Ulster Business September 2022 by Ulster Business

SEPTEMBER 2022 Price£2.30(€2.60) FEATURE Howtogetbacktothefront ofthepackwithelectriccars INFOCUS DrAnthonySoareson cross-borderrelations BarclayCommunicationsonits15-yearrelationship withsnackgiant Ta ytoandongoingexpansion Growingastrong businesspartnership

SEPT5 EM BE R 2022 84 8 18 49 22 82 08 News Thelatestnewsandexclusivesfromacrossthe worldofNorthernIrelandbusiness 18 Coverstory BarclayCommunicationsonits15-year relationshipwithsnackgiant Tayto 22 InFocus JohnMulgrewspeakstoDrAnthonySoares abouttheborder,theProtocolandBrexit 37 IT&technology Adrian Wecklertakesacloserlookattechand mobilephoneetiquette 45 Law We examinethepotentiallogisticalandlegal issuessurroundingtheNIProtocolBill 55 Conferences&event management Alookatwhat’supaheadthisyear 69 Energy,waste& environment We speaktoNI’selectriccarorganisation 77 Motoring PatBurnsspendssometimearoundtheLoire Valleyinanewplug-inhybrid 82 Appointments Alookatthelatestnew rolesandpromotions acrosstheworldofbusinesshere 84 Photocall Ashowcaseofwhat’sbeenhappeningacross businessthissummer 92 Review JohnMulgrewgetshandsonwithOmega’s latestiterationofadivewatchclassic 96 Technology Amazon’ssecuritychiefSteveSchmidtspeaks toAdrian Weckler Contents UlsterBusinessisapartoftheIndependentPressStandardsOrganisation(IPSO).Ifyoubelieveyouhavebeenunfairlytreated,youcancontactIPSOinwritingviaitswebsiteforguidanceonwhattodo. Theserviceisfree.IPSOcan thenadviseonwhetherit’slikelyyouhavegroundsforacomplaintandwhattodoaboutit. Thenormalprocedureisforthecomplainanttothencontactthepublication’seditordirectly.Ifnoagreementisreached,thecomplainant cangobacktoIPSOtolookforanadjudication,orforittotakeoverthecomplaint. Fulldetailsareavailableatwww.ipso.co.uk.Alternatively,emailcomplaints@ipso.co.uk,orinquiries@ipso.co.uk,ortelephone03001232220,ortheout-of-hoursemergencynumber: 07659152656. Orwriteto:IPSO,c/oHaltonHouse,20-23Holborn,LondonEC1N2JD

Inthisedition I alsospeaktoDrAnthony Soares,directoroftheCentre forCross BorderStudies.Hesaysfollowingthe introductionoftheUKGovernment’s NI ProtocolBillthissummer, relationsand co-operationbetweenorganisationsnorthsouthandeast-westhavedeteriorated, accordingto a recentstudy Andhealsobelievesthatchangesand amendmentstotheNIProtocolshould notbemadeunilaterally, instead,with involvementfromtheEUandtheother nationswhichwouldbeimpactedbysuch changes. There havebeen a hostofgoodbusiness newsstoriesoflate from46%increasesin pre-taxproﬁtsamongour Top 100listtojob announcements,localcompanyexpansion, inward investmentandthenextmajorsteps beingtakeninnine-ﬁgure developments. Butthecontinuingcostoflivingcrisis continuestobefrontofmindforsociety, andbusiness,amidsoaringenergyprices andinputcosts. Howeverthere remainspositivityoutthere intheprivatesector, despiteallofthat. We’llbelookingcloseratthebigsuccesses andstoriesoutthere inthecomingweeks andmonths,butalsospeakingtoindustries aboutthechallengeswhichtheyface. I hopeyouenjoythiseditionofthe magazineandwe’llcatchupsoon. ■ JohnMulgrew

SEPT7 EM BE R 2022

I’llstartoff thismagazine introductionon a politicalnote whichI’llthenputtobedforthe timebeing. It’s beenfourmonthssincetheAssembly electionsinMayandwestilldon’t have a fullyworkingExecutive.Promisesandclaims havebeenmadeand reiteratednumerous times,soI’dliketosayonbehalfofthe businesscommunitytothoseholdingup progress,getbacktogoverning,andget backnow WelcometotheSeptembereditionof Ulster Business Inthismagazine’s coverstorywe hearfromBarclayCommunicationsandits long-timecustomer Taytoabouttheir15year relationshipandhowthetelecoms ﬁrm iscontinuingtoexpand.

EDITOR’S COMME NT S www.ulsterbusiness.com@ulsterbusinessUlsterBusinessMagazine Publisher UlsterBusiness c/oMediahuisUKLtd Belfast TelegraphHouse,33ClarendonRoad, ClarendonDock,BelfastBT13BG Printer W&GBaird GreystonePress,CaulsideDrive, AntrimBT412RS www.wgbaird.com Editor JohnMulgrew Salesexecutives Sarah-AnnGamble,s.gamble@mediahuis.co.uk MartinElliman,m.elliman@mediahuis.co.uk Graphicdesign SusanMcClean,MediahuisIrelandDesignStudio Coverphoto MattMackey,PressEye MediahuisUKLtd©2022.Allrights reserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybe reproduced,storedina retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyform,orbyany means,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recording,orotherwisewithoutthepriorpermissionofMediahuis. Positivity despite challenging times

8 NE WS £150m

Majorsolar farm planned for Co Antrim

In2021thecompanyannouncedithad signedtwonewcontractstoprovidesolarO&M servicesfortwositesmanagedbycleanenergy investorNextEnergyCapitalGroup.

newmulti-millionpound30MW solarfarmcouldbebuiltinCo Antrimamidnewplans, Ulster Business can revealed.

UndertheagreementsRESwillprovide servicesforHawkers,an11.9MWsolarsite locatedinSomersetand8.2MWBallygarvey, CoAntrim. RESannouncedthesaleof a windfarmin CoLondonderrytoEuropeanoperatorERGfor £37mbackin2019.

RESsaysitis“exploringthepotentialfor a solarfarmsoutheastofBallymena”withthe hopesofsubmitting a fullplanningapplication laterthisyear

Thecompanyisoneoftheworld’s largest independent renewableenergybusinesses activeinonshore andoffshore wind,solar, energystorage,transmissionanddistribution.

ByJohnMulgrew

Thevalueofa proposedmajornew canningplantfor Newtownabbey. 1.75% TheBankofEngland’s newbaserateof interest. 80 Thenumberofjobs beingcreatedbyUS softwarefrmHarness forBelfast. 29.9 Thescaleinmegawatts ofanewproposed solarfarminCo Antrim. month innumbers

TheUKfrmisalreadyinvolvedinseveral othersolarandwindschemesinNorthern Ireland.Theproposednewschemewould bebasedclosetoLiminaryRoadoutside Ballymena. “Itisanticipatedthatthesolarfarmwould becapableofgeneratingupto29.9MWof clean,lowcost renewableelectricity,”the companytold UlsterBusiness “We’llshortlybecomingforward topresent ourplanstothecommunity, whichare at anearlystageofdesignandlookforward to receivingtheirfeedback.Thecomments received,togetherwiththeenvironmentaland technicalsurveysthatare beingundertaken onsite,willplayanimportantpartinthe developmentofthedesignoverthecoming months. “Northern Ireland’s ClimateBillsets a targetof80%ofelectricityconsumptionfrom renewablesourcesby2030.Large-scalesolar projectsaswellascontributingtotheClimate Billtarget,enablemore energytobegenerated domesticallyimprovingsecurityofsupply, andare thecheapestformofnewelectricity generation,alongsideonshore wind.This makesdevelopmentsliketheoneweare exploringnotjustgoodfortheenvironment butalsofortheconsumer.” Thecompanywouldnot revealan approximateestimateforthevalueofthe project,howeverit’s expectedinvestmentcould bewellintoeightfgures. It’s understoodRESwilldesignand refne theschemethroughoutthecommunity consultationprocessbefore fnallysubmitting planstoMidandEastAntrimBoroughCouncil.

SEPT9 EM BE R 2022 NE WS Theheadof a keycross-borderorganisationsays“no unilateralactionshouldbetaken”bytheUKGovernmentin addressingissueswiththeNIProtocol.

“Inourview[theBill]isnotthewaytofnd a solution, a permanent ‘No unilateral action shouldbe taken onProtocol’ solution.FromourpointofviewtheNIProtocolis a long-termthing. Issueswillariseandsolutionswillhavetobefoundandsolved,jointly.”

TheUKGovernment’s NIProtocolBillhasalreadymadeitsway throughitsfrststageintheHouseofLordsandaimstosetoutand makeamendmentstotheframeworkwithouttheEU’s involvement.

DrAnthonySoares

DrSoaresalsosays researchshows a deteriorationin relations betweensomeorganisationsnorth-southandeast-west,followingthe introductionoftheBillearlierthissummer fullinterview onpage22-23

Readthe

ByJohnMulgrew

“TheProtocolisinIreland,notjustNorthern Ireland,”DrSoares says.“Thenorth-southdimensioncanonlybefoundbyinvolvingboth jurisdictions,andtheeast-westdimensionwiththoseinGB.

DrAnthonySoaressays“solutionscanonlybefoundthroughjoint agreementfromtheUKandEU,involvingstakeholdersfromNorthern IrelandandtheRepublicofIreland”.

“We needtoseethoseleverstohelp…we needtoseethosepeoplesupportedwiththe properinfrastructure tobackuptheirdecision tomovetoanEV.”

Readthefull interviewonpage69-72

“[Thepublicchargingnetwork]started roughlyin2011andthere wassomesortof consortiumcomingtogetherandthere was EUmoney[foraninitialEVchargenetwork],” Marksays.

Quotes of the month

“Itis good to seenew social spaceslike parklets open across the city andmore and more hospitalit y businesses utilising outdoor space. ”

UlsterBankchiefeconomist RichardRamseyspeakingin thelatestPMI report.

However, somegoodnewscameearlierthis yearwhenBelfaststart-up Weevannounced freshplanstoinvest£20min a newpublic electricvehicle(EV)chargingnetworkover350 locationsacrossNorthern Ireland.

Speakingabouttheinitial roll-outofan electriccarchargenetworkin2011,Marksays: “There was a lotofCapEx(capitalexpenditure) butnot a lotofOpEx(operatingexpense).The thingjustwitheredonthevine.Itmadeusone oftheleadersinEuropewithanEVcharging roll-out. “Itwaskeptfreeandnever reallyinvestedin. Thehardware has reachedtheendofitssell-by date.” Markpointsoutthekeydifferencebetween so-called‘destination’chargersandrapid chargepoints.Thelatteriswhat’s neededto makethenetworktrulysmooth,functionaland reliable.

TheCBI’sAngelaMcGowan speakingfollowingThe BankofEngland’slatest interestratehike. “Positives remainin short supply in the latestsurvey. However, employment continues to be a bright spotwith all foursectors increasing theirstafng levelsinJuly.”

Electric car charge network ‘witheredon the vine’

BelfastChamber’sAlana Coyleasitlaunchedits newRegenerationPolicy WorkingGroup. “With further energy price risespotentially on the horizon,support for the most vulnerablehouseholdsand businesses shouldbe kept under review.”

10 NE WS Northern Ireland’s electriccarpublic chargenetworkhas“witheredon thevine”andthenumberofrapid pointshere lagssignifcantlybehindthe restoftheUK,it’s beenclaimed. MarkMcCalloftheElectric Vehicle AssociationNorthern Ireland(EVANI)saysthere are now roughlyseventimesasmanyfast chargepointsintheUKonaverage,compared withNorthern Ireland. Hesaysmore mustbeinvestedby governmentandincentivesintroducedinorder tobothimproveconnectivityandnewelectric carownership. Thenumberofplug-inelectriccarssoldin Northern Irelandmore thandoubled.The2020 a totalof1,680newpluginvehicles registered inNorthern Irelandhasmore thandoubledto 3,779for2021.

“Ifyou’re drivingfromBelfasttoEnniskillen youneedthe20minuterapidchargetoget youhome,”Marksays.

Intotal,thecompanyplanstoinstall1,500 newchargingpointsbefore theendof2024, includingatsixmajorultra-rapidcharginghub sitesthatwillseedriversabletofully‘top-up’ theirvehiclesinlessthan20minutes.

Thelargestquarter-on-quarterincreasewasfeltinArdsandNorth Downwith5.2%,whileFermanaghandOmaghonlysawa0.6%uplift.

ousepriceshavecontinuedtoriseinNorthernIreland despitea recentdropinthenumberofnewbuyer enquiries.

Thelatestoffcialfguresshowthecostofahome roseby3.2% betweenquarteroneandtwothisyear–asimilarsurgetotheprevious period.

Some5,798 residentialpropertiessoldduringthesecondquarterof 2022.

SEPT11 EM BE R 2022 NE WS

Thelatestfgurescomeasasurveyshowsthenumberofnewbuyer enquiriesfellinJuly–outsidethe reportingperiodforthenewoffcial salesstatistics.

Anew256-roomhotelhasbeen giventhegreenlightforBelfast’s TitanicQuarter.

JMKGrouphadsubmitteda revised applicationforthescheme,whichwillbea hotelandapartmenthotelandsitadjacent to TitanicBelfast. Theproposal representsaninvestment of£36mandwilladdaround70newjobs whenitopens.

New Titanic Quarter hotel given greenlight

Pricesarenowmorethan50%uponthefrstquarterof2015.

Northern Ireland houseprices continue to climb

Theaveragecostofahomeisnow£169,063andrangesfrom £150,246inDerryCityandStrabaneto£196,438inArdsandNorth Down.

Itmeasuresthechangeinthepriceof residentialpropertysoldhere andusesstampdutyinformationonpropertysales recordedbyHMRC.

Meanwhile,outlinepermissionwasalso grantedfor68 residentialapartmentsat HolmesStreet,tothe rearofBruceStreet,in Belfastcitycentre. Theplansincludea£6mdevelopmentand willsee32one-bedroom,35two-bedroom andonestudioapartmentbeingdeveloped.

Thenewlyproposedhotel

That’saccordingtothelatestoffcialHousePriceIndexfromLand &PropertyServicesandtheNorthernIrelandStatisticsandResearch Agency(NISRA).

That’saccordingtothelatestRoyalInstitutionofCharteredSurveyors (RICS)andUlsterBankResidentialMarketSurvey.

Itwillbelocatednexttotwoother schemesplannedforthisarea–anewaparthotel,knownasBedford Yards,at31-33 BedfordStreetandapurpose-builtstudent accommodationbuilding,currentlyunder constructionatBruceStreet. “Theseinvestmentsaregreatnewsfor Belfast,andwillhelptowardsthecontinued revitalisationofourcitycentre,”councillor CarlWhyte,chairmanofBelfastCity Council’splanningcommittee,said “Thenewhoteldevelopmentat Titanic Quarterdemonstratesourcity’scontinued appealtovisitorsworldwideandshows confdenceinourtourismsector,postCovid.”

Thefallintheunemploymentrateandthe continuedgrowthinpayrolledemployees emergeddespitefearsthatthecostofliving crisis, resultingfromsoaringenergybillsand risingfoodprices,hasalreadyinduceda recession.

InJulyBankofEnglandGovernorAndrew BaileywarnedthattheUKwouldentera recessionattheendofthisyear,withthe economycontractinguntiltheendofnext year.

12 NE WS

Thelabourmarket reportfromthe NIStatistics&ResearchAgencysaidthe unemploymentrateforApriltoJunewas estimatedat2.7%,a“statisticallysignifcant” fallof1.6%onthesameperiodayearearlier.

“Idon’texpectmovementinthejob markettothesameextentaswehaveseen inprevious recessions.Eveninthe recession of2008,jobsdidn’tfalltotheextentwe hadforeseenbecausecompaniesvalue talent,andtheydon’twanttolosepeople. It’sveryexpensivetofndtherightpeople again.

“Backthen,wehadcompanies reducing staffhoursratherthancuttingtheirjobs. Thatmaybesomethingweseeagainaswe arenowinaverytightlabourmarket.”

Hesaiddemandforstaff remainedstrong, withvacanciesforjobsinJuneandJulystill high.However,hesaidthelabourmarket reportgaveanindicationofaslowdownin quarterlygrowthinemployment,whichwas upjust1,000to852,000–afgurewhich alsoincludespeopleinself-employment.

ByMargaretCanning

MarkMagill,asenioreconomistatthe UlsterUniversityEconomicPolicyCentre,said therateof2.7%forunemployment remained “verylowbyhistoricalstandards”.

Buthesaidcompanieswerestill reporting astruggletofllvacancies,andthatthey wouldbe reluctanttoshedstaff.

ontinueddemandforstaffamong companieshereanda relatively healthyjobsmarketcouldmean NorthernIrelanddoesnotseelarge-scale joblossesifa recessiontakesplace,it’s beenclaimed. Thenumberofemployeeswhoarepaid throughHMRC’s PAYEsystem reached 779,300employeesduringJuly,aGovernment reporthassaid–a0.4%increasesinceJune andariseof2.5%overtheyear.Itwasalso up3.5%onpre-pandemiclevelsinMarch 2020.

Large-scalejob cuts not expectedin eventof recession C

Buteconomistshavesaidtheydonotexpect aneconomicdownturntoleadtowidespread unemploymenthere.

“Ourexperiencetodatehasprovedthistobetherightdecisionand thespeedatwhichwehavebeenableto recruitacrossarangeofskills andexperience,notonlyintechnologybutincomplianceandrisk, istestamenttoourcommitmenttoongoinginvestmentinNorthern Irelandandthewidereconomy.” Londonsecures new Belfastbase

to have say on city tourist attraction

AvrilHunter,LordMayor TinaBlack,JasmineMcGimpseyandEoinCampbell

hepublicisnowbeingaskedfor itssayonamajornewvisitorand tourismattractionforBelfastas partofawider£100minvestment.

AfntechfrmhasunveileditsnewBelfastbaseasitplans tocreate232jobsforthecity.

TheBankofLondon,whichsaysit’saglobalclearing,agency andtransactionbank,aswellasatechnologycompany,hasnowsetup shopattheSoloistbuildinginBelfastcitycentre.Commercialproperty frmOsborneKingsecuredthenewlettingonbehalfofthelandlord. Intotal,thecompanysaiditintendstohire232peopleoverthenext fouryearsandsaiditwillhaveahybrid-workingpolicy,basedbetween theoffceandhome.TheoffceswereopenedbycaretakerEconomy MinisterGordon Lyons. StephenBell,countryheadforNorthernIreland,said:“AtTheBank ofLondonwehaveadeepbeliefthatexceptionalanddiversetalentwill buildthefutureofbanking. “WorkingtogetherwithInvestNI,wechosetolocateTheBankof London’sfrstUnitedKingdomoffceoutsideofLondonhereinBelfast. We knowwewillfndthattalentheretohelpusdeliverinnovationat theheartoffnancialservicesandcreatetheborderlessinfrastructureof thefuture.

SEPT13 EM BE R 2022 NE WS

“This reallyisaprojectlikenoother–it willonlybeasuccessifthepeopleofBelfast feelthatitbelongstothemandtheycansee themselvesandtheirstories refected,”Lord MayorofBelfast TinaBlacksaid. “It’sa reallyexcitingprojectandone whichisgoingtohavemassive regeneration beneftsforthecityandtheentire region’s tourismeconomy.”

Public

Elementsofthenewattractionwillbe housedinoneofBelfast’smostbeloved heritagebuildings–theartdecoformer

The Bankof

EconomyMinisterGordon Lyonsatthenewoffces

Apublicconsultationhasnowopened, invitingpeopletohavetheirsayonBelfast’s newvisitordestinationwhichissetto transformthecitycentreandsupport tourismacrossthecitywhenitopensin 2028.

BankofIrelandbuildingonRoyal Avenue whichwasacquiredbyBelfastCityCouncil alongwiththesurrounding5,000sqmsite.

TheambitiousBelfastStoriesdevelopment isoneofseventourismand regeneration projectsincludedintheBelfastRegionCity Deal.

Almostthesamepercentageofemployers (77%)who respondedtothesurveysaidthey areconcernedaboutskillsshortagesintheir organisation,while60%oftheworkerswere alsoworried.

Infact,inHays’most recentWhat Workers Wantsurvey,which receivedover5,100 responsesfromemployersandprofessionals,a massive80%ofemployerstoldustheywould nowconsiderhiringcandidatesbasedontheir aptitude,withtheintentionofupskillingthem inthe role.

Butastalkofskillsshortagesbecomecommon acrossmultipleindustries,theideaofhiring peoplewiththepotentialtolearntheskills theywillneedhasbecomefarmorepalatable toemployers.

Upskillingincludesbothformallearning,such asinaclassroom,andmicro-learningsuch as readingindustryblogsorshadowinga colleague. Doyourown research,perhapsthere’san onlinecourseoranindustryseminarwhich yourmanagerwillletyoutakethetimeto attend.Andmakeitcleartoyouremployer howyou’reapplyingyournewskills.

■

Thebigchallengeforemployerswhohave openedthemselvesuptoaccessingtalent throughthispathway,isthatoncethey embarkonthistypeof recruitment,itis essentialtohave resourcesinplacetosupport thelearningandupskillingthesenewhires need. Inoursurvey60%ofemployerstoldusthey areprovidinglearning resourcestocurrent employeestoaddresstheirorganisation’sskills shortage.That’sgood,butonthedownside, onlyhalf(50%)ofprofessionalssaidthey weresatisfedwiththelearning resourcestheir employerprovidesandonly33%saidthey hadacareerdevelopmentplaninplacethat involvesspecifclearning.

It’sperhapsnosurprisethenthatemployers have realisedtheyneedtoworkhardtofnd unexpectedtalentandstepawayfrom relying onthesame recruitmentpoolstheyhave alwaystargeted,butalsotheimportanceof havingplansand resourcesinplacetohelp newandexistingstafftolearn.

Positivelyforthoseemployerswhoare preparedto‘hireforpotential’almostthree

ByJohnMoore,managingdirector,HaysNI

Next,makesureyourlearning resourcesare uptoscratch.Employeeshavetheappetite andopennesstolearnnewskillsbutoften don’tfeeltheyare receivingtherightlearning resourcesfromtheiremployernorthetimeto undertaketraining. Alsomeasurethesuccessofupskilling.Setting clearlearningobjectivesandputting regular catchupsinplacewithteammemberscan helpensurevisibilityofnewlylearnedskills beingappliedbyyourteam. Andmakesuretoletpotentialcandidates knowaboutyourupskillingopportunities.It’sa toughhiringmarketformanyindustriesatthe momentsomakesureyou’repromotingyour willingnesstotakeonless-skilledcandidatesin yourjobadsorwhenindiscussionwithyour recruitmentprofessional,asthiscouldhelp broadenanddiversifyyourtalentpool.

quartersoftheprofessionalswesurveyed (74%)saidtheywouldconsiderapplying fora roleeveniftheydidn’thaveallofthe requiredskills.Thiswasmostoftenthecase amongpeopleearlyintheircareer,with80% ofthoseaged18-24sayingtheywouldapply, butinterestingly61%of55-64yearoldsalso saidthey’dgoforajobtheywouldstillneed trainingtocarryout.

Don’tbeafraidtoapplyfor roleswhereyou don’tquitetickalltheboxes.Ifyoucanshow you’vesuccessfullyupskilledbefore,then employersareincreasinglywillingtoconsider you.

hroughmostofmycareerin recruitmenttheideaofhiring peoplefortheirpotentialhasbeen anuncommonapproach,usedprimarily whennobodycouldbefoundwiththe skillsnecessaryforspecifc roleina particularsector.

It’samarkedshiftinthe recruitmentlandscape that’sdrivenbynecessity,butitalsocreates opportunity–bothfortheemployerstobring intalentedpeopletheymightnototherwise havelookedat,andforworkerswhoare lookingtotakeanewdirectionintheircareer.

14 RECRUI TM EN T

To closethatgap,startbyensuringcontinuous learningisingrainedinyourculturetohelp bothattractand retaingoodstaff.Thereare manywaystosupportcontinuouslearning, frominvestinginformal,face-to-facetraining, onlinecourses,orallowingemployeesthe timetoshadowcolleaguesorattendindustry seminars.

Ishiringforpotentialthe newnormalincertainsectors?

Thecompanyhasambitiousgrowthplans having recentlyintroduced a new robotics divisionand,alongsidethe recyclingarm,are drivingforward throughinnovation.Inan episodeofthe UlsterBusiness podcastfocusing onSMEs,Josephspokeaboutthechallenges businessesnowfaceandRe-Gen’s attitudeto resilience. “Problemstousare opportunitiestolook closelyatthebusiness,tryandmakeithealthier andmore efﬁcient.Extracosts,forexample, focusthemindandhelppeoplebeassharpas possible,”hesaid.

HOMEGROW N BU SI NE SS HMHomegrown2022:

Shiningalightonthestrength ofourleadingSMEs T

“Through a difﬁcultperiodinworldhistory, the ‘justgettingonwithit’attitudeofourSMEs neverceasestoamazemeandit’s something weseetimeandtimeagain.

“AtHarbinsonMulholland,wefeltitwas importantto recognisethisandshine a light onthoselargestemployerswhoinour Top 50 alone,employmore 10,000peopleacrossNI.” Re-GenGrouptoppedthisyear’s campaign, currentlyemploying300peopleattheirbase inNewry Setupbythreesiblingsafterkitchen tableconversations,Joseph,AidanandColin Dohertytookexperiencefromworkingin theirfather’s constructionbusinessandhave developedoneofEurope’s mostadvanced materials recoveryfacilities.

TheHomegrown Top 50wasdevelopedin partnershipwithUlsterUniversity’s DrIan Smyth. UlsterBusiness spoketoJosephDoherty alongsideDarrenMcDowell,Harbinson Mulholland,andDrIanSmyth,Ulster University, todiscussthebigissuesfacingour SMEsector ■ You canlistentotheepisodeofTheUlster BusinessPodcastonSpotify, Appleor SoundCloud.

IntheﬁrstoftheHomegrownserieswith HarbinsonMulholland,welookat Waste,adynamicfamily-ownedrecyclingandwastemanagementbusiness We can’tjuststop becauseofincreased costsandalltheexternal issueswearefacingas abusinessbecauseour industryisn’tstopping. JosephDoherty, Re-GenGroup

Re-Gen

heHMHomegrown Top 50campaign showcasestheleadingemployers withinourSMEsectorwhichwere foundedand remainheadquarteredin Northern Ireland.

SEPT15 EM BE R 2022

Theinnovativeaccountancy ﬁrmintroducedthe campaignto recognisethosebusinesseswhich theyworkwitheveryday, asseniorpartner DarrenMcDowellexplains.

“The2008downturn wheninternational bankingwasfailing,andexportingwas difficult wehadtolearn more aboutour businessinthattimethanintheprevious five years.” Hard work,entrepreneurshipandknowledge havehelpedthe Top 50businessesgrowinto respectedlocalandinternationallyacclaimed organisationswhichhavemaintained a commitmenttoNorthern Irelandandits people,manyofwhich fly undertheradarand justgetonwithdoingbusiness.Celebrating thestrengthandinnovationacrossourprivate sectorissomethingweshouldallembrace.

heNorthernIrelandheadofPwC hassaidthatdroppingitstraditional entry requirementofa2:1degree for recruitscouldenticeNIstudents studyinginGreatBritainto returnhome.

“Theseniorjobswhichaskforadegree sometimesruleoutabsolutelywonderful candidateswhocandothejob,”shesaid. “Andyoucanhavesomeonewhohaslots ofqualifcationsbutnotalotofnous.Ionce workedwithatechcompanywhichonlytook frsts.Butit’snotlikethatanymore,andifyou requireadegreeasanemployer,it’snotso muchabouttheclassifcation.”

PharmaceuticalfrmAlmac,whichisbased inCraigavon,saidithadmorethan120job typesand1,800vacancies.Qualifcation requirementsforitsjobsrangefromGCSEand A-levelthroughtodegreeandPhD.

16 NE WS PwCdropping2:1degree requirement‘couldentice studentshome’

“Droppingthe2:1willgiveussomuchmore eligibility. We’veestimatedthatatanational levelit’sgoingtobearound70,000more studentsayear,andahugepercentageofthat willcomefromNI.

JoanneMcAuley,apartneratheadhuntingfrm ClarendonExecutive,alsowelcomedPwC’s move.

NorthernIreland regionalmarketleaderCat McCuskerdescribedthemoveas“amassive recruitmentopportunity”.

“Weareproudofthevariouswaysinwhich employeescanadvancetheirqualifcations duringtheircareerwithus,whetherthatbe throughourhigherlevelapprenticeships, ourAlmacAccelerateprogrammeorAlmac’s learninganddevelopmentinitiatives.”

Theprofessionalservicesfrm,whichhas around3,500staffinNI,hassaidit’s removing ‘the2:1orabove’stipulationforgraduatejobs intheUKtoopenits rolesuptoagreaterpool oftalent.

“StudentsinNIhavebeenexportedalotto GreatBritain,andakeystatistichassaidthatif yougetthreeCsinyourA-levelshere,youonly havea15%chanceofgettingintooneofour universities.Droppingthe2:1barrierisagreat opportunitytogetpeoplebacktoNIwholeft tostudyelsewhere.

“Talentpotentialismuchmorethanacademic grades.Thekeythingswe’renowworking acrossareeverythingfromforensicstocyber security–andalotofthoseareas,andthe newworldofaudit,takeaverydifferentskill set.”

MsMcCuskerhasa2:1inbusinessandlaw andsaidshetookanearlyknockinhercareer whenshewas rejectedbyPwCinBelfast, beforebeingtakenonbyitsoffceinDublin.

■ PwCisremovingentry requirementofa2:1 degreeforrecruitsand hopesitcouldbring studentsbacktoNI,writes MargaretCanning PwC’snewBelfastoffcesatMerchantSquare

“IhavegrowthambitionsforPwCtobecloser to5,000staffinNIby2025andalotofthatis goingtocomefromourgraduates.

GordonMilligan,deputychiefexecutiveof TranslinkandchairoftheInstituteofDirectors inNI,saidPwCwas“absolutelydoingtheright thing”.

“Formanyyoungpeople,thetypical routeinto professional rolesviauniversityisn’tanoption, ordoesn’tsuittheirlearningstyle,andperhaps thevocation routesuitsthembest.While thereisadefniteneedto recruitdirectlyfrom universities,employerswhoonlyusethis route arelosingoutontalent.”

Aspokeswomansaidthatforitsdegreelevel rolesit“rarely”stipulatesadegree classifcation.

BarclayCommunications is Tayto’sgo-toformobileandﬁxed-lineconnections, asithasbeenformorethan15years.UlsterBusinessspeakstothetelecoms business’sfounder BrittMegahey and Tayto’sheadofgroupsystemsand infrastructure ChristopherMilligan aboutthe‘seamless’integrationintoits business,thepersonaltouchandBarclayCommunications’continuedexpansion andgrowthtrajectory BarclaysCommunications’15-year relationshipwithoneofNorthern Ireland’s mosticonicbrandsand businesses, Tayto,isbuiltonseamless integrationandpersonaltouch. As a majorplayerinthecommunicationssector, BrittMegahey’s BarclayCommunicationshas Barclay Communications: Continuing to grow a seamless relationship with anNIicon

“We havebeenworkingwithChristopherand theleadershipteamfor15yearsandit’s been a great relationshipforus. We havewatched andsupportedeachotherthroughsigniﬁcant growthandchangeoverthemanyyearsof partnership.”

18 COVE R STORY

forged a strong,long-term relationshipwith snacksgiant Tayto anorganisationthathas itself,growninto a huge£200mbusiness acrossmultiplesitesand a global reach.

ChristopherMilliganis Tayto’s groupsystems

“The Taytobrandis a greatonetobe associatedwithandoneofthestrongestin Northern Ireland,”Brittsays.

andinfrastructure manager, andhasworked side-by-sidewithBarclayCommunicationsfor more than15years.

SEPT19 EM BE R 2022 COVE R STORY

BarclayCommunicationsoperatesacross a rangeofareas,withmobileatitsheart. Alongsidethisisits VoIP(VoiceoverInternet Protocol)products,feldservicesoftware, WorkPalandITproductsandmanagement.

Andit’s thepersonaltouchandthelittlethings whichhavehelpedstrengthenandcontinueon thatburgeoning relationshipbetweenBarclay Communicationsand Taytoovertheyears.

“We havealwaysbuiltBarclayCommunications withourcustomersattheforefrontofany decisionmaking,”Brittsays.

“We had a chatwithBarclayCommunications andexplainedwhatwewere lookingto achieve,”Christophersays.

“There was a bitofhesitancyatfrstaswe hadpreviouslybeendealingwiththenetworks directly, butwe realisedveryquicklyBarclay

Hesaysthecrispandsnackbusinesswas goingthroughacquisitionsandhadbeen jumpingfromsupplier-to-supplier, when seeking a newdeal,before turningtoBarclay Communications.

“It’s excitingtowatchourclientsgrow throughouttheyears,whileutilisingour products.” BarclayCommunicationsis Tayto’s dependency foritsmobileneeds,acrossmultiplesites andthroughoutalldepartmentswithinthe business. “ThetransitiontoBarclayCommunications wasseamless,”Christophersays.“Theaccount managementteamisfantasticatproblem solving. “AtthetimewhenwemovedtoBarclay Communicationswewere muchsmaller, operatingas a £23mbusiness.Bytheendofan eight-yearacquisitionprocessitwassittingat £200m.There hasbeenmassivegrowth. “DealingwiththeteamatBarclay Communicationsisanenjoyableprocess.Itwas refreshingtobeabletosay‘here’s myproblem’ andhavingthem respondwith‘we’llfxitfor you’.” Tayto’s relationshipwithBarclay Communicationsstartedoff with100mobile phoneconnections.Butinthe15yearssince,it hasevolvedtoinclude500connectionsacross mobile,tabletandfxed-line. Thatincludesconnectionsforstaff whomay service a vendingmachinewith a data-only package,rightuptoitschieffnancialoffcer andshareholders,oneofwhomuses a 5Gplan forhishomebroadbandduetoits reliability andcost-effectiveness. Pairedwiththathands-onanddirectaccess, Christophersays:“Inonecase a memberof theBarclayteamactuallydrovetoouroffcesin TandrageetoprovidesamedaySIMactivation. “Whathasbeenevidentwiththispartnershipis thatBarclayCommunicationshasactuallytaken thetimetolearn aboutourbusinessandwhat weneed.InNorthern Ireland a lotofbusiness isbaseduponthepeopleyouare dealingwith, andit’sa credittoBrittandtheteamwhich hehasdeveloped.Theywanttosolveyour problemsandgivetheirbest.Aswehave

ChristopherMilliganof Taytoand BrittMegahey,founderofBarclay Communicationsat TaytoCastle >

Communicationscouldhelpusachieveour goals.”

intechnologywhichwillhelppushbusinesses forward byfveto10years.

“Companiesare nowveryexperiencedin utilisingsoftware suchasZoomandMicrosoft Teams.It’s greattoseeinvestmentbeingmade

Thedemandforservicessuchas WorkPal, meansBarclayCommunicationsisnow sellingintoglobalmarkets,includingtheUS, alongwiththeintroductionofnewlinesand products.

Brittsays:“We are heavilyinvestedinproviding thebestpossiblecustomerservice.It’s what makesusdifferenttotheothertelecoms businesses. We valueserviceovereverything, anditcontinuestoshow Onaverage,our customershavebeenwithusforovernine years.That’s more thanfourcontractterms. Referralsandword ofmouthhavehelpedus towinsomemajorcontractsandweare very thankfulforthis. “We haveanindustrylowchurn rate.That comesdownto a multitudeof reasons,service beingonebutalsowedeliveronwhatwe promoteandsell,thesalesteamcontinueto performfantasticallybyprovidingwholesome adviceandsolutions.Addtothatcontinued investmentindevelopingtheinfrastructure andsystemswehaveinordertohandlethe demandofourcustomersinboththepublic andprivatesectorofallsizesanddemands. “Iamveryproudoftheexperiencescustomers suchasChristopherat Taytohas receivedandit drivesmyselfandtheteamtokeepraisingthe bar.”

■

“Fixedlinehasbecome a verybigpartof ourbusinessandwillcontinuetobeatthe forefront,withtheswitchoff ofISDNby 2025. WorkPalalsocontinuestogrowat a phenomenalrateforus,withnosignof slowingdown addtothistheimpeccable workthatourfedgingITteamdeliver, wehave neverbeenin a betterplacetofullymanage ourcustomerscompletetechinfrastructure.”

“As a telecomsandsoftware companywehave seenanaccelerationinpeople’s thinkingand adoptionofnewtypesoftechnology, ourgoal istoensure ourproductsuiteandteamare the verybest,”Brittsays.

“We havebeenlookingatexpandingour offcesintotheUS,”Brittsays.“We are also startingtosellourfxed-lineservicesintothe RepublicofIreland,whichisanothernew marketforus,andwehavelotsofnewideas andproductscomingtothemarketwhichjoin mobile,ITandfxed-linetogether.”

BarclayCommunicationscontinuestopave thewayas a leaderinbusiness-to-business ITandtelecommunications,offering a host ofproductstocompaniesandorganisations acrosstheUKandIreland,servicingprestigious accountssuchastheUniversityofCambridge, WelshParliamentandover25housing associationsacrosstheUK. ThebusinessnowoperatesoffcesinBelfast, GlasgowandLondon.

BrittMegahey,founderofBarclay CommunicationsandChristopher Milliganpicturedat TaytoCastle grownas a businessourneedshavetooand theyseemto relishthechallengeandsucceed ateveryopportunity.” Brittsaysthecompanyiscontinuingon a periodofgrowthwhichhasseenitexpandits offcespace, reachandthemarketswhichit sellsinto. “We havejustopenedouroffceinLondon whichwillprimarilyfocusonour WorkPal product,andouroffceinGlasgowcontinues todeliverimpressive results,”hesays.

In recentyears,companieshavebegunto maketheintegrationoftechnology a priority Theimportanceofoffering remoteorhybrid workingand a smarter, more fexiblewayof doingbusinesshashad a majorimpacton businesseslong-terminvestments.

AndBrittsaysdeep-rooted relationshipswith companiessuchas TaytoandtheUniversity ofCambridge remainkeyinattractingthe attentionofnewcustomers. “Ifthelikesof a hugebrandlike Taytocan puttheirfaithinus,itgivesotherclientssome comfortandhelpsdeveloptrustinourbrand also,”Brittsays. “WithCambridge,there are nowaround 6,000connections.Theyhadalwaysdealtwith networksdirectlybefore movingtous.Similar to Tayto,theteamcontinuestoshowthekey differencesindealingwith a businessthatcares anddelivers.” Christophersayshe’s abletopickupthephone andspeaktohislong-termcontactsatBarclay Communications,directly “It’s seamless,”he says.“Aswehavegrown,Stewart,alongside Donnaandherteamhavegrownwithus. Thewholeteamhavemanagedouraccount incrediblywellforthe15yearswehavebeen a customerofBarclays.Theycontinuetoprovide a servicewithgreatattentiontodetail,from renewalnegotiationstodelivery.”

OneofBarclayCommunications’other strengthsisthatitisn’t tiedtooneparticular networkandisabletosellproductsto customersutilisingthewideswatheof connectionsoutthere. “Youcouldbeinoneplacewhere one mobilenetworkisfantastic,andanother couldbeterrible,”Christophersays.“Barclay Communicationsgivesustheoptiontomixand match,dependingonwhatweneed.”

20 COVE R STORY

“Christopher’s experienceis a credittothe teamwehaveandhowpassionatetheyshare ourvisiontodeliverthebest.”

FollowingtheUKGovernment’s introductionof theNIProtocolBill,inwhichitwishestomake amendmentstotheProtocolwithouttheEU, some relationshipshavetaken a turn. ButaccordingtoDrAnthonySoares,director oftheCentre forCrossBorderStudies,things are onlygettingstartedwiththeNIProtocol. Hesaysanychangesshouldbedonebetween theUKandEU,thatthenorth-southissue isn’t fxed,issuesnow remaininareassuchas insuranceand recognitionofqualifcationsand thatNorthern Irelandcould“becomeisolated” intermsofconnectionsand relationswithboth theRepublicandGB.

It wouldn’t surpriseyoutohear thatnew researchnowshowsthat relationsandtheco-operationofsome organisationshasdeterioratedinthelast fewweeks.

“Inthefrstquarterof2021themajorityview wasthepoliticalcontexthaddeteriorated

DrSoaresstartedwiththecentre backin2014, havingjoinedfromQueen’s Universitywhere hewas a lecturer Hebecamedirectorofthe organisationin2020.

TheNIProtocolisa‘long-termthing’andanychangestoitcannotbe doneunilaterally,accordingto DrAnthonySoares,directorofthe CentreforCrossBorderStudies.Hespeaksto JohnMulgrew about waningrelationsnorthtosouthandeasttowest,theissuesremainingfor staffandbusinesseshereandconcernsNIcouldbecome‘isolated’

HoweverDrSoaressaystheimpressionthat north-south relationsandtradeaccessissewed upandthattheissuenowjustliesbetween Northern IrelandandGBisnotthecase.

“Oneexampleofthatisthatmany organisationsare havingdiffcultygetting cross-borderinsurance liability, indemnity, professionalindemnity Itisraisingdiffculties. Anotherisin relationtothe recognitionof professionalqualifcations.”

“Butinsayingthatwhatwehavealsoseenis thefactthere is a perceptionthatthenorthsouthaccessissortedandtheproblemnow restsonaneast-westbasis. “Thatdoesn’t really relatetothe reality One thingwhichisforgottenistheNIProtocol allowsaccessforgoodsbutnotforservices.

22 IN FOC US

Organisational relations

“Fromthenonthemajority responsewasthat contexthadstabilised,untilthelastquarter, endingJuly, whenweagainsawthemajority viewwas responsesdeterioratedfurther “ThatcoincidedwiththeNIProtocolBilland theimpactthathadbetweentheUKandEU, LondonandDublin.”

“Sincethefrstquarteroflastyearwehave beendoing a quarterlysurvey,”DrSoaressays. Thatwastoqueryandprobewhatimpact Brexithassofarhadontheco-operationof organisations,bothnorth-southandeast-west.

northand south‘have deteriorated’ sinceNI ProtocolBill

DrSoaressaysanotherareabeinghitisthe accesstocertain researchfundingforNorthern Ireland-basedorganisations. “Thathashamperedtheabilityto research,”he says.“Someorganisationswhichare all-island are beingforcedtomove researchfromnorth tosouth,particularlywhere healthmightbe

signifcantly,”hesaid.“Itunderpinsthe relations.

“Thathasstartedtohavesomeconsequences fororganisationswhichare involvedinnorthsouthandeast-westco-operation.

Theorganisationwassetupin1999inthe wakeoftheGoodFridayAgreement a year earliertosupportandpromotebettercooperationbetweenthejurisdictions,northand south. “We alsosupportandadvocatebetween islandofIrelandandGB,andworkwithother organisationsacrossEurope,”DrSoaressaid.

“Ourpositionisnounilateralactionshouldbe taken,”hesays.“Solutionscanonlybefound throughjointagreementfromtheUKandEU, involvingstakeholdersfromNorthern Ireland andtheRepublicofIreland.

“Withthenewimmigrationpolicy, theyno longerhavefreedomofmovement.”

“Ithasbeenthecaseforyearsandthatwill onlycontinue,”hesays.“[Itwill]particularly acceleratewithcompaniesbasedinNorthern Irelandhavingaccesstothesinglemarket,and alsotheUK’s internalmarket.”

Turningtothesuccessofcross-border businesses,as a recentsurveyfrom InterTradeIrelandshowthosefrmssellingnorth andsouthwere twiceaslikelytobeingrowth mode,DrSoaressaysthat“precedesBrexitand theProtocol”.

“Intermsofthatelementofcross-border mobility, wehavestartedtoencounter diffculties relatedtothesouthern sideofthe border thosewhoare notIrishorUKcitizens.

Andwith18,000workersand5,200students crossingthebordereachday, DrSoaressays opennessis“essentialforbusinessesand workers”.

SEPT23 EM BE R 2022 IN FOC US involvedandtheyhavetobringinexpertsfrom theEU.

Theorganisationishostingitsannual conferenceinDundalklaterthismonth. Theeventaimstobringtogether a range ofkeydecisionandpolicy-makers,leading academics,civilsociety representativesand commentatorsattheCrownePlaza. Askedonwhere theorganisationsitson theprospectof a unitedIrelandandwhen orif a referendumcouldbecalled,Dr Soaressaid:“We asanorganisationhave nopositionontheconstitutionalspaceof Northern Ireland,beyondthatoftheGood FridayAgreement.It’s uptothepolitical partiesandpeopleofNorthern Ireland.”

DrSoaressayshislong-termconcern isthat Northern Irelandcould“becomeisolated” intermsofconnectionsand relationswith boththeRepublicandGB. “Northern Irelandcouldeffectivelybe placedwithintwoborders north-south andeast-westasotherjurisdictionsfocus ontheirgreaterprioritiesandfocuslesson NI…there are someindicationscoming through.” DrAnthonySoares

AndontheNIProtocolandinparticulartheUK Government’s Billwhichaimstomakechanges toitwithoutEUinvolvement,DrSoaresthat approachis“notthewaytofnd a solution”.

“Inourview[theBill]isnotthewaytofnd a solution, a permanentsolution.Fromourpoint ofviewtheNIProtocolis a long-termthing. Issueswillariseandsolutionswillhavetobe foundandsolved,jointly.”

“TheProtocolisinIreland,notjustNorthern Ireland.Thenorth-southdimensioncanonlybe foundbyinvolvingbothjurisdictions,andthe east-westdimensionwiththoseinGB.

“Forbusinessesinthatpositionthere is uncertainty Businessesdon’t likeuncertainty.”

■

UlsterBank’sRhonda McClellandand RichardLaffertyof Aquaholics

“We are basedonthenorthcoastandoperate a fvestardivingcentre,”Richard says.That includesdivingfor a hostoflevels,alongwith a widerangeandraftofboattoursforboththe domesticandinternationaltourismmarket.

Tourscanbescheduledorwould-bevisitors canjoinothers.Richard saysmanyofthose availingofthetoursare fromoutside ofNorthern Ireland,bookingprivate charters.“We can reallycaterthetripto

heGamesofThroneseffecthas madeitswayinto a wideswathe oftourismofferingsrightacross Northern Irelandsinceitfrstairedmore than a decadeago. AndRichard Laffertyhasbeenferryingtourists, andlocalsalike,aroundsomeofthefantasy drama’s best-knownhotspotsforyearsas partofhisAquaholicsbusiness,basedin Portstewart. Howeverthebusinessisalso,andhasbeen foryears, a top,fvestardivingcentre,as wellas a burgeoningfrmofferingupboat tripsthroughoutIrelandandasfarafeldas Scotland.

“We alsohavevarioustoursbyboat behind thescenesonhowthingswere made.”

we’ve[somuch]onthenorthcoast the geology, wildlife,moviesandtelevision.”

“We alsoprovideboattransfersandtripsto placessuchastheScottishislands bothfor pleasure andforcommercial.” Richard formedthefrmaround25yearsago andinthattimehascontinuedtogrowand expand,alongsideitsbankingpartnerUlster Bank. That’s seenhiminvestin a rangeofnewboats overtheyearsasthebusinesscontinuedto grow “Businessdiversityhassomanyfactorsas

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

Atouchoffreand whiskyhelpingtourism setsailinthenorthcoast

RichardLafferty hasbeenrunninghisdivecentreandboattourbusinessfor25 years,withhelpfrom UlsterBank,andsaysbusinessisbacktopre-Covidlevels, andbeyond,withtourismdrawssuchasaGameofThronestoursplayingtheirpart

suitallneeds,”Richard says. Anotherareawhichhe’s expandedinisday tripstoScottishislandsuchasIslayandIona.

We knowfromexperiencethatwhenconsumersbegintotightentheir belt,theydosoinareassuchas retailandhospitality.Mealsout,trips awayandnewoutftsbecomehardertojustifywhenthereisasqueeze ondisposableincome,andmanywilltrytoforegotheselittletreatsin ordertocovertheessentials.

“Alotofourlocals realisedwhattheyhaveon theirdoorstep there area lotmore activities.

Rhonda McClelland

“We are aboveCovidlevelsnowandlastyear wasextremelybusy We are fatoutatthe moment.” Richard andhiscompanyhasalsoworked closelywithUlsterBankovertheyearswhenit comestoinvestingandexpanding. “We’vebeenwithUlsterBankforsometime andtheyhavehelpeduswithinvestinginnew boatsandfacilities we’veboughtbetween nineand10boatsovertheyears.Thecustomer requirementsgethigherandhighersoweget asmuchoutoftheboatsaspossible.”

SEPT25 EM BE R 2022 BU SI NE SS SHOWCA SE WI TH UL ST ER BA NK

SowhatmightthismeanforthemanySMEsinthesesectors? Working aroundthenorthcoastarea,Iunderstandtheimportanceofthetourism sectorandseedailythenumberofjobsandlivelihoodsitsupports.ButI Smallbusinesses aredrivingforce ofeconomy

Thebankhasmadeacommitmentnottomakeanyincreasesto publishedfeesforbusinesscurrentaccountsforthenext12months andislookingatsectorialsupportwhereitismostneeded,forexample agriculturecustomerswhoarefacingextremeimpactsonsupplycosts andproftmargins. Inthemidstofallofthechallenges,wearealsofocusedonsupporting ourcustomerstolookforopportunitiesandwanttoensurethatas manySMEsaspossiblecan realisethebottom-linebeneftsofcarbon reductioneffortsandinnovation. Assuch,wehaveloweredthethresholdforourGreenLoanoffering meaningthatevenmorebusinessescanaccessthefundingtheyneedto supporttheirtransitiontomoresustainablebusinesspractices, reducing costsinthelongterm.

“Ithasenabledustogofurther forthe distilleries,bird watching. We candothosein a daytrip.”

■

SMEs,suchasRichardandhisteamatAquaholics,arethedriving forceofoureconomyinNorthernIrelandandUlsterBankbelievesit hasaclear roletoplayinsupportingthesecustomers.Asthesituation progresses,wewillcontinuetomonitorandanticipatetheirneeds, ensuringthatwehavetherightmeasuresinplacetoprovidemeaningful helpforwhatmatters.

alsoseethechallengesthesebusinessesarefacing,particularlyinterms ofrisingenergycosts. Whilewehaveyettoseeanincreaseinthenumberofbusiness customerswhoarecontactingusforhelp,thereisnodoubtthat manyarefndingthingstough.Ourparent,NatWestGroup, recently announcedapackageofsupporttohelpwiththerisingcostofliving anditiswelcometoseethatthisincludesanumberofmeasuresfor businesscustomers. Acrossthegroup,morethan2.7millionpersonalandbusinessbanking customershavebeenproactivelycontactedandofferedsupportand informationonthecostofliving. We havelaunchedanonlineCostof Livinghubtoshare resourcesandtoolsandtoinformcustomersofthe rangeofsupportavailabletothemthroughthebankandourpartner organisations.

“We investedin a newboatin2021andit’s ideaforthejourney,”Richard says.“Ithas14 suspensionseatsandissheltered.Italsohas heating,air-conditioningand a toilet.

Theformerishometosomeoftheworld’s greatestwhiskyproducersandthefrmprovides a signifcantlyquickerwayofgettingthere.

hecontinuedriseinthecostoflivingisimpactingpeople, families,andbusinessesacrossNorthernIrelandinaway havenotseenbefore.Therateofinfationhasbroken doubledigitsandasweapproachthewintermonths,thereisno doubtthatpressuresarebuilding.

ByRhondaMcClelland,businessdevelopmentmanager, UlsterBank

AndRichard saysthetourismmarkethas defnitely returned,evensurpassingprepandemiclevels. “Covidchangedthemarket a lot,”hesays.

“We’reontargetfor10new[UK]storesin 2022andwillcontinuetopushforwardin 2023,”itsaid.“Getintouchwithoneofour agentsforfurtherdetails.”

Theﬁrm’sstoresarenotoperatedundera franchisesystem,but remainownedandrun bytheentiregroup.

Itisfouryearssinceadevastatingfire gutted thebuilding.The retailerhasnowsaidthe newfive-floor renovatedshopwill reopenin thefirstweekofNovemberandwillbe76% biggerthantheoldstore.

EconomistEoinMagennisoftheUlster UniversityEconomicPolicyCentrehassaidthe exampleoftwoshoppingcentresinanother townshowedthatthecentrewithaPrimark hadmuchhigherfootfall,whichalsospilled outtobeneﬁtothershopsandbusinesseslike cafes.

German-ownedDeichmanniscurrentlyon thehuntforitsﬁrststorelocationshere.The ﬁrmsaysitistargetingnewstoresopeningin NorthernIrelandandotherpartsoftheUK.

Deichmannhasbeenafamilybusinesssince 1913,beginninginEssenmorethan100years ago.

Thatincludeshigh-endfashionstoreFlannels, whichopenedinHouseofFraserinBelfast shortlybeforethestartofthepandemic.

■

ByJohnMulgrew

DeichmannisGerman-ownedand Europe’slargestfootwearretailer 26

Businessesinthecityarehopingitcandrawin morecustomersandenticebignamesbackto ourcapital’smainshoppingarea.

Itisworkingwithcommercialpropertyﬁrm Savillstoseekoutlocationsforstoresherein NorthernIreland.

Meanwhile,food-on-the-gobrandssuchas GreggsandCanadiancoffeeanddoughnut chain TimHortonshaveexpandedrapidlyright acrossNorthernIreland. Andwhile retailhassufferedduetoadropin

Thecompanyalreadyhasahostofstores acrossthe restoftheUK,withmorethan100 inEngland,11inScotlandandsixin Wales. Theoverallgroupgeneratesabouthalfof itsturnoverabroad,andoperatesacross31 countries.DespitebeingEurope’slargestshoe retailer,thecompanycontinuestobefamilyownedandrun.

Thecompanysaysithasstartedconversations withlandlords regardingshoplocationshere, buttherearenodetailedplansastowhatits storefootprintcouldlooklike.

footfallasa resultoftheCovid-19pandemic, alongwithfewerpeopleworkingfull-timein ourtownsandcitycentre,the reopeningof Primark’sﬂagshipstoreintimeforChristmasis expectedtobeamuch-needboonforBelfast.

RE TA IL Europe’sbiggestfootwear retailereyeingNIstores E

ItisthelatestUKandinternationalbrand tomoveintotheNorthernIrelandmarket, followingseverallargeandsigniﬁcant announcementsoverthelastfewyears.

urope’slargestfootwear retaileris settingupshopinNorthernIreland fortheﬁrsttime, UlsterBusiness can reveal.

Theﬁrmisa retailgiant,employingmore than40,000staffandwithaglobal reachand footprint.

Deichmanndoesnotproduceitsownshoes butsellsbignamebrandssuchasAdidas,Nike andPuma.

Theﬁrmalsosaysitusesa‘rack room’concept foritsstorelayout,withallbrands,styles, coloursandsizesofshoeondisplay.

“We are alsoabletoprovidebespoketraining forthosewhoare newandwanttogoabout settinguptheirbusiness,”Jimsays.

InsidethenewFlexi SpaceatCookstown EnterpriseCentre

Thisyearitmarksthreedecadesofproviding a suiteofsupportservicestomicro andsmall businesslocally CookstownEnterpriseCentre isoneof28acrossNorthern Irelandandoneof theleadingdevelopmentsofitskindhere.

Partofthatevolutionhasmeantadaptingand changingtodemands,withentrepreneursand micro businessesalsoturningincreasinglyto fexibleandco-workingoffcespace,postlockdown.

SEPT EM BE R 2022

“We are abletoprovidethatincubationfor businesses it’s abouthelpingcompaniesget off theground.” ■ For more information visit www.fexispace.cookstownenterprise.com

CookstownEnterpriseCentre hasplayedits partoverthelast30yearsinassistingand developing a hostofinnovativebusinesses acrossthesectors someofwhichhavegrown intogiantsofindustryhelpingputthe region onthemap.

ThenewFlexiSpaceoffersfexidesks,private offcespaceandcasualmeetingareasfor individualsandsmallstart-ups.Jimsays CookstownEnterpriseCentre hascreated a modern onlinebookingandpaymentsystemfor easeofuseforitscustomers.

27 EN TE RP RI SE

“We are here toassistbusinessstart-upand development,”JimEastwood,generalmanager ofCookstownEnterpriseCentre says.

ookstownandMidUlster’s business credentialsare clearwhenyou take a goodlookatthebreadthof industryleadingfrmswhichcontinueto emergefromthearea.

“We realisedthatthingswere happening throughthepandemicanditbecameobvious thatworkingclosetohomewashere forthe foreseeablefuture,”Jimsays. “Whatwehavedoneisdevelop a high-end, professionalspace,across1,500sqftandwithin a newly-refurbishedandbespokemodern environment.”

“We are encouragingemployerstoletpeople workclosetotheirhomeinCookstownin a professionalenvironment,ratherthantravelling hourstoworkinBelfast.Itworksforthe employerandtheemployee.” CookstownEnterpriseCentre workswith a hostofdifferentsectors,manyofwhich employfewerthan10staff.Jimsayssomeof itsmembershavegoneontobecomeglobal industryleaders. ThatincludesCookstown’s CDEGlobal –a wet-processingmanufacturinggiantboasting turnoverinexcessof£60m.

Now, thecentre isexpandingfurtherand meetingburgeoningdemandsforfexible workspacesforindividualsandcompaniesofall shapesandsizes.

There’sa naturalchurn ofcompanieswhich cometoCookstownEnterpriseCentre andthen expandintotheirown,largerpremises. Themanageralsosaysthecompanywishes toexpanditsindustrialspaceandhasalso investedin residentialpropertyinCookstown centre– playingitspartinhelpingtoget peoplebackintothetownitself.

CookstownEnterpriseCentre: fexibilityandnurturingbusinesstalent C

“We helppeoplewhohaveanideaand wanttobecomeself-employed. We provide themwith a uniquebundle,including a diversepropertyportfolioacrossfvesitesin Cookstown,including retail,manufacturing, warehousingandoffcespace weare all aboutspace.”

28 RE TA IL

TheShoreRoadstorehadbeenclosedfor ninemonthssothatitcouldbeexpanded intoalargersupermarketwithglass-fronted glazing,landscaping,morecarparkingand improvedaccessfromShoreRoad.Another 11staffhavebeenaddedtotheexisting workforceof22.

ermandiscountsupermarketchain Lidlhas reopenedits revamped storeinnorthBelfastfollowingan investmentof£4m.

Lidlhassaiditwantstoextenditsexisting networkof41storesto50.

“I’mdelightedtofnallyopenthedoorsto thenewLidlShoreRoadstoreandwelcome shopperstoenjoyanunrivalledin-store experience. We’realsopleasedtowelcome

■

Lastyear,twonewstoresopenedatHolywood ExchangeandHillviewRetailPark.Anothertwo aretobefnishedatCastlereaghRoadineast Belfast,alongwiththefrstLidlstoreplanned forsouthBelfastatBoucherRoad.

LidlNorthernIrelandisalsoplanningtocreate abrandnewstoreinColerainenextyear, creating18additionallocaljobsaspartofa majortransformationofits retailestateacross the region.

Meanwhilethechainhasnowlodgedafull

anadditional11newmembersofstafftoour existingteamandgrowourworkforcelocally.”

Lidl’snewstoreontheShoreRoad

TheShoreRoadstoreisthethirdtobe completedbyLidlaspartofawider£32m investmenttoopenfvenewstoresinBelfast.

“Sinceplanningpermissionwasgrantedin Octoberlastyear,we’vebeenworkingatpace todeliverafreshnewstoreforshoppersand alsoenhancethefacilitiesandfaçadeofthe site,”storemanagerBenCrawfordsaid.

Lidlopensnew£4mBelfaststore

planningapplicationto relocateand replace itsexistingstorewithintheRiversideRegional Centre retailandleisurecomplexwithan ambitiontoopenthenewstorelaternext year. Itsaysatleast18newjobswillbecreatedas partofthemultimillion-poundinvestment inthearea,addingtothe22teammembers alreadyemployedlocally.Around200 constructionjobswillalsobeneededduring thebuild. LidlNorthernIreland regionalproperty director,ChrisSpeers,said:“Wearedelighted tobeinvestingfurtherinColeraineandin thewider regionaspartofourcontinued growthandexpansionandlookforwardto continuingtoworkcloselywithCauseway CoastandGlensboroughcouncilandall ourstakeholdersacrosstheareawitha viewto realisingourambitionforadditional investmentandnewjobsinColeraine.”

Anotherpressureistherisingcostsofmaterials likesteel,lightingandcabling.“It’savery volatilesituation.Iknowaconcretecompany nearbywhoarecheckingsteelpricesevery day,”hesaid.

OnnavigatingBrexit,hesaidmostbusinesses inNorthernIrelandwereagainstitbutsaidhis companyhaslearnedtoadapttochange. “AnyonewouldknowtheProtocol arrangementsneedtweaked,butwebelieve there’samassiveopportunitythere. We see that. We wouldhaveaccesstoboththeUK andEUmarkets. “Thepotentialcan’tbeunderstated.I’m talkingtopeoplealloverEuropeaboutit. Ifthingsaresortedoutwiththeprotocol,

TonyShiversismanagingdirectorofPremier Electrics,whichoperatesrightacrosstheUK, IrelandandmainlandEuropeforclientslike Primark.

Thefrmwasstartedin1993,withthelast fnancial reportinJuly2021showingthere were88staffalongwithaturnoverof£36.6m withapre-taxproftof£2.6m.

Withrisingenergycostsaffectingbusinesses, hesaidthecompanyhasnowheavilyinvested ingreeninitiatives.

AprojecthasjustfnishedintheCzech Republicwithanothertwounderwayin Poland,oneinRomaniaandwithanotherdue tostartinBratislavainSeptember.

Sowedoprideourselvesindoingthat.

Duringthefrstyearofthepandemic,his companywasstillindemandforplentyof workthatwasclassifedasemergencyorvital.

heheadofamajorelectricworks companyinNorthernIrelandhas spokenaboutkeepingthelightson duringchallengingtimes.

30 IN TE RV IE W

“Iwouldsaythatwe’reanemployerofchoice. Duringlockdownifpeoplehadthingstodoat home,somepeoplewentonfurloughifthey hadchildrentolookafter.

‘Thepotential of theNI Protocol can’tbe overstated’ TonyShivers speaksto AllanPreston about thefutureofhisfrmPremierElectricsandthe ‘massiveopportunities’theprotocolbrings

Withalooming recessionandinterestrates ontherise,healsospokeaboutmaintaininga loyalcustomerbaseaspricessoarformaterials likesteel,lightingandcoppercabling.

Thiswasdownconsiderablyfromthe 2020fguresof£43.8mofturnoverand pre-taxproftof£4.7m.Thegroupsaid itsperformancehasbeenaffectedbythe outworkingsofBrexit,exchangeratevolatility andtheadverseimpactofthepandemic. Withthebusinessfor23years, Tonystartedoff asacontractsmanagerbeforeworkingupto the roleofmanagingdirector.

Thisincludesinstallingelectriccarcharging pointsattheheadoffcesinBellaghy,solar roofpanelsandheatpumps.

“Sowe’reverycautiousnowinourtendering process,tryingourverybesttogetcost certainty. We alwayskeepadialoguegoing withourclients.”

Onthechallengesoffndingtherightstaff, Tonysaidaphraseheheardduringthe pandemicsummeduphisapproach.

Mainlyservicingthehospitalityand retail sectors,thecompanyhaveamind-bogglingly busyschedule.Lastweekalone, Tonyvisited Galway,CorkandLimerick.

Thingsbecamemorechallengingin2021 assupplychainsweresloweddownacross Europe,but Tonysaidheishappytobeatfull speedagain.

“Iwastold‘you’llbe rememberedforhowyou lookafteryourstaffwhenyou’reintrouble’.

BasedinBellaghy,hesaystheNorthern IrelandProtocolcancreateopportunitiesfor businesses,buttheongoingstalemateat Stormontisscaringawayinvestors.

“Likeallbusinessesinthiscountry,fndingand retainingstaffcanbediffcult.Butmostofour staffarelong-term.

“Businessisgoodnowandwe’revery,very busythankgoodness.Thatbringsitsown challengesbutIcan’tcomplain.”

whereelsewouldyouwanttohaveyour headquarters?

“IthinktheBrexitandtheprotocoldebate hasbecometoopoliticised. We needtobe talkingabouthowweattractforeignand directinvestmenthere.”

“ThelackofaStormontExecutiveimpacts everythinglikecapitalexpenditure.I’monly talkingaboutbusiness,nevermindthehealth service,”hesaid.

“IfyoulookattheCommonwealthGamesand whatNorthernIrelandachieved,that’swhere wewanttobe.

“Someonetoldmeoncethat‘leaderslead’. We’vehadhardtimesbeforeandwe’ve alwayscomethrough.That’sjustabout knowingwhatdirectionyouwanttogoin. Everydaythere’schallenges,butyouneedto havesomepositivity.”

“TheExecutivehasalongwaytogoifthey’re evergoingtowinagoldmedalinpolitics.At thecurrentratewewouldn’tevenqualify.”

Theeconomyhereisalsopredictedtoshrink inthelastthreemonthsoftheyear,and continueonthattrenduntiltheendofnext year.

“Wetriedtopositionourselvesfnancially asbestwecouldoverthepasttwoyears,” Tonysaid.“I’mofanagewhereI remember interestratesbeing17%.Attheendofthe dayit’snoteasy,butwhatcanwedo?

■ TonyShivers

“There’saseriousknock-oneffecttothelocal economyandthatgoesfurtherdownstream. To behonest,itdoesnotmakeNorthern Irelandaveryappealingplace.

“We’reconstantlytryingtothinkifthere’s anythingwecando,itisworrying.Butwe’re sittingherenowwithabiggerpipelineofwork thanwehadbeforeCovid. “So,itisworryingbutwe’rejusttryingtoget onwithit. We’vebeenthroughtwoyearsof Covidwhichwasamassivechallenge.

“Nowwehavea recessioncoming,it’slike we’regettingbackintheboxingring,” Tony said.“Butwejusthavetogetofftheseatof ourpantsandstartpunchingagain.

Havingpreviouslyworkedthrougha recessionandapandemic, Tonysaidhis companyisconstantlytryingtobeas“agile” aspossiblewhen respondingtopressureson marketsacrosstheUKandEurope.

ThissummertheBankofEngland’sdeputy governor,DaveRamsden,saiditwaslikely interestrateswouldhavetogoevenhigher.

Lastmonth,theBankofEnglandraised interestratesbythebiggestamountin27 years,warningthattheUKwillfallinto recession.Interestratesincreasedto1.75%, withthebankstrugglingtokeepdownrising costswithinfationontracktogoover13%.

SEPT31 EM BE R 2022 IN TE RV IE W

Tonyislessglass-half-full,however,whenit comestotheongoingpoliticaldeadlockat Stormont.

orthernIreland’sprivatesectorhas sufferedyetanotherbodyblow with retailleadingacontinued summerdownturn,accordingtoanew survey. Julysawyetanotherlargefallinneworders andexports,with retailseeingthebiggest slump,followedbythemanufacturingsector. Andcustomerdemandiscontinuingtodrop whileinfationisleadingtofurthersharp reductionsinoutputbybusinesses,according toUlsterBank’spurchasingmanagers’index (PMI),producedbyS&PGlobal. Newordersweredown,infationratesare stillhighdespitesomeeasingbuttherewas anotherriseinemployment.

Respondentsstatedhigherfuelpricesis leadingtoincreasedtransportationcosts,while theyalso reportrisingwages.Employment increasedagain,continuingarunof17 months.

“Julywitnessedafurtherdeteriorationin localbusinessconditionswithbusiness activitycontractingatitsfastestpacein 17months. “OutsideoftheCovidpandemicand lockdown restrictions,July’srateof declineinbusinessactivitywasthe steepestsinceNovember2012. “Decliningmarketdemandis attributedtorisingprices.Andwhile theratesofinputcostandoutput priceinfationareeasing,they remain elevated. “Asa result,newordersfellforthe thirdmonthrunningand,when excludingthepandemic period,atthe fastest paceinoveradecade.Localfrmscited increasingdiffcultiesfndingworkinthe RepublicofIreland.” Hesaidthedropindemandwasbroadbased acrossallsectorswithservicesexperiencingthe smallestdeclinesinoutputandneworders.

Fallingnewordersandexpandedoperating capacityishelpingbusinessestoclear outstandingordersataveryquickplace,the surveyfound.

“Thisalso resultedinathirdsuccessivefallin neworders,withthelatestdeclinethefastest inayearandahalf.”

RichardRamsey,chiefeconomistwith UlsterBankinNorthernIreland,said“storm cloudscontinuetogather”in relationtothe economy.

■ 32 Richard Ramsey

Firmsoperatingintheservicesand constructionindustries remainpessimistic abouttheyearaheadwithbothsectors anticipatinglowerlevelsofactivitywithinthe next12months,accordingtothe report.

a“sharpcontraction”inoutput. Retailpostedthefastestdeclineinactivity, followedbyconstructionandthen manufacturing,accordingtothe report.The reductioninserviceswasthesoftestofthe fourbroadsectorscovered. “Whereoutputdecreased, respondentslinked thistotheimpactondemandofsharplyrising prices,”thesurveysaid.

ECONOMY NIbusinessdealtabodyblow asretailleadssummerdownturn

Accordingtothe report,thebusinessactivity indexdroppedto41.9inJuly,where50means nochange,downfrom42.9inJune, revealing

Positives remaininshortsupplyinthelatest survey.However,employmentcontinuestobe abrightspotwithallfoursectorsincreasing theirstaffnglevelsinJuly.

Thesurveyalsoshowedinfationinbothinput costsandoutputprices remainedelevatedin July,buttherearesignsofeasing.

“NorthernIrelandhouseholdsmaybebasking insunshinebutasfarastheeconomyis concernedstormcloudscontinuetogather,” MrRamseysaid.

“Retailsaleshaveplungedoverthelast threemonthsand retailersexpectsalestobe broadlyunchanged(attheselowerlevels)in12 months’time.”

“Perhapsunsurprisingly,giventhecostof-livingcrisis, retail recordedthesteepest declinesinsalesandorders,”MrRamseysaid.

“Despiteamarkeddropinordersin recent months,manufacturingistheonlysector forecastingapick-upinactivityinthat timeframe,”MrRamseysaid.

usinesseswhichtradecross-border are twiceaslikelytobeenjoying growthandexpansion, a new surveyhasshown.

SEPT33 EM BE R 2022 ECONOMY

“DespitethechallengesSMEsface,onthe whole,cross-bordertrade remains remarkably robustwith a higherpercentageofcompanies whoexportcross-border reportingproftability, growthandincreasedsalescomparedtotheir non-cross-bordertradingcounterparts,”Mr Robinsonsaid.

“InJanuarytoMay2022,Irishimporttrade withNorthern Irelandhasrisenbyanother €356m(£293m),23%,andIrishexportsto Northern Irelandhaverisenby€586m(£484m), 42%,comparedtothesameperiodin a year earlier.” Businessperformancehas remainedsteady despiterisingcostsandinfation.More than 80%ofallfrmsacrosstheislandare reporting growthofsometype,slightlydownfromthe previousquarter “There is a noteofcaution,however, forthe leisure,hotelandcateringsector, whichhas experienced a more challengingtimethan most,with42%nowexperiencing a drop insalescomparedto23%lastquarter,”the reportfound.

Cross-bordertradingfrms‘twice aslikelytobeingrowthmode’

Fouroutof10businesseswhichtradenorth andsouthsaytheyare ineitherrapidor moderateexpansionmode. Meanwhile,thefgure forfrmstradingonlyin Northern IrelandortheRepublicis roughlyhalf that. More thanthree-quartersofcross-border tradersare proftablecomparedtojustoverhalf operatingononesideoftheborder, according totheInterTradeIrelandBusinessMonitorfor thesecondquarterof2022.

Risingcostsare atthetopofthelistof businesschallenges,withenergyprices(86%) andoverheads(83%)themostcited. Approximately40%offrmsstatedtheimpact ofBrexitandCovidare stillhavinganimpact, butthosepercentagesare dropping,with recruitment a greatchallenge. “Asskillschallengesbecome a signifcant issueweare startingtoseecompanieslookat differentwaystotackleshortages 35%have increasedadvertisingwhile29%are retraining in-house,”MrRobinsonsaid. “Innovationthroughexploitingdigital technologyisanotherareathatcouldhelp frmscreateeffciencies.” Onsales,27%overall reportedincreases, risingto36%amongcross-bordertraders. Approximately15%ofthoseoperatingon bothsidesofthebordersawdecreases,down from29%inthefrstquarter The reportdoesfndthere are challenges withintheleisure,hotelsandcateringsector overall.InterTradeIreland’s quarterlysurvey isbasedoninterviewswithmore than750 businessmanagersacrossIreland. ■

“RecentdatafromtheCentralStatisticsOffce showsthatcross-bordertradeingoods reached €7.65bn(£6.32bn)in2021andcontinuesto increase.

Around20%ofbusinessessurveyedoperate onbothsidesoftheborder 34%here and 14%fromtheRepublic. Some41%ofthoseare reportingrapidto moderateexpansion.MartinRobinsonof InterTradeIrelandsaiditis a “recurringtrend” overthelastsixquarters.

The retailersaidaspartofthisprocess,the smallerPrimarkstore onDonegallPlacewill closeinthedaysbefore theBankBuildings re opening,withallemployeestransferringback tothenewstore. “We wanttothankthepeopleofBelfastfor theirongoingsupportandpatiencewhilstwe undertooktheextensive re-buildingworksat ouriconicBankBuildingssite,”PaulMarchant, Primarkchiefexecutive,said. “We recognisehowmuchthebusiness communityandwidercityofBelfasthasbeen affectedbythedevastatingfre atourstore backin2018. We haveputourheartandsoul into retaining,conservingand restoringthis Primarktoreopenfagship Belfaststorefouryearsafterfre

ThelistedBankBuildingsonRoyal Avenue cameclosetobeinglostfollowingthe accidentalfre,whichburnedforthreedays afterstartingonAugust28thatyear

Aswellasbeingbigger, theimprovedshop features a newDisneycafelocatedonthe secondfoorand a newnailandbeautystudio.

WhilePrimarkhasstillhad a presenceonthe citycentre highstreet,the reopeningand restorationoftheiconicBankBuildingsmarks a signifcantmomentforthecity, havingbeen hitsohard bytheoriginalfre backin2018.

34 RE TA IL Belfast’s fagshipPrimarkstore in thecitycentre isto reopenintime forChristmas,fouryearsonfrom thedevastatingfre whichguttedthe building.

The retailersaidthenewfve-foor renovated shopwill reopeninthefrstweekofNovember andwillbe76%biggerthantheoldstore.

In a June2019 report,theNorthern Ireland Fire andRescueService(NIFRS)said a joint investigationwiththeHealth & SafetyExecutive hadfoundthatthecauseofthefre was “accidental”. Primarksaidits“complex” restorationproject has restoredthebuilding’s originalstructure, with88,200sqftofnew retailspacemarking a signifcantincreasefromwhatcustomerswill previously remember

TheirexistingshoponCastleStreetwillmerge withthe restoredBankBuildingssitetocreate thenewlargerstore.

A boostforcitycentretrade

Whattherefurbished buildingcouldlooklike

SEPTEM35 BE R 2022 RE TA IL

Lord MayorofBelfast, TinaBlack,said:“This is a majorinvestmentinBelfastcitycentre after a challengingtimeforourlocaleconomy Thedevastatingfre atBankBuildingsin2018 was a turningpointforourcity;itactedas a springboard inbringingelectedmembersand citypartnerstogethertoexamineandtrialnew ideasandconceptstosupport recoveryand regenerationandincreasewhatthecitycentre hastooffer Manyoftheseprojectshavenow beenincorporatedintoourFuture CityCentre programme. “Thishasbeen a longandcomplex restoration project,andlocaltradersandshoppershave showngreatpatienceand resilience. We hope theopeningofPrimark’s extendedfagship store willprovide a majorboosttobusinesses, particularlyintherun-uptothebusyChristmas season.”

TheBankBuildings duringtheblazein2018

Loveitorloatheit,Primark’sfullreturntoBank BuildingswillgivelifebacktoBelfastcitycentre, writes MargaretCanning

■

ArthurStreethasbecome a more vibrantpart ofthecitycentre inthelastfewyears,thanks toopeningsfromthelikesofOliverBonasand Mint Velvet. Butsuchbusinessesare aimedatthemore well-heeledshopper, andanyhealthycitycentre needs a mixof retailerstoappealtoalllevelsof spendingpower NoteveryonelikesPrimark.Foreverydevoted fanofits T-shirtsandChristmaspyjamas,there are plentywhodeplore theveryconceptof cheapclothesasmerelyprovidingfodderfor landfll. There’sa growingmovementtopromote second-handclothingandmakeitthefrst choiceofshoppers,butthisisn’t goingto competewiththevalueofPrimark. Withthenewshopadding76%tothesizeof theoldstore,itwouldbe a welcomemovefor the retailertoincludesomethingtopromote sustainability Thatcouldincludeallowingshopperstobring unwantedoldPrimarkclothinginfor recycling, in return for a voucherwhichcouldbespenton clothesorinitsnewcafe. We’re facing a cost-of-livingcrisis.Infationis 9.4%andwillbeevenhigherbythetimethe newPrimarkopensatthestartofNovember perfectlytimedtohelphard-pressedfamilies withtheirChristmasshopping.

hePrimarkfre atBankBuildings was a blowforBelfastasit deprivedthecitycentre of itsmostpopularandarguablymost important retailer. Loveitorloatheit,Primarkbrought thousandsofshopperstothecrossroadsof DonegallPlaceandRoyal Avenue,creating a centre ofgravityfor retailwhichdrew shoppersfurtherintothecitycentre. A scatteredpresencesincetheblaze –a temporaryunitatDonegallPlaceandat thebackoftheBankBuildingsunit can’t compensatefortheheavyweightimpactof a fagshipstore. There havebeenotherunwelcomechanges inthecitycentre. TescoMetro closedits Royal Avenuestore,thoughitnowhas anExpressshoponDonegallPlace,while shoeshopSchuhalsoshutandmovedinto CastleCourt. ThishasleftRoyal AvenueandDonegall Placefeelingdesolate,addingtoan atmosphere ofderelictionwhichhadsetin evenbefore theAugust2018fre. However, its return in a spruced-upBank Buildingsishugelywelcomeforthecity centre.It rebalancesthe retailofferingaway from VictoriaSquare– whichisalsono strangertoemptyunits,mostglaringlythe ex-Topshop/Topmanatitsmainentrance. much-lovedhistoricalbuilding. We are nearly there withthis re-development,andwecannot waittofnally re-openthedoorsandwelcome ourcustomersandourcolleaguesbackintoour BankBuildingsstore.”

■

Afamily-runNorthernIreland propertyfrmhasboughtsixUK shoppingcentresinamajormultimillionpounddeal.

Thatcouldseeanumberofoptionsforthe centre,includingchildren’splayareas,more foodandbeverageofferings,lasertagand otherleisureuses. Someoftheotherschemesinclude131 apartmentsattheformerhistoric Tillieand HendersonshirtfactorysiteinDerry.

TheMartinPropertyGrouphasanexpansive andimpressivepropertyportfolioacrosstheUK andIreland. Inaninterviewwith UlsterBusiness this summer,directorPaulMartinunveiledsomeof thecompany’sambitiousplansforBelfastand Derry. Thecompanybuysland,propertyand developmentswithlong-terminvestmentand “addingvalue”ontheagendaintermsofits businessplan. Itnowhasateamofaround55offcestaff alongwithadedicatedconstructionteam.

NorthernIrelandfrmMartinProperty GroupbuyssixUKshoppingcentres

36 PROP ERTY

StevenLewisofLewis&Partnersactedon behalfofMartinPropertyGroupalongside MarkKingsley,whoischieflegalcounseltothe MartinPropertyGroup

“Welookforwardtoworkingwiththecouncils ineachoftheselocationsastheywillbean importantpartofthefuturesuccessofthese assets. Tenantsacrosstheportfolioinclude Odeon,Lidl,NHS,Sky,Iceland,Primark,EEand HomeBargainsamongothers.”

Theentiredealincludesaround1.2millionsq ftof retailspace.

ByJohnMulgrew

MartinPropertyGroup,whichhasoffces inDerry,Belfast,DublinandManchester,is acquiringseveralmajorcentresacrosstheUK, alongwithastudentaccommodationportfolio.

GaryMartinofMartinPropertyGroupsaid: “Wearedelightedtocompletethistransaction andbecomethecustodiansoftheseimportant assetsinlocationsrightacrosstheUK, particularlyattimewhereshoppingcentres requirehandsonassetmanagement. We will befocusedonstabilising, repositioningand wherepossibledevelopingtheassetsfurther.

Here,thefrmhasboughtarangeof commercialassetsinBelfast.Thatincludesthe DanesfortbuildinginStranmillis,Marlborough HouseandRoss’sCourt–currentlyhometo Argos. AndinDerryithasambitiousplansto revitalise and redevelopDerry’sRichmondCentre.

inUKhighstreetassetsunderpinnedbya solidstrategy,eventhoughwearefacing challengingeconomicheadwinds,”PwCdeals partner,MarkAddley,said.

PwCactedasleadadvisoronthetransaction. “Wearepleasedtohavesuccessfullydelivered thistransactionwhichdemonstratesthereis continuedinterestinsupportingandinvesting

Thedealincludes WestsideShoppingCentre Edinburgh,ClarendonShoppingCentreHyde, ExchangeShoppingCentreRochdale,Four SeasonsShoppingCentreMansfeld,Ankerside ShoppingCentre Tamworth&AngelPlace ShoppingCentreSomerset.

Thefrmhasacquiredthesignifcant commercialassetsfromDutchpensionfund StichtingMarsPensioenfonds(SMP).

IT& technology

4Screenbrightness: Asirritatingas someoneelseusingtheirphoneina cinemacanbe,therearetimeswhenitseems importanttocheckforsomething.Evenhere, youcanmakeabigdifferencetothecomfort ofpeoplearoundyou.Minimisethescreen brightness.There’saworldofdifference betweenadim rectanglebeingfaintlyvisiblea fewfeetawayandasearchlightshootingup intotheair,distractingeveryone’sattention.

SomeonebehindmeplayedaWhatsApp voicemessageoutatfullvolume.Andso on.

Takesomeofthemonboardandyou’llstop being regardedastheequivalentoftheyob whoplaysaghettoblasteronthetopdeckofa bus.

I’mguessingthatthesearethesamefolks whobeeptheircarhornsasa‘goodbye’ina housingestatewithkidsasleep. Orwhistleinwaiting rooms.Orseetheir phonesgooff,atthebottomofahandbag, duringaplay.

Notypingloudly.Nophoneconversations. Noeatingnoisily.

5Camerafashoff: Wouldyoubringafull sizecameraintoadim roomandstarting takingfashphotos? You’ddrawmassive

Iwas remindedofthis recentlyata recent Madnessconcert,wherethemostlymiddleagedcrowdatDublin’sPointDepotcreated amesswiththeirphones.

Adrian Weckler takesalookattechandmobile phoneetiquette,whattodoandwhatnottodo,and whyit’snotjusttheyoungergenerationthatgets thingswrong Threeyearsago,ItookaBullet traininJapan.Whilethespeed andpunctualityweregreat,itwas thepassengeretiquetterulesthatwere mostimpressive.

Oneladybesidemekeptusingherfash, uselessly,totakevideosduringsongs.That meantatorchontheheadsofthepeoplein frontofusforhalftheevening.

Sensory respectforthepersonbesideyou–thatwasthemostimportantthing.

Manyofthepredominantlyover-50scrowd wantedtotakephotosandvideos.Itwasa lessonindisruptivecack-handedness.

38 IT & TECH NOL OGY

So,Ithoughtitmightbeagoodtimeto remindfellowmiddle-agersofafewbasic pointsofpolitenesswhenusingyourphone.

We give out about young peopleand tech, butsometimes it’s uslacking etiquette

1Ringtone: Pleaseturnitoff.No seriously,do.Ringtonesarenowusually (fairly) regardedasirritatinglyinvasivefor othersaroundyou.Formostofus,they’re unnecessary,too:justputthephoneonits ‘vibrate’setting.Unlessyouhaveyourphone inabag,you’llalmostcertainlystillhearthe vibration.

Anothermanbesideuskeptwanting tocheckFacebookonhisphoneatfull brightness,shootingbeamsupintothedark everytwominutes.

2Keypadclicks: Please,pleaseturnthese off.Imagineanoffcewheretheperson besideyouhadlittledigitalnoisesgooffevery timetheytappedakeyboardkey. Wouldn’tit driveyoualittlecrazy?

3Notifcationtones: Haveyouever satbesidesomeonehavinga50-text exchange,eachoneproducinga‘DINNNG’? Atfullvolume?Inaquietenvironment?Like ringtones,mostofusjustdon’tneedthese soundstobealerted–thevibratesettingwill doitalmosteverytime.

It’sbasic respectforthosearoundyou.It’s anacknowledgementthatyourneighbour’s comfortandneeds,whichmaybevery differenttoyoursatasensorylevel,are

alwaysasimportantasyours.Ifyouaccept that,it’seasiertounderstandwhyconstant dingsortorchesgoingoffinshareddark spacesduringaperformancemaybe fundamentallydisruptive. Whatabouttheargumentthatthoseover 50arestilladjustingtothis relativelynew tech?

Unfairmaligningofthemiddle-aged?Idon’t thinkso. Yes,youngerpeopledoirritating thingswithphones. Butwalkingalongapathandstaringdown ataphoneisn’tquitethesameasusingyour alarmclockasyourincomingcallringtone. Andsittingaroundinagroupstaringat phones,whileitseemsoddtoolderpeople, doesn’tactuallyimpingeonothers’comfort thewayatorchinyourfacedoes. Andbesides,youngpeopleareconstantly gettingslaggedoffbyoldergenerationsfor theiruseoftech.

■

It’saspatronisingtosuggestthatmiddleagedpeoplecan’tendeavourtofndout howtoswitchoffasettingasitisthatthey can’tunderstandWhatsApporFacebook.

Toofussyandnarky?Not really.It’salittle likeaskingsomeonetostopsmokingwhen they’reseatednexttoyouinabusorcinema. Ornottoplayloudmusicatnight.Orevento wearaputonaclothestopina restaurant.

attentiontoyourselfright?Thisisthesame withphonefashes. Theironyisthatthey’remostlyuseless,rarely improvingcameraphotos.They’reespecially redundantwhensnappingorvideoing somethingmorethanafewfeetaway,such asastage.Butthey’rehugelydistractingfor others,especiallyindarkenedenvironments.

SEPT39 EM BE R 2022 IT & TECH NOL OGY

Sorry,butthesell-bydateonthatoneran outsometimeago.Smartphoneshavebeen inthehandsofthevastmajorityofus–40s, 50s,60sandolder–foratleastadecade. We knowhowtheywork.

Solet’sciviliseourselvesabitmore.Let’stake theJapaneseBullet Train’sethostoheart.Stop annoyingyourneighbourswithyourignorant phonehabits.

UnderEU regulatoryrules,heroffceis obligedtosendadraftdecisiontoother European regulatorsforfeedbackand input.Theunspecifedobjectionsraised couldnowseeMetaavoidatransatlantic banaltogether,ifauthoritiesintheUS andEUproceedonschedulewithanew transatlanticagreement. Thatdeal,agreedinprincipalearlierthis year,aimstointroducenewmeasuresto addressthe reservationsheldbyEuropean courtstoUSauthorities’surveillanceofEU citizens’personaldata.

■

FacebookfounderMark Zuckerbergleavingthe MerrionHotelinDublinin2019

movedtoproceedwiththetransatlantic ban,whichwouldaffectdatatransfers fromtheEUtotheUSforMeta’sbiggest platforms,FacebookandInstagram,butnot WhatsApp.

Earlierthisyear,Meta repeateditsassertion thatitmaynotbeabletocontinueits servicesinEuropeifatransatlanticdataban wereimposed. ”Ifweareunabletotransferdatabetween andamongcountriesand regionsinwhich weoperate,orifweare restrictedfrom sharingdataamongourproductsandservices, itcouldaffectourabilitytoprovideour services,themannerinwhichweprovideour servicesorourabilitytotargetads,”itsaidina disclosuretoUSauthorities. “Intheeventofnopoliticalorjudicial breakthroughonthematter,wewilllikely beunabletoofferanumberofourmost signifcantproductsandservices,including FacebookandInstagram,inEurope.” Thecompany’spresidentofglobalaffairs,Nick Clegg, recentlydescribedafuturebanondata transfersbetweentheEUandUSasdamaging forthousandsofEuropeanbusinesses,and disruptivetohealthandeducationentitiesthat relyononlineplatformsforeverydaywork. In2020,theEuropeanCourtofJusticeruled thataprevioustransferagreement,named ‘PrivacyShield’,wasinsuffcienttoprotectEU citizens’privacyrightsintheUS. Thecourtsaidthatunwarrantedsurveillancein theUS remainedanunacceptablebarrierand thatIreland’sDataProtectionCommissioner hadanobligationtoenforceEuropeancitizens’ rights.

TheIrish regulator’soffcesaysthatother Europeandataprotection regulatorshave lodgedobjectionstotheIrishoffce’sdecision, puttingbackenforcementofthedatabanfor severalmonths.

40 IT & TECH NOLO GY

Facebook transatlanticdata bandelayedasEU regulatorslodge objections F

acebook’stransatlanticdata banhasbeendelayed,despitea draftdecisionfromtheIrishData ProtectionCommissioner’soffceto imposeone.

Themovemeansanewtransatlanticdata treaty,duetoberatifedinearly2023,may nowsupersedetheIrishoffce’scurrentorder andallowFacebookandInstagramtocontinue asnormalwithdatatransfersbetweentheEU andtheUS. “Wehave receivedsomeobjectionsfroma smallnumberofdataprotectionauthorities inthiscase,”GrahamDoyle,deputy commissioneroftheIrish regulatorybody,said. “Wearecurrentlyassessingtheobjectionsand willengagewiththe relevantauthoritiestotry and resolvetheissuesraised.”

CommissionerHelenDixon’soffcehad

42 IT & TECH NOLO GY Leading ITfrm sublets ofce

incity amid

hybrid working

Thelistingemergedamidasharpdropin commercialpropertytransactionsoverthe threemonthstotheendofJune,accordingto anew report. Nopricewasquotedforthespaceinthe brochurepublishedbyagentsSavills. LibertyITemploysapproximately400people.It

“We’relookingathowwemakethemostof ouroffcespace.Asa resultweareleasingout onefoororouroffceatAdelaideExchange. We stillhaveextensivespaceacrossfourfoors andhaveplansto reconfgureourexisting

isofferingtheentireffthfooroftheoffceon AdelaideStreet. “LibertyIThasnoplanstomove,butaswe’ve askedemployeestodecidetheirpreferred workstyle,themajorityhavechosen remoteor hybrid,” TonyMarron,chiefexecutive,said.

LibertyITisleasingpartofitsoffcespaceinresponsetotheriseinhybridworking, asanewreportshowsafallincommercialpropertydeals,writes JohnBreslin

neofBelfast’slongest-established techfrmsissublettingsomeof itscitycentreoffcespaceasthe hybridmodelofworkingpromptedby thepandemicnowbecomesthenorm. AroundthreemonthsaftertheExecutive lifteditsguidancetoworkfromhome wherepossible,LibertyITwantsto rentout morethan9,000sqftofitsheadquartersat AdelaideExchange. LibertyIT,whichprovidessupporttoitsUS

parentcompanyLibertyMutual,hashada majorpresenceatthesitesinceitsetuphere in1997.

“Theguidance‘workfromhomewhere possible’isthereforenotproportionateatthis point.Aswiththe removalofotherCovid-19 measures,thisshouldnotbeinterpretedas meaningthereisnoriskfromCovidorthat thepandemicisover,”theExecutivesaid.

InpriodirectorsNeilMcShaneandClaireShaw said:“Retailwassignifcantlymoresubdued, primarilyduetoalackofstockafterafurryof retailparkdealslastyearandintheopening quarterof2022.

Itwarnedthatwhilethethreatposedbythe virushadnotdisappeared,ithad“receded”.

footprinttoenhanceitwithmorecollaborative workspaces.”

Amongotheroffcespaceavailableispartof thefrstfooroftheCityQuays1building.The 7,540sqftthereisbeingofferedfor£195,000 ayear. Inthenew report,commercialproperty consultantsInpriosaidatotalof£47.49m ofcommercialpropertytransactionswere reportedinquartertwo–28%belowthefveyearquarterlyaverage.

Overthefrstsixmonthsthevalueof transactionswasapproximately£145m,28% abovetheaverageoverfveyears.

Inprio reportsalmost£50mofdealsare eithercompletedoragreedforquarter three,includingLongwoodRetailParkin NewtownabbeyandthePremierInnat Waring StreetinBelfast.

SEPT43 EM BE R 2022 IT & TECH NOLO GY

AsLibertyITsubletsitsspace,BelfastChamber

chiefexecutiveSimonHamiltonhasalso spokenaboutthechangingfaceofoffcelife inBelfast.

“Veryfewfrms,ifany,are requiringstaffto bebackintheoffcefvedaysaweek,”he said. “Mostare requiringthatteamsareinthe offceatleasttwoorthreedaysaweek,with manyofferingcolleaguescompletefexibility onwhichdays.

“Thereisalsoanunderstandabledifference between roles,withsomestaffinmore customerorclient-facingjobsinalotmore thanothers.

“Belfast’soffcemarket remainsencouragingly active,withnewgradeAoffcessuchasCity Quays3,TheEwart,ThePaperExchangeand OlympicHousenearingcompletion.

Stormontliftedworkingfromhomeguidance inJune,frstissuedaftertheCovid-19 outbreakinMarch2020.

“Theforthcomingquarterisshowingpotential asastrongsummerquarter,withfurtherprime offceandhotelsbeingpreparedformarket,” itsaid.

“Asalways,therearechallengingheadwinds botheconomicallyandpolitically,butthe imminent resupplyofinvestmentstockwill appealtolocalandoverseasinvestors.

“OffceinvestmentunderlinedQ2.At approximately£38.68m,offceinvestment accountedforfour-ffthsofvolume–more thandoublethefve-yearquarterlyaverage, andhalfoftheQ2deals.” Thisfgureincludesanestimated£20mforthe saleof WeaversCourtBusinessParkinBelfast, thelargesttransactionofthesecondquarter.

Butthiscomesafterabusyfrstquarter, includingseveralmajor retaildeals.

“Bothprime retailandBelfastoffcestock continuetobeattractivetoinvestors.Theswift saleofthelandmarkImperialHouseinBelfast atthebeginningofQ3isevidenceofthe appealofBelfastcitycentreproperties.”

“Othernotableoffcedealsincludethe purchaseofMontgomeryHousebya charitabletrustfor£7.8m,KillymealHouseby aprivateinvestorfor£6.1m,andMarlborough HousebyMartinPropertyGroupfor£2.6m.” Retailtransactionssloweddramaticallyoverthe threemonths,withvolumeof£7.56m,78% belowthefve-yearquarterlyaverage.

TheMartinPropertyGrouppurchasedRoss’s CourtinBelfastfor£5.7m.PentagonRetail ParkinBallymenawaspurchasedbyaprivate investorfor£1.88m.

“Despitelotsofcommentarythattheoffce wasdead,lettingsarehappeningintheseand otherlocations.”

■

“Whilethenumberofstaffintheoffceonan averagedayappearstorangefrom20%to ashighas80%,themajorityofoffce-based businessesseemtohaveaquartertoathird ofstaffattheirdesksonanygivenday.

“Analmostconstanttrend,though,ispeople gravitatingtowardsmidweekdays,suchas Tuesday, WednesdayandThursdaybeingthe dayswhenmostpeopleareintheoffce.

44 NE WS £150mcanningfactory givengreenlight

“We appreciatetheexcellentsupportfromthe councilandtheconstructiveengagementwith thelocalcommunity.”

■

“Withothermajorprojectsinthepipeline, suchastheBelfastRegionCityDealQueen’s UniversityAdvancedManufacturing InnovationCentre (AMIC)andtheSensata TechnologyCentre,thishighlydesirablesite isfastbecoming a hubofmanufacturing excellence.” Healsopointedtothe recentapprovalof a £4msteelmanufacturingfacilityforSteelMac Distribution(SMD)Ltd,andsaidthecouncil wasnow“wellontrack”tomeet a targetof £1bnofinvestmenttocreate2,000jobsby 2025.

“This£150mannouncement representsthe conﬁdenceinvestorshaveinthearea,”hesaid. “Theeconomicimportanceofthisdevelopment andthebeneﬁtsitwillbringnotjusttoAntrim andNewtownabbey, buttothewholeof Northern Ireland,cannotbeoverstated.

“We are delightedtobegrantedplanning permissiontodeliver a newinnovative manufacturingfacilityinNewtownabbeyand progressclosertothecreationofnearly200 newjobsforthelocalemploymentmarket whilstalsosupportingcirculareconomy growth,”DavidSpratt,chiefexecutiveofAMP Europe,said.

AMPislistedontheNew YorkStockExchange andis75%ownedbyArdaghGroup,an internationalpackaginggroupthathasits originsinglassmanufacturinginDublininthe 1930s.

Theplanningapprovalwasgrantedfollowing a periodofpre-applicationcommunity consultationandengagementwiththecouncil andInvestNI. Accordingtothecouncil,thegrantingof planningpermissioninjustover18weeks reinforceditspositionas a leadingareafor planningand a primeinvestmentlocationfor majorprojects.

Thecompanyaimtousetheplanttomaintain supplytokeycustomerslikeDiageoandCocaColaandmeetdemandfor a growingcustomer baseinIreland,theUKandEurope.

new£150mdrinkscanningfactory inNewtownabbeythatcould createaround200newjobshas beengiventhegreenlight.

StephenRoss,MayorofAntrimand Newtownabbey, saidtheplanningapproval newshadnowcementedtheborough’s reputationas“aneconomicstronghold”.

Thecompanysaid a focusonusingmetalcans contributetocirculareconomy, byusing a signiﬁcantamountof recycledcontenttomeet sustainabilitytargets.

“TheArdaghfacilityispartof a high-quality portfolioofmanufacturingprojectsplanned forinvestNI’s GlobalPointBusinessParkin Newtownabbey

Whatthenewfactorycould looklikewhencompleted

Approximately160jobswillbecreatedonsite atthemanufacturingfacility, whileanother30 indirectjobswillbecreatedforsuppliersand businessatthesite.

ArdaghMetalPackaging(AMP)has received planningpermissiontobuildthe42,585sq m facilityatInvestNI’s GlobalPointBusinessPark.

Thecouncilsaid recent ﬁguresfromthe DepartmentforInfrastructure showedthat AntrimandNewtownabbey remainedthe onlycouncilinNorthern Irelandthatwas withinthe30weekstargetformajorplanning applications.

AMP ﬁrst revealeditsintentiontobuild a factoryatthesiteinNovember2021,with planningpermissiongrantedbyAntrimand NewtownabbeyCouncil.

Law

46 LAW TheNIProtocolBill: whattoexpectand what’saroundthecorner WiththeUKGovernment’sNIProtocolBillcurrentpassingthroughthevarious stagesneededbeforeitcanbecomelaw, UlsterBusiness looksatwhatareasare beingexaminedandcouldbeimpactedfromalegalandlogisticalperspective It’sbeenjustahandfulofweekssince theUKGovernment’scontroversialNI ProtocolBillpasseditslateststagewith theHouseofLords. Itwillattempttoeffectivelytearuppartsof Protocol,withoutaninterventionfromtheEU –theunilateralapproach.TheUKGovernment hassaidmeasuresintheBillto removechecks ongoodsandanimalandplantproducts travellingfromGreatBritaintoNorthern Irelandarenecessary.Butwhatwilloutgoing PrimeMinisterBorisJohnson’splanslooklike

“Thisisbecause redlaneSPSgoodswillneed checksaswellasintelligence-ledrandom

“Processorsandwholesalerswillhavetouse the redlaneformanyoftheirloadsdueto mixedorunknowndestinationforpartialor fullloads. “Theywillshareuseof redlanewithEU boundgoodshencetwouniquesupply chainsbothusingtheone redchannel.This willmeansomeNIgoodsthatmayormay notbestayinginNIundergoingfullthird countrycontrolsandadministrationwhichis waybeyondcurrent requirementsunderthe NIProtocol.Forsometradersmayincrease thelevelofadministrationtheycurrentlyface whenmovinggoodsfromGBtoNI.

“Todate,theprogressionoftheProtocolBill through Westminsterhasnotprovidedmuch moreclarityonthewayforward.Untilsuch timeasthedetailissettledinsupplemental legislationitwillbecomeincreasinglydiffcult forbusinessestoassessitslevelofriskin relationtohowtradewillcontinueinorwith NorthernIreland.”

SEPT47 EM BE R 2022 LAW

SeamusLehenyispolicymanagerfor LogisticsUKandhasbeenfrontandcentreof discussionsaroundtheimplicationsofBrexiton hissector,andothers,sincethebeginning. Hesaysalotofthefocuswillbearoundthe proposalsovergreenand redchannelsfor goodsandservices.

“TherearecertainlyelementsoftheBillthat willworkforlogisticshoweverweriskfxing problemsforsomesupplychainsonlytoshift theproblemsandfrictionsontoothersupply chains.

“It’simperativeonboththeUKandEUthat anagreednegotiatedsettlementistheonly waytoensureasustainableworkablesystem isimplementedtoprotectGB-NIandNI-EU supplychainsthatbusinessesrightacrossNI relyon.” MicaelaDiverisapartneratcorporatelaw frmA&LGoodbody.Shesaysthecurrent progressionoftheBillhasyettoprovideclarity onthewayforwardforthefutureoftheNI Protocol.

“Fromalegalperspective,Brexitwasalways goingtobechallenging,”shesays.“Itwas alwaysgoingtobehighlylikelythatany agreedposition,andthedetailedworkingof theProtocol,wouldnotbefullycapturedin thelegislationandpolicy.

“Ithasbeenconfrmedbygovernment agenciesworkingonthepotential implementationoftheBillisthatagroupage loadwithevenonepalletboundforEUwill havetousethe redchannelforfullthird controlSPScontrols.ThismeansNIdestined loadspossiblydelayedandmaylikely resultin somecarriersnotmixing redandgreenlane groupagethus reducingserviceandoptions forNItradersaswellaseconomiesofscale forsomecarriers.” Hesayswhiletheplanaroundgreenand redchannelsisa“positivesolutionfor retail andparcels”,clarityisneededoverwhat administrationisneededforgreenlane goods. “Currentplansareworkingonwhetherno evidenceofgoodsbeingeligibletousegreen laneatexpenseofdemonstratingintegrityof systemtoEU,”hesays.

andwhatareas,legallyandstructurally,are goingtobeunderthemicroscopeiftheBill clearsthehurdlesand receivesRoyalAssent?

“Thegreen/redlaneproposalstill requires bordercontrolpostswhichwouldbe permanentstructuresatLarne,Belfastand Warrenpointports,”hesays.

■ OutgoingPrimeMinister BorisJohnson

“Thealternativeisalevelofadminusing commercialdataofloadstodemonstrate consignee/consignorstatusofthosegoods remaininginUK,thiswillcreatetransparency ofsupplychainandmaygiveEUconfdence inthesystembutwillmeanadministration processforallgoodsGBtoNI.

“Thiswould requirebusinessestohave ongoingengagementwithpoliticians, regulatorsandthecourtsystemtofnd practicaloutcomestotheagreedposition. “Ininstanceswhereaconsensuscouldn’tbe reachedoninterpretationofthelegislation, itwasalwayslikelythatthecourtswould becometheultimatedecisionmakerofwhat thelegalimpactwasgoingtobe.TheProtocol providestheframeworkforthistohappen. Whileitwasnotwithoutitsissues,itatleast provideda roadmapfor resolution.

checksonsomegreenlanemovements.

MrJohnsonhasunderminedtheconfidence ofmajorexistinginvestors whowere asked tobackmega-capitalprojectsinenergyand infrastructure– by flip-floppingonpolicyand consistencyinsearchofshort-termheadlines. Themuch-discussedUSfreetradedealthathe

MarkO’Connell,founderandexecutivechairmanat Belfast-basedinwardinvestmentadviserOCOGlobal, considerstheoutgoingPrimeMinister’scontributionto theUKasadestinationforinvestment

Bywords,deedsandactions,MrJohnsonhas createdanenvironmentthatistheopposite. I’mhopingwhoever replaceshimasprime ministercan recoversomeofthemoral, technologicalandcompetitive reputation forwhichtheUKiswidely recognisedand celebrated.

As a resultofMrJohnson’s governmentand hispolicies,theyhavechokedoff immigrant Europeanlaboursupplyin a recovering economyonwhichforeigninvestorsdepend,as doindigenoushospitality, manufacturingand agriculture companies.

Italsoincludedseveralquotesandpicturesof MrJohnsonendorsingtheUKasanattractive locationforforeigndirectinvestment.For yearsI’veadvocatedthedeploymentofsenior politiciansininvestmentattractionatcritical pointsintheprocess.

BorisJohnsonat weaponsmaker Thalesduringavisit toNorthernIreland earlierthisyear

conﬁdenceandcredibilityoftheUKduring histimeatthehelm.TheUK,historically seenas a safehavenforforeigninvestors, hassigniﬁcantlysufferedduetohisthreatsto bypassortearupinternationaltreaties.

Thepiecewascompelling,withlotsofproof pointsontechnology, skillsandthecompetitive businessenvironment.

Afterall,thrivingeconomiesandstablepolitical landscapesusuallygohand-in-hand.Political endorsementsalsodemonstrate a commitment totheopennessoftheeconomytoforeign investment. ButMrJohnsonhasunderminedthe

claimedwasinthepipelinehasn’t materialised. HeevenmanagedtoupsetPresidentBiden withhisstanceontheNorthern Ireland Protocol. UncertaintycreatedbyJohnsonandhis governmenthasledtoquestionsaboutUK participationinHorizonEuropeprojects andforcedsomeofourbest researchand developmenttalentsto relocate.FromanFDI perspective,consistency, transparency, and stabilityare paramounttosuccess.

ConditionscreatedbyBorisJohnson areoppositeofwhatNIneeds

48 TR ADE

■

t’dbehard tokeep a straightface andsaythatthepremiershipofBoris Johnsonhasn’t negativelyimpacted BrandUK. I recently reviewedsomemarketingcollateral fromtheDepartmentforInternational Trade aimedatinternationalinvestorstopresentthe ongoingcaseforinvestmentintheUK.

SarahKennedy BRANDAMBASSADOR, MCCONNELL’SIRISHWHISKY

workisasgoodasMcConnell’sIrishWhisky, it’shardtostayawayfromitsometimes. Spendingtimewithmyfamilyandfriendsis myfavouritethingtodothough.Iamabusy mumandhaveahugeextendedfamily,so thereisneveradullmoment. Istheresomethingyou’dliketostart doingortakeup? EversinceIleftuniversity,Ihavealwayslooked formorewaystocontinuestudyingandto furthermycareer.Ilovetolearnnewthings anditcertainlyhelpswhenprofessional developmentinvolveslearningtheintricaciesof fnespirits.AttheminuteIamfocusingonmy

Likealotofjobs,workcansometimesgo throughperiodswhereyourjobandyour personallifeoverlap.However,asmy role develops,Ihavegotbetteratseparatingthe two.Alargepartofmyjobisonsocialmedia, podcasts,visitingstockistsandattradeshow events,sounderstandablyItakesomeofmy workhomewithme.Balanceiskey.Ialso enjoyasipofwhiskey,soinawaymywork canbeapartofmydowntimetoo.

SEPT EM BE R 2022

Iamakeenrunner,havingrantheLisburnhalf marathon,takenpartintheBelfastMarathon relayandtheRunher10KinHolywood.Iam alsoa regularattheParkrunin WallacePark onaSaturdaymorning.I reallyenjoyoutdoor activities.Chattomenextyearandmaybe Iwillhavefnallytakenonafullmarathon. WorkingintheIrishwhiskeyindustryhas increasedmypassionforspirits.Iamamember ofBelfastWhiskeyClubandoftenattend whiskeytastingsinmyowntime.Whenyour

Howmuchfreetimedoyouhaveoutside ofwork?

WSETspiritsqualifcations,I recentlyobtained myleveltwoandlevelthreeisnextonthe agenda. It’sholidaytime–wherearetravellingto? AsImentionedalready,myjobinvolvesalot oftravelsoIoftentrytoextendthosetrips whenIcansoIcangettoexploresomeofthe amazingplacesIgettogoto.ThisautumnI willbeinNew YorkwithMcConnell’s,soIam takingashortextendedbreaktogetachance toseethecity.Ilovea‘staycation’too.The Antrimcoasthasbeenabigpartofmylife growingupandIstilllovetogetatripevery yeartospendtimebythesea.

Whatdoyoudoinyoursparetime?

■

Asabrandambassador,Ihaveaprettybusy travelschedule,somyworkinghoursanddays tendtovary.Inthewhiskeyindustrywehave anoffseasontoo,andthat’swhenIusually havemore regularhoursandgettospend timeawayfromwork.Equallywhenitisbusy, Ispendalotoftimeworkingandtravelling.I trytofndabalanceandenjoymyfreetimeas muchaspossible. Isitdiffcultseparatingyourworkand homelife?

Ahigh-profleissueforemployers atthemomentisthepractice of‘fre and re-hire’ where an employerdismissesanemployeeandthen re-employsthemunder a different(usually lessbenefcial)contract.

Thestinginthetailisthatthecostofgetting this somewhatcumbersomeprocedure wrongcanbesteep:iflargenumbersof employeesare beingdismissedand re-engaged atthesameestablishment,thiswilltriggerthe dutytocollectivelyconsultunderthe Trade UnionandLabourRelations(Consolidation)Act 1992(article216oftheEmploymentRights (Northern Ireland)Order1996foremployers basedinNorthern Ireland).

TheLabourRelationsAgencyadvisethat employersshouldcontinuetobemindfulofthe statutorydismissalanddisciplinaryprocedures thatexistinNorthern Irelandandwhichcan applytodismissaland re-engagement:

Andpracticeofdismissaland re-engagement hittheheadlinesagaininMarch2022,when P&OFerriescontroversiallydismissed a group ofemployeeswithoutnoticeorconsultation. Althoughthiswasnot a dismissaland re engagementprocessassuch(there wasno re-engagement),itprompted renewedcalls forthegovernmenttoaddressfre and re-hire somegoingasfarassuggestingthatthis practiceshouldbebanned. Newadvice Westminsterhasdeclinedtoputforward new legislationcurbingoroutlawingtheabilityof employerstofre and rehire.However, itdid askAcas(Advisory, ConciliationandArbitration Service)to reviewthepractice.As a result,Acas publishedadviceforemployersmakingchanges toemploymentcontracts. Acasadvisesthat‘fre and re-hire’isanextreme stepthathasthepotentialtobedamaging toemployee relationsandproductivity Acas alsofagstheriskoflegalclaimsandindustrial action.

Theprocessof‘freandre-hire’isanincreasinglykeyissueforsomeemployers. LeeanneArmstrong, legaldirectorintheemploymentteamoflawfrm TLT looks atthebackground,whatitmeansandwhat’snext

• Theemployerentersintoconsultationwith employees.

• However, ifanemployerisseekingto changethetermsofcontractofoneormore individuals,ratherthan a wholesectionor categorytowhichtheemployeesbelong, thenanemployerisobligedtoadhere tothe

OnJuly15,2022,theCourtofAppeal overturnedaninjunctionwhichwasgranted against TescoStoresLimited,preventingitfrom usingfre and rehire tochangeitsemployees’ contractsofemployments.Thisisthelatestin a seriesofdevelopmentsonthiscontroversial topic.

TheAcasadvicesuggestswaysinwhich employersandemployeescankeepdiscussions openandstayfocussesontryingto reach agreement.

• Theemployerimmediately re-offersthe dismissedemployeessubstantivelythe same rolebutwithanamendedcontract, incorporatingthechangessought.

50 LAW Fireandre-hire–what doyouneedtoknow?

Failure tofollowthestepsunderthecollective consultationprocedure canmeanthat employeesare entitledtosignifcantawards ofcompensation:upto90dayspayforeach affectedemployee. Althoughdismissaland re-engagementis lawfulifconductedproperly, itwassubjectto criticismbyUnionsandthepressattheendof 2021andearly2022.

• Theemployerestablishes a businesscasefor thechange.

• Ifanemployerisdismissingandoffering re-engagementtoalltheemployeesinan organisationorin a particularcategoryor rolethentheyare exemptfromfollowingthe statutorydismissalanddisciplinaryprocedure:

Howdoes‘dismissaland re-engagement’ work? Inbrief,thestepsare asfollows:

Backgroundandcontroversy Whydoemployersuse‘fre and re-hire’or ‘dismissaland re-engagement’processes? Usually, whenanemployerwantstochange employees’contractsofemploymentandthe changescan’t beagreedwiththeemployees; it’sa wayofbreakinganimpasse.

• Noticeisissuedundertheemployees’original contractsofemployment.The“potentiallyfair reasonfordismissal”fallsunderthe‘catchall’ provisionintheEmploymentRightsAct1996 (EmploymentRights(Northern Ireland)Order 1996foremployersbasedinNorthern Ireland): ‘someothersubstantial reason’.

InNorthern Ireland,theLabourRelations AgencypublishedtheirownguidanceinMay 2020onagreeingcontractualchanges,which discussesdismissaland re-engagementtactics.

‘permanent’,itmaybepossibleto remove themusingdismissaland re-engagement.

• There is a statutoryCodeofPracticeon itswaywhichwillapplytoemployersin GreatBritain,howeverthiswillnothave applicationinNorthern Ireland,andit remainstobeseenwhetherornot a similar codewillbeintroducedinNorthern Ireland.

As a statutorycode,CourtsandEmployment TribunalsinGreatBritainwillbe requiredto takeitintoaccountwhendeciding relevant cases.Ifanemployerunreasonablyfailsto complywiththecode,anycompensation linkedtothatfailure willbeincreasedby25%.

statutorydismissalanddisciplinaryprocedure. Failure tocomplywiththestatutorydismissal anddisciplinaryprocedure where itisapplicable shall renderthedismissalautomaticallyunfair, andcan resultinanupliftofcompensation awardedtoemployeeswhotakeclaims.

What’s next?

SEPT51 EM BE R 2022 LAW

• Itisimportanttoensure thatcollective consultationisenteredintoiftheemployer proposestodismissmore than20 employeesatoneestablishmentwithin a 90-dayperiod.Compensationforgetting thiswrongcanbesubstantial.

• Evenifpaymentsare describedas

• InNorthern Irelandthestatutorydismissal anddisciplinaryprocedurescontinueto applyandshouldbefactoredintodecisions arounddismissaland re-engagement. ■

ThisstatutoryCodeofPractice,when implementedwillnothaveapplicationin Northern Ireland,howeveritwillcontain goodpracticeguidanceandcomplyingwith thecodemayassistemployersinNorthern Irelandindemonstratingthefairnessofsuch dismissals.It remainstobeseenwhether a similarCodeofPracticewillbeintroducedin Northern Ireland.

• TheGovernmenthasnoplanstolimit orbantheuseofdismissaland re engagement.

EmployersinNorthern Irelandshouldbe mindfulthattotheextentanylegislative changesare proposedby Westminster regardingfre and rehire,theywouldnot applyinNorthern Irelandunlessthedevolved institutionsintroducedsimilarstatutory provisions.

TheGovernmentwillintroduce a new statutorycodeofpracticeondismissaland re-engagement.Thecodewillsetouthow employersshouldholdfair, transparentand meaningfulconsultationsonproposedchanges totermsofemployment.

• Inordertobelawful,theprocessoutlined abovemustbefollowedcarefully

• However, itisnot a steptobetakenlightly

Keytakeaways • Dismissaland re-engagement remains a lawfulpractice,despiteoppositionfrom Unionsandworkers.

RespondentstotheJunesurvey reported feelinglessconfdentabouttheircurrent fnances,futurefnances,jobsecurityand expectedspendingonexpensiveitems.

Confdencedeclinedsharplyinthesecond quarterasincreasinginfationandhigher pricescontinuetohitpeople’spockets, accordingtothelatestDanskeBank ConsumerConfdenceIndex.

“Giventhehigherpricescurrentlybeing experiencedandtheexpectationthatinfation couldmoveevenhigher,it’slikelythat consumerspendinginNorthernIrelandandthe widerUKwillbecomeincreasinglysqueezed.

52 CONS UM ER HalfofNIpublic‘expects

■

Askedwhatfactorhadthelargestnegative impactontheirconfdencelevels,47%said higherprices,13%claimedglobalrisks, includingthewarinUkraine,and12%said post-Brexittradingarrangements.

Footfallacrosstheboardisstillfarbelowthe sortofnumbersseenbeforetheearly2020 outbreak.

JulyfootfallinGreaterLondonwas27.4% abovethesametimelastyear,butonly7.2% here,8.9%inNorth& Yorkshireand9.2%in Scotland.

Onfnances,20%felttheirfnancial positionhadimprovedovertheprevious12 months,butmorethanhalfsaidtheyhad deteriorated.

Afurther20%wereunsureastowhatwas makingthemfeelmorepositivewhile5% ofpeoplesaidtheywereboostedbyoverall performanceofthelocaleconomy.

“Asimportantly,itbecameclearthata north-southdivideisemergingintermsof the recoveryinfootfall,indicatingtheimpact oftheproportionatelygreaterburdenof infation,”Diane Wehrle,Springboard’sdirector ofmarketingandinsights,said.

“Assuch,theperformanceoftheoverall economyisexpectedtosoftenaswemove throughthe remainderof2022andinto 2023.”

orethanhalfofpeoplehere saytheyexpecttheirfnances toworsenoverthenextyear,it hasemerged.

fnancestoworsen’ M

“Thishighinfationwasthelargestdriverof thefallinconsumerconfdenceand,looking forward,it’slikelythatconsumerpriceinfation willriseevenhigherwithpricepressures furtherupthesupplychainalsoatelevated levels,”MrLambesaid.

Intermsofspending,22%expectedtospend moreonexpensiveitemsoverthenextyear comparedwith49%spendingless.

Again,55%believetheirfnanceswillworsen inthenext12months,with19%expecting themtoimprove.

Onjobsecurity,13%ofpeopleexpectedto becomemoresecureintheirjob,60%of respondentsfeltitwould remainunchanged andninepercentthinkitwillworsen.

DanskeBankchiefeconomistConorLambe saidtherateofinfationhitamulti-decade highof9.4%inJune,whenthesurveywas conducted.

AnalystSpringboard,initslatest reporton retailfootfall,notedthereisagrowingnorthsouthUKdivideonnumberspostpandemic returningtohighstreets,shoppingcentresand retailparks.

Overall,footfallweakenedinJulyto14.2% below2019from12.3%inJune2022.High streetsandshoppingcentres recordedthe worstnumbers–down17%and18.6% respectively.

Some40%ofconsumerstoldDanskeBank theadjustmenttolivingwithCovid-19,with fewer restrictions,hadapositiveimpacton confdence.

charitywhichworkswithyoung peoplewithlearningdisabilities andautismsaysthelossofmajor EUfundingcouldputjobsandsomeofits keyservicesatrisk,itcanbe revealed. LorraineBlack,headofservicesatLarne-based AccessEmploymentLearning(AEL),saysher organisationwilllose£190,000inEuropean SocialFund(ESF)cashfromMarchnextyear, followingtheUK’s exitfromtheEU.

Theprogrammeisalsomatch-fundedbythe DepartmentforCommunitiesandTheNorthern HealthandSocialCare Trust. “Theworstcasescenarioisthatwecan’t ﬁnd a replacementforthe£190,000.That programmewon’t existanditwillhave a big impactontheservicesinthiscommunity There willbe redundancies. “Itwillhave a knock-oneffecttobusinessin theareaastraineesare notabletogetthat workexperience…theworstthingisthatthey havesufferedenoughwithCovid.

and a further10tofurthereducation.

54 CH AR IT Y

MsBlacksaysthere hasbeensomediscussion withtheExecutiveontheSharedProsperity Fund,butsaysshedoesn’t believe a clearplan inplacetodeliverthathere,andintimeforthe endingofEUmoney “[It’s notyetclear]whattheyare funding.How theygetitdowntowhattheyare interested in,theirpriorities,thensubmittingtendersand applications. We don’t knowwhatthatprocess willbe…forthattohappenbetweennowand Marchwouldbe a miracle.

RhondaDuddy,AEL,AlisterCarmichael,NorthernIrelandFireandRescueService,traineesKyle,Shannon,Grantand AlexonaworktouraspartofAEL’s Handson Trainingprogramme

ByJohnMulgrew

Andshe’s warnedthatothercharitiesandsocial enterprisesfacetheprospectofgoingunder entirelyifsuitable replacementsaren’t found.

AELemploysaround36staff andworkswith dozensofparticipantsacrossitsprogrammes eachweek.

Sinceits ﬁrstESFprogrammein2015,Hands on Training,theorganisationhassupported 165trainees,27ofwhomhaveprogressedto paidemployment,12tolong-termvolunteering

AELsupportsindividualswithadditionalneeds, suchaslearningandphysicaldisability, autism, Asperger’s andotherhealth-relatedconditions, offeringlivein-houseworkexperience alongsidevocationalandpersonaldevelopment qualiﬁcations.

AELfundsoneofitsmainprogrammes,Hands on Training,withmoneyfromtheESF MsBlack saysthelackoffundingcouldseeseveraljobs atrisk,andaround40participantslosingout.

“We haveseentrainees regressduetoCovid. TheylosttimeoverCovidanditsigniﬁcantly impactedtheirprogress. We foundsinceCovid there hasbeenanincreaseinthenumberof traineeswithanxietyandmentalhealthissues.”

Charityjobsandservicesat riskasEUfundsdryup A

■

“Thebestcasescenarioisfundingis replaced and[theprogramme]continues. I can’t seethat coming[intime]. A spokesmanfortheDepartmentforthe Economysaidit“empathiseswiththeconcerns oftheentire sectorcurrentlysupportedunder theNIESFProgramme”. ItsaystheUKis replacingEUStructuralFunds throughtheUKSharedProsperityFund(SPF) andhasmadeclearthatthedecisionsmade andallocationstoprojectsfromthatFund willbemadesolelybytheUKDepartment forLevellingUp,HousingandCommunities (DLUHC)”. Itsays“noformal rolehasbeengivento Northern Irelanddepartment”.Itsaysit allocatedanadditional£28.9mtoprojectsto enablefundingtobeextendedinto2022-23. Butitsayswhileraisingconcernsamongthe charitysector, the“decisionsnoware largely outofourhands”.

Conferences & event management

TheBelfast TelegraphandSunday Independent’sMusicAgainstHomelessness showtakesplaceattheEuropaHotelon September10.Starbucks,inadditionto sponsoringtheevent,hasannounceditwill beholdingafundraisingdriveandasking customerstodonatetoalocalcharity. MusicAgainstHomelessnessaimstoraise much-neededfundsfortheSimonCommunity NorthernIrelandandwillfeatureartists includingBrianKennedy,DeaMatrona,Gareth Dunlop,AndrewStrong,OdhranMurphyand EddieBooth. Ticketsare£15plusabooking feefrom Ticketmaster,withallproftsdonated toSimonCommunity.

56 CONF ERENCE S& EVEN T MA NAGE ME NT

 IoDNIAnnualDinner2022 TheIoDNorthernIrelandfagshipAnnual

Belfast

BusinessintheCommunity’sannualevent aimstoshowcasetransformationalstoriesof businessestaking realactiontobuildthriving communitiesandhavecelebratedthose businessesdemonstratingstrong,inclusive leadership,whichcontinuallyinnovatetotackle pressingsocialissuesandto repairand rebuild ourplanet.TheeventwilltakeplaceattheICC BelfastonSeptember8.  MusicAgainstHomelessness

CentreforCrossBorderStudies’Annual Conference Bringingtogetherarangeofkeydecision andpolicy-makers,leadingacademics,civil society representativesandcommentators,the CentreforCrossBorderStudies’23rdAnnual Conferencewillconsiderhowthecurrent commitmenttocooperation,mobilityand relationswithinandacrosstheseislandscanbe sustainedinlightofnewchallenges.Speakers

includeBernadetteMcAliskeyandBrian Rowan.ItwilltakeplaceattheCrownePlaza HotelinDundalkonSeptember29and30.

withthoughtleadershipanddiscussiononkey issuesthatwillimpacttheprofessioninthe next100years.SpeakersincludeLordChief JusticeofNorthernIrelandDameSiobhan RoisinKeegan.

TelegraphbusinesseditorMargaretCanningwithPeterRussell,managingdirectorat

SEPTEMBER  TheResponsibleBusiness Awards



 LawSocietyCentenaryConference2022

Telefonica

TheShapingourFuture Togetherevent takesplaceattheHiltonHotelinBelfaston September23andaimstoprovideattendees

Events: yourguideto what’sgoingoninNI

TechUKand Ireland

 BelfastInternationalHomecomingGala Banquet Theeventmakesits returntothecityfollowing athree-yearhiatus.Thosebehindtheeventsay themissionisto“createmutuallybenefcial internationalpartnershipswhichcanmake a realdifferenceinBelfast”.Theeventtakes placeatthe TitanicHotelBelfastonSeptember 29.

NorthernIreland’sevents, awardsandconference sectoriswellandtruly backtobusiness. Ulster Business takesacloser lookatwhat’shappening acrosstheregionoverthe nextfewweeks

TheCIPDNorthernIrelandHR Awardswill returnto TitanicBelfastonOctober6.Itaims toshowcaseandcelebratethesuccessesof peopleprofessionalsfromacrossNorthern Ireland.ItwillbehostedbySerena Terry,with entertainmentfromTheNewBrassKings. andwillbehostedatTheWhiteHorseHotel onOctober7.Theblack-tieeventwillfeature keynotespeaker,HannahShields,thefrst NorthernIrishwomantoscaleEverestandfrst Irishwomanto reachtheNorthPole,aswellas after-dinnerentertainmentfrommagicianand mentalistJamieSkelton. HospitalityExchange2022 Theannualhospitalityeventwilltakeplaceon October11and12theCrownePlazaBelfast. Thetwo-dayconferencewaslaunchedata luncheventhostedbybroadcasterPamela BallantineandtheNorthernIrelandHotels Federation(NIHF). FutureScopeSmartManufacturingExperiment isa12-weekprogrammedesignedtoempower> BallantinelaunchHospitality Exchange2022

TheConstructionExcellence Awards2022will makea returnthisyear.Theawards,runbythe ConstructionEmployersFederation,providean opportunityto recognisetheachievementsof thelocalconstructionindustryandtopublicise thecontributionthattheindustrymakesto theeconomyandsocietyinNorthernIreland. TheawardswillbeheldattheCrownePlazain BelfastonOctober6. DeFiConf2022 Morethan30speakersandsome200 delegatesaretodescendonBelfastnext monthforIreland’sfrstconferencededicated tocryptocurrencies,the‘metaverse’andNFTs. TheDeFiConf2022willtakeplacein Titanic HotelBelfastonThursday,October6. CIPDNorthernIrelandHR Awards

Dinner returnsfor2022andisexpectedto showcaseahostofbusinessspeakersand audienceofmorethan400seniorbusiness leadersandtheopportunitytonetworkand buildnew relationships.Theeventtakesplace attheCullodenEstate&SpaoutsideHolywood onSeptember29.

 LondonderryChamberPresident’s AnnualDinner Theannualdinnerwill returnforits64thyear



 FutureScopeSmartManufacturing

StephenMeldrumandPamela



SEPT57 EM BE R 2022 CONF ERENCE S& EVEN T MA NAGE ME NT

OCTOBER  ConstructionExcellence Awards

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BelfastChamberBusiness Awards

TheBelfast TelegraphProperty Awardsin partnershipwithElectricIrelandhave returned. Theawardsceremonyhonouringthewinners in16categorieswillbeheldonNovember 18atTheCrownePlazaHotelinBelfast.This yearmarkstheﬁrsttimetheawardshave beenheldsince2019.It’sthesixthyearin whichtheBelfast Telegraphhasheldthe Property Awardstohighlighttheimpactof theindustryoneverythingfromtheeconomy, theenvironment,ourheritageandourfuture. DrSharonMcClements,thepresidentofthe RoyalInstitutionofCharteredSurveyors(RICS) inNorthernIreland,andalecturerintheUIster UniversityBelfastSchoolofArchitectureand BuiltEnvironment,takesoverfromProfessor AlastairAdairaschairpersonofthejudging panel. ■ MusicAgainstHomelessness:Starbucks’RebeccaGardinwithOdhranMurphy,EddieBooth,KirstenHewittandMediahuisIrelanddeputypublisherEdMcCann

NOVEMBER  Belfast TelegraphIT Awards

58 CONF ERENCE S& EVEN T MA NAGE ME NT

upto15manufacturingcompaniesfromthe UKtoleveragethesmarttechnologies,tools andtechniquesof‘Industry4.0’.Theworkshop serieswillenableparticipantstodesign actionablesolutionsforidentiﬁedbusiness challengesandopportunities.Applicationsfor theschemeareopenuntilSeptemberanda programmeofeventsstartsinOctober.

The Belfas t Telegraph IT Awardswere created inre co gnition of the grow ing import ance of the sec tor, and entries have increased signiﬁcantly since it sﬁrs t year In November, thejudging panel will be chaired by No el Brad y, IT industry sp ecialis t and managingdire ctor of Nb1.

TheBelfastChamberofCommerce’sannual awardsbashwilltakeplaceonOctober21,at theCrownePlazaHotelinBelfast.Theawards willshowcasethebestofthecity’sbusinesses across22categoriesrangingfromBestNew Business,BusinessLeaderofthe Yearandthe BestCompanyto WorkFor,tonewcategories likeBestInternationalBusinessandExcellence inContributiontotheCommunity.

 Belfast TelegraphProperty Awards

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The Belfas t Telegraph has announced that it s leading IT Awardsare returning fora thirdyear, with Telefonica Te ch UK and Ireland once again the overall sponsor. A ceremony will be held on November 11 at the Mac in Belfas t and is to be hosted by comedian Neil Delamere Categories will alsoso on be op en for entr y. The event wasﬁrs t held in 2019 It was postponed in 2020 but returned last year

orethan30speakersandsome200delegatesare todescendonBelfastnextmonthforIreland’s ﬁrstconferencededicatedtocryptocurrencies,the ‘metaverse’andNFTs.

Speakersandpanellistsfromtraditionalglobalﬁnancialservices

ThetermDeFi referstodigitalplatformsandapplicationsthatallow peer-to-peertransactionsthroughsoftwarewithout relianceonan intermediary,likeabank.Themostpopularusesarelending,borrowing andtradingacrossarangeofnewdigitalassets.

institutions,includingtheLondonStockExchangeGroupandDeutsche Borsewilljoinspeakersfromsomeoftheworld’smostinnovative platformsinthespaceincludingCoinbase,SwissborgandTheBlock.

“Whateveryour reasonfortravel,Enterprise hasbeentheretoconnectustofamily, friendsandopportunity,evolvingwiththe timesandbetterconnectingBelfastand Dublin.Thankyoutoeveryonewhohas shapedtheEnterprisejourneyandwelook forwardtodeliveringourambitiousplansto securethefutureofourﬂagshipcross-border railservice.”

“Wecelebratetheservice,ourstaffand customersoverthedecades,” Translink groupchiefexecutive,ChrisConway,said.

TheﬁrstEnterprisetrainservice

Markingtheanniversary,someofthestaff whoworkedontheserviceinitsﬁrstyears wereamongthosewhogatheredatLanyon StationinBelfasttomarkthedatewhena seven-carriagesteamtrainheadedtoDublin, bringingaboutaneweraincross-border travel.

SEPT59 EM BE R 2022 www.defconf.xyz M

Theone-dayconferencewillincludetalks,panelsandworkshopson game-fi(gamefinance),movie-fi(moviefinance),web3,NFTs,withthe aimtoshowcasedecentralisedfinanceasanewwaveofinnovation thatencompassesthefastestgrowingareasoffinanceandblockchain, cryptocurrenciesandNFTs.

TheDeFiConf2022willtakeplacein TitanicHotelBelfastonThursday, October6,andisalreadyattractingwealthmanagers,ﬁnancialadvisors, privateinvestorsandtechnologyentrepreneursfromacrossEurope,all keentolearnmoreabouttheseevolvingsectors.

Ireland’sﬁrstdedicated cryptoeventcomingtoBelfast

Ticketsarelimitedandcanbepurchasedatwww.deﬁconf.xyz.Pricesstart from£149withVIPticketsincludingapackageofexclusivesocialactivities

Nowjointlyoperatedby TranslinkNI RailwaysandIarnródÉireann,theEnterprise StrategicDevelopmentPlanoutlines ambitionsforthedevelopmentoftheservice fromprocurementofnewﬂeetandline electriﬁcationtojourneytimeimprovement options.

Enterpriseservicemarks75thanniversary

In1947theinauguralEnterprisetrainservice travelledfromBelfasttoDublin–asevencarriagesteamtrainoperatedbytheGreat NorthernRailway(Ireland).

heEnterprisetrainservicewhich connectsBelfasttoDublinis markingits75thbirthday.

£22mdistilleryset forCrumlinRoadGaol B

McConnell’sisalreadyonshelvesin21 countries,includingthecrucialUSmarket, whereBoston-basedinvestorJosephBabiec saidthereisstillanexpectationofbiggrowth

60 WH IS KE Y

elfast’sCrumlinRoadGaolwillplay hosttoanew£22mIrishwhiskey distilleryamidambitiousnewplans unveiled. JohnKelly,chiefexecutiveoftheBelfast DistilleryCompanydrivingthescheme,saysit’s adevelopmentwhichisclosetohome. “Iwenttoschooljustovertheprison

wallthere,toStMalachy’s,”hesaid.J&J McConnell’sDistilleryand VisitorCentrewillbe builtintheAsectionoftheformerprison. “Thisisthebeginningofanewera...itused tobemanywhiskeysweredistilledinBelfast, biggerthanDublinorCork,”hesays.

Thecompanywilldistillitsownfve-year blendedmaltandgrainMcConnell’sWhisky,a brandfrstproducedin1776butdiscontinued inthe1920s.It returnedin2020.Thecompany saysituses‘whisky’ratherthanthetraditional Irish‘whiskey’asitwashowitwasspeltmore than200yearsago.

“Weweretoldofanopportunitytolookatan Irishwhiskeycompanybuildingadistilleryand tolditwasinagaol.Itwastheuniquenessof thatIwasattractedto,”MrBabiecsaid.

MrO’Dowdsaid:“ThehistoricCrumlinRoad Gaolsettingwillenhancethis regeneration projectandhelptomaximiseitseconomic, socialandenvironmentalbeneftstothelocal andwidercommunity.”

TheDepartmentforCommunitiesandInvest NIhaveprovidedacombined£1.9mof supporttowardstheproject.

Butthecentrewillhavetocompetewith otherdistillerieshere,includingHinchand Killowen.

MrBabiec,alatercomertowhiskey drinking,hesays,believesIrishwhiskeyisin thesameplaceScotchwas10to15years ago. TheglobalIrishwhiskeymarket reached avalueof$4.33bn(£3.58bn)in2021 andisexpectedto reachavalueof $6.91bn(£5.72bn)by2027,accordingto ResearchAndMarkets.com.Someanalysts predictitmaysurpassthesalesofScottish whiskyinthenextdecade.

Itswingedconstruction,basedontheLondon Pentonvilledesign,was regardedasforward thinkingforitstime.

JohnKelly,BelfastDistillery Company,CommunitiesMinister DeirdreHargey,EconomyMinister Gordon Lyons,InfrastructureMinister JohnO’Dowd,andMelChittock, interimchiefexecutiveofInvestNI

Mr Lyonssaid:“Thismulti-millionpound investmentwillseethetransformationofthis historicBelfastbuildingandcreate49new jobs,contributingover£1.7mofadditional annualsalariesintothelocaleconomy.”

“Mydepartment,throughitsUrban DevelopmentGrantprogramme,isproviding much-neededinvestmentinnorthBelfastwith grantfundingof£656,000fortheBelfast Distillery,”MsHargeysaid. “Theprojectwilldelivereconomic,social andenvironmentalimprovementsaswellas creatingjobsandboostingtourisminthe area.”

“Wearetrulydelightedtobedevelopingour distilleryinnorthBelfast. We lookforwardto helpingourgreatcitygrowanddevelopinthe yearsahead.” OriginallyknownastheCountyGaolfor Antrim,CrumlinRoadwasbuiltbetween 1843and1845.Itwasdesignedbyarchitect andengineerCharlesLanyontohouse550 prisoners.

TheDepartmentforInfrastructurehas providedBelfastDistilleryCompanywiththe leasetodevelopitsdistillery.

Thiswasnotlongafterworkstoppedona previousplanputforwardmorethan10years agobyateamledbylotterywinnerPeter Lavery,currentlyplanninghisowndistilleryin the Titanicquarter.

■

“AndthenIgottoknowthehistoryofthe gaolandthehistoryofwhiskeyinBelfast.”

inthemarketandenough roomdespite thegrowingnumberofIrishwhiskeysbeing produced.

Avisitorcentre,whichtheownershope willattract100,000visitorseachyear,is planned,alongwithwhiskeytours,cocktail masterclasses,shopandatastingbaronthe toplanding.Itisplannedtoopennextyear, withthefrstwhiskeysfromthestill readyto goin2026.

joinedwithotherinvestorsfromNew York afterfrstbeingapproachedin2016.

Itisthefrstinvolvementinbusinesshere forMrBabiec,acorporateconsultantwho

EconomyMinsterGordon Lyons,Infrastructure MinisterJohnO’DowdandCommunities MinisterDeirdreHargeyattendedthe announcementoftheoverhaul.The communitiesdepartmentandInvestNIhave providedacombined£1.9mofsupport towardstheproject,with49jobsplanned.

“Thesupportwehave receivedfromacross governmenthasbeenvitaltomakingthis ambitiona realityforus,”hesaid.

Fromitsconstructiontoitsclosurein1996,it isestimated25,000passedthroughitsdoors, includingmanyofthemostfamousfgures overthenear30yearsofconfict.

SEPT61 EM BE R 2022 WH IS KE Y

MrKellysaidthe refurbishedgaolwingwill becomethehomeofthebrand,currently producedattheGreatNorthernDistilleryin Dundalk.

Itsotherwingshavebeen reconstructedas atouristattraction,visitedbyapproximately 200,000intheyearbeforethepandemic.

’mnotbigonqueues.Whetherit’sa licensedestablishment, a cut-priceoffer orDisneyland, I avoidthemasand when I can. It’s takenmelongertopay a visittopizzaspot Flout!than I originallyplanned.Itwasn’t open when I frstpaid a visittotheBananaBlockat Portview TradeCentre ineastBelfast,andsince, there’s beensuch a buzzaroundit,longqueues appearedtofollow, alongwithitoftenselling out. Butthewaitisover Andit’s beenworthit. I pay a visiton a dampandovercastSaturday afternoon.There’s noqueue.And,breathe. PeteThompson, a keenhomecookbutno pizzaioloatthisstage,turnedhisattentionto doughduringlockdown producingfocaccia forMike’s FancyCheese,before uppingthe stakesandmovingintopizza,includingdeep dishDetroitstyle.Thelatterissomethingwhich hashelpedputhisspotontheBelfastfood map.

Duringourvisit,whichwas a coupleofhours afteritopeneditsdoors,there were several otherspecialsandvariantson,including a New Haven-stylepepperoni, a heritagetomatopie andonewith roastpeachandbeetroot.I’ll certainlybebackformore.

■ Flout! settinganewpizza standardinBelfast TheSpicyKingpizza

62 HO SP ITAL IT Y

It’s anairyandspacioussetup –a cordonedoff largekitchen,prepandservingarea,the rest, concretefoors,tables,benchesandlargecans ofItaliantomatoes.

Revi ew: I

Anotherdeepoptionbringsforthpotatoes, tarragonbechamelandcaramelisedonions.It’s sweet,savoury, rich,creamy bringingforth someofthefavoursofAlsace,butbusier Petedoesn’t sticktothetradition,anytradition, beitItalianorDetroit.That’s thewayitshould be.

Thechunkyandhearty£4.50sliceofpepperoni meets a generousservingofhomemaderanch dressing creamy, fattyandherbaceous. There’sa hostofspecialsonalsoandPeteand histeamthrowinterestingcurveballsintothe menumixon a regularbasis,ifhisInstagram pageisanythingtogoby A sweetadditionisthe‘rookiecookie’ –a chocolatesourdoughbiscuitwith a pinchof salt.However, onthisoccasiontwoofthem cometogetheralongsidehomemademaltedice creamtoform a sandwich. Ithas a punchwhichthesweetendofthe favourspectrumrarelyachieves.Thecookies are crispandmottled,butmakewayfor softness, a bitofchocolateoozeand a crackof savoury What’s betweenthemdefnitelycameoutof ‘icecreamuniversity’with a frst.Justmelting, italmosthasthechewandluxuriousnessof clottedcream,vanillaandrich. We splittwo betweenfour It’s decadencepersonifedandisverymuch worthyourtime. You’llbegladyoupaid a visittoFlout!ifyou makethetrip.It’s justlotsofthingsdonewell foronly a fewquid.

I optforwhatI’vebeeneyeingupforthelast fewweeks.TheSpicyKingsquare is a hefty, richanddeeplysatisfyingmarriageofdough, sauce,cheeseandpepperoni. Thesellingpointisthebrown,deckledcrisp cornerandfringes.Itlookslikethebowofthe Titanic.Itcodifestheumamiandsavouryin onebalancedpackage saltinesspermeatedby theadditionofhothoney

makeupthethingsweliketoconsume,how wetasteandsmell,howthat’simpactedby otherfactors,andultimatelythecomponents wemaypreferinourbeverages–knowingly, orotherwise.

here’snowaythat’sbanana,”a friendadamantlyprofesses,half serious,halfcomic,aswesitinthe upperfoorsofBelfast’sgrandNational BankBuilding. Andaswesit,huffngvariousscentsfrom inhaler-likedevices,I realisetomyselfthisisn’t atypicalSaturdayinthepubforacoupleof pints. ThisisSensorium,oneoftwonewdrinks experiencesaspartofwhat’snowknownas theSpiritCircle. It’soperatedbytheaward-winning Tasteand Tour,runbytheever-knowledgeableteamof Caroline WilsonandPhilErvine. Theideawiththisparticularexperienceisto breakdownandestablishtheelementsthat

Firstoff,it’saverycleverpieceofdesignand setup.ThevenuesitsaboveTheNationalbar andtendstoonlybeusedineveningsand weekends,andthus,isagrandthree-foor stageforTheSpiritCircleduringtheday. OurmainhostisanotherPhil,ourguide, meanderingthroughthisjourneyacrossa coupleofhoursoftincturesandpalateand sensoryexploration. I’mtryingtowritearoundtheexperience withoutbeingtooprescriptiveandspoiling anysurprisesorinterestingelementsalong theway.

But,essentially,thebulkofthefrstelement isaboutlearning,evolvingandunderstanding whatmakesupthetasteproflesofthedrinks weenjoy. We startoffwithtacklingthemainfve componentsoffavour(althoughlearnthere arecertainlymore),andthenmoveonto identifyingsamplesoftincturesandtheirmain favourcomponents. IthinkI’veahalfdecentpalate,andwhileI pickoutafewonthenose,I’mknockedforsix onothers.Areyousurethisisn’tcandyfoss? We’veadrinkinhandwhileallofthisisgoing on–somethingalcoholicbutmoreofapalate cleanser. We moveontotheolfactoryelementof theday’sproceedings.Arubberlatexnose looksupatus,nestledamongsmallmulticolouredinhalers,eachcontainingadifferent odour.Manyofthemstumpus–familiar,yet unfamiliar. Muchofwhatwearedoingherewillshape ourbeveragechoiceonthefnaltopfoorlater, butbeforethenwearetreatedtoanalmost Orwellianmulti-mediaexperiencehalfway up,completewithcocktail.Thinksomething alongthelinesofRidleyScott’s1984advertfor Apple’sMacintosh.Fromthere,it’sofftothe upperfooranddrinksgardenatopthegrand building. Theearlierworkyou’veputinwillgoonto shapewhatyournextbeverageis.It’san interestingone,andwhileIlandedsomething I’dbeunlikelytoeverorderinabar,itsatwell onthepalate.There’salsotheopportunity topickafnalcocktail,thistimelistedbyits characterratherthansimplyaname.Ichoose wellandendupwithwhatIbelievewasa punchyManhattan. Astheexperienceheadstowardsits conclusion,itfeelsliketwohourswellspent. TicketsforSensoriumstartat£45,which essentiallyincludesfourdrinksalongtheway. It’sanentertainingandinformativeexperience whichwouldworkwellwithagroup,oreven justacoupleoffriends.

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Experimenting withthesenses

SEPT63 EM BE R 2022 HO SP ITAL IT Y

ofparmesan.Ifnishwithsomehomemade infusedherboil,butgoodextravirginoliveoil willalsowork,cidervinegarpowder(avoids toomuchmoisture),seaweedand rosemary saltandblackpepper.

(Sortof)capresesalad

fresh summer dishes to keep things coolin thekitchen

Five

JohnMulgrew looksatfvedifferentfreshand cleansummerrecipestokeepthingscoolinthekitchen

(Sortof)capresesalad

Thisismytakeontheclassic,cleanandsimple Italiansalad(picturedabove)whichaddsa bitmorepunchwithoutbeingtooinyour face.It’sagreatsidesaladforbarbecuingbut wouldworkperfectlywellasamaincourseon itsown.Slicebeeftomatoesasfnelyasyou canandlayeronalargeplate,arrangefnely sliced redonion,freshmozzarella,andtop withtornbasilandmintleaves,andshavings

64 FOOD

Greensauce Thisclassicherb-packedsaucewillenliven anythingyouputiton,particulargrilledmeats, althoughitworksjustaswellon roasted

vegetables.There’snohardandfastrule or recipewiththisone,butIworkaround FergusHenderson’sclassicversion.Thekey componentsareanchovies,lotsofgarlic, capers,goodoliveoil,blackpepperanda lotsoffreshherbs.Parsleydoesthejobasthe core,alongsidearoundhalftheamountof freshmintandtarragon.Basilwillalsodothe job.Chopfnelyorblendtogether,butdon’t over-mix.

Asthetemperaturesriseandyoumightbetiredofcookingtheusual fareonthebarbecue,

Chickentarragonandlemon sandwich

SEPT65 EM BE R 2022 FOOD

Thiszestychickensandwichisasimpleway toutilise roastingawholebirdandmakingit goalongway.Roastaseasonedchickenin theoven(roughly180°Cwithtimedependent onthesize)withsometarragonandgarlic, removeand restfor15-20minutes.Then, removethebreastsandslice,aswellastaking offandlightlyshreddingthelegandthigh meat.Now,combinewithmayonnaiseand crèmefraiche,freshtarragon,ateaspoonof Dijonmustard,lemonzest,atouchofthe juice,lotsofblackpepperandseasontotaste. Serveupinawhitebaguette(orsomething fancierifyouwish)andtopwithshop-bought crisponionsandfnelyslicedgreenchillies.

Burrata Thisismoreaunitingofingredientsthan a recipebutburrataiseasytofndinmost supermarketsandcanbeafreshandluxurious quicklunch. Takeoneburrataandcutintoit slightly,topwithgoodoliveoil,freshbasil, lemonzest,gratedparmesan,asmallglugof balsamicvinegar,freshlygroundblackpepper andMaldonsalt.

Salt-curedsalmon,freshvegetables, pickledshallots Thishotdishisalightermainwhichforgoes anythingcarb-heavyinplaceoflotsof vegetables. Takesalmonflletsandsprinkle Maldonsaltontheskinsideandlightlyon thefeshside.Thiscurewillonlytake30-60 minutesandjustensuresyougetaperfectly crispskin.When readytocookwipeoffany remainingsaltandcookinatouchofoilin amediumheatpan,skinsidedown.After acoupleofminutescheckandturnfesh sidedownjusttofnishoffthecooking.In aseparatepanaddachunkofbutterand fnelyslicedfennel,followedbyfreshcornoff thecob,peas(freshorfrozen)andatouch ofvegetablestock.Stickthelidonandcook forafewminutesuntilthefennelhaslost someofitsbite.Reducetheliquidifneeded andseason,beforeservingwiththesalmon, toppedwithpickledshallotsandfenneltops.

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Salt-curedsalmon,fresh

vegetables,pickledshallots Burrata

Consumerswithothertypesofborrowing, suchascarloansandcreditcards,willalso havetopaymoretocovertheirdebt.

Theriseisanotherblowforhouseholdsalready strugglingwithclimbingenergycostsandfood prices.

Oneexpertwarnedthattheincrease,upfrom 1.25%,couldmakeowningahomeortrading upincreasinglyunaffordable.

Researchpublishedby YorkUniversitysaid NorthernIrelandwouldsoonfacethehighest rateoffuelpovertyintheUK,with71.7%of peopleindiffculties.

Itisestimatedthataround85,000ofNorthern Ireland’s236,000mortgageholdershold variableortrackermortgagesthatareaffected byBankofEnglandinterestratedecisions.The remainder,around150,000people,areon fxed-ratedeals.

FollowingthelatestincreaseininterestratesfromtheBankofEngland, Margaret Canning looksatwhatimpacttherisecouldhaveonconsumersandbusinesses acrossNorthernIreland Homeownersfacea“hardwinter” aftertheBankofEngland’s decisiontohikeinterestratesto 1.75%addedhundredsofpoundsayear totheirmortgages.

“Ifyouareonafxedtermcomingtoanend whichyousecuredat,say,1.99%,thejump tocurrentratesisbycirca1%atleast,”Dr McCordsaid. “So,consumerswhosetermsarecurrently endingarefacedwithaverydiffcultposition.

ButDrMichaelMcCord,a readerin realestate atUlsterUniversity,saidpeoplelookingfor anewmortgagedealonafxedrateafter anolddealhadrunoutcouldhavetofnd another£150amonth,dependingonthesize oftheirhomeloan.

AccordingtothetradeassociationUK Finance,homeownerswhosemortgages tracktheBankofEnglandbaseratewillsee around£50amonth,or£600ayear,added topayments.

Someareseeingtheirratesincreasefrom 1.99%tobetween3.29%and3.74%, dependingontheterm,sothisiseffectively 66

MORTGAGE S Ratehikeaddsatleast£600 ayearto85,000NImortgages

“Monetarypolicyistypicallytheﬁrstlineof defenceagainstinﬂationwhenitisdemandled.

addingon1.5%in repaymentsamonth.

Whileabaseinterestrateof1.75%may seemhightoanyoneintheir20s,30sor 40s,itislowcomparedthe1990s,whenthe ratewasashighas13%. Inaddition,whilepropertypricesin NorthernIrelandhavebeenincreasing steadily,theyhaven’tgonebacktothe unsustainablehighsofthelasteconomic crashof2008. Businesses Homeownersaren’ttheonlyborrowerswho willfeelthepainoftheriseininterestrate. Businesseswithloanswillalsofinditmore expensivetopayback. Thatwillbeafactorinhowtheyplanfor anyspendingintheirbusinessandfirmsmay thereforehaltanymajorexpansionplans. Theycouldalsofeelthepinchasa result ofconsumershavinglessmoneytospend ondiscretionaryitemsifthey’repayingoff moreoftheirmortgageeachmonth–not tomentiontheextracashthey’realready havingtofindtomeetrisingenergyand foodcosts. Consumers Evenifyoudonothaveamortgage,you willstillbeaffectedbythehike.It’sgoingto haveanimpactonthecostofothertypes ofborrowing,suchaspersonalloans,car loansandcreditcards,meaningyou’llhave to repaymore.

CBINorthernIrelanddirectorAngela McGowansaidpeoplefaceda“hardwinter”. “Withfurtherenergypricerisespotentiallyon thehorizon,supportforvulnerablehouseholds andbusinessesshouldbekeptunder review,” shesaid.

“However,thesupply-sideelementofthis inﬂationcrisishasmadetheBankofEngland’s jobmuchmoredifﬁcult.” MsMcGowancalledonthenextprime ministertotakeactiontoboostproductivity, andsaidanExecutivewasneededtoguide societythroughthecrisis.

“Atthe regionallevelinNorthernIreland,an agileandsupportive responsetotheinﬂation crisis really requiresanExecutivetobein place.” ■

Thishasveryobviousandseriousaffordability questionsandissues. “Therecouldbeinstanceswherethosehaving to reﬁnancemaynotpasstheaffordability stresstestsandnotbeofferedanew mortgage.”

SEPT EM BE R 2022 MORTGAGE S

heBankofEngland’sdecisionto increaseinterestrateswillhave animpactonmillionsofpeople acrosstheUK.Here,wetakeacloser lookathowdifferentgroupscouldbe affected. Existinghomeowners ThemajorityofhomeownersinNorthern Irelandhaveﬁxed-ratemortgages,where theamounttheypayoffeverymonthis ﬁxedtoaparticularinterestrate,setbytheir lender. However,about85,000areestimatedto beontrackerorvariable-ratemortgages. IndustrycalculationsfortheUKasawhole suggestthejumpintheinterestrateto 1.75%willadd£50tomonthlytracker mortgagecosts. Therewouldbeaslightlyhigherincreasefor thoseonstandard-variablerates.UKFinance cameupwiththesumbasedonaverage mortgagebalances. However,withhousepricesmuchlowerin NorthernIrelandthantheUKasawhole, averagemortgagebalancesarealsolower, sotheadditiontomonthlypaymentswillbe lowerthan£50. First-timebuyers Somefearthattheincreasecouldmake owningahomeortradingupunaffordable.

“Theincreases,dependingonthevalue,will vary,butitwillformosthouseholdsmakea sizeabledentintheirmonthly repaymentsand ﬁnances.

DrMichaelMcCord,a readerin realestate atUlsterUniversity,saiditraises“very obviousandseriousaffordabilityquestions andissues”. Otherssaytheincreaseshouldn’tputoff ﬁrst-timebuyersandshouldnotbeseenas aprecursortoapropertycrash.

Savers Thebank’sdecisionsshouldalsoincreasethe interestratespeopleearnontheirsavings. Lendersusuallypassonanyinterestrate rises,butpeoplemayﬁndthatanyincrease ofa returnontheirsavingsisnotkeeping upwiththerisingcostoflivingingeneral.

“Anexampleofthisisahouseholdcurrently payingaround£850amonthwhosemortgage termisupandiscurrently reﬁnancing.[It]will seeanincreasetoaround£1,000amonth.

Peoplewhoareonstandardvariablerate mortgageswillalsohavetopaymore.The BankofEngland’sMonetaryPolicyCommittee liftedtheinterestratetocontaininﬂation, which roseto9.4%inJune–thehighestlevel in40years.

Whatsortofimpact willBankofEngland decisionhaveonme?

■

Ilookafterpeople’scarswhentheyneeda neworpart-worntyresandthesamegoes foragriculturalvehiclesandmanagement ofcommercialfeets.Igetcallsfrompeople stuckonafarmwithatractortyrethatneeds repairing,someonewhohasarrivedatwork and realisedtheirtyreisbaldandneedssorting beforedrivinghome,acommercialcustomer whohasadeliveryheadingouttoEngland andneedsnewtyresbeforetheysetoffor someonewhohasanMOTcomingupand needsnewtyresfttedattheirhouse. Doyouenjoywhatyoudo,andwhatin particular? IlovewhatIdo.Ihavedreamtofsettingup myowntyre-fttingcompanysinceIwas17. IalwaysfeltIcouldoffersomethingabit differenttoothercompanies.Ienjoydealing withcustomersandhelpingthemoutwhen theyneedmebyprovidingthebestserviceI possiblycan.Ialsoenjoybeingmyownboss andhavingthefexibilitytospendmoretime withmyfamily. Whatisthemostdiffcultpartofyourjob? Inmylineofwork,itishardtoplanaday

68 Entrepreneur ofthe Month

effciently.EverydayIhavepeoplecalling aboutemergenciesduetopuncturesand damagedtyressoifacustomercallstosay theyarestuckonthesideofthe roadIwill doeverythingIcantogettheretosortthem outimmediately.Ilookalsoforwardtohaving aright-handmantohelpimproveeffciency whilestillbeingabletooffersucha reactive service. Whatarethechallengesfacingyour sector,andtheeconomyingeneral? Unfortunately,thesupplycostoftyreshas shotupandcontinuingtoshootupwhichis ahugechallengeaspeopleexpectthecost tostaythesameeachtimetheypurchase tyres.ThatiswhyIbelieveofferingamobile serviceisintegraltowhatwedo.Itmeanswe canhelpsavepeopletimeandmoneyinthat respectastheydon’thavetotraveltodepots andwaitaround.Thisisespeciallyimportant forcommercialcustomers. Today’seconomy isunpredictableforbusinessesandI’mvery awareofthepressuresfacingcustomerssoI willcontinuetoworkwithsupplierstokeep costsfairforcustomersandprovidevaluefor money.

DAVIDKINKEAD LISBURNTYRESERVICES

Istartedstraightfromschoolatage16by enrollinginacarmechanicscourseandbeing offeredafull-timejobopportunityat ATS EuromasterwhichIjumpedatandbeganmy 20-yearcareerintyre-ftting.Igainedsomuch valuableexperienceworkingwiththemand othertyre-fttingfrmsthatIworkedmyway upandmylatest role(beforestartinguponmy own)wasmanagingandservicingahugefeet oflorriesforabusytransportcompany. Typically,whoareyourclientsor customers? Ispecialiseinmobiletyre-fttingforcar, commercialandagriculturalcustomersacross NIbutmainlyintheLisburn,GreaterBelfast, and regionsaroundCoDownandCoArmagh.

Howisbusiness? Businessisbooming.Whenstartingup Lisburn Tyre ServicesduringapandemicI neverimaginedthatasIbeganmysecond yearinbusinessIwouldbeinvestingbackinto thebusinesswithmachinery,asecondvan andemployingsomeonetohelpservicemy customersandgrowthebusiness.Ihavemy amazingcustomerstothankforthis.Offering ahassle-freemobileserviceis,Ithink,howI havestoodoutaspeopleareappreciativeto havesomeonecomeouttothemwhenin need–athome, roadside,attheirworkplace orinacommercialyard.

Howdidyougetstartedintheindustry?

Energy,waste & environment

nthespaceofadecade,Northern Irelandwentfrombeingatthefront ofthepackinEuropewithanelectric carchargingnetworktonowlaggingway behinditsneighbourssouthandeast.

Electricvehicles: bigmovesneededto getaheadofthepack

“Thethingjustwitheredonthevine,”Mark McCalloftheElectric VehicleAssociation NorthernIreland(EVANI)tells UlsterBusiness However,inthespaceofjustoneyear,the numberofplug-inelectriccarssoldinNorthern Irelandhasmorethandoubled.

numberofrapidchargersinNorthernIreland, it’sclearwe’resomewaybehind.

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“Whatwewouldsayiswe’vespent18months raisingawarenessaboutthisandwedosee lightattheendofthetunnel,”Marksays. Marksaystherearearoundfveorsixnew publicchargingprojectsinNorthernIreland. “So,theinvestmentisarriving,”hesays.

Somegoodnewscameearlierthisyearwhen Belfaststart-up Weevannouncedplansto invest£20minanewpublicelectricvehicle (EV)chargingnetworkinover350locations acrossNorthernIreland. Intotal,thecompanyplanstoinstall1,500 newchargingpointsbeforetheendof2024, includingatsixmajorultra-rapidcharginghub sitesthatwillseedriversabletofully‘top-up’ theirvehiclesinlessthan20minutes.

Thatbringsthecumulativetotalof4,722at theendof2020,to8,501EVshereattheend of2021.

So,howdidNorthernIreland’snetworkgetto whereitistoday?“Westarted roughlyin2011 andtherewassomesortofconsortiumcoming togetherandtherewasEUmoney[foran initialEVchargenetwork],”Marksays. “…therewasalotofCapEx(capital expenditure)butnotalotofOpEx(operating expense).Thethingjustwitheredonthevine. It[initially]madeusoneoftheleadersin EuropewithanEVcharging roll-out.

Somehavepredictedelectriccarownership couldbeinsixfgureshereby2030.Butif that’stohappenthenthenetworkmustbe improvedsignifcantly,incentivesintroduced andcoststackledinordertotrulygogreen. Andlookingatthelateststatisticsforthe

AccordingtoEVANI,andusinginformation fromtheDepartmentfor Transport,Scotland hasmorethanadozentimesmorerapid chargersthanNorthernIreland,basedon fguresper100,000ofthepopulation,with Englandaroundeighttimesand Walessix.

NorthernIrelandwasonceaheadofthegamewithan initialdevelopmentofanelectriccarchargingnetwork, butit’s beenclaimedthathas‘witheredonthevine’in termsofgovernmentinvestment.Butasthenumber ofnewEVssolddoublesinthespaceof a year, John Mulgrew speaksto MarkMcCall oftheElectric VehicleAssociationNorthernIreland(EVANI)about what’s neededtogetusbackontrack I

The2020atotalof1,680newplug-invehicles registeredinNorthernIrelandhasmore increasedto3,779for2021.

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“Itwaskeptfreeandnever reallyinvestedin. Thehardwarehas reachedtheendofitssell-by date.” Markpointsoutthekeydifferencebetween so-called‘destination’chargersandrapid chargepoints.Thelatteriswhat’sneededto makethenetworktrulysmooth,functional and reliable. “Ifyou’redrivingfromBelfasttoEnniskillen youneedthe20minuterapidchargetoget youhome,”Marksays. “NorthernIrelandhas1.1rapidchargerper 100,000ofthepopulation.TheUKaverage isaround7.7andScotlandisabout13. We areoneseventhoftheUKaverage.Thatgives youabitofapictureastohowbadthingsare here.” EVANI representtheinterestsofelectricvehicle usersinNorthernIrelandbybeingacollective voice,workingwithstakeholderstoidentify andhighlightthespecifcissuesaround ownershipanduseofEVsandtheir related infrastructure “Iboughtmyfrstelectriccarin2016,”Mark says.“Afriendatthetimehadaplug-in hybridvehicle.Thetwoofusprobablyenjoy thetechsideofthingsprobablyinitiallyinthe cars.>

“WehaveheardovertheyearsthatEVswould reachparitywiththepiston-poweredcarby 2025or2027.Thewaythingsaregoingit lookslikepetrolcarpricesaregoingtogoup tomeetEVsratherthanEVscomingdownto meetpetrol.

“Weneedtoseethoseleverstohelp…we needtoseethosepeoplesupportedwiththe properinfrastructuretobackuptheirdecision tomovetoanEV.”

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“Thathasalottodowithsupplyandthetimes wearein…thecheapestNissanLeaf[thatI foundused]wasaboutnineyearsoldandwas £9,300.That’sprobablytheentrylevelfora practicalEV.

We arein aterriblestateinNorthernIrelandin regards topublicchargingandIdon’tthinkthat’sany secret.” So,howmanypeopledoesthisimpact? AccordingtoMarktherearearound8,000 plug-inelectricvehiclesinNorthernIreland,but astheearlierfguresshow,thatnumberisset tosoar,asnumbershavedoubledyear-on-year.

72 ENERGY, WA ST E& EN VI RONME NT

“Thatmayhavebeen£6,000ayearago.The beneft-in-kindsituationmeanstherewillbea lotofelectricvehiclescomingoffleaseswhich shouldstarttobringvehiclesintothesecond handmarket.

“Itisgoingtocomeintimebutitisgoing totaketime.Onthenewpurchaseside,in Scotlandthereisaninterest-freeloanfor someonewhowishestobuyanEV.

WhatstartedasaFacebookgroupseveral yearsagoblossomedintothegroupitis today– representingelectriccarownersacross NorthernIreland.

Thereareambitiouspredictionsfromsome thatNorthernIrelandcould reach400,000 electricvehiclesby2030.Butthat remains somewayoff.

Theorganisationalsoworkswithother regionalelectricvehicleorganisationsinthe Republic,England,Scotlandand Walesandis alsoamemberofthewiderglobalnetwork. OnthenumberofrapidchargersinNorthern Ireland,withplanstoincreasethesizeofthe network,Marksays:“Thathasbroughtwith itawholenewsetofchallengesaroundgrid connectionandconnectionpricing.

“WemadeapresentationtotheCommittee forInfrastructurelastyearandthatwasoneof thepointswementionedtothem.”

“Wehaveseenverylittleactionoutofthe Assemblyintermsoffunding,”Marksays.He sayscomparabledevolvedgovernmentshave beenearmarkingsignifcantlymoretowards rapidchargingnetworksthanhereinNorthern Ireland. Hesayswhileinvestinginpublictransport

Andwhilethe Teslarangemaybethe fagship,shinysellingpointinwantingtogo electric–clever,fashionableandpowerful,for most,theyarefnanciallyoutof reach.There arecheaperoptions,butelectricvehiclesstill remainmoreexpensivethantraditionalpetrol ordieselcars.So,howdoelectriccarsbecome affordableforeveryone?

“InlastDecember,26%ofvehiclessoldthat monthwerefullbatteryelectric.Itgoesup anddown…butIthinkspeakingtoalotof thecardealerships,thethreelargestwouldbe corporatemembersofourorganisation,they alltellusthatthisishappeningfasterthan theythoughtitwould.” Andspeakingaboutincentivesandassistance fromgovernmenttoturnpeopletowards electric,Marksays:“Wedohaveleversfrom Westminsterlikebeneft-in-kind reduction andwehaveseenalotofcompanycardriers switchtoEV.

mustalsobeaprioritytheremustalsobetens ofmillionsspentondecarbonisingthehuge numberofjourneystakenbycarinNorthern Ireland,withthemovetoelectric.

It’shardtogaugehowmuchofthemarket sharesMrPierce’senthusiasm,butthereare someclues.Samsung’sownsalesoffoldables inIrelandhavegoneupseven-foldsofar thisyear,MrPiercesays.Globally,themarket segmenthastripledinthelastyeartobetween eightmillionand10million,dependingon whichanalystfrmyoubelieve.

AndwhenwillSamsungPaycometoIreland?

‘certain

ThismaybewhySamsungisstilltheonly mainstreamsmartphonecompanyactually marketingthem,accountingforsome90%of industrysales.Apple remainsnon-committal whiletheonlyotherwould-bemajor competitor,Huawei,waseffectivelybanned fromsellingphonesinthe West.The result isthatfoldingphonesarestillunder3%of globalshipments–theymaynotyethave caughtthepublic’simagination.

Heclaimsalsotobeaconvert,sayinghehas now replacedhislaptopandtabletwitha large,fold-out‘GalaxyZFold’model.

Ontheotherhand,foldingphoneshavehad morethanafewteethingproblems.The screentechnologyhastakenawhileto reach acomparablestandardto regularfagship

Samsung’sConorPierce the future for phonesis foldable’

“Idoexpectthatthefuturewillbefoldable,” MrPiercesays.“I readsomewherethatabout 27%ofthetotalmarketwillbefoldableby 2025.”

Adrian Weckler speakstoSamsung’s ConorPierce Samsung’sDublin-bornvicepresident, ConorPierce,hassomeanswersto thequestionsabove.

Doesthis,Iaskhim,meanrathershortemails? “I’mnotabigfanofemail,”saystheformer NokiaIrelandboss.“Iprefertobepresent.I useitalotwithMicrosoft Teams,becauseIcan thenseesomethinglikemyemailorcalendar atthesametime.”

Butfarfrom regardingthisasawarning overuncertaindemand,MrPiercesaysthat Samsungissimplyaheadofthemarket.

Crucially,thepricesarestartingtomore closely resemble regularfagshipdevices,even iftheFold4isstillthemostexpensivephone youcanbuy. It’sallset,MrPiercesays,forsomethingof agrandkickstarttotheformatafteryears ofexperimentationandCovid-based retail interruptions. “Lastyearwedida reallygoodjobbuilding theoverallawarenessoffoldableswitha massivemarketinginvestment,”hesays.“But weweren’tabletoconvertthatawareness intosalesbecausealotofthe retailstores

74 TECH NOLO GY

devices,withonlytherichestbeingableto affordthebetaexperiencefor€1,000(£840) to€2,500(£2,100)ahandset.

Andtheystillfaceanexistentialquestion: whatdotheydobetter?Eventhelargest models,whichfoldouttoalmosteightinches, can’tshowvideoanylargerthanordinary smartphones.Noneofthemofferbetter cameras,batterylifeorscreen resolutionthan cheapernon-foldablemodels.Andwhile they’reslimmerandlighterthanearlyversions, thelargerfold-outunitsarestilljustaboutthe heaviest,bulkiest,priciestphonesyoucanbuy.

The reason,hesuggests,isabasicone.Inan erawhendesign,goodcameras,longbattery lifeandlarge,high-qualityscreenshave startedtobecomealittleindistinguishable acrossmostmanufacturers,theKorean electronicsgiantbelievesthatitscommitment tosomethinggenuinelyoriginalanddifferent iswell-placedtopaybigdividends. To thisend,itslatestGalaxyZFold4andFlip4 modelswerelaunchedthisweek,sporting improvementsinmostfunctions. ThelargerFold4isdesignedasanelegant workhorse,asortof2020sversionofthe GalaxyNotethatkickedofflarge-screen phonesinthemainstream.ThesmallerFlip4is moreaboutasenseofaestheticsandfun.

Thetechgiant’smobilebossforUKandIreland isinbullishformoverthefutureoffolding smartphones,sayingitcouldmakeupa quarterofthemarketwithinthreeyears.

Arefoldingphonesstillthefutureofsmartphones?Couldwesee morefoldabledisplaysingadgetssuchastabletsandlaptops?

inparticular,whoseetheirApple Watch counterpartssaunterinandoutofashop withouthavingtogoneartheirwallet,oreven theirphone.

wereclosedduetoCovid.

“Weknowthatwhenpeoplegettheseinto theirhands,about39%aremorelikelytobuy it.Lastyear,only5%of retailstoresinIreland hadahands-onfoldabledeviceondisplay. Thisyear,it’s72%.That’sgoingtomakeabig difference.” InIreland,Samsunghassoldaround600,000 “premium”phones,GalaxySorNotemodels, inthelastfouryears.Ithasjustover40% marketshare,behindApple.

ButMrPierce,whoisoneofIreland’smost experiencedphonemanufacturingexecutives afteralmost30yearsinseniorpositionsat Ericsson,NokiaandSamsung,thinksthatthe companyisonthecuspofleadingthenext premiumcategory.Ireland,hesays,isthe perfectplacetoseehowitgoes.

■ ConorPierce

SEPT75 EM BE R 2022 TECH NOLO GY

“Westillhaven’tlandedit,”hesays.“We’re verykeen,butit’stakingalotofefforttobuild independentagreementswitheachofthe banks,whichisthemainblockageforus.”

Samsunghopestomakeprogressonthis “soon”,hesays.Otherwise,thetechgiant,led locallybyNickPorter,hassomeideasabout howtodevelopitsIrishbusiness “NotthatI’mbiased,butit’saphenomenal market,”MrPiercesays.“It’saninnovation hub.There’sahugeopportunitythereto trycommercialorpartnerengagementor consumerinitiatives.Theteamhavedonea greatjobbuildingstrong relationships,butI reallywanttodoalotmoretrialsandpilotsin Ireland.”

WhilefewquestionSamsung’sgeneral superiorityindisplayengineering,thereare oneortwootherthingsitsIrishfanbasehave beenwonderingabout. WhyisSamsungPaystillnotavailablehere? It’sabitterpillforthosewithGalaxy Watches,

“IrelandandtheUKare regardedaslighthouse markets,”hesays.“They’reverycompetitive. Premium[phonesthatsellforover£500] countforover40%oftheIrishmarket.Andit hasgrown5%inthelastsixmonths.Sothis isprobablythemostexcitingtimeformein mycareer.It’ssomethingbrandnew,alittle similartomovingfromakeyboardphoneto atouchscreenphone.”Itmaynotstopwith phones,either. “Idon’tseewhyyouwouldn’tbeabletosee foldablescreensacrossmultipleconsumer products,”hesays.“It’satechnologythatis onlygoingtomatureindifferentformfactors andsizes.”

Itrytosupporttheteamtodeveloptheir skillsandencouragethemtotakeownership and responsibilityfortheirworktohelpthem growasprofessionals.Asweareallunique individuals,weneedtoworkwithpeopleto drawouttheirstrengths,soamanager’sstyle needstoadaptaccordingly.Thatsaid,wehave anamazingengineeringteamatB-Securwho makemy rolemucheasier. Whatwouldyouchangeifyoucouldgo backanddoitallagain?

Ileftschoolat16notknowingwhatIwanted todoandwithlimitedqualifcations.Iworked inmyfamily’sbusiness(hospitality)andwas laterself-employedinthesameindustryfor acoupleofyears.At22,afriendstarted fxingtelevisionsandvideos.Iwasfascinated andwantedtolearn.ThatyearIenrolled inacourseinelectronicservicingtofeed mynewfoundinterest.Ijumpedfromthat courseintoafulltimeNationalDiplomain engineeringwhilestillworkingfulltimein hospitalityasIwasmarriedandplanningto buildahouse.AftermydiplomaIspentfour yearsatuniversitystudyingelectronicswith computingIlandedabrilliantelectronicdesign jobinthetelecommunicationssector,andthe restishistory.

Howwouldyoulikeyourcareertobe remembered? Assomeonewhoalwaysgavehisverybestat alltimesand representedtheindustrywell.I wouldhopetheworkwedotodaywouldlay afoundationforfutureengineerswithinthe medicalspaceforthosewhocomeafterus. Whatpieceofadvicewouldyougivetoa 20-year-oldyou?

Name: DaveJardine Position: Headofengineering,B-Secur

Whathaveyoufoundthemost challengingduringyouryearsofbusiness, sofar? My roleisstillquitetechnicalandfndingthe rightbalancebetweenbeingagoodengineer andagoodmanagercanbeachallengeandis somethingIworkoneveryday. Howwouldyoudescribeyour managementstyle?

IcanhonestlysayIwouldn’tchangeathing.

Howdidyourcareerstart?

Thecolumnwithan earforexperience...

Ibelievethatmistakesarethetoolsweneed todevelopandlearn.WhenIwasyoung, Ithoughtthatfailuresweresomethingto hide.Ifsomethingdidn’tworkasintended, itwasatarnishonmy reputation.IfIwasto givemyselfadviceat20,Ithinkitwouldbe don’tfearfailureanditisokaytonotknow theanswer.Innovationcomesfrombeing willingtotryandpossiblyfallfatonyourface, pickingyourselfupand refningyournext attemptuntilyouironouttheissues.Problems shouldbeviewedaschallenges,failuresas opportunities. 76

Ihaveenjoyedeveryjoband rolethatI havedoneovertheyears,andtheyallhad apurposeinmouldingmebothpersonally andprofessionally.Sure,therehavebeenlots ofupsanddownsandevena redundancy whenthetelecommunicationsindustrywas struggling,butIlearnedsomuchfromevery experience. Haveyoudoneitallonyourown? No.ProfessionallyIhavebeen,andstill ambeingguidedbysomanyinspirational colleagues,lecturers,andmanagers. Personally,Icouldnothavedoneanyofit withoutmyfamily,especiallymywifeIrene whohasbeenwithmeeverystepoftheway, sincebeforemyfrstthoughtsofgoinginto engineering.Shesupportedmetoenterfull timeeducationinmyearly20s,livingina mobilehomeonabuildingsite,whilebuilding ourfrsthouse,allwhileshewasworking asa receptionist,andIwasworkinginthe evenings.

Motoring ByPatBurns Sponsoredby

The VelocebuildsonthiswithdarkmironV frontbezel,velocebadgingandbodykit,with mattsideandfrontinserts,glossblackwindow surround,privacyglassand19-inchdarkfnish diamondcutalloywheelswithmonochrome AlfaRomeocentrewheelcapsand redpainted Brembobrakecalipers.Inside,the Veloceadds aluminiumpedalsanddoorsillsandcolumn mountedaluminiumshiftpaddlestoits distinctiveblackand redAlcantaraupholstery.

Fromlaunch,the Tonalewillbeavailableina choiceoftwodistinctivetrims, Ti and Veloce, aswellasaSpecialelaunchedition.The Ti versionhasasatinchromeVfrontbezel, 18-inchdarkfnishdiamondcutalloywheels withcolouredAlfaRomeocentrewheelcaps, agloss-blackbodykit,withsatinsideandfront inserts,andblackpaintedmirrorcaps.Inside, sportyblackclothupholstery,driver’sseatwith four-waylumbaradjustment,60/40split rear seatswithskipassandsportleathersteering wheelwithstartbuttonmarkoutthe Ti

The Tonaleisthemosttechnologically advancedAlfaRomeoandisthefrstvehicleto beequippedwithanNFTdigitalcertifcateand hastop-levelconnectivityandaninnovative infotainmentsystem,designedtoofferoverthe air(OTA)updatesandintegrationwithAmazon Alexa.Asstandardacrosstherangeitcomes equippedwitha10.25-inchtouchscreenwith DABradio,Bluetooth,navigationandApple CarPlayandAndroidAuto,togetherwitha six-speakersoundsystemandwirelesscharging pad. Dualzoneairconditioning,automatic headlampswithdusksensorandautomatic high-beam,autowiperswithrainsensor,autodimming rearviewmirrorandelectricfolding andheatedexteriormirrorsensuredriver comfortacrosstherange,whilekeylessgo, poweredtailgateandfrontand rearparking sensorswithbackupcamerawithdynamic linesaddextraconvenience.

Intelligentadaptivecruisecontrol,forward collisionwarningandautonomousemergency braking(AEB),drowsydriverdetection,speed assist,traffcsign recognitionbringenhanced safetyasstandardtothe Tonalerange.

Tonale hits therightnote

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78 MOTORI NG T

Undertheskin,the VelocealsogainsAlfaDual Stage Valvesuspension(DVS)foranevenmore compliantride. TheSpecialelauncheditionmirrorsthelook ofthe Velocebutadds20-inchdarkfnish diamondcutalloywheelsanddarkmiron Specialebadgeasstandard. Thenew Tonaleispoweredbythebrand’sfrst electrifedpowertrain.UniquetoAlfaRomeo, the1.5-litre160hpvariablegeometryturbo (VGT)petrolengineismatedtoasevenspeeddual-clutchautomatictransmissionand featuresabrand-newandexclusive48-volt15kW,55-Nm‘P2’electricmotorwhichiscapable ofpoweringthewheelswhentheinternal combustionengineisoff. Thecardeliversthedrivingdynamicsand agilityofatrueAlfaRomeothankstotheuse ofspecifctechnicalsolutionsincludingthe mostdirectsteeringinitssegment,abrakeby-wiresystemfor regenerativebrakingand Dynamic Torque Vectoring. ThenewAlfaRomeo Tonaleispricedfrom £429amonthonPCPfora1.5-litreSpeciale hybrid.

henewAlfaRomeo Tonaleisnow availabletoorderandcustomers canchoosebetweentwohighly specifedversions,theTiand Veloce,or theSpecialelaunchedition,allwiththeir owndistinctidentities.

TheSorentoisKia’smosthigh-techcar todateandthelargesatnavscreenand reversingcamerasmadedrivingthrough Francesoeasy.Theinfotainmentsystemalso allowsBluetoothsmartphonepairingfor twophonesconcurrently,enablingseparate phonestobeusedfor,forinstance,phone callsandmusic.Frontseatpassengers canalsoplugintheirmobiledevicesvia threeUSBchargers–oneservesasmedia connection,theothertwoasconventional USBs.

KiastarsintriptotheLoire PatBurns

80 MOTORI NG T

ThemodelwedrovetotheLoirewasthe Sorentoplug-inhybrid(PHEV)whichisan ultra-lowemissionsversionofthebrand’s fagshipglobalSUV.Designedandengineered totakeoneverythinglifethrowsatit,the SorentoPHEVcombinespracticalitywiththe lowestemissionsandhighestpoweroutputin therange.

ThenewPHEVpowertrainbroadenstheappeal forthisD-segmentSUV,combiningapowerful turbochargedpetrolenginewithahighcapacitybatterypackandhighoutputelectric motor. ThePHEVvariantachievesthiswhile

maximisingspaceandversatility.Theclever designthatunderpinsthefourthgeneration Sorentoismadetoaccommodateelectrifed powertrains.

Previousexperiencehadtaughtusthatthefrst twoweeksofJulyweretheidealtimetoget toFranceasbothEnglishandFrenchschools don’tfnishuntilthethirdweekofthemonth andsomegiteownerstreatthefrsttwoweeks ofJulyasmidasopposedtohighseasonso therearefarmorechoicesofhousesto rent andatalowerprice.

heLoireisEurope’slongestriver anditmeandersthrough175 milesofclassifedUNESCO World HeritageSites.

Itoffersanimpressiverangeoftourist attractionsfromRenaissanceperiodChateaux tofreworkdisplays,fshing,kartingand freworks. Withlockdownhavingprevented anysummerholidayssince2019,thisyearit wastimetogoback.

TheLoirevalleyisaparticularfavouriteasitis onlyaday’sdrivefromtheChannel Tunnelor thenorthernportsofCherbourgandLeHavre. Ithasitsownmicroclimate,thisyearthe temperatureneverdroppedbelow30Cand ithasa remarkablerangeofmedievalvillages andchateauxtovisit.Intheeveningsthereare nightmarketstowander roundandthelocals areverykeenonfeud’artifce–freworks, usuallylaunched,forsome reason,to80s musicfromMichaelJacksonorQueen…One towatchoutforisthe‘NightofaThousand Stars’atChateau Villandrynear Tours.The entiregardensarelitbycandlesandvisitorsare entertainedbyartists,horsemanshipdisplays andthenamassivefreworkdisplay roundsoff theevening.

favouriteCremant,whichisaverydry, sparklingwhitewine.Therearelotsofsmall wineriesthatofferwinetastingtours,wehad agreatdayoutatDomaineduPetitClocher inCleresurLayon.

Otherattractionsworthavisitinclude ChambordChateauwhichdatesbackto 1519,theRoyalFortressinChinonandthe RenaissancestyledChâteaudeChenonceau. There’salsoaterrifcselectionofwinesin theLoirevalley–Chinon,Bourgueil,Saumur, Vouvray,Muscadetaswellasourown

Cars,likeallconsumerproducts,follow fashionsandtrends. Withpossiblythe youngestandmosttechnologicallyadvanced rangeofcarscurrentlyavailablehere,Kiahas everybasecoveredfromcitycarstoseven seaterSUVs.Asthereweresixadultsinour group,theseven-seaterKiaSorentowas ourtopchoice.TheSorentorangeoffersa selectionofenginesincludingpetrol,petrol/ hybridanddiesel.

Forsecond-rowpassengers,apairofUSB chargingsocketsareintegratedintothe backsofthetwofrontseats,withathird isfoundatthe rearofthefront-rowcentre console.Boththird-rowpassengersalsohave theirownchargingpoints,meaningallseven occupantscankeeptheirmobiledevices charged–theperfectmeasuretomaintain harmonyinafullcarduringlongerjourneys.

TheSorentofeaturesKia’snew‘Smartstream’ powertrain–thefrsttimethatplug-inhybrid powerhasfeaturedintheSorentoline-up. takesaKiaSorentoonholidaytoFranceandfndsthe Loire Valleydoeslandscapes,heritageandchateauxonagrandscale

TheSorentohaslotsofcleverlittletouches too,suchastheairconditioningsystem whichwillautomaticallycloseallvents andswitchto recirculationwhentravelling throughalongtunnelsuchasthe Tunnelde laMarethroughRouen.

Asa result,themodeloffersgreaterfuel effciency,loweremissions,andhigher performancethanitspredecessors.

SEPT81 EM BE R 2022 MOTORI NG

Theelectricmotorismountedbetween theengineandtransmission,enabled bytheneatpackagingofthedownsized turbochargedenginebeneaththebonnet.

ThelayoutallowstheSorentoPHEVto operateinall-electricmodeordrawona blendofelectricandcombustionengine power–providingpowertothefront wheelsorallfourwheels,dependingon roadconditions.

andtheSorento’sunderfoor. Withastandard all-wheeldriveconfguration,thePHEV’s ‘saddle-shaped’batterypacklaysoverthetop ofthepropshaft.

Thepetrolengineisapowerful1.6-litre T-GDi (turbochargedgasolinedirectinjection)engine, whichonitsownproduces178bhpand 265Nmoftorque.Combinedwithanelectric motorproducing67kWand304Nmoftorque, thecardeliversacombined261bhpand 350Nmoftorque.15percentmorepowerful thantheSorentohybrid(HEV),thenewPHEV variantcanacceleratefrom0-to-60mphin 8.4seconds,andfrom50-to-75mphin5.7 seconds.

TheSorentoline-uphasachievedthe maximumfve-starratingfromEuroNCAP.

TheADASrangeintheSorentoincludesKia’s latestForwardCollision-AvoidanceAssist (FCA)technologywithpedestrian,cyclistand vehicledetectionfttedtoallmodels.Thisalso detectsoncomingtraffcwhenmakingaturn atajunction.Additionalequipmentincludes intelligentspeedlimitassist(ISLA),smartcruise controlwithstopandgo(SCC),lanefollowing assist(LFA)anddriverattentionwarning (DAW). TheSorentocopedsuperblywitheverything demandedofitbysixadultsinveryhot conditions–space,style,comfort,economy andallthetechafamilymighteverneed.Can wehaveitbackin2023? OurSorento‘3’1.6PHEV T-GDiAuto AWDis £50,345onthe road. ■

Thecar’shigh-capacity13.8kWhlithium-ion polymerbatterypackislocatedbeneaththe driverandfrontpassengerseats.Thebattery packissandwichedbetweenthecabinfoor

82 APPOIN TM EN TS HinchhasappointedSachaDonnellyas itsneweventsco-ordinator.Shewilljoin the50-strongteamatthebusinessand isthefrstofseveralappointmentstobe announced.

GaryMcAreaveyhasbeenappointed managingdirectorofJansOffsite Solutions.MrMcAreaveyhasmorethan 30years’experienceinmanufacturing andoperationsmanagementwithinthe engineeringandconstructionindustries.

AGhasappointedChanelleMoranBakesas aspecifcationconsultantforthenorthern region.Aftercompletingherlawdegree, shespentfouryearsatHilti,frstlyasa feldsalesaccountmanagerbeforebeing promotedtoregionalmanager.

TimBalfourisnowsenioraccountand businessdevelopmentmanagerwith BarclayDigitalServices.Hewillbe managingthecompany’slandlineclients whilealsogeneratingnewbusiness.

Artemis Technologieshasappointed Gintare Vaiciuvenaite,aformerstudentof theUniversityofEdinburgh,asagraduate embeddedsoftwareengineer.Shewill workonthefurtherdevelopmentofthe company’sgreenmaritimesolutions.

SpecsaversinNewryhasannouncedthe appointmentofWillStevensonasan ophthalmicdirector.MrStevensonwilljoin fellowNewrystorepartnersAlisonDunne, SharonFeganandMichelleLindeninhis directorroleatthestore.

SamanthaThompsonhasbeenappointed headoffnanceatAntrim-basedtheJans Group.Shebringsawealthofexperience, havingheldpreviousrolesinindustries includingmanufacturing,telecomsand fnanceconsulting.

MíchéalAustinhasbeenappointed accountsmanagerforLisburn-based digitalaccountancyspecialistExchange Accountants.Hehasworkedinpractice managingawiderangeofcorporate clients.

AGhasappointedRichardMilliganas specifcationconsultantforthenorthern region.Hebrings14yearsofspecifcation experiencetotheroleandwillbe responsiblefordealingwithbusiness enquiriesforcustomersinthenorthern region.

resource

2. LoughNeaghArtisansMarket madea returntotheLock Keeper’sCottagein Toome thissummer.PicturedareUna JohnstonofLockKeeper’s Cottage,Noreen Vander Velde ofNoreen’sNettles,AnnMarie CollinsofAnnie’sDelightsand EimearKearneyofLoughNeagh Partnership.

3. AshleneRoseanne,founder ofHolisticTherapies,offers refexology,whichisaformof massagethatinvolvesapplying varyingamountsofpressureto thefeettodeliverhealthbenefts. Herbusinesswasassistedbythe GoForItprogramme.

4. Michelle Weir receivedanaward fromtheLabourRelationsAgency forthehighestdissertationmark achievedinthehuman managementmaster’sdegree.She ispicturedwithDonLeeson.

GraduatingfromUlster UniversityBusinessSchool,

5. HospitalitybusinessTheClover GroupNIisinvesting£1.4min newvenuesinBelfastcitycentre, Theprojects,whichwillcreate atotalof50newjobs.Pictured areCloverGroupdirectors JimConlon,MarkBeirne,Paul Langsford.

84 PHOTOCAL L 1 23 45

1. LaurenKinghan(right)has beenawardedtheChartered Instituteof Taxation’sKPMG PatCullinanMemorial Medal.PatCullinanwasatax partnerwithwhowasamong thosekilledinthetragicair accidentatCorkAirportin 2011.PicturedisPat’sbrother AidanCullinanandKPMG’s JohnnyHanna.

SEPT85 EM BE R 2022 PHOTOCAL L 6 78 910 7. Teammembersfromjoint ventureFarransSacyrhaveset outonanepicone-day,200-mile cyclingchallengetoraisemoney fortheCysticFibrosis Trust. PicturedareDuaneMcCreadie andRichardMcCullough. 8. TheMayorofAntrimand Newtownabbey,StephenRoss, launchestheSocialEconomy Start-Upprogrammewith, JenniferMcWilliams,Antrim EnterprisePark,DerekBrowne, InsightBusinessServices,Emma Garrett,MalluskEnterprisePark, andKenNelson,LEDCOM. 9. BankofIrelandhaslaunched animprovedpolicysupportingits colleaguestocombineworkand familylifethroughpaternityleave. PicturedareJoanneHealy,Matt ElliottandEmerKenna. 10. PlansforanewNorthern RegionalCollegecampusin Ballymenahavetakenastep forward.PicturedareKenNelson, chairofNorthernRegional College’sGoverningBody, EconomyMinisterGordon Lyons, DamienO’Callaghan,HeronBros. 6. Atoppingoutceremony hastakenplacetocelebrate thelatestmilestoneinthe creationofanewpavilion, beingbuiltbyHenryBrothers atLoughboroughUniversity.

14. FoodservicegiantSysco Irelandisdoublingitsoperation hereasitunveilsplansfora new£23msiteatNuttsCorner. PicturedisMarkLee,chief executiveofSyscoIreland.

15. Ayoung refugeewoman fromnorthernSyria,SarahAlou, hasbecomePortadown’sfrst Kurdishgraduateafterpassingher professionalexamsinthetown’s HairandBeautyAcademy.Sheis picturedwithCarolineKennedy and WendyNorton.

11. Artemis Technologies hasstateditscommitment toincreasingdiversityin themaritimesectorwith alandmarksigningofthe UK’s WomeninMaritime pledge.PicturedareGintare Vaiciuvenaite,CaraDunney, HannaBerry,DrKatrina Thompson,AliceSzalajski and WandaChan.

13. HughesInsurancehasbeen rankedamongtheUK’sBest Workplacesfor Women(2022) byGreatPlaceto Work.The insurancebroker,whichemploys over250peopleacrossNorthern Ireland,ranked12thonthe UK-widelist.PicturedisSarah Balmforth.

12. NorthernIrelandproperty developerDavidSimpson(right) hashelpedraise£10,000hiking fvepeaksoftheMourne Mountains.He’spicturedwith LeighOsborne,ActionCancerand SarahAgnew, WaitesGym.

86 PHOTOCAL L 11 1213 14 15

SEPT87 EM BE R 2022 PHOTOCAL L 16 1718 1920 17. StrabaneBusiness ImprovementDistrict(BID)has partneredwith VoiceForLocals,a consortiumsupportingbusinesses wantingwanttoleveluptheir servicesafterthechallengesof thepandemic.PicturedareAidan O’Kane,MichaelKellyandJay Thatta. 18. OneofIreland’sfrstmobile homecompanies, WallaceMobile Home,issettocelebrate50years inbusiness.Picturedismanaging directorPhilip Wallace. 19. VictoriaSquarehasheld its‘mostambitious’summer installation,astheshopping centrehasbeentransformed,with magicalscenesinspiredbysome favouritechildhoodfairytales. PicturedisAnna TennysonasLittle RedRidingHood. 20. MoyParkhasestablished asteeringteamtoprovidea rangeofeducationandsupport opportunitiesforteammembers, relatingtomenopause.Pictured areKeithIrvine,Nicky Taylorand Kirsty Wilkins. 16. VascVersahascompleted itssecondseedfunding round,raisingover£500,000. Picturedare TimothyAllsopp, StuartGaffkin,Clarendon, ReinholdMedina,Aidan Courtney,StuartMcKeown, AlanStitt,ChristinaO’Neill andDavidMoore.

88 PHOTOCAL L 21 2223 24 25 22. CommunitiesMinisterDeirdre Hargey(centre)hascommended thepositiveimpactofthe completedpublic realmproject intheAlbertStreetareaofwest Belfast.Sheispicturedwith projectmanagerEddieAbraham fromMcAdamDesignLtdand ConorMcConville,FPMcCann. 23. PhoenixNaturalGasisthe latestlocalbusinesstohelpfuel opportunitiesforwomenand girlsbycomingonboardasa #NotJustForBoyschampionwith NorthernIreland’slargestprovider oftrainingforwomeninnontraditionalskills,WOMEN’STEC. 24. FourStarPizzachiefColin Hughesservesupthenewsthat thepopularIrishpizzachainis planningtoopen45newstores andcreate900newjobsacross Irelandoverthenextthreeyears. 25. VoiceForLocals,aconsortium supportbusinesseswantingto leveluptheirservicesafterthe challengesofthepandemic,has announcedapartnershipwith OmaghChamberofCommerce. PicturedarecouncillorBarry McElduff,JayThattai,andColm Broderick. 21. Aspecialwellbeing gardenhasbeencreated innorthBelfastbysocial enterpriseandwellbeing charityInspireandcorporate lawfrmA&LGoodbody (ALG).PicturedareAbhainn Coleman,A&LGoodbody, DanielleSheridan,Inspire, JemmaSmyth,A&L Goodbody,andDavid McClay,FilorCourt resident.

SEPT89 EM BE R 2022 PHOTOCAL L 26 2728 2930 27. SouthBelfast retailerand family-runbusiness,Creightons willacquireJDHunterandCo SupermarketinMarkethill, CoArmagh.PicturedareNiall CreightonandGailBoydwho ownCreightonsEUROSPARof Finaghy,CreightonsEUROSPARof BalmoralandCreightonsSPARof BlacksRoad. 28. Specialist recruitment companyMCSGroup,which employsover75peopleinBelfast, hasopeneditsfrstinternational branchinBoston,Massachusetts. PicturedareBarrySmythand Ryan Quinn. 29. JamesBrown&Sons CommunityFundhasawarded BuildingBridgesCommunity BoxingClubwithfundingto purchaseequipmentforits ‘MakingADifference’project. PicturedwithRosieBradleyof BuildingBridgesCommunity BoxingClubareJulian HodgkinsonandEmmaMoore. 30. Translinkhasheldpassenger engagementsessionswith membersofNOWGroupaimedat enhancingthejourneyexperience forcustomerswithdisabilities. PicturedareRuthMulholland andDavidLowry, Translink,with RachelHunter,NOWGroup. 26. Belfast’sBullittHotelhas reopenedwith renovations, new roomsandmenusand a relaunchparty,afterbeing closedsinceMarch2022 followingafre.

90 PHOTOCAL L 31 32. Engineeringcompany PAC Groupistoinvest£2mover threeyearsandcreateupto20 newjobshavingacquiredthe plantandmachineryofBarbour Engineering,followingitsclosure. Picturedare PACdirectorsGavin Rankin,IainParkhill,Gordon BurnsandDarrenLeslie. 33. RockdeneBeachHouse Portrushhasbeenawardedfve starsby TourismNI.Picturedare DavidRoberts,directorofstrategic developmentat TourismNIand MarkBethel,ownerofRockdene PropertiesLimited. 34. LarnestudentIndigo Ashbridge(centre)ispicturedwith DrErinHinson,StudyUSAstudent supportadviserandDaniel Lowe,BritishCouncil,afterbeing selectedtotakepartintheStudy USAprogramme. 35. ActionCancerhasissueda starkwarningtothepublictonot underestimatethestrengthofthe sun,alongsidelong-termpartner GordonsChemists.Pictured areAnneThompson,Freddie McCuskerandMelanie Talbot. 31. TheJansGroupis currentlyassistingseven apprenticesandthree Erasmusstudents.Pictured areAdamO’Neill, Taylor Marks,LeonCarley, Tyler Owens,RobbieMcCaughan and ToddIrvine,andseatedis DanielMcAlister. 3435 3233

SEPT91 EM BE R 2022 PHOTOCAL L 36 37. MarketeerAislingBremnerhas launchednewbrandconsultancy, AislingBremnerMarketing,which specialisesinsupportingthe growthofbusinessesthroughthe developmentofsuccessfulbrand growthandbrandpositioning strategies. 38. FinanceMinisterConor Murphy(secondfromleft)has said Treasurymustactnowto supportbusinessesfacingsoaring energypricesandcripplingcosts. He’spicturedatCaptainJack’sin PortaferrywithColinNeilland JacquelineandJamesHigginson. 39. AdrianDoran(right),head ofcorporatebanking,Barclays NorthernIrelandjoinsDavid BabingtonandSarahGrantJones fromActionMentalHealthto celebratea£100,000donation fromBarclaystosupportAction MentalHealth’sservice,AMHNew LifeCounselling. 40. LauraShiels,brandmanager, WestCoastCooler,Jordan HumphriesandMelissaRiddell launchthenew WestCoast Coolercans.Thebrandhas launchedits rebrandintimefor thesummer. 36. ActionCanceris celebratingasuccessful partnershipwithlocalonline carinsurancecompany its4women.Picturedare ActionCancerambassador MicheleCowanand its4womenmarketing managerKerryBeckettwith Michele’sdaughters,Chloe andNicole. 39 40 37 38

helped reinvigoratetheOmegabrandandstart itspropulsionand revival.

Seamasterhitsthe

ItwasGoldeneye,andthewatchbrand’sfrst alliancewiththeCubbyBroccolifranchise,that

twasamucholderquartzpredecessor tothiscurrentdivewatchclassicthat sowedthefrstseedofhorological interestinthisjournalist’spsychemore thantwodecadesago.

Anditwasoneofthehighest-ratedandmost memorablemoviespin-offvideogameswhich didit.

Itwasanearliervariantofthismodern Seamasterwhichlandedonmyfantasylistof watchesI’dliketoowninfuture.

Thecasesizesitsat42mmandhassomeheft, buthasaverymanageablelug-to-lugof50mm (thankstothetaperandcurving),andasa resultwillworkonthoseofvaryingwristsizes. Alongwith20mmlugsit’saclassicbalancein

termsofsizeandscale. Thebraceletechoesthatofoldermodelsbut bringsforthmoredetailandintricacy.Thefve piecelinksarebrushedbutboastfnepolished edgesoftheinnersections. Aceramic60-clickbezeliscrispandboastsa rich,deepbluehue.Omega’swavepattern helpsliftthedialfurtherthanonprevious modelswithout,thehandsare readable despitebeingskeletonalongwithstrong appliedmarkersandagoodchunkoflume.

Review: Omega’slatest

righttarget

JohnMulgrew spendsafewdayswiththelatesthigh-spec iterationandfnallyfulflsaboyhooddream

92 RE VI EW

ItsatonthewristofPierceBrosnan’sJames BondinGoldeneye,andbecameanequally asiconicgadgetinthevideogameofthe sametitle.Thegamewasbetterthantheflm, actually.

Omega’sreputationontheSwisswatchfrontreceiveda much-neededandheftyboost,fndingitswayontothewrists ofBond,anditwastheSeamasterwhichledthechange.

Sincethen,variationsoftheSeamaster,along withchunkierPlanetOceansandtheodd Aqua Terra,havegracedthescreenonnoless thaneightoccasions–thebrandverymuch attachedtotheclassicflms. Ithasproperheritage, releasedwaybackin 1948andundergoingnumerousiterationsin thedecadessince.

Theadjustableclaspisathingofbeauty,and mirrorsRolex’sownGlidelocksystem.The expansionofyourwristinwarmerconditions canbeextremelyapparentandthison-the-fy offeringgivesyouabsoluteprecision,alongside atraditionaldiverextension.Itmakesall thedifference,especiallygiventhe recent unexpectedwarmpatchwe’vebeenenjoying.

ThiscurrentgenerationSeamaster300mfeels verymuchamodern,archetypal,bellsand whistlesluxurydiver.

andastrong reputationonitsside. Ithasenoughbrandandhorologicalprowess tositwellonanywristinthemajorityof scenarios–casual,functionalandsomewhat formal. Whileit’sperhapsbeenintheshadowof, albeitpricier,classicsfromthehouseofHans Wilsdorfin recentyears,astrengthistheability towalkintoaboutiqueandwalkoutwithone theverysameday. AndLunn’sinBelfasthasaddedtothe alreadyattractiveQueen’sArcade–whichhas undergonesignifcantinvestmentandamajor facelift–withastandaloneOmegaboutique, whichfeaturesawiderangeofSeamastersand thebrand’slinesand references. ■ Youcanfndoutmoreatwww.lunns.com orcheckouttheOmegastoreatQueen’s ArcadeinBelfast OmegaSeamaster300m £4,840 Calibre8800movement 42mmcasesize 300mwaterresistance Heliumescapevalve

SEPT93 EM BE R 2022 RE VI EW

TheSeamaster’sdatesitsatthesixo’clockspot onthedialandiscleanandsubtle,ifperhaps alittlelesslegibleduetoamatchingblue background. There’sasapphirecaseback,showingoff theautomaticOmegaCo-AxialMaster ChronometerCalibre8800inallitsglory. Thisincreasingpenchantforin-houseisonly strengthenedwiththeboostedaccuracy, thankstotheCOSCcertifcationof0/+5 secondsadayinaccuracy. Andthisisaproperdivewatch,ratedto300m

andsportingaheliumescapevalue.Afew lengthsofthepoolwon’tposeanysortof challengetothissportingstalwart. ThisgenerationoftheSeamasteriscertainly anupgradeonmodelsgoneby,andtriesto tickasmanyboxesasitcaninthepremium divewatchmarket.Acoupleofnewcolours nowincludeadeepforestgreen,satisfying theburgeoningdemandfortheverdant. Intermsofitsshapeandpresenceonthe wrist,theSeamaster300m remainsanicon intheworldofSwissdivers,withprovenance

We allagreedontravellingbyferry,mainly becauseofadesiretoavoidthecrowdsatthe airportsandontheﬂights,butalsobecause wecouldbringourdogsandalotmore luggage.Drivingontotheshipinourown carandstayinginourowncabinseemslike thesafestwaytotravelinthesestill-uncertain times.

94 TR AV EL Setsail toNormandy foranorthern Frenchfancy Thepandemicmeantachangefromairto seafor LorraineKeane,andwithnoregrets W

HavingpreviouslytravelledtoFranceonIrish Ferries’cruiseferry,theWB Yeatsweknewwe wereinforaveryeasyandstress-freeride.

Onboard,themostimpressivethingabout theWB Yeatsistheaccommodation.The basic roomshavesinglebunksandthesuites aremorelikeluxuryhotel rooms,complete withkingbeds,ﬂat-screenTVswithagreat selectionoffreevideosandondemand movies,spaciousbathroomsand,ofcourse, seaviews.Oursuiteevenhadabalconywhere wesatandtookinthevistaasweliterally sailedoffintothesunset. Beforedinnerwetookastrolltocheckout thefacilities.Therearethree restaurants,abar andseverallounges,acinema,kidsplayarea, impressiveshopping,andtheall-importantfree wi-ﬁ. We chosethemoreformalLadyGregory Restaurantfordinner,thenwatchedamovie inour room,hadoneofthebestnight’ssleep everandwokeupjustintimeforbreakfast beforearrivalinCherbourg.

We basedourselvesinthe recently renovated boutiquethree-starHôtelModerna(Ruedela Marine),whichiscentralbutonaveryquiet streetandisdogfriendly.

We visitedoneofthesmallestandmost picturesqueportsinFrance,Hâbleportat Omonville-la-Rogue,andalongtheway spottednumerousprettystonevillages, majesticcliffsandhiddencoves. BackinCherbourgwehadadeliciousmeal inThePatio(5rueChristine),amodernbistro thatcame recommendedbythetrustyMichelin Guide.

e’vebeentravellingtoFrance asafamilysinceourgirlswere babiesandeachyearweexplore adifferentpartofthecountry.Andnow thatEmeliaandRomyareteenagers,they areinvolvedintheholidayplanningand decision-making.

Theﬁrstdaywasplannedaroundavisittoa traditionalcidrerieforsomecidertasting(Peter makeshisownciderandwasveryenthusiastic aboutthevisit,soIhadtobedesignated driver).TheciderfarmofThéoCapelleisin thevillageofSottevilleanden routewedrove alongsomespecularcoastlineintheLaHague region.

Usually,destinationistopoftheagendabut thisyear,whenCovid restrictionswereeased, theﬁrstquestionwas:dowetravelbyﬂight orferry?

Thefollowingdaywestartedwithavisitto LeParapluiedeCherbourg–TheUmbrellasof Cherboug,madefamousbythe1964French ﬁlmofthesamename.

Afterwards,wejusthappenedtostumble uponthemainmarket(Tuesday,Thursdayand Saturday9am-2pm)atthePlacedeGaulleand spenthoursstrollingamongalmost100stalls

I’mpronetoseasicknessandasa resulthave never reallyenjoyedferries,butthesheerscale ofthisship(200mlong)meantzeroturbulence onourcrossing.Infact,forlargepartsofthe journeyitwashardtotellifwewereactually moving.

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue inNormandy

withwonderfuldisplaysoffruitandveg, seafood,meatsandcheese.

SEPTEM95 BE R 2022 TR AV EL

Nextwewenttothemostvisitedsitein Cherbourg,LaCitédelaMer. Withovera dozenaquariumsandseveralfascinating multimediaspaces,thismaritimeattraction isbothinformativeandentertainingforall ages.

We hadpromisedthegirlsatleastonebeach day,butendeduphavingacouple.Our favouritewasthedayspentatafabulous beachnearRéville,closetotheportofSaintVaast. ThemainattractionforPeterandmyselfwas theclearwater,butforthegirlsitwasthe beachbar/restaurantLeGoéland.Thisisa verycoolshackperchedhighonthesand duneswithlivemusicatnightandthemost spectacularseaviews. We wentforlunchandenjoyeditsomuch wecamebackfordinner.Asthesunset,the musicwasturnedup,theeveningcrowd beganarrivingandthiswonderfullylaid-back spotbecamemuchmorelivelybynight. NotriptoFrancebyferrywouldbecomplete withoutavisittoawinesupermarketbefore the returnjourneyhome.Peterhaddonehis researchonaprevioustripandfoundaplace withahugeselectionofwinesandthebest online reviews: WineBeerSupermarket.The owner,Chris,wasincrediblyhelpfulandmade somewonderfulsuggestionsoflesser-known domainesandgrapevarieties,sowecan’t waittogoback. Havingsampledalmostallofthewineshe recommendedbynow,Icansayhedidn’tput uswrongonce.Forexample,theDomaine FélinesJourdanPicpouldePinetat€7.80 (£6.60)abottleandanorganicFitou,Origines fromBertrandBergéat€7.99(£6.70)abottle werebothexcellent. Withthecarloadedupweheadedforthe Cherbourgferryport.Anafternoondeparture (4.30pm)onceagainmeantawell-timed overnightsailing.Thestaffwereincredibly helpfulthroughout,especiallywhenitcame tocheckinginthefamilydogs,Chipand Slipper,andvisitingtheminthekennels duringthesailing. It’sworthnotingthatpetpassportsmustbe stampedwithproofofarabiesvaccination priortodeparturefromIrelandandtapeworm treatmentonetoﬁvedays’priortodeparture fromFrance. We foundtherewasmorethanenoughto doandseeintheNormandy regionduring ourweek-longtrip.I’devengoforalong weekend,Ican’t recommendithighly enough.

We triedaselectionatatableoutside theshopofoneofthelocalproducers, accompaniedbyadeliciouschilledglassof RieslingfromtheAlsace region.Thatsetme upnicelyforanafternoonvisittotheislandof Tatihou. Thisnature reserve,justoffthecoast,isa Unescoworldheritagesiteandhasamuseum, botanicalgardensandaworkingshipyard wheretraditionalboatsundergo restoration. We tooktheamphibioustaxiacrosstothe island(lessthana10-minutejourney).

■

Ourthirddayofexploringbroughtusto thehistoricalﬁshingportofSaint-Vaastla-Hougue,a30-minutedriveeastof Cherbourg.Thisseasidespotispictureperfect andwasvotedFrance’s‘mostpreferred village’in2019.It’salsofamousfortheSaintVaastoysterwhichtheyfarminthebay.

SteveSchmidt: Imyselfhaveattentiondefcit disorder.There’saveryinterestingcorrelation

ADHDhas helped my career, says Amazon securitychief

manageiteffectively,writes

Adrian Weckler

nthetechworld,fewpeoplehold biggercyber-securityjobsthanSteve Schmidt.Aschiefsecurityoffcerfor Amazon,heis responsibleforkeepingjust abouteverythingatthegiantcompany safe,fromhundredsofmillionsof shopperstoquadrillionsofdatapointsin Amazon WebServices. Thearrayofthreatsishuge,fromeveryday scammerstoencryption-crackingquantum computingthat’scomingdowntheline.Butas hetooktothestageatAmazon WebServices’ annualRe:Inforce2022conferenceinBoston, theformerFBIand AWSexecutivegavehis keynoteaddressina T-shirtbearingapointed message:‘ADHD:it’snotadisability,it’sa differentability’.WhenIsatdownwithMr Schmidttotalkaboutsecurityissues,Istarted byaskinghimabouthismessageonstage.

Adrian Weckler: Whydidyouwearthat T-shirthighlightingADHD?

betweenAmazonexecutivesinseniorpositions andADHD.Andthediscussionwe’vehad aboutthatinternallyisthatoneofthethings that’shardestinourjobiscontext-switching. We havesomanydifferentthingsgoingon. It’sactually reallybenefcialtohaveADHDin thatcircumstance,becauseitallowsyouto becomfortablewiththat[context-switching].

96 TECH NOLO GY

SteveSchmidt believesADHDcanbe‘a tremendouslyusefultool’,onceyoulearnhowto

ThewayIviewitissortoflike‘TheForce’in Star Wars.Ifit’snottrained,itcanbeamess andcauseyou realproblems.Butifyoucan learnhowtomanageiteffectively,itcanbe atremendouslyusefultool.It’soneofthe reasonsI’mgoodatmyjob.

AW: InIreland,it’sveryhardtogetadiagnosis forADHD.Ihavefamilyinthissituation.It’s notwidelyunderstoodordealtwith.Whatelse haveyoufound? SS: It’simportanttounderstandthings likeinternalcueswhen reachingthepoint ofneedingtoshifttopics,anddoingso productively,asopposedtothetraditional “you’renotpayingattention”.It’sincredibly benefcial.Mywifeisateacher.Andshe’sused tomeathome.Asa result,whensheseesthe samekindofbehaviourinherstudents,rather thansaying“youneedtogobackonthe topicwe’reworkingon”,she’llintentionally assignthemsomethingdifferentforthenext 20minutes.

AW: Whatwasmovingfromsecuritychiefat AWStoAmazon.comlike? SS: ThebiggestdifferenceI’veseenisinthe technologiesemployed.Oneofthethings thatIloveaboutmynewjobisthatIgetto playwith robotsand rocketsandselfdriving vehiclesandthosesortsofthings,which weren’tpartofmy roleat AWS.Otherwise theproblemsinsecurityarenotnovel.They areprettymuchthesame.Oneofthe reasons thatAndy[Jassy,Amazonchiefexecutive] askedmetodothisjobwasthatwehave abunchofsmallnewbusinesseswhichare growing,andwewanttomakesurethatwe buildtherightsecurityinatthebeginningof thoseprocessesratherthanhavingtotryto retroftthingslateron.Soaswestartnew things,wewantthemtocomeoutthedoor

SEPT97 EM BE R 2022 TECH NOLO GY withtherightsecurityandtherightprivacy features.

AW: Youtalkalotabouttheimportanceof encryption.Butwhilethisisgenerallylaudedin technologyandsecuritycircles,authoritiesare beginningtoseekacompromiseintheirbattle withthingslikechildabuseimagery.What’s yourperspective? SS: Ithinkthatgovernmentsaroundthe worldhavedifferentviewsontheeffcacyor necessityofencryption.Ourviewpointisthat customersowntheirdataandwe’vealways treatedthemthatway. We’vealwaysgiventhe toolsnecessarytoencrypttheirdataasthey wish.Encryptionisaboutcustomerprivacy. Andmostimportantly,it’saboutensuringthat customershavecontrolovertheirinformation.

AW: OntheRe:Inforcestage,youtalked aboutAmazon’ssupportforunder-siege Ukrainianinstitutionsandcivilians,highlighting thecompany’stechnologytohelpUkrainian governmentalandeducationalfacilities.By doingthis,doyouhaveanyconcernabout becomingahigher-prioritysecuritytargetfor Russia,whichisaverycapablenation-state cyber-actor? SS: Operatingontheinternet,youaresubject toallofthenationstatesthatareoutthere

■ SteveSchmidt

AW: AsaformerFBIman,doyouhaveany sympathywiththeauthorities’pointofview oncompromisingencryption? SS: Iunderstandtheirpointofview. Unfortunately,Ithinkinmanycases,thereisa naiveteaboutcompromisingencryptionquality wherepeopledon’tunderstandthatifthatis done,itisdetrimentaltoeveryone.

AW: OnepointbeingmadehereatRe:Inforce isawarningthattoday’sencryptionmightbe vulnerablefromtechnologyadvancesinthe nearfuture,particularlyquantumcomputing.Is thatsomethingthatAmazonisthinkingabout now? SS: Yes. We startedaprocess,yearsago, wherewelookedforwardandsaidthereis goingtobeatimewhenquantumcomputing advancestothepointwhereitcanchallenge someoftheexistingcryptographicsystems. Andwewanttobeaheadofthatproblem. Sowemadetheinvestments. We havethe teamswiththepeopleandtherightskillsin place,andthishasallowedustocomeupwith differentprotocoloptions.Themostimportant thinghereisthatmanyofthesystemsthat weusetodayhavethatoptionavailable. Customerscantestitandtryitnow,beforeit becomesanemergency.

allthetime.Sothere’snonewproblemthat’s comingupwiththat.TheUkrainiansituationis onewherethere’sasortofamoralimperative tohelptheNGOswhoaretryingtosupport people,andtohelppeoplewhoaretrying tofeedothers. We wanttodowhatwecan there. We alsowanttomakesurethatwecan helppreserveUkrainiancivilisation.

AW: ButiftheEuropeanUnionortheUK, asishappeningnowwithonlinesafetylaws, mandateatechcompanylikeAmazonto startscanningitssystemsincompliancewith anti-abuseimageryrules,howwouldAmazon react? SS: We obviouslyfollowthelawwherever wego.Sothere’snoquestionthere.It’smore aboutusdoingwhatwecan,whereit’s appropriateandwhereit’snecessaryunder thelaw.Therearecircumstanceswiththe waycustomersoperatethatwecannotsee intotheirdata.That’sthestandardoperating procedure.Inthatcase,thecustomercan complywiththelawbecausethey’retheones whohaveaccesstothedata.

We knowthatonly oneinfourpeoplewithsightlossofworking ageareinemploymentrightnow.Thatmeans threeoutoffourthatmaybesupported bywelfarebenefts.Pricesaresoaringon everything–energybills,essentialtaxis,basic foodandvitalassistivetechnologyanditpaints aworryingpicture. 10am TheNIexternalaffairsteamhuddlekicksoffat 10amwhenI’mupdatedonourcurrentproject portfolio.Basically,itgivestheteamandIa crystal-clearpictureofprioritiesforthisweek.

healthandsocialcaredisciplinesworktogether toprovideasightlosssupportpathway. 3pm Ascountrydirector,Idon’tdirectlylinemanage allthestaffworkinginNorthernIreland,quite afewareline-managedbyUK-wideteams,so my3pmallNIstaffmeetingisanessentialone. We lookcloselyatopportunitiestosupport, collaborateoraddvaluetowhatwe’redoing. We havemanyteamsworkingdirectlyinthe community,staffofferingemotionalsupport andfreecounselling,employmentprojects, servicesforchildrenandfamilies,andof course,theRNIBproductsstore.Here,our passionatePRandcommunicationsteamcan absorballthislife-changingworkanduse thistopromoteourcharity,tellourstories andcontinueto removebarriersfacedbythe 56,400blindandpartiallysightedpeopleliving hereinNorthernIreland. 5pm Timetoheadforhome.It’sbeenabusybut rewardingday.The45-minutedrivehomeisa greatchancetoprocesstheday’sevents,draw someconclusionsandturnmythoughtsto tomorrowandwhatliesahead.

98 11am Forme,a realhighlightoftodayismymeeting withtheRNIBNIactionandadvisorygroup. Thesightlosscommunityisfrontandcentre ineverythingwedoandguideusacross thewholerangeofpolicyissuesthatwe’re workingon.So,thisismychancetoinvite groupmemberstoengageinwhatwe’re doing,offertheirfeedbackbasedontheirlived experienceandbespokespeopleonissuesthat mattermosttothem. 1pm AveryquicklunchtodayasI’mstraightinto a1pmwithacoalitionIco-chair,calledthe NorthernIrelandEyeCareNetwork.Thisforum bringstogetherhealthprofessionals,including theDepartmentofHealth,thePublicHealth AgencyandOptometryNI. We’reseeking solutionstosomeofthebigissuesfacedby theeyecaresectorhere.Throughourearly interventionandpreventionworkstream,we cometogethertoraiseawarenessaroundeye healthandtheimportanceofattendingyour routineeyeappointments.InSeptemberwe embarkonanexcitingjointpublicawareness campaigncalled#EyeCareWeCaretoraise publicawarenessofhowallthedifferent

Uncovering the9-5

NAME: RobertShilliday POSITION: Countrydirector,Royal NationalInstituteofBlindPeoplein NorthernIreland(RNIBNI) 8.30am I’msoproudthatsincetheCovid-19 pandemic,RNIBhas reallyembracedhybrid workingandour70strongteamcanchoose whethertoworkathome,orfromoneofour twoNIoffcesineitherBelfastorDerry.Forme, todayisadayinourGloucesterStreetBelfast offce,soI’vethelaptopoutandhotbeverage in-handby8.30am.Thisismytimeto replyto thoseyesterdayemails, reviewmediacoverage, glanceatoursocialmediachannelsandplan myapproachtothedayahead. 9am Firstup,Ihaveanonlinecheck-inwiththe otherRNIBcountrydirectorsfromacrossthe UK.This regularcatch-upisagreatchance forustoshareknowledge,swapsolutions toproblemsandbrainstormoncurrent campaigns. Today,it’sallaboutthedramatic riseinthecostoflivingandtheimmediate effectthisishavingonpeopleaffectedbysight lossrightacrosstheUK.