Ulster Business - January 2020

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Contents 06 News

67 Ones to Watch

99 Motoring

A host of news and exclusives from across the world of Northern Ireland business

The business men and women on the road to big success across the sectors

Pat tries out saloons, something a little more sporty and a truck made for the country

16 Cover Story

82 Interview

108 Photocall

Pulse PR’s Grainne McGarvey on marking 10 years, with many more to come

Richard Ballantyne of the British Ports Association on an £8bn UK-wide industry

Your monthly look at what’s being going on across the world of NI business

21 Outlook 2020

87 Venture Capital & Private Equity

114 Yearbook

Some of the leading economic and business minds take a look at what’s in store for 2020

A look at the evolving investment landscape

We take a look back at some of the stories making the headlines in 2019

41 Leaders in Business

96 Business Breakfast

120 Technology

Ulster Business editor John Mulgrew speaks to some of NI’s top company bosses

John Mulgrew sits down with Mills Selig’s Chris Guy over coffee and morning sustenance

The rise of the smartwatch has led to an evergrowing range of high-end products

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JANUARY 2020

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EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Onwards into 2020 with challenges ahead

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doubt anyone could have quite called it. One YouGov poll put Boris Johnson’s Conservatives well ahead but, in the end, that seemingly exaggerated majority turned into a conservative (with a small c) estimate.

Sometimes it’s hard to know quite what parts of the UK electorate are thinking.

From the difficulties with his Brexit plan, a multitude of misspeaks and contradictions along with one of the most chaotic and polarising election campaigns over the last few weeks, it seemed that there was no way his party could secure a solid victory, let alone the largest Tory landslide since Thatcher’s 1987 win. It seems the ‘get Brexit done’ mantra won out.

But at home, a Brexit-led General Election

had rather different consequences for our MPs. The DUP, ultimately the biggest loser in all of this and now no longer kingmakers in London.

Looking ahead, the next step for our politicians, business leaders and companies, is to ensure their voice is heard when it comes to taking the next step on the Brexit journey. With such a large Conservative majority, it looks like Brexit is going to happen, and happen soon.

Welcome to January’s edition of Ulster Business. It’s a new year and we’ve a lot planned for it.

We’ll be here every step of the way to help chart a course through the continued choppy waters around what our future trading environment will look like.

Publisher Ulster Business c/o Independent News & Media Ltd Belfast Telegraph House 33 Clarendon Road, Clarendon Dock, Belfast BT1 3BG

This is our bumper Leaders in Business edition, and we speak to some of those at the forefront of some of NI’s largest, innovative and most interesting companies.

We also take a look at our Ones to Watch – a wide swathe of different company founders at the earlier stages of their business trajectory, but often with bigger ideas on the horizon.

There’s a few interesting news stories and the usual plethora of interviews, profiles, analysis, expert opinion, and a look back at the news making the headlines in 2019.

And with that, I hope you enjoy this edition of the magazine. ■ John Mulgrew

Editor John Mulgrew Magazine sales manager Mark Glover Sales executive Sarah-Ann Gamble Sales executive Judith Martin Production manager Irene Fitzsimmons

Printer W&G Baird Greystone Press, Caulside Drive, Antrim BT41 2RS www.wgbaird.com

Graphic design Susan McClean, INM Design Studio Contact: 028 9026 4262/028 9026 4260 Cover photo: Elaine Hill www.ulsterbusiness.com

@ulsterbusiness

Ulster Business Magazine

Independent News & Media Ltd © 2020. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission of Independent News & Media Ltd.

JANUARY 2020

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NEWS

month IN numbers A

Stephen Kelly, Colin Neill and Glyn Roberts of Trade NI

365

The number of days in the year and the number of seats secured by the Conservatives in the General Election on December 12.

2.3%

The current Northern Ireland unemployment rate, according to the latest Labour Force Survey.

2019

The year that was. It was a 12 month period shaped by Brexit, with a number of big business stories hitting the headlines.

600

The number of jobs being created

by PwC. The expansion is in partnership with the Department for the Economy, which is investing £4m in training. The posts will be created over the next five years.

Business call for new ‘social dialogue forum’

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usinesses are calling for the creation of a new forum to help politicians build a stable government in Northern Ireland.

The call from Trade NI – which is an alliance of Retail NI, Hospitality Ulster and Manufacturing NI – has called for the setting up of a ‘Forum for Social Dialogue’.

It says that while it is “for politicians and government to draft and agree a Programme for Government, we believe there is an important role for civic society, through Social Dialogue, to work through, share, agree and get buy-in from the social partners on policy areas and help build stable government”.

“For us, the areas which can be usefully supported are on the evolving world of work and quality jobs; an industrial strategy, productivity, skills and training; ensuring the NI economy provides opportunities for those not currently in the workforce; and seeking post Brexit opportunities,” the group said in a joint statement.

“Social dialogue is successfully used throughout the world, including Scotland and Wales, to discuss, negotiate and agree on issues that can improve the regional economy and society becoming a key component of a fully functioning democracy and economy.

It can help bind civic society together and to build cross community consensus and assist in taking tension out of issues.”

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“We think the Brexit experience in NI should be seen as a game changer. We can no longer have a situation whereby unions, employers’ groups and others are expected to raise their voice about violence, Brexit etc, but then be ignored on other occasions.”

It says that a “functioning government should see the benefits of creating formal representative structures whereby key and large organisations in NI can articulate their concerns and their interests for the people they represent, but most importantly consider solutions to the problems that exist”.

“We are approaching three years since we last had a functioning Executive and are facing some fundamental changes to our trading relationships with the UK and the world. Now it is critical for politics to bring civic society in to support their work and collectively create the conditions which will allow any new Executive to be effective.”

There were a few surprises in the outcome of the General Election on December 12, with the parties in favour of Remain coming out on top.

Alliance’s Stephen Farry took the seat in North Down – and became the third largest party here in terms of total votes – while the DUP lost two seats, with the SDLP’s Claire Hanna taking South Belfast and Sinn Fein’s John Finucane unseating the DUP’s Nigel Dodds in North Belfast.

NEWS

Terry Cross launching new French distillery

By John Mulgrew

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ormer packaging giant boss Terry Cross says he will open a new vodka and gin distillery at his grand estate in France, Ulster Business can reveal.

The former Delta Print & Packaging boss, who sold his west Belfast company to Finnish firm Huhtamaki in 2016 for £80m, is currently developing his £15m Hinch Distillery at his Killaney Estate outside Carryduff.

But he’s now told Ulster Business that a new gin and vodka distillery could subsequently be built at his Bordeaux vineyard Château de La Ligne.

“I looked at the market for Irish whiskey and also Irish gin. The market for Irish whiskey is on fire at the moment, led mainly by Jameson and Tullymore Dew,” he said.

JANUARY 2020

And a further distillery looks set to follow at his French estate – producing gin and vodka.

“We are going to build a distillery in Bordeaux as well… probably for gin and French vodka.

We’ve established planning.”

ambitious £15m project, already well underway, which will see a whiskey and gin distillery, complete with visitor centre, located right beside Terry’s own Killaney Estate.

His current Hinch Distillery is already an

Read the full interview on page 46-47

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NEWS

Quotes OF THE month “I know people dismiss it, but I don’t. It needs to be looked at. It needs to be at least examined.”

DUP MP Sammy Wilson speaking to the Sunday Telegraph about the possibility of building a multimillion pound bridge linking Northern Ireland with Scotland.

“This is a critical juncture for Northern Ireland – business, education and health are facing more challenges than ever before and another election would simply exacerbate the problem” Ann McGregor, chief executive of the NI Chamber of Commerce and Industry, speaking after the election.

“The first 100 days were very busy, 140 days or what ever it was, you may remember it was a very frenetic time, but you ain’t seen nothing yet folks.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson addressing his Cabinet a few days after the General Election, which saw his Conservative party secure a large majority of seats.

Wilton House

£4.5m listed apartment scheme gets go ahead despite opposition

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£4.5m redevelopment of a listed townhouse has been given the green light by Belfast councillors despite it being recommended for refusal by planning officers.

Belfast City Council’s planning committee has given the thumbs-up for the revamp of Wilton House in College Square North.

It’s to be turned into eight apartments, while a new five-storey building will have 15 flats. It’s believed to be the first time councillors have overturned a recommendation by planning officers since the local elections in May last year.

Wilton House which has been vacant since 2012, and has been formally identified as ‘at risk’ on the ‘buildings at risk register’.

Wilton Group is a partnership between Daniel Jackson, and Ciaran Toman, of property company Informed Percent. The scheme has been designed by RPP Architects alongside planning consultant Turley.

Ciaran Toman of Wilton Group, said: “We are delighted to see this application approved by the Belfast City Council planning committee and the decision to regenerate an ‘at risk’ landmark building which we consider to be of extreme importance to the city’s built heritage.

We look forward to progressing this project further and support the delivery of muchneeded accommodation for the city centre.”

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And Philip Stinson, director of Turley, which is the planning consultant on the project, said “the successful and eventual approval of the Wilton House scheme is testament to the widespread belief in saving this city centre heritage asset”.

“The project team has undertaken significant engagement with Belfast City Council officers and made meaningful amendments throughout the application process. We welcome the committee’s decision to support plans to bringing Wilton House back into use.”

Meanwhile, work has begun on a £100m health care hub at the King’s Hall in south Belfast, with H&J Martin now on site.

It will include a primary care complex, residential care, independent living accommodation and a 150-room hotel, and will support a further 320 indirect jobs, according to research on behalf of developers Benmore Octopus.

David Burrows, a director at Benmore Octopus, the development company behind the project, said: “The start of construction at the King’s Hall Health and Wellbeing Park marks a milestone on our journey to create one of the most innovative healthcare hubs in the UK and Ireland. We are particularly delighted to be protecting and enhancing the iconic Kings Hall building, one which will sit at the centre of our plans for the park as a proud asset for the city.”

NEWS

Henderson Foodservice ‘to hit £245m turnover’

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ne of Northern Ireland’s largest food firms says it’s heading towards an ambitious turnover target of £245m in the next four years, it can be revealed.

Cathal Geoghegan, managing director of Henderson Foodservice, says the company is hitting turnover of £162m, but that could now rise significantly – to £245m

“In the Republic of Ireland we grew at 29%,” he said. “As a business thus far it’s 12% yearon-year growing, coming from both the south and the north. (We have) more than 300 staff and a vehicle fleet of 56 on the road.”

Henderson Foodservice, while part of the overall Henderson Group, is its own limited

JANUARY 2020

company and board, reporting in to an overall holdings board.

“We have been in double-digit growth in the last few years,” he says. The company took on BD Foods in 2018 and Foodco in February last year. That’s seen the product types and lines expand considerably, with BD Foods growing the higher-end business in particular.

As for Brexit, Mr Geoghegan says with around £50m of business in the Republic that a ‘no deal’ would be a catastrophe. “Our issues are around the impact on the southern supply chain,” he says.

“There has been and hopefully will be an accommodation in terms of a deal but we just don’t know. In the last six months we have had

a team of around 25-30 people dedicated to Brexit.”

Read the full interview on page 48-49

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NEWS What the new addition to Bombardier’s Belfast base could look like

Bombardier pushing forward with major Belfast factory extension

By John Mulgrew

B

ombardier is pushing forward with major multi-million pound plans which could extend its aircraft facility in Belfast by around 60%, Ulster Business can reveal.

Full plans have now been submitted by the aerospace giant could see its Airport Road West site grow by around 31,000 sq m. The wing production and assembly facility houses Bombardier’s resin-infused composite aircraft wing manufacturing process for the Airbus A220 aircraft programme.

Bombardier employs around 3,600 people in Northern Ireland, including 1,000 working on the former C Series jets, which have been rebranded as the A220, after Airbus took on a majority stake in the series.

The complete wings and fuselage components for the jet are made within the Canadian aerospace giant’s Belfast operation, which is being sold off to US-based Spirit AeroSystems.

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The new proposed extension would increase the facility by around 60%.

Bombardier in Belfast, to airBaltic last week at a ceremony in Canada.

It’s now submitted detailed plans for the scheme, alongside Arup, after carrying out a pre-application discussion and community consultation earlier this year.

The aircraft started out as the C Series, a single-aisle commercial jet designed to rival similar efforts made by rivals.

The firm says “the proposed extensions are positioned to increase the capacity space for aircraft wing manufacturing and assembly”.

“The extension design is largely driven by the spatial requirements of the processes which would be carried out within the building, such as large open spans and clear heights for lifting and manoeuvring the products and tools within the building.”

Meanwhile, Airbus has said there are now almost 100 A220 aircraft in service after another one took to the skies.

The European aerospace giant delivered the latest A220, the wings of which are made by

The programme was sold to Airbus two years ago, although Bombardier staff continue to make the wings and part of the fuselage.

Earlier this year, Bombardier’s operations in the city were sold as part of a deal with US company Spirit AeroSystems.

The latest A220 delivered to airBaltic features a new cabin layout with 149 seats and is the larger of two planes in the A220 family.

The first A220 was delivered three years ago to launch operator SWISS when the jet was still known as the C Series. AirBaltic was a launch operator for the A220-300 and has reordered it twice, making it the biggest European A220 customer with firm orders for 50.

NEWS

“The publication of this ‘call for evidence’ is part of an on-going public engagement process designed to inform and shape proposals which will be presented to a future Economy Minister,” the department has said.

New NI ‘energy strategy’ evidence gathering launched

B

usinesses, stakeholders and the public will have their chance to help shape Northern Ireland achieve its goal of ‘net zero’ emissions by 2050.

The Department for the Economy has now launched a ‘call for evidence’ to inform the development of a new ‘energy strategy’ for Northern Ireland.

JANUARY 2020

The previous strategy will end next year, and a lack of devolved government has meant new plans have yet to come to the fore.

The 2050 target has been set by the UK, and follows the EU’s own aim of securing an emissions target which will require the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.

Mike Brennan, permanent secretary at the Department for the Economy, said: “The context for energy has changed substantially since the 2010 Strategic Energy Framework (SEF) was published. (Last year) the UK became the first major economy to commit to a 100% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Any new strategic direction for energy in Northern Ireland must take account of emissions from energy used for heat, power and transport.

“There are undoubtedly challenges ahead with formulating and delivering a new strategic direction for energy. It will only be achieved through widespread collaboration across government, energy industry representatives and wider society.”

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ELECTION

Brexit election divergence between NI and GB The results of the 2019 General Election were shaped by Brexit but the outcome was very different between NI and across the Irish Sea. John Mulgrew was at the Belfast count centre to look at what three years of post-referendum rhetoric has done to the polls

I

t was an election driven by Brexit and the varying opinions on it. But Northern Ireland reacted very differently to that of our neighbours.

Nigel Dodds during the General Election count in Belfast

There were persistent calls from Northern Ireland’s business community for an exit which would cause the least negative impact to free trade, or in some cases, going back to the drawing board entirely and rethinking the very idea of leaving the EU.

Johnson’s Conservatives secured their largest landslide since Margaret Thatcher’s 1987 election win.

Among the 18 constituencies here, it was the DUP – the only main party which led the Brexit charge – which was punished most by the electorate in the polls, with one of their poorest results in decades.

Business groups have since voiced their views on what’s the next stop, and what will need to happen to ensure a strong and prosperous Northern Ireland economy, going forward.

Nigel Doods lost a once safe North Belfast seat, Claire Hanna romped home to a massive win in South Belfast – securing victory with a majority bigger than incumbent Emma Pengelly’s overall tally just two years earlier – while Sammy Wilson’s margin reduced in East Antrim, and North Down DUP favourite Alex Easton was pipped to the post by Alliance’s Stephen Farry. Sinn Fein also saw its vote fall.

“For the UK, the route now is clear. It’s Boris Johnson’s deal to exit plus a frantic rush to get a new free trade agreement plus lots of ‘Irish Sea border’ infrastructure and processes in place, or ‘no deal’ and a chaotic Brexit at the end of next year. All other paths are now closed,” Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, said.

Across in GB, it was an entirely different sort of Brexit reaction. Boris

“For us, this brings the potential of significant barriers to our trade with GB and the resulting economic damage so it is critical that our new MPs work together to derogate, mitigate and legislate to protect our place in the UKs internal market.”

Ann McGregor, chief executive, Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the election result “is a vote to end paralysis, not a mandate to force through a deal that would be disruptive to business”.

“The business community will be calling on the Prime Minister to provide swift certainty about what Brexit means and time to prepare for and implement it.

Claire Hanna after winning South Belfast

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“The Prime Minister’s current deal, which effectively gives Northern Ireland two borders, should be a concern for all of us – not just business leaders and employers. Politicians from all parties, and anyone with a vested interest in the Northern Ireland economy, need to recognise the major risks to business growth and job creation and the serious consequences for young people seeking a career in Northern Ireland.” π

RECRUITMENT

Should you look to change jobs at the start of the New Year?

By John Moore, managing director, Hays NI

I

t is normally at the start of the year that a lot of people start to ask whether the time is right for a change in their career.

A recent UK-wide survey I saw said that half of the people interviewed fear they are in the wrong job and are thinking of moving, with some even being prepared to take a pay cut to secure a dream job.

While it’s totally normal for everyone to feel frustration in their job at times, particularly if they’ve been there a long time, it doesn’t always follow that the time is right to head for pastures new.

So, what are the questions you should ask yourself to work out whether to seek a move and to ensure you get a new role that provides added satisfaction and reward?

The first thing to do is assess your skillset and establish what is going to be most appealing to prospective employers as this is what should be highlighted in your CV, LinkedIn and personal information.

One of the best ways to really make your CV stand out from the crowd is to showcase your skills in a way that speaks to an employer. Don’t just update your employment history – ensure you document all the most recent skills you’ve learned and check older ones are still relevant in today’s society.

Of course, technical skills are important to succeed in a new role, but often what separates a good candidate from a great one is their soft skills. So it’s important to emphasise communication skills, perhaps by referencing any public speaking, networking and collaborations, and be sure to talk about any time you needed to adapt to changes or be creative as the ability to be flexible and solve problems is in demand across almost every profession.

Regardless of your job or sector being able to work in harmony with technology is a coveted skill so, where possible, showcase your ability to do so via the skills and employment history sections of your CV. Don’t forget to evidence data literacy and abilities to interpret and analyse data.

Some people move because they need a new challenge, want more responsibility, are frustrated by their progress or want a greater sense of purpose or more suitable workplace culture, but one crucial reason why many people decide to change jobs that we can’t ignore is money.

Salaries are usually a key factor in decision making, mostly because people feel they’re not being paid fairly in their current role for their skills, experience and qualifications.

When speaking to a recruiter or hiring manager during the initial stages

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of your job search, it doesn’t pay to inflate your salary too much as your figure could potentially price you out of the market, lead the hiring manager to think you are over-qualified or make you look unfaithful or devious.

So, rather than thinking ‘what’s my current salary’ you should focus on your ‘desired salary’ – the pay that someone with your combination of skills, experience and qualifications can fairly hope to earn.

You can gauge market rates by looking at jobs boards and salary insights, like Hays’ annual salary guide, by speaking to people in your network or the sector you want to move to for advice, or by speaking to a recruitment consultant, who can give you both the employer and candidate sides of the story.

There are several other important factors to consider, such as employee benefits, pension contributions, subsidised travel options and other nonfinancial incentives. Other benefits – such as subsidised food and drink and wellness programmes – may not be obvious when going through a job application so when considering an offer and comparing it to your desired salary, estimate the value of these benefits and add these to the base salary.

Depending upon your circumstances, it might even be more sensible to forgo some of the headline salary for a better benefits package. π

COVER STORY

Pulse PR: a decade in NI communications Pulse PR’s Grainne McGarvey sits down with Ulster Business at the Fitzwilliam Hotel in Belfast to chat about marking 10 years in business amid an evolving media landscape, growing from strong entrepreneurial family roots and the next step in her company’s journey

A

bold decision a decade ago to go out on her own and establish Pulse PR has seen Grainne McGarvey work with a range of clients to help sell their message to a wider audience.

In the last few years Pulse PR has worked with clients include Applegreen, during the roll-out of its first stores in Northern Ireland, jewellery retailer Argento that has over 50 high street stores in Ireland and one of Ireland’s most iconic gift wear brands, Belleek.

And with a business spirit which has helped take root due to her father’s own entrepreneurial background, Grainne’s developed her own firm over the last 10 years – growing with the changing media landscape, creating communications and marketing strategies, working with tech start-ups from the ground up and building on strong media relationships.

“For seven years I had worked with PR agencies and businesses such as Barclays, Tayto and Tesco. I was approaching 30 and I decided it was now or never,” she told Ulster Business.

Networking at Down Royal Racecourse with a pocket full of business cards saw her leave with three clients, and from that, the business was born.

Although Pulse PR was initially centred around work with public relations and press, Grainne now works with a lot of start-ups, particularly those within tech – her business is also based at

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Catalyst, formerly the Northern Ireland Science Park, which is the largest technology park here.

One of those she’s now working closely with is IRP Commerce – a £3m turnover software development company which made it on to Deloitte’s Technology Fast 50 list of high growth technology companies seven times.

“That relationship started eight years ago with a press release, and now I work with them to target retailers, manufacturers and distributors across the UK, promoting its e-commerce platform at national conferences and building strategic relationships with key players in the e-commerce industry. When I started it was very traditional PR, and dealing with newspapers and magazines. Now, it’s also grown further into the digital sphere with online PR, blogging and video testimonials.

As a self-employed businesswoman, Grainne extends her reach with clients by collaborating with freelance photographers, designers and videographers.

“You have to get results for your clients. I purposely keep my client list manageable so I’m not competing against myself and I can broaden the scope of activity I do for them,” she says.

Grainne also works with Catalyst on its Springboard programme as a marketing domain expert, giving start-up companies assistance when they are bringing their product to market.

“I’ve seen a big shift in how my time is spent from when I started 10 years ago. Although clients still value print coverage, there is definitely a demand to create engaging campaigns for social media.

She says most of her clients come through referrals from other companies she’s been involved with. “Referrals are great as it means I’ve done a good job for the person referring me. I also find a lot of work comes from people I have previously worked with or went to school with. Northern Ireland is known for having two degrees of separation – this also applies in the business world.”

“Because of how the world is changing, I have had to diversify as well. It’s about being flexible and realising the developing trends, and trying to adapt. I’ve always been comfortable in front of the camera or with a microphone in my hand so turned this into a business opportunity to host events, commentate on radio or host panels at tech conferences – there is an underrepresentation of women in this sector so it’s a gap I believe I fill.”

She’s also been working with the Ulster Farmers’ Union this year to help promote the organisation’s Open Farm Weekend. It’s an initiative, sponsored by Bank of Ireland UK, to allow members of the public to pay a visit to a farm for the first time. “This is a new sector for me, but the principles are the same – find out the end user and then apply the right marketing tools to engage with them. >

COVER STORY

JANUARY 2020

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COVER STORY

“It’s about fitting in with a company and how that business thinks – being adaptable and working out what they want, and trying to help them grow. It’s about presenting a strong and clear message, developing strong media contacts and also working across digital and print media to boost reach.”

In 10 years, the media and PR landscape has evolved, including how information is consumed. “But I’m still a firm believer in knowing the basics,” she says. “It’s about having the experience and the education to be able to do it. After my degree and Master’s, I studied to gain additional post-graduate qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. I’m a firm believer in life-long learning. Too many people starting in the industry think all the need is a smartphone and an Instagram account.

“It’s competitive, but there’s always enough business for everyone out there. You really just need a few clients and then you turn your focus to them, as well as working with others as and when they come. A few projects naturally ended last year so I’ll be expanding my client list in the coming months. It’s always

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exciting to start with a new company or entrepreneur.

“It’s about being flexible and being aware of what is going on with your clients, and being proactive. Being a sole-trader means you are flexible and can work closely with companies, either in their office or remotely as an extended member of their marketing team. I have often thought about employing more staff, but I believe clients want to see me working on their account, rather than meeting me at the pitch and then being passed over to a junior member of staff.

“There’s a great satisfaction in helping an innovative small business, which is set for bigger things, and working alongside them in getting their message out there, building, growing and creating jobs. You really want to work with them and help build their business.

“It’s about building the relationships and contacts, and that’s something you can’t teach.

People buy from people and I believe one of the reasons I have kept many of the same clients for 10 years is because I always go the extra mile and am true to my word.”

Grainne’s desire 10 years ago to go it alone with Pulse PR is something she says is very much part of the family story.

“My father Malachy is an entrepreneur, a mechanic by trade, but he’s always been able to turn his hand to everything,” she says. My sister Orla was also self-employed as a pharmacist. I’ve been brought up in that environment and we’ve always had support and a ‘can do’ attitude from our mother Geraldine. I had a baby, Gabriel, four months ago but didn’t get the option to take maternity leave. This is the downside of being self-employed, but the flipside means I can work from home when I need to.”

As for the next 10 years, Grainne says it’s about trying to give something back, using her skills to help those who have little or no experience in knowing how to bring their message and products to the fore.

“I’m still as passionate about business as I was 10 years ago. I’m excited to see how I can continue to use my skills to add value to clients to ensure their message and their voice is heard.” π

DIVERSITY

Lord Davies to headline NI’s inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Summit

D

iversity Mark NI is holding Northern Ireland’s first Diversity and Inclusion Summit in Belfast next month.

The event, which takes place on February 20 at Titanic Belfast will feature speakers, including Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE, as keynote.

Lord Davies spearheaded ‘The Davies Review’, a government-backed commission, first introduced in 2010 to examine the underrepresentation of women on boards at that time that he was Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business.

The half day summit summit’s 300 expected delegates will hear from expert keynote

speakers, panels of diversity and inclusion leaders, breakout workshops and enjoy a networking gala lunch.

Diversity Mark NI is the awarding body of Northern Ireland’s only independent not-forprofit Charter Mark for diversity and inclusion.

New members join a learning community and work towards achieving the Charter Mark to recognise their commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Developed in 2017 by Women in Business NI, Allstate, Queen’s University, Gilbert Ash and the Northern Ireland Civil Service the organisation now has more than 60 progressive members from a variety of sectors

Lord Davies of Abersoch

all at different stages on the diversity and inclusion journey.

Tickets for the Diversity and Inclusion Summit can be booked on Eventbrite or by emailing admin@ diversity-mark-ni.co.uk to receive an invoice for multiple ticket sales.

To find out more about Diversity Mark NI visit www.diversity-mark-ni.co.uk or contact christine@diversity-mark-ni.co.uk

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RECRUITMENT

Resolutions: to do or not to do

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y very definition, the term resolution is ‘a firm decision to do or not to do something’. Whether we like to or not, many organisations will admit to falling short of executing or successfully delivering against a business plan at some point. Typically, the day-today running of the business takes over and we often get bogged down with the operational activities that matter.

Depending on the goals and objectives of your organisation for the coming year, consider the following:

Clearly communicate your goals Once you have them agreed, one of the most important starting points is to ensure you have clearly communicated your goals for the year ahead. Some of the team may have already been involved but successfully delivering on these will depend on the wider team being bought in to the same vision and direction.

More importantly, do they understand what needs to be done to get there and how they are going to do it? For example, simply stating that you want an increase of 15% on last years’ revenue lacks substance if it’s not backed up with the ‘what’ and the ‘how’.

Review your current learning and development strategy Each employee should have a clear understanding of what is required of them and their wider team to achieve the goals for the year ahead. Successful delivery is dependent on employees being skilled and equipped with the mindset, knowledge and support to achieve the actions identified.

Ensure skills gaps or training needs are clearly outlined and time is set aside to deliver the learning. Work with the employees on this, if the feeling is that the training is forced upon them or is not relevant, it can often be viewed as a distraction.

Considering that most organisations hire staff at different levels of experience and competencies, employers that work with teams to create a bespoke plan will benefit from better ‘buy-in’, a more motivated work force

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Stuart John

and in turn staff that are better positioned to achieve goals.

Happy people stick around Staff retention will play a pivotal role in an organisation’s ability to meet their objectives.

Given the fact that almost one in five of us will consider changing jobs during the early part of the New Year, employers who make a conscious effort to keep their workforce engaged will retain their talent. Review your employee offering, is it competitive? Does it stack up with your competition? How are your managers and business leaders motivating the workforce? How is success rewarded?

As simple as it may sound, the challenge for the year ahead is to demonstrate that your organisation has a clear plan, is committed to supporting the workforce to achieve their goals, all while actively investing in their wellbeing – easy.

Stuart John is managing director of Abacus Careers. Contact stuart@abacus.careers

Outlook 2020 Sponsored by

MARCH 2019

OUTLOOK 2020

Will this be one of the most important years of the 21st century?

Gareth Hetherington, director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, takes a look forward at the business and politics which we could be facing in one of the most important years of this century

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iven the constant 24-hour multimedia news cycle, there is a significant risk that over the last couple of years, we have become anaesthetised to the significance of current events. Locally we have been without a Government for almost three years, nationally the Brexit negotiations have consumed UK parliamentary politics entirely and internationally President Trump is setting about dismantling the US constructed, post-Second World War international order. These are momentous times.

In an inter-connected world, the global economic picture dictates local economic performance and therefore understanding the international context is important in forecasting prospects at home. So, what does 2020 have in store?

Trump gets re-elected – probably Those looking for a change in personnel in the White House hoping it will bring about a return to ‘normal’ politics in the US could be disappointed. Radical agendas seem to be the order of the day from both the left and the right, so a new President may bring change, but it may be no less extreme. For my part, Trump’s re-election will hinge on the success of the US economy over the next 12 months. If it continues to create jobs and wages continue to grow then he will be re-elected, but if the

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economy slips into recession then history would suggest he will be a one-term president.

In over 50 years, only two US presidents have been unfortunate enough to have the end of their first term in office coincide with a recession – Jimmy Carter and George HW Bush and both were the only one term presidents over that entire period.

In support of the US economy, the Federal Reserve is now back on a monetary easing cycle and the year ahead is likely to see a general trend of lower interest rates across most major economies. That may be sufficient to offset the risk of a global recession.

Brexit ‘gets done’ – but a trade deal will take a little longer So, the outcome of the UK General Election is a Conservative brought forward a large working majority. On that basis, Boris Johnston’s deal will be passed and the UK will officially leave the EU in January.

Obviously, that still leaves the significant task of negotiating a new trade deal and the 11-month time scale seems highly optimistic.

However, stories of it taking five to 10 years “because that’s how long the Canada trade deal took to negotiate” may be equally pessimistic.

Two important factors should keep the time scale down. Firstly, the UK and EU starting positions are one of complete alignment,

there are no tariffs or trade barriers in place between the two economic entities. Secondly, although negotiations to date have focused on reaching a withdrawal agreement, there have been significant discussions on the future relationship as set out in the economic partnership section of the political declaration.

Therefore the UK-EU trade negotiations will be starting much further down the track than other trade negotiations. As an aside, it will be interesting to see if the trade talks will receive as much media coverage as the withdrawal negotiations. I suspect not.

In the less likely scenario of some form of Labour-led coalition, it is difficult to see how (and why) the EU would enter into credible re-negotiations with the UK in the knowledge that a Labour government would not even support its own deal in a second referendum.

The most likely conclusion in that scenario is a Remain outcome.

Will we see a return of devolution? Maybe Turning to the key issue locally, as an optimist, I would like to say that Stormont will be back up and running in 2020, but the realist in me has a nagging doubt. In investment terms, past performance is no guarantee of future returns, but in local political terms, past performance has been a fairly reliable indicator of future behaviour. I have tended to subscribe to the notion that the Executive will only return when the Northern Ireland electorate demand a

OUTLOOK 2020

Gareth Hetherington

return through their actions at the ballot box rather than what they say when presented with a microphone by a news journalist.

That said, an increasing sense of crisis in the health service, that requires political decision making to resolve, is creating an environment where the status quo is simply no longer sustainable. Either a return to devolution or direct rule seems increasingly inevitable.

Against that backdrop, Julian Smith the Secretary of State is still travelling over to Belfast when the Tories are ‘in the most important election battle of a generation’.

Why? Is a deal in the offing?

The local economy will plod on This all matters to our local economy, where recent economic performance has been mixed.

JANUARY 2020

Northern Ireland GDP growth has been poor and the value of economic activity per hour worked, our productivity, is approximately 15% below the UK average which itself lags behind other large advanced economies. Furthermore, growth in productivity has been broadly flat since the financial crisis and there is little evidence that it will pick up any time soon.

This is important because in the long term, improvements in living standards requires rising productivity.

On a much more positive note, the labour market has performed very strongly and many firms are still reporting skills shortages as their biggest risk. Employment levels are at record highs and unemployment correspondingly near record lows. This tightness in the labour market has also resulted in a long awaited return to real growth in wages, which is

critically important in supporting consumer spending.

Putting this together, assuming global factors don’t take a turn for the worse, economic growth is likely to continue on its current below trend growth into the medium term.

In addition the labour market should continue to hold up albeit with lower levels of net job creation, but this should be less of an issue with historically low unemployment.

Locally, nationally and internationally we are living through a critical inflection point in the history of the 21st century.

To paraphrase the Chinese curse: we are most definitely living in interesting times. π

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OUTLOOK 2020

A new year to put things back together again Economist John Simpson says 2020 brings forth a new series of challenges and opportunities, and that a potential for a re-instated local Executive will have to share in the difficult choices ahead

D

uring the year 2019 the Northern Ireland economy was drifting, sadly drifting backwards in some critical respects. It was a year of only modest improvement. Even the more optimistic forecasts focused on possible overall output improvements of about 1%.

The most worrying business headlines gave details of the sale of Bombardier to new US owners, the financial crisis followed by the sale of Harland & Wolff to Infrastrata, and a financial crisis at Wrightbus leading to a takeover by Bamford.

Yet, most notably, during 2019 Northern Ireland maintained high levels of employment and, historically, some of the lowest levels of unemployment of the last 50 years.

In line with the performance of the UK economy, whilst Northern Ireland has maintained good levels of employment, we experienced a slow-down in improvements to productivity. Whereas in the middle decades of the last century there was an expectation that living standards might improve by nearly 2% each year, in the decade since 2008 overall productivity gains have annually often been less than 1%. Average weekly earnings (in real terms) fell in the later years after 2008 and in 2019 have barely recovered from that fall.

During the early months of 2020, the major expectation is that the uncertainty and apprehension caused by the instability of the Brexit processes will ease. If there is, at a UK level, a better political consensus (or a less divisive tension), many businesses which have paused or delayed critical decisions may regain

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enough confidence to plan for the changed economic environment.

Even though a new UK Government may ‘get Brexit done’, the doing of Brexit will be a complex series of events. Many of the steps in the Brexit process have yet to be fully articulated. There is an expectation that, initially, there will be a transitional agreement so that a sharp ‘no deal’ departure will be avoided and a phased series of changes must be planned and implemented. During 2020 complex negotiations to allow the UK to maintain reasonable trading arrangements with the EU must be concluded.

Whether because a Conservative Government can deliver a firm UK withdrawal decision, or that firm decision awaits an early referendum in a more divided parliamentary framework, the international trade and payments framework should become clearer.

For the Northern Ireland economy in 2020 there is a critical requirement that devolution should be made to work, preferably with Stormont restored but, if not, then with the creation of an approved decision making process. The weaknesses or inadequacies emerging after a period of three years of ‘making do’ with no policy making framework need little further emphasis. As soon as can be designed, Northern Ireland awaits the combined financial and economic impact of the next UK budget with particular emphasis on the scale of new Barnett consequentials.

Into that Budget context, Northern Ireland’s Ministers (if re-appointed) face the dilemma of painful choice: support

for cash strapped public services in several departments competing with a range of priorities to improve the infrastructure. The capital budget must offset deficiencies in roads, transport (including railways), water supply and treatment, education (to deliver people with better technical skills as well as targeted improvements in higher and further education), health, housing and advanced industrial capacity.

The challenge that must be accepted is that Northern Ireland, through careful development of key parts of the infrastructure, along with the collective commitment of civil society, must aim to lift Northern Ireland to levels of higher achievement relative to other UK regions and the Republic of Ireland. Can it be acknowledged that, for too long, local performance has tended to accept that Northern Ireland operates with productivity levels which lag other regions and, partly as a result, poorer pay rates and lower average earnings?

Critically, in the months ahead, Northern Ireland must adjust to the changes in trading relations, changing rules on the flow of migrant employees and, in particular, we must devise and agree with our neighbours on the other side of the border, how, in the absence of shared EU membership, normal business and social relationships can continue. During 2020 there will be important stresses that emerge as UK policies diverge from those inherited from the EU. During 2020 there will be uncertainties about making sure that relations north-south on this island are maintained on an open trading and

OUTLOOK 2020

John Simpson

movement basis. The agreed starting point is that, for the UK and Ireland, the concept and practice of a Common Travel Area will continue.

One over-riding concern as Northern Ireland faces into a new year, bringing more uncertainty than in other recent years, is the back-log of reform and restructuring across so many public services and the tightened inherited financial constraints. The demands on the Stormont budget are now even more in

JANUARY 2020

excess of what is available. There will be an expectation that the UK Treasury will ease the scale of the financial squeeze.

A new local administration (or a re-instated direct rule administration) will be challenged to ask where and how some strands of public sector financing might be tightened.

Longer term adjustments may come on the agenda. Favourable Northern Ireland average domestic rates bills might operate with a 1-2% annual addition until an

acceptable level of comparability was achieved.

Similarly, a scheme which slowly offset the local subsidy to water charges might be devised.

This year brings a new series of challenges and opportunities. If it also brings a re-instated local Executive, then that Executive should know, in advance, that it will share difficult choices. Shared priority agreements would be a difficult starting point but could help build a shared understanding. π

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OUTLOOK 2020

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OUTLOOK 2020

Cloudy with a chance of climate change Kirsty McManus, IoD national director in Northern Ireland, says 2020 could be the year where the clouds of uncertainty break with new hopes on the horizon, and a strong global turning of heads towards global climate change

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ooking ahead to 2020, and there is of course one word that will remain at the forefront of the minds of the majority of businessmen and women – Brexit.

Similarly, climate change is rapidly rising up the agenda and we anticipate an even greater focus this year as Glasgow prepares to host the 26th Conference of the Parties, the United Nation’s climate change summit, in November.

A survey of IoD members last year found that nine in 10 directors and managers believe business leaders should be taking action to mitigate climate change with many companies already doing so by reducing the amount of waste produced, introducing energy saving initiatives, and reducing the amount of travel undertaken.

At the time of writing (shortly before the General Election), the exact date at which the UK is set to leave the European Union was still up in the air but potentially as early as January 31.

With the UK committed to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, it is a matter the corporate world is beginning to take exceptionally seriously.

It is a level of uncertainty that we in the business community have become well accustomed to, not just over recent months, but years.

Indeed, outgoing Bank of England governor Mark Carney is set to take up the post of United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance early this year.

We were also on the cusp of a fresh round of talks aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive, bringing new hopes that 2020 will be the year that these clouds of uncertainty finally start to break.

Upon his appointment, Mr Carney said the risks posed by climate change – and the opportunities presented by the transition to a net-zero economy – must be brought “into the heart of financial decision-making”.

In that context, making any bold economic predictions for the year ahead would be just that – bold.

Meanwhile, the founder of global hedge fund TCI has called for companies that do not do enough to tackle climate change to be punished.

This could free up resources to allow our local businesses to invest in the development of their people, upskill their existing workforce and, crucially, ensure managers and senior personnel are adequately trained.

Sir Christopher Hohn sent letters to big companies in which the fund invests, including Google and Airbus saying it would “typically vote against all directors of companies which do not publicly disclose all of their emissions and do not have a credible plan for their reduction”.

Meeting and overcoming challenges is about planning. Those businesses that invest in the training and development of their staff – and leaders – providing them with the tools required to plan effectively, will be best placed to cope with the tests brought by global influences. π

The prospects for our regional economy remain very much tied to external factors over which our business leaders have no control, and clearly those challenges are growing.

It’s not just Brexit and political concerns at home. Other global issues such as the increasing importance of cyber security abound and will impact locally.

JANUARY 2020

These worldwide matters are of great concern. Yet, the issue most commonly raised with us by our members remains skills and access to a labour.

They want to see the skills agenda progressed and reforms to the Apprenticeship Levy that would open up monies from the fund to organisations in Northern Ireland that currently can’t gain access.

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OUTLOOK 2020

Dark winter winds paint suitably apt picture Northern Ireland’s manufacturing sector has had something of mixed bag of a year, with Brexit woes continuing and stalwarts facing uncertain futures.

Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, assess the business landscape for 2020 and what’s needed to ensure economic prosperity

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OUTLOOK 2020

W

hile writing, the first of this winter’s storms came crashing on to our shores. A dark imposing sky, savage winds and a bleak outlook for the days ahead. It’s hard to not believe it’s not a metaphor for what lies ahead in 2020.

There are many reasons to believe that we’re entering into choppy waters. The world economy is showing signs of distress, Brexit continues to create a significant drag, input costs are spiralling and output figures dropping faster than the air pressure.

When navigating your way through a storm, you need talented, committed captains to lead to take the right actions. Any luckily, despite the significant headwinds it remains in the hands of our local manufacturing leaders who can move us to not only to safety but to success.

But 2020 won’t see Brexit ‘done’. In many ways, we are only just at the start despite what politicians have been saying.

Brexit will present a fundamental change in the trading relationships which our firms have enjoyed for the past 40 years, a destructive ‘no deal’ (either planned or inadvertently delivered) is possible and our firms will continue to need to prepare.

Brexit remains all about the politics and less about the

JANUARY 2020

practicalities. It’s highly probable there will be significant barriers placed on those businesses who make, move and merchandise products across this and between these islands.

More important that anything Government at home or in the UK can do, it is the actions and leadership in our local firms which will more profoundly define where they and we all end up next year.

So, our manufacturers need to be ready to flex and be nimble enough to respond to whatever destination is reached come the end of 2020. This includes, in one scenario, finally fulfilling the promise and opportunity presented by the all-island economy.

The expectations of those entering the world of work are changing. Wages and job security are becoming less important with welfare, flexibility and the contribution which individuals and businesses can make in the world are becoming they key motivating factors. Many businesses are reacting to this and whilst it is perhaps more difficult for a production environment, there are many local manufacturers who have created environments where people can meet their career and societal ambitions.

Whatever the new Conservative Government decides, then there is an absolute need to provide for more time to prepare. As a minimum, Parliament has a responsibility to legislate to give effect to our promised “unfettered access” for the critical GB market. The UK won’t be ready, so December 31, 2020 should not be another cliff edge.

If ever there was a time when we needed our local politicians making decisions for the local economy, it is now. We need their help to navigate the year ahead. Our civil service has done an incredible job keeping the place moving in the worst of circumstances but they’re at the end of their area of authority.

We need our Executive back, making decision and creating opportunities to protect jobs.

Whilst our local governance has been in cold storage, the world has moved on. We need a contemporary and ambitions economic policy (alongside colleagues in Hospitality Ulster and Retail NI, we have presented some ideas in our Trade NI plan launched in September and in our General Election manifesto), scrutiny and action on energy to address spiralling costs, skills investment and a roadmap which helps direct the investments which the new leadership of Invest NI and other agencies will deliver to protect and grow firms.

Increasingly our economy needs people who can solve problems, manage people, negotiate and co-ordinate with others whilst bringing creativity, critical thinking and a commitment to provide the best possible service.

This is leading to a greater investment in leadership capability throughout their businesses. This drives productivity and prosperity for the business and for the individuals involved.

Regardless of the environment and trading relationships political leadership in Belfast, London or indeed Brussels or Washington leave us with, it will be leaders in not only boardrooms but factory floors who will continue the remarkable rebirth of local manufacturing. Recognising and being responsible for their contribution to the world, creating more work and wealth and building strong local economies and communities.

It will be those leaders who will ensure a safe and successful passage through 2020. π

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OUTLOOK 2020

Twenty years on and with the future on the horizon

The year 2020 couldn’t be more apt for IT services business Outsource Solutions.

The firm is marking two decades leading the way in the industry, and according to founder Terry Moore, the firm is well on its way to doubling its size and embracing the latest technology for its clients

O

utsource Solutions is a firm which is ahead of the curve when it comes to emerging technologies and a company which embeds itself in a client’s business to ensure total integration – ultimately helping to boost it and help it grow.

“Our approach is to embed ourselves into the customer’s business, and take IT out of

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the boardroom,” Terry says. “What we do is try to get ahead of some of the problems, understand the business and recognise that the technology is there to benefit the company.

Terry formed Outsource Solutions 20 years ago, around the time of the so-called ‘millennium bug’ when he says some firms were using scare tactics to get businesses to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds, often unnecessarily.

“We are there to make sure that business is possible – enriching lives, making things easier and safer. An important part of this is the relationships that we have.”

“For me, one of the things I felt was missing was understanding a business and factoring that refresh into it over a few years – letting them get on with what they do.”

OUTLOOK 2020

think a network should be built. If they accept that, then we take it on as a risk.

“Technology is just a toolbox for us to allow us to deliver IT – technology to allow them to really access and control their data.”

Outsource is a business which has been at the forefront of emerging developments in technology, including cyber-security. Terry says, even just a few years ago, it wasn’t being taken seriously by many businesses. That has now changed significantly.

The company – which now has five locations, including Belfast – is a full service IT firm which manages every element of a business’s infrastructure, including security, enterprise wifi, telecoms and networking.

“We now have just over 50 staff and are we are on a five-year plan to double in size again.

There has been considerable growth in areas such as enterprise wi-fi, converged networks and telecoms,” Terry says.

Client retention is also something which Terry and the business prides itself on. “Every customer that we signed up with in 2000, we still work with,” he says.

“We will give a recommendation as to how we

JANUARY 2020

“In the last couple of years, cyber has completely exploded – but we were ahead of our time,” he says. “My experience of last 20 years and the last five in particular is that there has been a massive job to do in educating businesses and their users about the cyber threat.

“We have reached the tipping point and the human firewall is becoming much stronger – people and users are more sensitive to what it means, making it all a far better place. But there are still businesses which are happy to cut fast and loose, and take risks.”

While the company’s client base started off in professional services businesses – such as law and accounting – it’s grown into a host of sectors, including transport, logistics, manufacturing and engineering.

“We have carved out a niche in hospitality as well – particularly in areas such as enterprise wi-fi, converged networks and communication, generally.”

Terry says Outsource is seeing business growth among many of Northern Ireland’s medium-sized businesses, with more than 100 staff.

“Our job is to enhance, improve and optimise the performance for as many users as we can. Our aim over the next four years is to be able to deliver those services outside Northern Ireland, across the rest of the UK and into the Republic of Ireland.

“For us, the constant is that we are always there at that point of where technology is consumed. The role we play is being integrated and a trusted advisor. That’s how we will continue to be successful.”

As for the next 20 years, with a rise in automation and artificial intelligence – something Terry says has to become a little more intelligent and a little less artificial – the next major leap will be the advent of quantum computing. It’s something which remains in its infancy.

“While it’s still early, we are on the verge of the most aggressive technological change that any of us have ever seen,” he says. π

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OUTLOOK 2020

Henderson Group announces 2020 vision for growth as it completes £16.5m warehouse project

One of Henderson’s redeveloped company-owned EUROSPAR stores in Dundonald

In another year of growth for Henderson Group, the company has now unveiled the first phase of one of its £16.5m warehouse projects as it looks towards further significant growth in 2020

H

enderson Group has announced that 2020 will be a year of significant growth, facilitated by the completion of the first phase of its new, multi-million-pound, high-end warehousing facility in Mallusk.

The £16.5m operation, which has been under construction for most of 2019 and the expanse of which is visible from the M2 motorway, aims to further connect the different companies in the Group, particularly the retail and foodservice operations in line with their strategy to be ‘Famous for Fresh and Be Great Partners to Great Retailers’.

The warehouse will boast the biggest

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wholesale and retail logistics capability in Northern Ireland, allowing for a huge amount of growth for the business as Henderson Retail aims to open its 100th company owned store here in 2020.

It would take the retail estate of all SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVO branded stores in Northern Ireland to 477, all fully serviced by the Group’s Wholesale business which now operates from two warehouses at Group headquarters in Mallusk.

Phase one of the new warehouse has now completed and will be operational from January 2020. It will house the new Fresh Foods wholesale operation for the Group, within 43,000 sq ft of space, receiving and

OUTLOOK 2020

Henderson Group’s new £16.5m warehouse at Mallusk

shipping out goods throughout the day from a total of 24 doors, the logistics of which are helped along by the Group’s purchase of 18 new trucks, worth £100,000 each.

Phase One also helps facilitate the fresh ingredients going out to and the fresh meals coming back from Wholesale’s new kitchen which was acquired recently in a £500,000 investment.

The kitchen facilities in Randalstown is the home of SPAR NI’s new executive chef and his team of 13, who will create fresh, homemade meals under the new restaurant quality ‘The Chef’ brand which launched at the end of the year.

Phase two will be operational by the end of 2020 and will bring the entire Fresh Foods operation under one roof.

Pat McGarry, logistics director at Henderson Group, says “2019 was a year of exponential growth for Henderson Group, and we only see that growth continuing throughout 2020 and beyond”.

“Our new warehousing facility will future proof our business for at least the next 20 years, helping us build a bridge between our fresh wholesaling and foodservice business to deliver niche services and products for our retailers.

JANUARY 2020

“The facility is truly world class. Enhanced features include dynamic loading bay usage, innovative picking techniques, high-end safety features and effective energy saving processes.

All of this will be complemented by our highly skilled workforce and continual investment in technology will elevate our position within the local and national market and revolutionise our warehousing capabilities.”

“

2019 was a year of exponential growth for Henderson Group, and we only see that growth continuing throughout 2020 and beyond

”

composite deliveries”.

“We have incorporated sensory power for lighting, while introducing electric powering for vehicles refrigeration versus fossil fuels.

“We have a huge responsibility to ensure all our operations are as sustainable as possible.”

Henderson Group is a family business achieving 83rd place on the latest 2019 Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table of the UK’s private companies.

It is ranked fifth in the Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies 2019 and ranked second in the Ulster Grocer Top 75 NI Food & Drink companies 2019.

The Group’s workforce will also grow alongside the business against the projected growth planned in 2020.

The Group owns the SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO, VIVOXTRA and VIVO Essentials franchises in Northern Ireland.

Lead contractors for the project was Fermanagh-based Tracey Brothers. The company also built the Group’s £12.5m Hyde Park warehousing facility which opened in 2017.

Four companies make up the Group – Henderson Wholesale, Henderson Retail, Henderson Group Property and Henderson Foodservice.

Pat says that when designing the warehouse “the focus was to be as sustainable and energy efficient as possible, while also pushing our targets for same day and

Henderson Wholesale has been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for over 120 years and is the largest operator of its kind in the country. π

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DIVERSITY

The challenge of tackling workplace diversity W

Ulster Bank brought together business leaders to look at what’s being done to address a lack of diversity and balance in workforces across Northern Ireland, and what benefits having a range of diverse background can have on a company’s success

e all know what workplace diversity is and why it’s important, but it’s getting there, tackling the issues and potential barriers in the way of creating a more diverse environment that remains the challenge for companies.

Diversity and inclusivity was the topic for discussion at a gathering of business leaders and stakeholders at Ulster Bank’s DSE headquarters in the heart of Belfast city centre.

And as for the bank, it’s been at the forefront of tackling areas such as gender and LGBT+ diversity head on, over the last few years.

That includes its RBS-wide Rainbow Network, which helps support LGBT+ colleagues and allies, and creates an inclusive workplace.

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At a local level Ulster Bank’s own board in Northern Ireland now has a 50/50 gender split, something which Sandra Wright, senior HR manager, told those gathered, is important to the organisation taking strong proactive steps in addressing diversity in the workplace.

She says that it’s not only the right thing to do, but is proven to help a company’s bottom line and boost business, as well as lower staff turnover rates. And a focus on inclusivity is key to ensuring a happy and productive workforce, with everyone feeling that they are part of the team and that their contribution means something.

“We are now in the next phase of our diversity (plan). When we started off five years ago we were looking at it under a number of pillars which included gender balance, LGBT+

DIVERSITY

Belfast Harbour and Outsource Solutions.

While tackling gender diversity in the workplace was the original raison d’etre for Diversity NI, it has since moved focus to other areas, looking at disability and LGBT+ issues.

An emerging area is also now neurodiversity.

The idea is that conditions such as autism should be seen not as disabilities, but as normal neurological differences between people.

Guests gathered at the dinner at Ulster Bank’s headquarters in Belfast

innovative, disability ‘smart’ and the culture change,” she told those gathered.

“We have done so much under those pillars and now are moving to a new form of diversity and looking at the whole culture change.”

And she says it is not a quick fix or something which can be done overnight.

Ethnic diversity is something which Northern Ireland continues to struggle with, but it’s something that organisations – including the bank – are actively seeking to address. That includes targeting schools and areas across Northern Ireland which have greater levels of ethnic diversity in a bid to attract them to a variety of potential careers, banking included.

Another is the idea of ‘blind’ shortlists of potential candidates for a job, with surnames, or in some cases, any potential identifiers which could sway a recruiter one way or another, removed.

As discussions continued one anecdote raised a significant issue with unconscious, or perhaps conscious bias, when choosing new staff, based on their names.

JANUARY 2020

Christine says it’s also about collaboration and working with a range of stakeholders, individuals and businesses in order to help sell and promote diversity among workforces.

Ulster Bank’s Terry Robb welcomes guests at the diversity dinner in Belfast

In one case a potential interview candidate – after being knocked back on several occasions from a host of jobs she was suitable for – instead applied using her maiden name, which was more anglicised.

As a result, she was offered an interview and got the job. And while just one case, it’s a clear example of the challenges still facing those from different ethnic backgrounds in the UK and Ireland.

Business leaders and stakeholders also heard from Christine White, head of business at Diversity Mark NI. The organisation has grown its reach considerably in a short space of time – with 80 members from across a wide range of sectors, including Allstate, A&L Goodbody, Deloitte,

For its own Diversity Mark it uses the expertise of a range of assessors to determine a business’s performance and suitability for the mark.

Dr Joanne Stuart OBE, who is chief executive of the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance, Equality Commissioner Deborah Donnelly and Fergal McFerran of Stonewall have joined the Diversity Mark NI Independent Assessors Panel, bringing a wide swathe of knowledge to assist its members over the coming years.

The organisation is also hosting Northern Ireland’s first Diversity and Inclusion Summit next month, which is being held at Titanic Belfast on February 20.

The half-day summit will also feature a host of speakers and panels to inspire and motivate attendees, focused on building inclusive cultures, and includes keynote speaker Lord Davies of Abersoch CBE. π

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HOSPITALITY

Bit Of A Do: Your event, their expertise N

orthern Ireland’s Bit Of A Do is helping to lead the way in corporate event and entertainment solutions in Belfast and beyond.

Established in 2017, the company takes a fresh approach on client entertaining, work nights out, team motivation and networking solutions. From venue-led activities and clientbased events to their involvement in outdoor events and festivals, they are a one stop shop for any event requirements.

With an emphasis on bringing people together, the company offers numerous activities, across a range of venues within the city. It also prides itself on its ability to think outside the box to create an extensive range of bespoke event solutions for all businesses, workforce demographics and budgets.

These include gin tastings, private screenings, private club nights, ping pong parties, pool tournaments, comedy showcases, live music, casino nights, quizzes, staff training facilities, BBQs, cocktail mixology, guest speakers, fundraising, black-tie events and much more.

Bit Of A Do also curates bespoke events within

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clients’ premises, incorporating all aspects of bar and catering hospitality, entertainment and decor, as well as providing hospitality solutions for outdoor events throughout Northern Ireland.

As a large multi-venue company with plenty of expertise, Bit Of A Do offer a full, professional service to provide clients with high quality, hassle-free group experiences that will surpass expectations.

This hospitality background ensures they have a trained eye for detail and do all the work for you when it comes to exploring creative ideas and providing the best possible solution at no extra cost; including the creation of expertly designed and prepared bespoke menus.

Some highlights of 2019 included a ‘Best of Northern Ireland’ event which saw a client enjoy a bespoke networking evening that celebrated Northern Ireland to its guests from across the globe.

In a beautifully decorated private space tailored to the client’s requirements, the team showcased what Northern Ireland is famous for with nods to Game of Thrones, Titanic, iconic

famous faces and importantly, its fantastic food, drinks, hospitality and craic.

‘A Christmas Party with a Difference’ also saw a client seeking an alternative to the standard three course dinner and entertainment package, with their own private nightclub transformed into an amazing winter Alpine ski lodge.

Tracy Flannigan of CBRE and Women in Property, has enlisted Bit Of A Do to organise several events including ‘Gin On The Rooftop’.

“Bit Of A Do are a great company to work with,” she says. “They have some great and varied ideas for client events and the events they have run for us have been perfectly tailored to our individual requirements and delivered with great professionalism.

“Working with Sinéad and the team makes organising events a breeze and I could not recommend them highly enough.” π

For details on creating a bespoke corporate event for your business, contact hello@ bitofadobelfast.com

OUTLOOK 2020

A great food year gone, but much more ahead What a marvellous year 2019 has been for the hospitality sector in Northern Ireland and especially for our vibrant food and drink sector, writes Michele Shirlow of Food NI

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his year it has been particularly encouraging to see the continued growth in tourist revenues beyond the strategically important £1bn target. As the year drew to a close, OX and Deane’s EIPIC were again named among La Liste’s prestigious list of the top 1,000 restaurants.

During the year we were also able to harness the business potential of our success in winning the Best Food Destination title at the International Travel and Tourism Awards in London in November 2018.

Achieving the Best Food Destination helped raise Northern Ireland’s profile throughout the world of tourism.

There remain a number of issues to be addressed as soon as practicable to enable the industry here to compete on a level plane particularly with the Republic of Ireland. These include our archaic licensing laws, VAT and air passenger duty. It would be immensely beneficial to have an Executive and Assembly back at Stormont to tackle these. Food NI supported other bodies in hospitality in campaigning for reform.

As well as the tremendous support we received from local councils and other bodies here, the message about Northern Ireland’s fabulous opportunities for tourists and other visitors was taken to key markets in Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland.

We appreciate greatly the opportunity for these promotional activities through Invest NI’s imaginative Small Business Food Programme delivered by Food NI. Our promotional activities in Northern Ireland and further afield were also assisted by Tourism NI and Tourism Ireland. In addition, we worked closely with both as well as Failte Ireland, councils and other hospitality bodies on activities surrounding the imaginative Taste the Island promotional initiative.

Among the many spectacular attractions which opened to the public during the year was the substantially refurbished Hillsborough Castle and Gardens and it’s already drawing thousands of visitors. The year also saw Montalto Estate open its gates. Both these establishments invested extensively in excellent catering facilities for visitors.

The Open at Royal Portrush was an outstanding success which again

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Michele Shirlow

demonstrated Northern Ireland’s ability to deliver global events. It was great to see the caterers embracing a substantial amount of locally sourced food and drink.

The plaudits from food experts here and especially in Great Britain also continued to grow. Some 70 companies collected hundreds of gold stars for their outstandingly tasty products in this year’s UK Great Taste and the Blas na hEireann awards. The Great Taste Regional Golden Fork was awarded to Bernard Sloan’s Whitewater Brewery in Castlewellan for its Kreme de la Kremlin imperial stout. The company is a Food NI member.

Other member companies such as En Place Foods in Cookstown, Craic Foods in Portadown, Hannan Meats in Moira, and Portrush’s Irish Black Butter were all awarded three gold stars. Burren Balsamics of Richhill was the big winner at Blas na hEireann.

We were delighted to host a celebration of the truly remarkable achievements of all our award winners at Hillsborough Castle earlier in December. It was great to see so many in the same location, contributing to a hugely impressive and indeed inspirational occasion.

It will be the start of what is already shaping up to be an even busier 12 months for Food NI, our members and other ambitious food and drink processors here. Our biggest manufacturing industry and a key exporter is positioned for growth in the year ahead. π

Leaders in Business John Mulgrew speaks to the men and women at the forefront of the economy

LEADERS IN BUSINESS

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Edel Doherty

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BEYOND BUSINESS TRAVEL

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del Doherty’s grand ambitions for her business travel firm probably should come as no surprise to those who know her – it’s a sector which she has worked in her entire life.

A decade ago she founded Beyond Business Travel, a business with a £16m turnover and around 25 staff. Now, the aim is to grow that to £50m, which includes a new office in Dublin to expand its market reach right across Ireland.

“We are hoping to take that to £50m in the next four years and we have opened an office in Dublin,” she told Ulster Business.

“It’s an ambitious target, but we have grown year-on-year for the past nine years and have brought a lot of technology into the business and to our clients.”

The client list reads like a who’s who of the giants of Northern Ireland industry, including poultry processor Moy Park, Almac and Devenish Nutrition. The firm has also looked after those on the Game of Thrones crew.

“We have a strong track record of getting and maintaining good clients,” she says. “We are a new breed of travel management company.

We want to make a difference in client businesses.

“People, the human capital, is what the business is and making sure they are looked after while they travel is a big thing for us –

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doing it effectively, making sure they have the support, 24/7.

a company for 17 years, before deciding to make the move and go it alone.

“I’ve been in travel for more than 35 years and I’m passionate about it. It has changed dramatically, with the rise of the smartphone.”

“I made a business plan – I said to myself, I can do this, I know I can. I built a brilliant team around me, and almost 10 years later, here we are. It’s been hard work, but it’s enjoyable and I’m passionate about the Northern Ireland economy. I’m passionate about buying local.”

That includes the development of booking tools for clients, but also looking ahead and building more advanced technology, incorporating artificial intelligence and being able to personalise the experience for each traveller.

Born in Belfast, Edel’s initial career trajectory looked set for university, but instead she wanted to go in to the world of work, and tackle the travel sector.

“I went straight into the industry and I’m a great believer in life-long learning. I want to be the best version of me and to reach my potential,” she says. That includes working across different areas of the travel industry. But Edel says business travel “was always my love”.

Edel is involved with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Women in Business, as well as sitting on the CBI’s SME Council in London. She’s also just been named Businesswoman of the Year by Women in Business.

And like many company founders, Edel hit the ground running with her own business as the world entered its worst recession in a generation. She was previously a director with

As for Brexit, Edel says setting up the Dublin office was one was in which the firm was mitigating against any business concerns arising from Brexit.

“It’s hard to plan when you don’t know.

Business people are problem solvers,” she says. “Once we have a problem, we come up with a solution. But people are holding back on decisions. We did a complete analysis of our clients and they are down on last year. It completely filters down and there is a knock on effect and people are nervous.

“A lot of our clients are exporters. If they are affected, everything from export documents, to the movement of goods and people – that will (have an) impact.”

Looking to the future and Edel’s ambitious £50m turnover target she says leading the way in tech and being early adopters is helping to drive expansion.

“We are looking out at what’s coming – some clients won’t work without technology, and we have tech bedded in. It’s tried and tested.” π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Dr Dennise Broderick MANAGING DIRECTOR, GALEN

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he number of women in top roles among Northern Ireland’s largest businesses still remains disproportionately small.

But Dr Dennise Broderick boosted the number of females in senior posts after taking up the reins at Galen at the end of 2018 – a member of the Almac Group of firms, one of Northern Ireland’s largest and fastest-growing high-end pharma manufacturers.

It provides a wide range of contract manufacturing and development services to the pharmaceutical and biotech industry globally.

“I have always had a keen interest in both business and science therefore, following the completion of my PhD in cancer genetics, I embarked on a career in the pharmaceutical industry, initially as a sales representative in hospitals in Ireland,” Dennise told Ulster Business.

“Since then, and over the course of the last decade or more, I have held a number of senior leadership roles in many differing project areas and locations across the globe.

Having worked in both small and large pharma organisations throughout this period, I have developed a specialised knowledge in business growth, in particular around sales, marketing and product launch.

managing director in September 2018 and, together with Almac Group’s board of directors, I am responsible for all aspects of the pharmaceutical company’s operations, marketing and governance across our global sites.

“I am also delighted to be working with an incredibly talented team. Together we are proud to be creating an extremely positive culture and an ethos in which ‘everybody matters’ ultimately cultivating a strong partner-focused philosophy right across the organisation.”

Galen was established 51 years ago with a “vision to advance human health globally”.

“We are a pharmaceutical company which strategically commercialises, markets and sells both our own branded products and distribute products for our global partners.

“We have an established commercial infrastructure across Europe and the US, and reports sales globally,” Dennise says.

Looking ahead, she has “very ambitious goals for Galen”. “Within the next three to five years I see it growing significantly in both revenue and profitability.

“Having previously lectured for the National Universities of Ireland I continue to be a guest lecturer within its network.

“This will be achieved by a clear strategy of increased organic growth, acquisitions and mergers, strategic global partnerships, development of internal projects, global expansion into new territories and continuing to grow our current employee base. All of this will be supported by our membership of the Almac Group.

“I joined Galen as the president and

“Challenges are predominately due to the

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rapidly changing pharmaceutical landscape as prices continue to decrease, markets continue to be more difficult to operate in due to extreme regulations, the unknown implications of Brexit and many companies consolidating, rapidly expanding, investing and monopolising many of the market places throughout the globe.

“While this will continue to be a challenge for Galen, we are very specific and clear on what we can offer our partners, customers and patients. We pride ourselves on developing genuine relationships with our partners, crafting commercial strategy together and maintaining an open channel of communication as we manage their product to success.”

And speaking about the general state of the Northern Ireland economy, Dennise says as the head of a global organisation “the NI economy does not impact hugely on the Galen business”.

“Northern Ireland is an extremely important part of who we are, however, and this is embedded within the culture of the Galen organisation.

“In terms of attracting and retaining employees, I feel it is a healthy economy and in order to ensure Galen, and the Almac Group, can continue to expand we need to ensure that pipeline of talent will be readily available well into the future. We put significant investment into this area as a group, and appreciate all the efforts of others working with us to ensure Northern Ireland remains a hub that can retain the best talent in STEM.” π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Terry Cross

FOUNDER, HINCH DISTILLERY

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

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erry Cross is a businessman who, after selling off the £80m manufacturing company he grew from the ground up, shows no signs of slowing down.

And it’s difficult to imagine many an entrepreneur with as varied and interesting a story as the north Belfast man’s.

A former Merchant Navy man, Terry grew his business Delta Print & Packaging into a west Belfast giant employing more than 300 people, securing contracts with McDonald’s and KFC – to name but a few – before selling the company to Finnish firm Huhtamaki in 2016 for £80m.

“It was never a plan (to sell). It was two years of due diligence,” he told Ulster Business.”I’m very happy to say the Brexit issue was not foreseen by anyone – by the banks, markets or the politicians.

“If it had been, the sale to Huhtamaki wouldn’t have happened, or would have happened at a different price – and it would have been a hell of a lot less.”

Now, he’s turned his attention again to the drinks industry – also owning his grand Bordeaux vineyard Château de La Ligne – with Hinch Distillery.

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And a further distillery looks set to follow at his French estate – producing gin and vodka.

“I was never going to do nothing,” says.

“You need a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”

It’s an ambitious £15m project, already well underway, which will see a whiskey and gin distillery, complete with visitor centre, located right beside Terry’s own Killaney Estate.

“That came out of the difficulty with Bordeaux wines and the difficulty to make profit,” he said.

“I looked at the market for Irish whiskey and also Irish gin. The market for Irish whiskey is on fire at the moment, led mainly by Jameson and Tullymore Dew. “We are going to build a distillery in Bordeaux as well… probably for gin and French vodka.

We’ve established planning.”

Before turning his attention to his distillery, Terry grew his printing and packaging business with a 5,000 sq ft operation, and 14 staff.

“We started very small and it was printing.

We eventually went into packaging at the industrial estate at Kennedy Way.

Printed packaging was the major development which spurred on the business’s success and attracting customers such as fast-food giants.

That company then grew into a major entity, producing cartons and packaging for giants of the food world such as Kellogg’s.

Terry grew up in the Antrim Road area of north Belfast, one of four children, to father William and mother Rosaleen, and studied at St Mary’s in Belfast, before serving across the world on ships with the Merchant Navy.

His father, who lived to the age of 91, was responsible for shooting down planes of the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. He still owns his chateau, which is also a wedding venue, and the vineyard — which covers 17 hectares — produces around 72,000 bottles a year.

Terry was also a firm backer of the Remain campaign and was also keen for the UK to join the euro. In fact, his Belfast factory played host to a visit from Labour’s Alan Johnson and former Shadow Secretary of State Vernon Coaker to help launch a 19-strong team of pro-EU business leaders. π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Cathal Geoghegan MANAGING DIRECTOR, HENDERSON FOODSERVICE

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n his last long-term role, Cathal Geoghegan helped grow a family business stalwart into a £40m company with reach across the island and the UK.

Now, almost two years in, after his time with Mount Charles, he’s at the helm of Henderson Foodservice, employing more than 300 people and responsible for 12,500 lines across the company.

He’s also targeting huge expansion, with fresh acquisitions, and a £245m turnover target by 2024.

An accountant by trade, Cathal graduated in 1991 before moving to Glasgow to study.

Before his time with Mount Charles and subsequently Henderson Foodservice he worked at the Simon Community before moving to the Grand Opera House as finance offer, and then on to Jurys Inn, Belfast.

He then moved jobs to Dublin, working as chief accountant with another hotel, before starting with Mount Charles, where he was finance director for 12 years, and then managing director for just shy of six.

In that time, the business grew quickly – cracking the

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£40m turnover mark. “An opportunity then arose here with Henderson Foodservice.

more than 300 staff and a vehicle fleet of 56 on the road.”

“(With Mount Charles) we had taken the business on and had great aspirations to take it to the next year and on the road to £50m.

“You always have to innovate and bring new products to the table. The thing that the Foodco guys do very well is sourcing products for their customer base.”

“Sometimes you don’t know you need a move until after the move – needing a fresh challenge.”

Cathal says the last two years have “gone like a flash” since taking up his post. “It’s a fast-moving environment. I have been service-led all my life, and have now moved in to product. But the same principles apply – it’s about great people.”

Henderson Foodservice, while part of the overall Henderson Group, is its own limited company and board, reporting in to an overall holdings board.

“We have been in double-digit growth in the last few years,” he says. The company took on BD Foods in 2018 and Foodco in February last year. That’s seen the product types and lines expand considerably, with BD Foods growing the higher-end business in particular.

Cathal says the turnover target is now £162m, but he’s set a goal of cracking £245m over the next four years.

“In the Republic of Ireland we grew at 29%,” he says. “As a business thus far it’s 12% year-on-year, growing, coming from both the south and the north. (We have)

As far as his own role as a business leader, Cathal says “everyone is different”. “There is a great ethos running through this business and there are great values.”

He says the skills needed to ensure strong leadership and business building is putting customers first.

“We revisit that at our strategy sessions every six months. It’s about tweaking and adapting.

We also have monthly pride awards and a conference and our annual pride awards – opportunities for the greater employee base to get an update on the vision and plan for the company.”

As for Brexit, Cathal says with around £50m of business in the Republic that a ‘no deal’ would be a catastrophe. “Our issues are around the impact on the southern supply chain,” he says.

“There has been and hopefully will be an accommodation in terms of a deal but we just don’t know. In the last six months we have had a team of around 25-30 people dedicated to Brexit. There has been a lot of time and money, in terms of things like additional stock and warehousing, but the bulk of it has been manpower.” π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Neasa Quigley SENIOR PARTNER, CARSON MCDOWELL

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career, starting out in Dublin as Ireland’s Celtic Tiger began and the start of the city’s now globally-recognised tech credentials began to emerge.

Neasa, who hails from Malahide in Co Dublin, studied history at Trinity College before studying law and training with William Fry in Dublin city.

“All the way through I have done corporate work. When I was working in Dublin, I qualified in 1997, so there would have been a lot of ‘dot com’ and listing work, which was very exciting.

n the last 12 months, Neasa Quigley has been in a top role at Belfast law firm Carson McDowell which has seen her taking on responsibility for the future strategy of the business.

“Did I know that I wanted to be a lawyer? No. After a studied history it was my dad who had come across (it), through his businesses, and said that he thought I might be suited to it.”

During her time with William Fry she carried out much of her work in the corporate law field – working with a range of partners and building a strong foundation.

Neasa moved to Belfast, initially working with Tughans – where she stayed for nine years, before joining Carson McDowell in 2010 as a partner.

She then headed up the firm’s corporate team and moved into her role as senior partner in 2018. Neasa and her colleague Roger McMillan took over the responsibilities of the managing partner role from Michael Johnston, who served eight years in the post.

“My focus is on strategy and external relations.

Roger’s is more internally focused, looking at IT, staff, finance,” Neasa says.

She’s been a corporate lawyer throughout her

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“But then there was very little of that work in the north… then it was mergers and acquisitions, equity investment, whether that’s venture capital or private equity. The thing that I like about the work that I do is that it’s quite project-driven.

prosperities with Brexit on the horizon.

“There are certain sectors that we are involved in such as energy and technology that continue to have positive activity around them,” she says. “That’s not to say there isn’t caution around the wider economy,” she says.

She also sits on the CBI’s regional committee here and is acutely aware of the issues that businesses are facing.

“There is a concern about what is going to happen in 2020, particularly with certain sectors – food, agri, transport and health.”

“You get instructions to do something. It’s not just ongoing, advisory work. There’s a start and a finish to it. In corporate, you get to know about a business, and it could be in different sectors – you get to meet new people and learn.”

“We are quietly optimistic about 2020 and we have a lot of services that can adapt to an uncertain economic environment.

Carson McDowell now has a team of more than 100 lawyers working for the firm, along with those in marketing, IT, finance and administration

“If people are concerned at a consumer level in the future, that restricts spend on consumer goods and that all has an impact.”

The majority of its clients are Northern Irelandbased, but it also works with foreign direct investment (FDI) firms which require legal services here.

Looking to the firm’s own future, she says Carson McDowell is identifying new areas in which it could expand into.

Neasa’s positive about 2020, but is well aware of the industries and sectors which still face uncertain futures regarding their own

It’s also about a business’s ability to attract talent in the face of continued uncertainty.

“(The firm) has been good at identifying niche services that may not be provided by other firms in the region, or sectors that we see as ‘growth sectors’. π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

See.Sense

FOUNDERS, IRENE AND PHILIP MCALEESE

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ive years ago husband and wife team Irene and Philip McAleese were featured in the Ones to Watch section of this special edition of Ulster Business.

Cut to today and they’ve grown a fledgling technology start-up, focused around highend ‘smart’ bike lights, into a multi-award winning enterprise which is now eyeing up different revenue streams for exploration.

See.Sense has now sold around 50,000 of its lights and has penetration into 70 markets across the globe, as well as being the official light supplier to both British Cycling and Cycling Ireland. It has a base in both Newtownards and Belfast, with around 14 staff.

“For us, the biggest change is that we have been focused on bike lights,” Philip told Ulster Business. “The exciting part for us is that in the last two years we have been collecting data insights, with people cycling around cities. That has allowed us to gather 50 billion sensor readings across the UK and Ireland.”

The company’s bike lights are able to measure and record the state of the road network here, creating a huge bank of data. “That’s really exciting and has opened up opportunities.

“It’s really feedback for the cyclists and cities and can help improve the infrastructure.

It’s very symbiotic. It’s also really important that we keep making products that cyclists love.”

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“We have refined the design, reducing cost, size and complexity while improving visibility and safety. We have just launched our first bike tracker product.”

That’s a new type of device, called AIR, which is pioneering in the field and built on the new low power ‘narrowband’ Internet of Things (IoT), alongside Vodafone.

“It’s a new type of cellular technology (used in areas such as smart meters) and it is designed to be very low energy and a low data rate.

We are leading the charge with this technology.

We launched on Kickstarter and smashed our funding target in two hours – there are 700 backers for that.”

LEADERS IN BUSINESS

According to Irene McAleese, the firm has also just landed yet another award – showcasing the its strength and that it is punching well above its weight in terms of innovation.

“Our products are now selling into 70 countries and there have been more than 50,000 lights sold,” she said.

“The product is great but what is exciting is the

traction we have had around data,” she says.

That includes working with a number of cities, such as Dublin and Antwerp in Belgium.

“There’s a lot of traction with cities in data and working with engineering firms, like Aecom.”

The firm is able to take the technology and data, and use it measure the road surfaces.

“They took our data in Dublin and looked to validate it, they sent engineers in to the field, to see how they would rate it, and they were able to correlate with our data. We are working with them to develop tools and processes for cities.

“There’s lots of momentum around the data side of the business. The revenue split between product and data is now weighted more to data, which is really amazing after two years.

The products will continue to be important, but the opportunities around data have been massive.”

Looking at the company’s journey over the last few years, Irene says its success has “completely exceeded our expectations”.

“I never knew what to expect. When we set up, Philip had an idea of putting sensors in a bike light.

“We gave up our corporate careers to start the business, but neither of us expected this. Six years on from that initial idea, we didn’t think we would be here.” π

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Terence Donnelly

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, DONNELLY GROUP

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ith the foundations forged by his father and uncle’s post-war taxi and vehicle business in the small Co Tyrone village of Caledon, Terence Donnelly, along with his brother Raymond, have built a Northern Ireland motoring giant with an annual turnover of £311m.

“There was a strong foundation with my father, who was forward-thinking, and that started in Caledon,” he told Ulster Business.

“His thinking at the time was that he had to make things, as parts were hard to find. He was making parts and going to Dublin to buy cars – he bought in the south and sold in the north.”

Donnelly Group is Northern Ireland’s largest family-owned vehicle dealership, with nine locations and more than 700 staff.

Terence started work at the age of 15, with a stint in Belfast, before returning home to his father and uncle’s business, joining in 1969.

The eldest of eight, he and his brother Raymond worked with the family firm until he took over at the helm in the mid 1970s.

A former Irish Rally Championship winner, Terence says key areas helped shape his business strategy and growth plans.

“One thing that is the key factor of the growth

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was in terms of business and values. The depth of value was based on trust, respect and relationships. The customer has to trust us and we have to trust them.

“We managed to have that foundation to go off. The basis of growth didn’t start until 1981.

We were starting to see a change in the car business, with volumes going up – locations were important.

“We had to design and pick out a market for ourselves in Northern Ireland – there were the two main players in Belfast, Agnew and Charles Hurst. We became the third person.

“You need a division to believe you can grow from a family business to be one of the top three in Northern Ireland.”

With an ever-evolving marketplace, Terence says the company needs to have the “vision to live with those changes and adjustments as you go along”.

“You need to make adjustments to grow the business in terms of the strategy and vision… and the skills to negotiate property deals.

Terence says the company went from selling 150 Rovers a year, to shifting that many, or more, in the space of just a week.

“My father had built the credibility, and it was an easy landing for me – coming into to

a business and living off my father’s business reputation,” he says.

The business has enjoyed a few milestones in recent years, including growing through several acquisitions, and the opening of a new £6m Jaguar Land Rover showroom in 2019.

It’s an evolving market, with surges in the volume of electric and hybrid vehicles powering out of showrooms across the UK and Ireland. And while it’s changing, Terence says there will still be great demand for both petrol and diesel cars for the foreseeable future.

The 67-year-old says he runs a “pretty open system of leadership”. “It’s a pretty clear way of doing things,” he says. “I trust and respect and monitor the performance of people. It’s all about having a clear-cut conversation.

“We have a focus. My key thing is having key people around the business, and they are the success of the business. I’m lucky to be the owner and chairman of a company that has a great team running it.

“Raymond (Donnelly) is putting a lot in to that change to make sure it is fit for purpose, and growing.”

Terence, like the bulk of Northern Ireland’s other leading businesses, was not a fan of the vote for Brexit, and remains concerned about its potential impact on the wider economy. π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Katy Best

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, BELFAST CITY AIRPORT

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aty Best has held her senior role at Belfast City Airport for a decade, and in that time it’s undergone significant changes – from new routes, to new owners and new business.

She’s responsible for developing the ‘business’ of the airport, and has spent the bulk of her career working within the travel sector Originally from Holywood, the former Strathearn pupil has helped shape the airport’s trajectory over the last 10 years, alongside boss Brian Ambrose.

“One of the things that I love about my role is the sheer diversity of the portfolio,” she says.

“I work with a very talented team, all of whom have quite specific skill-sets and look after quite niche areas.

“To me, it’s really important that they have really considerable autonomy. It’s quite often about working with people who are better than you at what they do, and I take a lot of advice from my team. I lean on their expertise and their specific industry networking and industry awareness.”

Katy’s roles before joining the airport had already taken her around the world. She interned at a digital marketing agency in New York, before flying across the globe to start her time in the travel industry — working at experience and short breaks business RedBalloon in Sydney.

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Following that, she was one of the founders of an online travel business, working with a number of airlines across Europe. “I suppose that was the cross-over point,” she said.

“About half of the (airport’s) revenue comes from the airlines themselves, and growing the passenger base is a key part of my role.

We work very closely, both with our existing airlines, and new airlines, to grow passenger numbers.

“On the other side it is to drive as much revenue as possible from footfall. About a quarter comes from the car park, which is an area of business which is becoming increasingly sophisticated, and the remaining is from the shops and restaurants.”

Operating profit at Belfast City Airport rose 11.9% to £3.3m in 2018 year, while turnover at the also increased 3.9% to £22.1m over the year.

“We have a very loyal customer base and year round (business), impacted by the fact we are predominately domestic,” she says.

“We have had a really exciting couple of years under our new ownership with 3i. They have made a very considerable investment into the airport, as well as having reorganised and made significant investment in our security processing, which has had a pretty material impact on the consistency of the speed at which people are coming through.”

The venture capital company 3i formally assumed ownership of George Best Belfast City Airport in 2017, after a multi-million takeover deal cleared all its regulatory requirements.

“We have also completely reconfigured our departures area and we have new shops and a new restaurant in that space,” Katy says.

“We have have had incredibly strong feedback from our passenger base in terms of the overall experience and in terms of the convenience.”

Looking to the future, the biggest change will be with the airport’s flagship airline, Flybe.

“The most exciting thing for us in 2020 is the launch of Virgin Connect,” she says. It’s the new brand for what was Flybe, entering a new era as an independent company under the Virgin brand.

“We will see ourselves having an incredibly strong brand. We have been really impressed with the Virgin Connect team, and the plans they have in place.

“We have positioned ourselves as the number two base for Virgin Connect.

“All of the Virgin brands are built upon customer experience and the strength of the product, and that’s something they are very keen to do with Virgin Connect.” π

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LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Lead from the front… and keep on going Getting in front is difficult, but staying in front is much harder, according to Patrick Brown, managing partner at Tughans. He discusses competition in the Northern Ireland legal market and marks the firm’s latest industry win

“S

ustaining success means continually evaluating and evolving what you are doing.

The minute you stand still, you slip into second place,” Patrick Brown says.

He was speaking about how the firm in recent years has been going through a process of investment and renewal, both in its people and its infrastructure.

Patrick Brown

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The approach has paid off too. Last month Tughans was named as Law Firm of the Year 2020 for Northern Ireland by the authoritative international ranking publication Legal 500, one of the key accolades in the profession.

“We were particularly pleased by that,” Patrick says. “The judging is based on our directory submissions, and the feedback of

peers and clients so it is an extensive and comprehensive assessment. It also reflects the excellent work of our people right across the firm, showing the real depth and quality that sets Tughans apart.”

Winning awards has become something of a habit for the firm in recent years, having topped the ‘Experian MarketIQ United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland M&A

LEADERS IN BUSINESS

Review’ Northern Ireland league table for four years in a row.

“From a deal perspective we are the most active legal adviser in the local market. At the heart of those transactional teams we are fortunate to have a strong balance of experience working alongside our new generation of leaders.”

The business community across the region will instantly recognise names like John-George Willis and Phyllis Agnew, but advisers like James Donnelly and John McGuckian have stand-out reputations for corporate work, and the trio of David Jones, Rebecca Moffet and Joe Moore in real estate.

“But it is not just those teams that underpin our success. They rely on colleagues across a mix of employment, banking and finance, insurance, dispute resolution, construction and planning.”

Although the firm has maintained the largest share of the transactional activity, when pressed on wider market conditions Brown described them as somewhat subdued. “There is no doubt that Brexit has created a ‘wait and see’ factor in boardrooms across the region.

Hopefully businesses will see a clear pathway come into view on how the post-Brexit landscape will look, and that will move us beyond the current hiatus.”

On the subject of political impasse, he also cites the long absence of a local Executive and Assembly as having an impact on the economic fortunes of the region.

“Of course there is concern about the pressures on public services such as education and health in particular, but the lack of an investment pipeline for major capital projects cannot be ignored,” he says.

“Likewise the opportunity cost of three years with no policy development has been significant. I think the business community has been remarkably restrained in its criticism to date.”

So how does Tughans respond in such conditions? Surely the temptation is to batten down the hatches and ride out any buffets?

JANUARY 2020

Tughans has had a record number of trainees and newly qualified solicitors starting with the firm in September 2019

Returning to his theme, Patrick says: “Of course it’s tempting, but ultimately shortsighted. You must look for advantage and, if necessary, invest.

“In recent years we have reviewed many aspects of our business and identified areas where we could do things better. We have a clear vision for the firm, and we are making some significant and strategic decisions to realise it. Some of that is in our processes and technology, but it is also in our continued investment in our people.

“For instance, we have made great strides in improving support around wellbeing and mental health issues. Similarly on being a responsible business, as this year will see us bring forward a more firm-wide approach to volunteering and engagement with charities. In the area of diversity, we will also adopt a more structured and coordinated response.”

Speaking about why Tughans is investing in these areas, he says: “It’s actually quite simple.

Our vision is to have high quality people, doing high quality work, for high quality clients. To do that we must attract the best talent. Next generation lawyers expect firms to take these issues seriously. Getting these things right has wider benefits for our culture, which influences a strong retention rate.”

has undoubtedly increased competition for talent, but he pointed out certain things still make a local firm stand out.

“The quality of the work is attractive. When you explain to prospective recruits that they could be advising on regionally significant deals such as the sale of Harland & Wolff, or the administration of Wrightbus, that quickly captures their attention.”

So casting an eye to the future, where does the firm go from here? “The pace of change in the legal profession has shifted up a gear, principally driven by technology,” he says. “Regional markets such as Northern Ireland cannot ignore those dynamics. That will require firms to embrace new ways of working, and may even precipitate some consolidation in the market.”

Returning to winning Legal 500 NI Law Firm of the Year 2020 how does Tughans intend to celebrate? “The timing was actually really good, as the announcement was made on the same day as our Christmas reception so we toasted the success with our clients,” he says. “Of course, we’ll enjoy it, it’s a fantastic achievement. But one thing is certain, we won’t be resting on our laurels.” π

The entry of international names to Northern Ireland in the form of legal services centres

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PROPERTY

House prices slowing but optimism for New Year

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ouse price growth slowed in Northern Ireland towards the end of 2019 but surveyors here are among the most optimistic about the prospects for a New Year pick-up, according to a new survey.

According to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS), while buyers were still active, fewer sales had been taking place – partly because of a fall in properties coming onto the market.

The number of surveyors who had reported a rise in prices over the last quarter was at its lowest level in more than three years.

Samuel Dickey, RICS residential property spokesman in Northern Ireland, said: “It is not surprising that activity is easing back as we approach the end of the year and price momentum is slowing, not least with the uncertainty that comes before a General Election.

“However, the indications from respondents are that the New Year will see activity increase

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and prices continue to edge upwards.

Indeed, the feedback regarding both prices and sales in the short term and medium term has strengthened.”

The number of surveyors who were feeling optimistic about sales during the year ahead was growing. And those who were predicting price increases outnumbered those who expected prices to fall. In fact, surveyors in NI were second only to Wales for their optimism about the prospects for next year.

Terry Robb, head of personal banking at Ulster Bank, said: “The easing back of housing market activity in November is in line with the wider economic environment.

“However, our pipeline of mortgage activity remains strong and we continue to see good demand from prospective homebuyers. This should translate into housing market activity in early 2020.”

The report comes as a separate property price index reports a 4% increase in the

standardised price of a home to just under £140,000.

At an average of £139,951, house prices here are around 38% below their 2007 peak of £224,670. In contrast, other UK nations have now surpassed 2007 levels.

Meanwhile, the house price index for July to September said that detached homes in Northern Ireland have seen the steepest rise in price of all house types over the last year to hit an average of around £210,000, according to a report.

The government research into housing market activity over the third quarter said that there were 6,002 homes sold over the first nine months of the year.

However, that was down from 6,563 over the first nine months of last year. And there is a wide range of average prices across district council areas, from £120,110 for the cheapest location in Derry City and Strabane, to £164,900 for the most expensive area of Lisburn and Castlereagh. π

ECONOMY

Output dropping at fastest rate in seven years

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orthern Ireland’s private sector has seen a seen its sharpest fall in output in seven years, according to a fresh survey.

And sharp declines in new orders are at a seven-and-a-half year low, according to the Ulster Bank purchasing managers’ Index (PMI) for November.

It said the business activity Index stood at 42.3 in November from 44.9 in October, where 50 means no change.

Output has now fallen in each of the past nine months, with the rate of contraction accelerating to the fastest for seven years.

The worst hit sectors are retail and construction which sit at 37 and 35.4 respectively. Brexit uncertainty was the main factor leading to the decline, according to respondents who indicated a wariness among customers to commit to new projects. In line with the picture for business activity, the rate of decline in new orders accelerated and was the sharpest since May 2012.

Richard Ramsey, chief economist, Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland, said: “One of the most striking aspects of the latest survey is the continued

Richard Ramsey

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resilience of the labour market, with firms broadly maintaining their staffing levels despite a big fall-off in demand. Indeed, the pace of decline in business output and new orders fell to seven and seven-and-a-half-year lows respectively.

“All four sectors have posted falling output in six of the last seven months; however, the performance of retail and construction are of particular concern.

“Construction order books continued to shrink for the 15th month in a row and November marked the sharpest rate of decline in 92 months. It is a similar story for retailers with orders falling at their fastest pace since March 2009.

“In this environment, firms’ desire to maintain staffing levels comes at a cost to profit levels.

The latest survey shows that input price inflation continued to rise in November, but firms are not able to pass these increased costs on to their customers and indeed discounting is widespread in an attempt to generate new business.

“Firms therefore seem willing to take a hit to their profits in the short-term in the hope that conditions will improve once there is greater certainty around Brexit.”

He said many businesses expect market conditions to improve after Brexit but warned it may prove to “be overly optimistic”.

“Even if a Brexit deal is passed there is still much to be decided... uncertainty will therefore continue to be very much present in 2020.” π

Ones to Watch The huge success stories of the future? We profile the entrepreneurs with big plans ahead

ONES TO WATCH

Callum Curry SUSSD

What does your company do and what role do you play?

I’m a co-founder and chief executive of Sussd, a social impact platform that allows brands to pre-test new creative ideas with consumers before pouring their resources into them. Respondents are paid instantly to share their opinion and then have the ability to either withdraw or donate to one of our charity partners.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

The business started after I decided that the people of Northern Ireland needed a better way to make their voices heard on decisions that shaped their experiences within society.

Sussd began with a political engagement application that allowed citizens to vote on political issues in real-time, but evolved quickly after our government collapsed. I had been meeting with small businesses and organisations during this time and identified a big problem they faced with conducting research on a budget. It became clear that we could help them, while giving consumers a say over other types of decisions, such as the ones made by people who provide products, services and entertainment.

What is your background?

My interest in digital marketing and media began when I was a student at Belfast

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Metropolitan College. Since then, I’ve been involved in a number of projects that have sharpened my business skills and expanded my industry knowledge. I served as vice-curator of the Global Shapers in Northern Ireland (an initiative of the World Economic Forum), where I advised councils, political organisations and businesses in civic engagement strategies and digital transformation. I founded Sussd after running my own digital marketing and promotions business, and have since navigated the start-up through two years of R&D. What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

Sussd has been the first among our competitors to make it to the UK market and the only platform of its type to pay respondents instantly, giving the option to donate money raised to charity. The user experience (UX) of Sussd is optimised with gaming components like golden tickets, and also offers user profiles and the ability to follow specific brands.

Who are your main customers?

Sussd helps organisations of all sizes conduct fast, cost-effective market research. Individual brands or businesses can use the platform to

get feedback from consumers and we offer a separate, collaborative account for digital agencies.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

I believe that it’s important to be uncompromising on the vision but flexible on the details. My co-founder and I have plans to take the company global over the next three to five years. Why not aim for the stars, right?

What challenges have you faced?

As a start-up, each and every day is a new challenge, from sourcing the early funding that allowed me to develop my first product and a pivot after the collapse of the NI Assembly, to searching for the right chief technical officer, or pitching in-front of rooms full of strangers.

Challenges are what makes this process exciting.

Who most inspires you?

My family.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

I see myself as the head of a brand that is a household name on a global scale. π

ONES TO WATCH

My passion has always been commerce so when this opportunity came along to join a growing business, in an up and coming industry which was new to me I jumped at it.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths? We offer a ‘win-win’ approach to e-commerce where all parties benefit from online sales and are motivated to constantly increase them. The aim of IRP technology is to create an environment for long-term growth and profitability by using data intelligence.

This ability to understand data comes from the Insights Terminal software that is embedded within the IRP platform.

Caroline Greer

IRP COMMERCE What does your company do and what role do you play?

IRP Commerce is a software company based in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter. The company has developed the IRP, a data-driven e-commerce solution for companies that are focused on growing their online sales rapidly and sustainably. It offers a platform preloaded with a trading suite for international sales, including multi-currency, multi-language and multi-payment functionality. As finance director I am responsible for all aspects of finance, but for me the most interesting part is that as a growing dynamic company there are real opportunities to influence both the future of the company and the e-commerce industry.

JANUARY 2020

How did the business start and how has it grown?

Our research and development team created the IRP e-commerce platform more than 10 years ago. Retailers, manufacturers and distributors across the UK and Ireland use IRP technology. To date the IRP has transacted more than £1.5bn in online sales to over 170 countries.

What is your background?

I am a chartered accountant who trained in practice, but I have always been interested in business. I spent 10 years working in the manufacturing sector before moving to the National Trust and then the energy sector.

Who are your main customers?

Companies that use the IRP are often ownerled, ambitious businesses in the mid-market B2C and B2B category with online turnovers of more than £1m. There are also a number of venture-capital backed companies and a plc running on IRP technology. Companies that choose IRP technology often have two things in common. Firstly, they feel that their current e-commerce system is holding them back and, secondly, they have a strong desire to grow their online business. They want to re-platform to a proven provider who is vested in their long-term financial success.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

This year continues to be a breakthrough period for IRP Commerce, with turnover of around £3m. We are currently in a scaling phase, with revenues growing rapidly. This opens up new possibilities for the future.

Who most inspires you?

From a business perspective I am inspired

by Richard Branson. Not the guy famous for stunts who tried to fly round the world in a hot air balloon, but the entrepreneur and leader.

He is very much self-made, inspired by new business challenges and industries.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

At IRP Commerce we are passionate about maintaining and extending Northern Ireland’s reputation for innovation in e-commerce. We aim to empower the NI digital and business community and I am looking forward to being part of that journey. π

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ONES TO WATCH

Jonathon Clarke LOCATE A LOCUM

Jonathon Clarke and Colm McNicholl from Locate a Locum

What does your company do and what role do you play?

Locate a Locum uses ‘on demand’ technology through a website and mobile app that helps pair thousands of pharmacists around the UK with over 8,000 pharmacies. Locate a Locum has already secured business with the UK’s largest pharmacy chains, Boots, Well, Rowlands and Lloyds. Results have been excellent. Locate a Locum has helped drive a digital revolution in healthcare staff provision.

Belfast as a pharmacist I took on a role as a locum pharmacist at the height of the recession. During that time the process of securing work was extremely antiquated, I would print off a business card, going from pharmacy to pharmacy to essentially pitch yourself. This wasn’t a successful way of doing things, and this gave me the initial brainwaves that led me automating that connection online. That’s what led me to Locate a Locum today.

As well as working in a day-to-day capacity with the above UK chains, Locate a Locum has recently completed a workforce management platform allowing pharmacies such as Superdrug and Right Medicine to drive operational efficiency and streamline staff administration. We have the locum booking platform, scheduling, payments and reporting.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

We listen to our customers problems and create technology that reduces and betters it.

I would say our core strengths are our world class team and technology.

As chief executive of the organisation I see my role in three core areas – setting and communicating the core vision of the company, ensuring we have appropriate financial resources for growth and attracting/ retaining key staff.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

After graduating from Queen’s University

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Who are your main customers?

We service everything from independent, single branch pharmacies all the way through to multi-national chains like Boots, Superdrug and also the NHS. Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

The company has the ability to become NI’s biggest business. We believe our technology will benefit the wider healthcare arena. We are exploring new vertical markets – the staff

problems that exists in pharmacy typically exists across healthcare as a whole. We feel that there are opportunities to expand our offering across other markets and also look into new regions.

What challenges have you faced?

Growing the business and securing investment has been the result of three years of hard work, determination and industry-leading expertise from the team at Locate a Locum. I certainly believe that a ‘mistake’ is only a real mistake if it happens twice.

Who most inspires you?

It’s amazing how technology is transforming traditional industries. Look at Airbnb or Uber, for example. If someone had pitched me the idea for Deliveroo I would’ve laughed at them – but look where they are now. We buy into that and we hold very high ambitions for the company. These companies inspire us here at locate a Locum and we don’t see any reason why we can’t imitate their growth.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Locate a Locum has a close-knit team of 20 today, but we expect to triple in size in the next three years as we extend our reach and expand into new vertical markets and geographical regions. π

Pinnacle directors Frances McKee, James Spencer and Siobhan Marley

AWARD

Double-digit growth secures Pinnacle top award with Sage

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usiness software and IT services company Pinnacle has been crowned Sage 200cloud Partner of the Year 2019 for the sixth consecutive year.

The company took the award, as announced

by Sage UK, as a market leader in cloud business management solutions.

The Sage 200cloud Partner of the Year award reflects the highest sales in the Sage UK channel of Sage 200cloud software.

The announcement was made at a Sage channel awards gala ceremony, hosted in London for over 300 Sage partners and independent software vendors (ISVs).

He said Pinnacle secured the accolade due to its ability to meet demands amid a changing and evolving business environment.

“We attribute this award to reacting quickly to customer and market demands as well as focusing on cluster markets,” he said.

“We have continued to attract new customers with one of our biggest growth years at around a 20% increase in software sales, including an increase in subscription.

“The award means a lot to our teams who are on the road selling, delivering and supporting

James Spencer, managing director of Pinnacle, said he was honoured to receive this coveted accolade from Sage UK “This recognition from Sage, for the sixth consecutive year, is a testament to our focus on results.”

The Pinnacle team accepting the top award in London

Sage 200cloud solutions to businesses throughout the UK and Ireland”.

Sabby Gill, managing director of Sage UK & Ireland, said: “Pinnacle is a valued Sage channel partner which proves year-on-year their commitment to Sage and their customers.

In 2019 Pinnacle delivered double-digit growth selling Sage 200cloud solutions to the midmarket.

“Pinnacle truly embodies the spirit of partnership, by delivering impactful marketing campaigns, adopting and introducing new initiatives and championing change. Congratulations to James Spencer and all the team at Pinnacle”.

For more than 25 years, Pinnacle has been delivering award-winning Sage business management software and is now rapidly growing its IT services division so its customers have a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all their technology needs. Pinnacle’s head office is in Belfast, with 10 further locations across the UK and Ireland, including Dublin. π

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ONES TO WATCH

Emily McCorkell LO & SLO

What does your company do and what role do you play?

My company is Lo & Slo. It launched in September 2018. I’m officially the founder/ owner, but really I’m the jack of all trades. I also have a great team who help out on the truck with me when I’m at festivals or events.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

The business began as two simple recipes inspired by home flavours. I took my recipes to Foodovation at North West Regional College and worked with the team there to scale up and get to market. And then we just took off.

What is your background?

My background has nothing to do with food.

I was a youth mentor and charity worker, and that’s what brought me to Derry from America.

But my family has always been creative at home with cooking and creating recipes. We used to barbecue in the winter, improvise recipes, make our own pizzas and sweets, and generally just have fun in the kitchen, letting our taste buds take the lead in cooking.

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What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

Obviously, I’m an American who does American smoked barbecue. But our barbecue isn’t just burgers and sausages. I smoke pork shoulder and beef brisket for 12 hours over a blend of hard woods to give it a tender, smoky result. I think my strength is also my weakness: I have no formal training as a chef. This can be a huge weakness as I’m learning so much as I’m working, developing, and growing.

Who are your main customers?

My main customers are as diverse as my range.

My sauces cater well for people like me: busy mothers who need a hand with dinner, but without the additives and nasties you’d often get from a packet.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

I definitely have a vision for how and where I want the business to grow, however the markers for success and growth can’t be limited to simply physical and financial expansion.

What challenges have you faced?

I have definitely had the normal challenges that most entrepreneurs face at the start of a business, but the bulk of the challenges I faced were the catalyst that led to Lo & Slo being created. In 2015, my husband developed epilepsy out of the blue while we were living in Dublin with our young children. My husband’s health is now stable, thankfully, and he now has the job in my business of ‘chief taste tester’.

Who most inspires you?

I don’t have a person who inspires me the most. I’m inspired by history: I love food anthropology and learning how societies have used food to tell the story of their culture. I also am inspired by my kids and the possibility of what the future holds.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

I’d love to continue cooking and creating. I’d also love to start working with teenagers and young adults who want to learn barbecue or just food business management, who maybe even were in a similar place to what I was in a few years ago and just need a helping hand. π

ONES TO WATCH

Andy Kilpatrick NORTHXSOUTH

What does your company do and what role do you play?

NorthXsouth is an electrical retail company based in Ballymoney with a strong e-commerce presence trading on popular marketplaces and via our own direct website.

Our small team of six manage almost every aspect of the business including web design, warehousing, fulfilment, sales and customer support. Day-to-day I find myself jumping from supplier meetings to the shop floor before heading out to install TVs and sound systems.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

Operating from my kitchen table, Iain and I launched the business in August 2016 without capital, suppliers or anything resembling a formal business plan. We began trading on eBay with a handful of items.

Our first order was cancelled and our second turned out to be fraudulent. Our third order went through and we were up and running.

With hard work and good fortune, we weathered the early months and northXsouth is now a multi-million-pound company.

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What is your background?

Having left school without much in the way of an education I discovered a flare for sales working in my local electrical store and I have been working in and around the retail sector ever since.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

In direct contrast to Amazon’s ‘everything store’ we offer a highly curated range of products across our core categories – appliances, electronics and homewares. In doing so, we assume the responsibility of sourcing the very best products and state our reputation on their benefits and value for money. Our ultimate goal is to marry the ruthless efficiency of Amazon with old fashioned independent technical support and post-sale customer service.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

Our success to date has been built upon frugality and remaining light-footed therefore we try not to think too far ahead.

What challenges have you faced?

In the early days we naturally had a credibility issue as a two man band operating from a kitchen. We didn’t have an established trading history to attract the brands we wanted and we were queuing up at the post office to dispatch our parcels. Occasionally, with my one-year old daughter in tow. Little by little we ticked away the boxes as our business grew and our reputation in our industry increased.

Who most inspires you?

Phil Knight’s incredible ups and downs while building Nike raised spirits during darker days.

In general, I love meeting and learning from business men and women, whether they run a lemonade stand or an international corporation.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

A major motivation for starting our business was to be able to enjoy our young families and that ambition remains paramount. As we move beyond our high-growth phase I’d be happy with a few days off and a full calendar during weekdays. π

ONES TO WATCH

What does your company do and what role do you play?

We make our raw milk blue cheese, Young Buck, in Newtownards. We also opened a cheese shop that focuses mainly on Irish cheese. I make cheese, sell cheese, talk about cheese and promote cheese.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

I started back in 2013. We used equity crowdfunding as our start-up capital. In that first year we made about four tonnes of Young Buck and this year we made approx 18 tonnes.

What is your background?

I started in the Arcadia deli on the Lisburn Road, Belfast, working on their cheese counter.

That got me interested, so then I did a course and worked on several farms in the UK to learn how to make cheese and how to run a business.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

In the cheesemaking side we would love more cheesemakers, especially raw milk cheese makers. In terms of the shop we only work directly with producers. The relationships help us find the best cheese and by working with cheesemakers get it on the counter at a price that means we aren’t excluding any customers.

Who are your main customers?

Anyone and everyone. We send Young Buck all over the UK, Ireland and Europe. We try to work with other like-minded businesses and we have a couple of great wholesalers who help us get our cheese onto some of the best menus in the UK and Ireland.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

We’d love to move to a farm some day. It would give us the chance to make a bit more cheese and maybe a different type. We are limited by our small unit where we make the cheese in Newtownards.

What challenges have you faced?

Raising the start-up was the biggest challenge.

JANUARY 2020

Mike Thomson MIKE’S FANCY CHEESE There seems to be no help for businesses that need a bit of capital to get started that aren’t going to turn into a massive business. There is something to be said for a career business.

Who most inspires you?

My partner Raymona, as she almost dumped me after out first date for having no ambition.

Also, one of our customers, Andy Swinscoe, who owns Courtyard Dairy. He opened a small cheese shop in the Yorkshire Dales and built

the business around how he wanted to see the area develop and raise his kids in. It’s about long term business.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Who knows, with Brexit on the horizon.

Hopefully I’ll still be making cheese and selling cheese with lots more regular customers buying good cheese every week, instead of just for the special occasions. π

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ONES TO WATCH

Dr Andrew Woods CATAGEN

What does your company do and what role do you play?

Catagen is a clean air – emissions data company. We provide advanced physical and virtual simulation services to the mobility sector (primarily vehicle manufacturers) using our own proprietary and unique toolset. Our purpose is to improve air quality for the future.

I am the chief executive and co-founder of the business and I have been at the helm of building the business since 2011.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

Professor Roy Douglas and I performed research at Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB) and created a new much more cost effective and accurate means of testing emissions control devices, (catalytic converters). The primary purpose of which is to clean up the combustion process that comes from an engine. After spin out from QUB, the business initially sold test equipment to two of the world’s largest vehicle manufactures. This was followed by significant R&D to develop the technology for larger scale applications.

In 2017 we hit on a winning service based business model and have experienced rapid growth ever since.

What is your background?

I am from Armagh and now live with my family live in Belfast. I have a PhD and Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Queen’s University. I have participated in entrepreneurship development programs in both in MIT and Stanford University.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

Our intellectual property protected toolset has unrivalled levels of accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility the world over. We provide our partners with the highest quality emissions data on the planet. This allows them to optimise the development of their vehicles and allow them to comply with ever more stringent

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emissions legislation. Our strengths are that we embrace innovation, technology and are comfortable with changing market dynamics.

The mobility sector is undergoing rapid and seismic change but we see this as a significant series of opportunities.

Who are your main customers?

I can’t disclose specifics but it is fair to say we are working with several of the world’s most luxurious and premium vehicle brands.

Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

The vision for the business is to create world leading and unique ‘cranium emissions data centre’. This data facility will provide many layers of value propositions to different market segments. The overall purpose of which is to clean the air for the future and minimise carbon impact on our environment.

What challenges have you faced?

I have faced significant and frequent challenges in getting to where we are now. They have tested my resolve to the maximum. There is a saying that I pretty much live by – ‘you have to get up only one more time than you’re knocked down’.

Who most inspires you?

My mum most inspired me go further and do more.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

Right now I feel as if I’m on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. In the next few years I see myself doing what I’m doing but with much more resources with much wider reaching implications and possibilities. I am surrounded by a fantastic team of people and look forward to growing that team and being on the journey with them. Most important of all to me, is that we all enjoy that journey. π

ONES TO WATCH

What does your company do and what role do you play?

Red Brick House Nursery provides high-quality childcare for babies to 12-year olds. My role is extremely ‘hands-on’ doing anything from cleaning and collecting children to monitoring and managing staff to bookkeeping and management of finance. Anything which helps in the daily running of the business.

How did the business start and how has it grown?

My business started in September 2015 and developed from my love of children and 10 years’ teaching experience. The support from Ulster Bank has been paramount to its growth.

What is your background?

I have a Master’s degree in geography and history and a PGCE (merit) primary. I feel privileged my passion of child development has spanned 20 plus years, and is still growing.

What do you do differently from your competition and what are your strengths?

We offer a very personal service and have a comfortable, homely environment. We build strong relationships with our families and offer as much flexibly as we can to accommodate their needs. We provide high-quality home cooked food and place great importance on the outdoors.

Who are your main customers?

The majority of our families are from Bangor.

My business is definitely established by word of mouth, and many of our families have signed up through recommendation.

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Julie Morrison (right) with Ulster Bank’s Martine Hanna

Julie Morrison RED BRICK HOUSE NURSERY SCHOOL Do you have a target in mind in terms of where you want the business to grow?

In August 2019, again with the help of the Ulster Bank, I purchased a second property and have expanded with a new out-of-school club, called R Space, specifically designed to suit the needs of school age children. Within three months of opening numbers have risen by 300%. My target is to build numbers from a solid reputation of high-quality childcare.

What challenges have you faced?

I thinking staffing is one of the biggest challenges all businesses today face. Finding committed staff who share the same high standards can be challenging at times and with this specific business type it is important for parents to see the same faces and build relationships with the staff.

Who most inspires you?

My biggest inspiration is my dad, who, coming from a working-class background with no qualifications, has achieved a wealth of successful businesses through sheer hard work. Growing up, I watched him graft and I learned to make sure I wouldn’t expect staff to do anything I wouldn’t do myself.

Where do you see yourself in the next few years?

The next few years will involve a lot of commitment and hard work. There is an abundance of opportunity to expand Rspace further and coming soon is a morning preschool session led by an experienced HighScope leader. Watch this space. π

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The column with an ear for experience...

How did you first start out in your business?

I started working in the commercial property sector while I was living in Australia – I was a senior consultant at First National Real Estate for three years. When I returned from Australia, I started working within the flexible workspace market in Belfast, and have been selling flexible office space to businesses for over 15 years. Urban HQ presents a really exciting opportunity for businesses in Belfast and I’m thrilled to be partnering in the project with Eagle Star House landlords, Magell Limited.

What have you found most challenging in your years of business so far?

I have found that not getting distracted by the small things and remaining focused on the end game can be a challenge. This is the same in many jobs and it is such an important lesson to make sure things actually get done and aren’t just being talked about.

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Name: Jamie McCoubrey Position: Managing director, Urban HQ How would you describe your management style?

I would describe it as empathetic and motivational. Empathy is extremely important.

If employees feel respected, valued and understood they’re a lot more likely to be happy and productive at work. Motivating your team also really helps in terms of getting the job done as efficiently as possible.

Have you done it all on your own?

No, and I don’t think very many people have. Fortunately, I have a strong network of stakeholders, investors, colleagues and employees around me who have all played a valuable role in my career so far, and continue to do so. Experience and getting my name out there have also been extremely important to my career and networking has proven invaluable.

How would you like your business to be remembered?

I would want Urban HQ to be remembered as

redefining the flexible office space offering available in Belfast. As the first truly designled flexible workspace in the city, Urban HQ will meet the needs of businesses by matching functionality with exceptional style.

What would you change if you had to go back and do it all again?

If I was to go back, I would try to rely on my experience to do things a bit differently and a bit better. Everyone makes mistakes but not everyone learns from them and that’s what gives certain individuals the edge in business.

What piece of advice would you give to a 20-year old you?

Believe in yourself, network, and remember the names of all the people you meet.

Building a strong network is still so important in business and that’s where flexible workspace such as Urban HQ comes into its own as collaboration is in its DNA. π

Call for NI firms to support British Heart Foundation

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orthern Ireland businesses are being asked to support British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland (BHF NI) shops by arranging a stock collection drive for their staff.

The charity is appealing to people search through their wardrobes and scour their homes for any unwanted, good quality clothing, handbags, shoes, books, DVDs, CDs and bric-a-brac which will help BHF NI continue its life-saving work here.

There are eight BHF NI charity shops here – in Belfast, Lisburn, Bangor, Newry, Portadown, Enniskillen, Ballymena and Omagh, and donations are the lifeblood of each shop.

Head of BHF NI, Fearghal McKinney, said money raised from the local shops goes towards the charity’s lifesaving work in Northern Ireland.

“Our eight local shops are a vital way for us to fund our work. Here in Northern Ireland we have funded almost £4m into research at Queen’s University into projects as diverse as repairing the heart after a heart attack and the impact of diabetes on the heart.

“We also enable more than 65% of post primary schools here to offer CPR training to pupils using our Call Push Rescue kits and have funded an inherited cardiac conditions nursing post in the Belfast Trust. None of this is possible without our shops.

“Ask your staff to do a pre-Christmas clear out and help us raise money to continue our life-saving work.”

Each year the eight BHF NI shops is saving 241 tonnes of clothes and textiles, 137 tonnes of books and 60 tonnes of bric-a-brac from landfill locally.

To find your local shop and arrange a free collection visit bhf.org.uk/shop

GMcG appoints new managing director

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McG Chartered Accountants has appointed Susan Dunlop as its new managing director.

Tony Nicholl is now taking take up the role of chairman of the group, while remaining a director.

Susan has been with the firm since 1998, becoming director in 2008.

As an experienced chartered accountant and business advisor she headed up GMcG’s Lisburn office from 2009-2016 before returning to the firm’s head office in Belfast in 2016.

Her technical expertise has been complemented by her strategic thinking, considerable business acumen and the valuable role she has played in helping shape the direction of the firm.

Speaking about the appointment, Tony acknowledged the firm’s growth and the support he received during his tenure as managing director. “I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to lead the firm for circa seven years and am delighted with how the firm has grown and evolved in that time,” he said. “I am grateful to my fellow directors and to the many talented employees who have contributed to this success and supported me in my role as managing director.

“Looking to the future, we are excited at the prospect of Susan taking GMcG forward with a new energy and vision that we believe

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Susan Dunlop and Tony Nicholl

will see the firm achieve further growth and continued success in servicing the needs of our clients and the wider business community.

“On behalf of our employees and everyone associated with GMcG, we congratulate Susan on her appointment and wish her every success in her role as managing director.”

GMcG is one of NI’s leading independent accountancy firms and, with continued investment in its people, systems and processes, the future looks bright for GMcG.

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CHRIS JOHNSTON, ADOREBOARD How is business?

Ask any technology business this question and the fundamental response is have we got closer to product-market fit and are we building a product-led business. On both fronts, we’ve made significant progress and it’s reflected in the new and retained customers.

We’re also entering into an exciting phase whereby the acceptance that experience is the key differentiator is becoming more widespread. Throughout the last year, customer and employee experience have been major themes at leading conferences such as those hosted by Forrester and Gartner, with emotion analysis also being a hot topic.

Things are already accelerating for us.

Adoreboard has appeared in a number of leading customer and employee experience research reports, including Forrester and has been named a Gartner ‘cool vendor in artificial intelligence for customer analytics’.

How did you get started in the industry?

While working in corporate communications, I was fortunate to work with amazing brands such as Hewlett-Packard and I saw first hand the emergence of the role of data analytics in customer insight. I was able to contrast this with the significant challenge faced by a lot of businesses making decisions in the absence of understanding what drives customer behaviour. This idea was developed through the Invest NI Propel programme enabling me to test and validate.

The Adoreboard concept was initially developed to solve this lack of insight amidst the growing opportunity in the volume of

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open, unstructured text being produced online.

We built an engineering and data science team based in emotion research at Queen’s University and very quickly became aware that sentiment analysis (organising opinion into tidy buckets of positive, negative or neutral) was not enough for true insight. To get to the ‘why’; emotion was key. And ever since, that’s what we have been building and evolving.

Typically, who are your clients or customers?

We work across a range of sectors across the globe. Initially, we worked with agencies and brands targeting consumers who were trying to make sense of social data or get a competitive advantage through understanding why customers express certain feelings. That progressed into analysing other unstructured text, optimising email campaigns based on emotion, analysing NPS verbatim and prioritising customer support request tickets.

Nike, Three, eastJet, BMW and Unilever alongside agencies Havas, AnalogFolk and Total Media are good examples.

Do you enjoy what you do, and what in particular?

Absolutely. The work we do is both varied and interesting, as are the people we work with.

One of the most satisfying aspects is giving someone a new insight that they can take action on and really makes a difference. For example, our technology was used to map the customer journey of a leading transport company to generate insights on improving the customer experience.

Seeing a piece of insight come full circle like that is very rewarding but the quick ‘a ha’ moments are also extremely enjoyable. That moment of delight when you show someone the insights they can surface in a fraction of the time and without the pain and headache involved in their current data analysis process.

It’s also great working with a cool bunch of people who are really progressive and driving the industry forward.

What is the most difficult part of your job?

I think many business owners would agree it’s the general day to day running of the business alongside the time demands that are most difficult. I love what I do but there are general, day-to-day, business activities that I’m ultimately responsible for. Thankfully, I have a great team and Belfast has a fantastic business support network so I’ve become better at these things over the years. Learning to take dedicated time out with the family has been a game-changer all round.

What are the challenges facing your sector, and the economy in general?

The local economy has a unique opportunity to build upon high-value skills, products and services not only artificial intelligence but in areas such as cyber-security for example. The ability to ‘scale-up’ has been identified by Steve Orr, chief executive of Catalyst as one of the key challenges along with creating an environment for more companies to get to £10m to £100m in annual revenue. This seems the right challenge for the sector collectively to be working on. π

INTERVIEW

Brexit and the £8bn industry

Richard Ballantyne pictured with Martin Lawlor, British Ports Association along with Joe O’Neill and David Dobbin of Belfast Harbour during a visit at the end of last year

John Mulgrew speaks to Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association about working with 350 ports and harbours across the UK, what a ‘no deal’ Brexit could mean for Northern Ireland and the wider sector

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f you’re eating it, sitting on it or typing up a magazine interview on it, on this occasion, then there’s every likelihood it’s come through one of the UK’s hundreds of ports and harbours.

It’s responsible for handling 500 million tonnes across the UK as a whole, employing 115,000 people, and adding around £7.9bn to the economy in GVA each year – the second largest port industry in Europe.

Richard Ballantyne is the man heading up the British Ports Association, which acts for all types and sizes of ports throughout Northern Ireland and the UK. “We are the traditional trade association for harbours and ports – we cover about 350 ports

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and harbours across the UK, from the large to the small,” he told Ulster Business.

In Northern Ireland it represents all ports – including Larne, Foyle, Warrenpoint and Belfast along with three fisheries harbours.

“Within us we have Northern Ireland committee which has representatives of those ports on it,” he says.

We’ll start with Brexit as one of the concerns facing the sector. “In relation to Brexit, and the deal, there are two significant things for Northern Ireland ports.

“As with a lot of NI ports, there’s a lot of trade with Europe and any freight between two members states – no routine customs controls or product standard checks.

“The new plan indicates there will be a substantial divergence from this (unlike the previous agreement). Diverging substantially (from the current situation) will bring in the requirement for inspections at the border for customs.

“That hasn’t been agreed formally. That is quite a lot for UK and NI operators to deal with – haulage and freight movers, to get to grips with that. There are major operational challenges.

“Northern Ireland also leave the customs union with GB, but there will be a customs border will between GB and NI to continue to essentially allow freight and good to travel.”

Since Boris Johnson’s deal was floated, it’s

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Foyle Port

“I wouldn’t say it’s a doomsday scenario but it’s a real challenge for the sector to overcome.

Politicians will have to make sure that with any kind of arrangements, there will be a good solution. This is a new proposal, so we are unsure what the details will be.”

Brexit aside, Richard says the industry as a whole is that while the largely commercial and independent ports aren’t in need of ‘hand outs’ from the public sector, areas such as connectivity, roads and planning are key to their success.

“It’s about making sure the planning system works, and is swift, and responsive,” he said.

“They can be agile, for example, building a new shed, terminal or quay, or new developments in the water.

Belfast Harbour

understood the shipping industry is now drawing up plans for EU border checks in Britain for trade bound for Northern Ireland.

According to the BBC, freight could be diverted through ports with space for inspections at areas such as Liverpool and Stranraer.

Richard says checks are likely to be carried out at the ports. The issue? He says backlogs, queues and congestion. “(It could lead) to queueing back on to ferries and ships, which may miss or mess up timetables,” he says.

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He says while “many wouldn’t welcome new formalities”, a lot of cargo – such as dry bulk, fuel, aggregates and containerised products – will find it reasonably easy to deal with. The main concern is around ‘roll on, roll off’, where the containers or lorries are driven on board a ship.

“Where there are environmental sensitivities it can sometimes slow down the planning regimes so we are keen to see them not slow down. We welcome environmental policies but we want a scheme that will work and doesn’t have unintended consequences.

“Those modes are where it could be the most problematic, as it’s based on a fluid process,” he says.

“Shipping, although not perfect, is one of the most clean and efficient methods of transport.

It’s a balance between environmental protection, but enabling ports and regions to grow.

“I think there is a definite concern from ports and shipping industries that businesses may be impacted negatively, and may reassess business operations.

“If there are schemes, ports can find there are investors willing to come in, but they do rely on government – local or national – to finance road and rail connectivity.” π

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HOSPITALITY

Pair of NI pubs sell for £3m to new generation publicans A popular pub and restaurant in north Belfast and a historic bistro pub in Drumbeg have been sold to separate hospitality firms for around £3m, writes Emma Deighan

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he Chester on the Antrim Road has been bought by Janine Kane, the woman behind the popular Muriel’s and The Spaniard bars, both in Belfast city centre.

into Muriel’s bar on Church Lane in Belfast.

A planning application to expand the bar and restaurant into a neighbouring retail outlet has been approved and is expected to be ready in spring 2020.

Bob Stewarts on the Ballyskeagh Road is understood to have been purchased by Jar Inc Ltd, the hospitality arm of distributors Drinks Inc, which was sold to Musgrave at the beginning of December.

Speaking about the purchase of the Chester, she said: “We are very excited to take on a very well-established, successful business and as a company we simple want to invest in the property and make it the go-to neighbourhood bar on the Antrim Road.”

Ms Kane said that she will invest in a substantial revamp of The Chester after she completes the purchase of the property.

The publican is to complete the purchase of The Chester from the Diamond Group, which has operated the establishment for around 35 years. The phased revamp will have an initial spend of £200,000, Ms Kane said.

It’s one of many recent investments for the entrepreneur, who is also behind the Jeggy Nettle bar in Stranmillis and Panama City Garden and Cafe on McClintock Street in Belfast.

Ms Kane has also pledged to pump £350,000

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Formerly owned by Eamon Diamond of the Diamond Group, the Chester Bar is the publican’s second sale in recent months.

Mr Diamond also sold the Bellevue Arms, also on the Antrim Road, to Wolf Inns in March.

The property was the former family home of the Diamond family. Mr Diamond also owns Dukes Hotel at Queen’s, the Rusty Saddle in Belfast and the Marine Court Hotel in Bangor.

In 2018 he had listed the Rusty Saddle on the property market for £2.5m but plans for a sale were abandoned. The Howard Street pub, which was then known as Shenanigans, shut temporarily, reopening after a major revamp.

It is not believed that Mr Diamond will be seeking to sell any more of his pubs, with one hospitality source saying that he was “actively seeking out” new opportunities.

Meanwhile in Lisburn, Jar Inc, led by businessman Paul Camplisson, is believed to have purchased Bob Stewarts in Drumbeg for around £1.2m from Jackie Gilmore.

The company already owns a string of pubs including the Fountain Bar and the Albany, which it took over in November after former owners Bachus Group’s lease came to an end.

As a result of that transaction Jar Inc closed the Albany’s two neighbouring patisseries Miel et Moi and Miel et Vite.

In a social media post, Jar said it would introduce a “new concept” in 2020 for the cafes. The Albany also closed for a short period and reopened at the end of November for a “rebeginning”.

And now Jar Inc’s latest investment will involve taking on Bob Stewarts on the Ballyskeagh Road. There has been a public house on or near the current site since 1640. π

ANALYSIS

Critical recommendations to improve public services With the report of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) inquiry now nearing completion, John Simpson looks at what’s needed to reform the systems in future

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he inquiry has more far-reaching consequences than the direct fate of the group of ministers, Spads and civil servants who have given evidence to the inquiry team led by retired judge Sir Patrick Coghlin.

Behind the media headlines, there needs to be careful consideration of the critical comments which may point to a complex network of operational and policy deficiencies that, in total, call for an examination of a systemic organisational weakness in the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS).

The evidence put to the RHI inquiry offers a more diverse agenda than the merits and demerits of a seriously flawed project. The agenda is likely to sub-divide into: ministerial competence, affecting three ministers; the remit and behaviour of non-civil service Spads; the role of the permanent secretaries, singly and collectively; and the managerial competence of middle grade managers in the NICS.

Arguably the most serious questions relate to the competence and training of the upcoming middle managers. There are several sources pointing to the worrying conclusion that behaviours and analytical skills in the Civil Service are an immediate and serious issue to be tackled, possibly with external expertise.

There is a range of unfinished organisational and policy problems affecting several departments. These are more fundamental than can be blamed on an absence of Executive ministers, although that absence

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does not help.

For readers of Sam McBride’s book Burned, using evidence relating to RHI, there is a litany of inadequate processes in decisionmaking that should not be dismissed as single, standalone mishaps.

The performance reflected across the pages gives a suspicion of systemic failure in aspects of selection, training, supervision and discipline.

These conclusions, unwelcome as they may be, are critical and urgent. Professionally competent public sector administration is an essential contribution to rebuilding a successful community.

Any complacency that we already have a world-class public sector administration must be challenged.

In fairness, this unwelcome conclusion will come as little surprise. The outgoing head of the Civil Service, David Sterling, was unambiguous in support for a range of measures to tackle competence in the management of public sector affairs.

His final evidence to the RHI inquiry, available on the inquiry website, sets out some of the parameters. Further evidence of improvement needed in the delivery of government in Northern Ireland comes in a report from the Institute of Governance which asks what should be done to support government here.

It lists seven areas for practical improvement

which might increase the capacity of the institutions to address longer-term challenges.

These include: 1. Developing institutions to support NI politicians and civil servants 2. Reform of the operation and capabilities of the NICS 3. Review of the wider governance landscape in NI 4. Build on the recent widening of policy engagement across NI 5. Encourage more cross-fertilisation across Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and NI 6. Increase the capacity for scrutiny by the NI Assembly 7. Ensure that the NI Secretary is a respected figure and improve ‘NI literacy’ in Whitehall and Westminster.

Each of these themes is further enlarged by the institute. However, the reference to the operation and capabilities of the Civil Service merits special attention.

The report suggests that the NICS might be put on a statutory basis with a duty to advise ministers but also with freedom to publish reports under its own authority.

In a meaningful comment, the institute refers to the NICS as too eager to please ministers.

That thought opens a dangerous trap door.

Coming closer to home, the NI Audit Office has launched a special study of the ‘capacity and capability’ of the NICS. Now, the question is, who will guarantee to implement the recommendations? π

Venture capital & private equity

VENTURE CAPITAL & PRIVATE EQUITY

Big to small, local and global Northern Ireland is actively trying to attract new money from outside these shores in a bid to boost burgeoning young start-ups, local funds are continuing to see the value in some of our emerging businesses while industry stalwarts are now in private fund ownership. Ulster Business examines the investment landscape

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illiam Russell – the Lord Mayor of the City of London – paid a visit to Northern Ireland at the tail end of last year to help encourage firms here to collaborate in international trade missions in a bid to attract venture capital in areas such as fintech.

Investment outside these shores among Northern Ireland firms has been on the rise in recent years, and with burgeoning sectors such as IT, cyber-security and fintech, there’s never been a more crucial time for companies here to look outwards, as well as inwards, when it comes to the financing and support of their own company’s growth trajectory.

Venture capital can act as a springboard for the next stage of a fledgling business’s flight path, while private equity funds can often be in the market to take a majority chunk of an already established company.

On the appointment of a new associate director, Deborah Archer, Gordon McElroy of MKB Law said there has been expansion in investment here in the last 12 months.

“There has been a growth in the private equity investor, construction industry, across the province and manufacturing businesses as well as technology, renewables and the agrifood sector – both in the buying, consolidation and selling of companies,” he said.

As far as company ownership goes, there are

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several local investors here – primarily targeting early stage businesses – while some industry stalwarts are now in the hands of private equity funds.

That includes Belfast’s Odyssey Pavillion. It’s undergoing a major £17m redevelopment, which will see a new cinema and bowling alley move in as part of the initial refurbishment phase.

It’s now in the hands of Matagorda 2 – a consortium of private equity with Deutsche Bank as the funding partners.

And Belfast City Airport is now in the hands of venture capital company 3i. It formally assumed ownership of George Best Belfast City Airport in 2017, after a multi-million takeover deal cleared all its regulatory requirements.

Speaking as part of our Leaders in Business edition, the airport’s commercial director, Katy Best, said: “We have had a really exciting couple of years under our new ownership with 3i. They have made a very considerable investment into the airport, as well as having reorganised and made significant investment in our security processing, which has had a pretty

material impact on the consistency of the speed at which people are coming through.”

And across the UK, Eddie Stobart was handed a lifeline from a fund as part of a proposed £55m rescue deal.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has approved the change in control application needed for its proposed financing of Stobart, from private equity firm Douglas Bay Capital Fund (DBAY).

Here, some reports have suggested the number of early-stage private equity investments and buyouts is up in the first half of 2019, while overall M&A deal value has reduced.

In Northern Ireland, while the pool remains comparatively small, there remain some venture capital funds continuing investment in early stage and expanding young businesses here. >

VENTURE CAPITAL & PRIVATE EQUITY

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VENTURE CAPITAL & PRIVATE EQUITY

Paddy Carey, Alan Carson, Peter Lorimer, Lee Skillen and Kimberly Neill from Cloudsmith

In August last year, Silform, which has an operation in Co Tyrone, received £2m in funding from Bank of Ireland’s Kernel Capital, with private investors. The company converts coal waste into pellets for industry.

A month earlier, Kernel Capital led a £1.6m fresh round of private equity funding for Belfast-based tech firm Automated Intelligence.

The fund pumped £750,000 into the venture, bringing its total investment in the firm to date to £1.7m.

And in November, tech firm Cloudsmith secured £2.1m in funding in one of the biggest early stage rounds for a start-up.

The funding round was led by Frontline Ventures and co-investors MMC Ventures, and

by Techstart Ventures through its Invest NI fund Techstart.

Crescent Capital – a Belfast-based fund which has been in operation since 1995 – has

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expanded on its portfolio of businesses in the last year or so. It has counted companies such as Andor and Lagan Technology as businesses in which it previously invested in.

And in December 2018, Londonderry-based IT firm Modern Democracy received a £750,000 investment from Crescent Capital and TechStart.

Economic development agency Invest NI has also launched two new equity funds offering investments in high-growth potential SMEs. The TechStart II Seed Fund and Crescent Capital IV Development Fund have been created as part of Invest NI’s Access to Finance portfolio, which provides loan and equity funding to SMEs. Belfast technology company Locate a Locum, which helps locum healthcare professionals find flexible work opportunities, secured £1m in equity funding that will be used to grow and scale the business.

The firm landed the equity investment to fund the next phase of its development – including the creation of six new jobs – from Techstart Ventures, private investors and Co-Fund NI, a European Regional Development Fund managed by Clarendon Fund Managers.

Then there’s Upstream. Judith Totten’s firm provides finance, trade and credit management services and supports funding of over £100m to Northern Ireland businesses.

After a long and successful career at Northern Bank and latterly Danske Bank, she stepped away from job security to set up Upstream, which was established as Keys Commercial Finance, eight years ago.

Upstream itself is now looking at “significant” growth after securing the backing of a US investor. The identity of the investor has not been disclosed, but Judith has said new backing had been secured from “an ambitious US-based debt and equity fund which specialises in financial services and funding receivables”. π

INTERVIEW

Whiskey, gin and the visitor experience

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INTERVIEW

Derek Hardy is the man tasked with bringing serial businessman Terry Cross’s distillery dreams to life, setting up Hinch beside his own home. John Mulgrew met him at Terry’s Killaney Estate to discuss the grand whiskey and gin producing plans

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here’s nothing about Terry Cross and Derek Hardy’s plans for the Hinch Distillery and visitor centre in Co Down that feels like any corners are being cut.

Former Delta Print and Packaging boss Terry has turned his attention to whiskey and gin with his new venture – a £15m development based literally beside his grand home, outside Carryduff.

Looking at a host of detailed artist’s impressions – on show inside Terry’s home – it’s clear there’s both significant time and money being put in to the venture. It will end up as a 30,000 sq ft facility and visitor experience with a bar, restaurant and function spaces.

Derek is the man who will run the business.

He’s been involved in the drinks trade for years, turning his hand to a range of roles, from wine to fizzy water.

The current Hinch whiskey on the market is coming from a range of sources – already aged. The grain element in the whiskey coming from Great Northern Distillery.

“We have tried to look for our niche. In our Time collection, it’s about aged blends. We have our three, five and 10-year-old sherry finish, a 12-year-old Amarone which is in the cask already, then finishing up with a 15-yearold in that range.

Derek’s own career has taken him to global food giants such as Unilever, working specifically for Batchelors foods, before moving to the then SmithKline Beecham as an account manager.

His first move into the alcohol and beverage sector was with wine company Ernest and Julio Gallo where he spent four years. A stint at Ballygowan spring water followed.

It’s also due to launch the first of its ‘craft beer’ range. That will see it ageing whiskey in barrels from Irish breweries including Heaney, Kinnegar and Whitewater.

“It’s a single malt distillery, and the other important part of it is the visitor centre. It’s really our brand home,” Derek told Ulster Business.

“Because of the close relationships with the distilleries which have sourced this from, with the grain element we will continue to buy the same grain that was used in those whiskies.

We reckon we can pretty much duplicate what we currently have, in the future.

“It’s about showing off Hinch and showing off Co Down. It allows us to hold events. There is a 10,000 sq ft internal courtyard, so we would be able to host 600-700 people for an event… our imagination is boundless.

“We also have ambitions to launch our signature, single malt range, coming out of the distillery.”

And as whiskey takes at least three years to develop, Hinch is also producing a gin – Ninth Wave. According to Derek, they spent around four or five months developing a series of recipes, before deciding on what will now be their own premium gin.

As far as output goes, it should be able to produce 500,000 litres of pure alcohol, single malt, but that number could soar to two million with extra mash tuns.

It’s also Derek’s penchant for ancient history, dating back to Celtic times, that inspired the gin’s name. It comes from the Celtic form of heaven, ‘the other world’. π

“In terms of test distilling, we will start our test around February/March and be in production

by April or May.”

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ANALYSIS

Is harsh diagnosis needed to cure NI economy of its ills?

At the risk of spoiling the end of the festive season, Ulster University senior economist Dr Esmond Birnie asks – what’s wrong with the Northern Ireland economy?

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as everything moving along pretty nicely in the local economy until we were struck by, first, Brexit and then the collapse of Stormont?

Rates of investment per person in NI are about half those in Great Britain and one-third those in the Republic. When an economy invests so little its long run growth potential is seriously reduced.

While not underestimating the importance of those two issues, that narrative underestimates the extent to which the NI economy had underlying problems long before 2016 or 2017: a competitiveness challenge has existed for decades (possibly for at least a century).

A low investment economy means a low productivity economy and that translates into relative decline in living standards. Comparing 1998 with 2017 gross value added per person in NI declined from 80% of the UK average to 78%.

Of critical importance is that we don’t invest enough, as was recently pointed out by two Dublin-based economics Professors John FitzGerald and Edgar Morgenroth.

During the same period NI was overtaken by “developing” countries such as South Korea and the former communist Czech Republic, Slovenia and Estonia. In a few years we will

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probably fall behind Poland, Malaysia and Hungary.

But what’s causing this situation? An obvious culprit is our predicament of “no government” but that cannot be the full or main explanation – our economic problems long pre-date January 2017.

NI’s economic performance lagged behind the UK average throughout much of the last century (1920s-2019) – this has happened during periods of devolution and during periods of direct rule.

Most recently, when we had a decade of devolution (2007-January 2017) NI’s growth

ANALYSIS

remained lower than the UK average – 201017 1.7% compared to 2%, the first few years of devolution are excluded from that comparison because of the banking crisis and recession.

So, what explains chronic under-performance?

I think it is partly our mindsets, sometimes allied to the pattern of incentives.

Bias to short-termism Hence consumption is favoured over investment. For example, through the limits on domestic rates relative to Great Britain, absence of domestic water charges, the loading of the fixed costs of electricity generation towards the industrial (rather than the domestic) sector, movements of money within the Northern Ireland government budget away from the capital budget into everyday spending.

Reliance on UK Government as the backstop funder There is a widespread belief throughout private, voluntary and government sectors, that no matter how bad policies or performances, HM Treasury will always rescue us. Economists term this soft budget constraints leading to moral hazard: if irresponsibility is rewarded people will be incentivised to be even more irresponsible. The renewable heat incentive

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crisis was only one example of how this mindset about “free money” has damaged economic performance.

Whenever we have a problem of funding infrastructure or public sector pay, or if there is a threat to a major business, the cry goes up – ‘we need more money from London’.

Belief in the all-powerful policy lever that can transform everything: the ‘silver bullet’ We might wish such levers did exist but, alas, most of the time they don’t. Over the last 30 years there have been various economic policy “game changers” – a single island economy with the Republic in the early 1990s, the peace dividend after 1994, reduced corporation tax after 2010 and now the proposal of a bridge to Scotland.

The point is not about whether these things might be desirable, the problem was one of exaggerated expectations.

Economic prosperity is a complex matter, it usually depends on getting a mass of small things right. But isn’t my approach here too negative?

No, economic analysis shouldn’t be therapy which tries to generate an unwarranted feelgood factor but instead a harsh

diagnosis is sometimes needed to get to a cure.

Of course, we could recount the various good things about the NI economy – there are some – but that might be missing the point. We have some world-class businesses, schools and civil servants but we also have “long tails of underperformance”.

My emphasis on the negative comes from an appreciation that there has been chronic under-performance: “better” is both desirable and doable.

A major reason for why the Northern Ireland economy has under-performed over the last decade, and indeed the last century, is the way our political and administrative institutions have worked (or not worked).

The power of vested interests have sometimes captured the policy makers. To say that may not be very popular and may involve challenging some conventional wisdoms.

As the great English economist of the 1930s John Maynard Keynes said in 1919, sometimes the economist who wishes to wisely advise on public policy and serve the common good should provide, “ruthless truth telling”. And sorry for the indigestion. π

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INTERVIEW

Earlier this year, Chris, who is a director at law firm Mills Selig, navigated the acquisition of the former Wrightbus business, despite complexities and time pressures. The successful outcome resulted in the retention of the bus manufacturing in Ballymena, after it was sold to the Bamford Bus Company Limited.

BREAKFAST GUEST: “Since the back end of the summer we have been busy and we have been working on a couple of those biggest deals,” he told Ulster Business.

CHRIS GUY, MILLS SELIG

VENUE: GENERAL MERCHANTS, ORMEAU ROAD, BELFAST

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t’s been a busy year for Chris Guy, as it has for Mills Selig in general.

He was involved in two of the largest and highest-profile corporate deals this year, which were completed in little over a week apart from each other.

We’ve taken a trip south (Belfast that is) this time around, and to the ever-popular breakfast and brunch spot, General Merchants – on the Ormeau Road. It’s as much a fan of eggs and avocado, as it is for the background hum of bassy music – ambience, yes, but try telling my dictaphone that at 8.30am.

THE BILL Mexican migas Huevos rotos Americano Earl Grey Total

£9.00 £8.50 £2.80 £2.50

“They were really good deals and I’m proud to have been involved in them. There aren’t that many deals of that sort of size that happen in NI, year-to-year. “(But) doing two at the same time is unusual.

They completed around eight days apart.”

That included the Wrightbus deal. The Ballymena bus-maker entered administration, but the business was later bought by entrepreneur Jo Bamford.

“In terms of the corporate transactional team, we have a really strong team. There’s a lot of experience through deals like this,” Chris says.

Back to the deals, and Chris also acted for Northern Ireland’s burgeoning tech firm Novosco.

Novosco, which has around 300 staff, is now part of CANCOM Group in Munich after the deal completed in October.

“We have acted for Novosco for a number of years, and I have known Patrick (McAliskey) for a good bit longer than that,” Chris says.

“It’s great to see that journey, and to be a small part of it. They built the business, grew it into a world-class IT company with more than 300 employees – at the top of their game – and were able to do that deal where they are selling to a large German plc.

“With that deal, there are always things you need to get done and get right.”

Corporate law firms are one of the many sectors which have dealt with business and client uncertainty over the last few years.

“When it’s a business of that scale, there’s a lot involved in it and a lot to get right.”

As well as corporate law, Mills Seligs specialise in property, construction, commercial litigation, licensing, insolvency, employment and private client law.

On this breakfasting occasion, I opt for the egg-laden Mexican migas – lots of broken or scrambled egg atop soft tacos, with the crunchy variety throughout, salsa and accoutrements. It’s a firey and filling way to start the day, and proved almost too much for this reasonably early start on another chilly but bright winter morning.

“There have been, at different times, a few things which haven’t proceeded because of uncertainty around Brexit,” Chris says. “It depends on what the business is, in terms of the exposure, how much they export, NI or the Republic of Ireland.

£22.80 Chris goes for the huevos rotos, a firm staple of the menu. Eggs, sausage, potato and other bits and pieces. It all goes down well. Coffee,

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as always, along with an Earl Grey for my guest.

“There was a bit of a slowdown heading to the General Election where people were waiting to see what would happen. But, overall we have been busy.” π

NEWS

‘Tough penalties’ needed to curb shoplifters

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ougher penalties are needed to deal with shoplifters, a retail boss has said.

Police said there had been a notable increase in shoplifting in businesses across the region – with a 12% rise in Belfast alone.

They believe the increase in is partly fuelled by soaring levels of drug addiction, with stolen goods being able to be converted into significant amounts of cash.

Reacting to the figures, Retail NI chief executive Glyn Roberts said something had to be done.

Mr Roberts believes the problem could be even worse than believed, with under-reporting of the crime being common among many of the retailers that he speaks to.

PSNI chief superintendent Jonathan Roberts urged the public to be vigilant, to avoid stolen and counterfeit goods and to report suspicious items and people.

“I think the real figure is actually higher, given that a lot of these shoplifting cases are not reported,” he said.

“The goods people purchase may be dangerous and could pose a health risk,” he said.

“A lot of businesses consider it to be too much time having to go to court and that kind of thing. That means staff members are out of the businesses for the day and one of their colleagues has to come in to cover for them. It all mounts up.

“I would urge people to be thoughtful around counterfeit goods they’re buying. It is essential that businesses report crime when it does happen, even if businesses view it as a small loss.”

“Firstly, the figure isn’t surprising. We have been aware for some time there is a growing problem with shoplifting,” Mr Roberts said. “I think people shouldn’t forget the impact this has on smaller independent retailers.

“A lot of our members have really upped their game in terms of CCTV. Much of this is clearly the work of organised gangs that move from city to city and town to town.

“There is the sense that some people think shoplifting is some victimless crime, whereas the reality is it is not. Retail NI wants to see an incoming justice minister urgently review the law when it comes to shoplifting. The current policy of a fixed penalty notice of £80 for offenders up to the value of £100 shoplifting is clearly not working.”

“Aside from the pressure it puts on the business owner and their bottom line, it also puts pressure on staff. Many of these staff, when confronting shoplifters, have been assaulted themselves.”

Glyn Roberts

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Motoring

By Pat Burns

Sponsored by

MOTORING

New Astra is a star

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ne of the UK’s top-selling and bestloved cars, the Astra is a household name for car buyers with over three million sold in the UK over the last 40 years. More than 25% of UK motorists have either owned or driven an Astra, so reaction to a model with significant revisions will always be felt across the market.

The new Astra sets the standard for efficiency and low emissions with an all-new range of petrol and diesel powertrains. Building on the wide success of the outgoing model, customers will benefit from reduced CO2 and fuel consumption, as well as a series of classleading technology and equipment.

Meticulous development in the wind tunnel also made a significant contribution to the reductions in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of up to 21% versus the outgoing model.

With a drag coefficient figure of just 0.26, the Astra leads the class for aerodynamics. And at 0.25 Cd, the Astra Sports Tourer is also best-inclass, too.

The Astra’s chassis has undergone a number of improvements, too. New dampers provide

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greater bump control, even on poor surfaces, while the steering has received a new calibration, resulting in improved handling at higher speeds.

The new turbocharged petrol and diesel engines are primarily responsible for a marked improvement in Astra’s efficiency. The low consumption and CO2 figures are also thanks to the Astra’s six-speed manual gearboxes, the seven-speed continuously variable transmission (CVT) and – for the first time at Vauxhall – a new nine-speed automatic.

The compact, three-cylinder, turbo petrol units are available with 1.2 and 1.4-litre displacements. With the new 1.2-litre petrol engine, the Astra achieves a 6kg weight loss versus the outgoing 1.4T (150PS) engine. With power outputs extending from 110PS to 145PS and maximum torque from 195Nm to 236Nm, they achieve an excellent balance between performance and efficiency.

The Astra 1.2-litre is combined with a smoothshifting six-speed manual gearbox while the Astra 1.4-litre is available exclusively with a new seven-speed CVT. With the CVT, Astra drivers can enjoy the convenience of automatic gear changing or select gears themselves using the shift lever.

The Astra’s 1.5-litre, three-cylinder diesel engines offer 105PS and 122PS, as well as 260Nm to 300Nm of torque. As an alternative to the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the most powerful diesel is available with the option of a smooth-shifting new nine-speed automatic transmission, which is makes its debut in the new Astra.

The new Astra is available with a new digital front camera, which is both smaller and more powerful than before thanks to a faster processor. It now not only recognises vehicles, but also pedestrians, greatly improving safety.

Furthermore, thanks to the high-resolution camera, traffic sign recognition can now process even more traffic signs and show them as symbols on the display.

All systems are compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto without the need for the customer paying expensive subscriptions. The top-of-the-line Multimedia Navi Pro – already featured in the Vauxhall Insignia flagship – has an eight-inch colour touchscreen and can also be operated by voice control. π

Prices for the new Astra range start at £18,885.

MOTORING

Le Chic Mystique

P

SA Peugeot Citroen’s upmarket brand, DS Automobiles, has just launched a new premium B segment SUV, the DS3 Crossback. It is a very chic and stylish SUV, guaranteed to stand out from the crowd.

Initially available with the choice of petrol or diesel engines, there will also be an ‘E-Tense’ model launched as a BEV (battery electric vehicle). The DS3 Crossback is built on Groupe PSA’s all-new ‘Common Modular Platform’ (CMP) that combines exclusive technologies and takes refinement to a new level.

The DS3 Crossback performs well as both a city car and a long-distance road car and features some interesting technology, including the DS matrix LED headlights, first featured on its larger sibling, the DS7 Crossback and flush door handles which deploy automatically.

The folding flush-fitting door handles are both elegant and modern. Premiered on the DS X E-Tense concept car, this technology is new to this sector. The principle is simple: the door

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handles pop out when required. The rest of the time, they fold flush into the vehicle sides.

Moreover, with proximity keyless entry and start, the magic takes place as the key holder approaches the car.

Within a radius of 1.5 metres, the car unlocks and the four handles deploy automatically so the driver and passengers simply get in and drive away. Similarly, the door handles retract and the vehicle locks automatically as they walk away from it.

The interior is centred on a fully-digital driving display that helps create a sense of refined comfort, and there is a rich array of safety equipment and driver assistance functions. The DS3 Crossback is for all those looking for a car with instant appeal that is stylish, high-tech, comfortable and dynamic.

It is equipped with ‘active city brake’, a new generation of emergency braking which is able to identify cyclists or pedestrians, even at night. It is new to this segment, thanks to a new-generation radar that extends the range

of recognised emergency braking conditions.

As a result, in the event of an emergency, the DS3 Crossback can brake without action being taken by the driver, day and night.

For those who choose petrol, DS3 Crossback is available with a choice of powerful and efficient award-winning PureTech engines with outputs of 100hp, 130hp and the new 155hp. With 200-bar, direct-injection and Stop & Start technology, they ensure reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. The 100hp PureTech has a 6-speed manual gearbox, while the 130hp and 155hp get the eight-speed electronically-selected Automatic Transmission.

For customers preferring diesel, the new BlueHDi 1.5-litre engine with ‘stop and start technology produces 100hp with a six-speed manual gearbox and provides power and efficiency with optimised CO2 and NOx emissions to the latest WLTP-compliant Euro 6.2 standard.

Prices start at £21,550 for the Elegance PureTech 100 manual. π

MOTORING

Going wild in the country

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he Ranger has been a massive success for Ford and is Europe’s best selling pick-up. It combines work horse abilities with car like driving characteristics and appeals to both working professionals and lifestyle sports enthusiasts. Plus, the taxman also rates it as a van so dealers can offer a great deal for business users.

The new 2020 Ranger delivers more power, greater fuel-efficiency, enhanced refinement and advanced driver assistance technologies for customers.

The stylish and versatile new version of Europe’s best-selling pick-up introduces Ford’s sophisticated 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine with selective catalytic reduction (SCR) for optimised emissions, delivering up to a nine percent fuel-efficiency improvement when combined with an advanced new 10-speed automatic transmission.

The new Ranger engine line-up is led by the powerful bi-turbo version of the 2.0-litre EcoBlue engine, delivering 213PS and 500Nm of torque – up by 13PS and 30Nm compared with the current 3.2-litre TDCi diesel – for greater load-hauling capability.

Available in regular cab, super cab, and double cab body styles, the new Ranger features

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four-wheel drive as standard, and offers business and leisure users new tools to boost convenience and productivity, including Ford’s SYNC 3 connectivity and FordPass Connect on-board modem technology.

The Ranger is the first vehicle in its class to offer pre-collision assist with pedestrian detection and intelligent speed assist as standard. Active park assist is now also available, in addition to the existing range of advanced driving technologies designed to make driving less stressful and to help avoid or mitigate the effects of collisions.

Double cab high-power variants now feature active noise control technology for improved refinement. Flagship Ranger Wildtrak models and luxurious Ranger Limited both also offer new premium features, including an easy-lift tailgate.

The new Ranger is designed and engineered to comfortably handle extreme terrains, for work or lifestyle pursuit, delivering classleading ability to wade through water up to 800mm deep, and with 230mm of ground clearance. A 29-degree approach angle and 21-degree departure angle enable drivers to feel confident when taking on steep obstacles. Off-road strengths are matched by towing capability of up to 3,500kg, and payload capacity of up to 1,252kg.

In the range-topping bi-turbo variant, the two turbochargers work in series at lower engine speeds for enhanced torque and responsiveness. At higher engine speeds, the smaller turbo is bypassed and the larger turbo provides boost to deliver high power.

In addition to a six-speed manual gearbox, the 170PS and 213PS powertrains offer Ford’s class-leading 10-speed automatic transmission, with performance and durability proven in applications as diverse as the Ford F-150 pick-up and the new Ford Mustang. A wider spread of ratios enable the optimal gear to be selected for performance, fuel-efficiency or refinement in any driving scenario.

The FordPass Connect on-board modem turns the Ranger into a mobile wi-fi hotspot with connectivity for up to 10 wi-fi enabled devices, and also enables a range of features to be accessed via the FordPass mobile app.

Further driver assistance technologies continue to deliver comfort and convenience for drivers, including lane-keeping alert and lane-keeping aid, adaptive cruise control with forward alert, traffic sign recognition, front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, and a standard electronic stability control system with rollover mitigation and trailer sway control. Prices start at £22,244. π

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MOTORING

Passat’s eighth generation

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ith more than 30 million sold worldwide across its lifetime, the Passat is the best-selling mid-size model in the world. The enhanced eighth generation model benefits from latest connectivity, powertrain and engine technologies.

The Passat is the longest continuing name in the Volkswagen passenger car range, having been originally launched in 1973.

Once seen as something of a repmobile, the Passat has long since moved upmarket.

The latest update of this premium and spacious vehicle is offered in SE, SEL, and R-Line trims from launch. A limited edition, Estate-only R-Line Edition is also available.

The Passat range now gains all-LED headlights from entry-level SE cars up, including LED running lights that perform the indicator function as standard. The rear lights also incorporate LED technology.

In addition, all Passat models come with ‘wireless app connect’.

The entry-level option, 1.5-litre TSI 150

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PS is available as both a six-speed manual or seven-speed DSG. Prices for the Passat start at £27,630 RRP OTR for the 1.6-litre TDI 120 PS seven-speed DSG saloon.

The new Passat will also be the first Volkswagen to be fitted with travel assist in a partially automated mode. It combines the latest version of adaptive cruise control, which can now auto adjust the speed including temporary speed-limits as well as slowing for junctions and corners.

It is led by information from road sign recognition and GPS. This is combined with lane assist which can now recognise kerbs and grass verges as well as road markings. This new driver-assistance technology is standard across the Passat range.

Two petrol engines are available initially – a 2.0-litre TSI four-cylinder available with 190 PS or 272 PS. Both come with a seven-speed DSG transmission, while the 272 PS version is equipped with ‘4Motion’ all-wheel drive.

A 1.5-litre TSI EVO four-cylinder power plant with active cylinder shutdown will also soon be available.

This can shut down two of the four cylinders under certain low-load conditions in order to save fuel.

Three diesels are available – 1.6-litre TDI with 120 PS and a 2.0-litre TDI with 190 PS or 240 PS outputs. All three engines will only be available with a seven-speed DSG. While the 190 PS will optionally be available with 4Motion, it will be fitted to the 240 PS as standard.

The popular Passat GTE returns with an increased 34-mile electric range (WLTP) while the Passat Alltrack has also been updated, standing out from the Passat Estate with 18-inch alloy wheels, plus raised suspension with underbody and wheel arch protection.

With these updates to Volkswagen’s premium saloon and estate there is little to further enhance the Passat, therefore options available on the new Passat have been simplified to a list of 50, from 80 previously. These include nine different alloy wheel designs, a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, trailer assist including park assist and a premium Dynaudio sound system. π

NEWS

Shipyard workers outside Harland & Wolff in Belfast last summer as it was threatened with closure

Harland & Wolff open for business as deal is sealed

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arland and Wolff’s new owner InfraStrata has said it’s now “open for business” after taking possession of the historic shipyard in a £5.25m deal.

The energy plc made a £3.3m payment to administrators BDO, and will later pay £1.45m at the end of April. It’s also paid maintenance on the assets of £500,000.

InfraStrata has said that “with keys now in hand, the company can now finalise a number of contracts, as well as discussions with lenders”.

The deal has saved the jobs of 79 workers, who had faced a bleak future when the Titanic builder went into administration in August.

While a small number of staff had opted to take redundancy straight away, the majority reached an agreement with the administrators

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to accept a temporary lay-off which would preserve their employment contracts.

But the company’s assets were then sold after what the administrators said had been an “intense and challenging” process.

John Wood, interim chairman and chief executive of InfraStrata, said: “Harland & Wolff is once again open for business. This is an important day for InfraStrata, the Harland & Wolff workforce and the region as a whole.

“I would like to take this moment to welcome our new employees to the business and thank those who helped us get to this point.

“I am confident that, together, we can now secure and deliver meaningful projects which reaffirm Harland & Wolff’s international reputation as a quality manufacturer of maritime and energy infrastructure.”

The DUP’s Gavin Robinson said the news was

“a warmly welcomed Christmas present to the yard’s workforce, but also to the unions and the wider community, whose support has been incredible”.

“The company has outlined ambitious plans to chart a new course ahead and I will work with them in whatever way possible to help them realise that vision.”

And BDO said it had long been aware of the importance of the brand name through the process of finding a buyer. “We built excellent relationships with both the unions and the employees who played a crucial role in the success of this venture,” a spokesperson said.

“Without their support, the announcement may not have been possible. In particular, we would like to pay tribute to the determination and dedication of the staff who were willing to take a risk to secure the longer-term survival of the company.” Belfast law firm Cleaver Fulton Rankin acted for InfraStrata.

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APPOINTMENTS

Michael Reynolds joins Smarts as a content creative. A highly experienced producer, camera operator and film editor, he will lead on content capture as well as supporting with creative ideation and post-production.

Louise Owens joins Smarts as a communications executive having recently graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in English literature. During her time studying, Ms Owens worked for a London-based PR agency.

Leanne Gannon is now a communications manager at Smarts. A digital content creation and copywriting specialist, Ms Gannon has a wealth of experience within the consumer and retail sectors.

Chloe Peoples joins Smarts as a communications executive having just completed a degree in a communications, advertising and marketing at Ulster University.

Bronagh Kelly has been appointed as communications executive at Smarts. She brings two years’ experience in delivering creative campaigns, events and media relations for a range of Northern Ireland brands to her role.

Gerald Bradley is now a solicitor in the commercial property department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin. Mr Bradley specialises in landlord and tenant matters, acquisitions and disposals and leasing.

Clare O’Donnell has been appointed as a solicitor in the dispute resolution department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin.

She studied law at Queen’s University, Belfast prior to completing a postgraduate diploma at the Institute of Professional Legal Studies.

Pierre Tardiveau has been appointed as vice-president at Belfast International Airport. Mr Tardiveau has been Aerodom’s chief financial officer since 2016. He previously worked at EY in audit and project finance.

Stephen Meldrum has been appointed as the new president of The Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF). Mr Meldrum is the general manager of the Grand Central, Northern Ireland’s largest hotel.

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APPOINTMENTS

Aimee Donaldson is now a solicitor in the corporate and commercial department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin. Ms Donaldson specialises in corporate transactions and advises clients on a range of commercial legal matters.

Samantha Coleman has been appointed as fundraising and engagement coordinator at Action Mental Health. In the new role she will develop, engage and support existing and new donors, develop corporate relationships, and formulate process structures.

Ryans Cleaning has announced the internal promotion of Aisling Ryan to general manager, Ireland, UK and Europe.

She takes takes over at the helm from Pat Ryan who will continue to serve as chief executive.

CastleCourt Shopping Centre has appointed Leona Barr as centre manager.

With more than 20 years of retail experience under her belt she joins CastleCourt to oversee a new period of growth and expansion.

Clare Gallagher has been appointed head of membership at Women in Business NI. She is a highly experienced sales, marketing and business development manager with an established track record of building client relationships.

Brendan Tabb has been appointed as a trainee solicitor at Cleaver Fulton Rankin. Mr Tabb previously worked in the disputes department of an international law firm based for four years.

Jamie McCoubrey is now managing director at Urban HQ, a design-led flexible workspace based in Belfast’s Eagle Star House. He has more than 20 years’ experience in the property industry having worked across Ireland, the UK and Australia.

Stephen Masterson has been appointed as a solicitor in the planning and environmental department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin. He specialises in all aspects of planning and environment law, liquor licensing, energy and renewables and public law matters.

Micaela Fitzpatrick has been appointed as a solicitor in the planning and environmental department at Cleaver Fulton Rankin. She now specialises in all aspects of planning and environmental law, energy and renewables, licensing and public law matters.

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PHOTOCALL

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1. A group of lucky winners from Northern Ireland have gathered to celebrate the 25th birthday of The National Lottery. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19, 1994.

2. Tracworx from Limerick has been named the overall winner of the InterTradeIreland Seedcorn Investor Readiness Competition. Pictured are Eoin O’Brien and Chris Kelly from Tracworx along with Rory Casey, Atlantic Photonic Solutions.

3. Jonathon Clarke, chief executive of Locate a Locum. The Belfast technology company helps locum healthcare professionals find flexible work opportunities and has secured £1m in equity funding that will be used to grow and scale the business.

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4. Belfast Chamber of Commerce has unveiled a new confernence, BelFastForward, which will take place on February 27, 2020. Pictured at the launch of the event are Simon Hamilton, Clare Maguire, Scott Wilson and Rajesh Rana.

5. Business software and IT services company Pinnacle has been crowned ‘Sage 200cloud Partner of the Year 2019’ for the sixth consecutive year. Pictured are Pinnacle directors Frances McKee, James Spencer, Siobhan Marley.

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PHOTOCALL 6. A new arts partnership between Tourism NI and the Arts Council for Northern Ireland has delivered four new visitor experiences. Pictured are Tourism NI’s Rosemary Lightbody, Aaron Ward from National Museums NI, Sonya Whitefield from the Arts Council NI and musicians Neil Martin and Eilidh Patterson.

7. Lidl Northern Ireland has opened the doors of its new Dundonald store, creating 16 new jobs. It was officially opened by Leah McCourt, Lidl Sport for Good ambassador. She’s pictured with Eoin Doherty.

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8. The tourism industry has been recognised as one of Belfast’s key success stories of the last two decades at Visit Belfast’s 20th annual general meeting.

Pictured is Gerry Lennon with newlyappointed chairman Michael Williamson and Dr Howard Hastings.

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9. Some of the world’s leading online travel agents have flown in to Belfast for a workshop organised by Tourism NI in partnership with Tourism Ireland. Pictured are Cormac O’Suilleabhain, Abi Selby and Dave Vincent, Tourism NI. 10. The Junction Retail and Leisure Park has reached its second major milestone of its ongoing £30m redevelopment plan.

Pictured is Alastair Coulson and Craig Stewart, Lotus Property, John Smyth, the Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Chris Flynn, The Junction.

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PHOTOCALL

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11. The STATSports’ management team pictured after receiving new ISO accreditation at the company’s Newry headquarters. The international and auditable standard rubber stamps its processes and IT system as capable of ensuring sensitive information stays secure.

12. Down Royal Racecourse has signed a new sponsorship deal with Bluegrass Horse Feeds which will see the company supporting both race fixtures and have an ongoing presence at the course. Pictured are Craig Kileff, Bluegrass Horse Feed with Down Royal Racecourse’s Claire Rutherford.

13. Glen Wright and Darryl Sloan have launched NeuSpace, a new Northern Irish company specialising in high-end garage transformations and specialises in a range of fit-outs.

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14. Simon Hamilton of Belfast Chamber of Commerce with Fiona Kelly and Michael Kelly, Glandore. The flexible workspace business hosted members from past and present to hear from a panel of experts from the worlds of business and government.

15. Scott Higginson and Brian Clarke of Four Star Pizza are put through their paces

by Claire O’Neill of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon, after the Irishowned pizza chain was announced as official food sponsor for the event in May.

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PHOTOCALL 16. Ulster University’s training restaurant The Academy has been named ‘Grub Club Restaurant of the Year’. Pictured are Callum Irwin, Bruno Etienne, culinary training officer, Marianne Hood, restaurant training officer, Bill McCann, Grub Club, Peter Lunn, and Orlaith Fogarty.

17. Natasha Swan has launched her own handcrafted pottery business thanks to the Go For It Programme, in association with Mid & East Antrim Borough Council. The business is now based in the rural sea-side village of Islandmagee.

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18. Carrickfergus Enterprise has introduced the Experience Northern Ireland App following an initial launch investment of £20,000. Kellie Bagchus, manager of Carrickfergus Enterprise is pictured with Alan Hamilton, business support executive.

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19. Annette Burke from the Colin Urban Village area, with Mark Browne, the Executive Office, Sarah Travers and Philip Magee are pictured helping launch the TEDxStormontWomen event in Parliament Buildings, which took place last month.

20. NIE Networks has picked up the platinum award at the Northern Ireland Environmental Benchmarking Survey.

Pictured is Declan Cunningham of Moy Park, Chris Conway, chairman of Business in the Community, Suzanne Huntley, NIE Networks and David Small, Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

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PHOTOCALL

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21. Rachel Reid and Ryan Quinn from Cafe Mauds Ballyhackamore get a helping hand from Olly and Eva Reid to get ready for the Ballyhackamore Christmas Fun, which took place before Christmas.

22. Nigel Mannion, executive chef, along with pastry chef, Magdalena Abakumie and Mervyn Pritchard, maintenance at Titanic Hotel, putting the finishing touches to the hotel’s life size gingerbread house.

23. Liam and Oonagh McGranaghan of ONA Jewellers have unveiled a £120,000 investment which has included a new name, visual identity, an updated in-store look and the creation of two new jobs at the Kennedy Centre in west Belfast.

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24. Pamela Jordan of RiverRidge (centre) receives the Waste Management Team of the Year award from Golda Burrows, 4SM Media and Events and broadcaster Adrian Logan at the Plant and Civil Engineer ‘Construction Quarry and Recycling Awards’.

25. The MAC in Belfast has taken its cafe and restaurant in-house, and has unveiled its new winter menus. Pictured are Andrew Hollywood, Bailies Coffee, Chris Quigley, Draynes Farm and Aine McVerry, The MAC.

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PHOTOCALL 26. Kirsty Mackenzie, Kris Flanagan and Billy McCarthy, iMultiply, are joined by the new strategic board, Judith Totten, Paul Campbell and Cara Macklin. The company marks its second anniversary in Northern Ireland.

27. W5 and NOW Group have teamed up to launch a ‘quiet room’ for visitors who need to take a break from the main exhibition spaces, crowds and excitement.

Pictured are Maeve Monaghan, NOW Group and Catherine O’Mullan of W5.

28. Belfast restaurant and cafe City Picnic is set to open its doors once again following a £500,000 investment, creating 35 new jobs in the process.

Pictured are City Picnic owners Gavin Gregg and Arthur McAnerney.

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29. Action Renewables is significantly investing in its workforce talent, and its top team have just achieved a major qualification in ‘leadership and team skills’. Pictured are Terry Waugh, Lynsey Stewart and Sarah McLarnin.

30. Joan O’Shaughnessy, chairman of Tourism Ireland and Niall Gibbons, chief executive of Tourism Ireland, at the launch of Tourism Ireland’s marketing strategy for 2020-2022.

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YEARBOOK

A look back at 2019 It was another year shaped by political turmoil and the loss of some giants of industry, but it was also a period which saw great opportunity and growth. John Mulgrew examines some of those stories making the headlines in 2019  JANUARY Retail giant Primark said its new Belfast store had a strong first month of trading since opening. A fire at the historic Bank Buildings on Royal Avenue, which housed Primark’s flagship Belfast store, started on August 28 in 2018 and burned for three days. Millions was lost in trade to neighbouring businesses after a large cordon was erected around the building, in the heart of Belfast city centre.

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 FEBRUARY Tech firm Kainos announced it will take on a proposed office scheme in Belfast for its new headquarters. The firm, which has 12 global offices but currently has its base off University Street, is taking on the planned office building at the site of the Dublin Road Movie House cinema.

 MARCH Two major regionally significant schemes were given the go-ahead by Stormont. That included Translink’s £208m Belfast Transport Hub. The proposed development is set to replace the Europa Bus Centre and Great Victoria Street train station complex. Belfast Power’s £300m gas-fired power plant was also given the green light. The company wants to built the huge plant at Belfast Harbour, which could produce up to half of Northern Ireland’s electricity at peak times.

 APRIL Northern Ireland’s leading small and mediumsized businesses saw a 8.5% surge in sales, according to the Ulster Business Next 200 list.

Turnover growth surged among the businesses,

adding up to £8.3bn across the 200, with this list of companies increasing turnover by 8.5%, year-on-year.

 MAY Bombardier’s Belfast base is put up for sale.

The Canadian-owned firm is selling off its entire aerostructures business, which also includes a major operation in Morocco.

Since then it was revealed US-based Spirit AeroSystems is buying the operations in a deal worth around $1.1bn (£880m).

 JUNE Northern Ireland’s newest trade body alliance announces it will take its message to Westminster amid the ongoing political vacuum at home and with Brexit on the horizon. Trade NI is an alliance between Hospitality Ulster, headed by Colin Neill, Manufacturing NI, Stephen Kelly, and Retail NI, Glyn Roberts, and aims to represent a wider swathe of Northern Ireland’s private sector amid the “paralysis” surrounding a lack of Northern Ireland Executive and therefore a lack of local political voice on the UK’s exit from the EU.

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administration. The company was later sold to entrepreneur Jo Bamford, owner of Bamford Bus Company, which is actively recruiting workers. It has since delivered its first buses under the new ownership. The first 36 units of a 55 bus order were delivered to First Group for use in Leeds, in a deal worth around £13m.

 OCTOBER A former global life sciences executive is named as the new head of economic development agency Invest NI. Kevin Holland is an experienced global business leader with more than 25 years international experience.

He’s taking over from Alastair Hamilton as chief executive, after 10 years in the role.

 NOVEMBER

 JULY The world’s biggest golfing event, The Open, brought tens of thousands to Royal Portrush. It was estimated that over the summer it helped generate more than £100m of economic benefit for Northern Ireland, according to a study commissioned by The R&A.

Companies list for 2019, with A&L Goodbody.

And poultry giant Moy Park has also retained the top spot on the list for the eighth year running, posting sales of more than £1.5bn.

Meanwhile, Belfast shipyard Harland & Wolff officially entered administration. However, the firm was saved. New owner InfraStrata plc took possession of the business and reopened.

 AUGUST Northern Ireland’s largest businesses saw sales rise by 9.4% to more £24.8bn, according to the Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland

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 SEPTEMBER Around 1,400 Wrightbus workers are made redundant after the company entered

Professional services giant PwC reveals it is creating 600 new jobs. The company announced the new roles alongside the Department for the Economy, through its Assured Skills Academy training places. The department has worked with PwC, Belfast Met and Ulster University to develop a £4.4m pre-employment training project to upskill individuals for the new jobs.

 DECEMBER The election we weren’t expecting, and the first Christmas General Election to take place in almost a century during one of the most turbulent periods in UK politics, and in a period shaped by Brexit.

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INTERVIEW

Funding the firms of the future Judith Totten, managing director of Upstream, speaks to Lisa Smyth about setting up her finance business, facing the challenges ahead and a bittersweet royal moment

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he impact of the 2008 economic crisis on business in Northern Ireland was acute and no sector was immune. The majority of companies battened down the hatches in a bid to make it through the recession, but Judith Totten took a very different course of action.

After a long and successful career at Northern Bank and latterly Danske Bank, she stepped away from job security to set up Upstream, which was established as Keys Commercial Finance eight years ago.

The firm provides finance, trade and credit

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management services and supports funding of over £100m to Northern Ireland businesses. “I do think people wondered whether I was having a nervous breakdown and people did ask me why did I do it,” Judith Totten says.

never do it… I did speak briefly to my husband about what I was thinking.

“We do have a policy where we don’t talk about work at home because if you have a bad day at work it means you bring it home, but of course I discussed it with him.

“I can’t tell you that I woke up in the middle of the night and there was some kind of lightbulb moment,” she says. “I suppose I just felt there was a different way of doing things.

“Essentially I needed to raise £500,000 to get the business going and it took me a long time to get the finance together.

“I had a very happy career at Danske Bank but then in 2007/08, I turned 40 and I took a long hard look at myself and I realised that if I didn’t do something different then, I would

“I didn’t have a few million down the back of the sofa so I had to raise the capital myself and I re-mortgaged the house. My husband David was very supportive.”

INTERVIEW

Judith Totten

It was a remarkable leap of faith for someone who never had any aspirations to start her own business. In September, the company announced it had also secured funding from a US debt and equity fund.

Judith, who grew up in Holywood, Co Down, followed her heart into a career in the world of business and she believes her parents played a significant role in that decision.

“I never wanted to work somewhere where I would be solitary, although I don’t think I would have made the grade for law. My dad worked in business, although he wasn’t selfemployed and my mum was a part-time book keeper and I think that is what encouraged me to go into business.

“I was always quite independent, I passed

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my driving test and I wanted to buy my own car and when I was in sixth year at school. I decided I wasn’t going to waste three years at university and Ieft school before I sat my A-levels.”

was awarded an MBE for services to the Northern Ireland economy. Describing it as a career highlight, Judith said it was also a bittersweet achievement, coming after the death of her beloved father.

While Judith did not follow the traditional path of A-levels and a degree, she amassed many decades of experience and knowledge that have proven to be invaluable.

“My one sadness in all that is that my dad passed away before I got my MBE,” she said. “He would have been past himself with excitement.”

“I went and worked for my brother-in-law in his insurance and mortgage business and I learnt an awful lot about running a business, about efficiencies and how to treat customers.” From there, Judith was headhunted to another estate agency and then to Alliance and Leicester, before starting to work at Northern Bank when her son was three months old.

Despite all of her achievements over the years – as well as founding Upstream, Judith is also on the board of Invest NI and the council of The Princes Trust – Judith was stunned to receive an MBE. In particular, she was even happier that it was in recognition of her role as managing director at Upstream.

She says Upstream has earned the loyalty of its customers. “I think that says a lot because we are more expensive than a bank because we have to borrow money to lend money and actually people remember who helped them when they were in the dark days and they stay with those people in the light days,” Judith says.

“It’s the personal touch that makes the difference, we can look people in the eye and if you can’t get past the person standing in front of you, you don’t do the deal.”

There is no doubt that Upstream Working Capital Ltd has been a success — and Judith

“I just assumed that it was because of Invest NI so it made me even prouder as Upstream is a small business, but we do make a difference to our clients,” she says. “I couldn’t believe that I had been awarded an MBE. I was actually off sick with a tummy bug when I found out and I was in bed feeling sorry for myself.

Of course, while she has experienced great highs, setting up a business at the height of a recession has not been without its challenges.

“Starting a business in the finance sector in 2008 at the height of the banking crisis, I really didn’t have a lot going for me. However, I had some really good people help me, advising me and supporting me. They are actually still with me today and they took a gamble on my ability.” π

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TRAVEL

Peace and tranquillity on Lough Erne

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TRAVEL

Samantha McCaughren pays a visit to Co Fermanagh and enjoys a water tour – along with something a bit stronger – and takes in the sights and sounds of what Enniskillen has to offer

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t is difficult to believe that Lough Erne was once a bustling waterway, transporting goods and people around Fermanagh and beyond at a time when dense forest made travelling by land a punishing alternative.

On a bright autumn morning, we took a far more tranquil trip on the river and lake to Devenish Island. In the summer the waters are once again abuzz with boats – tourists now rather than tradesmen and travellers. But offseason, the lake, and indeed the historic island, is a beautifully serene spot.

We went on the boat tour with Barry Flanagan who owns Erne Water Taxi, which proved to be a very pleasant way to travel to Devenish, with the advantage of being covered in for those wet days. The boats depart from the jetty at Enniskillen Castle, which has 600 fascinating years of history of its own.

Barry is a mine of information about the history of the lough and its surrounds, sharing some great anecdotes about the Portora, the famous public school founded by the Royal Charter in 1608, which overlooks the town and the water. At the lough’s edge are the remains of Portora Castle and, according to Barry, some of the school’s pupils decided to experiment on the building with gunpowder in 1859, hastening the demise of the historic structure.

But many of the boys went on to make their mark in more productive ways past pupils include Samuel Beckett and Oscar Wilde. Alas, there will be no more Portorans, as they were known. The school closed in 2016 to make way for the mixed Enniskillen Royal Grammar School in 2016, which is partially based on the original site of Portora Hill.

According to Barry, Devenish itself was also a hive of activity over the centuries and boasts Ireland’s best example of a round tower dating from the 12th century.

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First established by St Molaise in the sixth century, the monastery was raided several times by the Vikings. But over the centuries it fed weary travellers and also offered them rest.

After a morning steeped in Irish history, we were ready for something more lively in the afternoon. As gin lovers, a visit to the Boatyard Distillery sounded right up our street.

During the distillery tour there was plenty of opportunity to sample Boatyard’s gins so we called on local taxi company, Diamond Cabs, which is well used to facilitating visitors to the distillery who might have enjoyed a tipple or two.

Our distillery guide Stanley gave us a crash course in gin and other spirits, starting off with some ‘nosing’ of the gin to learn how to best appreciate the spirit. Unlike wine, the gin should not sniffed in by the nose but instead a drinker should breathe through the mouth to allow the subtle aromas be identified – so Stanley says. It was all a bit of fun and we, like most of the other visitors, were keen to tuck into the freshly-prepared gin cocktails.

The tiny distillery is owned by Joe McGirr, who previously worked at Scotland’s Glenmorangie for 13 years and is based in London but comes back regularly to visit the Fermanagh distillery.

One of the gin’s main calling cards is that it uses only organic ingredients including essentials such as juniper and a local ingredient, sweet gale, also known as bog myrtle, which Stanley tells us is not used in any other gin.

Importantly, we each got to label and inscribe our own bottle, thus taking a little but important bit of the Boatyard experience home with us.

For our first night in Fermanagh, we stayed in the Killyhevlin, a lively four-star hotel, which is

a popular wedding venue outside Enniskillen.

As its information booklet explains, the hotel has been touched by the Troubles and was bombed in 1996 — but has since benefited greatly from peace in Northern Ireland and now promotes itself as a foodie destination.

From the fresh sandwiches, soups and carvery at lunchtime, to surf and turfs in the evening, the Lakeside grill is always buzzing and the views of the lake are spectacular. For a more formal dining experience we ate in the hotel’s Kove Restaurant that evening which serves up an eclectic menu – I particularly enjoyed a fantastic roast fig and blue cheese tart.

Breakfast offered a hearty fry with Northern Ireland favourites – potato bread and soda farls – included. There are plenty of tempting casual restaurants along Enniskillen’s main street, which has also really upped its game in the food department.

We ate in one of the best, Café Merlot which is next door to Blakes of the Hollow, the town’s oldest pub. Unsurprisingly, locals descend on the place for Sunday lunch so we were lucky to get a table.

Heading into Blakes of the Hollow afterwards for a quick drink was always going to be tempting – it’s a Victorian pub full of snugs, nooks and crannies – but as Game of Thrones fans, it was unmissable.

After a drive around Fermanagh, which is incredibly beautiful, it was time for some rest and we retired to the luxurious setting of the five-star Lough Erne Resort and enjoyed a cocktail beside a roaring fire, before some very fine dining in the Catalina restaurant, named after the two Second World War flying boats based in Fermanagh.

It is a world class hotel and a fantastic way to finish off a thoroughly relaxing two-day break in Northern Ireland. π

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TECHNOLOGY

Smarter than your average watch?

For some the idea of a mechanical and automatic watch still reigns supreme when it comes to timekeeping. But the rise of the smartwatch has led to an ever-growing range of high-end products. Adrian Weckler takes a look at three of them Apple Watch Series 5 From £399 If you’re an iPhone user and looking for a doit-all smartwatch, this is really the best option you can get. It is, by some distance, the most feature-packed smartwatch on the market.

From paying for things in shops to using it as a boarding pass, to music and notifications, this is the top performer overall.

The most up-to-date model, the Series 5, adds a pivotal main feature that I find indispensable: an always-on display. This means that you can glance at it without having to twist your wrist around to ‘wake’ it (which seems rude when in conversation), as is the case with previous Watch models. The display is dimmed, but still

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clearly visible; the actual brightness level on the dimmed display depends on the ambient light levels around it.

Having to wake the watch’s display into life has been the thing that bugged me most about previous Apple Watch models. Glancing at it now without lifting or twisting my wrist makes it feel easier. This should impact on battery life, but Apple has managed to bring to a bare minimum the amount of energy used in its dimmed mode, through the adjustment of the display’s refresh rate down to 1Hz (from a high of 60Hz). Battery life, by the way, is around two days.

There are a couple of other upgrades worth noting. Its new built-in compass means the Watch now shows me which way I’m facing in Maps. I use this feature on the phone all the time when I’m trying to understand which way to go to get somewhere. It’s also useful for health and fitness data.

Unfortunately, other than size, you won’t have as much choice here as in the UK or other countries as to the material that your Watch is made of.

Garmin Fenix 6 Sapphire £799 If you’re not too fussed about some of the more elaborate uses for a smartwatch and want to zero in on health and fitness, Garmin’s Fenix 6 is very hard to beat.

It’s light, powerful, has plenty of storage, and relatively excellent battery life. If you’re a runner, cyclist, swimmer or any variation thereof (triathlete, iron-man and so on), this defeats almost all-comers.

I got well over 10 days on a single charge, although if you switch the GPS on, it will be closer to 24 hours (this is not a bad tally in comparative terms). The Sapphire version is tough as nails as well, with a sapphire crystal, more often found on traditional Swiss watches.

TECHNOLOGY

Coming from Oled-screen smartwatches (such as Apple’s Watch, Samsung’s Gear or Huawei’s GT), I appreciated the Fenix 6 Sapphire’s always-on 1.3-inch display (which is slightly bigger than the Fenix 5’s 1.2-inch display, despite being a tad thinner). However, the compromise you’ll make is that the display has nothing like the brightness or punchiness of a conventional Oled smartwatch. Even though there’s a light you can turn on from one of the side-buttons, the device’s strong battery life simply wouldn’t exist if it was a shiny, sharply contrasting display. It’s not an issue, but it does mean that I needed to take a second look at the watch face to tell the time on occasion. On the other hand, anyone coming from a general smartwatch will love some of the Fenix’s other features. It’s a revelation to me to be able to download Spotify tracks and play them offline on a run or a walk, without having my phone with me.

Huawei Watch GT 2 £199 If you’re looking for something that does a reasonably good job for health and fitness, has excellent battery life but also a bright Oled screen, Huawei’s Watch GT 2 is surprising.

This is a watch for those who want something with a superior display to a Fitbit and who don’t quite need all of the apps that an Apple Watch gives you.

But it’s also for someone who doesn’t want to be bothered recharging their watch more than once every week. In fact, mine usually lasted over 10 days between charges. For me, this is a very strong reason to consider this smartwatch, especially given its excellent, sharp, colourful 1.4-inch amoled display.

It comes in two sizes: 46mm and 42mm. The test model I had was the 46mm ‘classic’ version with a leather strap and metallic silver watch frame. I’ll admit that I did have to check that it was metal, as you might be forgiven for thinking it’s plastic. To me, anyway.

Otherwise, the design of the Watch GT 2 is actually quite nice. Huawei has thankfully toned down some of the bling of its earlier smartwatches. And the 46mm version didn’t feel too big, even though I have pretty slender wrists.

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In everyday operation, the Watch GT 2 is quite easy to use. There are two side-buttons for picking through menus or workout programmes, while swiping in each direction takes you directly to settings, music, messages, alarms, or even a ‘find my phone’ feature. This is where the slightly larger screen comes in handy.

One of the cornerstones of the GT 2 – and all Huawei smartwatches – is Huawei Health.

It can help you measure and track your workouts, from indoor and outdoor runs to triathlons and swimming. It also has a sleep tracker.

There are some other cool features on it that, I feel, could be used better. For instance, it has a compass built in, something that Apple made a lot of in its latest smartwatch launch. But there’s no mapping app to take advantage of that, like there is on Apple’s Watch Series 5. π

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Uncovering the 9-5 NAME: John Ferris POSITION: Entrepreneur development manager, Ulster Bank

6.45am My alarm goes off and I spend what seems to be an extraordinary amount of time trying to get my two kids out of bed. It’s all hands on deck to get the kids some breakfast, bags packed, shoes on and everyone out into the car before doing the respective drop offs. As a former newspaper editor, I like to keep upto-date with what’s going on, so if I’ve time before leaving the house I’ll check out local news and Twitter.

8.00am I arrive into the Belfast hub in Ulster Bank’s HQ for my first coffee fix of the day. My inbox is normally full so over a double espresso I jump right into it, ensuring I’m ready and briefed for my first meeting. I like to spend a few minutes each morning checking in with the other members of the bank’s Entrepreneurship Team and chatting through plans for the day ahead.

9.00am By 9am the hub has come to life. We moved the Entrepreneur Accelerator programme into Ulster Bank’s headquarters towards the end of 2018 and our 72 entrepreneurs have brought a fantastic energy to the place. It’s easy to feel motivated in such a positive working environment and seeing how hard they work definitely helps to drive our team. I usually begin each day with one-to-one meetings with some of the entrepreneurs I provide personal mentorship too. These sessions tend to last about an hour and cover everything from introductions to mentors or potential customers or helping someone on their funding journey.

11.00am After a busy morning I’ll pause for my next caffeine fix and then I’m off out to an event. This could be with one of our partner organisations or hosted by the likes of Belfast City Council or Invest NI. Belfast is a great city for start-ups and has developed a really vibrant entrepreneurial eco-system. I believe this is largely down to organisations working in such

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close collaboration and it’s a great asset for the entrepreneurs enrolled on our programme to have access to so many talented mentors.

1.00pm In the past I’ve been guilty of not taking lunch every day and I’m getting better at making time for it. I work with a team of comedians so lunch always brings a lot of laughs.

3.00pm There are 12 Entrepreneur Accelerator hubs scattered across the UK helping business owners to start, scale and succeed. Many of our initiatives are done in partnership, so I spend some time speaking with colleagues, planning our next event, working on publications or sharing best practice to empower entrepreneurs at any stage. The Ulster Bank hub performs extremely well on the UK-stage and colleagues are always interested in learning more about our recent success stories.

6.00pm The final part of my day tends to be spent either setting up for an event the following morning or tidying up after an afternoon session. Once this is done, I’ll head straight home if I’m not attending a networking event somewhere in the city centre. Networking is a hugely important part of my role and I love to meet people interested in starting or scaling a business who may be interested in applying for a position on Ulster Bank’s programme (which just opened

again) or those who can provide mentorship to our current intake.

8.00pm I try to put the phone away and keep evenings for family time. We’ll eat dinner together, get homework done, feed our guinea pigs – Reggie and Ronnie – and find some time to relax before bed. I love my job and am passionate about entrepreneurship and the work Ulster Bank is doing to promote this, so thankfully I never get a sense of the ‘evening blues’ or dread coming in to work the next day.