythroughcollaborationand clearprioritisationonthepolicyobjectives outlined,underpinnedbytheskillsstrategy.

“AsIhavesaidbeforefurthereducationisa skillsengineforoureconomyandnowisnot thetimetocutthepowertothatengine.”

Greg Bradley BLK BOX

What st ar te d of f as sellingthe od d piece of ft ne ss equip ment online ha s blos so me d into an internationally -r enowne d bu sine ss workin g with fo ot ball gia nt s su ch as ManchesterUnited and bran ds like Adidas .

Greg Bradley, who’s from the Coleraine area on the nor th coas t, turneda passion – and ability – in spor ts, including playing for the Derr y GA A senior team, into a truly global op eration

BL K BOX’s cus tomers include consumer s aroundthe worldas well as major brandsand spor ts teams such as Adidas, PureGym, Irish Rugby, Ar senal FC and Kerr y GA A.

“I started out in 2012,just over 10 year s ago,” Greg says “I hadn’tworked for anyone else in a meaningful way–I us ed to sell North West 20 0 programmes and that gave me a good les son in getting paid.I also us ed to sell clothingsuch as Ab ercrombie and Fitch on eBay.”

BL K BOX, which is based in Monk stow n, produces strength and conditioning equipment for gyms and facilities across the glob e.

Greg studied communic ations and marketing at Ulster Univer sity and says a talk from a member of staff from Chain Reac tion – one of Northern Ireland’s bigsucces s stories inre cent year s which merged with Wiggle in 2017 –planted the entrepreneurial seed.

“I wassurprised howa company in Northern Ireland could be a global player,” Greg says

“After graduation Ihada couple of ideas

I knewthe beneft s of strength and conditioning, having played gaelic.”

In fact, one ofhis fr st cus tomers – af ter he ad vertis edequipment for sale online– was one of UF C champion Conor McGregor ’s coaches “H e ne eded it for the follow ing Sunday, so I wentto a weld er [to get it made ] and thatwas the start of it.”

Follow ing that, he set up the frm’s initial manufacturing plant in 2014

“T he businessst ar ted buildingandwewere looking af ter GA A clubs,” Greg says “T he industry has moved on signifcantly and previously there was po orft out The initial business was built onlookingaf ter GA A clubs and small business ow ners op ening personal trainer studios – independent gyms are still a huge part of our business.”

Greg says that has evolved in the year s since and BL K BOXhas now worked with a around two thirds of the Premier League sides and leading rugbyteams

But he says the frm’s bigges t client is Pure Gy m. The frm beganworking withthe lowcost gym in 2018 but sincehas becomea key supplier amid the frm’s grand roll out across the UK , Denmark and Sw it zerland.

So, what sets Greg and his business apart from other companies in the feld?

“T here are different reas ons,” he says “Local manufacturing is import ant. We have won fve year contract with Loughborough Univer sity for all the rack s and strength equipment

“People like to know where it is coming from,

that it ’s lo cally made and can be cus tomised it to suittheir ne eds.

“T here may be more money in treadmills and machines,butit ’s not what we do Service is a core part of it for us We talk aboutthe mos t import ant client is the one you alread yhave. They will come back andtell people about you–that ’s a key philos ophy and mantra.”

Greg has grow n theteam to around 90 staff, which includes thos e working in manufacturing –such as weld ers, fabric ator s and machine op erator s– along with distribution and lo gistics, sales, marketing, e- commerce and fnance.

And he says that team look s set to grow subs tantially in the next year, with around 150 staff in total.

“T hat will grow a fair bit next year withthe Pure Gy m contract kicking in,” he says

His approach to lead er shipand business comes from the ideathat “I wouldn’t ask anyone to do what Ihaven’t done my self”

“I t’s abouttreatingeveryone with resp ec t,” he says “We talk about beinga spor ts team ever yonene eds to play their part.”

He’s just appointed Ben Stocks as managing dire ctor to help shap e the futureof the frm, while he says he’s stepping into the “purposely ambiguous” role of founder.

“I don’t believe in micro- managing – it ’s about developingand hiring lead ers, hiring people to bebetterthan me

“I t’s whatever is right for the business You mus t divorce your self from your ow n personal ne eds. It ’s what ’s right for the business.” ■

Johnny Hanna KPMG

JohnnyHannaiswellawareofthe headwindswhichlieaheadformany sectorsacrossNorthernIrelandinthe yearahead.

ButhealsounderstandsthatNorthern Irelandhasauniquepositiontoleveragethe opportunitiesofthe‘bestofbothworlds’ thattheProtocolbrings,whilestillhopeful thatlowercorporationtaxherecouldbe “transformational”fortheeconomy.

JohnnyhasbeenpartnerinchargeofKPMG inNorthernIrelandformorethanthree years–leadingoneofthe‘bigfour’hereand growingtoateamofaround440inBelfast alone.

“IgrewupandwenttoschoolinNewry beforeheadingtoQueen’sUniversityBelfast whereIgainedanLLB(Hons)inlawand accounting,”hesaid.“FromuniversityIjoined ArthurAnderseninDublin,specialisingintax beforejoiningKPMGin2002.”

Johnny’sbeenwiththefrmformorethan twodecades.

“IhavebeenpartnerinchargeofKPMGin NorthernIrelandsinceOctober2019and IalsoleadtheBelfast-basedtaxpractice.I joinedKPMGinDublinin2002,becoming partnerin2006.Myexperienceisfocused onadvisingoninternational,Irish,andUK taxissuesforindigenousandmulti-national businessesacrossawiderangeofsectors. I’mamemberofKPMGIreland’ssupervisory boardandalsopartofthefrm’ssteering committeeadvisingonfutureofwork strategiesandpractices.

“Ourteamsworkwithsomeofthebiggest namesinNorthernIreland’sprivateandpublic sectors,whilethedealadvisoryteamhas

beeninvolvedwitharangeofhigh-profle dealsoriginatingfromtheseshoresandfurther afeld.”

KPMGprovidesaudit,tax,dealadvisory andconsultingservicestotheprivateand publicsectorsthroughoutNorthernIreland. Clientsincludegovernmentdepartments andagencies,multi-nationalorganisations, entrepreneurs,owner-managedbusinessesand inwardinvestors.

TheBelfastoffceisalsohometothefrm’s CentreofExcellencewhichdeliversarange ofdigitalconsultancyservicesingrowthareas includingcyber-security,appliedintelligence (AI)anddigitaltransformationforclientsacross theUKandIreland.

Andwhilethechallengesfacingtheeconomy andhouseholdshereareacutelyevident, Johnnysayspartofitsjobis“tohelpthem meetthosechallengesheadon”.

“Thereisnodoubtthereareheadwindsfor companiesacrossNorthernIrelandatpresent andinthenext12months,”hesays.“Our jobistoworkwithourclientsandhelpthem meetthosechallengesheadon,whetherit isinfationarypressures,supplychainissues, risinginterestratesorindeedtheongoing challengeofBrexit.

“Onthelatter,weseeopportunityfor NorthernIrelandtoleverageitsuniqueposition undertheProtocol,withaccesstobothGB andEuropeanmarkets.Althoughdependent ontheoutcomeofnegotiationsbetween WestminsterandBrussels,thesituationoffers exportersatruefllipwhichhasthepotential tosuperchargethelocaleconomy.

“Devolutionofcorporationtax-setting powerstoStormont,whichwasgranted

by Westminsterin2015buthasyettobe enacted,isanotherareaofsupportwhichcould provetransformationalforNorthernIreland’s economy,helpingtheprovincecompeteonan evenfootingwiththelowertaxjurisdictionin theRepublic.

“Theseeconomiclevers,coupledwith expedientdeliveryoftheprojectsunderpinning theCityRegionandGrowthDealsand thegrowinginfuenceoftheBelfastDublinEconomicCorridor,offersignifcant opportunitiesforNorthernIrelandintheyears ahead.Ofcourse,forthatpotentialtobe realised,weneedafunctioningExecutive.If ourpoliticianscanshowthestrongandmature leadershipwhichNorthernIrelanddeservesby returningtogovernment,thereislittledoubta successfulandprosperousfuturewillberubber stampedforthisandfuturegenerations.”

IntermsofhowJohnnyapproacheshis roleasa leaderofmany,hesaysit’sbeenabusyjourney asthecompanyhasbeeningrowthmodesince hetookoverthe reinsin2019.

“Thatisparticularlytrueaswehavegrown theteamsubstantiallywhileatthesametime embracinghybridworking,evenonboarding newcolleagues remotelyduringtheCovid-19 pandemic.Thatcalledforstrongleadershipto ensureandmaintainengagement,something whichwehavebeenverysuccessfulindoingas thefrmhasgrown.

“Wehavebigambitionstocontinuegrowing ourheadcount,somethingwhichneedsbuy-in andleadershipnotjustfromme,butacrossthe wholefrm.Thathasmeantensuringweshare ourvisionforthefuturewitheveryone,whileat thesametimedevelopingastrongleadership basewhichisalsoabletomotivateandprovide guidance. We haveanimmenselytalentedteam inplaceandI’mexcitedforthefuture.”

Patrick McAliskey SPADETOWN BREWING

Buildingabreweryandadistillery inhishometownofLurganis somewhatofadeparturefor anentrepreneurwhocuthisteeth establishingoneofNorthernIreland’s recentITsuccessstories.

LeavingschoolwithsixGCSEs,Patrick McAliskey’sfrstforayintoworkstartedwith theRAFwhereheworkedasanelectrical technician.

“IcamebacktoliveinNorthernIrelandwith theideaofstartingmyownbusiness,”hesays. “IstartedtheITfrmwhicheventuallybecame Novosco–formedin2007withanotherfrm, andthat’swhenthegrowthhappened.”

NovoscowouldlaterbesoldtoCancomin 2019beforetheoverallcompanyitselfwas takenoverby Telefónicatwoyearslater.

“Iwasmanagingdirectorthroughthe25years untilwewereacquired,”Patricksaid.“From anearlystageIwantedtobeanentrepreneur. Youneedagroundingandsomeknowhow.I learnedaboutsoftwareandITsystemsinthe RAFandthatgavemetheappetitetostarta business.”

Asthebusinesswasboughtin2019ithad aworkforceofaround300staff.“Wewere doingwellintermsofeconomicimpact,” Patricksays.

Sincethenhe’sbeenchairmanoftwosoftware frms,ElementalSoftwareinDerryandAntrim’s Decision Time.He’scurrentlychairmanof OutsourceGroup.

ButsincethesellingoffofNovosco,Patrickhas

turnedhisattentiontothebeveragebusiness. That’sseenhimlaunchSpadetownBrewing, basedinhisnativeLurgan,alongsideadistillery andplansforhiscoffee roastingbusiness,also basedinthetown.

“It’saverydifferentbusinesstotech,”hesays. “I’mgoingbacktoschooland retraining–it’s [aboutlookingat]howyougetcustomers, scaleandgrow.

“We’veinvested£1mbetweenbothandare hopefullyonagrowthpath. We arewanting toexpandandexportbeerandgetcustomers acrosstheUKforthecoffee.

“I’moriginallyaLurgannativeandSpadetown camefromthephrase‘you’veafaceonyou thelengthofaLurganspade’.

“Wewanttogrowandbesizeableintheyears tocome. We knowthereisfurtherinvestment required.”

That’sseenhimbuilda2,000sqftbrewery, whichisalreadyclosetocapacity,alongwith plansforataproomthisyear,whilehe’s buildinga roasteryinanother6,000sqft space.

“Intermsofscale,wewanttobeamultimillionpoundbusiness,”Patricksays.“[We wouldlike]50peopleassoonaspossible, withinthreetofveyears.”

Intermsofsales,hesaystheplanincludesa mixtureofdomesticandexports.

“AnumberofIrishbeerfrmshavebeen successful.Sullivan’sBrewingCompanyhas beenabletoexporttotheUS,forexample.”

Patricksaystheplanincludesrampingupbeer productionbyafactorof10inthenext18 months.”

Thatwillseeitgoingaslargeasa100,000l capacitybreweryinitsnextphase.

He’shiredseveraltoppeopletotheteam, includingAnnieDavidascommercialdirector, alongwithaheadbreweryandheadcoffee roaster.

Patricksayshisleadership remains“veryopen door”.“Wehadamissionstatementwhich wastobethefearlesschampionsorbetter,” hesays.“Iftheteamishappy,thensoarethe customers.

“Thathasneverchangedforme.Ifyouinvest inpeopleyou’llgetitback10timesover.”

Intermsofthescaleofhislatestdiverse businessventures,Patricksays:“Weare lookingatamulti-millionpound[business]. We wouldliketoseebusinessgrowtoajoint turnoverof£5minthenextnumberofyears –itwouldtake50staffandbeyondtobeable todothat.”

Andintermsofthecurrenttrickyand challengingbusinesslandscape,generally, Patricksaysthecostofproductionhas increased,especiallyduetosoaringpower costs.

“Weareprobablyfndingcustomersare lookingforvalue,”hesays.“Theyhaven’t goneoffspendingmoneyonpremium choices,but[lookingfor]bettervaluein2023. It’sabouthavingapremiumproductatasfair apriceaspossible.”

Kerrie Sweeney BELFAST MARITIMETRUST

KerrieSweeney’s careerwithin tourismhere hasdrawnhertoone ofNorthern Ireland’s mostfamous culturalandhistoricexports.

She’s chiefexecutiveofMaritimeBelfast Trust,thecharity responsibleforpromoting andpreservingBelfast’s maritimeheritage, whichwasestablishedin2008tooverseethe developmentof TitanicBelfast.

TheMaritimeBelfast Trustinvests,preserves, andpromotesBelfast’s world-renowned maritimeheritage,withsupportfromkey partners,includingBelfastHarbour, BelfastCity Counciland TourismNI.

“IstudiedHistoryatQueen’s University, followedby a Mastersinhotelandtourism managementatUlsterUniversity,”shesays.

“Whiletheywere verydifferentdegrees, bothhavehelpedandshapedmycareer path. I startedintourismworkingforBord Failte(nowFailteIreland)andnow I oversee thepreservationandpromotionofBelfast’s maritimeheritage.

“Iworkedinseniormanagement roles within TourismNIandBelfastCityCouncil before joiningMaritimeBelfast Trustaschief executive.

“Overthelast15yearsthecharityhas grownfromstrengthtostrength,takingon ownershipofkeymaritimeassetsincludingSS Nomadicandsupportingheritagepreservation projectssuchasthe regenerationofthe formerHarland & Wolff DrawingOffcesinto TitanicHotelBelfast.More recentlywehave takenon a muchgreater roleinsupporting BelfastHarbourtodeliver a waterfrontwhich alignswithourambitiontodeliver a vibrant,

connected,heritagewaterfrontforlocalpeople andvisitorstoenjoy.”

Whilethetourismsectorhere,andinmost places,took a batteringamidlockdown,travel bansandthewiderglobalpandemic, Titanic Belfastissaidtohavecontributedsome£430m inadditionalspendtotheNorthern Ireland economyoverthelastdecade – welcoming somesevenmillionvisitorsthroughitsdoors.

AndKerriesaysshebelievesthenumberof peoplevisitingthetourismhotspotwill reach pre-pandemiclevelsby2024.

“Ourincomecomesfromourassets,namely TitanicBelfastandSSNomadic,whichare outsourcedto a commercialoperator,”shesays.

“There’s nodoubtthatwehavebeenimpacted byCovid,howeverthankstothesignifcant successof TitanicBelfastoverthelast10years, wewere abletobuildup reservestoallowusto deliverourplansforthecity’s waterfrontwhile visitornumberspickupagain. We envisagethat visitornumberswillbebacktopre-pandemic levelsby2024.

“Aspartofour recoveryplanning,wehave approved£4.5mspendon a majorgallery refreshmentof TitanicBelfastwhichwill becompletedbyMarch2023. We willalso continuetoprioritisethedeliveryofthe MaritimeMile – anexciting‘blueway’forthe city, representingonenavigationalmileofwater and10kilometresofaccessible,connected waterfront.”

Intermsofhowsheoperatesas a leader, Kerrie saysit’s about“setting a clearvisionwithour board andteamandcommunicatingthistoour stakeholdersin a waythatengagesandinspires themtobepartofourjourney”.

“It’s aboutensuringthat I amsurroundedby therightskillssettodeliveronourambitions andunderstandingwhere theorganisationis weakandensuring I takestepstofllthose gaps,”shesays.

“If I havelearntanythingfromthelasttwo years,itissoimportantto remainagileand respondtochange,butneverlosesightof thevision.Finally, don’t beafraidtoaskfor help.I’vehadsomefantasticmentorsover thelast20yearsanditalwaysamazesme howgenerouspeopleare withtheirtimeand advice.”

Lookingahead,shesaysthenext12months “willcontinuetobe a challenge”.

“Consumershavelessdisposableincome, businesseshavehighercostsandourpublic sectorisfacing a crisisonsomanyfronts,” shesays.

“Ourtourismandhospitalitysectorswill continuetodemonstratetheirexceptional resilience.Itwillbeimportantthatgovernment agencies recognisethesignifcant roleofthis sector, alongsideour remarkableculture,arts andheritagesectorsandtheimportant role theyplayinbuildingandstimulatingpublic confdence.

“There are manyopportunitiesforbetter collaborationacrossthesesectorsand challengingtimescallfornewpartnerships andinnovativesolutions.MaritimeBelfasthas recentlyestablished a Waterfront TaskGroup tolookathowcommercialdevelopers,creative industries,tourism,heritage,culture andarts cansupportandbesupportedby a vibrant waterfront.I’mlookingforward toseeing whatopportunitiesthispresentsusintheshort andlongterm.“

■

Iain Percy ARTEMISTECHNOLOGIES

Artemis Technologiesisacompany which,untilafewmonthsago, waslikelyfarfromthetipsof thetonguesoftheaveragepersonhere inNorthernIreland.

Butnewsofatrialelectricfastferry connectingBelfasttoBangoraspartofthe frm’spioneeringtechnologycertainlygained columninchesinthedaysthatfollowed.

Andatthehelmofthistrulyinnovative operationisIainPercyOBE–aSouthampton manwhoseCVdoesalotofthetalking forhim,givenhisbreadthandwealthof experienceandexpertise.Thatincludesthe titleofdoubleOlympicchampion.

“IfoundedArtemis Technologiesfollowing mycareerasaprofessionalsailor,”Iainsays. “We’reaspinofffromthehighperformance sailingteamArtemisRacingwhichIjoined in2012andledtheteamintheChallenger Seriesofthe35thAmerica’sCup.

“ThemovetosetupArtemis Technologies reallycameaboutaswe realisedthe expertisewehadbuiltupandthe technologyweweredevelopingcouldhavea transformativeimpactintacklingtheclimate emergencyanddecarbonisingthemaritime industry.”

LastyearArtemis Technologiesunveiledthe world’smostadvanced100%electricfoiling fastferrythatwilltargettheglobalhighspeedpassengerferrymarket.

It revealedthedesignofthenewvessel,that willfrstbeoperatedbyCondorFerriesina BelfasttoBangorpilotscheme,carryingup

to150passengersalongBelfastLoughinjust 25minutes.

“Ihavebeensailingmyentirelifesomyhobby reallydidbecomemycareerforatimeandI wasluckyenoughtobecomeadoubleOlympic championandcompeteinfourAmerica’s Cup,”Iainsays.

“Ithinkaneconomicsdegreegavemeastrong groundinginbusinessandalthoughmycareer mayhavechangedsomewhat,sailingisof courseneverfaraway.”

Lookingtowardsthecompanyhe’sbuilt,Iain saysitcanbe“diffculttodescribejusthow incrediblethecurrentexperienceatArtemis Technologiesis…butsuffcetosayitis special”.

“Asweworktocreateinnovative,green technologiesthatwillhelpchangethefuture ofmaritime,thereisatremendoussense thatweareontheprecipiceofsomething monumental,”hesays.

“We’vebeenin researchanddevelopment throughoutthelastnumberofyears,now movingtowardsthe returnofcommercial shipbuildingtoBelfastaswecontinuetocreate anewhigh-techmaritimeinnovationhuband advancedmanufacturingcluster.

“Justafewmonthsagowe revealedtothe worldthefrstimagesofour100%electric high-speedpassengerferrythatwilloperatea pilotservicebetweenBelfastandBangorfrom 2024.The responsehasbeenamazingascities acrosstheglobeseethevesselasasolutionto theirdesiretodrivesustainabilityand reduce carbonemissions.”

Iainsayshisownapproachtoleadership goesbacktohistimeinhigh-levelsports.

“Iwasprivilegedtoworkundersome ofthebestcoachessporthadtooffer, pushingandencouragingmetogofnd thatextrabitofenergytosucceed.

“Tome,itcomesdowntoinspiring people,showingthemwhatispossible andbuildinga realteamculture.Given whatwearetryingtoachieveatArtemis Technologiestoleadthedecarbonisation ofmaritimeaswefghtclimatechange–inspirationisnothardtomuster.”

Lookingaheadatthebusinesslandscape inthenextyear,Iainsaysmuchisyetcome forthecompany.

Thatincludesincreasingitsworkforce sizetomorethan100inBelfast,with recruitmentrampedupacrossthevarious different rolesanddepartments.

“Wearemovingintothemostexciting 12monthsyetinthestoryofArtemis Technologies.Thedevelopmentof ourferry,andourrangeofworkboats announcedlastyear,willcontinueatpace andwearenowactivelyoutinthemarket sellingthevessels.Ourfrstcustomer deliveriesofourEF-12 Workboatwill beginnextyearandwe’vegotsome really excitingnewproductdevelopmentsinthe pipeline.

“Asa result,operationsinBelfastwillramp upyetfurtherandongoing recruitment acrossalllevelswillseestaffnumbersrise towellbeyond100.” ■

NineNIfrmsmake2022

Deloitte TechnologyFast50

Ninecompaniesfromacross NorthernIrelandhavemade itontothisyear’sDeloitte TechnologyFast50list.

Nowitits23rdyear,theprogrammecelebrates theinnovationandentrepreneurshipin Ireland’sindigenoustechnologysectorby rankingthefastestgrowingtechnology companiesbasedon revenuegrowthovera four-yearperiod.

SamedaygrocerydeliverycompanyBuymie emergedasthefastestgrowingtechnology companyinthisyear’sawards.Thecompany, whichdeliversgroceriesfromLidl,Dunnes Storesand WoodiesinIrelandinaslittleasone hour,expandedintotheUKearlierthisyear. Buymiehasseengrowthof6,903%inthelast fouryears.

Belfast-basedfntechcompanyLightyear, whichappearsintheFast50forthefrst time,isthehighestrankedNorthernIreland business,cominginatnumber11onthelist.

Thisyear’sFast50featuresatotalof17

newentrantsandcompaniesfromallfour provinces,with29fromLeinster,eightfrom Munster,ninefromUlster,andfourfrom Connacht.

TheNorthernIrelandbusinessesfeaturedare

DevanHughes,founderofBuymie

Lightyear,thehighestrankedNorthernIreland business,isapurchasingandaccountspayable platformtransformingtheglobalprocurement landscape.Lightyeartakesthe repetitivetasks frompurchasingandaccountspayableand bringsthemintooneeasytouseplatform, helpingcompaniestosavetimeandbecome moreeffcient.

SciLeads,thetoprankedNorthernIreland companyin2021,isaninnovativelead generationandmarketintelligenceplatform thathelpsscientifccompaniesidentify,engage andclosetheiridealbuyers.Thecompanyhas recentlydoubleditsworkforceto50staffto helpwithfurthergrowth.

LocateaLocumhelpsstand-inhealthcare professionalsfndfexibleworkopportunities. Itusesitson-demandtechnologyplatform topairthousandsofpharmacistsaround theUKwithover8,000workplacesinneed ofstaff.Thecompanyhas revolutionised howhealthcareworkersfndworkandhow organisationsmanagedaytodaytasks.

WorkPalisacloud-basedjobmanagement softwareallowingbothonlineandoffine working,designedtobringfeldservice operationsintothedigitalera.Thecompany invested£500,000inanewLondonoffcethis year,followingasurgeinclientnumbersinthe southofEngland.

Totalmobileisafeldservicemanagement (FSM)providersupportingover1,000 organisationsand500,000workersto transformthedeliveryoffeldservices andexperienceanexceptional returnon

investment.Earlierthisyearthecompany acquired Working TimeSolutions,a Manchester-basedproviderofshiftplanning, rosteringandworkforcemanagement softwareandservices,tostrengthenitsexisting capabilities.

FoodsConnectedLtdinnovatesandtransforms foodsupplychainprocessesthroughitsonestopshopsoftwaresolution,givingcustomers thecontroltoensurethattheyhavetheright supplier,therightproductandtherightquality atthebestpricepossible.Itstoolshelpto streamlinekeyprocesses,improveeffciency, minimiseriskandboostproftability.

Datacticsprovidesdataqualitysolutionsto largeorganisationsthatneedtoimprove andcontrolthequalityofdataheldintheir computersystems.Duetotheincreasing demandforartifcialintelligence(AI)and machinelearning(ML)acrossthefnancial technologyand regulatorytechnologysectors, thecompanyinvested£2.3minits research anddevelopmentfunction.JohnCarrol,head ofcustomersuccessatDatactics,wasawarded theBelfast TelegraphITProfessionalofthe Year 2022.

AquaQAnalyticsLimitedisadataand technologyconsultancyfrmwhospecialise infnancialandcapitalmarketstechnology solutions.Itisasuccessfulproviderofdata management,dataanalyticsanddatamining servicestoglobalfnancialinstitutions.Last year,thecompanyinvested£1mindeveloping theskillsofitsteam.

FibrusNetworksLimitedistransformingthe

digitalinfrastructureofruraland regionalareas oftheUK,byinvestinginexcessof£500m tobringfullfbrebroadbandtohomesand

NIbusinessactivitydrops forseventhmonthinarow

Businessactivityhere hasdeclined fortheseventhmonthin a row withtheprivatesector reaching theendoftheyearin a weakenedstate, accordingto a new report.

TheUlsterBankpurchasingmanagers’index saidrisingpricesandthewidereconomic slowdownhadledto reductionsinoutput andnewordersduringNovember

Outputdeclinedinthemanufacturing, constructionandservicessectors,although saleshadpickedupfor retailers.

Butoverall,goodcheerwasinshortsupply asfrmsfeltpessimisticabouttheyearahead andtheriskofaneconomicdownturn.

However, there wasevidencethatinfation wassoftening,asinputcostsandselling priceshadrisenattheweakestratesfor21 months.

Richard Ramsey, chiefeconomistNorthern IrelandatUlsterBank,said:“Onceagain,all 12UK regionswitnessed a declineinprivate sectoractivityinNovember Northern Ireland

notchedupitsseventhsuccessivemonthlyfall inoutput,albeitthepaceofdeclineslowed.

“More concerning,though,wasthatthepace ofcontractioninneworderswasmore marked, withallfoursectorsexperiencingweakening demand.Itmayseemsurprisingtosee a reboundin retailactivity, buttheriseinsalesis comingoff thebackofmonthsofdeclines.

“There isalsoperhapsanelementof consumersenjoying a lasthurrahforChristmas aheadof a challenging2023.”

Headdedthere wasnoillusionamongsome sectorsthattoughtimesmaylieahead,though otherswere more upbeat.

“Whenweexaminetheoutlook, retailersare expectingtheirsalestobelowerin12months.

“Theoppositewasthecaseformanufacturing, whichexperienced a sharp reductioninboth outputandordersduringNovember, but manufacturersare optimisticabouttheoutlook.

“Thisperhaps refectsthenature ofthecurrent

recessionwithhouseholdsandconsumer sensitivebusinesseslikelytoexperience a longeranddeeperdownturn thanglobal exporters.”

Hesaidthat a 20-monthperiodof employmentgrowthwas a sourceofpositivity, althoughNovemberhadbrought a slowdown largelyduetofallingstaffnglevelsinservices andmanufacturing.

MrRamseysaid:“Ongoingdiffculties recruitingsuitablestaff remains a factorrather thanfallingdemandalone.

“Thatdynamicwilllikelycontinueinto2023, withfrmscontinuingtosufferfromskills shortages,howeverfallingdemandwill increasinglycometothefore.Overall,thelocal privatesectoriscomingtotheendof2022 in a weakenedstate,with2023likelytobe a verychallengingyear.”

MrRamseynotedthateasingofinfationary pressureswaslikelytocontinue,helpedby fallingenergyprices,whilelesssupplychain disruptionwouldalsobring a positive. ■

Ones to Watch

We look atsomeofourupand coming businessminds andleaders of the future

Orla Smyth KAFFE O

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

KaffeOisaDanish-inspiredcoffeechainbased inNorthernIrelandwithsix retailsunitsanda centralkitchen.I’mthesolefounder,director, shareholder.Notsurewhatcorporatebusiness titleyouputonit,chiefexecutiveorCEO? Personally,IpreferjustO.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Thebusinessstartedin2014,whenthefirst unitopenedontheOrmeauRoad,however thebusinesswasconceivedin2010whenI waslivingandworkinginCopenhagen.Itwas therethatIfellinlovewithDanishdesign, culture,andofcoursecoffeetoo.Itjusttook meafewyearstoturnthevisioninto reality.

Whatisyourownbackground?

Ididmyundergradandpostgraduate qualificationsinlawatQueen’sUniversity,and thenattendedtheInstituteofProfessional LegalStudies,whereIqualifiedasasolicitor. Ispent12yearsworkingincommerciallaw, primarilyinthefieldsofbankingandfinancial regulation.Ifinishedmylegalcareerasarisk managementlawyerwithAllen&Overy.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Ihatequestionslikethis.Idon’tthinkhowI operateisuniquebutIdobelieveIamavery positiveperson.Ithinkthisiscritical.Not

fakepositivitybuttheconfidencethatwe willalwayscopewithwhateverthisbusiness throwsatus.Idon’tgetcaughtupinthe ‘whatif’,forexample–whateveryoneelse isdoing,Ijustfocusonwhatwecancontrol andensurethatifwefocusonhavingthe bestpeopleandbestproducttheneverything elsewillfallintoplace.Isupposetoenable theaboveIwouldsayI’mprettyemotionally intelligent,havegood resiliencestoresand decentcommunicationskills. To behonest,a touchofcontrollingperfectionism,too.

Whoareyourmaincustomers?

Everyone.Itwasalwaysmyaimwhensetting upaspecialitycoffeebusinessthatitwas accessibletoall.Thankfullynearlynineyears laterIknowfromhowvariedourcustomers are,thishasbeenachieved.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

Thenextstageofthebusinesswillbea differentgrowthpaththantodate.Ihave grownthebusinessorganicallyonmyownto thisstage,butwearenowatthepointwhere wearelookingatdifferentoptionsforthenext acceleratedstageofgrowth.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

Wheretostart–fromdayone realisingthat beingacorporatelawyerdoesn’tprepareyou forrunningahospitalitybusinessstraightoff.

LookingatthechallengesonceIgotmyhead roundthat,wegrewveryquicklyinthefirst threeyearsandthatwasverychallenging fromacashflowperspective,Covid,which closedthebusinessovernight, reopening post-pandemicandhavingto reassess everythingabouthowthebusinessoperates. Thenthere’scurrentfoodinflationarycrisis, thecostofdoingbusinessandcostof livingcrisis,andittakesyearstobuildan experiencedteamandthatplacedalotof pressureearlyonme. To behonest,running ahospitalitycompanyisa reallychallenging businessandnotonetogointoifyou’re scaredofachallenge.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Myteam.I’minaweattheirdedication, commitment,desiretolearn,develop andgrowandthattheywanttoseethat developmentandcorrespondingopportunities intheircolleaguestoo.Theyinspiremeto doeverythingwithinmypowertomakethe businessasuccess.Mydonor,whogaveme mykidney.I’minspiredeverydaytotryand bethebestIcanatwhateverIdoasI’vebeen giventhechancetoliveafullandhealthylife thankstoherandthecourageofherfamily.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

OperatingoutsideNorthernIreland. ■

Ferghal Campbell PITCHBOOKING

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

Pitchbookingisonlineschedulingand paymentssoftwareforsportsfacilities. We enableourcustomerstofnd,bookandpay forlocalsportsfacilitiesinunder60seconds. We workwithsportsorganisationsofall shapesandsizes,fromcommunitysports clubstocommercialsportscentresandlocal government.

Iamoneofthethreefoundersofthe businessandIoverseeoursalesandcustomer successonaday-to-daybasis.Thiscanbe anythingfromonboardingnewaccounts todemonstratingourplatformtopotential partnersoridentifyingnewfeaturesthatcan helpourexistingcustomers.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Thefounders(myself,ChrisMcCannand SheaO’Hagan)arethreechildhoodfriends whooncedreamtofbecomingprofessional sportsstars.Unfortunately,ournaturaltalent didn’tmatchourloftyambitions,sowequickly turnedtolocalandcommunitysporttosolve anissueweallfaced–howtomakeabooking atourlocalfacilitieseasily. We soughtto simplifythewholeprocessandsubsequently raisedasmall roundofinvestmentin2019to

helpusbuildourearlyteamandproduct.

Whatisyourownbackground?

IhavealawdegreeandaMastersdegreein softwaredevelopment,havingobtainedboth atQueen’sUniversityBelfast.Ispentafew yearsasatechnologyconsultantatPwCin Belfastbeforemovingintotheworldofstartups–eventuallystartingmyowncompanyin 2018.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Ithinkwhenyou’rerunningastart-up,the winscanfeelmassive,andthelossescanfeel catastrophic.Itrytobringalevelheadedness andmeasuredapproachtoourcompanyplans andoperationswhenconfrontedwitheither situation.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers?

We haveworkedhardtoensurethatasports facilityofanyscalecanbeneftfromtheuse ofoursoftware.Asitstands,weprimarily workwithlocalcouncils,andfootball/sports associationstobringtheirfacilityandevents bookingsonline.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

We haveastrongbaseintheUKandIreland forourfacilitybookingsoftware.More

recently,wepartneredwiththeIrishFootball Associationtoruntheirevents–suchaskids footballcamps,holidaycampsetc. We are currentlylookingatadditionalsports-based productslikeeventbookingsandleague organisationsoftwaretohelpgrowthe businesslocallyandinternationally.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

It’sprobablyacommonanswer,butthe lockdownsin2020intoearly2021hadan extremelynegativeimpactonthesports facilitiesindustry.Ourcustomerswere completelyunabletogenerateany revenue fromtheirfacilitiesandthis,inturn,deeply affectedPitchbooking.Subsequently,however, thefollowing12monthssaw realgrowthin ourtargetcustomerbase,withcustomers movingtoonlinebookingsasadefault.Our latestchallengesincludehowtoscaleourteam andbusinesstocaptureasmuchofthemarket aspossible.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Volunteers.Throughmy roleatPitchbooking, weworkwithalotofvolunteersinamateur andcommunitysportsorganisations.Itcan beanenormoustimecommitmentforlittle acknowledgementorpraise.I’mabigbeliever inthepowerofsportforpositivechangein communities,andwithoutthesevolunteers, mostsportsclubswouldn’tbeabletooperate.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

Ourambitionistobecomethegotositefor bookinganysportingactivityonline.

ON ES TO WAT CH

FerghalCampbell (centre)with fellowcofoundersSean O’Haganand ChrisMcCann

Hope Macaulay

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

MynameisHopeMacaulay,I’m26yearsold andIamthefounder,chiefexecutiveand creativedirectorofmynamesakebrand,Hope Macaulay.

Mybrandisaisacontemporary,luxuryand bespokefashionbrandandIpioneerand createsustainable,feel-goodcolossalknits, whicharehandmadetoorderbymyteamof knittersinNorthernIrelandfortheworld. We mainlyselldirecttocustomeronourwebsite hopemacaulay.combuthaveagrowing numberofstockistsaroundtheworldsuchas AnthropologieandFreePeople.

Howdidthebusinessstart? IwasalwaysverycreativewhenIwasyoung,

andIstudiedfashiontextilesprintatUCA Rochester.Icreatedacatwalkcollection, graduatedin2018,showcasedduringLondon Fashion Weekandmovedbackhometo NorthernIreland,whichiswhereIwanted tostartmybusiness.Icontinuedcreating, designing,collaboratingandsharingmy designsonsocialmedia,thenittookoffwitha bangin2020.Igraduallybuiltupateamof15 knittersinNorthernIrelandwhileworkingon everyaspectofthebusinesssuchasmarketing, knittertraining,websitedevelopmentand contentcreationuntilIbuiltupateamoffve atourheadquarters.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Throughmyexperienceofstartingandrunning abusiness,Ihavegainedlotsdifferentskills indifferentareas.Whenyouhaveyourown

business,inthebeginningyouhavetolearn tobecomeanexpertinmanydifferentfelds, oratleasttrytobe.I’mmostlyself-taught,so Ithinkmyuniquestrengthisthecommitment anddrivethatIhavetolearnnewskillsto makethebusinessasuccess.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers?

Ourmaincustomersarewomenaged20-30 yearsold.Ourmainmarketis60%America andthe reminderallovertheworld. We haveagrowingnumberofstockistsinJapan suchasdepartmentstoresandboutiques whichis reallyexcitingtoo.Mydesignshave beenfeaturedonthefrontcoverofahostof publicationsincluding Vogue’s‘SixNewNames inSummerKnitwear To ObsessOver’,Elle, VanityFairandSportsIllustrated.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

Overthenextthreeyearsweareseekingto growourcustomerbaseintheUS,Japanand SouthKorea. We alsowanttocontinueto growthenumberofluxuryboutiquesaround theworldwhostockourgarments.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

Tryingtojugglealotofworkand24/7 working.ButIactuallyenjoyit.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Myworkhasalwaysbeenveryexpressiveand surreal-like.Allmyconceptsthatinspiremy collectionsarealwaysinspiredbysurrealism andcreatingadream-likestorythroughthe printsandknitwear.Ilovedistortion,creating amagicalworldandI’mfascinatedwith illusionsandhallucinations. Withthiscomes anexplosionofcolourandmixtureoftextiles, whichIloveexperimentingwith.Iworkina veryfreeandexpressivewayso,onoccasion,a fewofmyfavouritedesignshavebeenhappy accidents.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

Ourstrategyistocontinuetocreateinnovative HopeMacaulaydesigns,tobuildourcapacity toincreaseproductionandimproveeffciency ofdistribution,tobuildthephysicaland human resources requiredtogrowthe business,andtodoubleourglobalsales.

Brendan Boyd AIRCORE VENTURES

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

Aircore Venturesisaninvestmentandasset managementbusinessthatinvestsinto renewableandsustainablefocusedbusinesses. My roleischiefexecutiveandfounderofthe company.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Aircore Ventureswasestablishedin2020and hasgrownitsglobalventurecapitalinvestment portfoliotoover£20m.Thiscompanywas aspinoutfrommyother renewableenergy developmentcompany,AirCoreLtd,whichI started12yearsagotofocusonbuildingwind turbinesand renewableenergyprojectsacross NorthernIreland.

Whatisyourownbackground?

Iwasworkingformyfamilypropertybusiness KillultaghEstatesandthefnancialcrashof 2008ledmedownthegreenbusiness route andIhaven’tlookedback.SinceAircore VenturesinceptionIhaveinvestedinsuccessful greenfocusedbusinesses,suchasEasyGo, andCorreEnergy,whichisautilityscale compressedair renewableenergystorage businessandwas recentlyfoatedontheIrish stockexchange.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths? IwouldsayIamaproblemsolver.Ihavea

structuredbrainthathastheforesighttoplan thingsoutmethodicallyandjudgepotential challengesandopportunities.Thisisavery usefulstrengthinbusiness,especiallyfroman investor’spointofview.Fromanemotional pointofview,Istronglybelievein respectand fndthiscanbelackingincertainaspectsof business,especiallyintheartofadeal.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers? Ontheassetmanagementside,wedealwith largeinvestmentfundswhoneedpeopleon thegroundinNorthernIrelandtolookafter their renewableassets.Ontheinvestmentside, ourcustomersoperateinarangeofsectors acrosstheislandofIreland,UKandEurope. Ourfocusonobtainingcustomerswithinthe investmentspaceisfocusedonhowwecan addvaluetothatbusinessanditsproducts butalsoourconnectionwiththemanagement teamtohelpdevelopthatbusinessintoa marketleader.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

Iwouldliketoexpandourassetmanagement businessacrossIrelandwithmore renewable projectsandassetssuchassolarfarmsand windturbinesunderourmanagement.Iam alsoactivelylookingtogrowourinvestment portfolioofnewgreenfocusedclientsand broadenintonewsectorsthatareseekingto enhancetheirsustainabilitycredentialswith

newproducts,projectsandinnovations. We recentlyinvestedintotheConsciousBeauty Groupwhichencompassesbiotechand sustainablehaircarebrand We AreParadoxx, andhairtoolsbrandSupernova.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

NorthernIrelandisplayingcatch-upwiththe restoftheUKandIrelandwhenitcomesto sustainabilityandinfrastructuretosupport greenprojects.Thisisprobablymoredownto alackofpoliticalleadershiponsustainability ratherthanthewillofthepeopletoseea greenerfocusedagenda.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Myfamilyisahugeinspirationtome.My sistersallruntheirownbusinessandallhave averystrongworkethicandmyfatherFrank Boydstartedapropertybusinessthathas grownintoaveryimpressivelegacy.Family aside,Iamalsoinspiredbyhowpassionate youngpeoplearewhenitcomestoprotecting theplanet.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

Defnitelystillworkingwithinthesustainability space.InNorthernIrelandweareonlyat thetipoftheicebergwhenitcomesto sustainabilityandIwanttobeattheforefront ofdrivingthisagendaforward.

ON ES TO WAT CH

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

AtAnneal,ourobjectiveistohelpengineering teamsaccelerateproductdevelopment. We dothatthroughoursoftware,whichhelps engineerstoplan,track,collaborate,and managetheirdata, reducingbureaucratic workloadandmakinginformationeasyto fnd.Personally,Idoabitofeverything:Ibuilt thesystem’sarchitectureandwroteourinitial codebase,designedourwebsiteandproduced allofourcommercialmaterial–andIhold responsibilityforemptyingtheoffcebin, vacuuming,andassemblingfurniture.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Itcomesfrommyexperienceinadvanced engineering,whereevensomeoftheworld’s bestengineeringteamsarebeingheldback byclunkylegacysystems,poorvisibility, andarchaicprocesses.Havingseenhow softwaredevelopmentteamstackleparallel problems,Ifguredthattherewouldbe beneftindevelopingasolutionthataddresses thedifferentneedsofphysicalengineering disciplines.Practically,thebusinessstartedwith a£15,000grantfromIgnite,whichallowed metoquitmyjob.

Whatisyourownbackground?

Ijustseemyselfasanengineer,thoughmy experienceisprettyvaried,coveringeverything fromFormulaOnecarstocomplexfnancial modellingsoftware.Istudiedmechanical engineeringatQueen’sUniversity,spentmy placementyearinthefantasticperformance applicationteamattheMercedesF1 powertrainoutft,then returnedtoMercedes aftergraduating.Unfortunately,Ifoundthe graduateschemedisappointingandjumped shiptoForceIndia,whereIspentthree yearsbetweenraceengineeringandvehicle dynamics, responsiblefornewsuspension conceptsandalotofperformanceanalysis software.ImovedbacktoNIin2019, workedbriefyasaDSPengineer,andthen asdevelopmentleadforaquantitative fnancialanalyticsfrmstaffedbyCambridge astrophysicists.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Onacompanylevel,wehaveverycapable team.I’mconvincedwehavetwoofthe

Nick McCleery ANNEAL

bestengineersontheisland,andtheyhave agoodmixofexperiencethatlendsitselfto bothsolvingtheproblemwe’veidentifed andbuildingagreatproduct.Onapersonal level,I’mobsessedwithsimplifyingcomplex concepts,whichisusefulforanalysing problemsandbuildingelegantsolutions.This, combinedwithmyweirdtrajectoryacrossthe worldsofhardwareandsoftwareengineering, leavesusinauniquespot.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers?

Currently,allourusersareinvolvedinbuilding competitioncars,butanareawe’rekeento exploreis‘NewSpace’.Privatespaceinterests haveseenameteoricrise recently,andwe’re hopingthatwecanoffervaluetocompanies facingcomplex,cross-disciplinechallengesas theystarttoscaleandimplementmoreformal engineeringprocessesandprocedures.After that,weaimtotargetthebroaderaerospace andautomotivesectors.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow? Ideally,byacquiringsomanycustomersthat ourarchitectureisheavingundertheload.In reality,we’reatahypothesistestingstage,so theaimisthatasweprogressandproveout

marketdemand,we refneourofferingwith eachfurtherfunding rounduntileventuallywe reachproftabilityandanexit.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

Oneofthebiggestformehasbeenlearning howtoproducesuccinctmessaging.It’safar cryfromwritingtechnical reportsinthethirdperson,pasttenseetc.Beyondthat,trying togetinthe roomwithourtargetcustomers isdefnitelyhardwork–Ihavesomeserious newfound respectforthesalesandbusiness developmentskillsets.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

IthinkI’mmostlyinspiredbyfrustration.I oftenfndexistingdesigns,solutions,andways ofdoingthingsinfuriating,andthattends tomotivatemetocomeupwithsomething better.Thatsaid,Idohavealotofadmiration forwhatSpaceXhasachievedin recentyears.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

We hopetobearoundtheseriesAstage, breakingintothebroaderautomotiveand aerospacesectorsandhavingachieved proftability. ■

ON

Laura Haldane SCILEADS

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

SciLeadsisaleadgenerationandmarket intelligenceSaaS(softwareasaservice) platformthathelpsscientifccompanies identifytheiridealcustomers. We have createdthemostcomprehensiveandaccurate databaseofscientifc researchers,helpingsales andmarketingteamsquicklyidentifywho needstheirproductsfortheir research.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

DanielMcRitchie,ourchiefexecutive,andI metinour(very)early20swhilewewereboth workinginAndor Technology. We quickly becamefriendsduetooursharedmissionto onedaystartourowncompanies.I’dtellhim aboutJamesCampbell,myfriendfromschool whowasasoftwareengineer,andtherandom smallbusinesseswehadsetupforafterschool pocketmoney–whichgotmoreandmore sophisticatedasJames’scodingskillsgrew.One dayDanielrangtosayhehasgotthewinning businessidea.

Whatisyourownbackground?

Mydadwasasoftwaresalesdirectorsothat’s whatIwantedtogrowuptobe.AsIgotolder thatevolvedintowantingtostartmyown softwarecompanyanddothesales.Jamesand Ihadanumberofcompanieswhenwewere younger,themostsuccessfulbeing‘DrPC’, whowouldfxanyofyourcomputerproblems.

AftergraduatingIgotajobwithRandox, whichwashiringanyonewhogotafrstin theirscientifcdegree.Imovedquicklyonto Andor Technology.At25Iwasheadofglobal salesinalocaldatasoftwarecompany.These rolespreparedmeforstartingfromscratch whenitcametoSciLeads.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Itisn’tansweringquestionslikethisanyway. Workethicwouldprobablybehighupthere, somethingthethreeofusshare.I’mnotsure ifIcanevencallitworkethicthoughbecause Ienjoyitsomuch.Accountabilityissomething I’veneverhadaproblemwith,andI realise nowthat’squiteIstrength.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers?

We arealreadytrustedbythetop20 companiesinourfeld,rightdownto thesmalleststart-ups.Ourcustomersare instrumentationorserviceprovidersinthe scientifc researchmarket. We quickly realised thattheUSwasgoingtobeourbiggest market,sowespentalotoftimethereinthe initialyears.Recentlywe’vebeendoingmuch morewithinEuropeandAsia,thoughtheUS remainsourbiggestmarket.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

We’reatanexcitingpointinourjourneywhere we’retheindustryleadersinourspace,but westillhavemassivepotentialtogrowfurther.

Ourgrowthwillbeacombinationofournew productlaunches,ourexpansionfurtherinto theAsianmarkets,andgenerallyfollowing thesamesteepgrowthtrajectorythatwe’ve beenonthelastfewyears. We’reopento alloptionsinassistinguswithourplans, includingtakingoninvestmentfromtheright partner.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

We quicklylearnedthatthesuccessofany businessisentirelydowntotheteam.Finding talentintoday’smarkethasdefnitelybeen oneofourbiggestchallenges,particularlyon thetechnicalside.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

AsachilditwasRichardBranson.Atage10 mydadboughtmehisautobiography,which inhindsightprobablywasn’ttotallyageappropriatebutIlovedtheinsightandjust knewthatIwantedtobeanentrepreneur likehim.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

Ourgoalwillbetocontinuetogrow signifcantlyinthenewfewyears,doubling ourexistingteamof50employeestoover 100. We’vebeeninthetop20ofDeloitte’s Technology Top50inIrelandforthelasttwo years,andweplantobehighuptherenext yeartoo. ■

SusannaHassard ONE SMALL SEED FLOWER FARM

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

IamtheownerandfounderofOneSmallSeed FlowerFarm,abusinessthataimstoeducate, inspireandchangehowcustomersgoabout purchasingfreshflowers.Mybusinessethos is‘grownherenotflownhere’.Harvesting freshfromthefieldinBallyeaston,CoAntrim tolandingoncustomers’doorstepsinless than12hours,wegrowin-seasonflowers, fromscentednarcissusinMarch,tocolourful chrysanthemumsinSeptember.Itakea sustainableapproachinmyfloristry,using regenerativefarmingmethodsandavoiding allsingleuseplastics,suchasfloralfoamor plasticwraps.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Withabackgroundin retail,andalotof localmarket research,Icametounderstand thecustomerdemandforlocal,seasonal

andsustainableflowers.Aseveryoneiswell aware,weareinaglobalclimatecrisisandthe floralindustry’scarbonfootprintiscurrently unsustainable.Didyouknowthatlessthan 15%offlowerssoldintheUKaregrown here?Idecidedsomethingneededtobedone. Afteralotof researchandexperimentinginmy owngardentoseewhatIcouldgrowwithout chemicalsandpesticides,andsoOneSmall Seedwasborn.

Whatisyourownbackground?

Iworkedasafoodbuyerinthe retailsector for13years,whereIspecialisedinbuying foodandhorticulturalproducts.Thiscareer pathhelpedmetodevelopapassionfor growingmyownflowers.Overthepasttwo yearswiththehelpofmyhusbandandtwo children,IhaveturnedmyhomeinBallyeaston intoathrivingflowerfarm. We startedwith averysmallpolytunnelandjustacoupleof

flowerbedsin2021,andwenowhavetwo polytunnelsandover25flowerbeds.Ithas beenhardwork,butso rewardingatthesame time.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

MybiggeststrengthismypassionforwhatI do.Sincedayone,thisiswhatdrivesme.I’m notafraidtotakeachance–norfail–whichis anintegralpartofstartingyourownbusiness. Lastly,Iwouldsay resilience–thisprocesshas notbeenaneasyoneandI’vecertainlyfaced setbacksalongtheway.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers?

Oneofthefundamentalprinciplesofmy businessissustainability,andthatmeanszero airmiles.Therefore,mymaincustomerswill alwaysbelocalpeople.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow?

Ihavethreemaingoalsforthegrowthofmy business.Attheminutewearejustselling but,inthefuture,I’dlovetointroduce bouquetsubscriptionsforcustomers,become a renownedweddingsupplierandlead workshopstoteachpeopleaboutsustainable flowergrowth.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar?

Onechallengethatgoeswithoutsayingin NorthernIrelandistheweather–wind,rain andfrost.Thisleadstodifficultygerminating theseedlings.ExternalfactorslikeBrexitand Covidhavealsoimpactedus.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Otherflowerfarmersandfloriststhatare workingtochallengetheindustry,fromClaire BrownatPlantPassionandCelRoberstonat ForeverGreen,tomoretraditionalfloristswho areproactivelylookingatwaystoimprovetheir sustainabilityandlocalsourcing.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswillbe inthenextfewyears?

Myshorttomediumtermgoalistobecome a recognisedlocalsupplierforbouquetsand weddings.I’dalsolovetodeliverworkshops forbothprivateandcorporatecustomers toincreaseawarenessofsustainableflower farming.Mylong-termbusinessgoalisthe developmentoftheOneSmallSeed regional businessmodel,enablinggrowersacrossthe UKandbeyondtogrowandselllocal,seasonal andsustainableflowergrowingandfloristry.

Jack Fullerton

ATLAS SMART TECHNOLOGIES

Whatdoesyourcompanydoandwhat roledoyouplay?

We havedevelopedSmartBell,asmart adjustabledumbbelltoallowpeopleto getbetterworkoutsathomebyproviding extremelyfastweightchanges,witha1kg weightincrement.Alongsidethishardware wehavealsodevelopedourmobileapp, ‘Stronger’.Itfocusesongamifcationand community,providinguserswithafunwayto trackprogresswhiletraining.Iammanaging director,technicallead,andthedeveloper forStronger,soIspendmytimeplanning anddeveloping,aswellasengagingwithour community.

Howdidthebusinessstart?

Thisbusinessbeganasjustanideaover lockdown.Myco-foundersandIareinto weighttraining,andwhenlockdownhitand wecouldn’tgotothegym,webecameaware ofthestrugglesofhomeworkouts.Iwasalso jealousofrunnerswhohadanapplikeStrava thatallowedthemtohavea realsenseof communityandmotivationwhentraining. We feltwehadasolutiontothis,andwiththis ideawewereacceptedontotheCatalystcofoundersprogramme.

Whatisyourownbackground?

IwasstudyingforaMastersincomputer scienceatQueen’sUniversitywhenIcofoundedAtlaswithmytwopartnersJamesand Josephwhowerealsostudents.Thispathway

allowedmetodevelopusefultechnicalskills whichwerevitalasIdevelopedourmobile app,Stronger.

Whatareyouruniquestrengths?

Communityisattheforefrontofwhatwe do.Sinceourappwas releasedasanMVP (minimumviableproduct)wehavetakenon boarduserfeedbackandactedquicklyon suggestedimprovements.Notonlyhasthis allowedustoimproveourapp,ithashelped usbuildacommunityofsupporterswhoare listenedtoandareapartofourbrand.

Whowillbeyourmaincustomers? Therearepeoplewhowanttobeneftfrom workingout,butmightlackthemotivationor timetotrainconsistently,orthelivingspaceto storebulkydumbbellsandgymequipment. We wanttoprovidetheseindividualswiththetools togetgreat resultswhileworkingoutathome oratthegymthroughourSmartBelladjustable dumbbellandStrongerapp.

Howdoyouwantthebusinesstogrow? Strongeriscurrentlyat40,000downloadsand weareaimingfor100,000byFebruary.Our hardwareisstillintheprototypephaseandwe arelookingatpossibleavenuestobringthis producttomarket,initiallytargetingtheUK andEurope.

Whatchallengeshaveyoufacedsofar? Asfrst-timefounderswehavealready

encounteredourfairshareofchallenges, forexampleonthehardwaresideboth patentingandmanufacturinghavepresented challenges.Thankfullywehavehadgreat supportfromCatalyst,Queen’s,andInvest NIwhenweneededanyadvicealongthe way.OurexperienceintheInterTradeIreland SeedcornInvestorReadinessCompetition thisyearhasalsobeen reallyvaluablein givingustheopportunityto refneourpitch andbusinessplanswithfeedbackfrom realworldinvestors,andweweredelightedtobe namedall-islandBestNewStart.

Whoorwhatmostinspiresyou?

Regularexercisehasimmensebeneftsfor everyone,andwewanttohelpgetpeople onthatjourney. We havebeengettingso manydirectmessagesfrompeopletelling ushowourapphasallowedthemtoget motivated,staymotivated,see regular progressandultimatelyfeelgoodabout themselves.

Wheredoyouthinkyourbusinesswill beinthenextfewyears?

We wantStrongertobeknownasthegotoappfortrackingworkoutsinafunand motivatingway,andasasocialplatformwith alargecommunityofusersparticipating inchallenges,andsharingworkoutswith friends. We alsoaimtohaveourhardware availableforpurchaseafterasuccessful kickstartercampaigninthenearfuture.

JackFullerton

andJosephGillan fromAtlasSmart Solutions

Tudorand the Goldilocksprinciple

FollowingthesuccessofthelargerPelagos, John Mulgrew spendsafewdayswiththesmalleriteration of Tudor’stitaniumdiverandaskshastheburgeoning brandhityetanothernailonthehead?

There’ssomethingofafnetuning goingonatthehouseof Tudor whenitcomestotheGoldilocks principle.

Justahandfulofyearsafteritwas reborn astheyoung, rebellioussiblingtoitsolder horologicalstalwart,theSwisswatchmaker hashitafewnailsontheheadwhenitcomes totheperfectbalanceoffunctionality,style, appearanceanddimensions.

Forme,theBlackBay41diverwasabeefeduppiecewithperhapsatouchtoomuch heftforsmallerwrists,especiallyastastes increasinglyleantosmallerpieces.

Butthe releaseoftheBlackBay58inamore compact39mm,vintagestylingandadomed sapphirecrystalappearedtopiqueinterests. Thatpenchantforasmallercaseandslimmer profleissomethingwhichappearstobe reverberatingaroundmuchoftheindustry.

Andsoweturnto Tudor’slatestwonder–Pelagos39.

Theoriginallarger42mmversionwasabitofa sleeperandI recentlyenjoyedafewdayswith thefxedlugPelagosFXD–afabricandNATO strapforgoingmuchoftheweightassociated withachunkierbracelet.

Onpaperthere’salottolikeaboutthis offering.It’sahandsomeandcleanpieceof designall round.

There’saslightbitofgettingusedtowithan all-titaniumwatchonabracelet,especiallyif you’relikelytobewearingitslightlyloose,as thingscanappearatfrstwearassignifcantly lighterandfner.

Ofcoursethat’salltodowiththefactit’s around45%lighterthanitstypicalsteel counterparts,whilebeingextremelystrong.

Aswithprevious Tudorsthefnishingisclean andprecise,whileavoidinganysharpedges. There’sacombinationofsoftpolishingonthe braceletandlugswhilethesidesofthecase appearslightlymoresubdued,althoughthat’s likelydowntothedarker,greyhueofthe metalofchoice.

There’salsosomethingtobesaidforthelack ofadatewindow.Unlessyou’re relianton justonewatchorusingwinders(although thepower reserveisachunky70hourson thismodelwiththein-house TudorMT5400) you’relikelygoingtohaveto resetthatdate eachtimeyougetitonwrist.

Itoffersacleanerdialthanitsdatewindow brethren(Rolexpuristsarealsoabigfanofthe

Submarinersansdate)andallowsthedialto haveabitmorepresence,whileyouwon’t beworryingaboutsettingthatcomplication ifit’soffwristforafewdays.

Atthenewenvoguesweetspotof39mm thewatchsitscomfortablyonwrist,with asubtlebutstillnoticeabledifferencein weightthankstothetitaniumcaseand bracelet.It’salsojust47mmlugtolug, makingitasuitableoptionforsubseveninchwrists.

ThelumeisonparwithsimilarPelagos models–thepunchyblueSuper-Luminova coatingthehands,markersandbezel markers,makinglegibilitystrongindark environments.Thetraditional Tudorwhite snowfakehandsmakethismodelas readableasanyotherinthecollection.

Theblackbezelappearstobeastepupfrom itspreviousBlackBaycounterparts–matt butwithbrushing,givingitatabitofdetail anddepthwhichplayswellwiththelight.

Thecrystalsitsfairlyfushtothecase, protrudingjustslightlyabovethebezel. Thelugscomeinat21mm,whichcould beafrustratingoptionforsomewishingto changeoutwiththeirownstraps,andthe bracelettapersdownto16mmattheclasp.

The long -awaited £1.6 bn A5 up gradeis fa cing more major setback s amid a furt her de lay to a public probe, it can be revealed

The Western Transpor t Corridor projec t was put forward more than 15 year s ago but fundingand legal barriers have blocked progress

Families of people killed on the road have continued to call for work to begin.

Another inquir y was due to be held at the start of thisyear, with a launch date of Januar y 23

However, the Planning Appeals Commission (PAC)has writ ten to the Department for Infrastruc ture to say that will not take place as planned, and willins tead be delayed.

Former infrastruc ture minis ter John O’Dowd announced an additional consultation into the scheme in Novemberthat ran until the end of December

In it s letter to the department, the PAC saidit “hadno priornotice of this initiative”

It add ed : “Shor tly af ter the commission announced the original timetable, the Department for Infrastruc ture launched a fresh consultationon seven new do cuments cont aining 507 pages and seta date of December 23, 2022, forsubmission offurther repres entations”

“T he commissionaccept s that in the circums tances that have aris en, the inquir y mus t be postponed in the interest of fairness The inquir y will therefore not take place in Januar y/ February 2023

“W hen we re ceive confrmation from the department that the consultation proces ses on the lates t set of do cuments and the missing

Freshsetback forA5upgrade projectamid delaytopublic consultation

Analreadylong-delayedupgradetothe

elevationshave been completed, and re ceive copies of any new repres entations made, we will write to all parties (includingany new ones) , setting out new dates for the reop ened inquir y.”

The letter add ed : “O bjec tors to the scheme argued that this turn of events is prejudicial to member s of the public who, ins tead of being able to fo cus their limited time and resources on preparing for the inquir y and responding to the department ’s comments on their original repres entations, nowhave to divert their at tention to new do cuments

“T hey argued that the inquir y should be

postponed and an ef fe ctive timetable set which includes thesubmission ofrebutt al evidence by the department followed by statement s of case from member s of the public on all relevant information.”

It is now more than 15 year s since plans for the major upgrad e wererevealed

An upgrad ed route was seen as a way to op en a gateway between Londonderr y and the Republic.

Cost s for the scheme have risensubs tantially, withthe fnal bill potentially coming in at £1.6 bn

The PAC said once it re ceived confrmation from the department that the consultation proces ses on the latest set of do cuments had been completed, and once it re ceived copies of any new repres entations,it would then set out new dates for the re -opened inquir y.

The department saidthe ex tend ed consultation includes report s relating to new informationon the business case for the development, updates and additional informationon scheme alternatives, scheme phasing and agricultural industry impac t.

It isunders to od the department wrote to

the PAC in Oc tober, outlining “the ne ed for the departmentto publish, for public consult ation,further environmental information in the form of additional do cumentation”.

The Department for Infrastruc ture said : “Having considered the opinions ex pres sed inresponse to theprevious consultation proces s,the department de cided to publish supplement ar y information to as sis t withthe inquir y process.

“Giventhetime required to fully considerthe consultation resp onses,the department was not in a position to take a de cisionon whether

to publish thesupplement ar y information until af ter the date of the public inquir y was announced.

“T he new date for the public inquir y will be set by the PAC in due cour se

“Ata mid- inquir y me eting on November 15, the PAC reques ted new draw ings that had not previously been sought.

“T he department intends to fully comply with the reques t.”

The PAC did not wish to add any further comment. ■

TheA5outsideDerry

Thecolumnwithan earforexperience...

Howdidyoustartoutinyourbusiness?

Istartedoutinthetechnologyindustryin the90s.Itwasagreattimetoworkintech –duringtheearlydaysoftheinternetbefore thetechboomandthecrashofthedotcom bubbleon WallStreet.Ibeganworkingwith ayoungandvibrantcompanycalledCable London,andasanewjoinerIgotthechance toexperiencemultiple roles,fromcustomer serviceandtelesales,tooperations,service managementandproduct,whichI really enjoyedasIwasgivenalotof responsibility, evenatayoungage.SinceIjoinedeirevoUK assalesandmarketingdirectorin2014,we havebuiltastrongcustomer-frstculturein whichwegettoknowourcustomersandput themattheheartofeverythingwedo.

Whathaveyoufoundmostchallengingin youryearsinbusiness?

Duringthe2000s,manycablecompanieswere struggling.ThefrmIworkedforwasrunby bondholdersandsowehadtoimplement somecost-savingmeasurestoensurethe businesskeptmoving.Atthattime,Ileda newproductteam,anditwasdiffcultto keepupwiththedemandsofsales,with reducedcapitalandconstrainedoperational expenditure,whilstalsonavigatinga challengingmarket.Ourmainaimwasalways todeliverthehighqualityourcustomers wereusedtoandexpected,buttheimpact ofexternalfactorsacrosstheindustrymeant innovationwasslowerthanwewouldhave liked.Thankfullytoday,therearemore opportunitiesthanchallengesinthis regard. Withtherightguidance,organisationsare wellplacedtoavailofnewinnovationsand evolvingtechnologiesthatcansetthemupfor thefuture.

Howwouldyoudescribeyour managementstyle?

Ihavehadthebeneftofworkingwith incrediblytalentedindividualsandteams throughoutmycareer.Istronglybelievethat

Name: MattMcCloskey

Position: Salesandmarketingdirector,eirevoUK

mostpeoplearebetterthantheythinktheyare andsomymanagementapproachisinclusive andempowering.Isetchallengingtargets fortheeirevoUKteambutgivethemthe freedomtoapproachtheproblemastheysee ft.Iliketoquestionpeople’sthinkingrather thantheirindividualtasks,ensuringthatthey haveatargetedandstrategicplan.Mygoal hasalwaysbeentodevelopagroupofhigh performerswhohavethefreedomtoco-create valuewithourcustomers. Withsales,it’sabout ensuringtheteamspendstherightamountof timeonmeaningfulcustomeractivityrather thansystemsandprocesses.

Whatwouldyouchangeifyoucouldgo backanddoitagain?

Ibelievethatyouarewhoyouare,andthat driveswhatyoudo,soholding regretsisto someextentafool’serrand.Thatsaid,Ican’t seemyselfinanyotherindustryastheconstant changeintechkeepsyouinterested,andthe diversityofcustomersmeansyoucanseehow thistechnologycanhelpachieve remarkable thingsacrossallsectors.

Haveyougotwhereyouareonyour own?

Idon’tthinkanyonegetsanywherealone. Eventhepeoplewhosetyouonthewrong pathhavegivenyoualesson.WhileIwasn’t givenanythingforfree,atvariouspointsinmy careerpeoplehadfaithinmeandsupported mynextmove,andIneversucceededinany rolewithoutagreatteamaroundme.

Howwouldyoulikeyourbusinesstobe thoughtof?

TechnologyistechnologybuteirevoUKisa peoplebusiness.Iwouldlikeustobethought ofasanorganisationthatgetstoknowyour companyandyourindustry,understandsyour journey,andsharesourknow-howtohelpin anywaywecan.

Whatpieceofadvicewouldyougiveto 20-year-oldyou?

Iwouldtellmy20-year-oldselftoalwayslook tothebigpicture.Don’toverthink,goforthe biggoals,makesuretotravelasmuchasyou can,andbuythatLondonfat.

Motoring

ByPatBurns

Sponsoredby

S-Cross goes fullhybrid

TheSuzukiS-Crosshasearnedacclaim foritsstylishdesign,compact andeasytomanagedimensions andgoodon-roadperformance.Itwas replacedinlate2021byanall-newmodel whichtakesadvantageofSuzuki’s longestablishedexpertiseinpackagingvehicles withanevenhigherlevelofsafety equipmentandlatesttechnologyallas standard.

ThefullhybridversionwithAGS(auto gearshift)isnowonsalewhilemildhybrid modelscontinuetobeavailablewithmanual transmissiononly

Standard equipmentfortheMotionspecmodel isverycomprehensiveandincludes17-inch paintedalloywheels,threesignature LED projectorheadlampsforlowandhighbeam, AppleCarPlayandAndroidAutosmartphone connectivity, traffic sign recognition,blindspot monitor, adaptivecruisecontrolwithspeed limiter, keylessentryandstart,dualzoneauto airconditioning,seven-inchdisplayscreen, heatedfrontseats,frontand rearparking sensors, rearparkingcameraandsevenairbags.

MovinguptoUltraaddsAllgripselectfourwheeldrive,17-inchpolishedalloywheels, leatherseatupholstery, integratedon-board navigationwithnine-inchscreen,panoramic slidingsunroofandfurtherdriversafetyand

conveniencewiththe fitmentof a 360view camera.

The1.5-litre engineis fittedtobothmodel gradesandwasinitiallyintroducedonthe VitaraFullHybridmodelearlierin2022.The higher-poweredSuzukihybridsystemconsists of a 140Vlithium-ionbatteryandinverter, MotorGeneratorUnit(MGU), a 12Vlithium-ion batteryaswellas a conventional12Vlead-acid batterytopowercomponents requiringlower voltagesuchaslights,instrumentsandheating/ airconditioning.

Thefullhybridsystemhastwoswitchable modeswhichare EcoandStandard.One switchenablesthedrivertochangebetween thetwomodesdependingonconditionsand alsoincreasesthefrequencyofEVdriving.In Standard modeoperation,theMGUmore frequentlyassiststhepetrolenginetoallow more spiriteddrivingenjoyment.

TheS-Crossfullhybridisequippedasstandard withautogearshiftthatautomaticallyshifts themanualtransmissionwithgearratios optimisedtohelpprovide a goodcombination ofperformanceandfueleconomy Thisenables thedrivertoenjoyboththedirectdriving experienceof a manualgearboxandthe shiftingeaseofanautomatictransmission. Anotherkeyadvantageislowercomponent weightversus a conventionaltorqueconverter

typeautomatic.Thetransmissionalsohas a manualmodewithsteeringwheelmounted shiftpaddles.

Suzuki’s Allgrip‘Select’systemis fittedas standard fortheUltragradeandincorporates fourdriver-selectablemodesforsafe,enjoyable drivingondiversesurfaces.Itdebutedin theS-Crossmodelat firstlaunchandhas provedverysuccessful. rearwheelsbefore any slippageThesystemhasfourdriver-selectable modeswhichare Auto,Sport,SnowandLock.

SuzukiMotorCorporationhasnowintroduced SuzukiConnectintheUK.SuzukiConnect utilisesthevehicle’s datacommunication module(DCM)toconnectuserstotheir vehiclesin realtime,enablingownerstotake advantageofconvenientfunctionsthrough theSuzukiConnectsmartphoneapp.Suzuki Connectisinitiallyavailableinthecurrent rangeofS-Crossmodels,before being introducedinothermodelsacrossSuzuki’s rangeinthefuture.

ByconnectingthevehicleviatheSuzuki Connectapp,availableonAndroidandiOS, userscanaccess a widerangeofconvenient connectedservices,includingtheabilityto monitorand receivenotificationsaboutthe statusoftheirvehiclein realtime, remotely lockthevehicle,andviewinformationsuchas drivinghistoryandthelocationoftheirparked car

Pricesare £26,749fortheMotiongradefull hybridand£31,549forUltragradefullhybrid Allgrip. ■

AllelectricAstraunveiled

Vauxhallhastakenthenextstepsin itselectricjourneywiththe reveal ofthefullyelectricAll-NewAstra ElectricandAstraSports TourerElectric, arrivingheresoon.

TheAstraElectricjoinsagrowingline-upof electric Vauxhallmodels,withtheAstraSports Tourerthefrstfullyelectricestatefromthe brandandoneofjustahandfulavailableon themarket.Alreadyavailablewitheffcient petrolanddieselengines,advancedplug-in hybridpowertrains,andsoon-arrivingsportier GSeelectrifedvariants,thenewAstraElectric andAstraSports TourerElectricextendthe powertrainoffersforbuyers.

ThearrivaloftheAstraElectricandAstra Sports TourerElectricwillalsoincreasethe numberoffullyelectric Vauxhallpassenger vehiclesonsaletosix.By2028, Vauxhall hascommittedtobeinganelectric-only manufacturer–atimelinethatissevenyears aheadoftheUKGovernmenttargetof2035.

Fromlaunch,allAstraElectricandAstraSports TourerElectricmodelscomestandardwith 18-inchdiamond-cutalloywheels,whichcan

behadinablackfnishforaddedstyling. Bothmodelsfeaturethesame,fullyelectric powertrain.Poweredbya114kW(156hp) electricmotorproducing270Nmoftorque, anda54kWhbattery,theAstraElectric achievesaWLTP-certifedrangeof258miles fromasinglechargeand reachesatopspeed of105mph.

It requiresjust12.7kWhofelectricitytocover 62miles(100km),makingitidealfordailyuse, anddriverscanchoosebetweenthreedriving modes;Eco,Normal,andSport,tosuittheir needs.Aswiththe restofthefullyelectric Vauxhallrange,theAstraElectricsupportsup to100kWDCrapidcharging,withan80% chargetakingjust30minutestocomplete. Fromlaunch,allAstraElectricmodelswill comestandardwithathree-phase11kWAC onboardcharger,suitableforwallboxuseat home.

Thebatteryishousedinthevehicle’s underbody, resultinginnocompromisein passenger roomorluggagespace.TheAstra Sports TourerElectriccomeswith516litres ofluggagespacewiththe rearseatsup, increasingto1,553litreswhenfolded–this

isidenticaltoplug-inhybridvariantsofthe vehicle.

Bothmodelsfeature Vauxhall’slatestinterior technologies,driveraidsandsafetyfeatures. Thefullydigital‘purepanel’interiorcomes witha10-inchdigitalinstrumentclusterand a10-inchcentraldisplay.Thelargehead-up displayunitand‘Hey Vauxhall’naturalvoice recognitionmeansdriversdon’thavetotake theireyesoffthe roadandthenewcarsalso featurefrontcollisionwarningwithautomatic emergencybraking,activelanekeepingassist, drowsinessdetection,aswellas rearcrossalert toprotectbothvehicleoccupantsandother roadusers.

Thetwonewmodelsfeatureclass-leading lighting,withbothvehiclesavailablewith Vauxhall’sIntelliLuxLEDPixelLighttechnology. Featuring168individualLEDelementsthe technologyprovidesunparalleledvisibilityat nightthankstotheadaptationofthelight beampatterntosuitthedrivingconditionsand surroundings.Thetechnologygivesdriversa choicebetweenseverallightmodesthateither turnonautomaticallydependingonthedriving situationorcanbeswitchedonmanually.

Withthe recentannouncement thatCharlesHurstisgoingto openanewLotusdealershipon theBoucherRoad,Belfastcomesnewsof theallnewEletre.

Thisisoneofthemosteagerlyanticipated modelsinitshistory.TheEletreisthenewand all-electriclifestylemodelfromLotus,asit continuesitstransformationfromaUKsports carcompanytoaglobalperformancecar businessandbrand.

Itisthefrstofanewbreedofpureelectric SUVs.IttakesthecoreprinciplesandLotus DNAfromalmost75yearsofsportscar designandengineering,evolvingtheminto adesirableall-newlifestylecarforthenext generationofLotuscustomers.

Thecompany’sfamedexpertiseinthefelds ofrideandhandling,steeringandoptimised aerodynamics,havebeenevolved.TheEletre takesthesoulofthelatestLotussports car–theEmira–andthe revolutionaryaero performanceoftheall-electricEvijahypercar, and reinterpretsthemasahyperSUV.

Matt Windle,groupvicepresidentand managingdirector,LotusCars,said:“The launchoftheEletreisthenaturalnextstep forLotus. Two-seatersportscarsarenotfor everyone,andwewanttoofferaLotusfor everystageofyourlife.TheEletreisthestart ofthat.”

Thousandsofcustomersaroundtheworld haveplaceddepositstosecuretheirEletre. Threedifferentversionsofthecarareavailable –Eletre,EletreSandEletreR–withthe choiceoftwopowertrains.EletreandEletre Sfeaturethe450kW/603hpsingle-speed version,withamaximumrangeof373miles. TheEletreRcomeswiththefagship675kW /905hpdual-speedsystemandamaximum rangeof304miles. Torquefguresare710and 985Nm respectively,deliveringa0-62mph performanceofeither4.5or2.95seconds. The112kWhbatteryforbothversionshasa chargingtime(10%-80%)ofjust20minutes usingarapidcharger.

Lotuslaunches itshyperSUV

Fromatechnicalperspective,Lotushas announcedmoredetailsofitsadvanced ‘digitalcockpit’ontheEletre,includingthe nameoftheOperatingSystem–LotusHyper OS.Lotusisusing‘UnrealEngine’technology fromthegamingindustry,allowingtheLotus userexperience/userinterface(UX/UI)teamto createnext-generation real-time3Dcontent andexperiences.TheEletreboastsprocessing powerwhichincludestwoQualcomm8155 chips.

Anext-generationdigitalheadunitfromglobal mobilitytechcompanyECARXwilldebuton theEletre.It reconfgurestheuser’sin-car experiencebyprovidingfullycustomisable displays,hostedonanadvanceddriver informationmodule(DIM),andultra-slim foatingonebillioncolourOLEDtouchscreen formore realisticgraphicsandamorefuturistic visualeffect.

Lotushasalso revealeditispartneringwith HERE Technologiestodeliverintegrated navigationservicesfortheEletre.Theservice includesEV routing,EVrangeassistantand predictive routing,andcanbeupdated throughOTAupdates.

TheEletreispricedfrom£89,500.The standardspecincludesfvedrivemodes,active

airsuspension,torquevectoring,matrixLED headlights,activefrontgrilleand22-inch 10-spokeforgedwheels.TheLotusEletrewill comewithafve-year/100,000-milevehicle warranty,plusfveyearsofpan-European roadsideassistance.

AlsostandardisthedeployableLIDAR technology,aworld-frstinaproductioncar whichsupportsend-to-endautonomous driving(AD)technology.IntegratedOTA softwareupdatecapabilityensuresthe systemwillbefully readywhenindividual market regulationsallowforthemore advancedlevelsofAD.

TheEletreScosts£104,500.Theenhanced specifcationincludesnumerousadditional featuressuchasprivacyglass,active rear spoiler,confgurableambientlighting, illuminatedsidesills,softdoorclose,autodimmingsidemirrorsandanairquality system.Italsoincludesa2,160-watt, 23-speakerKEFReferenceAudio.

ThefagshipversionistheEletreRandisthe world’sfastestdual-motorpureelectricSUV. Ithasatopspeedof165mph(265km/h) andcanacceleratefrom0-62mph(0-100 km/h)injust2.95seconds.Itispricedfrom £120,000. ■

CarolineHannanhasbeenappointedas anassociatedirectorinCleaverFulton Rankin’sdisputeresolutiondepartment. Priortojoiningthefrm,MsHannan workedinthepublicsectorfor11years.

JohnPattersonhasbeenappointedashead ofsales,defence,portsandpilotboats, athigh-performancemaritimedesignand appliedtechnologiescompany,Artemis Technologies.

KimRaineyhasbeenappointeddirectorat MBMcGrady&CoCharteredAccountants andBusinessAdvisors.Anexperienced accountant,shefrstjoinedMBMcGrady &Coover20yearsagoasatraineeand workedherwayupthroughthecompany.

KirstyMcMullanhasbeenappointedasa solicitorinCleaverFultonRankin’sprivate clientdepartment.MsMcMullanstudied lawattheUniversityofNorthumbria andcompletedhertrainingatafrmin LeamingtonSpa.

PhilippaHerronhasbeenappointedasa solicitorintheemploymentdepartment atCleaverFultonRankin.MsHerron graduatedfromUlsterUniversitywith adegreeinlawandaMasteroflawsin accesstojustice.

LisaRobinsonhasbeenappointedhead ofclientservicesatvenYou,thebusiness workspaceprovider.Shehasworkedin itsfagshipbuilding,ScottishProvident Building,since2014asclientservices support.

CleaverFultonRankinhasappointedRyan Elliottasanassociateinitsprivateclient department.MrElliottisrecognisedas aleadingmatrimonialandfamilylaw solicitorinNorthernIreland.

LawfrmTLThasbolstereditslitigation offeringinNorthernIrelandwiththe additionofChristinaLishmanasmanaging associateinBelfast.

TanyaHedleyhasbeenappointedchairof Sentinus,theeducationalcharitywhich workswithmorethan60,000young peoplefromschoolsandcollegesacross NorthernIrelandeachyear.

1. Anewschemecalled Car,SupportingCare& CompassionatEndofLife InNursingHomes,has beenlaunchedinIreland. PicturedareDrStephanie O’Keeffe,KarenCharnley, JeanCallinan,MartyWhelan, SiobhanMcArdleand SiobhanMurphy.

2. StuartCordner,theDundonald retailerwhorunstheCordner’s SparontheComberRoad,is puttinghisbelovedRaleigh Chopperupforauctiontoraise moneyforCancerFundfor Children.

3. Catagenhaslaunchedfvenew advancedclimatetechnologies whichenabletheproductionof greenhydrogenande-fuelsthat couldhelpindustrysignifcantly reducecarbonemissions.Pictured arefoundersofCatagen,Dr Andrew WoodsandProfessorRoy Douglas.

4. InterTradeIrelandhas announcedthatintheyearto-dateitsprogrammesand initiativeshavegenerated £100minbusinessdevelopment valueforSMEs.Picturedare InterTradeIrelandchiefMargaret Heartyand TaoiseachMicheál Martin.

5. NorthernIreland’ssixfurther educationCollegeshavebeen placedinthetopfour regionsof theUK.Picturedare Worldskills BronzemedallistsJasonScottand CharlieCarsonwithNorth West RegionalCollegelecturerCarla Koch.

6. Queen’sManagement Schoolhasoffciallylaunched itsNISchools’Business Challenge2023.Pictured atRiddelHallarelast year’swinnersfromRainey EndowedSchool,Lewis Boyle,SaraHenderson,Mary PayneandShayShielswith ProfessorCiaranConnolly, NigelHarra,andBillyMoore.

OrrfromKillinchyin receives theinauguralRegionofMurcia MasterstrophyfromEstherGarcia ofthe TourismInstituteofthe RegionofMurcia.

8. EYNorthernIrelandhas announcedFriendsoftheCancer Centreasitscharityoftheyear. PicturedareNiallScullion,Emma McVeigh,Ana Wilkinson,and AlannaRichardson.

9. Heinekenhaslaunchedits DesignatedDrivercampaign inNorthernIreland, rewarding thoseinthedrivingseatwitha complementaryHeineken0.0 throughoutthefestiveperiod. PicturedarePaulO’Hare,Maura BradshawandGemmaHerdman.

10. PhoenixNaturalGashas announcedthatthecompanyhas receivedGoldlevelstandardinthe COREaccreditationfromBusiness intheCommunity.Picturedare KieranHardingandMichael McKinstry.

11. TheOdyssey Trusthas openedanewlearning centre,LifeatW5,aspart ofamajorextensiontoits missiontooffer‘Learning InnovationForEveryone’.

12. CleaverFultonRankinhas announcedfvepromotions. ThatincludesAnnaMcClimonds todirector,RachaelGambleto associatedirector,andShannon Clarketoseniorsolicitor,Brendan MartyntodirectorandGerald Bradleytoseniorsolicitor.

13. Ashleyand TerryBradley offciallyopentheirnewgallery spaceat VictoriaSquare, cementingafve-yearleasewith theBelfastshoppingcentreto 2027.

14.

15. Anewpartnershipbetween

Tina O’Dwyer,The TourismSpace, ScottHowes,KeepNIBeautiful andEimearCallaghan, TourismNI.

Catalystand Techstart Ventures calledCoFoundersisoffering10 entrepreneurialteamswhotake partthechancetoeachwina £10,000proofofconceptgrant. PicturedareKathleenGarrettand FionaBennington.

17. Translinkhasannouncedone millionjourneysmadeacross Metro servicesinBelfast.Pictured are JoannaMcArdle,director, BarclaysBank,ChrisConway, Translinkgroupchiefexecutive andNicolaMcCleery, headof transactionbanking,DanskeBank.

18. TheRICSboard inNorthern IrelandhasnominatedAir AmbulanceNI(AANI)asitschosen charityforthenextyear Pictured are Richard Steele,LisaO’Connor, DrSharonMcClementsDrRob Barclay

19. BigMotivehaslaunched its‘KidsFirst’ reportwhich aimstoguideandencourage organisationstocreatesaferonline anddigitalexperiencesforchildren andyoungpeople.Picturedare RachelOrr, StephenShawand MaíraRahme.

16. Threestudentsfrom theNOWGroup’sDigital Academyhavesuccessfully completed12-week placementswithDanske Bank.PicturedareStephen Matchett,DanskeBank, KarenSullivan,NOWGroup, Thomas,Mark,SeanHanna, NOWGroupandLiam Curran,DanskeBank.

20. FirmusenergychiefNiall Martindale,picturedalongsideHR managerandIIPlead,OlgaPollock withthecompany’s Investor’s in PeopleGoldaccreditation.

21. Testingcompany, Resonate Testinghas partneredwithIrish Governmentfundedtraining network,SpaceIndustry Skillnet,todeliverspecialised trainingontestingprocesses forcompaniesworkingwithin thespaceindustryinIreland.

22. LeadersfromacrossNorthern Ireland’sagri-foodsectorhave gatheredinCraigavonfora businessbreakfastevent,hosted byMcDonald’sUKandIreland. PicturedareBethHart,Danielle Brady,NealMcConeandJohn McCollum.

23. OpenreachNorthern Irelandhasmarkedasignifcant milestoneinitsnetworkbuildas its200,000thcustomerhasbeen connectedtofullfbrebroadband. PicturedareTheBarberCollective co-foundersBarryJohnstonand TravisMcWilliams.

24. GeoffHiggins,managing directorofDecision Time,and RebekahShearer,solicitorand companysecretaryattheIFA, announcethecontractwhichwill seetheAntrimfrm’ssoftware solutionshelpensureeffective governance.

25. TaoiseachMicheálMartinhas heardhowtheagriculturesector hasthepotentialtogobeyond carbonneutralandbecomean importantsolutiontotheglobal climatecrisisonavisittothe DevenishLandsatDowth.

Top100: Businessleadersgather tomarkanotheryearofsuccess

UlsterBusiness and A&LGoodbody welcomedsomeoftheleadersofour biggestcompanies,andspecialguestPaulNarain,USConsulGeneral,toaspecial lunchtomarkthelatestUlsterBusiness Top100NorthernIrelandCompanieslist

Ahostofbusinessleadershave cometogethertomarkthis year’s UlsterBusiness Top100 NorthernIrelandCompanieslistwithA&L Goodbody.

Thecelebratorylunch,whichwasheldinNiall McKenna’snew Waterman restaurantinthe heartofBelfast,alsoheardfromguestspeaker, USConsulGeneraltoNorthernIreland,Paul Narain.

Theevent–whichwashostedbytheBBC’s MarkSimpson–markedanotherstrongyear forthe Top100andtheperformanceof NorthernIreland’sbiggestandbestbusinesses.

“Onceagain,wewereencouragedthisyear bythecontinuedstrongperformanceof thecompaniesranked,withpre-taxprofts up46%yearonyearacrossthe Top100,” MichaelNeill,headofoffceatA&LGoodbody (ALG)inBelfasttoldthosegathered.

“Asleadingemployers,exportersand innovators,yourperformanceisoftenagood barometerofthehealthofthelocaleconomy andemergingtrendsacrosskeybusiness

sectorsinNorthernIreland.

“Alongsideyoursuccess,however,weareof coursemindfulthatweareontheprecipiceof a recession,andwhatexpertshavepredicted asbeingsomeofthemostchallenging economictimes.

“OurheightenedfocusatALGinthemonths ahead,therefore,willbeonhelpingour domesticandinternationalclientsnavigate thosechallenges.”

And UlsterBusiness editorJohnMulgrewcalled forthoseholdingupprogressandaworking Executiveto returntothetableandbegin governing.

“Itrulybelieve,despitebusinessshouting loudly,someofourpoliticianscontinuetolive inabubble,”hesaid.

“Ongoingpoliticalposturingandpointscoring continuestothedetrimentofsocietyasa whole,andoureconomy.

“Whileweallknowhowoftenfragileour politicalsystemishere,theongoinglackofa

workingdevolvedgovernmentisnothingbut badPRforNorthernIrelandasaplacetoinvest fromoutsidetheseshores.Ithinkeveryone herewouldagree,we’resickoftalkingaboutit andwantaction.”

Ahostofnewcompaniesmadethelatestlist, witharoundadozenbusinessesjoiningin 2022.Overall,pre-taxproftsamongthe Top 100 roseby46%toalmost£1.4bn,basedon previousaccounts.

Andthemajorityofthose resultshavetaken placeamidthebackdropofCovid-19.

“It remainsatruly remarkableshowcaseof resistance, resilienceandtheabilitytoadapt andpivot,”JohnMulgrewsaid.

AndspeakingaboutUStrade relations, MichaelNeillsaid:“TheUSisacritically importantmarketforNorthernIrelandand,as abusinesscommunity,weareproudtohave hadhadmanyUScompaniesinvestandsettle here,particularlyoverthepastdecade–many ofwhichwehavethepleasureofservingat A&LGoodbody,bothfromourBelfastoffce andUSoffces.” ■

MichaelNeillofA&LGoodbody addressesguestsatthe Top100 lunchat WatermaninBelfast

USConsulGeneraltoNorthernIreland, PaulNarainandMarkSimpsonduring afresidechatatthe Top100lunchat WatermaninBelfast

Guestsatthe Top100lunchat WatermaninBelfast

Art-lover’sdream inmagicalcity of Florence

Thereisadizzyingarrayofcultural highlightstoenjoyinthecityoflilies, writesfrst-timevisitor NiamhHoran

ItwasMark TwainwhosaidFlorence wasa“sighttostirthecoldestnature”. It’shardtoknowwheretostartwhen visitingsuchamagicalplace.Thecityof lilies,asitisknown,ishometoalmosta thirdoftheartworld’sUnesco-designated treasures.Asafrst-timevisitor,Iwas determinedtoseeasmanyofthemasI could.

MyfrststopwastheDuomoanditssparkling green,pinkandwhitemarblefacade.Iknew Florence’smosticonicchurchwouldbe beautiful–Ihadseenphotosinguidebooks–butstillittookmybreathawaywhenIturned thecornerandsawitforthefrsttime.

TheDuomotookcenturiestobuild,andthe out-of-the-boxthinkingofahot-headed goldsmithtoachieveitscrowningglory.Filippo Brunelleschiwasthemaverickwhoovercame derisiontodesigntheiconicdome–without theuseofscaffolding.

Hewassofrustratedbydemandstoseehis plansinadvancethatheproposedachallenge: onlyanarchitectwhocouldmakeanegg standuprightwithoutanysupportshouldget thecommission.

Engineersandarchitectsallattemptedbut tonoavail.WhenitwasBrunelleschi’sturn, hesimplycrackedtheeggandstoodthe

halfemptyshellonthetablebeforethem. Naturally,theotherarchitectsprotestedthat theyallcouldhaveeasilydonesuchasimple thing.Brunelleschi repliedthattheycould havebuiltthedome,too,ifheshowedthem how.

Althoughtheinteriorofthecathedralis relativelybarebycontrastwiththeornate facade,themagnifcentLastJudgmentfresco thatcoverstheundersideofthedomeand spectacularstained-glasswindowsbyGhiberti, Gaddi,Donatello,AndreadelCastagnoand Santidi Titooffermomentsofgrandeur.And that’sbeforeyouclimbthe463stepsofthe dometotakeintheastonishingview.

Intheadjoiningmuseum,theMuseo dell’OperadelDuomo,youcanadmirethe formerdoorsofFlorence’sBaptisteryofSan Giovanni–soexquisiteMichelangelolikened themtothe“GatesofParadise”.

Donatello’slittleknown‘PenitentMagdalene’ isanothermust.Itlookslikeithasbeen hackedoutofwoodanditcauseduproarat thetimebecauseDonatellodepictedMaryas emaciated,haggardandoldforthefrsttime inhistory.

Thenextstoponmyartadventurewasthe world-famousUffzigallery,whereevery roomthrowsupanother“wow”moment.

There’sBotticelli’s‘TheBirthof Venus’,inallits shimmeringbrilliance,andtheexquisiteminute detailofhis‘Primavera’masterpiece.

IalsosoughtoutDa Vinci’s‘Annunciation’, Michelangelo’s‘Doni Tondo’,Gentileschi’s ‘JudithBeheadingHolofernes’and Titian’s ‘VenusofUrbino’,oneofthemostprovocative nudesatthetimebecauseshelooksdirectlyat theviewerratherthancoylyturningaway.

OverattheAcademiayouwillfnd Michelangelo’s‘David’,themostcelebrated sculptureintheworld.Michelangelowasonly 26whenhefnishedcarvingitfromasingle blockofCarraramarble.Ittook40menfour daystotransportithalfamilethroughthe streetsovergreasedpoles.

Allthissight-seeingcanleaveyoufeeling peckishandofcourse,Florenceisa gastronomicparadise.There’safantasticfood hall,MercatoCentrale,withbountifulstallsof cheese,sushi,seafood,curedmeatsandItalian dessertsfromlocalfarmsandfoodartisans.

TheEnotecawineshop,nestledinthecorner, sellssomeofthemostsought-afterwines forafractionoftheprice. We stoppedoff foroystersandaglassofchampagnebefore turningtosomeshopping.

Florenceboaststwobustlingoutdoor markets.TheSanLorenzoMarketandthe MercatoNuovo,whichhasoperatedsincethe Renaissance.Theyoverfowwithbags,jackets, beltsandotherleathergoodsbutbewarned: youwillneedtodoyour researchtodistinguish betweenhigh-qualityleatherandtheinferior kind.

Withitscobblestonestreets,youcouldspend daysjustwanderingaroundFlorenceandfnd someofthemostinterestingofferingsonthe sidestreets. Youcannevergetlostwiththe Duomovisiblefromsomuchofthecitycentre andyou’llfndperfectgiftslikehandmade marbleornamentstobringhomefromyour trip.

We ateattheSE:STOonArnoRooftopon thesixthfoorofThe WestinExcelsiorHotel, whereweenjoyedspectacular360degree viewsandfoodtodiefor.I’mstilldreamingof theirhomemadetagliatellewith roasted Tuscan rabbitandseasonaltruffe.

Butit’sthevibrantatmospherethatmakesthis awinnerifyouarelookingforagreatvibe whileoutfordinneranddrinks.

Istayedatthefve-starhotel,whichis convenientlylocatedalongthenorth bankoftheArnoRiverandclosetoallthe popularsights,includingthePonte Vecchio–Florence’sfamousbridgewithitsjewellersand goldsmiths.

We madethemostofourriverviewbysitting outontheterraceeachnightforpre-dinner drinkswhilelisteningtothechurchbellsring outoverthecityasthesunset.Sheerparadise.

Oneother restaurantgemIshouldmention –frequentedbycelebritiessuchasGwyneth Paltrow,PlácidoDomingoandStanley Tucci–is OsteriaDelPavone.

We stoppedbyforyetanotherhelping oftruffepastaandchiantiaftertakingin someofthecity’sbestviewsonthePiazzale Michelangelo.HighaboveFlorence,thisis wheretouristsfockto,toseethesunsetin ablazeoforange,pinkandgoldoverthe famous red rooftops.

I’d recommendVIP’sbartomakethisaneven moreenjoyableexperienceoverAperolspritz andlightbites.Justmakesureyougetthere earlytogetagoodtable.

Whenthecheerswentupfromnearbycrowds whohadalsogatheredtowatchthesunset overthecity’sfamousskyline,Ifoolishlyasked ourwaiterwhypeoplewerecelebrating.

Heshookhisheadasifitwasthemost obviousanswerintheworld:“Becauseit’sjust sobeautiful.” ■

NewiPadProboasts morecomputingpower thanmanylaptops

Adrian Weckler getshandsonwithApple’slatestiPad Prowhichoffersupahostofhigh-endfeaturesandmore rawpowerthanthevastmajorityoflaptopsoutthere

I’malong-termconverttoApple’siPad Profordoingworkstuff.Iemployitto filestories,usecompanysoftware,do Zoomcalls,storedocuments,accessfiles fromexternaldrives,watchmovies,edit photos(andvideos)andeverythingelse you’dexpectofawork-focusedlaptop thatyoualsouseforyourdowntime.

WithaccessoriesliketheMagicKeyboard,the iPadProhasbeen–forme–oneofthebest, mostflexible,laptopsyoucanbuyforsome time.

Thelatest12.9-inchmodel,usingApple’sM2 chip,makesitoneofthemostpowerful,too. ThisupdatediPadProhasmorerawpower thanthevastmajorityoflaptopsoutthere.

Thereisaquestionofwhatthispowercan beusedfor.Forthework routinesIhave,it’s marginaloverlastyear’sM1model,oreven the2020modelwithitsA12zprocessor.

Andinusingittheselastfewweeks,there haveonly reallybeenoneortwothingsI’ve noticed.

ThemainoneisinusingApple’sPencilstylus. Itnowhasa‘hover’featurethatshowsyou wherethetipofthePencilisgoingtoconnect ontheiPadPro’sscreenonceit’swithina centimetreofit.Thisisprobablymostuseful tographicsprofessionalsandartists,for whomamisjudgedmillimetreeitherway cansullyaproject.Formypart,Ifounditto bemarginallyusefulfordigitalsignatures wherethesignaturefieldwasverytightor constrained.

WhileIhaven’tdemonstrablyseenthe additionalpoweroftheM2processorinmy work routines,it’swortha reminderofwhat theyare.Inshort,it’sasimilarupgradeaswith theM1MacBookPrototheM2MacBookPro.

Soyou’llnoticeitifyou’redealingwithbig filesorparticularlygraphics-heavyprocesses. Thisisbecauseyounowhavearoundtwice thememorybandwidthastheM1model, witha35%boosttotheGPUanda15% jumpintheCPU.

There’salsoanupdatedmediaengine,which cannowdealwithProResRawfootageand processitfairlyquickly.

Therearesomeminorspecificationtweaksto thecameras,too.The rearonecannowdo ProResat30fpsin4K,whilethefront-facing lenshasbeenupgradedtoSmartHDR4.

Thewi-fistandardhasalsobeenslightly upgraded,from Wi-Fi6to Wi-Fi6E.

Otherwise,thereisn’tmuchelsethat’sdifferent fromlastyear’sM1model.

Insomeways,theM2iPadPro12.9istaking alittlebreatherfromthejumpinspecifcations wesawinlastyear’sM1model.Butallof thoseupgradesstillfeelfreshtoday.

The‘liquid retinaXDR’display,forexample,is absolutelystunning–betterthanmosthighendtelevisionsyou’llseeinshopstoday.Its mini-LEDtechnologyandhighdynamicrange makewatchingvideoamuchbetterexperience thanonalmostanyotherlaptoportabletI’ve tested.(ThisgoesdoubleifyouhaveAirPods, whichsupportspatialaudio.)Andit’sniceand bright,too,hittinganoutdoor-friendly1,000 nitsor1,600nitsatpeakforthingslikephotos andvideos.

Thefourspeakersbuiltintothedevice complementthehigh-enddisplaynicely;this isoneofthefewtabletsorlaptopswhere youcancomfortablywatchamoviewithout needingheadphonesforqualityaudio.

It’salsooneofthefewdeviceswhereyou don’tneedaseparateUSB-Cmicrophone forhigh-qualityvoicecapture–thefve

microphonesbuiltinareexcellent.

There’smoreRam(upto16GB)andstorage (upto2TB)thanpriorto2021.5Gisalso availableonthecellularmodels,althoughIdo wonderaboutthepopularityofthisoptionin Ireland,giventhatanyonecanhotspottheir iPhonewithnear-unlimitedamountsofdata onmoststandardphoneplans.(TheeSim optionisveryhandywhentravellingoutside theEU,though.)

AndtheUSB-C(Thunderbolt3andUSB4) connectivity,togetherwithiPadOS’sflemanagementandcursor-friendlycompatibility, alsocutsoutmostofthefrictionthatwas thereforalotofpeopleconsideringaswitch overfromaMacBookor Windowslaptop.That USB-Cport(facilitatedbyiPadOS)alsoletsyou connectaProDisplayexternalmonitoratupto 6K resolution.

Thenthere’stheMagicKeyboardwhich,while pricey,wasagame-changerforproductivity withtheiPadPro.It’sbasicallythesameasthe MacBookAirM2’skeyboard.

Therearetwo rearcamerasontheiPadPro 12.9M2,a12-megapixelwidelensanda

Price: from£1,249

Pros: verypowerful, gorgeousdisplay, goodbatterylife,great accessories

Cons: front-facing camerastillovertothe sidewhenusedasa laptop,verypriceydue toeurozoneinfation

10-megapixelultrawidelens.There’salsoa Lidarscanner,whichisusefulforaugmented realityapps,whichIonlyoccasionallydipinto. Thefront-facing10-megapixel TrueDepth cameraisfne,but representsoneofonlytwo only realquibblesIhaveaboutthisdevice.

Forme,thislensis(still)inthe‘wrong’place foranyonewhousestheiPadPro12.9asa laptop.It’shalfwaydowntheleftside,aplace thatmightoncehavebeenconsideredthe ‘top’ofthedevice,backwhentabletswere mostlyheldinthehandlikelargesmartphones.

Applehasacknowledgedtheissue,somewhat, initsmost recentiPaddesign(see reviewon independent.ie).Onthatdevice,ithasplaced thefront-facingcameralensinthesame positionasyou’dfnditonmostlaptops, makingwork-relatedcallsmuchmorenatural looking.

Theotherslightdownsideistheunfortunate disparityinpricingbetweentheEUandUS. Theentry-levelforthisyear’sM2iPadPro12.9 hasnowshotupto£1,249.Thisispurely downtothefallinthevalueoftheeuro comparedwiththedollar.

Evenstill,ifyouhavethemoney,thisisa gorgeouswork-and-playdevice.

It’sahigh-endmachinethat’sasgood,or better,thanmostlaptopsforthemajorityof dailycomputingtasksfacedbymostpeople.

Uncovering the9-5

NAME: SineadDoyle

POSITION: FounderofBelfastbrandand marketingconsultancySDCreate

6.30am

Ihaven’talwaysbeenamorningpersonbut something’sshiftedinthelastfewyears.A reformednightowl,Inowwakeearly,usually withoutanalarm.IfIcan,Iliketosleepwith theblindsopenandwaketonaturallight,but myhusbandisn’tsokeen.Acupofhotwater, plusmychiropractorenforcedstretchesstart mydayeachmorning,beforeItakeashower, getdressedand readyforthedayahead.My New Year’s resolutionistostartintegratinga swimorwalkinthiswindow,makingthemost ofmyearlystarts.

7.30am

Myworkdaybeginswithcoffee.When workingfromhome,Iliketomakea cafetierewithfreshlygroundbeansfrom localfavourites,EstablishedorLucidCoffee, whilecheckinginontheday’sheadlines, clientsocialinboxes,coverageandcampaign performance.I’veestablishedabaseofgreat

clients,workingwithbrilliantbrandsincluding theOdyssey Trust,BelfastGiants,TheSSE Arena,Belfast,W5, VictoriaSquare,TheFriend atHand,PowersIrishWhiskey, WestCoast CoolerandMalfyGin.Collaboratingwithgreat peopleanddoingcreativeworkmakesme wanttogetoutofbedinthemorning.

8am

Oncethecoffeekicksin,Iliketoclearmy emails–faganyurgenciesandplanmy prioritiesfortheday.Whenworkingon chunkiercopywritingorcreativemarketing projects,Iliketogetaheadstartonwriting earlierinthemorning,whenIhavefocused time,beforethephonestartsringingand emailsbeginpingingthrough.

10am

Breakfastisusuallyabowlofporridge,with ateaspoonofpeanutbutterorBiscoffspread aroundmid-morning.Atthispoint,I’musually startingtogetintomoreofthestrategic planningandprojectmanagementwork, catchingupwithclientsonemailandcalls, talkingwithmediacontacts,pitchingstories tojournalists,andplanningeventsandbrand activations.

12pm

SinceIlaunchedthebusinesslastAugust,

I’vebeguntoestablishanetworkoftrusted associatesandfreelancecontentcreators, PRandmarketingprofessionalstowork alongsidemeonarangeofclientprojects andcampaigns.Ihave regularcheck-ins withassociatesthroughouttheday,butthe middaypointseemstobeapopulartimefor meetingforcoffee,orcatch-upcalls.Helping brandsandbusinessesconnectwiththeir audiencesinameaningfulway–tellingtheir stories,creatingconversationsandbuilding communitiesiswhatdrivesme.

1pm

WithmanyofmyclientsbasedinBelfast,Iam inandoutofthecitycentremostdayswith afternoonsflledwithamixofcontentshoots, meetings,strategysessions,mediapitching andcampaignplanning.Betweenmeetings, Icanoftenbefoundhotdeskingintothe afternooninvariousdifferentcafes,The DarkHorse,TheNationalandBullittbeing frmfavourites.It’snicetomixupthequick soupandtoastlunchesthatarethenormat hometoo.I’mluckytohavebeenaccepted ontotheUlsterBankAcceleratorprogramme andaspartoftheprogramme,Ihaveaccess toagreatco-workinghubinUlsterBank’s headquartersatDonegallSquareEast.Iliketo workfromacoupleofdaysaweek.It’sagreat collaborativespace,whereIcanconnectwith otherfounders.Havingthefexibilitytowork whenIwant,whereIwantisdefnitelyoneof theperksofrunningyourownbusiness.

4pm

Itrytowrapupanythingthat requires clientsignoffbymid-afternoon,thenit’s ontoplanningaheadforthedayandweek ahead,makingsureactivityanddeliverables areontrack,beforetakingabitoftimeto decompress,thinkaboutdinner,andclearmy head.

8pm

Afterdinner(ifIdon’thaveanevent,orbrand activationtomanageorattend),Iusuallypick backuponemails,planningorcopywriting that requiresmorefocusedtime.It’shardto havean‘offbutton’whenyourunyourown business,butIdotrytodowntools,watcha bitoftelevisionwithmyhusband,or reada littlebeforebedaround11.30pm.