HSBC – Leveraging Global Strength To Help Local Companies

Like every other business in Northern Ireland, HSBC UKs Corporate & Business Banking operation in Belfast city centre found itself having to adapt to a brand new way of working six months ago.

Area Director & Head of Corporate Banking Gillian Morris and her 18-strong team of relationship managers and support staff moved to home working at short notice. “Like everyone else, we’d been watching the progress of the pandemic very closely but I suppose it was when Leo Varadkar announced the closure of the schools in the south that we really saw the writing on the wall,” she says.

Deputy Area Director Chris McQuay found himself in the role of last man standing. “I was still in the office when Gillian called and told me that I had to get myself off home,” he says. “It was a very strange feeling, effectively being the one who turned the lights off and headed up the road.”

“But we had always had the ability to work from home in any case, so it really wasn’t too big a learning curve for us as an organisation,” he adds.

The Belfast team’s move to remote working was being mirrored throughout the vast international machine that makes up HSBC. Particularly impressive was the speed at which HSBC’s large-scale customer contact centre were able to up sticks and move to effective and efficient remote working... something that few would have thought possible pre-Covid.

“So we were ready and waiting to help our customers very quickly,” says Gillian Morris. “And we started reaching out to those customers immediately. Across the UK , colleagues across the Bank including our agriculture relationship managers (HSBC UK is a big player in the agri marketplace here) volunteered to help out with the effort to make sure that our business customers were being looked after.

“There was a lot of distress and anxiety out there. Some companies had immediate cash flow needs to address, but there were lots of others who just needed some emotional support and to be reassured by the fact that we were here and ready to help if need be.

“So we were calling customers asking if they were alright, if they had the facilities that they needed, if they needed to talk. That was what everyday banking was all about suddenly. And, for many customers, it was about short term funding requirements.”

The senior team at HSBC UK agree with almost everyone else about the huge importance of the immediate government assistance schemes announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

“They made a big difference and had an enormous role to play,” says Chris McQuay. “The job retention scheme in particular was instrumental in saving many jobs in the early days of the crisis.”

HSBC UK was one of the banks authorised from the start to administer the government CBILS and Bounceback loan schemes and was quickly involved in securing the government-backed funding for its customers.

“We were seeing really solid businesses with good management teams trying to wrestle with the huge negative effects on those businesses,” adds Gillian Morris. “So we saw it as our role to be pragmatic, but also to be supportive.

“But it was really hard to talk to very good businesses, who had been performing well before Covid, suddenly facing real, serious problems.”

Gillian Morris and Chris McQuay both reckon that HSBC UK in Belfast stepped up to the mark. “In a nutshell, across the Bank we lent roughly the same amount of money that we’d expect to lend

in 10 years within the six-month period. That puts it into perspective.”

On a national level, the bank’s lending figures during the Covid crisis to date are staggering. Its total loan approvals topped the £12 billion mark – including £5.87 billion on Bounce Back Loans.

“We’ve always said that we’re very fortunate to be part of one of the world’s biggest and best capitalised banks. But I don’t think any of us could have imagined just how important the bank’s global liquidity would be,” says Gillian Morris.

Both Morris and McQuay have been touched over recent weeks and months by the levels of gratitude being shown by their customers.

“To be honest, it’s more than we’re used to,” smiles Chris McQuay. “Banking plays a vital role in the economy which isn’t always acknowledged fully. But not during this pandemic. Our customers have been genuinely grateful for the speed at which we responded, and how we were able to help them.”

They’ve also been pleased at how the bank managed a seamless transition to home working using digital technology.

“I do think that quite a few

businesses have weathered this storm better than they might have anticipated,” Gillian adds. “Our own research shows that 83% of UK businesses have been impacted in some way by Covid, but a lot have turned out to be stronger than they thought.”

Moving forward, the HSBC leadership team stress that the priority is to continue to ensure liquidity in the market and to encourage companies to look closely at how they are leveraged and at transforming their cash flow positions.

“We want to play our part in building back better,” says Chris McQuay. “Our message is that we’re open for business and that we have funds to lend. We’re here to support our customers during a period that’s not going to be easy. We might be a small team in Northern Ireland terms, but we’ve a global bank behind us.

“Recovery will come. We just don’t know what kind of shape that recovery path is going to take. But the odds are that there will be plenty of headwinds until a vaccine for the virus is rolled out.”

Companies, Gillian says, should consider new international markets as recovery begins, and that’s an area in which HSBC, with its global reach, is well placed.

“As recovery begins, companies should look at where they’re positioned and be forward-looking. It’s important to make the most of the disruption caused by this pandemic.”

The portfolio of new routes from Belfast City Airport, announced earlier in the year by airline partner Aer Lingus Regional, is now complete with the resumption of flights to East Midlands Airport and Leeds Bradford Airport.

Both routes will operate up to three times per day, further enhancing Northern Ireland’s connectivity and providing passengers with more choice and convenient connections to the North and East of England.

Commenting on the inaugural flights, Ellie McGimpsey, Aviation Development Manager at Belfast City Airport, said:

“East Midlands and Leeds Bradford have always been popular routes served from Belfast City Airport and we have no doubt that their return will be welcome news for many.

“These inaugural flights complete the series of new routes with Aer Lingus Regional following launches to Birmingham, Edinburgh, Exeter and Manchester.

“Having these high-frequency connections across the UK benefits both business and leisure passengers and it has been great to work with Aer Lingus and Stobart Air to secure these essential links.”

Direct flights from Belfast City to East Midlands and Leeds Bradford not only facilitate a convenient commute for business travellers but also offer choice to university students, sports fans and adventure seekers throughout Northern Ireland.

Ciaran Doherty, Stakeholder Liaison Manager at Tourism Ireland, commented:

“In what has been a truly awful year for travel and tourism, today’s launch is some good news for overseas

Ellie McGimpsey, Aviation Development Manager at George Best Belfast City Airport, joined by Ciaran Doherty,Stakeholder Liaison Manager at Tourism Ireland, to launch inaugural Aer Lingus Regional flights from Belfast City to East Midlands and Leeds Bradford.

tourism to Northern Ireland. As an island, the importance of convenient, direct, non-stop flights cannot be overstated – and the restoration of air connectivity is essential in restoring growth in overseas tourism.

“Tourism Ireland is committed to working with Belfast City Airport, Aer Lingus Regional and our other key partners, through co-operative marketing, to drive demand for flights to Northern Ireland.”

Passengers who choose to fly from Belfast City Airport with Aer Lingus Regional will not only benefit from award winning service and convenient flight times, but can also avail of the Aer Lingus’ loyalty programme, AerClub, where Avios reward points can be collected and redeemed against future Aer Lingus flights, purchases or products.

Stobart Air, following guidance from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), has implemented a number of enhanced health and safety measures to protect staff, crew and passengers.

These include enhanced aircraft cleaning, mandatory face coverings/ masks on all flights with the exception of children under the age of six and those who are unable to wear a face mask for medical reasons as well as boarding and disembarking in small groups.

Enhanced sanitisation and social distancing are also in place at Belfast City Airport where face coverings/ masks are also mandatory. Guidance for passengers can be viewed at www.belfastcityairport.com

A £2 million private investment by Dunluce Healthcare in Bangor has created 30 jobs with the opening this week of a dementia wing at its Oakmont Lodge nursing and residential home.

Designed specially around residents’ needs, the new 24-bed dementia wing will provide the highest quality of residential and nursing care, housed in the most modern of surroundings. It now brings the total number of beds at Oakmont Lodge to 80.

Situated in Bangor West, the new development also includes a large sensory garden which has

Dunluce Healthcare Asset Manager Dianne Hunter and Chief Executive Ryan Smith join Oakmont Lodge residents Dean JC Combe and Ann McKillen at the opening of a new 24-bed residential and nursing dementia wing

been designed specifically for those living with dementia, with leading pathways, ambient lighting, and fragrant flowers and shrubs.

Ryan Smith, Chief Executive of Dunluce Healthcare said:

“When we began planning our new dementia wing, we looked at current best practice, and to the future, in order to develop a centre of excellence.

“The feedback from interested families and our nursing and auxiliary teams has been fantastic and we believe we have created a centre, offering the highest quality of care in an environment that all residents can regard as their home.”

Each of the new 24-bedrooms has been beautifully designed and furnished, with large lounges and dining rooms overlooking the gardens.

Annette Martin, Residential Manager at Oakmont Lodge said:

“Choosing the right care home is one of the most important decisions you can make for yourself or for your loved one.

“While staying at Oakmont Lodge, we place you and your family at the heart of everything that we do. We understand that the requirements of our residents are unique, and we focus on identifying their individual needs, and then ensuring they have the right nursing and care teams.

“From delicious and well-balanced meals prepared by our executive chefs, to fun and therapeutic activities, we ensure that residents are central to everything we do at Oakmont Lodge.”