Ulster Business June 2023

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Mixedbag but growth on horizon

If thelatestlocalelectionshave taughtusanythingit’s that a return to a stable,workinggovernmentstill remains a priorityformany

There’s talkonthegrapevinethatwecould see a return to a workingExecutiveafter thesummer Ifthat’s thecase,thenit’s tobe welcomed.

Butitshouldn’t havetakenusmore than a yeartogetthere.Thepoliticalposturinghas goneonlongenough.

Lookingattheeconomyas a whole,it’s a mixedpicture.Itappearswe’re going toavoidentering recessionaryterritory for2023as a whole,accordingto UlsterUniversity, butgrowthisminimal. Meanwhile,pricesstill remainhigh

alongsideinputcostsandtheBankof Englandhasraisedinterestratesonceagain, withfurtherrisespredictedoverthenext fewmonths.

However, thelatestPMIsurveyfromUlster Bankpointsto a third successivemonthin increasedoutputfromourprivatesector, showingsomesignsofgeneralpositivity

WelcometotheJuneeditionof Ulster Business Thismonth’s coverstoryfeatures CarlHashimofNIENetworks,speaking abouttheorganisation’s ambitiousplansto spendmore than£3bnin revitalisingand boostingthepowernetworkhere asweall headtowards a netzero energyfuture.

I alsospeaktoNicholaMallon,former ministerturnedpolicychiefforLogisticsUK,

PavelBarterinterviewsUlsterFarmers’Union presidentDavidBrownandEmmaDeighan looksattheskillsgaps,andwhyboosting thenumberofwomeninkey rolescould helpsolvemanyofourissues.

We’re alsonowunderwaywithourbig, bumpersummer Top 100edition.

Thisspecialeditionchartstheperformance ofNorthern Ireland’s largestcompanies andshowcasesthewiderbreadthoffrms workingwithourbiggestbusinesses.It remains a keypartofourcalendar

Ifyou’dliketobeinvolvedgetintouchwith mycolleagueJudithMartinonthecontact detailsbelow ■

JohnMulgrew

Publisher UlsterBusiness c/oMediahuisUKLtd

Belfast TelegraphHouse,33ClarendonRoad, ClarendonDock,BelfastBT13BG

Printer W&GBaird

GreystonePress,CaulsideDrive, AntrimBT412RS www.wgbaird.com

Editor JohnMulgrew

Advertising JudithMartin,j.martin@mediahuis.co.uk,07765183176

Graphicdesign SusanMcClean,MediahuisIrelandDesignStudio

Coverphoto WilliamCherry/PressEye

@ulsterbusiness www.ulsterbusiness.com

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MediahuisUKLtd©2023.Allrights reserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybe reproduced,storedina retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyform, orbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,orotherwisewithoutthepriorpermissionofMediahuis.

A month innumbers Northern Ireland to avoid recessionin 2023 says report

950

Thenumberofnew jobsbeingcreatedby carehomebusiness HealthcareIreland.

0.1% Thepredictedgrowth acrosstheNorthern Irelandeconomyin 2023.

£3bn Theproposed investmentfromNIE Networksacrossthe energynetworkhere.

£374m TurnoveratITservices giantKainos,whichis upalmostaquarter.

NorthernIrelandlookssettoavoida recessionthisyearbutgrowthwill remainlowin2023,anew report hassaid.

Outputhereisexpectedtoseeamarginal boostofaround0.1%,accordingtothelatest reportfromtheUlsterUniversityEconomic PolicyCentre.

It’spredictingthataround45,300newjobs willbecreatedbetweennowand2023,and sayslongerterm“prospectsmaybemore positive…withthesigningofthe Windsor Frameworkandimproved relationsmore generallybetweentheUKandEU”.

ItsayswhileafunctioningExecutivewillbe seenasapriority,itdoesnot“alleviatethe diffcultdecisionsthatneedtobetaken”.

Overall,economicperformancehasbeen morepositivethanpreviouslyforecast,but remainsachallengingenvironmentto remain inshorttomediumterm,the reportsays.

“Despitetheverychallengingeconomic environmentwith‘stickier’infationand increasinginterestrates,thelocaleconomyhas provedtobealotmore resilientthanmany hadanticipatedatthebeginningoftheyear

andthemostlikelyoutcomeisthata recession willbeavoided,butgrowthwill remainlow thisyear,”GarethHetherington,directorofthe UlsterUniversityEconomicPolicyCentre,said.

“Thereisunderstandablyalotoffocuson a returningExecutiveandtheimpactofthe latestbudgetsettlement,butpeoplemust understandthatthenextthreetofveyears isgoingtobeaverychallengingtimetobea politicianwhoevertakesthosedecisions.

“TheIrishGovernmenthaditsbudgetary dayof reckoningafterthefnancialcrisis andtheyestablishedanExpenditureReview Committee,orAnBordSnipasitwasknown, totakeastrategicapproachtoidentifying spendingprioritiesandimportantlyareas wherefundingshouldcease.Thecurrentcrisis representsourbudgetarydayof reckoning andweshouldbetakingasimilarstrategic approachtoidentifyingpriorities.”

Themodest0.1%growthissimilartothe predictedsmallincreaseofaround0.2%across theUKasawhole.

Intermsoffutureeconomicgrowthand to“supportamoredynamicandhigher value-addedeconomy”,the reportsuggests policyareascouldincludetargetingsupport atmoreknowledge-intensiveentrantswithin lowerproductivity,understandingobstacles preventingstart-upsinhigherproductivity sectorsandaccessingcapitalandaskilled labourforce.

“Thechallengesofattractingtalent havebeenbrewingforsometime,”Mr Hetheringtonsaid.

“Althoughthegrowthintheworking agepopulationhasbeenslowingforovera decade,thefalloutfromthefnancialcrisis meantthattherewassignifcantsupplyinthe labourmarketandtheproblemswerenot immediatelyobvious.

“However,asweemergefromthe pandemicthelabourmarketismuchtighter andthenumberofyoungpeopleleaving educationisnotgrowingatapacesuffcientto fllvacanciesintheeconomy.”

ByJohnMulgrew

GarethHetherington

Logisticssector facing ‘very turbulent time’

NorthernIreland’slogisticssectorisfacinga“veryturbulent time”butiswelcomingprogressontheWindsor Frameworkwith“cautiousoptimism”,it’sbeenclaimed.

NicholaMallon,formerinfrastructureminister,isnowboastsatop

roleinaprivatesectorindustry rolewithLogisticsUK–alobbygroup andbody responsibleforourhaulageandlogisticssector.

She’sjoininganorganisation responsibleforoverseeinganindustry whichhasendureda“verychallenging”timesincethepandemic,and inthewakeofinfation,ongoingpost-EUarrangementsandsoaring inputcosts.

“Ourmembersandtheindustryhavecomethroughaveryturbulent time–Covid,Brexitandsupplychaindisruption,”shesays.“You alsohaveongoingimpactssuchasthewarinUkraineandpolitical volatility…therearealotoffnancialpressuresonourmembersaside fromtheirday-to-dayoperatingcosts.”

Andonthe WindsorFrameworkshesaysthegeneraltakeamong membersis“cautiouslyoptimistic”.

“Some79%offrmssaidtheywereverysupportiveoftheFramework beingannouncedandsigned,buttheywantedtoseethedetailand operationaloutworkings.”

Andshesaysthe“legofthestoolwhichismissing”innothavingour Executiveupandrunning.

“Ithinkit’simportant,”shesays.“…onelegofthatstoolismissing andthatmeanswearenotabletomaketheprogresswhichwewould liketomake–whetherit’sinfrastructureprojects,publicchargingor planning reform.”

Readthefullinterviewonpage32-33

NicholaMallon

Publicsector reform andboostedair routes ‘willhelpgrow Northern Ireland’s economy’

access,andemergingclustersinnewindustries liketech,cyber-security,andhealthandlife sciences.Butthereissomuchmorewecan achieveifwegetthefundamentalbuilding blocksinplace.

“Thingslikeensuringpoliticalstability atStormont,fxingourplanningsystem tofacilitatespeedierconstructionofmajor capitalinfrastructureprojects,investingin oureducationalinstitutionstoensureour workforceofthefuturehastherightskillsand competencies,capitalisingonourdualmarket access,and reformingourpublicsectorto removeourdependenceonit.

The reformofourpublicsector alongwithadditionalinvestment inuniversitiesandcuttingor reducingtaxessuchastourism VATandair passengerdutycouldactaskeyblueprints tohelpgrowNorthernIreland’seconomy, it’sbeenclaimed.

TradeNIhaslaunchedanew report, alongsideBDONI,whichlooksatNorthern Ireland’seconomictransformationoverthelast decades.

Itwaslaunchedtoa receptionofmorethan 200businessleaders,seniorCabinetministers, 80MPs,andpolicymakersataneventat Westminster.

Amongitsproposalsitsuggestsallowing businessesaccesstoApprenticeshipLevy cash,settingupa‘skillstaxcredit’scheme,

Quotes of the month

abolishingairpassengerduty, reducing VATon tourism,boostinggroundandairconnectivity andcapitalisingonourdualmarketaccess.

TradeNI,whichisanallianceof ManufacturingNI,RetailNIandHospitality Ulster,said:“Thisisablueprintforeconomic growthandprosperityforNorthernIreland.

“Whileitalsolooksbackand recognises howfarwehavecomeoverthepast25years, ourdocumentisaboutapathtogreater economicsuccessoverthenextdecadeand beyond. We wantNorthernIrelandtobethe verybestplaceintheUKtolocate,startand scaleupabusiness.

“NorthernIrelandhasvastuntapped potential. We haveaskilledworkforce,a steadypipelineoftalentfromourhigherand furthereducationinstitutions,dualmarket

“Thefactthatthisisthelargestever NorthernIrelandtrademissionto Westminster provestheinterestthatthereisinour region. Theseeventsareaboutsellingapositive messageofNorthernIrelandtopotential investorsandkeydecisionmakersfromthe Government,Parliament,andtheglobal diplomaticcommunity,andensuringthat theprosperitypromisedbytheGoodFriday Agreementbecomesa realityinthecoming years.”

VickyDavies,chiefexecutiveofDanske Bank,oneofthesponsorsoftheevent,said: “Thereisalotofglobalgoodwillforour region andcontinuedsupportfromthosewhocould infuencethefuturegrowthofoureconomyis soimportant.

“Wemustharnesstheopportunityinfront ofus,ensuringapathissetthatwillallow ustobethebestwecanbeoverthenext25 years.”

GarethHetheringtonof UlsterUniversityspeaking aboutourpublicfnances.

UlsterBankchiefeconomist inNorthernIreland,Richard Ramsey,onthebank’slatest PMI report.

RoseannKelly,chief executiveof Womenin Business,inthiseditionof UlsterBusiness speaking abouttheskillsgapshere.

GlynRoberts, RetailNI, StephenKelly, ManufacturingNI andColinNeill, HospitalityUlster

“Thecurrent crisis represents ourbudgetar y day of reckoning andwe shouldbe takinga similar strategic approach to identifying priorities.”

“Budget cuts and a scaling back of publicserviceswill alsohaveimplications for parts of the private sector too.”

“The employment rate for femalesinNIhasbeen consistently lower than for males over the past10years.

Local food production ‘shouldbe priority’ inbid to lower emissions

Producinglocalfoodshould remain apriorityforNorthernIrelandina bidtoloweremissionsandit“makes nosense”inbringingfoodfromtheother sideoftheworld,thepresidentofthe UlsterFarmers’Unionhassaid.

DavidBrownbelievesthatthinkinglocal, andthwartingthetrendtoimportcheap foodfromaroundtheworld,willhelpclimate concerns.

“TheUKisonly60%self-suffcientinfood. That’sapointwe’vemadetimeandagain.

OuremissionsinthewholeofIrelandareless thanhalftheglobalaverage,soitmakesno sensetobringfoodfromtheothersideofthe worldthatwecanproducelocallywithlower emissions.”OneofDavid’scentralgoalsisto movethenotionoffoodsecuritytothetopof theagendaamongstpolicymakers.

“The WestminstergovernmentandtheUK hasfordecadeshadacheapfoodpolicy.The commonagriculturepolicywastosupport incomesandthereforedelivercheapfood.”

Likemanyotherbusinesses,farmersmust nowcontendwithcrypticarrangementswithin the WindsorFramework,accordingtoDavid Brown.

MrBrownsaidhetoldPrimeMinisterRishi Sunakduringameetingthatthe“Windsor Frameworkdoesn’tdoanythingtosolvethe veterinarymedicinecircumstance”.

“ThePrimeMinister’s responsewas,‘Well, wehaveamuchbetter relationshipnowwith theEU. We havethreeyearstonegotiateand getthisright’”.

Readthefullinterviewonpage63-66

DavidBrown

Sinn Feinnow largest party inlocal government

SinnFeinhasbecomethelargestparty inlocalgovernmentafter a surgein supportand a gainofalmost40new seats.

Itgained39seats,givingit a totalof144, winningseatsineverycouncilareaexceptfor ArdsandNorthDown.In2019it returned105 councillors.

SinnFeinemergedasthelargestpartyin Belfast,MidUlster, DerryandStrabane,Newry, MourneandDownandArmagh,Banbridge andCraigavon.

ItwillalsohaveoverallcontrolofFermanagh andOmaghafterwinning21outof40seats.

TheDUPhas122seats,itsfrst-preference voteshare decreasingbylessthan1%.Leader JeffreySirDonaldsoninsistedthatallthings considered,hispartypolledstrongly Lasttime roundin2019,theDUPalsohad122seats.

Thepartywillbethelargestgroupingin CausewayCoastandGlens,Lisbur n and

Castlereagh,MidandEastAntrim,Antrimand NewtownabbeyandArdsandNorthDown.

TheAlliancePartyisalsocelebrating a good election,with67councillorsandgaining 14seats,includingitsfrstcouncilseatsin Ballymoney, FermanaghandLimavady, as themovetowards a three-partysystemlooks increasinglylikely

BoththeUlsterUnionistsandtheSDLPtook a hit,withtheUUPlefton54afterlosing21 seats,andtheSDLPlosing20and retaining39 seats.

SinnFeinendedupwith a 30.9%(+7.7%) share ofthevote,followedby23.3%(-0.8) fortheDUP, 13.3%(+1.8)forAlliance,10.9% (-3.2)fortheUUPand8.7%(-3.3)forthe SDLP

TheTUVmanagedtowinnineseats – fve inMidandEastAntrim,twoinCauseway CoastandGlensandoneeachinBelfastand Armagh,BanbridgeandCraigavon – on a

3.9%(+1.7)voteshare,whiletheGreenParty camebackwithfve,attracting1.7%ofthe vote,down0.4%.GreenPartyleaderMal O’Harafailedtoget re-electedinBelfast.

SinnFeinStormontleaderMichelleO’Neill describedthe results,whichsawherparty makebreakthroughsinLisbur n City, Coleraine andBallymena,as“momentous”.

ShesaidSinnFein’s successintheelections hadsent a clearsignalthatvoterswantedthe Assemblyupandrunning,andthattheDUP’s boycott“cannotgoon”.

“These resultsarea positiveendorsementof SinnFein’s messagethatworkers,familiesand communitiesneedtobesupported,andthat theblockingof a newAssemblybyoneparty mustend,”shesaid.

“We expecttoseeanearlymeetingofthe BritishIrishIntergovernmentalConference.The boycottoftheAssemblycannotgoonandan Executivemustbeformed.”

SinnFein’sMichelleO’Neill, MaryLouMcDonaldand ConorMurphy

Third ofmajor ofce block up for rent amid hybrid working

Onethirdofa£30mBelfastcity centreoffceblockoccupiedbya majortechemployerisnowupfor rentasbusinessesdownsizespacedueto hybridworking.

AndineastBelfast,theformeroffcesof techgiantFujitsuhavebeen re-advertisedfor saleat a 9%discounton a £2.75masking priceof18monthsago.

Fiveyearsago,Allstate’s newoffceswere openedatMaysMeadownexttoLanyonPlace Stationat a costof£30m,anddescribedasNI’s biggestnewoffcedevelopmentfor15years. Butthefrstandsecondfoorare now availabletolet.

A spokeswomanforAllstateinNI,which providesbusinesssupporttoitsinsurerparent companyintheUS,saidithadnocommentto

makeonthedecisiontoletoutthespace. Itfollows a decisionbythebusinessto giveupits30,000sqftoffceinStrabanethis month,whentheleaseonthebuildingexpired. Ithas2,200employeesacrossNorther n Ireland,withoffcesinNorthlandRoadin Londonderry Butitpreviouslyabandonedplans tomoveintothenew52,000sqftEbrington PlazabuildinginDerry

ByMargaretCanning

Kainosseessalessoar by 24%

Kainoshasseensalesshootupby almostaquarterinthelastyear,it hasemerged.

Stronginternationalsaleshavehelpedpropela 13thconsecutiveyearofgrowth.

TheBelfast-basedITservicesbusinessboosted itsturnoverby24%year-on-yearto£374.8m inthe12monthsendingMarch31,2023.

Andglobalsaleshavegrownfrom£3mback in2015,whenitbecamethefrstNorthern IrelandbusinesstobelistedontheFTSE250, to£132minthelatestfnancialyear.

“Overathirdofourbusinessnowcomesfrom EuropeandtheUS,”BrendanMooney,group chiefexecutive,said.

“We’reveryproudofourfoundingstory inBelfastbutweareincreasinglyaglobal business,sowe’redelightedwiththatprogress overthelast12months.”

Adjustedpre-taxprofts roseby15%to

£67.6macrossKainos’threedivisionsof digitalservices, Workdayservicesand Workday products.

Employeenumbershaveincreasedby11% year-on-yearto2,990staffbasedin22 countries,andplans remainonscheduleto movethefrm’sBelfastworkforceintonew headquartersatBankmoreSquareby2026.

StudentaccommodationforQueen’sUniversity isalsotobehousedonthedevelopment, withKainosnot requiringthewholesitebut keentoexertinfuenceonanoverallproject benefttingtheBelfastcityscape.

“Westillhavearathermodestoffce attendanceinBelfastattheminute,”Mr Mooneysaid.“Only17%oftheworkforce comeintotheoffceonanygivendayandthat dropsonaMondayandFriday.”

Thetechfrmencouragesyounger employeesstartingoutontheircareersto comeintotheoffceabitmore,hesaid, butKainosis“relaxed”aboutcontinuingto

operateahybrid-workingmodel.

“It’swhatpeoplewantandthey’redoinga superjob,”hesaid.

Thegroupwillcontinuetogrowitsworkforce inBelfastandDerry.“It’sanimportantsource oftalent,”MrMooneysaid.“It’simportantto usasalocalbusinesstooffergreatcareersto greattalentinthelocalmarketaswell.”

Internationalsaleshaveclimbedby52% overthelastyearto35%oftotal revenue andincludesuchimpactfulprojectsasAI analysistoaidtheUnitedNationsInternational OrganizationforMigrationinitsallocationof resourcestoaidtensofmillionsofdisplaced people.

Commercialsectorcustomers,meanwhile, generatehalfof revenueforKainos,risingby 51%to£186.4m.

Ananticipateddropsawhealthcare revenues fallby24%to£138m,whilepublicsector sales roseby24%to£138m. ■

BrendanMooney ofKainos

HYDRATION

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HydrationHubofferscoolerunitsand vendingunitsthatprioritisehealthy,accessible hydration–encouraginghealthierdrinking habitsandofferingconveniencefor‘onthe go’,chilledlowcalorie,zerosugarbeverages, richinvitaminsandminerals.

Today’sbusy,fastpacedlifestylemeansit’s moreimportantthanevertostayhydrated forlonger.It’seasytodevelop‘badhabits’ drinkinghighsugarorhighcaffeine-based beveragesforaseemingly‘quickhit’ofenergy. However,insomecases,‘energydrinks’lead tochronicdehydrationandanunhealthy dependencycausingadetrimentalimpacton anindividual’sphysicalandmentalwellbeing.

IntroducingHydrationHubcoolerunits

Youjustcannotbeatadrinkofcool,Natural Spring Water.Asmothernatureintendedour premiumIrishspringwaterhaszeroadditives andisrichinnaturalmineralcontentand electrolytes. WithapHof7.8itisnaturally balancedtoworkwithyourbodyofferingthe best‘hydrationhit’justwhenitsneeded.

Atwork,atplay,anytime,thesehighlyversatile unitsoffertheverybestindesignqualityand reliability.Noneedtoworryaboutplumbing–thisisa,‘pluginandplay’,hydrationsolution.

We arepassionateaboutourplanetandthe resourcesitprovides.Clearer Waterisavailable withinHydrationHubCoolerUnits,ensuring thenaturalspringwaterisprovidedina ‘return, refll, reuse’format.

UsingouruniquelybrandedCoolerUnits,we offerafullyservicedsupplysolutioncollecting andcleaningemptybottles, refllingand returningtoyoufor reuse.Minimisingsingle useplasticand reducingwaste.Ourunitsare servicedandcleanedquarterly.HydrationHub coolerunitsareavailablein15and19litres bottles.

Clearer Water–waterthathelpspeople OurunitsaresuppliedwithClearer Water. Clearer Waterisalocallysourcednatural springwaterbottledatMagheramorneonthe northeastcoastofIreland.Ourwaterisrich innaturallyoccurringmineralsandisnaturally alkalinewithapH7.8.

Clearer Waterisasocially responsibleemployer andchampionsamixedabilityworkforce, providingtrainingandcareerdevelopmentfor additionalneedsandsociallydisadvantaged youngpeople.

Clearer WaterisfullySALSAaccredited.This meansyoucanhavetotalconfdenceinthe foodstandardsprocesseswehaveinplaceto bottlethiswaterandensuretraceability.

RossLazaroo-Hood,globalchiefexecutive, ClearerGroup,says:“Weareproudtobring thenextHydrationHubrangethroughour highspecBoschcoolerunitstogetherwithour fagshipethicalClearer Wateravailablein15 and19litres.

“Needingtodrinkwaterisessentialtous all. To ensureyouareconstantlyhydrated, makedrinkingwaterconvenient.Installinga watercooleratyourworkpremises,offce,

warehouse,medicaloreducationalfacilityisa surewaytoensureyouhaveconstantaccessto refreshingpremiumpH7.8drinkingwaterwith ourHydrationHub.

“AttheClearerGroup,weareveryproud tobeassociatedwithprovisionofourcool, refreshingnaturalIrishspringwaterdispensed fromourbottledwatercoolers. We are constantlydevelopingourrangeandproducts, withmoreexcitingannouncementscoming overthecomingmonthsfromourmixedability teamandthisneweditionfromourHydration Hubrangebringstwoofourpremium productstogetherasoneforourclients.

“Yourpremiumwater requirementsareinthe rightethicalhandswithourproducts.” ■

Formoreinformationonthewaterthathelps peoplevisitwww.clearergrp.com

Whatdoestherisein generativeAImeanforjobs?

Itseemslikeeverydaythereisanew reportornewsstoryabouteitherthe perilsofgenerativeAIoritspotential tomakeourliveseasier.

We’veheardofpeopletestingitscapabilitiesto designart,createchildren’sstories,conjureup photosofpeoplewhodon’tactuallyexist,and writeeverythingfrompoetryanduniversity essaystoopinionarticlesinleadingnational newspapers.

ThefactthatChatGPT,Bard,Midjourneyand othergenerativeAIserviceshavebeenable todosomuch,soquicklyinawaythatoften isn’tdistinguishablefromhumanefforts,has bothimpressedandfrightenedpeoplein equalmeasure.Assuchithasn’ttakenlong forpeopletobeginaskingoneofthemost commonquestionsthatariseswhenAIenters theconversation–howlongitwillbeuntilit takesoverourjobs.

Whilesomesignifcantplayersinthetech industryhavecalledforapauseintheuse ofAItoletsocietycatchup,thetruthisthat artifcialintelligencehasbeentransformingor livesandjobsforyears.

ButinsteadoffeelingthreatenedbyAI,we seeitasanopportunity–specialistskillswill alwaysbeindemand,whilegenerativeAIcan takeawaytheboring,time-consumingparts ofourjobs.Thisfreestalentedpeopleuptodo themoreinterestingtasks,thinkcreativelyand strategically,anddrivegrowth.

OpenAIco-founderGregBrockmansaid “humansaremorecapablethanwegive ourselvescreditfor”wheninterviewedabout generativeAI,notingthatpeopleareadaptable andempatheticandAIisyettoautomatea wholejob.

MuchhasbeenwrittenaboutAI’spotential toincreaseworkforceproductivityandcertain sectorsarealreadyseeingthebeneftsof leveragingitsbenefts.Accountantsare activatingChatGPTtowriteformulaeand developinglargelanguagemodelstosupport tasksinfnance. Withtherightprompt,AIis abletocompile reportsoraccessinformation forstatements.

Thisdoesn’tmeanthatskilledworkerswillbe outofdemand.Beingabletoinstantlyaccess insightsfromavastdatalakeallowsthemto focusonmakingbetterinformeddecisions.

Inconstructionarchitectsareusinggenerative AInotto replacethedesignofbuildingsbut todrivetheirowncreativity.Othertoolsare helpingconstructionfrmsspeeduptheir projectsbyanalysingdrawingsandautomating adjustmentswithaprompt,ajobthatwould otherwiseneedtobedoneoneclickatatime –againallowinghumanstofocusonhighervaluetasks.

AIincustomerserviceissomethingallofus haveexperienced,whetherweknowitornot.

It’sbecomecommonplacetodirectourqueries toanonlinechatbot,whichthenpointsusin thedirectionoftheinformationweneed.Ifall elsefails,we’reforwardedtoahumanwho canhelpuswithspecifcissueswe’refacing.

Ultimately,ChatGPTandGoogle’sBardare moreadvancedversionsofthechatbotsin thecornerofanyconsumerwebsite.Butthe progressmadeinusingcomplexlanguageand beingabletounderstandquestionsislikely to resultinasmootheruserexperienceand greatercustomersatisfaction.Thatgoodwork isundone,however,iftherearen’thumansto managethose requeststhatcan’tbehandled byAI.

Inthetechnologysector,it’softensaidthatthe greatestweaknessinanorganisation’scyber securityisn’tthemachines,buthumanerror. WithanAImodelthatlearnsfromemployee data,securityteamscannowpredictand mitigateagainstanyactionsthatcouldleadto costlybreaches.

AtthelaunchofGPT-4,OpenAIdemonstrated howChatGPTcouldcreateawebpageusinga sketchfromanapkin.Whatdoesthismeanfor softwaredevelopers?GenerativeAIcanenable juniordeveloperstoachievemore,whilethose insenior rolescanuseittosavetimechecking forerrorsandfocusonthestrategicelements oftheir roles.

ItseemsinevitablethatgenerativeAIisgoing toimpactusall.Givenitsgrowingcapabilities, it’sworthaskinghowwillyourworkforcebe impacted?WhatcanyoutrustAIwith?How canyouupskillyourpeopletohelpthemuse itspotential?

PeopleincertainjobsmaythinkgenerativeAI isgoingtoruintheirlivesbutthereisplenty ofopportunitytoupskillandbeequippedto applyit,ratherthanbe replacedbyit. ■

ByJohnMoore,managingdirector,HaysNI

Ambitious plans to bring usallintoa cleanerandgreener energy future

NIENetworks hasjustunveileditsnewambitious plansfor a cleanerandgreenerenergyfuture, which wouldseetheorganisationinvestingover£3bn intheelectricitynetworkhereinthenextdecade.

UlsterBusinessspeaksto CarlHashim, headof regulationstrategy, aboutwherethatinvestmentis going, thejobscreatedandlong-termbeneftstoour economyandbeyond

NIENetworksisoncourseto developingitsmostambitiousand forward-thinkingbusinessplanin decades.

AstheorganisationandNorthernIrelandgears upforarapidtransitiontoagreenereconomy inlinewithchallenginggovernmenttargets fornetzeroandsignifcantly reducedcarbon emissions,it’snowsubmittedtheNIENetworks BusinessPlan–‘AFutureNetworkforAll’,also referredtoasRP7,totheUtilityRegulator.

Asa resultofsubstantialincreasesinpower demandsintheyearstocome,associety transitionstowidespreadelectrifcation,NIE Networkshasoutlinedspendingplansof around£3bninabidtomoderniseandplan forourfuture–creatingmorethan1,000jobs alongtheway.

“It’samassive,ambitiousandincredibly importantplan”,CarlHashim,headof regulationstrategyatNIENetworkssays.

“Asignifcantstepchangeisneededinthe levelofinvestment requiredduringthenext 10yearsandbeyondtofacilitatethescaleof decarbonisationmandatedintheNorthern Irelandclimatechangelegislation.”

Carl’sbeenatthecoreofthedevelopment oftheorganisation’snewlong-termenergy plan.Asanorganisation,it’s responsible fordeliveringpowertomorethan910,000 businessesandhomesacrossNorthernIreland.

“Thisbusinessplanisaverydifferentplanthan whatwehavesubmittedhistorically.Previous planshavebeenonatrajectoryoftryingto deliverasmuchaswecan,andatalower cost,”Carlsays.

Withthislatestplan,spendingoverthe nextdecadecouldtotalinexcessof£3bn, spreadrightacrossareasincludingcapacity, infrastructureanditsworkforce.Theprevious plan,whichcoversupuntil2024,sawaround £1.4bninvestedacrossthenetwork.

“Muchgreaterlevelsofinvestmentare needednowtomeetourclimatechange goals.Theseareinvestmentsthatwillenable ourcustomerstoconnectlowcarbon technologiessuchaselectricvehicles,solar panelsandheatpumps.

“Wewillalsoneedtoinvesttoprovidethe networkcapacityneededtomeetgovernment targetsforagreaterproportionofelectricity toconsistentlyand reliablycomefrom renewablesources.”

So,whatdoesthatinvestmentlooklikeand what requirementsaredrivingtheambitious plans?

“Essentially,whatweareproposingtospend

around£1bnoncreatingextracapacitywhich isneededbecauseoverthenextdecade customerswillbebuyingelectricvehiclesand installing renewableheatsolutionsintheir homes,whichwillplaceextrademandsonthe electricitynetwork.

“Therearearound12,000electricvehicleson the roadinNorthernIreland,butby2030,we anticipatethatcouldbeupto300,000–and by2050everyoneisgoingtobedrivingan electricvehicle.

“Rightnow,thenetworkwon’tbeableto handlethat,sowemustinvestandwehaveto makesurethatthecapacityisthere.”

Ourenergysystemisatatransformational

junctureandNIENetworksisplayingakey role inpreparingforcarbonneutralityinlinewith theDepartmentfortheEconomy’sstrategy, ‘ThePathtoNetZeroEnergy’,whichincludes thegenerationofaround80%ofelectricity from renewablesources.

Aspartoftheirnewbusinessplan,NIE Networksalsoplanstoinvestaround£1bnto ensurethenetworkcontinuestobe reliable–somethingwhichbecameevenmorecrucial withhomeworkinghabitsevolvingamidthe pandemic.

“Wewentoutandaskedourstakeholders ‘shouldwespendmoreoncapacityorshould wespendmoreonkeepingthelightson?’ Everybodysaidspendmoreonboth.

“Theyhaveclearlytoldustoensurethat thenetworkhassuffcientcapacitytoallow forgreaterelectrifcation,is reliableenough tomaintainconfdencethathomesand businesseswillhaveelectricitywhentheyneed it,andtomakesurethatallnewandexisting customerscangettheconnectionstheyneed tothenetworkquicklyandcosteffectively.”

Ofcourse,signifcantjobcreationisalsoat thecoreofthistransition.CarlsaystheNIE Networksworkforcewillgrowsignifcantly bytheendofthedecadeinordertofacilitate thehugechangesonthecards,aswellasa positiveknockoneffectwiththecompany’s contractandsupportpartners. Witharound £1bnearmarkedforcapacityimprovements andasimilaramountonnetwork reliability,

>

CarlHashim

Carlsaysafurther£500mwillgotowards makingsurethebusinessisftforpurposeand abletodeliveritsambitiousplans.

“Thatwillincludeinvestmentinoursystems andpeople,creating1,000newjobs withinNIENetworksdirectly,including400 apprenticeshipsanduptoafurther500new jobsacrosscontractorsandsupportpartners, betweennowand2030,”Carlsays.

Lookingtowardstheinfrastructure,Carlsays investmentwillbemadeatalllevelsofthe network.

“Ourinvestmentprogrammewillseekto reinforceandstrengthenthenetworkwhere needed,aswellasdevelopingalternative innovativeandsmartsolutionstogetmoreout oftheexistingnetwork.”

Otherareaswhereinvestmentisfocused includesimprovingthelowervoltageoverhead powerlinesinmoreruralareasacrossNorthern Ireland.

“InNorthernIrelandmanyoftheoverhead linesinruralareasarelightweightlines.When theweatherisbad,thoselinesaremore vulnerable.So,wearelookingtoincreasethe strengthofdistributionlinesintheserural areas.”

Anotherkeypartwillincludesubstantially increasedspendingaroundtheareaofsafety.

“We’regoingtobeincreasingexpenditure signifcantlyinsafetybecauseaswebuildout abiggernetwork.It’sgoingtohaveabigger footprintandpresence,sothesafetyofour employeesandthepublicisgoingtobecome evenmoreimportant,”Carlsays.

Someoftheotherelementsincludebeing ableto reconfguresubstationstotake powergoingintheoppositedirection,asan increasingnumberofhomesandbusinesses turntosolarandwindgenerationandexport powerbackontothenetwork.

“Thepivotal roleelectricitywillplayinthe decarbonisationofheatandtransportaswe movetowardsanetzeroeconomywillplace signifcantpressureonanelectricitynetwork infrastructurethatwasoriginallydesigned tomanageadifferentlevelandtypeof demand,”Carlsays.

“We’llbeinvestingtoensurethatbidirectionalfowisnotaproblem.”

The roleofNIENetworksistodirectly facilitatetheenergytransitionand decarbonisationofenergyproduction,while supportingtheelectrifcationofheatand

transport.Intermsofenergygeneration,Carl saysthere remainschallengesforthewider markettoincreaseproductionfrom renewable sourcestothegovernmenttargetof80%by 2030.

“Toachievethattargetwebelievethere’s goingtohavetobeamarkedjumpinthe numberoflargewindfarmsonshore,and alsopotentially,windfarmsoffshore,and they’reallgoingtohavetoconnectintoour network,”Carlsays.

NIENetworks’BusinessPlan–‘AFuture NetworkforAll’–wassubmittedinMarch 2023totheUtilityRegulator,whichwill assesstheorganisation’splanandpublisha draftdeterminationforpublicconsultationin November2023.

The regulatorisanticipatedtopublisha fnaldeterminationandproposalsonlicence modifcationsinOctober2024.

Carl’soptimisticaboutthesuccessofthenew plan.

“Inthelong-term,wewouldseemany beneftsbeing realisedthroughthis investment–it’samassivestepforwardfor NIENetworksandNorthernIreland’senergy future,”hesays. ■

Carehomebusiness creating950jobsforNI

Aprivately-ownedcare homegiant iscreatingupto950newjobs here asitexpandsits reachacross Northern Ireland.

Healthcare Irelandplanstocreatethe roles, andexpandfrom25to40sites,after securingmulti-millionpoundinvestmentfrom Welltower

Thefrmhasgrownrapidlyoverthelasteight yearsandcurrentlyruns25care homesacross the region,including a specialistcare home underdevelopmentinBallymena.

FoundedbyentrepreneurGilbert Yatesin 2015,Healthcare Irelandalsoplanstodevelop newsitesintheRepublicofIrelandandacross theUK.

Itprovidescare inpartnershipwithNorthern Ireland’s healthtrusts,focusingoncare packagesalignedwithindividual requirements.

“We havesetoutthenextstageofourplan togrowourportfolioofcare homesacross theUKandIreland,”Mr Yatessaid.

“Ourpartnershipwith Welltoweris testamenttothesuccessofouroperations sincesettingupthebusinessandweare excitedtobeabletobringourhigh-quality care tomore regionsinthecomingmonths andyears.

“Healthcare Irelandishugelyambitious,and weare alreadyintheprocessofgrowingour portfolioofcare homesacrosstheUKand Irelandfromourbasehere inHolywood.

“Thisisjustthestartofourplansforthe future whichwillseeusbringourbest-inclasscare homeofferingtotheworld.

“Ourteamofhighlycommittedandtalented staff are behindoursuccess,andwelook forward toaddingtothequalityteaminthe

verynearfuture withtheadditionofbetween 750and950new roles.”

JorgeManrique,vicepresidentinvestments at Welltower, said:“We are delightedtobe teamingupwithHealthcare IrelandinNorthern Ireland,where theirnameis a byword for qualitycare.Theteamhasbuiltanexcellent portfolioofassetsandweare lookingforward tosupportingthemasthey rollouttheirgrowth plansinthecomingmonths.”

Atthe recentStaff Nursing Awards2023held at TitanicBelfast,Healthcare IrelandwonCare HomeGroupofthe YearwhileSharonClegg fromitsBannviewCare HomewonRegistered Nurseofthe Year

HeadquarteredinOhio, WelltowerIncis a real estateinvestmenttrustspecialisinginhealthcare infrastructure.Itranked630thonthe2021 Fortune1000,withanenterprisevalueof $50bnthesameyear ■

‘Hyperinfationary’ environmentdisrupting McDonald’sbusinessmodel

BethHart,McDonald’svicepresidentofsupplychainandbrandtrustforUKand Ireland,saysthebusiness–wortharound£100minNIalone–isfacinginputcost challengeslikemanyothersinthefoodsectorbutadaptingandfndingnewways toselltoitscustomers

Theongoing“hyperinfationary” environmentisplayingitspartin disruptingtheMcDonald’sbusiness modelinawaynotseenindecades,one ofitschiefsherehassaid.

Likemanyothersinthefoodindustry,thefast foodgiantisfacingrisinginputcostsandasa result,havingtoputpricesupaccordingly.

“Partofmyteam’s roleistobuy,andoneof thebiggestchallengesforus–thesameas everyotherbusiness–isthehyperinfationary environmentwhichwefndourselves,”Beth Hart,McDonald’svicepresidentofsupplychain andbrandtrustforUKandIrelandsaid.

“Itisdisruptingourbusinessmodelinaway whichwehaven’tseenforaverylongtime–thesearelevelsofinfationwhichwehaven’t seensincethe1970s.

“Ourmodelisthethree-leggedstool–the McDonald’sbusiness,thesuppliersandthe franchisees,andwhenItalkaboutthatspend, that’sourfranchisees’money…whenyousee disruptionlikethis,itknocksourmodelallover theplace.”

Butunlikelessconsumer-focusedbusinesses–especiallythosewholackabrandasgloballyrecognisedasMcDonald’s–whenthechain putsupthepriceofthecheeseburger,evenby afewpence,itmakesheadlines.

“Theotherdisruptiveforusisourcustomers expectgreatquality,greatvaluefood

consistentlydelivered,andaffordable,”Beth says.

“Andwe’vehadtoputuppricesthisyearfor thefrsttimeinavery,verylongtime–that attractsalotofattention.It’sprettyiconic whenMcDonald’sincreaseitsprices.Sowe can’tgothatfarotherwisewillimpactour businessmodel.”

McDonald’sisabusinesswortharound£100m inNorthernIreland,with35 restaurantsand sevenfranchisees.

It’sabusinesswhichhasadaptedtochanging demandsanddemographics.Justahandful ofyearsagoitsonlinedeliverybusinessdidn’t existhere.Now,it’soneofaround11avenues inwhichitsproductscanbepurchased.

BethHart

BalmoralShowremains importantshowcaseof ouragrifoodsector

Farmers,growersandproducerskickedoffthesummer seasonlastmonthbyattendingandexhibitingatthe 154thBalmoralShowinpartnershipwithUlsterBank.The sunmayhavebeeninhidingbuttheweathercertainlydidn’t dampentheatmosphereorindeedthecrowd’sappetiteforan enjoyabledayout.

Iwasfortunatetospendafewdaystouringtheshowgrounds–meeting customers,catchingupwithcolleagues,andattendinganumberof eventswhich reinforcedjusthowsuccessfulourlocalagrifoodsectoris thankstothedriveanddedicationofthemanygreatcompanieswho wereexhibitingattheshow.

TheboosteventsliketheBalmoralShowbringtolocalbusinessesshould notbeunderestimated.ThroughoutthefourdaysIheard representatives frommicro-frmsandhuge,establishedcompaniesaliketalkatlength abouthowtheshowenablesbusinessestogettheirproductsinfrontof

alargeaudiencewhowereonlytoohappytoengageandlearnmore aboutwhattheycanoffer.

Farmershavealongtraditionofcomingtogethertoattendweeklyor monthlymarketsandit’saconceptperhapsthoseofusinthebusiness communitymightlearnfrom.Ontopofthecoretradingbusinesswhich takesplace,marketsalsopresentauniquesocialopportunitywhereyou cancatchup,shareideasandlearnfromyourpeers.

TherewascertainlyagreatdealofthistakingplaceatBalmoralPark. Afterachallengingfewyearsforthesector,thefocusofthisyear’s show returnedtothatfundamentalprincipleoffrmscomingtogether; refectingonsharedsuccessesandlookingforwaystocollaborateinthe future.

ThisspiritofcollaborationwasondisplayduringUlsterBank’sown luncheventwherewebroughtaround100customers,colleagues,and stakeholderstogethertohearfromapanelofindustryleadersabout besttofutureproofthissector.

Joiningourownheadofagriculture,CormacMcKervey,wasseniorvice presidentatMcDonald’sBethHartandchiefexecutiveofthefarming co-operative, TrevorLockhartMBE.AblychairedbyBBCNIfarming correspondent,ElaineMitchell,thediscussioncentredontheprowessof theNorthernIrelandsupplychainandthemanygreatcompanieswho contributetothissuccess.

SpeakingonbehalfofMcDonald’s,Bethspokeatlengthaboutthe contributionfrmssuchasDaleFarmandHuhtamakihavemadeto McDonald’sandhowtheirexceptionalqualityandservicehavesetthe standardforothercompanieswithinitsexpansivesupplychain.Such apositivetestimonycreatedagenuinesenseofprideinthe roomand Iknowmanyofthoseinattendanceleftfeelingmoreconfdentand optimisticthanperhapswasthecasewhentheyarrived.

ThankstoourpartnersattheRoyalUlsterAgriculturalSocietyfor deliveringanothersuccessfuleventandforcreatingthisspacewhereso manydifferentfactionsofthebusinessandagricommunitycancome togetherandpresentaworldclassshowcaseofthisindustry.

Bethsaysit’salsoseeingchangingcustomer habits,includingsomenotpurchasing additionaladd-onsorextraswithmeals.

“Peopleareensuringthatwhattheybuy, they’regettingfullvalueformoney,”she says.“…we’reseeingourcustomersbecome increasinglysavvyinthewaytheyengage.

“InNorthernIrelandourtotalcontribution totheNorthernIrisheconomyis£100m.It’s prettyawesomewhenyouthinkaboutit–our

spendonNorthernIrishproduceis£26m.

“That’squiteabigfootprintina relatively smallnation.”McDonald’ssupplychain includessomeofourbiggestbusinesses, includingpoultrygiantMoyPark,Kerry Group’sColeraineCheeseandpackagingfrm Huhtamaki,butalsosmallercompaniesamong itsfoodchain.

Lookingtowardsgrowth,Bethsays:“Our deliveryanddrivethrough…you’llseealot

ofourcompetitorsbringingthatintotheir proposition,”shesays.

“However,wecan’tforgetthatweare a restaurantbusiness–ensuringthat restaurantexperienceisstillabsolutely joyousandgorgeousandsomethingthat familylookforwardto.

“[It’sabout]givingourcustomerswhatthey want,wheretheywantit,andhowthey wantit.” ■

ByNigel Walsh,director,commercialbanking,UlsterBank

Nigel Walsh

NorthernIrelandremainsoutstanding placeforCititodobusiness

Acommonmessageemerged fromNorthernIreland’sbusiness communityduring recent commemorationsofthe25thanniversary oftheBelfastGoodFridayAgreement–“NorthernIrelandisopenforbusiness”.

In remarksmadefollowinghisspeechat UlsterUniversityinApril,USSpecialEnvoy toNorthernIrelandJoeKennedyIIIsaid: “BusinessesintheUnitedStatesareaware ofthepeople,thetalent,andtheworkethic availablehere.”

Meanwhile,PresidentBiden refectedonthe USbusinesscommunity’swillingnesstobeton peace[inNorthernIreland]25yearsagoand reassertedAmerica’scommitmenttocontinued investmentinNorthernIreland.

“Withtheconfdencebolsteredbythelasting peaceinNorthernIreland,CitiarrivedinBelfast in2005,withanoriginalintentionof recruiting 375technologyprofessionals.Almost19 yearslater,theUSheadquarteredglobal bankemployscirca3,700peopleinBelfast, withteamscoveringavarietyofdisciplines includingtechnology,legal,human resources, operations,andinternalaudit.Thesefunctions supportourmarkets,bankingandwealth activitiesinover100countries,livinglocally, andworkingglobally.

“Asignifcantfocusforus remainsongrowing diversity,equityandinclusion(DE&I)within ourteamsaswellas removingbarriersand challengingtheusualstereotypesforfnance professionals. Withinourworkforceweare proudtohaveover40differentnationalities withinourteamwith52%ofourleadership rolesacrossthesiteheldbywomen. We also beneftfromfveactiveinclusionnetworks representing: Women,Pride,FamiliesMatter,

DisAbilityandMulti-Cultural,whoworkto shinealightonandadvocateforourDE&I objectives.

“Citiisoneofthelargestprivatesector employersinNorthernIreland.Aswehave grown,thefnancialandprofessionalservices sectorinBelfasthasalsogrown. We have workedinclosepartnershipwithboth universitiestostrengthenthetalentpipeline, aswellasotherpartnerswhoarebuildinga bridgeforapprentices,schoolleavers,and returnerstoenterthesector.

“Ourplacementandgraduateprogramme wasdesignedinpartnershipwithQueen’s andUlsterUniversitytoofferearlycareer opportunitiesforgraduates.Ourannualintake hasgrowntoover80,creatinganestablished, award-winningtalentpipeline.

“Establishedin2018,ourApprenticeship programmehassincegrownsignifcantly,

withover60individualsworkingacrossten differentfunctions,andin2021weintroduced aFinTechApprenticeshipinpartnershipwith UlsterUniversity. We havealsopartnered withBelfastCityCounciltoestablishanew pipelineoftalentthroughBelfastCityCouncil sponsoredinitiatives,providingapathwayto careersatCiti.

“Thesesuccesseshavebeenachieved throughlong-standingpartnershipsand collaborationwithInvestNorthernIreland, thelocaluniversities,BelfastMet,aswellas localschoolsandmorelaterallywithsocial enterprisesandcharities.

“Wearedelightedtocontinuesharing whatwe’velearnedalongthewaywith localandinternationalfrms,whilewe continueenhancingourprogrammes. We arecommittedtodevelopingnewtalentin NorthernIrelandand remaincommittedto growingasthe regioncontinuestoprosper.”

LeighMeyer, CitiBelfastsitehead,saysthat25yearsonfromthesigningofthe GoodFridayAgreement,NorthernIrelandcontinuestobeanoutstandinglocation forCititoworkanddobusiness

JamesBardrick,CiticountryoffcerfortheUKandchiefexexutiveCitigroupGlobalMarketsLimited&LeighMeyer, CitiBelfastsiteheadandglobalheadofFXLMoperationsatCiti’s TitanicQuarter-basedoffces

DohertyPIC: expertiseand specialismwith agrowingreach

DohertyPension & InvestmentConsultancy (DohertyPIC) isoneofNI’s largestfnancialplanning frms,specialisingin a rangeofareasincludingbeing theonlydedicatedproviderofsmallself-administered pensionschemes(SSAS).Theteamhasjoinedthewider Mattioli Woodsplcgroupandexpandingonitsdecades ofexperience, itsclientbase,a widerangeofservices andworkingwithfrmsthroughouttheirlifecycles

DohertyPension&Investment Consultancy(DohertyPIC)is aNorthernIrelandfnancial planningpracticewhichisverymuchin growthmode.

Thecompany,basedinBelfastbutwith clientsbasedthroughoutNorthernIreland andelsewhereintheUK,isoneofthe largestpracticesofitskindhere,offering specialistadviceacrossarangeofservicesto individuals,smallbusinesses,SMEsandlisted companies.

It’salso recentlybecomepartofthewider Mattioli Woodsplcgroup–extendingits reachandexpertisefurtherstill.

Andpartofitssuccessandspecialism isworkingwithsmallself-administered pensionschemes(SSAS)–makingittheonly dedicatedproviderinNorthernIreland.

“Thefrmwasfoundedin1985andhasgrown intoalarge,independentfnancialservices company,” TerryLappin,managingdirector, says.

“Weadviseonarangeofbeneftsforclients–includingcorporatesandindividuals.

“Weworkacrossawiderangeofareas includingemployeebenefts,pensionprovision, retirementcounselling,inheritance,tax planningandinvestmentmanagement,for example.”

It’sapracticewithdecadesoflocal,hands-on experienceandnowhasamuchwider reach thankstobeingpartoftheMattioli Woodsplc group.

Andoneoftheareassettingitapartfromthe crowdisitsofferingofsmallself-administered pensionschemes(SSAS).

“Oneoftherarespecialismsthatweprovide expertiseinaresmall,self-administered schemesforclients,” Terrysays.

That’sanon-third-partyarrangementwhichis establishedandadministeredatDoherty, enablingclientstomanagetheirownpension fundswithintheirownpensiontrust.

TerryconfrmedthatDohertynowhandles anextensiveportfolioofapproximately500 schemesbeingeffectivelymanagedacross NorthernIreland.

“Weproudlystandastheonlysmallselfadministeredpensionschemeproviderin NorthernIreland.

“Ourclientshaveachievedexceptional fnancialsuccessandourinvaluable contributionliesinofferingtheseclientsexpert strategicguidanceinfnancialplanningto

shapeand realisetheirfuturegoals,”John Dooher,businessdevelopmentdirectorsays.

Dohertyisnowateamofaround30withthat numbergrowingtoapproximately40aspart ofthewiderMattioli Woodsgroup,basedin Belfast.

“Thisyearmarkedasignifcantmilestonefor usaswejoinedforceswiththeMattioli Woods plcgroup, renownedforitsexpertiseinawide arrayofareas,includingself-administered arrangements. Withacomprehensiveportfolio ofservicescateringtodiversecompaniesacross theUnitedKingdom,Mattioli Woodsalso boastsitsowndistinguishedfnancialservices brand,” Terrysays

Thenewpartnershipwillalsoseethefrm expandthat reachfurtherstill.

“There’sawiderangeofareasinwhichwe

workwithin,” Terrysays.Andgrowthisvery muchpartofthecompany’splansandwider outlook.

“Furthermore,weareenjoying remarkable growthintheexpansionofourinvestment side,” Terrysays.“Wenowhaveadiscretionary fundmanagementserviceforourclients andthroughoutthelasttwodecades, wehavediligentlycuratedourportfolios, resultinginexcessof£600minassetsunder administration.Thisfgureispoisedfor substantialgrowthintheforeseeablefuture.”

Dohertyoffersclientsspecialismsineachand everyarea,providingaone-stopshopfor individualsandcompanies.

Dohertytakesprideinservingadiverse clientelecomprisingbusinessesandindividuals acrossNorthernIreland’svarioussectors, spanningfromsmall-scaleenterprisesto

thrivingSMEsandlistedcorporations. Furthermore,that reachextendsbeyond NorthernIreland,astheyactivelycollaborate withcompaniesthroughouttheUnited Kingdom.

“Therearespecialistsineveryarea,”John says.“Ifyoulookatourcompetitors,Idon’t thinkmanyofferthesamebreadthofservice, fromemployeebeneftstocateringforsmall family-ownedbusinesses,tolistedcompanies, forexample.”

AndDohertyoffersaholisticviewofan individual’sfnancialplans,accordingto LorraineRodgers,operationsdirector.

“Indescribingourdiverseclientbase,we engagewithcompaniesatvariousstagesof theirlifecycle,rangingfromthebeginnings ofastart-upventuretotheultimatephaseof sellingorsuccessionplanning,”shesays.

StephenCross, Terry Lappin,Lorraine Rodgers,AlanThomson andJohnDooher >

“Thisleadstothe requirementtoprovide intergenerationalplanningaswell.”

ThatholisticapproachmeansDohertyworks withcompaniesthroughouttheirlifecycle–fromearlystagetosuccessionplanningand sellingonwards.

“There’sabreadthofbusinesseswhichwe workwith–it’sverymuchfromthecradleto thegrave,” Terrysays.

“We regularlyhelpclientswhohavesold theirbusinessesandarenowlookingatwhat todonext.Retirementcounsellingisabig issueaswell.

“Alotofourclientshavebuiltupsignifcant pensionfunds,sowe’rehelpingthemtoplan their retirementinataxeffcientmanner.

“It’slookingat‘howdoyougetthere?’and ‘howdoyouputallthethingsinplacewhich youaregoingtoneed?’.”

AnotherareainwhichDohertyiswell-versed iswithintrustplanning.

“Manyofusstartedourcareerssettingup pensionschemes,anddealingwithtrusts –sowearecomfortableadvisingclientsin theseareas,” Terrysays.“Theinvaluable

experiencewepossessineffectivelyworking withtrustsforourclients,coupledwithour confdenceandspecialisedknowledgein deliveringexceptionalservice,standsasa distinguishingfactorthatsetsusapartfrom ourcompetitors.”

ThenewstructureseesDohertyjoiningpartof theMattioli Woodsplcgroup,whilethelocal companystructureandstaff remainsthesame. ItoffersDohertyextendedexperience, reach andmarketingexpertisetohelpitgrowfurther still.

“WecanlinkinwithMattioli Woods–for instance,” Terrysays.“Theymanageabook ofsmallself-administeredschemesandselfinvestedpersonalpensionsintheUK,andalso havearangeofinvestmentservices,which meansthatthereareadditionalplanningideas, products,and resourcesavailabletous.”

Lorrainesays:“Wearethrilledtobepartofthe Mattioli Woodsgroup.There’shugepotential forusallinthefuture,fromourstakeholders, toourclientsandstaff.”

StephenCross,employeebeneftsdirector,says he’sbeenworkingwiththesameclientsfor morethan20years–maintaining relationships andpivotingtoeachfrm’sindividualneeds. Andpartofthatisadvisingfrmsaround

employeebenefts–givingtheman additionaledgeandmakingthemmore attractivetostaff.

“Wespecialiseinassistingourcorporate clientsinidentifyingthefactorsthatset theirbusinessapartfromthecompetition. Thisincludeseffectivelycommunicatingand promotingtheadvantagesandstrengthsof thefrm’spensionofferings,encompassing vitalaspectssuchasdeathinservicebenefts andadditionalsupplementarybenefts”.

That’sneverbeenasimportantinthe currentmarketplacewherethebattlefor staffandemployee retentioncontinues. AndDohertyjoiningtheMattioli Woodsplc groupisalsoopeningupdoorsforthefrm intermsofitsownattractivenessasaplace towork,accordingtoLorraine.

“Since2018,wehaveactivelyembraced thepotentialofnurturingtalentfrom prestigiousinstitutionssuchasQueen’s UniversityandUlsterUniversity,”shesays.

“Asweexpandourcompanyandharness ourabundant resourcesandcapabilities,we arepoisedtoofferanevenmorecompelling package, recognisingthevastopportunities thatlieintheever-evolvingbusiness landscape.” ■

JohnDooher,StephenCross, TerryLappin,AlanThomson andLorraineRodgers

ResponsibleBusiness Awardsshortlistrevealed

Thefnalistsinthisyear’s Responsible Business Awardshavebeen revealed.

Theawards,whichare runbyBusinessinthe Community, recogniseand reward inspirational andimpactfulbusinessesinNorthern Ireland thatare embracingthejourneytobuildbetter workforces,create a sustainableeconomyand healthycommunities.

Judgingisnowunderwayaheadofthe maineventwhichwillseetheaward winners announcedatthegalaeventatICCBelfaston September7.

Finalistswere announced recentlyat a breakfast eventwithsponsors,partnersandjudges, hostedbyBelfast-basedradiostationU105, whichismediapartneralongside Ulster Business

Theannualawards,organisedby responsible businessnetworkBusinessintheCommunity, recognise, reward andcelebrateinspirational andimpactfulbusinessesinNorthern Ireland thatare takingpracticalactiontoaddress

SHORTLIST

pressingsocialandenvironmentalissues. “We had a record numberofentriesin2023 andthestandard ofthesejustkeepsgetting higheryear-on-year BusinessesinNorthern Irelandare steppingupfortheirpeople,the

 ClimateAction Award,sponsoredbyHeronBros: CB Contracts,DanskeBank,HughesInsurance,KierGroup, Lyric Theatre,MidandEastAntrimBoroughCouncil,NorthernIreland HousingExecutiveand Wrightbus

 CollaborativeAction Award,sponsoredbyArthurCox: AllstateNorthernIreland,FelixO’Hare,GolfNow,HabintegHousing Ulster,KierGroup,KilwaughterMinerals,MidandEastAntrim BoroughCouncil,PhoenixEnergyandSONI

 DiversityandInclusion Award,sponsoredbyBelfast Harbour: A&LGoodbody,AlexanderMannSolutions,Baker McKenzie,BankofIreland,DanskeBank,GrantThorntonIreland, HughesInsurance,Queen’sUniversityBelfastand Translink

 EducationPartnership Award,sponsoredbyAllen&Overy: AlmacGroup,KierGroupand Version1

 EmployerofChoice Award,sponsoredbyUlsterUniversity: AllenandOveryBelfast,CleaverFultonRankin,CollinsAerospace, HenryBrothers,HeronBrosLtd,HughesInsurance,NorthernIreland Water,SHSGroup& Viberoptix

planetandtheplaceswhere theyoperate andit’s wonderfultobeableto recognise thisthroughtheawards,”KieranHarding, managingdirector, BusinessintheCommunity, said.

 Impactin YourCommunity Award,sponsoredbySPARNI: ABP,Citi,KierGroup,KilwaughterMinerals,NorbrookLaboratories and Translink

 One-to-Watch Award,sponsoredbySONI: FelixO’Hare,Hays Recruitment,RiverRidgeand Viberoptix

 ResponsibleBusinessAmbassador Award,sponsoredby SSEAirtricity: BethanyCarroll,HughesInsurance,CaraMarks, HaysRecruitment,Kellie-AnnHoey,SHSGroup,MichelleHatfeld, KilwaughterMinerals,PhilipBoyd,KierGroup,RachaelAndrews, LewisSilkinNI,Sara-LouiseBowman,GolfNow,andSimonLittle, DanskeBank

 Responsible TechnologyInnovation Award,sponsoredby AllstateNI: AGPavingandBuildingProducts,EmpatheyesLtd, Immersonal,UlsterUniversityand Wrightbus

 ResponsibleProduct/Service Award,sponsoredby Translink: Kiverco,NIENetworks,ResponsiblePlasticManagementProgram, TitanicDenimand Vyta

 Wellbeingat Work Award,sponsoredbyLarnePort: Almac, BakerMcKenzie,BankofIreland,Graham,HeronBrosLtd,Queen’s UniversityBelfast,SSEAirtricity,SHSGroup,and Translink

ChrisConway, Translink,JohnMulgrew,UlsterBusiness,LisaMcIlvenna,BusinessintheCommunity,IanHenry,Henry Brothers,PeterMcVerry,U105andLauraWray,JPCorry

Nichola Mallon: cautiousoptimism for Windsor Framework and leaving politicsbehind for good

Formerminister NicholaMallon hasmovedawayfromfrontlinepoliticstothe worldofindustrylobbyingwithhernewrolewithLogisticsUK.Shespeaksto JohnMulgrew abouta‘verychallenging’timeforthesector,theneedforan Executive,cautiousoptimismaroundthe WindsorFrameworkandwhyareturn topoliticslookslikeit’soffthecards

Evenjust a coupleofdayscanbe a longtimeinpolitics.

NicholaMallonwasoneoftheSDLP’s strongestandmostvisiblefaces –a time servingasBelfast’s Lord Mayor, followedby theAssemblyandthen a two-yearstintas Infrastructure Ministeramidthepandemic.

Butdespitethat,herNorthBelfastseatwas narrowlylosttoAlliance’s NualaMcAllister

arguablythehighestprofleMLAtofailto retainherpositioninlastMay’s election.

Cutto2023andtheseasonedpoliticiannow boasts a top rolein a privatesectorindustry rolewithLogisticsUK –a lobbygroupand body responsibleforourhaulageandlogistics sector

“Idon’t tendtolookback, I lookforward… a lotofthework I didbefore hasbeen a good foundationforthisparticular role,”Nichola says.

“I’vesaidveryclearlythat I havedonemytime inpoliticsandnowthisis a newchapter

“Ithink a lotoftheskillsetandexperience issomethingI’vebuiltupfromworkingin previous roles.

“For12years I wasanelected representative. Oneofthekey rolesyouhaveisworkingto supportyourconstituents.I’mworkingto supportLogisticsUKmembersinNorthern Ireland.”

Shehas a multi-faceted roleforthe organisation – leadpolicyformembers, strategicoversightfordevelopmentof devolvedpolicy,a Westminsterfocus, devolved regions,andheadoftrade,policy, customs,borderandtrade.

“Acore partofmy roleispolicydevelopment andasanelected representativebothatlocal governmentandtheAssembly I wouldhave beeninvolvedinthepolicydevelopmentand stakeholderengagement,”shesays.

“Inoneofthelast roles I heldas Infrastructure Ministerthere were lotsof issueswhichare of realinteresttoour members.Inmanywaysthere is a lotof overlap – itfeelsfamiliar

“Onthetradesidethere issuchan unprecedented[period]that a lotofthatis verynew, andit’s verynewforeverybody whoisworkinginthisarea.”

She’s joininganorganisation responsiblefor overseeinganindustrywhichhasendured a “verychallenging”timesincethepandemic, andinthewakeofinfation,ongoingpostEUarrangementsandsoaringinputcosts.

“Ourmembersandtheindustryhavecome through a veryturbulenttime – Covid,Brexit andsupplychaindisruption. You alsohave ongoingimpactssuchasthewarinUkraine andpoliticalvolatility…there area lotof fnancialpressuresonourmembersaside fromtheirday-to-dayoperatingcosts.”

Thenthere’s the WindsorFramework.Nichola saysthegeneraltakeamongmembersis “cautiouslyoptimistic”.

“Some79%offrmssaidtheywere very supportiveoftheFrameworkbeingannounced andsigned,buttheywantedtoseethedetail andoperationaloutworkings.

“IhavebeenengagingwithHMRCandother departmentspressingtheneedforco-design withoursectorintermsoftheimplementation phase,sothatit’s donein a pragmaticand sensibleway – thatit reducestheburdenon businessesasmuchaspossible.

“IthasimprovedGBtoNItradeatthathigh level…wewanttomakesure theoperation andtechnicaldetailisworkedthrough.”

However, someofthoseinthesectorhave spokenoutagainsttheFramework.

“Someofourmembershavespokenoutabout the WindsorFrameworkandtheyhavebeen verybalancedandpositiveaboutit,”Nichola says.“It’s forotherstosetoutwhattheir oppositionisandwhatalternativestheyare proposing.”

Asanindustryshesayspressure includesskills shortages, a lackofwomenandyounger people,theneedformore driverswithdual roles – drivingandheavylifting – whilethe movetowardsnew, greenervehiclesaspart ofthejourneytodecarbonisation remains a challenge.

“What I havenoticedisthere is a very refreshingcan-doattitudeamongour members – theyare alsoverystraighttalking anddirect.

“Inpoliticsthere isoften a lotofdiplomatic speakandyoudon’t reallyknowwhatpeople are sayingandwhatthey reallymean.They wanttogetonwithsolvingproblems.

“TheGovernmentsetveryambitioustargets andweare movingrapidlytowardsthoseend dates.It’s hugelychallenging,particularlyfor thosebusinesseswhichoperateHGVs.”

Shesayssomeofthekeyissuesinclude planning reformand a focusonkey infrastructure projects.

“We havewelcomenewsaboutphasetwoof theA6butyoustillhavetheA5, YorkStreet Interchange,theA1upgradeandNewry Southern ReliefRoad,”shesays.

Someofthoseschemesare developments whichtheformerministerhadsome involvementwithwhenwithintheDepartment forInfrastructure.

“Iwasin a ministerial roleforjustovertwo yearsinthemiddleof a pandemic,”shesays.

“IfyoulookattheA6, I verymuchpushedthat eveninthemiddleofCovid,minimisingthe disruptionintermsofdeliveringthatproject.

“What I ambringingtothis roleis a more detailedunderstandingofhowthe Governmentworks,how a departmentworks, thewaytheExecutiveworksandhowfunding operates. I amabletobringthatknowledge.

“I’veworkedproactivelyandquitepositively withoffcialsfromacrossdepartmentsfor12 years,andevenpoliticiansfromrightacross thepoliticalspectrumaswell.It’s thesame approachI’mtakinginthis[role]and I wantto dothebestforourmembers.”

Shesaysgenerallyspeakingit’sa “very challengingtime”forthelogisticssectoras a whole.

“Ifyouthinkwhatthesectorhashadtocome throughinthelastnumberofyears – immense pressure,”shesays.

“There are risingfuelcosts,electricity, fuel,

non-domesticwatercharges,theinfationary pressure onconsumers…there isn’t that bandwidthtobepassingcostson.

“Oursectoroperateswith a smallproft margin,soit’s comingunder a lotofpressure.”

“…italsoneedsgovernmentsupport – that’s thecase I maketotheScottishand Welsh governments,and I hopethatI’mgoingtobe abletomaketotheNorthern IrelandExecutive aswell.”

Andpartofthatincludesthe“legofthestool whichismissing”innothavingourExecutive upandrunning.

“Ithinkit’s important,”shesays.“Ifyouwant tohave a functioningsocietyand a strong economy, youneedtheprivatesectorworking inpartnershipwiththecivilservice,butalsothe decisionmakers.

“Onelegofthatstoolismissingandthat meansweare notabletomaketheprogress whichwewouldliketomake – whetherit’s infrastructure projects,publicchargingor planning reform.” ■

NicholaMallonisnowhead oftradeanddevolved policyforLogisticsUK

Marginalgains: ‘thefoundation’ foremployeeretentionandrecruitment

Researchfndsthat26%ofemployees feeltheircompanylacksastrongculture, accordingtocreativebrandagency, TheFoundation

Giventhat recruitmentchallengescontinuetopersistas a barriertogrowthformanycompanies,it’s nowimperative forbusinessesandorganisationstoprioritiseemployee retention.

A recent reportlaunchedbycreativebrandagency, TheFoundation, has revealedthatemployersneedtoconsidertheiremployerbrandas a sourceofmarginalgainsastheylookto retainandattractnewtalent.

“Inthefaceoffercecompetition;organisationalculture andteambuy-in cangivebusinessesthecompetitiveedgethattheyneedtoattractnew talent,”BrendanGallen,strategydirectorofTheFoundation,says.

Conductedwithapproximately1,500employeesacrossIreland,theUK andtheUSA,TheFoundation’s employee researchhas revealedthat:

 26%ofemployeesfeeltheircompanylacks a strongculture

 36%ofemployeesdonotfeelvaluedbytheircompany

 Overonequarter(26%)of respondentsdonotfullyunderstandtheir organisation’s purpose

 Oneinthree(36%)‘fightrisk’employees(thosewhointendtoleave theirjob)saythattheydonotfeelvaluedbytheirorganisation

 Oneinfour(24%)ofnewemployeesfeelnegativelyabouttheir organisation’s onboardingprocess

BrendanGallensays:“It’s anintenselycompetitiveenvironmentwith risingcosts,bothfororganisationsandforemployees,andthere are considerablepressuresonpersonalfnances.Companiesneedtofnd a competitiveedge,andwhenwedrilleddownintowhatismaking a differenceforemployees,it’s notjustaboutmoney, butaboutfeeling valuedwithin a business,understandingthecompany’s purposeand values,andemployeesbeingsupported.Thisisthenewcurrencyinthe workplace.”

The reportalso revealsthatthere ismuchtocelebrateasit’s clearthat manyorganisationsare workinghard tocreatepositivecultures,with a sizeablemajorityof respondents(65%)sayingthattheyfeeleither“very” or“extremely”valuedbytheirorganisation.

Commentingonthethird researchpaperinitsconsumer-led‘Building BetterInsights’series,TheFoundation’s commercialdirector, ErinNixon says:“Purpose,valuesandcompanyculture are therichareaswhere themarginalgainslive.There’s clearevidencethatemployeeswhoare

activelycontributingtotheirworkforceandbuyintotheorganisation’s missionandgoalswillstaywithinthatbusinessforlonger

“Thisisexactlywhyweinvestin research.Ourcampaignsare informed by realinsight. We needtounderstandwhataudiencesare thinking, anddata-driveninsightshelptomouldandbuildsuccessfulEmployee Experiencecampaignswhichnotonlyattracttalentbutimportantlybuild strongerteams.

“Organisationsneedtoaskthemselves,doestheirpurposeandthe valuesthatunderpinit,truly refectthebusinessandpeoplethatmake uptheirorganisation? A bigpartofourworkisgettingtothebottomof thatquestionandbuildingemployeecampaignsthatunitepeople,from allareasinthebusinessaround a sharedgoal.”

To downloadthecomplimentary report,pleasesee www wearethefoundation.co.uk oremail erin@wearethefoundation. co.uk forfurtherinformation.

TheFoundationis a Belfast-basedCreativeBrandAgency, gettingunder thesurfacetounderstandyourchallengesandbringfocustoeverything youdo.Drivingyouforward today, buildingbetterfortomorrow ■

ErinNixonandBrendan GallenofTheFoundation

Cuts willleave Northern Ireland economy ‘with onehand tied behindits back’

It’sclaimedattemptsbytheDepartmentforthe Economytosave£130mwillsetbackeconomic progress,write GarrettHargan and AlysonMagee

Cutsof£130mtospendingonthe economyinNorthern Ireland willleaveus“fghtingtocreate prosperitywithonehandtiedbehindour back,”it’s beenclaimed.

Allaspectsoftheeconomywhich receive governmentsupportare beinghitbythecuts attheDepartmentfortheEconomy(DfE).

Andindustryexpertshavesaid a 33%cutin thespendingpowerof TourismNIwillhitthe tradeasit reboundsfromtheCovidpandemic andseeks a bouncefromUSvisitorsfollowing the recentvisitofUSPresidentJoeBiden.

BudgetaryconstraintsattheDepartment fortheEconomywillalsoimpactonfurther educationcollegeswhichare keytotrainingthe hospitalityworkforce.

DfEhasannouncedthatitsopeningbudget for2023/24willbe£130m(16%)lowerthan previouslyexpected.

There willalsobelessmoneyforskills,higher educationandforeconomicdevelopment agencyInvestNI.

MarkO’Connell,executivechairmanand founderofinvestmentadvisersOCOGlobal,

saidthelackofanExecutivemeantNIwasnot in a goodpositiontomanage.

“Ifwe’re notevenatthenegotiatingtable, it’s unlikewe’re goingtobeabletoprotector minimisetheimpactofthesecutsandfrankly I sense Westminsterisexasperatedwiththis,in viewoftheintransigencearoundtheExecutive reformation.It’s never a goodplacetobe negotiatingfrom.”

Buthesaidthenecessity resultingfrombudget cutsforInvestNItochangehowitdoesthings mightbringaboutanimprovement.

“Theincentivesandfundingorgrantsupport thatInvestNItypicallyhandoutmightnotbeas essentialgoingforward forthetypeofprojects we’re tryingtoattract…

“So, I thinkweneedtoweanourselvesoff whattheycallinAmerica‘corporatewelfare’ and recognisethatwe’vegot a goodproduct andweshouldfaceintoitandsellitbetter

“IbelieveInvestNI,anditcameacrossinthe Lyons review, couldoperatebetterandmore effcientlyandif I lookatwhatotheragencies likethemdo,theyworkwiththeprivatesector inpartnershiptodelivertradeandinvestment outcomes.”

Alliancesaidtourismisanimportantsector whichgeneratesover£1bninspendand supportsaround65,000jobs.

TripsfromtheRepublictoNorthern Ireland reached record levelsin2022withonemillion overnightvisits recordedforfrsttime.Thatwas up51%from756,000in2019.

“Promotionandproductdevelopmentis criticalandthat’s where we’re lookingforthe investment,”DrStuartsaid.

“Youonlyhavetoseethefgures recently fromtheRepublicofIrelandwhere there’s beensustainedpromotionandwe’veseen investmentinproduct.

“VisitsfromtheRepublicinincometermsare up65%on2019.It’s verycompetitiveout there,lotsofdestinationsare tryingtoget peopletocometothemsowehavetomake

DrJoanneStuartOBEoftheNI Tourism

sure weare promotingNorthern Ireland.

“We hadhugepotentialwiththe(President) Bidenvisit,withthesuccesswe’vehadwith theRepublicofIrelandmarketbutyouhave tokeepthatpromotionandthatwouldbe ourconcern thatwewouldcuttheamountof investmentgoingintothat.

“Itisveryconcerningbecauseit’s animportant sectorbutlikeanythingitneedsinvestment. Thedepartmentneedstolookatwhere itgets good return oninvestmentand I thinktourism reallydoesprovide a good return.”

Theindustry’s majorconcernsare around cutstomarketingandpromotion,product developmentandevents,whichmakesNIan “attractivedestination”forvisitors.

“We needtobuildonthe reallygood promotionandmessagingaroundtheJoe Bidenvisit.But,youhavetokeep reminding people.”

HospitalityUlsterchiefexecutiveColinNeill saidthecutswerea “devastatingblow”for tourismandfurthereducationandinturn the hospitalitysector

“Hospitalityhere iscurrentlyinthemidstof a labourshortage,andfurthereducation playssuch a crucial roleinthedevelopment ofpeopleandcareersforoursectorwhichis thefourthlargestprivatesectoremployerin Northern Ireland,”hesaid.

“Eachday, we relyonthepeoplethatfurther educationcollegeseducate,up-skilland re-skill. We have a seriousskillsdefcithere,soseismic cutstofurtherandhighereducationwillhave anadverseimpactonallsectorsandbusinesses inNorthern Ireland. We shouldbeinvestingin ourfurthereducationcolleges.”

A spokespersonfor TourismNIsaid a budget reductionwillimpacton TourismNI’s investmentin a numberofareasincluding events,marketingandcapitaldevelopment.

“Northern Irelandisverylikelytoloseoutto otherdestinationsjustasourvisitornumbers are rebounding. We willcontinuetofndways tomake resourcesgofurther, workingclosely withourpartnerstomitigatetheeffectsofthe budget reductiononthesector.”

UlsterUnionisteconomyspokesmanMike NesbittsaidthecutsmeantNorthern Ireland wouldbe“fghtingtocreateprosperitywith onehandtiedbehinditsback.”

“ThisistheyearweshouldbetoolingupInvest NItoembracethemanycompanieslooking toinvestinouruniquedualaccesstotheGB andEUmarkets.Instead,weare tellingINIto take a 15%cutinbudgetforthesecondyear running,”hesaid.

“Theseforeigndirectinvestorsare particularly attractedbyourskilledworkforce,yetitis clearfurthereducationwilltake a majorhitin fundingthisyear, chokingthefowofnewly qualifedtalenttotheworkplace.” ■

ParliamentBuildings atStormont

NIeconomygrowsfor thirdconsecutivemonth

NorthernIreland’seconomyhas enjoyedaboostforthethird consecutivemonthwithbig growthinjobsasa result,asurveyhas said.

Butanimprovingpictureforbusinessisin contrasttotheworseningcircumstancesof thepublicsector,economistRichardRamsey warned.

ThemonthlyUlsterBankpurchasingmanagers’ index(PMI)saidthataswellasenjoying growth,inputcostsandoutputpriceincreases hadalsoeasedforcompanies,duringApril.

Inanotherbonus,suppliers’deliverytimes hadshortened,markinganeasingofsupply chainproblemswhichhaveprevailedsincethe pandemic.

Forthefirsttimein14months,therewasa positivenotefortheconstructionindustryasit reportedanincreaseinactivity.

However,April’sgrowthwasslightlylesshearty thantheexpansionseeninMarch,according tothe reportcarriedoutbyS&PGlobalfor UlsterBank.

MrRamsey,chiefeconomistNorthernIreland atUlsterBank,said:“NorthernIreland’sprivate sectorstartedthesecondquarterinthesame waythatitendedthefirstwithbusinessesin expansionmode.

“Output,ordersandemploymentallincreased inAprilalbeitthepaceofgrowtheased relativetoMarch.Thiswasparticularlymarked withnewordersasfallingdemandamongst manufacturersandconstructionfirmslargely offsetgrowthwithin retailandservices.”

Manufacturingwastheonlysectortopost adeclineinoutputinApril,butingeneral, therehadbeenawelcomefallininflationary pressures.

Infact,inputcostshadgoneupattheweakest paceinnearlytwoandahalfyears,MrRamsey said.

However,thegoingwastougher forservicesfirms,hesaid,with businessesinthesectorseeing thesteepestriseincost pressuresovereachofthelast fivemonths.

Eventhoughwageinflation wasstill“robust”,Mr Ramseysaidallsectorshad beentakingonstaffinApril.

“Retailersledthewayin the recruitmentdrive,but constructionfirmsposteda

recordriseinstaffinglevels.

“Thiswouldappeartosuggestthesofter demandinthesectorisenablinglongstanding vacanciestofinallybefilled.

“Supplychaindisruptionhasblightedthe economysincethepandemicfirsthit.But April’ssurvey revealedthatfirmssawsupplier deliverytimesshortenforthefirsttimesince thequestionwasintroducedbackinMarch 2021.”

MrRamseysaidthatthesteadyimprovement intheprivatesectorwas“instarkcontrast” withmountingdifficultiesinthepublicsector.

“Budgetcutsandascalingbackofpublic serviceswillalsohaveimplicationsforpartsof theprivatesectortoo,”hesaid.

“Meanwhiletheheadwindsofhigherinterest ratesandincreasedtaxationwillincreasingly befeltbyallpartsoftheeconomyintheyear ahead.”

TheBankofEngland recentlyannouncedan increaseinthebaserateto4.5%.

AccordingtothePMI,outputgrowthwas oftenlinkedtohigherneworders,whichalso increasedforthethirdmonthrunning.Rising newordersalsoencouragedfirmstoexpand employmentagain,withsomecompanies increasingstaffinglevelstotryandwork throughoutstandingbusiness.

Staffinglevelscontinuedtorisesharply,the PMIsaid,buttherateofinflationsoftened fortheseventhmonthina row. Inaddition, thepaceofincreaseinsellingpriceswasthe softestsinceDecember2020. ■

ByMargaretCanning

NorthernIrelandissteepedinheavyindustryandalegacyofmanufacturing,butit’s alsoexpandingandgrowinggreenershootsandfocusingonemergingindustriesof thefuture,writes JohnMulgrew

Theshipswillsoonberthindocks aroundtheLaganinthemonthsand yearsahead – evoking a return to thedayswhenBelfastwasknownaround theglobeas a maritimemanufacturing leader

Atitspeak,Harland & Wolff boasted a workforceof35,000towardstheendofthe Second World War, andit remained a stalwart ofNorthern Ireland’s heavymanufacturing industryfordecades.

However, nowin2023,whileheavy industry remains a partofNorthern Ireland’s manufacturingsector, weneedtothinkwider andoutsidetheboxintermsofwhatthat meansandtheareasinwhichwe’re seeing bothsignifcantgrowthandworld-leading technologiesdevelopedwithin.

“[There are]opportunitiesforgreentechnology anddevelopment,”accordingtoGrainne McVeighofInvestNI,whofeaturesin a roundtablediscussioninthiseditionof Ulster Business

“Aswemoveintoanetzeroworldtherewill beopportunitiesacrosstransport,aviation, foodprocessing–thedecarbonisationof manufacturingwillbecritical.”

Thenumberswithinthemanufacturingsector are nottobeignored.

Thesectorcontributesaround£6bntothe Northern Irelandeconomy, alongwith a huge chunkoftheexportmarket.

Andoneofthosealreadyatthatforefrontis a modern partofourmaritimehistory

IainPercy’s Artemis Technologiesisdeveloping theworld’s mostadvanced100%electric foilingfastferrythatwilltargettheglobalhighspeedpassengerferrymarket,with a testboat connectingBelfasttoBangoraspartofthe frm’s pioneeringtechnology

It’sa companywhichhasgrownitsheadcount tomore than100already, welcomedministers andotherbusinessandpoliticalleadersthrough itsdoors,andispioneeringshipbuildingwith a modern skillsetasmuchincommonwith FormulaOnethantraditionalheavyindustry

Ourheritageindustriesare seeing a resurgence, howeverandtheshipsare settingsail,once again.

Harland & Wolff nowhas a teamofaround 400inBelfastandthefrm’s othersites.And

whileworkinitiallyfocusedonmaintenance andsmallerwindprojects,it’s nowpartof a consortiumof firmswhichcouldsee1,200new jobscreatedinthedevelopmentofnewvessels fortheRoyalNavy

Butintermsofthetransitiontoemerging sectorswithinmanufacturing,according toexpertsinthe field,greentechnologyis somethingNorthern Irelandcanseizeupon.

“WebelieveNorthernIreland’sspecialisms lendthemselveswelltogreenheating, transportandenergyproduction.Thequestion forourbusinessesishowcanweuseour heritage,credentials,andexpertisetodrive differentiationinthesegrowingsegments,” William TaylorofKPMGsaysaspartofour roundtable,whichyoucan readonthenext fewpages.

Aerospaceas a wholewashitparticularlyhard duringthepandemic – there were almostno planesintheskyformonths.That’s thesortof thingthatcouldbring afirmoranindustryas a wholetoitsknees.

However, whileSpiritAeroSystems – formerly Bombardier – sawitsworkforce reducefrom around3,200to2,750between2020and 2021,it’s now recruitingat a steadyand protractedpace.

Here,amongdifferentskillsets,it’s the workforce’s compositebasewhichhelpsitsit amongworldleadersinaerospace.TheBelfast baseisthefabricatoroftheinfusedcomposite wingsfortheAirbusA220,andother passengeraircraft.

InAntrim,JansGroupis a variedmanufacturing businesswhichiscontinuingtogrowits workforceand revenue.Justlastyearitschief RonanHamillsaiditwasaimingtohit500 staff and£50minsalesin2023.Itwasborne fromJansCompositesandnowincludes newlyfoundedcompaniesEtrux, a sustainable lightweightcommercialvehiclebusinessand Off SiteSolutions, a companythatconstructs modularbuildingsfortheleisure and residential market.

Ofcoursethere’s evenmore modern

technologyintheworkshere.Thatincludes firmssuchasAxial3D.TheBelfast-based3D medicalprinting firm – whichhasbuilt a new facilitytoshowcaseitstechnologyintheheart ofthecityalongsideplanstoaddaround 30newjobs – isatthecuttingedgeof a burgeoningindustry, andhasjustannounced a partnershipwithStratasys,andaninvestment roundamountingto$15m.

Butwhiletechandengineering remainkey cogsinthesectorhere,foodandagribusiness also remainatthecore ofoureconomy

One firmwhichiscontinuingtobothinvest inmore sustainablefoodsolutionsaswellas meetingmarketdemandsisFinnebrogue.

TheDownpatrickbusinessmadeitsname insellingbangersandrasherstosomeof ourbiggestsupermarkets,butsincethenit’s evolvedinto a companyfocusedonplant-based food.

Just a coupleofyearsagoitopened a new £25mfacilityjusttotacklethatever-growing market.

Andthere are otherstoriesofmanufacturing successhere,includingthe revivalof Wrightbus followingtheadministrationofthebus-builder in2019,whichwassubsequentlyboughtout byJoBamford andiscontinuingtosecure majorordersforitselectricandhydrogenbuses acrosstheglobe.

Itseemsgoinggreenworks – thefuture could certainlybe a brightoneforallofus. ■

AworkeratJans GroupinAntrim

Belfast-basedArtemisis developinganewelectricferry

Crowdsatthelaunch ofHMSBelfastatthe Harland& Wolffshipyard inBelfastin1938

Manufacturing roundtable: aboomingsector helpingtransform oureconomy

ManufacturingNI broughttogetherexpertsfromacrossthesectorsaspartof thisyear’sManufacturingMonthtodiscusstheimportanceoftheindustryinour economy,what’sbeingdonetosupportourbusinesses,therisksandchallenges ahead,goinggreenandwhatthesectorwilllooklikeintheyearstocome

Howimportantismanufacturingtothe widerNIeconomy?

GrainneMcVeigh: It’soneofouroldest sectors.Ilookafterjustover1,000 companies…theyare responsiblefor55% ofourexports,over20%oftotalsalesand over10%ofouremployment.Manufacturing contributesabout£6bntotheNorthernIreland economy–it’sanincrediblyimportantpartof theeconomy.

AlisonCurrie: It’salsoimportantto recognise

thatmanufacturingprocessesaredeployed acrosssomanysectors…fromaerospaceto foodproduction.

Whyispoliticalstabilitykeytothesector andothers?

NigelBirney: Ifwearegoingto realiseour potentialasacountryandaneconomy,we wouldbeunlikelytofulflthatpotential withoutsomestability.Lookingatourpotential outputandattractinginwardinvestment,it’s vitalweshowthoseouttherethatwehave

turnedacornerandhavestability.

JohnMathers: Ifyou’relookingatan investmentopportunityorlendingproposal, fromabankingperspective,ifyoucan’tlook outwithsomeelementofcertaintythenit makesitadiffcultdecisiontomake.

ChrisGuy: We wouldseeitsometimesin corporateactivitywherepeoplearetrying togetsomethingdonewithonehandtied behindtheirbackalittlebit.

Howcantradecreditinsurancehelp manufacturersmaximisethebeneftof NI’suniquetradingpositionpost-Brexit andtheWindsorframework?

NigelBirney: To getbusinessestotake advantageofthisuniquepositionthey doneedsomeencouragementand reassurance…[acompanywishingtosell overseasmayask]‘howdoIknowmy customeriscreditworthyandhowamI goingtogetpaid?’.

Tradecreditinsurancecanallowcustomers accesstoverydetailedmarketintelligence… italsogivesthemthefundamentalpieceof mindthattheyarefnanciallyprotected.

ChrisGuy,MillsSelig,William Taylor,KPMG, TonyGordon,Atradius,JohnMathers,Barclays, JohnMulgrew,UlsterBusiness,NigelBirney, Lockton,NathanielFerris,CPL,AlisonCurrie, InterTradeIrelandandGrainneMcVeigh,InvestNI

ChrisGuy,MillsSelig,William Taylor, KPMGand TonyGordon,Atradius

WhatareInvestNIdoingtosupportlocal manufacturerstotradeglobally?

GrainneMcVeigh: We havearangeof supportforhelpingmanufacturers–everything frominvestigatingthemarkettohelpingput peopleintothemarketandsupportingthem whentheyarethere. We alsodoalotofwork withthingssuchasexhibitionsandtrade missions,whichfrmsfndveryuseful.

Howcanmanufacturersensurethey maintainahealthypipelineoftalentto supporttheirbusiness?

NathanielFerris: There’s recruitmentand retention.Thekeythingwith recruitmentisthe attraction–gettingtherightpeoplethrough thedoorandwhatyourtargetmediumsare… frstandforemostIwouldworryaboutmaking surethatpeopledon’tleavethroughthedoor. It’scompetition.Alotofpeopleonaverageare notstayingmorethanthreetofveyearswith anemployer.Idon’tknowwherethatchange iscomingfrom.

Howcanthemanufacturingsectorsupport orleadonissueslikeESG,sustainability anddigitisation?

William Taylor: Manufacturersaredealing withlotsoffrefghtingpost-Covid,butit isimportanttofocusonthekeychallenges whichwillcontributetobusiness resilience–havingyourESGhouseinordercanbethe priceofadmissiontoyourcurrentmarkets,but itshouldalsobeseenasapotentialgateway tonewmarkets.Everyonefromyourbankto yourlargestcustomersarelikelytohaveESG

ambitionsordemandsforyourbusiness.Itcan restrictyouraccesstocapital. Yourvaluechain isunderthesamepressures–ifwecangetto aplacewhereNorthernIrelandmanufacturing is recognisedforembracingESG,andthereis astrongcommonapproach,itcouldbethe gatewaytonewmarketsandnewproductsto accelerateyourgrowth.

TonyGordon: We scoreeverycompanyon whichwewritecreditlimitsoneto100,but withintwoorthreeyearseverycompanyon ourbookswillalsohaveanESGrating.

William Taylor: Theworldisgoinggreenand NorthernIreland’smanufacturersshouldaimto commerciallybeneftfromthattrajectory.

Howcanbanksandfnancialinstitutions supportmanufacturerstogainaccessto capital?

JohnMathers: Demandhasbeensubduedfor lendingtosupportnewinvestments,largely duetotheuncertaintyof recentyearsbut

GUESTS

JohnMulgrew

Editor,UlsterBusiness

William Taylor

Director,strategy,KPMG

JohnMathers

Director,BarclaysCorporateBanking

AlisonCurrie

Directorofinnovationand entrepreneurship,InterTradeIreland

ChrisGuy

Managingpartner,MillsSelig

TonyGordon

HeadofriskunderwritingIreland, Atradius

GrainneMcVeigh

Director,advancedmanufacturingand engineering,InvestNI

NigelBirney

Headoftradecredit,Lockton

NathanielFerris

Principalrecruitmentconsultant,CPL

therehasbeenstrongdemandforworking capitalfunding.Thathaskeptusexceptionally busy,bothacrossourownclientbaseand fornewclients.Oneofthemore recent developmentsistheabilitytosupportfunding requestswiththeUKEFGeneralExportFacility schemeandanumberofourclientshave takenadvantageofthis.ESGhasalsobecome afeatureoflendingapplicationsthatisnow coveredineachapplicationwelookat.

Whataresomeofthelegalrisksfor companieslookingtotradeorsetupbase inNIandhowcanlawfrmsassistthem?

ChrisGuy: Gettingadvicefromlocalexperts isveryimportant.Therearethingsyoucanget wrongwhichcouldcause realissues.Oneof theotherthingsyoucomeacrossisyoudon’t knowyouareintroubleuntilsomething

>

AlisonCurrie,InterTradeIreland andGrainneMcVeigh,InvestNI

hasgonewrongandit’stoolate. Withthe verybestfrmsweworkwithit’saboutbeing proactive–negotiatingasupplyagreement, orwhateveritmaybe–tobeclearabout whatisbeingdelivered.Intermsofhowwe cansupportmanufacturingfrmsit’sabout beingproactiveandbestinclass.Theygetthe organisationinshape,it’shealthy,it’sinvestor ready. We cansupportacrosstheboard.

Inanincreasinglyvolatiletrading environmentwhatgeneralrisksarefrms grapplingwith?

TonyGordon: Overthelastcoupleofyears, smallcompanieshavesurvivedongovernment supports.Thosehavenowfnishedand companiesarenowstruggling.Sofarthisyear wehaveseenasmanyclaimsamongNorthern Irishcompaniesinthefrstquarteraswedidin thewholeoflastyear. We areseeinganuptick ininsolvencies.Liquidityissuesarearising–whenbusinessesgetintotroubletheydon’t

communicatequicklysotheproblemsbecome sobigthatpeoplearen’twillingtosupport thematthatpoint.That’sa realchallenge. Thoseproblemsarearisingoutof[areassuch as]infation,interestrateincreasesandfar largerenergybills.

WhatworkisInterTradeIrelanddoing tohelpmanufacturingbusinessestrade acrossIreland?

AlisonCurrie: Therearethreecoreareasin whichwewanttohelpthemanufacturing sector. We helpthemgrowtheircross-border tradeandexports,weassistthemwith innovationsupportsandwepreparethem togetinvestor ready–wehaveanumber ofareasoffundingandsupporttohelp withthat. We havesome reallyinteresting fgureswhichshowthosenewmanufacturing businesses,75%ofthemwhofrsttrade acrosstheborder,goontotradeoffthe island.

We haveafrmfocusoninnovationwithour fagshipInnovationBoostprogrammewhich supportsmanufacturingcompanies–whether that’swithanewproduct,digitisation,process effcienciesorlookingatthefutureand adoptingthosenewtechnologies. We will matchacompanywithanacademicpartner inthecross-borderjurisdictionandfundthat technologytransferproject,includingupto 50%ofagraduate’ssalarytoworkonit

Wheredoyouseetheevolutioninthe manufacturingsectorinNorthernIreland overthenextfewyears?

GrainneMcVeigh: [Thereare]opportunities forgreentechnologyanddevelopment.As wemoveintoanetzeroworldtherewill beopportunitiesacrosstransport,aviation, foodprocessing–thedecarbonisationof manufacturingwillbecritical.

William Taylor: We believeNorthernIreland’s specialismslendthemselveswelltogreen heating,transportandenergyproduction.The questionforourbusinessesishowcanwe useourheritage,credentials,andexpertise todrivedifferentiationinthesegrowing segments. We alsohaveamazingtechand cyberhubs–imaginethepossibilitiesifwe canleveragethosetechcapabilitieswithour manufacturingprowess,bothtargetingthe greenopportunities.

JohnMathers: Somepeoplesaywearesmall andthran,Iprefertosaywearenimbleand determined. We collaboratewell–themajority ofourmanufacturingbusinessesarefamilyownedanddecisionsaremadearoundatable withfewerpeople–thereis realstrengthand valueinournimbleness. ■

ChrisGuy,MillsSelig,William Taylor,KPMG, TonyGordon, Atradius,JohnMathers,Barclays,JohnMulgrew,Ulster Business,NigelBirney,Lockton,NathanielFerris,CPL,Alison Currie,InterTradeIrelandandGrainneMcVeigh,InvestNI

NigelBirney,Lockton,NathanielFerris, CPL,AlisonCurrie,InterTradeIreland andGrainneMcVeigh,InvestNI

Buildingopportunities atCollinsAerospace

“Greatthingsare doneby a seriesofsmallthingsbrought together.”

Theabovequotefromartist, Vincent Van Gough, resonateswithmanybusinessesacross Northern Ireland,butnonemore sothan CollinsAerospaceinKilkeelthathasmastered theartofcreatingsomeofthegreatestseating productswithintheglobalaerospacemarket.

A businessofRaytheon Technologies,the facilityinKilkeel,whichopenedin1967, hasestablisheditselfas a pinnacleinthe manufacture ofaircraftseatingglobally This isevidencedinthatitishometooneofthe largestseatingfacilitiesintheworld,building more than25%ofaeroplaneseatscurrentlyin operation,andis a centre ofexcellenceforthe launchofnewplatforms.

Successdidn’t happyovernightthough,but through a seriesofsmallerworkingparts, thecompanyisnowleadingthewayin manufacturingandengineeringexcellencein Northern Ireland.

Continuallydeliveringhighquality, innovative andstate-of-the-artproductsistheepitome oflifeatthecompany Thisissharedacrossall departments,fromNPIandmanufacturing, whichhavehelpedlaunchedproductslikethe award-winningFinnairAirLoungeandElements seats,toplanningandlogisticsthatensure

all relevantpartsare sourcedandavailable inadvanceof a projectcommencing,and completedprojectsare deliveredontime.

Forpartsthatcannotbesourced,Collins’ Kilkeelteamhasdevelopedadvanced compositesandmanufacturingprocessesto a levelunequalledbyanycompositefacility withintheaerospacearena.Thishasenabled thedesignofmore geometricallycomplex andcosmeticallypleasingcomponentstobe integratedintothecompany’s seatdesignsthat surpassesanythingwhichitscompetitorscan produce.

Thelaunchof a state-of-the-art70,000sqft logisticshubhelpedimprovedelivery, collection andsortingprocesseswhilstmaximising effciency, andalsoenablesthecompanyto identifyanyissuesormissingpartswithout haltinganactiveassemblyline.

Andtheassemblylineandproduction operativesare thegluethatholdsthecompany together Operatingwithin a 215,000sqft space,thefoorofCollinsAerospace’s facilityin Kilkeelisorganisedinto11productionlinesfor itsseatingassembly, andwiththeinstallation ofworld-leadingtechnology, economy-class seatingcanbecompletedwithinnineto11 minutes.

AttheheartofCollinsAerospaceinKilkeel howeverisitspeople.Itiscommittedto empoweringitsemployees,aswellasbuilding theworkforceoftomorrow, developing a localtalentpipelinethroughitsSTEM activitieswithschoolsinthesurroundingarea, andpartnershipswithfurthereducational institutionsandcolleges. Withexcellent careerprogression,traininganddevelopment opportunities,andindustry-leadingbenefts packagesofferedtoallemployees,the companyisbeing recognisedasanemployerof choice,notjustinthelocalarea,butacrossthe wholeofNorthern Ireland.

Managingdirector, AlanHenning,spokeabout thecompany’s success.“CollinsAerospacein Kilkeelcontinuestoevolveand refneprocesses toensure there is a seamlessmanufacturing journeyforallourproducts,”hesaid.

“However, itisourhighlyskilledteam,across themanydepartmentsfromproductionto logistics,whoare integraltothesuccessof boththemanufacturingjourneyandthe company We willcontinuetolookfornewand innovativewaysandcutting-edgeprocessesto deliverandmeettheneedsofourcustomers, andindoingso,wewillnotonlybuild opportunitiesforourcustomersbutalsoforour people.” ■

AlanHenning

Theaward-winningFinnair AirLoungeseatwhichwas manufacturedbytheteamat CollinsAerospaceinKilkeel

Der ry’s largestemployer ‘cuttingmorethan100jobs’

make“aggressiveactions”tolowercosts.

afterUSspecialenvoyhighlightedplant’svital role.

StaffattheSeagatefactoryin Londonderryhavebeeninformedof majorjoblosses,ithasemerged.

Itisunderstood116jobs,over7%ofthe workforce,willbecut.

Consultationsaresaidtobeongoingandit isbelievedpeoplewillbeofferedvoluntary redundancy.

Sourcessaidthisisthesecondbatchofcuts inthepast12months,withapproximately30 employeesletgolastSeptember.

Seagatedidnotconfrmthenumberofjob lossesatitsplantinDerry.

PeopleBeforeProft’sShaunHarkinsaidthe newswas“abodyblowforworkersandtheir families”amidthecostoflivingcrisis.

“Wesendoursolidaritytoeveryoneimpacted bythiscrueldecision,”hesaid.

StaffattheSpringtownRoadfactoryhave beenbracingthemselvesforjoblossesand paycutsafterthecompanysharedplansto

HarddrivemanufacturerSeagateisthebiggest employerinDerrywitharound1,400staff.

Aspokesmanforthefrmsaid:“Asnotedin ourFY23Q3earningspress releaseonApril 20,2023,Seagateannounceda restructuring programmeto reduceourcoststructurein responsetochangesinmacroeconomicand businessconditions.

“Theseactionsincludeaglobalworkforce reduction,whichisoneofthemostdiffcult decisionsaleadershipteamundertakes.Our goalistotakethesenextstepsinathoughtful mannerandworkcollectivelywithemployees.”

JohnHumewasinstrumentalinbringingthe companytothecitybackin1993,andUS SpecialEnvoyJoeKennedyIII recentlypointed toSeagateasasuccessstoryofforeign investmentinNorthernIreland.

Itisacompanywhichhasbenefttedfrom almost£60minfundingfromInvestNI–which amountsto37%offundsDerryCityhas receivedfromInvestNIoverthepast20years.

Redundancyannouncementcomesjustweeks

UnitesaidthatthedecisionbySeagateto seekover100voluntary redundanciesat theirSpringtownsiteis“unnecessaryand unjustifed”,andurgedworkerstojointhe unioninordertosecure recognitionanda collectivevoicegoingforward.

Unitedescribedthecompany’sattemptto justifythejobandwagecutsas“blatantly dishonest”,pointingoutthatthecurrentdrop insalesisfromapost-pandemicsurgeand comesamidstanunprecedentedlogistical supplycrisis.

UnitegeneralsecretarySharonGraham challengedthecompany’sattempttojustifyits attackonjobsandwages,saying:“There’sno realjustifcationfor redundanciesorattacks onworkers’pay.

“Itseemsthatwhileworkersmustpaythe priceofshort-termproductionproblemsthere arenoissueswithpayingoutlargedividends toshareholders.

“Yetagainworkersarebeingaskedtopaythe price.” ■

ByGarrettHargan

Seagate’sbaseinLondonderry

Soaringhigh: thethriving supplychaininNorthernIreland

Thismonthseesthe returnofone ofthebiggesteventsintheaircraft interiorssector,AIXExpo,to Hamburg,Germany.

Theworld’sleadingmarketplaceforthesupply chain,attendeesexplore,meetanddiscuss allthingsinteriors,engagingwiththetop 70globalairlinesalongsidemajororiginal equipmentmanufacturers(OEMs),asthey looktoshapethefutureofthepassenger experience–andNorthernIrelandhasitspart toplay.

Steepedinmanufacturinghistoryandaviation heritage,NorthernIrelandisacentreof excellence,fundamentaltothesuccessofthe globalaerospaceindustry.AspartoftheInvest NorthernIrelandexhibitionstand,tenlocal companieswillbedisplayingtheirexpertise andcapabilitiesattheexpowhichtakesplace fromJune6-8.

Threeofthesecompanieshave,foranumber ofyears,cometogethertohighlightthe epitomeofsupplychainexcellence.Asan extensionoftheircustomer,eachcompanyhas adifferentofferingcoveringsoftfurnishings, metalsandplasticswitheverythingin between;BradforLtdisaleadingmanufacturer usingthelatestmaterialsandinnovationsto makeeverythingfromseatcoverstolifevest pouches;theExactGroupisamarketleaderin precisionengineeringandcompositefnishing, whereasIPCMouldingsisoneoftheleaders whenitcomestotechnicalplasticcomponents andhighlevelengineeredassemblies.

TogethertheydemonstratehowNorthern Irelandcompaniesarethrivinginthis sectorbyfocussingoncollaborationand communication,qualitymanagement, technologyandinnovation,ensuringthey stayaheadofthecompetitionandareatthe forefrontofchange.Investmentinadvanced technologyhasalsobeeninstrumentalintheir supplychainsuccess.

BradforLtdhaskeytechnologyforlamination

andembossingprocessesandholdsthe UKCivil AviationAuthority(CAA)Part21G accreditation,whichallowsthemtowork directlywithairlinesandMROs(maintenance, repair,andoverhaul).

TheExactGrouphas recentlyinvestedin newtechnologyandhasbeenappointeda certifedapplicatorofCerakote–theworld leaderinthinflmceramicinfusedcoating technology–allowingthemtogivecustomers avariantofapplicationsandcoatingsfortheir products.

AndIPCMouldingsinvestedinnewmachinery and redefnedtheirapproachinapostcovid worldbyoptimisingproductivity,extending capabilityandofferingfexiblesolutions.

Inafast-movingindustryengagedin innovationanddrivenbyqualityanddelivery, thesecompaniesexcelintheirindividual performancehavingsuccessfullyundertaken theesteemedaerospacesupplychain continuousimprovementprogramme,SC21, designedtoacceleratethecompetitivenessof theUKsectorbyraisingtheperformanceof itssupplychain.

BradforLtdhasheldSC21Silverforseven years;theExactGroupwasthefrstever companyinIrelandtoenterandobtain SC21Silveronitsfrstengagement,andhas retaineditforthreeyears,andIPCMouldings has retainedSC21Goldforfouryears,going fromBronzetoGoldinunderfveyears–an incredibleaccomplishmentdemandingscores ofover99.5%inqualityandover99%in delivery.

Thestatisticsspeakforthemselves–these threecompaniesexemplifyallthatisgoodin manufacturingexcellenceinNorthernIreland.

Thisyeartheyarehighlightingtheirsuccessful collaborationattheexhibition,showcasing theirbusinessethos‘Strongertogether,by buildingabettersupplychain,excellencecan beachieved’.

Americanauthor,lectureranddisability champion,HelenKelleroncesaid:“Alone,we candosolittle,together,wecandosomuch.” Iftherewerethreecompaniesthatembody thisquoteintheaircraftinteriorssectorand itssupplychain,thenitisBradforLtd,Exact GroupandIPCMouldings. ■

PatriciaClements,managingdirectorofBradforLtd,StephenCromie,managingdirectorofTheExactGroupand JoanneLiddle,managingdirectorofIPCMouldings

Howdidyoustartoutinyourbusiness?

Ihadbeenworkingfor ToddArchitects’ founder,Barrie Todd,forseveralyearswhen theopportunityarosetoacquirethebusiness alongsidesomecolleagues.Barriehadbeen talkingtoanotherpracticeaboutanacquisition butsuggestedthatwealsoconsiderhowwe mightstructureanoffer.Thankfully,wewere successfulandcompletedouracquisitionin October2000,whichdoesn’tfeellikethat longago.

Whathaveyoufoundthemost challengingduringyouryearsofbusiness, sofar?

Initially,itwasaboutdevelopingconfdence andportrayingasenseofcontinuitytoexisting andpotentialclientsaswellasbuildingan understandingofthe‘businessofarchitecture’ –whichinitssimplestformcanbebroken downtoa‘threeG’approach:gettingworkin, gettingworkdone,andgettingpaid.

Theearlynoughtiesprovidedaperiodof quicksuccessandfastgrowth,followedby thefnancialcrisisof2008andsubsequent recession.Likemanyworkinginthebuilt environment,thiswasprobablythemost challenginglowpointofthepracticeinterms ofdealingwithdownsizingandclosefnancial managementofcashfow.

Needlesstosay,theCovid-19pandemicwas challengingduetothemassiveuncertainties thatcameabout,butweadaptedveryquickly andourpeoplewereincredibly resilientand opentodealingwiththechallengesinanew way. We did recoververyquicklyfromtheearly impactandhavebeenonagrowthtrajectory since,includingopeninganewstudioin ManchesteramiditallinNovember2020.

Howwouldyoudescribeyour managementstyle?

Intentionally,wedon’thaveanydoorsinour studios.Thisistotryandfosteratransparent culturewherecreativityandideascanfow andtheseniormanagementteamareavailable andaccessibletoallstaffinanon-hierarchical way.Onapersonallevel,Itrytoembodythis ethosday-to-day–it’simportanttomethatall stafffeelliketheyaretreatedwith respectand dignitywhentheycometowork.

Whatwouldyouchangeifyoucouldgo backanddoitallagain?

Ihaveno real regretstobehonest.Idotryto stayatthecoalfaceand remaininvolvedin projectworkwhichishugelyimportanttome, butbeingtoohandsonmayalsobetomy detrimentattimes.

Haveyoudoneitallonyourown?

Defnitelynot.Theearlyyearswithin Todd Architectswerespentdevelopingmyabilities asanarchitectunderthementorshipofBarrie Toddwho remainsinterestedinthepractice. Iacquiredthebusinesswiththreecolleagues, wherewetookaleapoffaithinourown abilities.

Followingthedeparturesoftwoofthegang offour,mycolleaguePeterMinnisandIhave driventhepracticeforwardthroughhard work,takingappropriaterisksandofcourse, anelementofluck. We nowhavethree co-ownersofthebusinessandastructure

whichis requiredtomanageandoperatean organisationof90peopleworkingacrossa widevarietyofsectorsandprojecttypes(not tomentiongeographicallocation).

Howwouldyoulikeyourbusinesstobe remembered?

Ihopethatwewillbe recognisedashaving hadapositiveimpactonthebuiltenvironment acrossNorthernIreland,butalso,increasingly, whereverourfootprinthasbeenprovidedwith anopportunity;thisisespeciallytrueacross our regionalstudiosinDublin,Manchesterand London.

Asapractice,wetrytoexceedourclients’ expectationsandenjoytheexperienceof workingwithsuchadiverserangeofpeople andorganisations.Mybiggestaspirationwould bethatthebusinesscontinuestosucceed intothefutureunderthenext‘generation’of ownershipandstewardship–andIhaveno doubtthatitwill.Theissuesandchallenges willbedifferent,butthecultureofinnovation andcollaborationwill remain.

Whatpieceofadvicewouldyougivetoa 20-year-oldyou?

Workhard,playhardandtravelmore. You needtoenjoywhatyoudoandeverything thatcomeswithit.Architectureisalifestyle profession,onethatisdiffculttoswitchoff from.Thereisabigworldoutthereandweare alwayslearningfromexperiencingotherplaces andcultures. ■

Name: PaulCrowe

Position: Director, ToddArchitects

Thecolumnwithan earforexperience...

IT & TECH NOLOGY

Cybersuccess showsprogress andaworld madepossible throughpeace

Spychiefs,defenceoffcialsandakeyfgurein Ukraine’sfghtagainstRussiagatheredatthe WaterfrontHallforaneventthatwouldhavebeen unthinkable25yearsago,writes SamMcBride

Intheplacewherealmostaquarterof acenturyagoBonoraisedthehands ofDavid TrimbleandJohnHumein afnalpushtosecuretheGoodFriday Agreement,aneventwhichthenwould havebeenunimaginabletookplace.

ICCBelfast,whichispartofthe Waterfront Hall,hostedamassiveconferenceorganisedby apartofBritain’ssignalsintelligenceagency, GCHQ.

BelfastCityCouncil,onwhichSinnFeinis nowthebiggestparty,notonlyownsthe venuebuthelpedsponsorit.Despiteavisible policepresencearoundthevenueandairporttypesecurityonthewayin,securitywasfar lowerkeythanduring recentvisitsbysenior politicians.

Insidethevenuewas relaxedasaround2,000 delegatesmilledaroundexhibitionstands,

themainhallitselfandsmaller roomswhere specialisttopicswerediscussed.

TheCyberUKconferencewasorganisedby theNationalCyberSecurityCentre(NCSC),an increasinglyimportantpartofGCHQfocused onsecuringtheUKfromonlinethreats–once anichearea,butnowcentraltonational securityasalmosteveryaspectofourlives involvessomeconnectiontotheinternetwhich canbetargetedbycriminalhackersorthoseof hostileforeignstates.

TheopenvisibilityofamajorBritish intelligence-organisedconferenceinBelfastfor thefrsttimeisarguablyafarmoredramatic demonstrationoftheworldtheGoodFriday Agreementcreatedthananyofthebigpolitical speecheswhichin recentdayshavemarked theagreement’sanniversary.

Amongthehigh-poweredaudiencewas

VictorZhora,aseniorfgureinUkraine’sunit responsibleforfendingoffRussianhackers duringthewar,andseveralseniorUSsecurity offcials,includingMorganAdamski,chiefof theNationalSecurityAgency’sCybersecurity CollaborationCenter,andKemba Walden,the WhiteHouse’sactingnationalcyberdirector.

NCSC’schiefexecutiveLindyCameronwas borninNorthernIrelandandisaformer NorthernIrelandOffceoffcial.Opening theconference,MsCameronsaidshewas “veryproudtobeaDerrygirl”and“basically NorthernIreland’sbiggestfan”.

MsCameronsaiditwas“a reallybigdeal”to havetheconferenceinBelfast.Itwould,she said,havebeen“completelyinconceivable”to havedonesointheNorthernIrelandinwhich shegrewup.

MsCameron’spredecessor,Omagh-born

CiaranMartin,saidoftheconferencetaking placeinBelfast:“Onthelongview,thisseems remarkable;intheshortview,itseemsentirely normal.”

“ForallthepoliticalstasisinNorthernIreland, thereisamaturitywherepeoplecanbegrown upaboutthis.”

Hesaidthatdespitetheobviousandpublic connectionsbetweentheNCSCandtheBritish intelligenceworld,itwascleartopeoplethatit was“puttingoutusefulstuffasapplicableto

peopleinNorthernIrelandasinEngland,the RepublicofIreland,oranywhereelse”.

“There’sabeneftforthecityofBelfast, notjustfromhavingthisevent,butthis partnership,”hesaid.

SirJeremyFleming,GCHQ’smostsenior offcial,saidcomingtoNorthernIreland andseeinghowacademia,businessand governmentwerecollaboratingoncyber securitywasa“greatexample”ofwhatthey wanttoseeelsewhere.

Ukrainewasamajortopicofdiscussionatthe conference,bothpubliclyandawayfromthe stage,astechnologistsanddefenceoffcials consideredtheimplicationsofRussia’scyber attacksonthecountry,butalsothepositive storyofhowsuccessfulUkrainehadbeenat repellingmuchofwhathadbeenthrownatit online.

NickGodfrey,seniordirectorinGoogleCloud’s OffceoftheChiefInformationSecurityOffcer, said:“ThewarinUkrainehashighlightedthe critical roleofcybersecurityinwarfare”.

>

HesaidGoogle remained“deeplycommitted” tosupportingUkraine“andwillcontinuetodo soforaslongasisnecessary”.

DavidKoh,Singapore’scybersecurity commissioner,saiditwashisfrsttimein Belfast.Helikenedcybersecuritytosafety mechanismsinacarwhere“ifyouwantto gofast,youneedgoodbrakes”andsaidthat forsmallerstatesitwasimportanttojoinwith largernationstogettheclouttosecurethe web.

ChancelloroftheDuchyofLancasterOliver Dowdensaidthatwiththeconferencehaving beenheldinEngland,Scotlandand Wales, itwas“greattocompletetheUnionset”by comingtoBelfast.

Hesaidthecitywas“anaturalchoiceto holdacyberconference:Ithasbecomea globalhotspotforcyberandtechcompanies, includingIBMSecurity,MicrosoftandNvidia”.

HesaidtheNCSChadbeeninvolvedinthe lastyearintacklingthreatsagainstboththe ConservativePartyleadershipcontestand the recentScottishNationalPartyleadership contest,bothofwhichtookplaceonline.

TheCabinetministersaid:“Icanconfrmthat theNationalCyberSecurityCentreisissuing anoffcialalerttooperatorsofourcritical nationalinfrastructuretohighlighttheriskthey currentlyface.

“Disclosingthisthreatisnotsomething thatwedolightly.Thisisanunprecedented warningforbusinesses. We haveneverpublicly highlightedthethreatfromthesekindsof groupsattemptingsuchattacksbefore.

“AndIshouldstressthatwedonotthinkthat theycurrentlyhavethecapabilitytocause widespreaddamagetoourinfrastructurein theUK.

“Butwedobelieveitisnecessaryatthispoint intime,ifwewantcompaniestounderstand thecurrentthreattheycurrentlyface,and totakeactiontodefendthemselvesandthe countryagainstsuchattacks.”

Referringto recentmediacoverageofan unattractivesalaryforakeycybersecurity post,MrDowdenacknowledgedthatthe governmentneededtopaymoretogetthe bestpeopleinsuchacriticalarea.

Cyberspecialistscouldearnfvetoseventimes theirpublicsectorsalarybygoingtoworkin theprivatesector,hesaid,implicitlyaccepting thatnotenoughhadbeeninvestedinthearea.

MrDowdenwarnedofthepotentialfornew lawstocompelcompanies responsibleforkey nationalinfrastructuretoimprovetheircyber securityiftheyfailtodosovoluntarily.

MsCameronsaid:“IftheUKistobethe safestplacetoliveandworkonline,then resiliencemusturgentlymovetothetopofour investmentshoppinglist

“Itissimplynotgoodenoughtosaythatitis toodiffcultor,worse,thatitisnotapriority

“TheUK’scriticalnationalinfrastructureis crucialformaintainingnationalsecurityand preventingdisruptiontoessentialenergy, transportation,andcommunicationservices.

“Thesesectorsare responsiblefortheday-todayfunctioningofoursocietyandeconomy, sowecannotsimplyhopethateverythingwill beOK.” ■

ThechiefexecutiveofNationalCyberSecurityCentre, LindyCameron,speakingattheCyberUK2023 conferenceinBelfast

MicrosoftPowerApps: thestrengthingoingpaperless

Anycompanyusinginternalsystems orplatformswillknowthat digitisingpaperprocessesleadsto greatereffcienciesacrossyourbusiness, thoughfewwillunderstandhowquickly oreasilythiscanbedonethanksto advancementsinhyperautomation–with sometechnologiescapableofdelivering digitalversionsofyourpaper-based procedures70%fasterthantraditional developmentmethods.

Innovationsinthedevelopmentoflow-code –orsimplyput,thebuildingblocksofany application–meanthatyourorganisation canaccesspre-developedfunctionalities, capabilitiesorcomponentsandusethemto buildabespokeapplicationinashortperiod oftime.

MicrosoftPowerAppsisaformoflow-code technologythatharnessesthesealreadyexistingdigitalmodulestorapidlyautomateIT processesacrossallindustries,alladministrative requirements,andatanylevelofanybusiness. ItallowsbusinessusersandITteamstowork collaborativelyoncreatingappsspecifctotheir needs.

Sowhetherthatbeinahealthcaresetting, wheretheimplementationofadigital endoscopy referralssystemsaveda regional healthtrustanestimated1.4millionsheets ofpapereachyear,inanoffceenvironment inwhichtheintroductionofadigitised processforleave requestsandtimesheets improvedoverallclericaleffciencies,orina pharmaceuticalorganisationwhereanewly developedchangemanagementsystem allowedforfasterapprovalsandcompliance checksthroughoutthedrugsupplychain, thereisverylittlethatMicrosoftPowerApps cannotdo.

Theplatformisincrediblyusefulfor organisationsthat regularlyundergo compliancechecksandaudits,because iteffectivelyautomatesthe retrievalof information requiredbyauditorsinatimely andsecuremanner. Workingwithanexpert, globalplatformlikeMicrosoftmeansthatthe technologyavailablehasalreadybeneftted fromtime, resourceandinvestmentinsecurity andprivacy,soyoucanbe restassuredofIP protection,GDPRdatacompliance,andcloud safety.

MicrosoftPowerAppsisalsofullyinteractable withother,commonlyusedMicrosoft platforms,includingOutlook,SharePointand Teams,soforanyorganisationwithanexisting Microsoft365license,itoffersapowerfultool forrapidapplicationdeliverythatleverages existing resources,data,workfowsand functionality.There’snoneedforthepurchase ofanyadditionalservers,no relianceonacode developmentengineer,andanyoneacross thebusinesscanbuildadashboardforthe requirementsoftheirdepartment.

Foranybusinessconsideringtheirown

paper-basedprocessesandhowthesecanbe digitised,eirevooffersmasterclasseswiththe PowerAppsteamtoidentifyyourbusiness challenges,learnaboutthetechnologyand howitftsintoyourstrategy,andprovidethe buildingblocksyou requiretoachievegreater automationsooner.

eirevowasnamedMicrosoftIrelandPartner ofthe Yearin recognitionofitscustomer-frst commitmenttohelporganisationsgetthe mostoutoftheirtechnology.Thecompany isalsoMicrosoftPowerAppsPartnerofthe Yearforthreeyearsrunning,acknowledging theteamasleadersinlow-codedevelopment offeringtheverybestindesign,innovationand expertiseofbusinessesacrossIreland. ■

Findoutmoreateirevo.co.uk

PaulGilbride,eirevo’sheadofemergingtechnologies,shareshowcompaniescan harnessthelatesttechnologicaladvancementstoimproveeffciencies,automate outdatedprocesses,andenhancetheircompetitiveedge

PaulGilbride

The Barking Dog: farewell to a bistro stalwart… but a warning of what’s to come

TheclosureoftheBarkingDoginBelfastfeelslike farewelltoanoldfriendandanunwelcomeharbinger ofwhatcouldyetfaceusstill,writes JohnMulgrew

TheBarkingDog,runbyMichael O’Connor, pulleddownthe shuttersforgood a coupleof weeksago,afteralmost15yearsin businessonBelfast’s MaloneRoad.

Whileitsmenuhasn’t changedsubstantially overtheyears – offering a solidcollection ofsmallplatesandwell-executedhighendbistro fare– TheBarkingDogwas a restaurantwhichhelpedpushcasualdining here.

Itputbeeftartare onthemenuwhenfew placeswere servingit –a dishwhichhadyet tohaveits renaissanceinmore recentyears.

Itmadepastaandpumpedoutpunchy, well-seasoneddishesin a casual,friendly, and welcomingenvironment,andstucktofamiliar classicswhichhelpedtomakeitsname.

A beefshinburgerwas a keycoginthemenu formore than a decade –a dishwhichtook

more than a daytoproduce, a long,slow, rich braisepackedinside a burger Itwas a hefty pieceofcooking,but a popularone.

Beefshortribbiteswithpickledcarrothave beenonthemenuinoneformoranotherfor years,while a chickenraviolidish I hadlast yearwas a balancedmarriageofrichpoultry andumami – sittingin a smallpoolofchicken jus,enrichedwithbutter, mushrooms,and freshnessfromscatteredpeashoots.

Andwhileit’s anunderstatementtosaythe restaurantgameis a toughenvironmentin whichtooperate,MichaelO’Connorhimself felttheimpactofthat a fewyearsback.

HejointlylaunchedDog Trackin2018 –a grand,buzzingspectacleofanopenplan kitchenand restauranthousedin a recently refurbishedlinenwarehouseonOrmeau Avenue.Itwas a fairlyfreshapproachatthe time,embracingthesushi-styleconveyorbelt conceptand a raftofsmallplates.

Butafterlessthan a yearinbusiness,itshutits doors.

“We’veworkedashard aswecan,we’ve changedthingsandwe’veprayed,butwe haven’t beenabletomakethingswork,” a statementatthetimesaid.

Belfast Telegraph foodcriticJorisMinnesaid thespotwas“innovativeandexciting,itssushi trainmore than a gimmickanditsserviceand foodstandardsashighasthebest”.

A few restaurantshadcalledTheBarkingDog’s buildinghomeovertheyears – most recently GourmetBurgerandPaulRankin’s RainCity

The restaurantflled a gapinanareaofthecity largelyunder-representedintermsof reliable sit-downeateries.

In recentyearswe’dcalledithomefor a group

offriendsmeetingupatChristmas.Itwas a welcomingandfamiliarspacewhichunderwent smallandsubtlechanges,butneverfeltlikeit everwentoutofitswayto reinventitself.

Postingaboutitsfarewell,MichaelO’Connor, owneroftheBarkingDogontheMalone Road,said a combinationofsoaringcosts, thepandemicand a lackofstaff hasmadeit “impossible”tokeepthedoorsopen.

“It’s withanincrediblyheavyheartthat I have madethedecisiontoclosethe restauranton a permanentbasisattheendofthisweek,” a postfromownerMichaelO’Connorsaidonthe restaurant’s Facebookpage.

“Afteralmost15yearsoftrading,it’s just becomeimpossibletokeepthedoorsopen. Withthecostofeverythinggoingthroughthe roof,theaftereffectsofthepandemiconthe industry, notbeingabletogetenoughstaff in

thebuildingtoevenopenmore thanfourdays a week.

“Ultimatelyit’s been a battlefor a numberof yearsnowespeciallythatjustdoesn’t seemto haveanyother result.”

Andwhenwelose a respectedstalwartofthe foodscenehere,itcertainlygetsthedanderup.

Itraisesfurtherquestionsandconcernsthat ifsomewhere,whichhasbuiltup a strong followingand reputation,hastoshut,what couldthatmeanforthelesser-knownfood businessesoutthere strugglinginthemarket?

A fewweeksback I raisedtheissuearoundthe VAT disparitybetweenhere andtheRepublic withhospitality

That,risingcosts,ratesandstaffngwoes are continuingtobatterthesectorand,

unfortunately, TheBarkingDogwillcertainlynot bethelastbusinessshuttingupshopin2023.

Ofcourse,eachsectorandindustrywantsthe bestforitsmembers,andhospitalityisjustone ofthosefacingchallengesatpresent.Butit’s arguablytheindustryfacingthelargestbarriers andhurdlesatpresent.

Andit’s oneinwhichmanyinthesectorbelieve islargelybeingignoredbythepowersthatbe.

“Nooneislisteningorevencaresaboutthe future ofourindustry…weare beingtaxedout ofexistence.Whathashappened?”,chefand restaurateurMichaelDeanepostedon Twitter followingnewsoftheclosure ofTheBarking Dog.

Thelossofthespotissadnewsforthestaff, theowners,thecustomers,andthewider industryas a whole. ■

TheBarkingDogonthe MaloneRoadinBelfast

Howisbusiness?

Businessforuscontinuestobestrong.The majorityofour revenuecomesfromoutside NorthernIrelandandwehaveseenasteady increaseinprojects.Thegeneralawareness thatvirtual realityasaconcepthasgained in recentyearshasbeenhugeandweare benefitingfromthat.

Howdidyougetstartedintheindustry?

Ihaveworkedinthetechnologyindustryfor almost35years.Istartedoutonthetechnical sidebeforemovingintosalesandgeneral

management.Iwentintotheindustryat18 asaprogrammer,soIdidn’tdoadegree.I correctedthismuchlateronand returned todoanMBAatUlsterUniversity.Mycareer allowedmetoworkforanumberofmultinationalcorporationssuchasEMC(nowDell EMC)andSunMicrosystemswhereIrana businessunitforEurope,MiddleEast,and Africa.

Typically,whoareyourclientsor customers?

Thecustomersarequitevariedandarea goodmixofcommercialorganisations,public sector,andacademicinstitutions. We work acrossmultiplesectorsandhavebeenable tomeetthedemandsontopicsasdiverseas ophthalmologysimulationsallthewaythrough tosimulatingconditionsinacalfhouse.

Doyouenjoywhatyoudo,andwhatin particular?

IlovewhatIdo.It’sincrediblychallenging togrowabusinessbutit’sthatchallenge andthediverserangeofcustomersthat makeitworthwhile. We havealsobuilt afantasticteamandworkingwith themisprobablywhatIenjoymost.It isincrediblyclichéd,butitmakesahuge differencetoyourenjoymentofwork ifyouaredealingwithpeopleyoucan trust, relyon,andhavealaughwith. WhenIlookaroundourteam,we havenoweaklinksandnoonewho youwouldn’twanttogooutforanight with. We areveryfortunateinthat regard.

Whatisthemostdifficultpartofyourjob?

Findingtimeisprobablythemostdifficult generalthemeIstrugglewith. We are incrediblybusyandwhileit’seasytocomeup withthesolution–hiremorepeople–thatcan beadifficultprocess.Everytimeyou recruit someone,nomatterhowmeticulousyouare, it’sa rollofthedice. We tendtolookfora goodculturalfitandwouldpassonsomeone whomaybetechnicallybetter,butwesuspect wouldn’tworkwellwiththe restofthe team.It’s relativelyeasytotrainsomeoneand increasetheirskills,it’salmostimpossibleto changesomeone’sattitude.

Whatarethechallengesfacingyoursector andtheeconomyingeneral?

AsanindigenousNorthernIrelandtechnology business,wearealwaysfacedwithdifficulty in recruiting.Largerorganisationssettingup anofficeinNIinevitablyhavedeeperpockets andcanofferbiggersalaries.It’sdifficult tocompeteonthatfront,sowedon’t. We believewepayaboveaveragesalaries,but wealsoofferworkfromhome,flexiblehours andagoodwork/lifebalancesofarthathas allowedustoattractand retainafirst-class team.Overall,justlikealmosteveryother sectorwearesufferingbecauseofthelackof politicalleadershipinStormont.Overthepast coupleofyears,wehaveseenadeclineinthe percentageof revenuewegainfromNorthern Ireland.Fortunately,ourUK revenueshave grownandmorethancompensatedforthat.I shuddertothinkhowcompanieswhodepend on revenuefromNIarecoping. ■

Entrepreneur ofthe Month

EDUCAT ION, TR AI NI NG & SK IL LS

Theskillsand gendergaps

Thereareskillsgapsand shortfallsacrossawiderange ofprofessionsandskilled tradeshere,butaddressingthe deafeninggenderimbalancein manyofthemcouldbepartofthe solution,writes EmmaDeighan

Progressisbeingmadeinnarrowing thegendergapacrossvarious sectors,albeitwithvaryingdegrees ofsuccessbutthere remainsasubstantial amountofworktobedoneatschool levelandamongagenerationofmothers whowantto re-entertheworkforce confdentlyifwearetoeffectivelyaddress existingskillgapsandfulflessential roles.

PwC’smost recent Womenin WorkIndex, 2023,saysthatapersistentnationalpay gapof14%betweenmenandwomen,‘the motherhoodpenalty’andunderemployment ofwomen,slowercareerprogressionafter childbirth,aswellascostlychildcare,are keepingahugepartofourworkforceoutof theworkplace.

Morepositivelyit revealsthatNorthernIreland hasthesmallestgenderpaygap(only5%inNI versus14.4%UK-wide),andahigherfemale full-timeemploymentratethanmost(thethird bestacrosstheUKat64%).However,ithas thelowestfemalelabourforceparticipation rate(70%)ofallnationsand regionsintheUK (74.6%UK-wide).

WomeninBusiness(WIB)has respondedto

thepressuresfacingmothersinparticular bylaunching‘TimelyCareers’a recruitment sitethatfeatures rolesforwomenspecifcally lookingtoworkpart-timeworkpermanently orasafrststepin returningtowork.

TimelyCareerswentliveearlierthisyearasa socialenterpriseandpartoftheWIBGroup.It isafreesupportserviceforwomen returning toworkwhichandincludesjobpostsspanning awiderangeofindustries.

RoseannKelly,chiefexecutiveofWIBsaid: “TheemploymentrateforfemalesinNIhas beenconsistentlylowerthanformalesover thepast10years.Formanywomenfull-time workissimplynota realisticoption,yetitis stilloftendiffculttofndskilledpart-timejobs, careersandopportunitiesthat respectthe othercommitmentsanddemandsintheirlives.

“Careerplanningandpeersupportgroups formanintegralpartof TimelyCareersto ensurethatwomen receivetherightsupport neededtoupskill,networkandultimatelyfnd ajobthatworksforthemandmatchestheir skillsandexperience.”

Sixmonthsonfromitslaunchshesaysthe servicehasbeen“verywell receivedbyboth usersandthebusinesseswhichwework closelywithtopromotetheirjobopenings”.

“Thisisasolutionnotonlyforwomenin NIbutfororganisationswhoarelooking foraspecifcsetofskillstofulfltheirjob vacancies. We haveeightfoundingpartners: Deloitte,DanskeBank,Allstate,Fibrus,Hughes Insurance,NIENetworks,HerbertSmith Freehillsand Version1,whichposttheirpart-

time,term-time,andjob-share rolesonthe platform.Already700womenhavesigned uptotheplatformanditisonlycontinuingto grow,bringingmorepartnersonboardand expandingthesectorswhichareadvertising theirjobs,”shesays.

LynnCarvill,chiefexecutiveof Women’sTec, thelargesttrainingproviderforwomen intraditionallymale-dominatedtradesin NorthernIreland,saysatalentpipelinefor tradesmostatrisk“isstaringusrightinthe face”.

“Thewaythelabourmarketisrightnow thereneedstobemoreofafocusonwomen; womenwhosechildrenhavegrownup,or womenwholacktheconfdencetogetinto theworkforceatall.That’swhereour resources are.

“There’sthismisconceptionthatthesewomen aredoingnothingwhentheyaredoinglots ofthings.They’reparentsandthey’recarers andtheyoftenfeelisolatedbuttheyhaveskills andit’saboutempoweringthemtousethose skills.”

Women’sTechasbeensupportingwomenfor thepast25years,givingthemthetimeand spacetodeveloptheirconfdencesothatthey cantakeonchallengesandfllthosegapsin themarketplace.

Lynncallsita“holisticapproach”thataffords women“asafespacetoexploreskillsthey mightneverhavetriedbefore,skillssuchas carpentry,plumbing,tilingorelectrics”.

Shesayseducatingwomenabouttheiroptions

intheworkingworldisstilloutdatedanda shiftinhowweaddressandinformyoung womenbeforetheyleaveeducationiskey.

“Onethingthatisquitesurprisingin 2023,isthatgirlsinschoolarestillnot offeredtheoptionofcareersinthelikes ofconstruction.Theybelievethat,ifthey arenotfollowingtheacademic route,their onlyoptionsareinbeauty,hairdressingor childcare,whicharefarmoreprecarious jobs,andlowerpaid.”

Aratecardsuppliedby Women’sTecwent ontovalidateherpoint,withjoinery salariesheresittingat30%morethana childcaresalarywhileelectriciansarealmost 40%betterpaidthanhairdressers.

“Thesimplicityismakingsurethatgirlsin allschoolsknowthatthereareoptionsin constructionandthatspecifcjobsaren’t justforboys.It’saboutawilltoteachthem aboutsalariesandjobsecurity, rolesthat arelessprecariousbutthereare resources neededtodothat.”

Women’sTecalreadyhasaninitiative #notjustforboys,whichworkswith schoolsandemployerstocreatetraining opportunitiesandemployabilitypathways forfemalesinnon-traditionalsectors.

Lynnaddsthatwomeninruralareas areparticularlydisadvantagedwhenit comestoaccesstrainingopportunities thatallowthemtodelveintotheworld ofconstructionandotherlikewisetrades, whichiswhy Women’sTecisembarkingon anumberofruralinitiativestoo.>

“Thereareskillsgapsoutthereandthe opportunityisstaringusintheface. We should belookingatwomenandinformingand supportingthemintocareerslikethis.

“It’saboutcreatingapipeline.Peoplewillgo wherethereiswork,whereconditionsare better,wherepayisgoodandyoucansee thatwithalotofourtradespeoplewhoare workingacrossthewateranddownsouth. We needtobestrategicaboutopeningthe pipeline,andlettinggirlsknowaboutthese careers.”

Roseannsays:“Onethingto rememberisthat thechange requiredtobalancetheworkforce isnotjustawoman’sissue,itisahumanissue. We allhaveastakeincreatingaworldwhere womencanachievetheirpotentialandlead

withconfdenceandstrength;itisinthebest interestofallofus.Letuscontinuetowork togethertobreakdownbarriersandshatter theglassceilingsthatholdwomenback. We needtocreateaworldwherewomen’s voicesareheardandtheirleadershipvalued, wheretheytoositatthetable.Aninclusive economyiscrucialforthesuccessofNInot onlyonafnanciallevelbutasocialonetoo.”

SpeakingaboutPwC’smost recent Women in WorkIndex,CatMcCusker, regional marketleaderatPwCNorthernIreland,said: “Whileitispositivethattheoutcomesfor womenoncetheyenterthelabourmarket inNorthernIreland–intermsofpayand securefull-timejobs–aremuchbetterthan other regions,thefact remainsthatalower proportionofworking-agewomenenterthe

labourmarkethereinthefrstplace.

“Lookingforward,thismeanstherearelikely tobesignifcant‘hiddenpockets’oftalent inNI–includingwomenwhohavenotbeen activeinthelabourmarket. We needto considerhowwecan revitaliseourworking populationbygettingmorewomenandmen intotheworkforcehereinthefrstplace.This isaquestionofequitybutalsoapertinent economicissueasNIfaceslabourandskill shortages.”

Shesayschildcarecostsmustbeaddressedas amatterofurgencywithboththebusiness sectorandgovernmentcollaborating,adding thatincreasedinfationcoupledwithhigh childcarecostsarepricingmanymothersoutof thetalentmarket. ■

PwCregionalmarket leaderCatMcCusker

NIENetworksinvesting £3bn andcreating1,000 newjobs

NIENetworksisinvestingmore than £3bnandcreatingaround1,000 jobshere inthenextfewyearsasit headstowards a netzero carbonfuture.

Theelectricitynetworkisgearingupfor a rapid transitionto a greenereconomyinlinewith challenginggovernmenttargetsfornetzero and signifcantly reducedcarbonemissions.

“Asignifcantstepchangeisneededinthe levelofinvestment requiredduringthenext 10yearsandbeyondtofacilitatethescaleof decarbonisationmandatedintheNorthern Irelandclimatechangelegislation,”NIE Networks’managingdirector, DerekHynes,said.

“Theseare investmentsthatwillprovide increasednetworkcapacitytoenable ourcustomerstoconnecttolowcarbon technologiessuchaselectricvehicles,solar panelsandheatpumps.

“We willalsoneedtoinvesttoprovidethe networkcapacityneededtomeetgovernment targetsfor a greaterproportionofelectricityto consistentlyand reliablycomefrom renewable sources.”

AccordingtoNIENetworks,theinvestment willnotonlydeliveranelectricitynetworkft tofacilitatenetzero,butwillcreategreater prosperityinNorthern Ireland.Itwillprovide trainingandlong-termcareersthrough apprenticeshipopportunities,aswellas encouragingtalentthathasmovedawayto return toNorthern Irelandthroughtheofferof highlyskilledandgloballycompetitivejobs.

“We believethatwewillneedtocreate1,000 newjobs,including400apprenticeshipsin NIENetworksandupto500newjobsinour contractorsandsupportpartners,between nowand2030,”MrHynessaid.

“Thislevelofinvestmentwillalsoattract additionalinward investmentintoNorthern Ireland,alongsideencouragingnewbusinesses tocomehere andexistingbusinessesto grow.”

“We havelistenedextensivelytoour customersandstakeholdersinshapingand refningourbusinessplan.

“Theyhaveclearlytoldustoensure thatthe networkhassuffcientcapacitytoallowfor

greaterelectrifcation,is reliableenough tomaintainconfdencethathomesand businesseswillhaveelectricitywhentheyneed it,andtomakesure thatallnewandexisting customerscangettheconnectionstheyneed tothenetworkquicklyandcosteffectively.”

Deemedcriticaltodeliveringthechanges neededontheelectricitynetworkto facilitatethedecarbonisationgoalssetout intheDepartmentfortheEconomy’s Energy Strategy, NIENetworks’proposedplanis intendedtodelivertransformationalimpact forits910,000customersacrossNorthern Ireland.

“Ourplanisdesignedtoimprove reliability, supportthemostvulnerable,cutcarbon,as wellascreatinghundredsofjobsandsupply chainopportunitiesacrossNorthern Ireland,” MrHynessaid.

“Butitisimportantweare transparentwith ourcustomersandthisinvestment requires ananticipatedincreaseinnetworkchargesof around£10 a yearfortheaveragedomestic customer Itiscriticalthoughthatweinvest nowtoavoidhighercostsinthefuture.” ■

DerekHynes

BeforePrimeMinisterRishiSunak beganhispromotionofthe WindsorFrameworkonthefactory fooroftheCoca-ColafactoryinLisburn, lastFebruary,abusinessgroupmethim privatelyandoff-camera.Amongthem wasDavidBrown,presidentoftheUlster Farmers’Union(UFU).

Davidwaskeentounderstandwhythe Frameworkdidnotincludeanynewagreement ontheimportofveterinarymedicinesinto NorthernIreland.Agraceperiodonthe conditionsaroundtheimportofmedicines, undertheProtocol,willcontinueuntilthe endof2025,butasitstandsaround50%of medicineswillnotbeavailableinNI.

“Iputitbluntly,”David recallsofhisinteraction withthePM.“The WindsorFramework doesn’tdoanythingtosolvetheveterinary medicinecircumstance.ThePrimeMinister’s responsewas‘well,wehaveamuchbetter relationshipnowwiththeEU. We havethree yearstonegotiateandgetthisright’”.

MrSunakmayhavekickedthecandownthe road,buttheUFUpresidentcanappreciate theimportanceofnegotiationinorderto achievethebestpossibleoutcome.Since hisappointmentaspresidentoverayear ago,DavidBrownhasfoughtfortherights ofNorthernIrishfarmersinBrusselsand LondonaswellasBelfast.“Iwalkafnelineas presidentofthefarmersunion,”hesays,“and Itrytoavoid‘capitalPpolitics’”.

FarmingisintheDNAofthissucklerbeefand sheepfarmer,whowasdeputyUFUpresident forfouryearsbeforebecomingpresident. Heandhisson,Neil,runa200-acrefarm inFlorencecourt,Fermanagh,wherefve generationsofhisfamilyhaveworkedthe felds.“That’sasfarbackasIcantrace,”he says,speakingfromafeldonhisland.“There aremore[generations],butonthisparticular farmthat’sthenumberwecantrackback.”

DavidBrown,Ulster Farmers’ Unionpresident,speaksto Pavel Barter aboutnavigatingthe Windsor Framework,climatechange,thesoaring costofdoingbusiness,andmakingfood securityapriorityforpolicymakers

Duetohisheritage,hefeelscloselyaligned withtheissuesaffectingfarmersin2023: someofwhichareamatteroflifeand death.Between2021and2022,athirdofall workplacedeathsinNorthernIrelandoccurred inagriculture.Inhisfrst12monthsinoffce, therewere“atleast”sevenfarmfatalities.

“Thefarmingcommunitytendstobeclose knit.Whentragedyhits,ithasanemotional impact.Aspresidentofthefarmers’union, Imakecontactwith[bereaved]familiesto expresssympathyonbehalfoftheagricultural community.Itisoneofthemostdiffcultparts ofthisjob.”

Aspartofhistenure,Davidhaschosento highlightstaffshortagesinNorthernIreland’s healthcaresystemandtheirimpactonthe farmingcommunity.“NHScutsarehuge, particularlyhereinthewestwherewe’vehad controversyaround reductioninservicesat theSouth WestAcuteHospital.Inruralareas, thelackofGPsisabigissue.Manyofthem areunderhugestrainandhugepressurewith workload.”

Farmersareattheforefrontofmanyuniversal issues.Centraltotheseisclimatechange. AccordingtodatafromtheMetOffce,last

Marchwasoneofthewetteston recordin NorthernIreland,with58%morerainfallthan average.

Recordbreakingweatherconditionsunsettle farmingseasons,notestheUFUpresident. Farmersfacenumerouschallengesinmeeting climatetargets.Attheendoflastyear,theUFU engagedwiththeDepartmentofAgriculture, EnvironmentandRuralAffairs(DAERA)ona consultationtotackleagriculturalammonia emissions.Mitigationssuchasairscrubbers, which removepollutantsthroughachemical reaction,wereexplored.Theproductionof

CO2emissionsandmethaneintheanimal sectorcontinuestobeaconcern.Butwithout Stormontinplace,progresshasbeenglacial.

DavidBrownbelievesthatthinkinglocal,and thwartingthetrendtoimportcheapfoodfrom aroundtheworld,willhelpclimateconcerns. “TheUKisonly60%self-suffcientinfood. That’sapointwe’vemadetimeandagain. OuremissionsinthewholeofIrelandareless thanhalftheglobalaverage,soitmakesno sensetobringfoodfromtheothersideofthe worldthatwecanproducelocallywithlower emissions.”OneofDavid’scentralgoalsisto

movethenotionoffoodsecuritytothetopof theagendaamongpolicymakers.

“The WestminstergovernmentandtheUK hasfordecadeshadacheapfoodpolicy.The commonagriculturepolicywastosupport incomesandthereforedelivercheapfood.”

CovidandBrexitupsetthispolicy,leading toincreasedcostoflivingandinfationary pressuresuponfood.TheinvasionofUkraine, then,causedfertilizerpricestojumpby 250%:unprecedentedlevelsofinfation.The UFU recentlycalledfora reassessment

DavidBrown >

ofthesupplychainfollowingnewsthatfeed andfertiliserimportersexperienced“major profts”overthepastyear.“Inmyfveyears attheUFU–fourasadeputypresident, andpresidentforthepastyear–Ihaveseen smallerproducersfromNorthernIreland–particularlyinthevegetablesector–unableto makeitasabusiness.It’suneconomicandthey havestoppedproducing.Supermarketssimply bringitfromsomewhereelseintheworldata cheaperprice.”

Foodsecurity, remarksthepresident,is intrinsicallylinkedtoenvironmentaland economicsustainability.“Farmerscan’t producefoodbelowthecostofproduction.So whenfeed,fuelandfertilizer,increasebeyond all reasonableexpectation,theinevitable result isthat[cost]willbepassedon[to retailers].” Thereneedstobeanacceptanceamong retailersandconsumers,hesays,thatcheap foodisnolongersustainable.“Fortyor50 yearsago,peoplespent30or40%oftheir incomeontheirfood.PrethewarinUkraine, andbefore recentevents,theywerespending lessthan10%intheUK.”

In2023,DavidBrownhastodealwitha

numberofanimalhealthconcerns.Bovine tuberculosis(bTB),achronic respiratorydisease ofcattle,hasbeenaparticularworry.In2018, Brownlost16ofhisownanimalstothe disease.Afurthertwowere removedin2021. Hisfarmwasoneoftheluckyones.“Some dairyherdshavebeencompletelywipedout. Ihaveseenfarmersintearsoverthis.They’re passionateabouttheiranimalsandtheyget distressedwhensomethingofthisnature arrivesontheirdoorstep.”

UFUsupportsaDAERAstrategyfora controlledcullofbadgers,whichsupposedly spreadbTB.“Inhotspotareas,thebadger populationisthemostobviouswildlifecarrier ofTB.Iwanttomakeabsolutelyclearthis isnotabouteradicationofbadgers.Thisis aboutdealingwithadiseasethatexistsinthe wildlife.For60or70yearstheDepartmentof Agriculturehasbeen removinganimalswithout dealingwiththesourcesorthetransmittersof thatdisease.Theendgoalisalowerincidence ofTBwherewecanthenvaccinatethehealthy badgerstoprotectthem.”

Bovine ViralDiarrhoea(BVD)isanother pressinganimalhealthissue.Ulsterfarmers

arestillwaitingforlegislationaroundBVDto mirrorthatintheRepublic.“Peerpressure” hasplayeda rolesouthoftheborder,where neighbouringfarmsareinformedwhena farmer’sherdtestspositiveforBVD,explains theUFUpresident.Undertheproposed legislation,farmersnotfullyengagedintesting anddealingwithinfectionintheirherdswill face restrictionsandpenalties.Stormont’s paralysis,however,hasleftfarmersinlimbo.

Likemanyotherbusinesses,farmersmustnow contendwithcrypticarrangementswithin the WindsorFramework,accordingtoDavid Brown.WhileFrameworkliftsthebanon theimportofBritishtrees,plantsandseed potatoes,notallplantsandseedsarecovered. Alongsidealackofdetailaroundveterinary medicines,rulesaroundtheimportoflivestock areabsent.Sheepfarmers,inparticular, remainhamperedby restrictionsinthetrade ofbreedingstock,andsharinggenetics,with farmersinScotlandandelsewhereinGB.

ButtheUFUpresidentisoptimisticthata satisfactorysolutioncanbefound–andhe vowstokeepnegotiatingonbehalfoffarmers untilcertaintyisinsight. ■

McDonald’spricesrosemorein pastyearthaninpreviousdecade

McDonald’ssaysithashadtoput itspricesupmoreinthelastyear thanthepreviousdecade.

BethHart,whoisfromLurgan,isnowvicepresidentofsupplychainandbrandtrustat thefastfoodgiant.

Shewasspeakingduringapaneldiscussionat theBalmoralShow.McDonald’semploysmore than3,000staffacrossits35NorthernIreland restaurants.

MsHartsaidtheincreaseshadbeen introduced reluctantlyasthefranchiseesinits restaurantstendedtobesmallbusinessowners whoweresensitivetopriceinfation.

“Wehaveputourpricesupthisyearmore thaninthelast10years,”shesaid.

“Customershavedeepexpectationsof affordability;theywanttogettwoadultmeals andtwochildren’smealseverypaydaywhen theymighttreattheirfamilytoadrivethrough.

“Tohaveputourpricesupisanindicationof thepressureabsolutelyeverybodyisunderat themoment.”

MsHartaddedthatevenafrmashuge asMcDonald’shadtoinnovatetostay competitive.

Itnowoffers11differentwaystoorder, includingdrivethroughandclickandcollect,

aswellasMcDelivery,whichdidnotexistfve yearsagoandisnowworth£1.7bn.

ShepraisedlocalsupplierssuchasHuhtamaki (packaging)andKerryGroup(cheese).

“It’saphenomenalachievementtomaintaina supplyagreementwithus,”shesaid.

PriceincreasessinceMarchhaveincluded itscoffee,whichwentfrom99pto£1.19; mayochicken(99pto£1.19);baconmayo chicken(£1.59to£1.79),andbacondouble cheeseburger(£2.49to£2.69).

LastJulyitsclassicsinglecheeseburgerwentup inpriceforthefrsttimein14years,from99p to£1.19.

Meanwhile, TrevorLockhart,managingdirector ofFane Valley,saidtheco-opwasforcedto passonpriceincreasestofarmcustomersand consumersofuptoathird.

“Itwasahugelyvolatileperiod,morethan mostpeoplecan remember,”hesaid.“Andit’s notoveryet,buthopefullywe’reheadingin therightdirection.”

Theagriindustryhadfacedsoaringcosts incoreareaslikefeed,fertiliserand fuel.“Throughthecourseof2022wewere passingonpriceincreasesof30%to33%, andthat’scarriedustonow,”hesaid. “However,someofthosecostshavebegun toease.”

HetoldthepaneldiscussionFane Valley hadtakendrasticactionduringthe pandemic.

MrLockhartsaiddevelopmentprojects hadtakenabackseattoprotectitscore business“andwehadthetwobestyears yetandgotmorethingsrightthanwrong”.

CormacMcKerveyofUlsterBank,main sponsorofBalmoralShowsince2009,said farmershadenjoyeda relativelygoodyear.

Milkpriceshad reached“unprecedented highs”beforefallingback recently,and beefhadalsogoneup.

However,pigpriceshadendureda “shockinglybadyear”,withproducers “haemorrhagingmoney”. ■

BethHart,vice-president ofsupplychainandbrand trust,waspartofanUlster Banklunchandpanel discussionattheBalmoral Show,writes Margaret Canning

TrevorLockhart andBethHart

NIconstructiongiant seesdropinpre-taxprofits

ANorthern Irelandconstructiongiant haspostedstrongturnoverbut a fallinpre-taxprofits.

Pre-taxprofitsfellby19%to£12mforMcAleer & RusheContractsUKintheyeartoDecember 31,2022as a resultofsupplychaininflation, accordingtoitslatestpublishedaccounts.

Butturnover remainedsolid,upby1%to £404m,asthe firmcompleted a seriesof high-profileprojectslastyearincludinggrade A officedevelopmentTheEwartinBelfast, the315-unit residentialschemeGarrettMills insouthLondonand780-bedstudentdigs CannonParkinCoventry Early2023has broughtmore marketstability, saidMcAleer & RushedirectorEamonHigginsinthe firm’s financialstatement.

“Thecompanyhassignedthreelarge residentialcontractsin2023todate,oneon London’s SouthBankwith a numberofother sizeablecontractawardstargetedforthe monthsahead,”MrHigginssaid.

“Theseawards reflectthecompany’s increased focuson residentialprojectsandwilldeliver

turnovergrowthabove recentlevelsasthese projectsare deliveredonsite.”

Othercontracts recentlysecuredbythe Cookstown-based firminclude a 338-unit build-to-rentschemeinLeith,Edinburgh,in partnershipwithdeveloperGoodstoneLiving. TheDocksidescheme,designedby3DReid Architects,willspanfourapartmentblockson a 2.4-acre sitealongside1.3acresofpublic realm spaceincludingparksand a boardwalklinking AlbertDockswiththeOcean Terminalshopping andleisure hub.

UKprojectsaccountedforthebulkofMcAleer & Rushe’s turnoverlastyear, at£393mwith £11mgeneratedfromcontractsinthe restof Europe.

Wagesandsalarieswere boostedby11%to £23.9m,whilethe firmaddedfourdirectors andnineproductionemployees,takingtotal staff numbersfrom359to372.Thehighestpaiddirector received£355,000, a slightdrop against2021.

Reducinggreenhousegasemissionshasbeen a focuswithemissionsper£mofsaledownfrom

7,751in2021to4,861lastyear, the firmsaid.

“Anumberoftargetcontractswere impacted bythepoliticaland financialmarketeventsin thesecondhalfoftheyear,”MrHigginssaid. “This resultedinsomedampeningofturnover growthotherwiseprojectedfor2023and beyond.”

However, turnoverof£425misprojectedfor 2023,hesaid,withmore than£400mfrom signedcontractsalreadyinthebag.

“Thedirectorshaveassessed recentsupply chaininflationpressuresandare confident theseare fairly reflectedinthe reported results for2022,”hesaid.

“Thecompany’s continued financialstrength seesitwell-positionedtoconsidersuchcontract opportunitiesascurrentmarketmaypresentin themonthsahead.”

McAleer & Rushespecialisesindesignandbuild activityin residential,studentaccommodation, officedevelopmentandhotels,withthewider groupalsooperating a propertydevelopment andinvestmentdivision,MRPLand. ■

McAleer&Rushe’snew proposedresidential schemeinLeith

‘Sirencalls’ forEUblanket greensubsidies

Ifthere’sonetimeyoushouldjudgeabookbyitscover,itiswhencompaniesqueue upforgovernmentmoney–bythismeasureJoeBiden’sgreensubsidiesinthe InfationReductionActhavebeenarip-roaringsuccessascostsaresettorocketby $180bntomorethan$570bnby2031,writes DavidChance

Thenew co st estimate s fromthe Congressional Bud get Of fce have put Bi de n’s gr ee ning of Am erican in du str y in the si ghts of Re publican le gi slators whose e these as ‘woke subsidie s’ that di stor t the market an d ar e rip e for cut ting in a battle over fe deral de bt

European policy makers have responded with what couldturn out to be a costly and ex pansive set of countermeasures. The bigg es t

worr y is Europe overreact s with measures that could threaten existing carb on abatement and set of fasubsid y race that will not only pit the bloc agains t the US, but also member states agains t each other.

Af ter the Trump era, weshould of cour se welcome US moves. We are nowa thirdof the way through a decadewhere we ne ed to cut global emissions by over 40 % ifwe want to limit warming to 1.5 degrees, and emissions are still rising

Yet, the way the US has gone aboutthis has created a headache for Europe Given the polarisation inUS politic s and the mathsof the Hous e and Senate majorities, Biden had little choice

Instead ofrelying on carb on ta xes to do the heavy lifting on climate as Europe has done, the US adminis tration was forced to deploy subsidies to cut emissions. Thisis very defnitely a second-b es t approach, and Washington has never mandated carb on

JoeBiden’sInfation ReductionActhasput Europeonthebackfoot

prices or cap and trad e at anational level.

The result is Europe now fndsit self sque ezed between the green industrialambitions of the US and the heft of China, which is fexing it s supply chain muscles so as to bo os t it s ow n industries.

Europe spends plenty of money on energy, and was doing so well before Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine.

According to Enerdata,a frm thatundert akes analysis for the European Commission, energy subsidies have been running at more than €170 bn a year from 2015 -20. The Covid- era Re covery and Resilience Facility has pledged 37% of €525bn ininvestment for the green transition

What Europe didn’t do was to at tach lo cal content rules to spending, whereasBiden’s ta x- break sy stem means frms can workout their savingsdire ctly

That seems to be workingand Volk swagen may abandonplans fora batter y plant in eas tern Europe and picka US lo cation

You can smell the panic in Germany. Last year, China overtook Germany to become the second larg es t car ex porter by volume and it s carmaker shave moved far faster on elec tric vehicles.

In a bid to staunch the fow of frmsand to build domestic capacit y and knowledge, Brus sels has come up withthe Net-Zero Industry Ac t which aims to make sure than 40 % of cleante chnolo gy ne eds– elec tric vehicle batteries, solar panels, and wind turbines – required to reach carb onneutralit y are met domestic ally

The Department of Enterprise last we ek sent out a consultation along withit s counterpar ts ahead of a May 23 hearing. The net-zero plans are about regulations and setting production targets,butcrucially, they op enthe do or s to a damagingsubsid y race asit will then be up to member states to approve and fundprojec ts That has produced analliance of southern states like It aly and Spain withthe nor thern ‘frugals’– including Ireland– to oppose loos ening state -aidrules.

By the time Europe gets it s plans into law, Biden’s Infation Reduction Ac t willhave been running for overa year

Since August 2022, it has racked up $150 bn ofinvestment s and says that surpas ses total investment inUS clean power projec ts commissioned between 2017-2021.

So, the pres sure is to ‘do something’ as French industry commissioner Thierr y Breton channels his innerBilly Joel.

“S ome say ‘don’t start asubsid y war,’” he told reporter s re cently “But it ’s not us who started it”

He may rue thos e words if asubsid y war kicks of f between EU member s.

The ef fe ct of dismantling prote ctions and loos ening state -aidrules will be a Europe that not only incentivis es discrimination agains t US goods,but which the 27 end updiscriminating agains t each other.

Germanyhas “more fs cal power anda stronger industrial base”, says Shahin Valle, an economis t withthe German Council on Foreign Relations.

The net-zero plans will de ep enit s lead, “accelerating the deindustrialisation of the rest of Europe”.

“France is naively pushing along with Germany, due to thehubris tic viewthat it has the fs cal space and the industrial base to match German support,” he said

Economis ts at the Hertie Scho ol,a top German univer sity for public policy, es timate that if Europe wanted to match the US production subsidies and to reach it s production target s in hydrogen, batteries, solar and wind comp onent s,itwould ne ed to spend about €264 bn over the next 10 year s. Given Europe’s weak position in solar panels, it makes better sens e to let the US and Chines e ta xpayer s pick up the tab and import

This will allow Europe toconcentrate on keyte chnolo gies like making hydrogen af fordable– which isat an early stage and is key to ke eping downstream economic sec tors comp etitive– and onbatteries, which are foundational Wind to o couldjustif ysuppor t in the medium term

“T hisrequires shaking of f some of the policy panic and ignoringsiren calls from industry thatcharac terised initialdiscussions on a response and identif ying thos e sec tors where the EU has an edge and that can likely stand on their ow n af ter an initial period of support,” the economis ts wrote

You don’thave to destroy the single market to get there. ■

Thegenderpaygap: Whywomenkeep losingoutdespite improvements

Lisa Wilson,senioreconomistatthe NevinEconomicResearchInstitute (Neri),looksatthecontinuedgender paygaphereandwhytheperformance fguresdon’tquitetellthefullstory

Whenthegenderpaygapin NorthernIrelandisinthe headlines,itisusuallybecause wearebeingtoldabouthowwell NorthernIrelandperformscomparedto theUKasawhole.

Andindeed,itistrue.NorthernIrelandhas consistentlyhadthesmallestgapinearnings betweenmalesandfemales,whencompared toother regions.Thisisdespitethe relatively commoninstitutionalandpolicycontext.

Thishaspromptedanonchalantattitude towardsgenderdifferencesinpayinNorthern Ireland.

Theissueisoftenwrittenoffassomethingnot worthyoffurtherattentionorscrutiny.Thisis somethingthathasalwaysperplexedme.

SurelyifpoliticiansintheUKwereactually asinvestedindoingsomethingabout thelowerpaywhichwomen receiveas comparedtomenacrosstheUK,asthey wouldhaveyoubelievetheyareondays suchasInternational Women’sDayorEqual PayDay,thenyouwouldhavethoughtthat theywouldhavetakenaparticularinterest inNorthernIreland.Theymightlearn something.

Therehasbeenlittleanalysis,however, whichhasconcerneditselfwithexamining andexplainingthenatureofthegender paygapandthe roleofdifferentfactorsin drivingand reducinggenderdifferencesin payinNorthernIreland.

Inseekingtofllthisgap,Ihave recently publishedaNeriworkingpaperwhichdoes

justthisandIsummarisethemainpointsfrom thepaperhere.

Ishouldbeginfrstbyexplainingwhatthe genderpaygapis.Thegenderpaygapisa metricthattellsusaboutthedifferenceinthe earningsofmalesandfemalesinthelabour market.

Therearedifferentwaysinwhichwecan measurethegenderpaygap.Atitsmost basic,wecancomparerawdifferencesinpay betweenmalesandfemales.

Itiscalledtherawgapbecausecrucially,when measuredlikethis,wearenotmeasuring differencesinearningsbetweenmenand womenwhohavethesamejob,workinthe samesectororworkthesamehoursorthe samepatternofwork.

Thegenderpaygapalsodoesnotinclude analysesofdifferencesinpayformalesand femaleswhohavethesamefamilystructure orthesameotherpersonalcharacteristics thatdetermineaperson’spay,suchasageor educationalqualifcations.

Andso,thismeasuredoesnotnecessarily meanthatmenandwomenarepaiddifferently forthesamejob.Therawgenderpaygap capturesthedifferentialeconomic returnsfrom paidwork rewardedtofemalesascompared tomales.

Whenthenweseekto‘adjust’or‘control’for thefactthatmenandwomenhavedifferent characteristicsorengageinthelabourmarket differently,becausetheyworkindifferentjobs orworkdifferenthoursorhavedifferentlevels ofexperience,wegettounderstandhow

thesedifferencesimpactongenderdifferences inpay.

Whenwedothisweseethatthe realityisthat womenareperformingextraordinarilywhenit comestotheir roleintryingtoshiftgenderpay disadvantagesinthelabourmarket. Women aredoingthistosuchanextentthatthey outperformmenintermsoftheirproductivity/ payyieldingcharacteristicsinthepaidlabour market.Thatiswomen,onaverage,havemore ofthosecharacteristicswhichareassociated withhigherpayforwork.

Forexample,theyarebettereducated,andon average,theyworkinbetterpaidoccupations.

Theimpactofthisissuchthatithasa substantial reducingimpactongender differencesinpay.

Theimpactofthisispartofthe reasonwhythe genderpaygapinNorthernIrelandissmaller thanitisinthe restoftheUK.

Butstill,whenwecomparethehourlypayof menandwomenweseethatmencontinue to receivehigher returnsfortheirlabour comparedtowomen.Whyisthis?Whyisit thatonpaper,womenshouldbetheones whoearnmorefromthelabourmarket,butin realitytheyaretheypaidlessthanmen?

The reasonforthisisbecauseofinequalities inpaybetweenmenandwomenforthesame characteristics.Thescaleoftheseinequalities meanthatifitwerenotforthesuperiorlabour marketpositionoffemales,ourgenderpay gapwouldbealmostdoublewhatitis.

Anexample,thegenderpaygapisnarrowed bythefactthosewithadegreeobtainon averagehigherwagesthanthosewithbelow degreequalifcationsandfemalesaremore likelytohaveadegreethanmales.However, becausemenearnmoreforhavingadegree thanwomen,thegenderpaygapiswidened. TherawgenderpaygapinNorthernIrelandis fatteredbythefactthatwomenhavebetter characteristics.Itisnotbecausethereisonly asmallgenderpaygapproblemoranything whichcouldbedescribedasevencloseto genderpayequality.

Atthisstage,itishelpfulto refectbackon thecentralpoint,genderdifferencesinpayare basedontheinterplaybetweenthreefactors.

Thefrstisthatthefactthatdifferent characteristicsobtaindifferentlevelsofpay. Secondly,menandwomenhavedifferent characteristicsandthirdly,menandwomenget paiddifferentlyforthesamecharacteristics. Thisinterplaydeterminesthegenderpaygap.

Youmightthinkofitlikeagameofsnakesand ladders.Thebettereducationalattainmentof females,andthebetteroccupationalposition offemaleshelpsingettingthemupsome ladders,butthefactthatthescaleofthe inequalityinpayforthesesamecharacteristics issolargemeansthattheyalwayshitthe biggersnakesandendup‘losingthegame’. ■

‘Ournewhotel willdrive tourisminDerry’

CecilDoherty tells MargaretCanning abouthis hopesfortheMaidenCity’sEbringtonhotel

He fellinlovewiththehotel industryas a teenager, workingas a barmanin a hotelinBallyliffn, CoDonegal,duringschoolholidays.

“Isuppose,attheendoftheday, I’m a peopleperson. I enjoyinteractionwithother people – andthehotelindustryaffordsthat opportunity,”CecilDohertysays.

Theindustrywasn’t regardedas a goodcareer choicewhenCecil,nowmanagingdirector ofDerry’s newesthotel,TheEbrington,was leavingschool.

“GrowingupinruralDonegalinthe1960sand 1970s,thebigthingwastogotouniversity And,fromthat,careeropportunitiesweren’t as plentifulastheyare today

“Teachingwasseenas a goodoptionatthat time,so I spent19yearsatthat.

“Ididenjoyitanditwas a greatexperience but,forme,atthebackofmyhead, I always wantedsomethingmore.

“Ineededtoexpressmyselfmore ratherthan beingconstantlystuckintheconfnesofthe classroom. I thinkit’s more suitedtomyDNA, tobeoutandaboutandtakingonchallenges.”

Cecilworkedas a barmaninGalwaywhile studyingforanartsdegreeanddiplomain education.

Afternearlytwodecadesintheclassroom, he returnedtothehotelindustryinDonegal, includingoverseeingconstructionofthe BallyliffnLodge & Spainhishomevillage.

Hislatestventure is a formerarmybarrackson EbringtonSquare,overlookingthePeaceBridge anddatingbackto1841.

Thepropertyis a mixoflistedbuildingsand modern architecture.Alongwithconferencing facilitiesand a banquetingsuitetoft400 people,itwillfeature thecitycentre’s frst residentialspa,twobars(includingonewith a roof-topterrace)andthe142-seaterOakRoom restaurantwithoutdoorterrace.

Cecilfrstcameupwiththeideafor a hotelon theformerMinistryofDefencesitein2015. Itgotplanningpermissionin2017andThe ExecutiveOffceannounceditsbackinglast year It received£7mfromtheExecutiveOffce’s investmentfundandalmost£2mfromInvest NI.

CecilsaysTheEbringtonwilloffersomething differenttootherhotelsinthecity, withhiseye onattracting a high-rollingdemographicwith thetagof“deluxefour-star”.

“Thegolfindustryinthenorth-westofIreland iswortharound£12m,butprobablylessthan 1%ofthatindustry, asingolferscomingin fromabroad,actually resideinDerryduringthe courseoftheirholiday

“We wouldcertainlyliketochangethatand wehavebuiltTheEbringtonaccordingly.”

Hesayshehasnoplanstobringin a brand, thoughhedoes regard thedecisiontohire formerLoughErneResort & SpachefNoel McMeelasculinarydirectoras a statement ofintenttoraisethegameforthecity’s food scene.

Inthemid-2000s,foodcriticJohnMcKenna declaredthatDerry’s restaurantscenewasso poorthatitwasbestviewedfrom a rear-view mirror

However, Cecilspringstothecity’s defence, citingthesuccessofplacessuchasBrowns, Artis(which recently receivedMichelinBib Gourmand recognition)andTheExchange.

Askedifthere wasanextensivewooingprocess togetNoeltojoin,Cecilsays:“Interestingly, no. We knewthathewasavailableandI’dseen thepress releaseabouthim retiringgracefully fromLoughErneandhishugelysuccessful career

“Iwasaware ofhispotentialavailabilityand I contactedhim. We had a phonecalland subsequentmeetingonsite,whereI showed himaround,andweleftitover a weekend.The beginningofthenextweekwemetagainand hisimmediate responsewas,‘Ican’t waitto jointhisamazingproject.’”

Butinaneraofwageinfation,particularlyin sectorssuchashospitalitywhere staff are hard tocomeby,I askifNoelhasbeenanexpensive hire.

“Doyou reallyexpectmetoanswerthat?”he says.“Whenyoumake a tacticaldecisionto bringinsomeoneofhisimportanceandhis excellence,it’s neveraboutmoney It’s not a considerationthatwegiveanythoughtto.

“Themanbecameavailable,he’sa hugely professionalperson,andheisvery, very disciplinedinhismonetary requests.Forhim, hisobviouspassionisfood;it’s notabout

money We were pleasantlydelighted athiswillingnesstoworkwithus;cost considerationisnot a factor.”

Cecilhopesthehotelwilladdtothetourism drawoftheMaidenCity, whichhethinkshas a lotofcatchinguptodo.

“IpersonallybelievethatDerryisstill40years behindthemarkintermsofwhere itshould be,evenas a startingpoint.

“IwenttocollegeinGalwayinthelate 1970sandearly1980sand,lookingback, I witnessedthebeginningofthedevelopment ofGalwayasanamazingcityandas a tourist hub.”

ItsnamingasUKCityofCulture in2023was a turningpointinDerry’s tourismfortunes, Cecilbelieves.

“ObviouslyCovidwas a setback,but I do knownumbersare comingbacktonormal.

We wouldn’t haveinvolvedourselvesin a projectofthismagnitudeifwethoughttourism footfallinthecityhadpeaked.Infact, I believe ithas a longwaytogo,eventogetbacktoan evenkeel.

“There hasn’t been a residentialspainthecity upuntilnow, butwe’re puttingonein,which willalsodrivefootfall.”

Derryandthenorth-westofNorthern Irelandare perceivedasbeingoverlookedfor investment,butCecilhasnotruckwiththe claim.

“I’m a believerthatifyouwantsomething,you gooutandgetit.Relyingonsomeonetogive yousomethingisnotalwaysthebestpolicy, becauseyousitback relyingonthem.

“There’s been a criticismlevelledatInvestNI thatthere’s nomoneycomingwestofthe Bann. I wouldfuriouslycontradictthatby sayingInvestNIsupportedustothetuneof

almost£2m.That’s £1.75mfromInvestNI straightintothishotel.

“ThepeoplewithinInvestNI,whoatthattime were obviouslyfeelingthepinch,continued tosupportus,sawthevisionandstood steadfastwithus.Infact,theywere here with uslastweekand I wasmore thanhappyto complimentthemontheirbraverytostand withus.

Cecilhasbeeninvolvedintheprojectsince 2015.“That’s howlongourcommitmenthas been – andthere were many, manyoccasions whenitwaseasiertowalkaway.”

ThehotelwillopenonJune29with80-85 staff,butCecilhopesthatnumberwillgrow to100.

With Vat fortourismandhospitalityinthe Republicat9%,comparedto20%inNIand the restoftheUK,hefeelstheplaying fieldis notlevel.Politiciansaren’t helping,hesays. ■

CecilDoherty

Newcarsales continuetoriseinNI

Thenumberofnewcarssoldin NorthernIrelandiscontinuingto rise,newfgureshaveshown.

Thevolumeofvehiclespoweringoutof showroomscreptupby6.8%duringApril –withatotalof3,432carssold,according totheSocietyofMotorManufacturersand Traders(SMMT).

Growthslowedfromthepreviousmonth whichsawasizeablerise,basedonthesame periodayearearlier,whileApril’soverallUK totalsaw132,682newcars registered–up 11.6%.

ThegreatestincreasewasinScotlandwhich saw12,693carssold.Thatwasariseof 21.3%.

Overall,carssalesinNorthernIrelandareup morethan17%thisyearcomparedwithlast.

The Volkswagen T-Roccameoutontopfor saleshereinApril,with148 registered.That wasfollowedbytheFordPumawith135and theKiaSportageon118.

“Thenewcarmarketisincreasinglybullish,as easingsupplychainpressuresprovideamuchneededboost,”MikeHawes,SMMTchief executive,said.

“However,thebroadereconomicconditions andchargepointanxietyarebeginningtocast acloudoverthemarket’seagernesstoadopt zeroemissionmobilityatthescaleandpace needed.

“Toensurealldriverscanbeneftfromelectric vehicles,weneedeveryone–government, localauthorities,energycompaniesand chargingproviders–toacceleratetheir investmentinthetransitionandbolster

consumerconfdenceinmakingtheswitch.”

TheUKnewcarmarket recordeditsninth successivemonthofgrowthinApril,withan 11.6%increaseto reach132,990 registrations.

TheperformancemarksthebestAprilsince 2021’s141,583unitsbut remains17.4% downon2019volumes.

Largefeet registrationsgrewbyathird (33.1%)to68,537unitsasthemarket naturalisedfollowingweakervolumeslast year,whiledeliveriestoprivatebuyersfell by5.5%to61,342units.Smallerbusiness feetsaccountedfor3,111 registrations,rising 13.3%.

Batteryelectricvehicles(BEVs) remainedthe secondmostpopularfueltype,withdeliveries upbymorethanhalfto20,522and15.4%of themarket.

Plug-inhybridvehicles(PHEVs)alsoposted stronggrowth,up33.3%with8,595 registeredinthemonth,whilehybridelectric

vehicles(HEVs) recordeda7.7%increaseto 15,026units.Asa result,electrifedvehicles accountedformorethanoneinthree registrationsinApril.

“Assupplychainpressureshavebegunto ease,theoverallmarketisnowup16.9% inthefrstfourmonths–thebeststarttoa yearsincethepandemic,withgrowthworth £3.2bn,”theSMMTsaid.

“Thishasledtoanupward revisionofthe quarterlymarketoutlook,thefrstpositive revisionsince2021,with1.83millionnew car registrationsexpectedin2023,upfrom 1.79millionanticipatedinJanuary.Thatputs expectedmarketgrowththisyearat13.5%, whichwouldbethebestpercentagegainsince 1983.

“Thesectoris,however,lessoptimisticabout growthindemandforBEVs,downgrading theirexpected2023marketsharefrom 19.7%to18.4%,withhighenergycostsand insuffcientcharginginfrastructureanticipated tosoftendemand.” ■

The Volkswagen T-RocwasNorthern Ireland’sbestsellingcarinApril

Motoring

ByPatBurns

Sponsoredby

JazzCrosstarhitstherightnotes

Hondaisincreasingtheappealofits Jazzline-upwith revisionsacross allgradesandtheadditionof a newAdvanceSportgrade.

The refreshedJazzrangealsofeatures a revisede:HEVhybridpowertrainthatimproves driveability, addspowerand a towingcapacity, withoutimpactingCO2orfueleffciency

EleganceandAdvancegradesfeaturea new grilledesignaswellas a darkerheadlight insert.Sculptedbumpersfrontand rearare complimentedbytexturedlowersectionsto givetheJazz a more purposefulappearance.

TheJazzCrosstaralsofeaturesseveralexterior revisionsthatimprovesitstougher, more adventurousappearance.Themore defned grillefeatures a pronouncedhoneycombdesign andispairedwith revisedbumpers,which feature silverinsertsdesignedtolooklike underbodyprotection,andnew, matchingside skirts.

Inside,EleganceandAdvancegradesfeature revisionstothecolour, materialandfnish choices,whilsttheCrosstar’s interiorfeatures newseatupholsteryaswellas revisionstothe dashanddoorcardsalongwith a newtrim fnishforthedashboard,centre console,and minimalisttwo-spokesteeringwheel.

ThenewAdvanceSportgrade

available

in a newexclusivepaintfnish,UrbanGrey – incorporates a uniquefnishtothefront bumperdesign, a sportylatticegrilleaswell asglossblackwingmirrorsand16inchalloy wheelstobroadentheappealoftheJazz e:HEV

Inside,theAdvanceSportbeneftsfrom enhancementsthatincreasethepremium sportyfeelofthelatesthybridmodel.Theseats are fnishedin a uniquecombinationupholstery ofblacksyntheticsuedeandgreysynthetic leatherwhilst a newthree-spokewheel,central armrestanddoorcardsare detailedwith a contrastingyellowstitch.

The refreshedJazz retainsHonda’s responsive andhighlyeffcientadvancedhybrid technology Thelatestgeneratione:HEV powertraincomprisestwoelectricmotors, aneconomicalpetrolengine,automatic transmissionandthreeintelligentdrivingmodes todelivereffciencyand refnement. Revisionstoallaspectsofthee:HEVsystem haveseeneffciency, driveabilityandoutput increased.

Theelectricdrivemotorhasseen a 14PS increase,takingitstotaloutputto122PS,and thegeneratormotorhasalsoseenan 8 kW increaseinpower, takingitto a peakof106 PS.The1.5-litre port-injectionpetrolengine nowproduces107PSwhiletorque remainsat 131Nm.Honda’s fuel-effcienthybridsystem

producesCO2emissionfrom102g/km,with theAdvanceSportgradefrom105g/KM.

Honda’s automatictransmissionintheJazz e:HEVhasalsobeen revisedtoimprove smoothnessanddriveability To further differentiatetheAdvanceSportfromthe rest oftherange,thethrottlepedalmaphasbeen revisedtodeliverincreaseddrivingpowerand improve response.Inaddition,thegearshift controlhasbeen revisedtogivethepetrol engine a new, highershiftpointof6,300rpm.

ThenewJazz retainsclass-leadinglevelsof interiorspacethathaveproventobethe hallmarkofpreviousgenerations.Keyto maximisingcabin roomisthepositioningofthe fueltankinthecentre ofthechassisbeneath thefrontseats,whichisuniqueinthisclass.

ThisenablestheJazzto retaintheexceptionally versatile rearMagicSeatsthatofferboth fold-fatorfip-upseatfexibility, dependingon cargospace required.

To completethestrongpackageofthenew Jazz,Hondaprovidessomeofthemost comprehensiveadvancedsafetyfeaturesand driveraidsinitsclass.

Utilising a widerangle,higher-defnition cameraenablesimprovedawarenessofvehicle surroundings,including recognitionofverges withoutkerbsor roadsidemarkings,whilst theactivesafetysystemshavebeen revisedto reducetheirintrusiononeverydaydriving. ■

UpgradeskeepSwaceuptopace

Originallylaunchedin2020, theSwaceisthe resultofa collaborationbetweenSuzukiand Toyotatobuildawellspecifedstylish estatecar.Ithasnowbeenupdatedwith evenmorestandardequipmentand improvedperformance.

TheSwaceisastylishandversatile‘loadlugger’ withasportydesign,smoothandstableride, comfortandhybridperformance.Thelatest modelnowhasa0-62mphtime reducedto 9.4secondsfrom11.1forthepreviousmodel.

For2023,standardspecifcationiseven higherandthenewMotionmodelincludes emergencydrivingstopsystem,LED rear lamps,sevenairbags,dualzoneautomatic airconditioning,eight-inchLCDcolour informationscreen,heatedfrontseats,heated steeringwheel,Smartphonelinkforwireless AppleCarPlayandwiredAndroidAutodevice connectivity, rearparkingcamera,newdigital instrumentclusterwiththreedisplaymodes, typeCUSBportanddynamicradarcruise control.

ThenewUltragradeaddsupdatedBi-LED projectorheadlights,safeexitassist,smart

doorlocking,frontand rearparkdistance sensors,blindspotmonitor, rearcrosstraffc alert,interiorambientlighting,andcentre consoletraywithwirelesscharger.

Additionsforthe2023modelupdatealso includeemergencydrivingstopsystem(EDSS), safeexitassist(SEA)andpre-collisionsystem (PCS).

TheSwaceisequippedwithaneight-inch multimediaaudiosystemwithDABradio, Bluetoothandcontrolsonthesteeringwheel foreaseofuse.Thesystemisnowcompatible forwirelessAppleCarPlayforiPhone,and awiredconnectionforAndroidAutoand MirrorLinkforcompatiblesmartphones.A higherdefnitioncolourdisplayisalsonow addedforthesefeatures.

Allmodelsnowhaveanupgradedcentral seven-inchmulti-informationdisplay,withthe choiceofthreedisplaymodes.FortheUltra model,aQiwirelesschargingpadisavailable asstandardinthefrontconsoletocharge smartphonesandbothmodelsnowhavetwo USBtypeCterminalsandanauxterminal.

Thelarge596-litreluggagecompartment

providesample room,the rearcarpeted foorboardcanbeplacedinalowerposition tostoretallerobjectsandisalso reversible witha resinbackthatcanbeusedfor stowingwetordirtyitems.Thecompartment canbeeasilyexpandedintoafullyfatspace byusingthe remotefoldinglevertofold downthesecond-rowseats.

TheSwace’supgradedhybridsystem combinesapowerfulelectricmotorwitha 1.8litrepetrolengineexclusivelydesigned forhybridsystemuse,deliveringaseamless drivingfeelingwithusefulaccelerationas wellasexcellentfueleconomyandlow emissions.Thehybridsystemoptimallydrives theSwacewiththemotor,engineorboth dependingondrivingconditions.Electric motorpowerhasbeenincreasedto70kW from53kWwhichhasinturn resultedin ahigherleveloftorqueto185Nmfrom 163Nmpreviously.

Usingitshigheroutputmotorandlarge batterycapacity,theSwaceisequippedwith anEVdrivemodefunction.InEVdrivemode, thevehicleisdrivensolelybyitselectric motorwithpowersuppliedfromthebattery. Pricesstartfrom£28,999. ■

Mercedesisaclassact

Forover75years,theMercedes E-Classhassetastandardformidrangeluxurysaloons.

AnewE-Classwillbelaunchedherelaterthis yearanditwillpointthewayinthetransition fromthecombustionenginetoelectricdrive. Atthesametime,itsnewelectronicsallowsa comprehensivedigitaluserexperience.

Mercedes-Benzhasproducedmorethan16 millionuppermid-rangevehiclessince1946. TheheritageoftheE-Classgoesbacktothe veryearlydaysofthebrandsothisisavery importantcarforthecompany.

Thankstoelectrificationanddownsizing,the newE-Classsetsnewstandardsinefficiency. Halfofallthemodelswillbefourth-generation plug-inhybrids.Thecombustionenginesare fourandsix-cylinderunitsfromthecurrent Mercedes-Benzenginefamily FAME(familyof modularengines).

Inadditiontoturbocharging,boththediesel andpetrolenginesfeaturesupportfroman integratedstarter-generator(ISG)andaremild hybrids.Thankstoanewbattery,thepowerof theelectricmotorhasbeenincreasedfrom15 to17kWandtheboosttorqueto205Nm.

Mercedeswillalsoofferthreeplug-inhybrid models. Withanelectricoutputof129hp andanall-electricrangeofuptoover100 kilometres(WLTP),theywillinmanycaseson the roadpurelyelectrically,withouttheuseof

thecombustionengine.Moreplug-inhybrids withdieselcombustionengineswillfollow.

Thedashboardmakesthedigitalexperience intheinterior.IftheE-Classisequippedwith theoptionalfrontpassengerscreen,the largeglasssurfaceoftheMBUXSuperscreen extendstothecentraldisplay.Thesoftware expertsatMercedes-Benzhavedeveloped anewcompatibilitylayerthatallowsthe installationofthird-partyapps.Anothernew featureisaselfieandvideocameraontopof thedashboard.Whenthevehicleisstationary, thedrivercanparticipateinonlinevideo conferencesandtakepersonalphotosand videos.

Whenitcomestospaciousness,theE-Classis oneofthefavouritesinitssegmentandthe newmodeloffersmoreinteriorandluggage space.

ThenewE-Classisavailablewiththe Technologypackageasanoption.This includestheall-roundAirmaticairsuspension systemwithcontinuouslyadjustabledamping and rear-axlesteering.Itkeepstheground clearanceconstantirrespectiveofthevehicle load,butalsomakeschangeswhenneeded.

MercedesclaimthenewE-Classismoreagile andstablewiththeoptional rear-axlesteering andtheaccompanying,moredirectsteering ratio.Thesteeringangleatthe rearaxleis4.5 degrees.This reducestheturningcirclebyup to90cm.

Withthedigitalvehiclekey,theE-Class canbestartedandlockedsimplybythe drivercarryingacompatibledevicewith them.Keysharingisalsopossible:various digitalchannelscanbeusedtoinvitefamily membersorfriendstousetheE-Class.In doingso,thevehicleownercanassign differentrights,grantingonlyaccesstothe vehicleoralsoallowingittobedriven.The vehiclecan recogniseseveralusersatonce, andthedigitalvehiclekeycanbesharedby upto16people.

Mercedes-Benzisworkingontheuseof artificialintelligence(AI)sothatthecarlearns whichcomfortsystemsvehicleoccupantsuse repeatedly.Giventhesamecircumstances, theaimisforAItoautomatesuchfunctions. The resultispersonalisedautomation. Mercedes-Benzusestheterm‘routine’for thisinnovation,thedevelopmentofwhichis alreadywelladvanced. ■

APPOIN TM EN TS

Gateleyhasannouncedtheappointment ofRuthDownieasthenewlegaldirector fortherealestateteambasedatitsBelfast offce.Herarrivalispartofthecompany’s drivetoexpanditsserviceofferingand growtheNorthernIrelandbusiness.

AlanHenninghasbeenappointedas directorofoperationsandsiteleadfor KilkeelatCollinsAerospace.Hehasbeen withthecompanyfor20years,serving inseveralrolesincludingengineering, composites,facilities,operational excellenceandstrategy.

StuartMcKeehasbeenappointedassenior directorofoperationsatCollinsAerospace. Inhisnewappointmentheisresponsible fortheCollinsAerospaceInteriorsbusiness unitoftheoperationaleffectivenessof allsitesacrosstheUS,Mexico,Germany, andUK.

Baker TillyMooneyMoorehasannounced theappointmentofBrianLenehanasHR consultant.Hebringsbroadexperience acrossmultipleindustriesincluding foodproduction,thetourismsectorand aviation.

LauraDowiehasbeenappointeddirector of TimelyCareers.Inhernewroleshewill beresponsibleforthemanagementof theservice,workingwithbothapplicants andemployers,whilealsofocusingonthe growthanddevelopmentofthebusiness.

AlmacGrouphasannouncedthe appointmentofRameesRajaasglobal energymanager.Thisisanewrolewhich willdriveactionstosupportAlmac’s commitmenttobenetzeroby2045and toreducethegroup’semissionsby50% by2030

Jayne-MarieMaxwellhasbeenpromoted tothepositionofwarehousemanager atmineralsprocessorKilwaughter

Mineralsandwillberesponsibleforthe managementofthewarehouseteam andtheoperationofasafeworking environment.

Paul Waringhasbeenappointedas productionsupervisoratKilwaughter Minerals.Hehasworkedinsupervisory managementforover20yearsandwillbe responsibleformaintaininga‘safetyfrst’ culture.

KilwaughterMineralshasappointedPat Crowleyasseniorcommercialmanager intheRepublicofIreland.Hewillutilise hisexperiencetoredevelopandexpand KilwaughterbusinessactivitiesatitsCork siteandpromotehighstandardsacrossthe salesandoperationsteams.

2. ArmaghObservatoryand Planetariumhasannouncedit welcomeda record72,000visitors duringthelastyear.Picturedare ProfessorMichaelBurton,director atArmaghObservatoryand PlanetariumandSineadMackle, educationandoutreachmanager.

3. BelfastDistilleryCompanychief executive,JohnKellyandheadof supplyandoperations,Graeme Millarattheconstructionsiteof thenewJ&JMcConnell’sDistillery & VisitorExperienceatCrumlin RoadGaol.

4. ThenewInnovationforAll programmewillbefundedby theInternationalFundforIreland (IFI)anddeliveredbyCatalystin partnershipwiththeRioFerdinand Foundationandsevenlocalyouth organisations.PicturedareEllvena GrahamandPaddyHarte.

5. MichaelThompson,managing directorofEverun,Andrew Johnston,businessdevelopment managerofEverunandRajesh Rana,directorofAndrasHotels followingtheinstallationofnew motortechnology Turntideat Belfast’sCrownePlazahotel.

1. ConstructionIndustry TrainingBoardNI(CITBNI) haswelcomeditsfrstcohort oftraineestothe Womenin Constructionplantoperator programme.

7. RoseannKellyof Womenin BusinessandJames Toolanof DepartmentforBusinessand Tradeastheorganisationshave announcedanewpartnership.

8. DogpatchLabsinDublin andOrmeauBathsinBelfast, partneringwithanetworkof hubs,havebeenawardedthe contracttorunHBAN2.0,the All-IslandAngelInvestment NetworkbyEnterpriseIrelandand InterTradeIreland.

9. TheMaryPeters Trackwillonce againwelcomebusinessesfrom acrossNorthernIrelandtoput theirteamworkskillstothetest inabidtobecrownedwinnersof theHughesInsuranceCorporate Games2023.

10. Maxolhasannouncedplans tocontinuetogrowthecompany inNorthernIrelandthrough theacquisitionofestablished convenienceforecourtstores. PicturedareBrianDonaldson, Maxol,withpicturedwithSarah TraversandAntonSavage.

6. CitiBelfastCSRcommittee membersNealCurran,Marie Conliffe,PamelaRobertsand ClaireCorscaddenwithMarie Curie’sEimearMcCooeyand ConorO’KaneasCitiBelfast announcesMarieCurieasits charityoftheyear.

12. DassaultSystèmes,in partnershipwithSolidSolutions, hasbecomethelatestPlatinum PartnertojoinCatalyst’sgrowing Partnershipprogramme.

13. NorthernIrelandtechstart-up frmImmersonalhaspioneered a revolutionarynewwayfor businessandindividualstouse virtual realitytechnology.Pictured ischiefexecutive TomHouston alongsidecompanyfounderDavid Trainor.

14. PrivatebusoperatorAircoach hashit30,000passengers onitsnew705XNorth West Service.PicturedisDervlaMcKay, managingdirectorofAircoach.

15. BusinessintheCommunity andDanskeBankhavepartnered ontheClimateActionProgramme whichchallengesandsupports NIbusinessesto reducetheir greenhousegasemissionsand impactontheenvironment.

11. Anew£6.2mshared housingdevelopmentin Antrimhasbeenlaunched byChoiceinpartnership withtheDepartmentfor CommunitiesandtheNI HousingExecutive.Pictured areDavidSimpson,Mairead Burns,ColumBoyle,Michael McDonnellandHarryMaher.

17. FollowCoffeeCompany hasopenedasecondbranchin Portrush,markingasignifcant investmentof£50,000.Pictured isLesleyMcCaughan,ownerof FollowCoast,picturedatthenew Portrushcafe.

18. LoughgielShamrocksGAC issetto repaya£250,000loan tosocialfnanceproviders, CommunityFinanceIrelandin fullafterjustfveyears,following investmentinnewfacilities.

PicturedareKatie Lynn,Peter Smyth,Sean(Jack)McNaughton andDeclanMcCluskey.

19. LambertSmithHamptonhas grownitsteamintheBelfast offcewithsixnewhiresandfour promotions.Picturedare Tom Donnan,director,Jonathan Tate, associatedirector,NikiAlderdice, headofbuildingsurveying,and PhillipSmyth,headofagency.

20. PamelaJordan,senior commercialManagerat RiverRidgejoins VickieWhite, RUASbusinessdevelopment executive,toannounceits sponsorshipatthisyear’sBalmoral Show.

16. Dairyco-operativeDale Farmhas reacheda£50,000 fundraisingmilestoneforits corporatecharitypartner, CancerFocusNI.

Carrickfergus

teamedupwiththetown’s EcoRangersNIgroupfor alittercleanupalongthe MarineHighwayandaround CarrickfergusCastle.Pictured areChristineLeacock, CharlotteLeacock,Alexander Leacock, VictoriaBaillieand OliviaHonan.

22. Stephen,Laura,Garyand LindaCaldwellarepictured marking40yearsinbusinesswith SparIslandmagee.Thestorehas grownsinceopeningfourdecades agoafterstartingwithjustthree employees.

23. RichardCassells,commercial director,Cater2,CiaranLowry, RationalandEddieMcKeever, NIHFPresident,launchthenew SignatureDishcompetitionto showcasehotel restaurants.

24. HabintegHousingAssociation (Ulster)hassecuredmorethan £9,000fromTheNational LotteryCommunityFundto supportcommunityprojects. PicturedareJordanHardyway, coursefacilitatorandMargaret McLaughlin,HabintegHousing Association.

25. HaldaneFisherhasteamed upwithradiopersonalityJordan Arnoldtodeliveraneventaimed atincreasingthegeneralpublic’s confdenceinhomeimprovement andDIY.

21. StafffromMcDonald’s

restauranthave

27. Tughanshasoffciallymoved itsheadquarterstogradeAoffce building,TheEwartatBedford SquareinBelfast.Picturedare TobyMcMurray,partner,David Jones,partner,andPatrickBrown, managingpartner, Tughans.

28. AerLingusRegionalservices havecommencedtwonew routesfromBelfastCityAirport toNewcastle-upon-Tyneandthe IsleofMan.PicturedareGillian Humphries,Alan Walsh,Ellie McGimpsey,LiamArnold,and Lesley Young.

29. HarrisStocktakingSystemsis celebrating40yearsinbusiness. PerpetuaMcShaneandColum ClenaghanofHarrisStocktaking SystemsarejoinedbyDave Commanderof TenSquare.

30. Businesseshavecompleted TourismNI’sKickstartprogramme whichprovidedthemwithfree accesstoarangeofindependent expertadviceandsupport. PicturedareBelindaHunter,The LinenHallLibrarywithEimear Callaghan, TourismNI.

26. Picturedatthelaunchof theBDONISpecialSchools FA Cupinpartnershipwith theIrish FA areSteven Burnett, TorBankSchool, DundonaldwithpupilDaniel McKeeandLauraJackson, partneratBDONI.

32 33

3435

32. DownRoyalRacecoursehas reneweditspartnershipwith ShortcrossGin.PicturedisEmma Meehan,chiefexecutiveatDown RoyalRacecourseandDavidBoydArmstrongco-founder,Shortcross Gin.

33. TitanicDistillershasinvested almost£8mtoconvertthehistoric TitanicPumphouse,intheheart ofBelfast’s TitanicQuarter,into anewdistillery.Thefrstvisitors throughthedooronopening daywerePatriciaForsythefrom eastBelfastandLisaKellyfrom Carrickfergus.

34. Expleohasannouncedits ffthannual Tech&Engineering TeamsCycleChallenge.The companyplanstoraise£25,000 fortheNSPCCandAirAmbulance NorthernIreland.Picturedare Grace Williams,AirAmbulanceNI, RobMcConnell,ExpleoNIandthe NSPCC’sStefaniMearns.

35. The154thBalmoralShow welcomesthesupportoftheir fourplatinumsponsors,ABP, M&S,SPARand Tesco.Pictured are TracyLowry,M&S,Gareth Morton, TescoNI,GeorgeMullan ABPand VickieWhite,RUAS.

31. Schoolssituatedclose to Translink’s WeaversCross developmentsitehavecome togethertoparticipateina creativeartworkshopinspired bythe25thanniversaryof theGoodFridayAgreement.

37 38

39 40

37. BronaghLukefromHenderson Groupispicturedwith Vickie WhitefromtheRoyalUlster AgriculturalSociety.SparNI isaPlatinumSponsorofthe BalmoralShowforthe12thyear, continuingthecompany’ssupport forthelocalagri-foodindustry.

38. LisburnfrmLeckeyhas announcedthelaunchofthe newMyWayplus,aninnovative, bespokeopenframewalker thatprovidestailoredsupportto childrenwithadditionalneeds.

39. Belfasthaswelcomedits twomillionthcruiseshipvisitor, accordingtoCruiseBelfast. PicturedareGaryHall,Belfast HarbourandMaryJoMcCanny, VisitBelfast,withLeaGoodsell, thetwomillionthcruiseship passengertovisitBelfast.

40. GraemeJohnston,Belfast HarbourCommissioners, MalcolmAllan,ACHotelby MarriottBelfast,PaulaStuart, generalmanagerandNickPattie, WhitebridgeHospitalitypictured atthelaunchofthehotel’snew terracearea.

36. RhondaGeary,RUAS operationsdirector,Shauna ParkesfromHinchDistillery, RebekahMcCulloughfrom KarriKitchen,PaulaMcIntyre, AndreaBoharfromGreen FingerFamilyandLindsay CurranfromFoodNIatthe BalmoralShow.

The Ranger: Tudor’s

afordable Explorer

Tudor’sRangertakesbothaleafoutofitsownhistorybookalongwithstrong inspirationandfavourfromitsbiggersisterbrand,makingitaperfectand affordabletoolwatchyoucanwalkinandbuytoday,writes JohnMulgrew

TheRolexExplorer,whileplainto thosewhovalueabitmorewrist presenceandfamboyance,isoften reveredasthepurestexampleofwatchmakinginthebrand’sstable.

Asimple,clean,date-freedial–awatchmade tobeused,tobeextremelylegible, reliableand robust.

And Tudor’sownRangerinitscurrentiteration evokesthatsametoolwatchaestheticbeloved bymany.

ButwhiletheRolex6350heraldedthefrst iterationoftheExplorerbackin1953,the ‘Ranger’nameactuallydatesbacktothelate 1920s,whilethefrstversionofa TudorRanger goesbacktothe1960swiththebrand’sOyster PrinceRanger.

There’saloosestorybehindthisiteration, markingthe70thanniversaryoftheBritish NorthGreenlandExpedition.

Butwhereyoushouldturnyourattentionis thein-housemovement,buildqualityand concisenessofaverycapabletoolwatchfora fractionofExplorermoney.

There’sapuritythelatestRanger.The39mm caseisonceagainin Tudor’sGoldilockszone ofdimensions–appeasingamarketveering towardssmallerwatchesandforgoing chunkieroptions.

Lug-to-lugitcomesinata reasonable47mm whilethelugwidthisawelcomestandard 20mm.

You’regreetedbyasimple,clean,no-date dialwithlarge,boldArabicnumeralsat3, 6,9and12.Sizeablearrowhandshavea chunkoflumewhilethesecondsistipped red.

Textwise,thingsarekeptprettyclean–‘Tudor’and‘Geneve’underthe12,‘Ranger’ abovethe6andthealmostindustry standard‘SwissMade’betweenthe6atthe bottomofthedial.

You’realsogetting100metresofwater resistanceandascrewdowncrown showcasingthe Tudor rose,withoutacrown guard.

We’vebeenherebeforewith Tudorinterms ofthefnishing,which remainscrisp,sleek anduniform.

It’sabrushedcaseandlugswithsome preciseandsubtlechamferededgeshelping getsomelightbouncingofftheodd highlighthereandthere.

Whilethis Tudortoolwatchhasbeenaround invariousiterationsovertheyears–witha similarDNAtoanolderandmuchsmaller OysterPrince reference–there’scertainly morethananodtoitsbigsisterRolex’s Explorer.

Adomedsapphirecrystalalwaysdoesitfor me. Youonlyhavetolookatmymuchmore modest,smallcollectiontoseethat.

ThesubtleraisedprofleontheRanger piquesmyinterest,givingthatslightlywarm,

vintagedistortionofthedialatmoreextreme angles,makingwayforamoreinteresting experienceonwrist.

Thewatchitselfsitsverycomfortablyonthe wristwiththeNATOstrapkeepingthingswell under100g.

Thisisasignifcantlyimprovedonmodel comparedwiththeoriginal‘new’Ranger releasedafewyearsback,whichsomewhat failedto receivethesamefanfareastheBlack Bayrange.

Andpartofthatupgradecanalsobefound insidetheRanger. Tudorhas replaceda versionofSwisswatchindustrystalwart,the ETA2824(foundinaraftofwatchesright uptohigherendpieces)withitsin-house MT5402.

TheNATOstrapoptionI’mtryingkeepsthings simpleandlightonthewrist.Thiswatch willcertainlybeastrapmonsterintermsof thefexibility,fabricoptionsinparticular,but wouldworkwithasimpledarkrubberornongrainleatheroption.

SomemayseethisisastheRolexExplorer youcanbuyrightnow.Butitdefnitelyhas acharacterallofitsown.Onabracelet,this watchwouldcertainlyfndahomeonalmost anywristandoccasion.

It’sstayedinthe Tudorline-upfor2023and hasn’t receivedanupdateyet,soit’sone tokeepaneyeoninthenextyearorsoin casethebranddecidestomakesignifcant changes. ■

Casesize: 39mm

Material: Stainlesssteel

Movement: TudorMT5402

Price: £2,370

Model: TudorRanger

A rocking road tripin

Utah’s Wild West

Soakupcowboyvibesandenjoycanyontreksonaniconic Americanadventure,writes NicolaBrady

I’mabout20minutesintomyhike atCapitolReefNationalParkwhen I realiseI’vemadeabigmistake.It’s unseasonablywarm–thegaugeinthe car reads42C–andIhavejustfinished myonlybottleofwater.I’mdrenched insweat,whichisn’tsurprising.Whatis surprisingisthefactmysweatisfreezing cold,tricklingdownmyspinelikemelting icecubes.

Iknowwhattheearlystagesofheatstroke looklike.Soinsteadofhikingtothenatural archofHickmanBridge,aswasmyplan,Itake shelterintheshadowofaboulder, reassuring passinghikersI’mnotabouttokeelover.

Whenthesymptomssubside,Imakemyway backtothecarandguzzlealitreofwaterlike

mylifedependsonit(which,infairness,it does).Thelessonislearned–forthe restof theweekIcarrymorewaterthanacamel.

I’minUtahtodriveScenicByway12,a198km routethatmeandersthroughsomeofthebest sceneryintheUS.Thecountry’sScenicByways areeasyontheeye,butthisoneisalsoa designatedAll-AmericanRoad,whichmeansit offersuniquefeaturesyouwon’tseeanywhere else.

Drivethebywayandyou’llfindcracked, undulatingstonethatlookslikelava,then ‘hoodoo’ rockspiresthat reachtowardsthesky likefingersfromtheunderworld.

Thelandscapechangeswithimpressive regularity–oneminuteyoucanbepassing

throughthedensewoodlandofthe FishlakeNationalForest,andthenextyou’re surroundedbyvast,unyieldingdesert.

Youcandrivethewhole routeinaboutthree hours,butwhere’sthefuninthat?Thisisa roadtripyouwanttodrawoutforaslong aspossible,stoppingtoexploreeveryscenic viewpointorhikingtrailalongtheway.

IkickedthingsoffinSaltLakeCity,abouta three-hourdrivefromCapitolReef,where the routeofficiallybeginsandthescenery startstogetinteresting.Thisistheheart ofRedRockCountry–squintupatthe bulbous,pumpkin-colouredpeaksandyou couldalmostbelieveyouhadlandedonMars (particularlyifyou’redeliriouswiththeearly stagesofheatstroke).

There’sabitofa Wild Westvibe,too.There’s elkonthemenuin restaurants,wagonwheels atthe roadsideand,everysooften,anhonestto-goodnesstumbleweed rollsby(cuethe thememusictoTheGood,TheBadandThe Ugly).

AttheBrokenSpurInn,Isleepinanauthentic ConestogawagonanddriftoffpretendingI’m acowboy,thesoundofthewindwhippingthe sideofthecanvas.

Thenextday,thehighway reachesGrand Staircase-EscalanteNationalMonumentand thecoloursintensify.Theskyisadeeperblue andthesandstonecliffslooklikesomeone spilledaglassof redwineoverthem.

Themonumentisvast–nearlytwomillion acresinsize, roughlythesizeofCoCork.It’s fulloflittlenooks,cranniesandcanyons,some withslotssonarrowyoucanbarelysqueeze through.Butthat’sexactlywhatIdonext.Rick

GreenistheownerofExcursionsofEscalante andhas,inhiswords,“beenpushingbutts throughcanyonsfor23years”.

Igocanyoneeringwithhiminasecret region heknowslikethebackofhishand.AsfarasI cantell,canyoneeringisawayofgettingfrom AtoBinthemostcomplicatedwaypossible, squeezingyourselfthroughspacesabobcat wouldstruggletonavigate.

We’restrappedupwithharnesses,taught howtousecarabinersandkittedoutwith helmetsaswetrickleoutintothecanyons. Atfrstglancetheylookimpenetrable,these slabsofstoneinterlopingandmerging,the gapsimpossiblytiny.

Withmyfootonanotherperson’skneeand onlyavagueideaofhowtoclawmyway upthe rock,Rickshovesmethroughthe narrowslotsasItrytoconvincemyselfI’mnot claustrophobic.

Attheotherendweabseildowntheblind gaps,encouragingoneanothertolean backwardsintotheabyssandtrustthatthe ropesaredoingtheirjobs.WhenIemerge unscathed,Ihavethatfeelingofeuphoriathat onlycomeswhenyou’vecheateddeath–or overcomeaphobia.

MyelationisonlyheightenedwhenIlandat YonderEscalante.Thisdeconstructedhotelis theepitomeofAmericana–accommodation isinconvertedsilverAirstreamsandglassfrontedcabins,therearefrepitsfors’mores andevenadrive-inmovietheatre,with vintageAmericancarslinedupinfrontofan outdoorscreen.

AsIsitinthebackseatofamintgreen RamblerClassictowatchTheLandBefore Time,everychildhoodfantasyIhadabout Americaisbroughttolife.

ScenicByway12doesn’ttechnicallypass throughBryceCanyonNationalPark,butthe detourisamereblip,lessthana10-minute driveoffcourse.BryceCanyonisthekindof placethat reallydoesblowyourmind.This naturalamphitheatreishometothelargest numberofhoodoosonearth.Andtheyare

likenothingI’veeverseen.

Thecanyonisbestexperiencedatsunrise, whenthehoodoosemergefromtheearly morningmistandthesunpeeksoverthe horizon,turningthemurkybluesofthevalley intoadeepshadeoforange.

Thelongstreamsofsunlight reachthetop ofthehoodoosfrst,illuminatingthetips likecandles,beforethe restofthebasinis bathedinawarmglow.Soonthehoodoosare allgleaminginthelight,withthousandsof orangecolumns reachingtowardsthesky.

Andit’snotjustthehoodoos–thereare giantslabsofshalethatlooklikesheetsof terracotta,whichcrumbleintodustwhen they’repickedupofftheground.Littleshards ofpink,crystalised rockbreakinhalfwiththe lightesttouch.Thisisageologist’sparadise, buteventoadummylikemeit’sanincredible sight.

ThefnalstretchofByway12weavesthrough RedCanyon,the roadliterallypassingthrough the rockatonestage,underathickarchthat lookslikesomethingoutofTheFlintstones. Thedriveisabeaut,butit’sevenbetterifyou parkthecarandpickupane-bikefromBryce CanyonEZRiders(brycecanyonezriders.com) andpedalyourwaytothefnishline.

TheRedCanyonBike Trailisoff-roadbuthugs themeanderinghighway,takingyouthrough aforestofsoaringponderosapinetrees,over ricketywoodenbridgesandalongtheedgesof thegiant,fame-colouredboulders.

It’sthekindofscenerysomagnifcentthat wordshardlydoitjustice.Iirritatethecyclists behindmeby repeatedlypullingintostop, eithertotakeanotherphotoorjustdrinkit allin.

Thelandscapeisspectacularfromevery perspective–insideacar,onabike,orouton thetrails.Butto reallyfallunderitsspellyou needtobeinclose,trailingahandalonga boulderandfeelingthewarmthofthe rock.

It’sonehellofadrive,butit’sevenbetter whenyougetoutofthecar. ■

The Toadstoolsat GrandStaircase EscalanteNational MonumentinUtah

The fvebestearbudson themarketrightnow

What’stherightsetofearbudstoget?Isitworth spendingmoreonpremiummodels?Aretheredifferent considerationsforiPhoneandAndroidusers? We sortthroughdozensofpairstopickoutfveworth considering,atdifferentpricepoints

1NothingEar(2)

Price:£129

Thesecleverlydesignedbuds,whichcomewith activenoisecancellationandhigh resolution streamingifyouhaveaNothingPhone(1),are goodvalueformoneyifyourbudgetdoesn’t extendbeyond£130.

Forwhatyou’repaying,there’salotof aestheticsatisfactionandfeatures,including multipointconnectivity,allowingfairly seamlessswitchingbetweenaphoneanda laptop.Removingand replacingthebudsfrom thechargingboxishelpedbyamagnetwhich allbutsnatcheseachbudfromyourhandand slotsthemintotheirspacecorrectly.

Theblackandwhiteglosscolourschemeis alsoalotmorehandsomethanmostearbuds outthere,whiletheclearplasticonthecase

andthebuds–whichisasignatureNothing designstatement–isgorgeouswhenfrst opened.

Batterylifeisaroundwhatyou’dexpect,with fourhours(giveortake)perbox-chargewith noise-cancellationon,risingbyhalfifyou switchANCoff.Thereisanaccompanyingapp fortheEar(2)buds,whichaddsquitealotto theaudioexperience.

2

AirPodsPro(2ndGen)

Price:£249

Becauseoftheall-roundcombinationof excellentaudio,top-endbatterylife,classleadingadvancednoisecancellationanda greatchargingbox,it’shardtoseepastApple’s secondgenerationAirPodsPro.Fortheextra £50to£100overotherfagshipbuds,you’re batterylife,forexample,isabsolutelyfantastic.

You’llgetfvetosixhoursperchargefrom thebox,whilethecasehas30hours’battery reserve,thebestonthemarket.

Thenewdriversandaudiotechwithinthe AirPodsproduce(relatively)stunningsound quality,too.Forme,though,it’sthehigh-end noise-cancellationtechthatprobablysetsthe AirpodsProapartfromalmostallofitsfagship rivals.It’snotjustthatthenoisecancellation itselfis reallydecent,evencomparableto somesetsofoverheadheadphones;it’sthe waythattheAirPodsPro2nowdealswiththe transparencymode.Thenewchipintelligently dampensspecifctypesofnoise–likesirens orotherdisruptivelysharpthings–whilestill lettingyouhearwhat’sgoingonaroundyou. It’sprettyincredibleandismilesaheadofany ofitsrivals’transparencymodes.Thecase canalsonowbechargedwirelesslyfroman

SonyLinkBudsS

Apple Watchcharger,aswellasanygeneralQi charger.Furthermore,ithasalittlespeakeron itthatbeepswhenit’schargingandsoundsoff whenyou’relookingforitusingApple’sFind Mysystem.It’seasilythebestbudscharging casearound.

3SonyLinkBudsS

Price:£139

Sony’smid-rangebudsprovidefairlygood noisecancellation,agoodftanddecent batterylifeata relativelybudget-friendlyprice. Theonlythingthey’re reallymissingover fagshipbudsismultipointswitching.TheSony Headphonesappalsohasan‘adaptivesound’ featurethatwillallowthebudstoadjustthe audiobasedonyoursurroundings. Audioqualityonthesebudsisgenerallyquite good. Youwillgetslightlybetteronfagships likeSony’sWF-1000XM3,butit’sgood,clear, oftenrichsoundthat’sworththemoney. Batterylifeisuptosixhoursperchargeand twoextrafullchargesfromthebatterycase.

4SamsungGalaxyBuds2Pro

Price:£219

Samsung’sGalaxyBuds2Proareeasilythe company’sbestearbudstodate.Uptonow, Samsunghasalwaysbeengoodatdelivering eitherverygoodaudio,likethepreviousBuds Pro,oraverygoodft,likeBudsLive,butrarely bothatthesametime.

TheBuds2Procomeclosetobeingtheperfect setofnoise-cancellingbuds;theysoundgreat, areasgoodatactivenoisecancellationasany budscanbe,and–crucialtotheformertwo features–nowhavea reallysnug,effective, comfortableft.Theyalsohavesomeextra softwarefeaturesthatcomeinhandy,aswell ashavinggoodbatterylife,apocket-friendly pill-sized rechargingboxandaverysportsorientedlevelof(IPX7)waterandmoisture resistance.

ThebasicsoundqualityontheBuds2Prois topnotch,asbudsgo. With10mmwoofers and5.3mmtweeters,theaudioisclear,crisp

andhasasmuchdistortion-freebassasIthink youcanget.ForthosewhohaveaSamsung phone,butonlythoseusers,therearesome niceadditionalfeatures,like360Audiowhich isavirtualsurroundsoundfeaturethathas ‘headtracking’,abitlikeApple’s‘spatial audio’.Thesmallpillcasecanbewireless recharged,includingfromanyphonewitha dualwirelesschargingfacility.

5CampfreAudioOrbit

Price:£249fromamazon.co.uk Campfre’sAudioOrbit reliesmainlyonthe highqualityofitssound,withafewextra touches,includingaquirkybeigeandgreen design.Ifyou’renotfamiliarwiththecompany, it’saverytop-endUSoutftthatspecialises inultra-premiumin-earheadphones,mostof whichcostwellover£1,000.

TheOrbitbudsareanexerciseinlaunching somethingthat’smoreaffordableto regular folks,whilegettingsomeofthathigh-endtech intoapocket-friendlyprice.

Fromasoundperspective,the resultsare excellent.Theonlydrawbackforsomewillbe

thevariabilityoftheft;theycomewithseveral ‘size’adjustmenttips,butmaynotftquiteas neatlyasrivalsfromthelikesofApple(AirPods Pro),Google(PixelBudsPro)orSamsung (GalaxyBudsPro).

TheOrbitbudsdon’tquitehaveallofthe peripheraltechthatmodernin-earbuds typicallyfeature.Forexample,whilethey dohavetouch-sensitivepadsforpausing playback,theydon’thavesensorstodetect whenthey’redetachedfromyourear(which normallyautomaticallypausesplayback onmostbuds).Noristhereanymultipoint switching,somethingthatmostpremiumbuds nowhave.

Mostnotably,there’snoactivenoise cancellationonboardeither.Ontheother hand,thecasecanbewirelesslycharged, whichisgood.Theaccompanyingapp,while basic,hasadecentEQincaseyouwantto varythesound.Andbatterylifeisgenerally verygood,atuptoeighthoursand30hours reserveinthecase.TheIPX5ratingmeans they’ll resistnormallevelsofmoisture,whether rainorsweat. ■

SamsungGalaxyBuds2Pro

Uncoveringthe9-5

NAME: TheresaMorrison

POSITION: Chiefoperatingoffcer, ConnectedHealthGroup

5.30am

Mydaystartslongbefore anyoneelsein myhouseholdisawake. I believein a good morning routineandfeelitsetsmeupfor thedayahead. I pullonmytrainersand headtothegym,LabFitnessoroutfor a run. I havealwaysbeenintoftness,withthe encouragementofmyhusband I haveput a focusintomyrunninginthelastsixmonths and I havecompletedtwomarathonssofar in2023. I havethefullsupportofmyfamily asmysistersandhusbandalsocompletedthe marathonswithme.Returninghome, I willgo throughemailsandplanmyday

7.30am

Ourearlymorning routineislike a military operationwithmythreeyoungchildren, I have a daughterDarcy,a sonTheoandlittle Marcus.Likeallgoodmilitaryoperations,the childrenwilloftentrysomeguerrillatactics butmyhusband,Dennisand I area strong counterforceandby8amweare headingout thedoor Usingdivideandconquertacticswe getthechildrentoschoolanddaycare.

8.45am

When I arriveintheoffce, I willhave a coffee andgetfocusedontheday’s tasks. I qualifed asnursein2010,withexperiencein a range ofareas I foundmypassioninproviding qualitysafecare toenablepeopletoliveat home, I haveworkedinAustralia, Walesand Irelandexploring a rangeofmodelsdelivered toenhancehomecare,hospitalathomeand communitycare.Providingemployeeswith theskillsandknowledgetomeettheneeds, providespecialisedtrainingtomeetthose needs.

9.30am

Mymorningsconsistofback-to-backupdates withmyoperationalleadsforourdifferent divisions;LiveConnectedisoursupportedliving division,where weprovide24-hourcare to

peoplewithlearningdisabilitiesand/ormental health,intheirownhomes,allowingthemto integrateintothecommunityandlead a full life.Thisis a newservicetoConnectedHealth butit a naturalftwithourdomiciliarycare service.

12pm

I usuallyhave a saladatmydeskforlunch, before headingouttovisitour regionaloffces. ConnectedHealthhas17offcesacross Ireland,10inNorthern Irelandandseveninthe Republic. I enjoygettingoutandmeetingthe regionalteams,itgivesme a goodinsightto theissuestheyfaceon a dailybasisandallows metofacilitatetweakstotheprocessesand ensure continuedgrowthacrossthebusiness.

3pm

I willhave a Teamscallwiththechief fnancialoffcerto reviewprogress,budget plans,targets,analysingeffciencyand identifyingproactiveplans.

4pm

I discussbusinesseffcienciesand servicedevelopmentwithourdirectorof technologyandspecialprojectsandour directorofstakeholderengagement,withan agingpopulationandpressure onhospitals there isanever-increasingdemandfor homecare services,andwewanttobeableto facilitateearlydischargefromhospital,prevent re-admissionandenablepeopleto remainin thecomfortoftheirownhomewithessential supportnomatterdiagnosisandneeds.

5.30pm

It’s off todaycare tocollectthe children,weliketoeattogetheras a familyandhavesomequality timetogetherbefore bedtime.It’s gettingbusywithdanceclasses andsportspractice. I likethe childrentohaveoutsideinterests andbuildfriendshipsintheir sports.As a childmyparents encouragedmysiblingsand I to playsports,playingcamogiefor

RossaandAntrim, I won a SeniorClubCamogie All-Irelandmedalin2008.

8.30pm

Oncethechildrenare settled, I catchuponmy emails.OccasionallyI’moutwithConnected Health,asweare celebratingour10-year anniversaryin2023. Werecentlyputon a performanceofplay‘MyCorona’forourcarers to recognisethecontributiontheymadeduring thepandemic. ■