Ambition Issue 26 (Jan/Feb 2018)

Magazine of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018 ISSUE 26 £2.95

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FANE VALLEY ON THE SECRET OF CO-OPERATIVE SUCCESS

SMILEY MONROE KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

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January/February 2018 Issue 26 NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER

Contents 68 Keeping it in the family Smiley Monroe’s Managing Director Vaughan Monroe and his sons, Tim, Marketing Director and Chris, Global Sales Director describe what it’s like working together in the family business.

Editor: Adrienne McGill Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Managers: Lorraine Gill & Gerry Waddell Editorial Assistant: Joanne Harkness Email addresses: adrienne.mcgill@northernirelandchamber.com / lorraine.gill@ulsterjournals.com / gerry.waddell@ ulstertatler.com Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com / www.ulstertatler.com Addresses: Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 4-5 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT1 5JA Tel: 028 9024 4113 Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim Front cover image by: David Cordner.

NI CHAMBER PATRONS

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At a Glance News: 08 MJM makes martime history 10 Queen’s University building project commended by RICS 12 Deloitte in new venture 14 Ulster Bank signs on with new service 37 Queen’s honours for NI Chamber President and Members 54 QES - Signs of Economic Growth but Weakness Persists Columnists: 16 John Woods 18 Laura Jackson 24 Jonathan Hacking 26 Sinead Dillon 56 Brendan Monaghan 60 Maureen O’Reilly 64 Connall Keenan and Susan Cleland 74 Dr Bryan Keating 78 Les McCracken 80 Ian Rainey 96 Jim Fitzpatrick

70 Top Young Talent 76 West Meets East Powerscreen and AJ Power 81 A Good Sport - Gerry Carlile 82 Stairway to Seven - Paul Lawther

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Appointments: 84 New Appointments Line Up Special Section: 43 Talent Acquisition A New Position Lifestyle: 87 Business Class Motoring James Stinson 91 On Holiday with... KPMG’s John Hansen 94 New Year, New You Fashion - Joanne Harkness 95 Dine and Wine Giorgio Sechi and Rebecca Robb

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81 52 Cover Story

Chamber chief: 30 Update Features: 28 Phase 1 Brexit The end of the beginning 38 Tanya talks... People 40 My ambition is to...

42 Word From Brussels 62 In a Class of its Own - North West Regional College 58 The Secret of Co-Operative Success 66 China and Northern Ireland Side by Side

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EDITORIAL

Driving Ambition

What’s featuring this year?

D

elivering Brexit and navigating a path outside the EU is a major concern for firms who trade in Europe. The magnitude of this task should not be underestimated: it entails the reshaping of laws, trading relationships and economic models.

Uncertainty and risk lies ahead so developments in 2018 are of critical importance.

However, trading abroad successfully has never been an issue for firms in Northern Ireland. Many have made their name in overseas markets and are powering ahead selling goods and services to customers in far-flung destinations across the globe.

We have introduced a new regular feature in Ambition, ‘West Meets East’, in which companies operating extremely successfully on opposite sides of the world explain why they are there and the challenges and opportunities they’ve met starting with Powerscreen in Argentina and AJ Power in Myanmar (formerly Burma), who have conquered their respective markets.

Staying with exports, our new columnist John Woods, Managing Director and Owner of Co. Armagh based health food company, Linwoods, says selling abroad is a “must do” for Northern Ireland businesses.

Keeping with growth and success, another new regular feature is ‘Keeping it in the Family’. In this issue we hear from the Monroe family about working in harmony in their company, Smiley Monroe and not letting the business dominate conversation at the dinner table.

The cascade of new features continues.

In ‘Tanya Talks…’ Tanya Anderson, NI Chamber’s Head of SME Development answers a range of questions from business owners about issues they face.

In ‘Stairway to Seven’, steps for business

success are listed by a company chief and in ‘A Good Sport’ we hear about the sporting passion of a business leader and why sport and business is a good mix.

In Lifestyle, we introduce a new look at travel by ‘Going on Holiday with…’ a leading Northern Ireland business figure who writes about a favourite destination.

Then there’s ‘Dine and Wine’ where Head Chef at Fratelli in Belfast, Giorgio Sechi, cooks up a tasty dish for the New Year with an excellent wine recommendation from the restaurant’s wine expert Rebecca Robb.

Meanwhile, Brendan Monaghan, CEO of transformational IT company Neueda joins as another new columnist and ‘Looks up, out and ahead’ in the world of technology.

Ambition’s Special Section looks at ‘Talent Acquisition – a new position,’ which is a major issue at the start of a New Year as people think about changing jobs. We talk to a number of leading recruitment and executive search firms and hear about the impact of social media in the recruitment industry, the outlook ahead, sourcing top executives and the importance of the personal approach.

With a new sleek design and packed with bright, new and enticing features, Ambition is delighted to make its mark at the start 2018.

We really hope you enjoy the read!

Adrienne McGill

Editor, Ambition

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EDITORIAL

President’s Perspective

Change Must Be A Priority 2 018 must be the year of change and progress – both politically and economically.

2017 saw many challenges for NI Chamber members – not helped by the continued absence of a regional Assembly and Executive. Our businesses needed the support of active and engaged public representatives to boost their confidence but it wasn’t there – that has to change in 2018.

This lack of stability in local government has further compounded the lack of clarity surrounding Northern Ireland’s position within Brexit negotiations. Sharing a land border with the EU means Northern Ireland has a crucial stake in these negotiations – yet discussions are going on without a cohesive Northern Ireland voice and that of business being heard directly.

If we remain stuck in the quagmire of 2017, Northern Ireland’s potential to become an economic powerhouse may never be realised. 2018 must be the year of change and progress – both politically and economically.

There are a wide range of issues that must be addressed in 2018.

On Brexit, we must ensure that the atmosphere of uncertainty ends. Whilst we welcome the fact that the European Council has approved the progression of talks to the discussion of a transition period, and a future trade relationship, we must make it a priority that Northern Ireland’s unique trading circumstances are understood and recognised and that our ambition to grow the economy through cultivating external sales is not hindered.

The issue of reducing Corporation Tax needs to move forward now but this will only happen once a restored Executive demonstrates its finances are on a sustainable footing.

We look forward to transport improvements continuing as they open up supply chains, generate contracts for businesses, ease congestion of heavily trafficked roads and help companies move products and goods more efficiently.

Delivery of the North South Interconnector is a top priority for NI Chamber’s membership. Businesses and employers need access to electricity in the most cost

efficient manner possible, and a positive decision on the proposed Interconnector is key to achieving this.

More must be done to ensure workers have the right skills to meet the demand of employers and it’s time to realise that the Apprenticeship Levy is not working for Northern Ireland.

NI Chamber will continue to make the voice of the Northern Ireland business community heard where it matters at Westminster, in Dublin, in Brussels and by working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive, the NIO and other key partners.

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In doing so, we will continue to assist our members to promote and grow their businesses locally and internationally through our broad range of business support services.

This year, we will continue to serve our members as we have done for the past 235 years – with dedication, persistence and a total focus on helping them grow their businesses.

Ellvena Graham President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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news NEWS

MJM Makes Maritime History Newry-based MJM Group has won a prestigious multi-million pound contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises and Azamara Cruises which will bring the first ever cruise ship to Belfast to drydock in April.

MJM will project manage the docking, berthing and refit of the Azamara Pursuit ship from bow to stern with the work to be carried out at Harland & Wolff shipyard.

The announcement is unprecedented as it represents the first time a cruise ship owner has awarded complete project management responsibility to an individual organisation.

Gary Annett, Chief Executive Officer of MJM Group said: “MJM Group has an exceptional track record of delivering world class cruise liner refits for the world’s top operators in docks across the world but we have always had the ambition to revive the rich shipbuilding industry history right here in Northern Ireland. We looked at many other facilities globally but we worked hard to put together a case for Northern Ireland. To secure the Azamara project we had to demonstrate that we had the ability to provide complete project management, outfitting, berthing and ship yard services. With Harland & Wolff on our doorstep and our experience in the industry we were able to do this. This truly is a historic day for this industry in Northern Ireland, for MJM Group and indeed our customers.”

It is estimated that the cruise ship industry spends $3bn on drydocking and ships

Richard Tywnam, Managing Director (Azamara Club Cruises); Larry Pimental, President and CEO of Azamara Club Cruises; Brian McConville, Chairman (MJM Group); Gary Annett, CEO (MJM Group) and David Duff, Commercial Director (Azamara Club Cruises) announce details of the contract in London.

refurbishments annually with the majority of the works carried out in shipyards in the Caribbean, Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.

Jonathan Guest, Director of Business Development and Improvement at Harland & Wolff, said: “We have global brand recognition as a historic leader in the shipbuilding industry and we know that there is so much potential to revive this industry in Northern Ireland. We look forward to supporting MJM Group on this project and hopefully other refits in the future.”

Larry Pimentel, President and CEO of

Azamara Club Cruises travelled to London to announce the plans for Azamara Pursuit.

He said: “It will be a truly magnificent sight to see our ship beneath the historic Harland & Wolff cranes which are so synonymous with Belfast’s proud maritime history and we thank MJM Group for helping us make this happen.”

Azamara Pursuit will arrive in Belfast in April for work to commence and will make her maiden voyage from Southampton in August 2018.

Prestigious Chemistry Award Professor Tom Moody, VP Technology Development & Commercialisation at Almac and Arran Chemical Company, has been awarded the Institute of Chemistry of Ireland’s Industrial Chemistry Award 2017.

Tom, originally from Ballymena, is the first person from Northern Ireland to receive the award.

Judges awarded Tom and his team for the excellence demonstrated within Almac Sciences’ enzyme technology development research programme.

This has been achieved through the unique collaboration between the biocatalysis team within Almac, the pharmaceutical giant, headquartered in Craigavon, and Arran Chemical Company, Athlone, a member of the Almac Group since 2015.

Professor Tom Moody.

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The award was established to recognise the achievement of an individual chemist, or team of chemists, for making a significant contribution to the chemical or pharmaceutical industry in Ireland.

At the awards ceremony, which took place at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, Professor Moody presented the annual Eva Philbin Lecture.

Professor Moody said: “On behalf of the team at Almac Sciences and Arran Chemical Company, I am thrilled to receive this prestigious award. It is a true honour to be recognised in this way by the Institute of Chemistry and be invited to present a lecture in honour of Eva Philbin who is undoubtedly one of the most inspirational chemists of our lifetime.”

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NEWS

Fane Valley Recognise Action Mental Health at Group Charity Ball

David Meade with David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health, and Trevor Lockhart, Chief Executive of Fane Valley.

Fane Valley, one of Northern Ireland’s largest farming cooperatives, hosted their inaugural Group Charity Ball in aid of Action Mental Health recently at a black-tie event in the Crowne Plaza, Belfast, with over 430 guests, customers, suppliers and wider group staff attending.

TV star and Mentalist David Meade was also on hand to entertain guests.

The Charity Ball was the culmination of a busy year of challenges, activities, workshops and awareness outreach in which, staff from across twenty sites including Linden Foods, White’s Oats, Fane Valley Feeds and Stores, Kettyle Irish Foods, Linergy, and Hilton Meat Products participated.

Action Mental Health, founded in 1963, is a local charity which changes the lives of those living with mental ill health and promotes resilience and well-being to future generations.

Fane Valley Chief Executive, Trevor Lockhart said: “I would like to express my

most sincere appreciation on behalf of Fane Valley to all our customers and suppliers for generously providing raffle prizes and making donations towards the greater charity efforts in 2017. I would also like to say a big thank you to all our group staff for taking time out to participate in the many challenges, activities and for embracing and embedding a culture of listening and promoting a healthy lifestyle and positive wellbeing.”

Action Mental Health Chief Executive, David Babington said: “As a local charity, we rely on the support of the community to help provide our services, so we are extremely grateful to everyone who attended Fane Valley’s Gala Ball and made it such a success. The money raised at this ball and through the wider Fane Valley partnership will help us to carry on this vital work and reach more local school children in the coming year.”

Queen’s University Building Project Wins National Recognition A Belfast building project has been highly commended at the Grand Final of the RICS Awards which took place recently in London.

The main site tower and Peter Froggatt Centre at Queen’s University gained national recognition in the Design Through Innovation category at the prestigious awards ceremony.

The 1960s buildings were refurbished in a scheme which judges praised for “successfully linking new and old to create a stimulating teaching and learning environment”.

Local companies involved in the project included quantity surveyors Hood McGowan Kirk, building contractors Felix O’Hare & Co and Todd Architects.

The redevelopment included partial demolition, restructuring and extension of the multi-storey tower to be used by the School of Law and School of Music and Sonic Arts.

The tower was linked with the Peter Froggatt

Centre to form a student hub for informal study while comprehensive refurbishment of lecture theatres and classroom in the centre also took place.

Judges were also impressed by the approach to sustainability and low energy design.

In May the project was crowned the regional winner in the Design Through Innovation category of the RICS Awards, Northern Ireland, and in London it was competing with top projects from across the UK. The Queen’s project came runner up to the overall Design Through Innovation Category winner at the national awards, the British Airways i360 in Brighton, which is the world’s tallest moving observation tower, designed by the creators of the London Eye.

The main site tower and Peter Froggatt Centre refurbishment at Queen’s University.

Antrim And Newtownabbey Borough Council & NI Chamber Grow A New Business Partnership Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council is the latest local authority to become a Corporate member of NI Chamber.

NI Chamber’s Corporate membership base represents the leading companies who are helping drive the development of the economy.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has 3,685 registered businesses in its area which accounts for 5 per cent of all businesses in Northern Ireland.

The Borough is home to world-class companies such as Randox, Mivan and Sensata Technologies.

Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber, said: “NI Chamber is delighted to welcome Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

“By using the wide range of services offered

by NI Chamber, the Council can be assured of making connections from which it can benefit and develop working relationships with other members in an environment where their paths would not cross otherwise.”

Ann McGregor (Chief Executive of NI Chamber) The Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey and Councillor Paul Hamill (Mayor of Antrim Borough, Councillor Paul Hamill, said: “The and Newtownabbey Borough Council).

Council has just commissioned a new economic development strategy for the Borough and our as a Corporate member. Partnership is at the alliance with the NI Chamber will help ensure heart of everything we do at NI Chamber. We that everything we do going forward to support are driven by our mission to help our members the local economy is well aligned with the needs grow and capitalise on opportunities and we and expectations of our businesses.” have ambitious aims that can only be achieved by working with others.

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IT Chief Highlights Global Trends The CEO of digital transformation company Neueda has outlined key trends and challenges facing his business and the IT sector locally and globally over the next five years.

Brendan Monaghan was speaking at ‘Building something special: Neueda 2022’ held in the company’s Belfast headquarters and attended by a 70-plus audience of private and public sector representatives including Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest Northern Ireland.

Mr Monaghan described how the rise of robotics, increasing market globalisation and the role of millennials, are crucial issues impacting businesses and the tech sector in Northern Ireland and beyond.

“The growth of machine intelligence is shaping the solutions we offer in a huge way.

“With customer service chat bots and machine-based professional services on the rise, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is getting smarter on a daily basis. AI is already disrupting traditional business channels as we know it.

“IT services can be effectively delivered from anywhere in the world with the right talent and structure to support this. We

Brendan Monaghan, Neueda CEO with Helen Kirkpatrick, Neueda Chairman and Alastair Hamilton, Invest NI Chief Executive.

have team members in the US servicing clients alongside our people in Belfast. The world is a much smaller place; we need to be ambitious and remove any limited thinking about our capabilities.”

Mr Monaghan said the company aimed to bring its revenue to £100m by 2022 and revealed that in support of its expanding

global customer base and ambitious growth plans, Neueda is creating 165 new jobs over the course of the next two years. The company recently opened a Software Delivery Centre of Excellence in Malaga, Spain. *See Page 56

Deloitte In New Venture Deloitte has unveiled plans to invest in, incubate and partner with start-ups in Northern Ireland by launching Deloitte Ventures in Belfast.

Deloitte Ventures is a UK-based team and investment fund that helps Deloitte develop start-ups both inside and outside the organisation. It has already invested in and partnered with disruptive technology start-ups in fast growing tech sectors such as fintech and blockchain.

Guests from the local tech start-up sector, investment funds and academia attended the official launch in the Ormeau Baths innovation space in Belfast to hear about Deloitte’s plans for further investment in the start-up ecosystem in Belfast.

Scott Campbell, Deloitte Ventures lead said: “We pair disruptive technologies and ground-breaking start-ups with our advisory expertise to solve pressing problems and achieve commercial success. For us it isn’t purely about financial return – we look for strategic alignment with what Deloitte offers our clients.”

To date, Deloitte has invested in 37 external ventures, from Roisin Finnegan (Deloitte); Steve Orr (Catalyst Inc); Mark Dowds (Trov) and Scott Campbell (Deloitte Ventures). drones to fintech, and has helped its own staff to get more than 100 ideas off the ground. The investments it makes are in external companies which are at early stage investment, and are typically Jackie Henry, Senior Partner at Deloitte in Northern Ireland said: valued at between £150,000 and £1m.

“We are extremely proud to be part of this vibrant, ever-growing Guests at the launch heard from an expert panel of speakers from eco-system and we recognise that if we as a firm want to continue the local tech sector which included Steve Orr from Catalyst Inc, to grow we must double our efforts to stay relevant, in part by Mark Dowds from Trov, Ian Browne from IGNITE and Ben Bland from combining forces with high growth start-ups.”

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New industry for Northern Ireland

NEWS

BUSINESS LEADERS CALL FOR COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP

CIPD Chair Lynn Carson.

A group of senior HR leaders has called for greater collaboration to secure the leadership needed to take Northern Ireland into the future.

The call was made following a roundtable discussion organised jointly by the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD) and Business in the Community and involving representatives from leading employers in the private, public and voluntary sectors.

The topic under discussion at the event was ‘Purposeful Leadership’ and issues raised included the need to boost productivity in Northern Ireland, the implications of Brexit, the need to grow local talent and leadership capabilities and the skills gap in the Northern Ireland workforce.

The senior HR leaders in attendance - from organisations such as Bank of Ireland, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, Firstsource, Mount Charles and Translink amongst others - were unified in their views that collaboration within and between sectors to

share good practice on leadership was vital.

Speaking on behalf of the CIPD, Chair Lynn Carson said: “People are demanding more from our leaders than making tactical decisions and meeting short-term goals – they want to know that the leaders they follow have solid, meaningful values and that they behave in alignment with those values. HR has a central role to play in developing leadership at all levels in an organisation and senior HR leaders in Northern Ireland want to see more collaboration on this important issue.”

Gordon Milligan, Deputy Chief Executive at Translink and Chair of Business in the Community’s Workplace Leadership Team, said there were a number of key challenges facing leaders in Northern Ireland and collaboration was needed to address them as well as investing in developing leadership skills and growing talent required to deliver against economic challenges.

ULSTER BANK ‘SIGNS ON’ WITH NEW SERVICE Ulster Bank has become the first bank in Northern Ireland to offer a dedicated sign language interpreted banking service for deaf customers. The new feature, available to support telephone and branch banking, makes it possible for a customer to communicate with people in the bank with the help of a videolink to an interpreter.

After downloading the SignVideo plug-in or app, deaf British Sign Language customers will be able to communicate with an advisor using their computer, tablet or smartphone via a secure video call.

This call provides them with the services of a British Sign Language interpreter, who acts as a third-party to facilitate real-time conversations between the customer and the Ulster Bank contact centre, or a member of staff during a branch appointment.

There are approximately 300,000 people in Northern Ireland who are deaf or who have some form of hearing loss – 1 in 6 of the population.

Sean Murphy, Managing Director, Personal Banking at Ulster Bank, said: “We believe that this will provide meaningful help for our deaf customers, and we’re proud to respond to their needs.”

Roisin McGonagle, Digital Skills Officer at Action on Hearing Loss, said: “We are pleased that the Ulster Bank has taken this step

towards making their services more accessible to sign language users. Equal access to information on financial matters, and all other aspects of daily life, is vital for people who use sign language as their first language.”

Roisin McGonagle, Digital Skills Officer (Action on Hearing Loss); Karen Dixon, Branch Manager (Ulster Bank); Jason McBurney, Personal Banker (Ulster Bank) and John Mulhern, Branch Manager (Ulster Bank).

INTERNATIONAL EXPERT TO ADDRESS SKILLS GAP IN THE AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY Ulster University Business School has enlisted the help of a global expert in food marketing, Professor Thomas Kennedy, as part of its new Agri-Food Business Development Centre, aimed at addressing a shortfall in skills and encouraging innovation in Northern Ireland’s biggest industry.

The agri-food sector contributes £4bn to the local economy and employs over 21,000 people.

Philadelphia-based Professor Kennedy, who has 25 years’ experience with US agrifood businesses, has been brought in as the centre’s first Entrepreneur in Residence, helping to forge ties with industry and mentor staff, students and industry

professionals in areas such a marketing and business strategy.

Professor Mark Durkin, Executive Dean of Ulster University Business School said: “Professor Tom Kennedy is internationally respected for his expertise in the areas of food marketing, selling strategies, agribusiness, supply chain, food safety and security, and business strategy and management.

“His experience both in the food industry and as an educator, including five years as a Visiting Professor at Ulster University, will make a major contribution to enabling our local government, businesses and agri-food sector employees to think and act in a more entrepreneurial way.”

Professor Tom Kennedy.

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COLUMNIST

John Woods, Managing Director and Owner of Linwoods.

A Healthy Export Strategy

2017 was a strong year for Co. Armagh-based health food company Linwoods, culminating in the business being recognised as ‘Exporter of the Year’ at the prestigious British Chamber Awards. The company’s outward-looking business model has allowed it to reach global markets and meet demand from health-focused consumers.

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nnovation has always been at the heart of our company and in recent years, the key growth driver in the Linwoods business model has been the export of our health foods range to markets around the globe.

Now more than 95% of our business is outside of the Northern Ireland market, with our range of products distributed on the global marketplace in regions such as Europe, the USA and Asia.

Our strategy when approaching any new market has always been supported by extensive research and a substantial investment in marketing to effectively communicate to our target audiences worldwide. As a leading Northern Ireland exporter, research is central to understanding, targeting, and making plans to break into any overseas market. We look at everything from GDP growth, income, and employment rates to an in-depth analysis of the local health food market. This is something we do on an on-going basis, analysing market reports such as Mintel and Nielsen as well as retailer reports from the region. This research and analysis of the marketplace is vital before entry and its worth cannot be underestimated.

The process of exporting has not been without its challenges and, as with most

industries, the health food market is highly regulated across the globe. As regulations differ greatly from country to country, this is an ongoing challenge for the Linwoods brand to ensure we meet local requirements. Again, this is where research and a strategic approach to market entry is vital in ensuring a successful launch and good distribution.

The global markets in which we operate have also greatly changed in recent years and this has led to increased opportunities to drive penetration and acquire new customers in sectors and categories, which were not as easily accessible previously. An example of this would be our decision to move from the traditional health food channel and extend into mainstream multiple grocery retailers as demand for our products has increased due to the focus on health foods, which has been embraced worldwide.

Typically, when we enter a new market in the health food channel we partner with a distributor who specialises in that channel. As a market develops, products like ours start to be adopted by mainstream grocery retailers and this often means that we need additional distributors who are more appropriately skilled to manage the mainstream grocery channel or to completely change our distributor, which can be a challenging process.

In addition, we are constantly evolving our export strategy as the health food category that we operate in continues to change and evolve and we also need to build trust with consumers in an export market. One of the challenges we often face is around taste preferences.

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To address this, Linwoods develops export products in line with the specific export market based on the insights produced from our research. In the USA, for example, products are developed with more fruits to add sweetness, while in Iran products are under development that contain more nut varieties.

The impact of this constant change is that our company has a truly global mind-set. Every team member is deeply involved in developing our export business and focused on expanding their local knowledge and understanding of different markets and departments work collaboratively across various markets to ensure a targeted approach.

All this combined has helped to position Linwoods as a leader in the health food market and in turn has helped the business develop a lean, strategic approach to market entries, resulting in positive distribution networks, value, and volume sales.

In my opinion, exporting is a must do for Northern Ireland businesses. In today’s current climate, exporting provides a platform that will allow a business to grow and expand and with strong support for agri-food businesses in Northern Ireland from resources such as Invest NI, the opportunities to access new markets has never been greater.

If I was to give any advice to other Northern Ireland companies about exporting, then it would be to not stand still. In order to see success in any market, home or away, you must keep innovating and listening to the consumers in each market, keeping in tune with needs and demands in order to survive and thrive.

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COLUMNIST

Laura Jackson, Partner at BDO.

Now is the time to firm up Brexit plans

Ignore the ‘will they, won’t they’ drama of the Brexit discussions and start preparing for various scenarios.

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elieve it or not, there was a time when annual business predictions were a routine and even fun activity.

We’d look to the many constants and speculate on unknown factors that would assist or complicate forward plans.

Today, however, the high emotion and the intense hyperbole of Brexit discussions have made forecasts a more fraught affair.

In the absence of any detail on a likely UKEU trade deal, the optimists may be tempted to look on passively and hope that whatever deals emerge will boost trade prospects.

Business leaders though are realists and adopting a ‘hands off’ approach is rarely a serious option.

The clock, however, is ticking. Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 in March 2017, leaving just over one year until the UK exits from the EU. If businesses are to really make the most of post-Brexit Northern Ireland, then the focus of the year ahead must be on getting to grips with the various scenarios that may emerge and start mapping out the foundations for future growth.

Almost three-quarters of companies in Northern Ireland are classed as ‘family run’ giving us an agile business base that has historically been fleet of foot and adaptable to new opportunities and markets. The recent BDO Family Survey found that the vast majority of these companies (93 per cent) export to the Republic of Ireland, but worryingly only a third said they understood the likely impact of Brexit on their operations.

Knowing where to start can appear daunting, particularly with so many variables and unknown factors. For most companies there are likely to be impacts on pricing, relocation and migration, tariffs and customs warehousing to name just a few key factors.

Despite uncertainty, each set of possible changes can generally be condensed down into manageable scenarios that allow business leaders and entrepreneurs to consider how they should look at their business structures, cash flow, supply chains and regulation and compliance.

BDO Northern Ireland is not complacent about the scale of the challenge that businesses face in doing so. Along with colleagues in our London and Dublin offices, we have invested our knowledge and experience into a suite of tools specifically designed to help clients respond to the evolving market conditions.

In our free Brexit Planning Guide, we’ve categorised and condensed the implications into a number of easy to navigate sections that examine the prospective direct and indirect tax and legal consequences of a range of scenarios. Critically, we also outline the practical actions that should be taken now

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to minimise the impact of change and seize potential opportunities ahead.

Our multi-skilled Brexit taskforce team draws on local expertise as well as that of our Dublin and London teams, resulting in a comprehensive client service that keeps businesses informed of latest developments; identifies emerging risks and opportunities early; and advises management on the best responses.

As an accredited Intertrade advisor, firms can also claim funding of up to £2,000 or €2,000 towards professional advice provided by our Brexit specialists. This means your business can get advice on specific issues such as movement of labour, goods, services and currency management.

Visit IntertradeIreland.com for more information about the scheme and select BDO Northern Ireland as your local accredited advisor.

The only certainty of the next two years will be the UK’s departure from the EU and it is imperative that Northern Ireland businesses give themselves the best chance to succeed.

It’s time to get ahead with Brexit planning and work out what change means for all of us.

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NEWS

Getting Connected Progress is being made but Northern Ireland still needs better broadband infrastructure says Ofcom. Adrienne McGill reports.

I

t’s a sign of how important good communications are that decent, reliable broadband is now a must-have for every single one of us – consumers and businesses.

And progress has been made in recent years with some 85% of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland now able to get superfast broadband, with a minimum download speed of 30Mbit/s, according to the communications regulator Ofcom.

That’s up from 77% in 2015.

Superfast broadband availability for SMEs is also increasing. A total of 75% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) now have access to superfast broadband or faster – up from 71% in 2016.

But what about those that are still struggling with very slow broadband?

Ofcom’s latest Connected Nations Report reveals that some 56,000 or 7% of all properties in Northern Ireland still don’t have access to “decent” broadband.

Ofcom currently defines this as broadband offering a download speed of at least 10Mbit/s, with an upload speed of at least 1Mbit/s.

The problem is worse in rural areas where around 23% of premises are not getting decent broadband services, compared to just 1% in urban areas. Ofcom says that’s often because they are situated a long

way from the telephone exchange or local street cabinet.

Unsurprisingly, local authorities that are more rural and with more dispersed properties have a higher number of premises that cannot access 10Mbit/s.

Ofcom’s Connected Nations report shows nearly a quarter of premises (10,800) in the Fermanagh and Omagh Council area can’t get a service delivering more than 10Mbit/s. Mid Ulster (7,900) and Newry, Mourne and Down (7,900) also have significant numbers of premises that fall into this category.

So what’s being done to fix the problem?

Ofcom says the picture will improve further with ongoing industry and government-funded initiatives though readers expecting a quick fix will be disappointed.

Much depends on the UK Government’s plans for universal broadband, which would give homes and businesses across the country – including in rural and remote areas – the right to request a broadband connection with a download speed of at least 10Mbit/s, and an upload speed of at least 1Mbit/s.

That aim hasn’t changed since it was first announced in 2015 though the original target date of 2020 could slip.

When it does happen though Northern Ireland, which has more properties

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unable to get such a service now, stands to benefit most.

There are other positive developments in the pipeline that will help to raise Northern Ireland’s digital standing.

Virgin Media, which had been focussed around Greater Belfast and Derry/ Londonderry, recently expanded its network to Bangor, Newtownards and Limavady with further expansion planned for 2018 and beyond.

Meanwhile, BT recently announced a £20m investment which will see a further 140,000 premises in Northern Ireland gain access to ultrafast broadband.

The investment complements current joint investment programmes BT has underway with local government departments, and when combined, will result in nearly a quarter of all premises having access to ultrafast broadband, capable of delivering download speeds of 100Mbit/s and more.

The other big news is the potential £150m pot of money promised for “ultrafast” broadband as a result of the confidence and supply deal between the DUP and the Conservatives. To put this in context, combined government funded / industry investments over the last five years have amounted to less than £100m.

The next 24 months should see a lot happening.

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BT invests further £20 million in ultrafast broadband rollout in Northern Ireland BT has announced a £20 million investment in a major expansion of ultrafast broadband to towns across Northern Ireland. This significant commercial investment by BT, the largest private sector investor in communications infrastructure, will see a further 140,000 premises gain access to ultrafast broadband.

The ambitious rollout, which is scheduled to be completed by March 2019, will predominantly involve the deployment of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) technology, which is capable of providing ultrafast broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps – fast enough to download a two hour HD movie in twenty five seconds or a forty five minute long HD TV programme in just five seconds.

The investment complements current joint investment programmes BT has underway with the Northern Ireland government, and when combined, will result in nearly a quarter of all premises having access to ultrafast broadband.

Mairead Meyer, Managing Director Networks, BT Northern Ireland said: “We’re delighted to be investing at this significant

level, delivering against our local ambition to futureproof our Northern Ireland infrastructure and rank favourably amongst the best fibre networks in Europe.

“Through our current investment programmes, 25 per cent of homes and businesses in Northern Ireland are scheduled to have access to ultrafast broadband

by March 2019. These investments are underpinning Northern Ireland’s internet economy and society, and bringing an online experience like never before to consumers and organisations.

“We’ve been sharing our fibre broadband vision with key stakeholders and the latest investment announcement is ultimately about driving choice and competition in this market because the network is available on an open wholesale basis to all broadband providers, meaning households and businesses will benefit from a choice of services, competitive pricing and products.”

As part of this investment, BT will recruit additional apprentices and graduates to play a part in this dynamic chapter in Northern Ireland’s broadband journey. Over the next

Mairead Meyer, Managing Director Networks, BT Northern Ireland with Ƌ ƅ Ƌ j ƆƌƍƋ ƕƆƆ C ƕ 6Ƒ ƐƆƏè dƅ ƐƐ Gilmore and Matthew Morrow.

10 months, BT will recruit 42 apprentices and graduates, who’ll undertake a variety of roles in designing, planning and building BT’s Northern Ireland network. Roles will be posted on bt.com/careers.

Roll-out of this latest phase of network will begin immediately and run until March 2019. The areas to benefit will be announced on a rolling basis and published on www.nibroadband.com.

Investment in cyber security is increasing across business & public sector yet more needs to be done – BT survey reveals

Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT Business in Northern Ireland.

The well-documented attacks of Wannacry and Petya last year and the constantly evolving cyber security threat have placed a significant strain on IT resources leading to businesses and organisations in Northern Ireland increasing investment and strengthening levels of protection against cyber-attacks.

These are the findings of a local new survey* of both the public and private sector recently conducted on behalf of BT Business in Northern Ireland.

Those who took part in the study revealed: Ï ƗƗƈƐƈ Ƌ ƈ ƒƆ ƐƌƆ Ɛ ƄƆƆ ƌ ƗƆ in security technology, tools and resources including staff awareness; Ï j Ɔƕ ƏƆ ƈ ƐƏ ƗƑƅƈ ƌ ƏƆ ƇƏƆƎƑƆ Ɛ patching cycles for legacy systems; Ï j Ɔ ƈ ƑƆ Ƈ ƅƕƄƆƏ ƆƅƑƏƈƐƕ ƈ Ɨƈ ƅƑ ƆƗ Ɛ board level as a business, rather than an IT issue;

Ï d ƌƆ ƒƆ ƈ é Ƒ Ɔ ƆƅƑƏƈƐƕ ƆƔƍƆƏƐƈ Ɔ while others use third party resources to protect their business or organisation; Ï ƋƋ Ƈ Ɛ Ɔ ƎƑƆ Ɛƈ ƆƗè ƏƆƆƗ Ɛ Ɛ Ɛ Ɔƕ were confident about their ability to deal with cyber security threats in the next twelve months, although they recognised the need to remain vigilant; Ï #Ɔ ƍƈƐƆ Ɛ Ɛ ƅ ƇƈƗƆ ƅƆè ƉƑ Ɛ ƒƆƏ ƋƇ Ƈ those surveyed said they had the skills they needed – in-house or otherwise – to deal with a cyber-attack.

Paul Murnaghan, Regional Director for BT Business in Northern Ireland, said companies need to be fully prepared.

“As this survey shows, both the public and private sector face big challenges, not least the constantly evolving cyber security threat and for some, even if it was readily available, there is a lack of trained cyber security expertise to manage and deal with that threat. Understandably, not every firm can afford to have this in-house – but that’s where BT can help.

“Our customers can tap into the security expertise we use to protect our own network.

We have more than 2,500 security experts focused on protecting us and our customers.

They protect BT from over 250,000 attacks a month – which is a lot of reputation we’re saving, every day and every week.

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“We work with over 220 market leading partners and vendors including global giants ƈ ƅ Ɨ Ƌ ƅ Ƌ dL& ƕƍ Ə Ɨè jô Ɠ security Research & Development team at Ɨ ƐƏ Ƌ ^ ƏƊ ƈ dƑƇƇ ƋƊ ƏƆ ƈ ƐƆƏƆƗ ƒƆƏ Ɔ hundred security patents which shows how BT is at the forefront of innovation in security.

“In August last year, the leading global market intelligence company, the International Data Corporation (IDC), said that BT is the ‘leader’ in Western Europe for managed security services.”

Paul concludes: “As a leader and innovator in security, BT has the scale, expertise and reach that can provide local business and organisations with the support to meet the challenge of the ever evolving security threat.” * Research commissioned by BT Business in Northern Ireland, conducted by FN Research via a series of 10 telephone in-depth interviews from 9th – 20th October 2017. The respondent was the person responsible for the telecoms within the organisation.

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COLUMNIST

Jonathan Hacking, Associate, A&L Goodbody.

GDPR: How to prepare by 25 May 2018 delete it if required. The first step is to complete a data audit to build up a clear data map of how personal data flows through their business.

With audits we are doing with our clients, what we see is that organisations may currently be largely compliant in their day to day use of personal data, but they struggle to document how they are compliant and to be transparent.

To answer this, consider the following questions:

With the 25 May 2018 ‘go live’ date for the new General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR] fast approaching, it is crucial that all Northern Ireland businesses are taking the necessary steps to ensure that they are fully compliant.

Ï 9 Ɛ ƆƏƆ ƕ ƒƆƏ ƋƋ Ɨ Ɛ ƍƏ ƐƆƅƐƈ ƍ Ƌƈƅƕ in place? Ï # ƕ Ƒ ƍƏ ƒƈƗƆ ƐƏ ƈ ƈ Ɛ ƕ ƑƏ Ɛ ƇƇ ƈ Ɠ to deal with personal data? Ï ƏƆ ƕ Ƒ ƅƋƆ Ə Ƅ ƑƐ Ɛ Ɔ ƋƆ ƈƐƈƌ ƐƆ Ƅ ƈ which you are currently processing personal data? Is this recorded anywhere? Ï # ƕ Ƒ ƒƆ ƅƋƆ Ə ƍ Ƌƈƅƕ ƈ

relation to subject access requests? Is this shared throughout the business and are all staff aware of this? Ï ƏƆ ƕ ƑƏ 9j ƕ ƐƆƌ ƆƅƑƏƆî # ƕ Ƒ have a data breach response plan in place?

Is it tested?

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ssentially the General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR] is designed to give individuals more rights regarding how their personal data is used, and to ensure that organisations are transparent and accountable in how they use personal data.

Businesses across Northern Ireland already process vast amounts of personal data in their day to day operations. It is important to remember that the definition of personal data is intentionally very broad so as to capture any information relating to an identifiable living person.

The personal data businesses currently process can be broadly grouped into three categories: (i) employees, (ii) customers, and (iii) suppliers. Many people do not think they are processing personal data but all organisations will be and all will need to operate within the GDPR. Many people focus entirely on a consent basis to legitimise the processing they do. However there are other more commercial practicable bases which can be used depending on the circumstances.

To ensure they are prepared for the GDPR, organisations have to know what data they currently hold and be able to access it and

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Ï # ƕ Ƒ ƒƆ ƅƋƆ Ə ƍ ƋƈƅƈƆ ƈ ƍƋ ƅƆ ƈ relation to how long you retain personal data? Ï # ƕ Ƒ ƑƐ ƑƏƅƆ ƕ Ƈ ƕ ƑƏ Ɨ Ɛ processing obligations, i.e. do you outsource your HR, IT, payroll functions? Ï # ƕ Ƒ ƏƆ Ɛ Ɔ ƍƆƏ Ƌ Ɨ Ɛ Ƈ ƕ ƑƏ Ɛ ƇƇ with any outside organisation, i.e. do you offer private health insurance or pensions to you staff?

It is only by being able to provide clear answers to these questions with documentary evidence within 30 days that you will be able to comply with the GDPR. There is still time to be GDPR compliant ƄƑƐ Ɠ ƏƊ Ɛ ƄƆ ƈ Ɠê Ɨ Ɛ ƑƗƈƐ is the first step and will enable you to determine internally what changes you need to make to your systems and business protocols to be compliant.

If you have any concerns regarding GDPR, speak to your legal advisor or a GDPR specialist.

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COLUMNIST

Sinead Dillon, Principal Consultant at Fujitsu.

Time to make a digital pact this new year?

The key to making digital transformation a success.

I

ndependent research exploring the state of digital transformation released by Fujitsu last year reported that 98% of businesses have been disrupted by digital. Only one year on and the consequences of digital disruption and the pace of technological change continues to be keenly felt. Almost half of those surveyed in our newly commissioned ‘Digital Transformation PACT’ report state that not only has their organisation already implemented a digital transformation project but that outcomes have been achieved. Our research shows that it’s only by bringing equilibrium to four vital ingredients - People, Actions, Collaboration and Technology (PACT) - can organisations hope to thrive in this digital era.

While nine in ten business leaders (90%) say their organisation now has a clearly defined digital strategy, three quarters (74%) say that projects are often undertaken that aren’t linked to the overarching business strategy, and two in three (66%) say the cost of failure has put them off future digital transformation.

Therefore achieving balance has never been more important.

From our research, with 31% of the vote, ‘People’ is one of the standout factors when it comes to businesses realising their digital strategy and it’s easy to understand why.

Without talented and capable people to use them, the best applications and devices are meaningless. 8 in 10 of those surveyed also admit a digital skills gap is the biggest hindrance to their cyber security – a shocking statistic when you consider almost half of UK businesses have experienced cybercrime, with legal and accountancy firms in Northern Ireland among those hit hardest. This is a sentiment echoed locally with recent research reporting a lack of ICT skills as one of the

biggest challenges brought about by the pace of technology innovation.

While we and other technology companies continue to work with education providers and government to promote STEM as a subject area to young people locally, hiring appropriately skilled graduates is only one way to tackle the People issue. Businesses can also look to upskill or retrain current employees through continuing professional development (CPD) courses, external training or using internal experts. You also don’t have to go it alone when it comes to implementing a digital transformation project or process. This is where it becomes apparent how important the other PACT ingredients are. If you think about the digital projects or new innovations that you most admire – from new apps and user interfaces to smart cites – you’ll see that these are from organisations that are successfully collaborating and co-creating with others and empowering processes with technology.

In Northern Ireland there is certainly evidence of PACT balance in action. In public transport for example, the planned Belfast Rapid Transport System and Public Transport Hub are both introducing new technologies and involve

26

close collaboration across the public, private and community sectors who all recognise the enabling power of mobility in modern cities for the economy, visitor market and social inclusion.

Likewise, entrepreneurs and start-ups, such as INVENT award winner KegoMatic, are collaborating with industry to devise new systems and processes to overcome long standing challenges. KegoMatic is a technology solution that allows multiple drink kegs to be tapped at once and switches the line automatically when a keg runs out - creatively applying technology to overcome a prevalent issue in the hospitality sector. We ourselves look forward to working with Ulster University and its Cognitive Analytics Research Lab (CARL) to make the most of its world-class cognitive analytics research capability to deliver for our customers.

Digital transformation will always be about balance, but many companies are now finding that turning a strategy into digital success is about working together to adapt, share and build innovation into the heart of a business.

People, Actions, Collaboration and Technology therefore must be aligned if digital is going to reach its potential.

Northern Ireland’s Enterprise Bank

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FEATURE

Phase 1 Brexit – the End of the Beginning While sterling may have rallied, marginally recently, it is likely to experience further volatility as trade talks around Brexit begin, Brian Telford, Danske Bank’s Head of Markets, tells Adrienne McGill.

T

he New Year rang in good news for sterling, which made gains against the euro. Sterling was trading at €1.13 at the time of writing.

Towards the end of last year, there were indications that the currency was rallying with a slight surge as the first phase of the Brexit talks were concluded.

With the value of currency so closely linked to the outcome of the UK’s departure talks, all eyes will remain firmly fixed on the remaining Brussels negotiations – with the toughest part, the trade talks, still to come.

“Volatility is still there for the pound because of Brexit, “ says Brian Telford, Danske Bank’s Head of Markets.

“Moving to Phase 2 of the Brexit negotiations was positive for sterling in the short term but Phase 2 still has to be played out and that is where the trade deals come in and where the difficulty lies.

“We got through Phase 1 – but that is only the end of the beginning. The next stage is to agree what the nature of a new trade relationship is going to be.

“Anything that potentially reduces a country’s international trade is likely to be negative for its currency. A Brexit “no-deal”, or indeed “bad deal” scenario, should it start to emerge, would undoubtedly concern markets, and most likely

result in a weaker pound until clarity on the future became clearer.

“For now, with so many market forecasters struggling to envisage anything other than some kind of trading relationship that is broadly akin to today, sterling has taken some respite.

“But there will be many bumps in the road ahead as discussions revolve around trade relationships.

“Phase 1 focused on only 3 main negotiating points, albeit, quite fundamental points at that.

Phase 2 arguably will focus on the ‘devil in the detail’, as each side tries to squeeze out every ounce (or should I say gram) of value across the myriad of industry and service sectors.

“Of course, ahead of the possibility of tariffs, quotas, or any other restriction to future trade with Europe, the weak pound is good for exporters who can offer significantly increased value to their customer outside the UK. “The fall in sterling has also brought with it inflationary pressures and these are now finding their way on to the high street and the wider UK supply chain as importers experience significantly higher costs.”

Brian says many companies are planning for a range of future trade scenarios. Depending on the size of the business many are now actively mapping out what low, medium and high

28

tariffs (and other possible costs) might do to their business, with a number using published World Trade Organisation (WTO) tariffs as their ‘worst case scenario’ baseline.

“WTO tariffs could mean tariffs imposed on products and goods on the way in and out of a country,” says Brian.

“Our advice is – don’t panic… plan. This requires businesses to look at their supply chain, how the exchange rate would possibly affect them on a net basis (cost vs revenue), how tariffs might impact them on a net and gross basis, whether there are alternative markets they might consider selling to and how they can bring further efficiencies into their business.

“The debate is being driven by tariffs and currency. This is allowing companies to take a deep dive into their business and figure out if they should do something different from what they have done in the past. Remember, don’t panic – plan.”

Arthur Cox: Putting Clients First

Lawyers and the law play critical roles in how mergers and acquisitions are evaluated, structured, and implemented. Ambition talks to one of Northern Ireland’s most experienced corporate lawyers, Paul McBride, who recently joined leading law firm Arthur Cox as a Corporate and Commercial Partner.

P

aul McBride is a leading figure in the world of corporate law in Northern Ireland and beyond. It is an area of legal discipline which requires strong communication and negotiation skills, an excellent academic background, the ability to think ‘out-of-the-box’, exceptional analytical skills and meticulous attention to detail. Legal commentaries such as Chambers UK and Europe and Legal 500 have over the years recognised that Paul has these attributes in abundance.

With a legal career spanning 25 years to date, he has advised in numerous significant mergers and acquisitions, management buy-outs, venture capital investments and project financings in Northern Ireland, and is named as a leading lawyer for corporate/ mergers and acquisitions by the main legal commentaries.

Recently, Paul has joined leading law firm Arthur Cox as a Corporate and Commercial Partner in its Belfast office. Prior to this, Paul headed up the Belfast office of another major firm.

TRUSTED BOARDROOM ADVISER “Arthur Cox is an extremely active organisation and I am delighted to join the team,” says Paul.

“My main attraction to Arthur Cox was its stand out reputation in Belfast and Dublin as the corporate law firm of choice. My common ambition with the firm is to act as trusted boardroom adviser to businesses operating across Northern Ireland and indeed the island. Putting clients and their needs first is at the heart of the way we approach our legal advice.”

Paul joins Partners Lynsey Mallon and William Curry in one of the most high-profile and internationally respected corporate law

teams in Northern Ireland, led by the firm’s Chairman, Alan Taylor.

“In terms of the nuances of the NI market in particular, clients need lawyers who are relevant to their day-to-day operations and strategic decisions and, whether they are operating locally or globally, they need to know that their lawyers understand their market and are fully committed to their success. Maintaining relevance with clients is critical, particularly in what is still a contracted and difficult economic environment. Advising from the best possible platform is vital.”

BIGGEST TRANSACTIONS Paul has advised on some of the biggest transactions to take place in Northern Ireland, including Ladbrokes Plc’s acquisition of North West Bookmakers and Eastwood and the Aventas Group’s disposal of several businesses worth in excess of £300 million across the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

He also worked on I Squared Capital’s acquisition of Viridian Group and Liberty Insurance’s entry into Northern Ireland through the acquisition of Hughes Insurance.

Other landmark deals included advising Terra Firma on its sale of Phoenix Natural Gas to Hastings’ Fund and W&R Barnett, on the £67 million acquisition of Tate & Lyle’s molasses business.

However, while there is obviously a transactional side to corporate law, compliance and governance advice is an increasingly significant part of his practice.

Paul comments: “Compliance, in the broadest sense, has never been more of an issue for directors whether driven by EU or UK law across a wide range of areas – environmental, health and safety, bribery and corruption, or data protection. These have added layer after layer of compliance and

29

changed the role of lawyers. We need to be very much proactive advisors, helping boards mitigate and avoid risk rather than dealing with issues after they have arisen.”

INTERNATIONAL CLIENT BASE Arthur Cox is one of Ireland’s largest and most innovative law firms, (recognised by the Financial Times in its FT50 list) with 350 lawyers, including almost 100 partners and a total staff of 750. With offices in Belfast, Dublin, London, New York and Silicon Valley, the firm’s practice encompasses all aspects of corporate and business law, providing a comprehensive service to an international client base ranging from established global leaders and multinational organisations to government agencies and statutory bodies, public and private companies, banks and financial institutions to new players in emerging industry sectors.

“By operating globally, Arthur Cox has an excellent platform to harness opportunities and connectivity.

In addition, the seamlessness of the Belfast/Dublin link offers us the ability to offer full service transactional advice or compliance/regulatory support across the island of Ireland,” says Paul.

“Going forward this will become increasingly critical and we are perfectly placed to give businesses operating across the island the advice they need.”

The Corporate and Commercial team at Arthur Cox is well positioned to advise on all aspects of corporate and commercial law. Call +44 28 9023 0007 for further information from Paul or your regular Arthur Cox contact.

Chamber Chief’s

UPDATE From networking events to meetings with government ministers and in-camera dinners with leaders in business, the hectic round of activity spearheaded by NI Chamber for the benefit of members never stops. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor gives a taste of what’s coming up and what’s taken place recently with a picture gallery over the following pages.

A

New Year brings all sorts of resolutions with people saying they’ll start doing this or stop doing that. However, more often than not plans get dashed sometime in January – but there’s no chance of that happening at NI Chamber.

We are committed to doing what we say we’ll do for our members and so in the year ahead we’ll have our usual packed programme of events and wide range of dynamic initiatives and programmes which are all geared towards helping businesses upscale and grow in export markets.

We had a very busy end to last year with the much-anticipated NI Chamber President’s Banquet taking place in November and attended by 850 members of the business community.

The event at Belfast Waterfront was a celebration of ‘engineering in motion’ and acknowledged Northern Ireland’s engineering prowess with Richard Hammond, best known for co-hosting the BBC2 car programme Top Gear alongside Jeremy Clarkson and James May and also Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour, in the spotlight as guest speaker.

Also speaking, NI Chamber President Ellvena Graham delivered a strong speech in which she urged Northern Ireland’s political leaders – all of whom were at the Banquet – to end the talks deadlock and get the Executive back up and running.

Ann McGregor, Richard Hammond and Ellvena Graham.

The President’s Banquet was supported

by NI Chamber’s Communications Partner BT and supporting sponsors 4c Executive; Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Thales and Tughans.

Then it was off to Birmingham with a group of 18 local companies for the latest in NI Chamber’s near market trade missions in partnership with Ulster Bank.

The visit, which is part of NI Chamber’s Learn Grow Excel initiative, is among a series of trade missions led by NI Chamber and Ulster Bank to help local firms exploit opportunities in larger cities in Great Britain.

The delegation comprised companies from across a range of sectors from construction to manufacturing to business services and included Acheson+Glover, Anaconda Equipment, Cherry Pipes, the McAvoy Group, Graham Construction, Cunningham Covers and Radius Plastics.

During the 2 day visit, led by Sandra Scannell (NI Chamber) and Nigel Walsh (Ulster Bank), which included a networking reception hosted by legal firm Pinsent Masons, the companies met representatives from some of the UK’s largest companies such as such as support services from Carillion; Balfour Beatty, a multinational infrastructure group with capabilities in construction services, support services and infrastructure investments; Bouygues, one of the leading construction companies in the UK; and Willmott Dixon, the construction, residential and property support giant.

The group also met Robin Lapish, Supply Chain Manager for HS2, the new NorthSouth rail link which is the biggest and most ambitious infrastructure project in the UK and the first major railway to be built north of London in over 150 years.

The visit was a huge success for delegate companies and presented significant opportunities for them to establish new business links.

Speaking of success, we were delighted

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Nigel Walsh (Ulster Bank); Greg Lowson (Pinsent Masons); Sandra Scannell (NI Chamber) and John Hart (Pinsent Masons) at a networking reception hosted by Pinsent Masons in Birmingham.

to see two NI Chamber members scoop top national awards at the British Chambers of Commerce annual Chamber Business Awards 2017 in London.

Northern Ireland bakery, dairy and health food business Linwoods won the national award for Exporter of the Year while building and maintenance firm Flynn picked up the national Health & Wellbeing award.

The Chamber Business Awards, now in its 14th year, is one of the showpiece events in the business calendar, highlighting the role of business in delivering growth and prosperity for the UK and local communities.

We are really proud of the achievement of Linwoods and Flynn in these fiercely contested awards and look forward to more Northern Ireland companies gaining recognition for their outstanding accomplishments in the future. *See page 36.

NI Chamber President Ellvena Graham with Flynn’s Declan Kearney and Sinead Mullan and Linwood’s Sarah Shimmons and John Woods.

chamber chief’s update

Meanwhile the MJM Group, through its Chief Executive Gary Annett, shared its inspirational export growth story with more than 50 businesses from across Newry and Mourne at an event held at the company’s Carnbane Business Park facility.

The event, which included a tour of MJM facilities, formed part of NI Chamber’s Danske Bank Export First initiative which seeks to encourage and grow export activity by sharing the experiences of some of Northern Ireland’s most successful exporters.

MJM Group is a leading international specialist in interior fit out, refurbishment, refit and services, offering comprehensive and turnkey solutions to clients in the marine, commercial and private sectors. The company has also recently been recognised for its export success by securing two awards in 2017 – the Belfast Telegraph Excellence in Export and the Aer Lingus Viscount Awards Exporter of the Year 2017.

The firm recently secured a multi-million pound contract with Royal Caribbean and Azamara Cruises to refit the Azamara Pursuit Cruise Ship. The work will be undertaken at Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast. *See page 8.

shipping, transportation, refining, energy, utilities, quarrying and mining.

Through a round table discussion with a select group of business leaders, Colin shared the inspirational growth story of Powerscreen (Terex), detailing how the firm has gone from strength to strength, lessons learned and how the firm is delivering exceptional business results.

At a separate event, John Healy, Managing Director, Allstate NI who is NI Chamber Vice-President, shared his experience of business development and growing Northern Ireland’s largest IT Company at a networking breakfast in Derry.

The event organised by NI Chamber in partnership with Northern Ireland Electricity Networks and which took place at North West Regional College was one in a ‘Regional Networking Series’ designed to allow delegates to create new business relationships and opportunities with 100+ business delegates. The event buzzed with activity and following structured networking included a Business Spotlight in which a NI Chamber member had the opportunity to promote their business to all attendees.

NEW MEMBERS Agri-Food Kestrel Foods Ltd Business Management Consultants momentum humancapital Business Services Bazaarvoice Cadmore Ltd. Consulting Engineers Delap & Waller Creative Industry Dawson Hinds Creative Spaces Manufacturing Alfred Briggs (Alwood) Ltd. Marketing JC Decaux Other Financial Intermediation

MJM Chief Executive Gary Annett.

GIC Capital Grenke Agency Professional Services John Healy, Managing Director, Allstate NI.

Seetec Business Technology Consultants Telecommunications

Staying with Danske Bank Export First and more than 20 guests were invited to attend a private dinner with Colin Clements, Global Product Line Director at Powerscreen (Terex) at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast.

Powerscreen operations worldwide are part of the Terex Corporation. Terex is a global manufacturer of lifting and material processing products and services delivering lifecycle solutions that maximize customer return on investment. Terex solutions serve a broad range of industries, including construction, infrastructure, manufacturing,

Ending the year, Sinn Féin Leader in the North Michelle O’Neill met with over 20 members of the local business community at a private dinner hosted by NI Chamber at the Merchant Hotel in Belfast to talk about a range of business issues including Brexit.

Looking ahead to this year, we have yet another packed calendar of events designed to help our members grow their businesses.

Sinn Féin’s Leader in the North Michelle O’Neill.

Colin Clements, Global Product Line Director at Powerscreen (Terex).

We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible attend them and wish you well as you help create a strong and vibrant local economy.

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iPhix Corporate

NI CHAMBER MEMBERS UPGRADING TO GROWTH LEVEL Banking Barclays Bank

* To become a member of NI Chamber join online at www.northernirelandchamber.com or phone the membership team on 02890 244113.

NI Chamber President’s Banquet 2017

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1. NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor, guest speaker Richard Hammond from Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and NI Chamber President, Ellvena Graham.

2. Chris Hazzard, Richard Hammond, Michelle O’Neill and Ellvena Graham.

3. Arlene Foster, Ellvena Graham, Richard Hammond and Ann McGregor.

4. Ryan Cornett, Norman Sinclair, Chris O’Neill and John Cubitt.

5. Sandra Scannell, Philip McBride and Valerie Gourley.

6. Colm O’Neill, Managing Director, Major Business and Public Sector, BT; NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor; guest speaker Richard Hammond from Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour and NI Chamber President, Ellvena Graham.

7. Anne Clydesdale, Paddy Trainer and Paul Murnaghan.

8. Richard Hammond and Gerry Carlile.

9. Mark Nodder, Ellvena Graham, Nick Coburn, Richard Hammond, John Healy, Stephen McCully, Francis Martin and Kevin Kingston.

10. Guest Speaker Richard Hammond interviewed by Mark Simpson.

11. Conaill McGrady, Colin Watson and Seamus McLernon.

12. Patricia Gordon, NI Director, MS Society (NI Chamber President’s Charity) with Richard Hammond.

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Danske Bank Export first company visit with MJM Group

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1. Mary McKee, Assistant Logistics Manager at MJM Group addresses attendees at Danske Bank Export First 2. Gary Annett, Chief Executive of MJM Group shares the MJM Group export success story.

3. NI Chamber Members at Danske Bank Export First company visit with MJM Group.

3.

4. George Smyth (Schlumberger) and Nial Borthistle (HMC Global).

5. Gary Annett (MJM Group), Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and Oonagh Murtagh (Danske Bank).

6. Brian Webster, Design Manager at MJM Group discusses his role at MJM Group with delegates.

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BT Makes Commitment To Create Jobs

B

T’s Managing Director of Major and Public Sector, Colm O’Neill, took to the stage at the NI Chamber President’s Banquet at the Waterfront in Belfast to highlight the significant role BT has played in building Northern Ireland’s digital economy.

Speaking at the event, Mr O’Neill said: “At a time when BT was undergoing major transformation, here in Northern Ireland we were working closely with Invest NI and we have managed to increase local employment. Today we employ over 3000 people here.

“All business leaders in Northern Ireland know that we have to fight every day to defend jobs. Adopting the principle, ‘attack is the best form of defence’, BT continues to work with Invest NI to find new opportunities to bring here and hope we will achieve more success in the coming months.”

This was a reference to BT’s new £29 million Innovation Centre in Belfast.

Invest NI has offered support of £9 million towards the R&D programme, which will be developed in partnership with Ulster University, creating 25 research posts and up to 50 BT graduate roles.

Mr O’Neill went on to say: “In times of uncertainty, jobs are the one thing

that we can focus on as a business community. We can defend the jobs we have and work with Invest NI to create new opportunities. Finally, we can identify things we can do within our own businesses to generate employment.

“That brings me to the announcement BT made today. We’re going to invest £20 million in a major expansion of the

GROW YOUR BUSINESS LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY - Events & Networking - Business Support - Export Documentation Service - Profile Enhancement - Influencing Policy

To find out how to maximise your membership, or for further information on joining NI Chamber CONTACT THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT TEAM: e: membership@northernirelandchamber.com t: 028 90 244 113 w: www.northernirelandchamber.com

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Ultrafast Broadband infrastructure here in Northern Ireland. By March 2019, 25% of Northern Ireland homes and businesses will have access to an Ultrafast Broadband network, capable of providing speeds of up to 1Gbps.

“It’s an exciting step for BT and a huge investment in the future of Northern Ireland.”

NEWS

NI Chamber President Ellvena Graham with Flynn’s Declan Kearney and Sinead Mullan and Linwood’s Sarah Shimmons and John Woods.

NI Chamber Members Take Centre Stage At UK Awards Gala

N

orthern Ireland bakery, dairy and health food business Linwoods joined building and maintenance firm Flynn amongst the winners at the British Chambers of Commerce annual Chamber Business Awards 2017 in London recently.

The two Northern Ireland firms took centre stage at The Brewery in London with Linwoods scooping the national award for Exporter of the Year and Flynn picking up the national Health & Wellbeing award.

The Chamber Business Awards, now in its 14th year, is one of the showpiece events in the business calendar, highlighting the role of business in delivering growth and prosperity for the UK and local communities.

The judges were impressed by Linwoods’ use of consumer and market research, and their understanding of the challenges of regulatory changes in the sector.

Flynn was awarded for its ‘Boost’ initiative for their employees and contractors which focuses on seven activators, including physical activity, stress and mental health.

Analysis of the initiative showed reduced absenteeism, reduced recruitment costs, improved moral, better succession

planning, better communication, reduced injuries and improved financial performance.

Both had previously been crowned regional winners last year during the Northern Ireland heat of the awards held

by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber).

Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: “The Chamber Business Awards is considered one of the UK’s most hotly contested and prestigious business awards and provides the perfect platform for local businesses to establish themselves on a local and national stage.

“We are delighted that Flynn and Linwoods have received the recognition and profile they deserve by seeing off competition from a number of firms across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales.”

Aidan Flynn, Managing Director at Flynn, said: “Flynn are delighted to have been recognised for health and wellbeing.

In the construction sector, historically employees have been reticent about seeking help and assistance with their health. We decided to change outdated behaviours through our FLYNN-Boost

36

strategy which encourages all staff to avail of health information days, health charity presentations, and individual medical assessments, all of which we have brought onto site. If a regional family business like ours can do this, it shows what could be done more widely to change attitudes and behaviours in our industry.”

Patrick Woods, Director at Linwoods, said: “As a business, exporting is at the heart of everything we do, and we’ve invested heavily in recent years to ensure that we continue to innovate and develop our product offering while pushing ourselves to expand into new markets.

“We take great pride in the quality of products we offer our customers, at home and abroad, and we’re thrilled to have been recognised with this prestigious accolade.

Gaining recognition at events such as the British Chamber Awards provides an independent seal of approval for our products and is testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team.”

The 2017 Chamber Business Awards also presented runner up honours to Ulster University for ‘Education & Business Partnership’ and the Irish FA for ‘Best Use of Social Media’.

NEWS

NI Chamber President and Members receive Queen’s Honours

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cascade of local business figures including members of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry featured in the Queen’s New Year Honours for 2018 with a top honour awarded to NI Chamber President Ellvena Graham.

Ms Graham, who is also Chair of the NI Economic Advisory Group received an OBE for services to economic development and the advancement of women in business.

NI Chamber Chief Executive Ann McGregor said: “The award is a fitting recognition of the unique voluntary contribution which Ellvena has made to economic development in Northern Ireland as chair of the Economic Advisory Group, a supporter of the Prince’s Trust and more recently as President of NI Chamber. She has also been a role model for women in business through her career success as the former head of Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland and head of business for Ireland and in her current roles as chair of the ESB Group and the Belfast Waterfront/ Ulster Hall.”

A top honour also went to Dr William

Wright (90), who co-founded Wrightbus in Ballymena with his father Robert, with a Knighthood for services to the economy and the bus industry.

The company specialises in the design and manufacture of buses and for the supply of bus bodies to customers across the world.

Wrightbus has been responsible for the manufacture of the technologically advanced Red routemaster or so-called Boris ‘buses’ which are hybrid diesel-electric doubledecker buses in London.

Wrightbus has grown to become an international leader in bus building with a turnover of around £260m and over 1,800 employees making it one of Northern Ireland’s largest manufacturers. Dr Wright is one of Northern Ireland’s most renowned businessmen and his Knighthood follows the naming by Queen’s University of its new mechanical and aerospace engineering centre ‘The William Wright Technology Centre’ in 2016. Dr Wright was awarded a CBE in 2011.

Jack Dobson, who co-founded Dungannon based red meat giant Dunbia with his brother

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Jim in 1976, also received an OBE for services to economic development.

The list of recipients of an MBE included John Hughes, the Managing Director of Ryobi Aluminium Castings (UK) which is based in Carrickfergus for services to economic development; Kenneth Nelson, the Chief Executive of economic development agency LEDCOM in Larne for services to economic development and the voluntary sector; Jayne Brady, a partner at venture capital firm Kernel Capital in Belfast, for services to economic development; Dr Jonathan Heggarty, Director of Curriculum at Belfast Metropolitan College and Thomas McBride, South West College in Cookstown for services to further education in Northern Ireland; and Stephen Prenter, a founding partner and later Managing Partner of accountancy and consultancy firm BDO Stoy Hayward, for services to the arts, business and education.

The award of a CBE went to Professor Richard Ludlow of Queen’s University for services to the understanding of modern day terrorism and political history.

FEATURE

j ƕ Ɛ ƋƊ êêê ^Ɔ ƍƋƆ ƄƑ ƈ Ɔ Ɔ Ƌ Ɗ Ɛ Ɠ ƏƗ ƾƠơƤ Ɨ ƍƋ Ƈ Ə Ə ƓƐ è Ɛ Ɔƕ ƄƆ ƈ Ɛ Ɛ ƈ Ɗ Ƅ ƑƐ Ɛ ƆƈƏ ƌ Ɛ ƈƌƍ ƏƐ Ɛ ƆƐ Ɛ ƆƈƏ ƍƆ ƍƋƆê Tanya Anderson, Head of SME Development at NI Chamber answers a few key questions ƍ ƆƗ Ƅƕ ƄƑ ƈ Ɔ Ɠ ƆƏ Ɛ Ɔƕ ƆƆƊ Ɛ ƏƆƐ ƈ Ɨ ƐƐƏ ƅƐ ƊƈƋƋƆƗ and talented workforce.

A

s a business grows, it becomes crucial for SMEs to successfully retain valuable senior management – how best can they do this?

Cost-conscious SMEs tend to pitch remuneration packages at the level their competition is offering. However, competent and effective senior management are a much sought-after resource and business owners should consider more creative ways to retain key people.

In response, a business may wish to issue shares to senior management that are central to scaling the business for growth these can be small shareholdings which will not impact upon the control of the business but sufficient to achieve employee buy-in and offer a competitive package. Typical mechanisms include: Ï &L9 d ƏƆ RƍƐƈ dƅ ƆƌƆ an employee is granted an option to acquire ordinary shares in his employer’s company upon meeting predetermined parameters. Ï 1Ə ƓƐ d ƏƆ dƅ ƆƌƆ a separate class of incentive shares entitling employees to benefit only in the growth in value of a company, i.e. participants are rewarded for the growth in value of the company above a “threshold” or “hurdle” which is specified on issue. Ï Ƒ dƅ ƆƌƆ this is a contractual agreement granting the employee the right to a cash payment at a designated time / upon a trigger event and is based upon the movement in the share price.

These schemes serve to align the interests of employees with the company’s growth plans and encourage the retention / continued participation of these key people.

How can a business ensure that it has ƅƅƆ Ɛ ƑƇƇƈƅƈƆ ƐƋƕ ƊƈƋƋƆƗ ƆƌƍƋ ƕƆƆ Ɛ ƍƏ ƒƈƗƆ ƍƋ ƐƇ Əƌ Ƈ Ə Ə ƓƐ î Companies across all sectors frequently

LEARN GROW EXCEL

report challenges with access to both low and intermediate skilled staff. Some businesses have been proactive and set up training academies in conjunction with their local further and higher education colleges* so as to recruit and train potential employees for their industries.

Candidates typically receive a wage, are matched to an employer and gain an industry recognised qualification upon completion of, typically, a 3 year course. This solution provides bespoke skills that employers need, invests in local talent and ensures that businesses remain local and contribute positively to local economies.

In terms of the senior management team, it is crucial that this senior team has a complementary range of skills to contribute to an efficient and capable business. A review of the business will identify skills that are essential to growth, these should be compared against skills currently in situ and may result in a requirement for formal training or alternatively an outsourced expertise required on a temporary / project basis e.g. a financial consultant during a capital expansion phase. Another option might be to use non-executive directors, who can bring substantial commercial knowledge and experience to the board.

6 Ɠ ƅ ƄƑ ƈ Ɔ ƌ Ɣƈƌƈ Ɔ Ɛ Ɔ ƍ ƐƆ Ɛƈ Ƌ Ƈ ƋƋ ƆƌƍƋ ƕƆƆ î Maximising employee potential should be a top priority for all companies seeking to enhance a company’s output and efficiency, particularly if a business is scaling for growth. A business should assess individual potential and ensure all employees are challenged in their role. Employees may also be rotated between positions so that everyone understands different jobs and can substitute each other if required – this also serves to deliver business resilience.

SCALING FOR GROWTH Improving scale and driving excellence for business growth IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EXCEL GROW LEARN

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A formal appraisal system with a platform for two-way feedback is effective when seeking to maximise potential – appraisals should be timely with mutually agreed goals and a relevant and challenging development plan. Appraisal goals, whilst being specific to each employee, should align with the overall business strategy thus directing employee efforts towards organisational success.

Additionally, a business should encourage input from employees and managers at all levels which will ensure the overall business strategy stays agile. ƆƏƈƆ Ƈ dƅ Ƌƈ Ƈ Ə 1Ə ƓƐ Ɠ ƏƊ ƍ is being held in 2018. The first, in March, ƓƈƋƋ Ƈ ƅƑ ƏƆƅƏƑƈƐƈ è ƗƆƒƆƋ ƍƈ Ɨ ƏƆƐ ƈ ƈ Ɛ Ɔ Əƈ Ɛ ƍƆ ƍƋƆ Ɛ ƗƏƈƒƆ ƑƅƅƆ within an SME. ø MR`j6&`M 9`&G M#ôd Õ 0n`j6&` M# 6916&` &#n j9RM RGG&1&d `& G9dj&# &GRzë

S P E C I A L

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FEATURE

My Ambition is to...

LORNA HAGAN, RELATIONSHIP MANAGER, CORPORATE BANKING, FIRST TRUST BANK.

O

riginally from Lurgan, Co Armagh, I attended St Michael’s Grammar School and was a keen student, involved in a number of social and academic clubs. While my core subjects were Business Studies and Economics, it was my role on the school’s fundraising committee that gave me my first taste of what a career in finance might be like. I was given responsibility for planning and financial control which in turn gave me a healthy appreciation for the organisational skills I rely on today!

Like most teenagers my age, I had a parttime job. I worked on the packaging line at Moy Park and also helped the kitchen team at Craigavon Hospital by serving meals to patients. I don’t think students these days get as much opportunity to have a parttime or weekend job, but I see it as having a significant and positive impact on my work ethic. It taught me how to work with and learn from others, while also showing me the value of money and income at a young age.

Given the subjects I was studying, a career in finance seemed like an obvious and natural choice. Yet when it came to choosing a university course I was still undecided – perhaps because I hadn’t undertaken any finance-specific work placements to know enough about banking or accountancy. I had a fantastic teacher at school however who recognised my potential for a career in professional services and helped me identify the most suitable courses. I chose to study for a degree in Business and Finance at Queen’s

University, Belfast which would leave me with wiggle room to specialise in a specific area at a later date. I credit my teachers for acting as mentors at this early stage and helping me realise my ambitions.

Their guidance also helped me understand the value of mentorship as a tool for growth and progression all the more in my professional life.

Looking back on my time at university, a particular highlight was when my classmates and I won a Young Enterprise competition. We were tasked with designing and launching a product to market and I took particular enjoyment from the fact our intricate business and finance plan was applauded by the judges.

It was from this moment I thought a career in banking might suit my interests.

Upon graduation, I opted to take a year out with the view that I would return to complete a Masters in Finance and Economics once I had gained some work experience. With the help of a recruitment company, I soon gained a position with First Trust Bank in its Head Office Processing Centre. This was my first taste of working in an office environment and to my delight it was an environment in which I thrived. I was learning so much about how businesses work, access to finance, stakeholder engagement, financial planning and customer service, that when my contract ended I decided to apply for a full time position in the bank’s Corporate Team.

It was September 2007 when I took up a graduate role in the First Trust Bank Corporate Banking team. This was at a

40

time when the local economy and many businesses were suffering and banks had to work hard to rebuild and establish trust with customers. Learning about finance, business planning and support during a credit crunch was a challenging experience, but an invaluable one. The skills and knowledge gained during these formative years with First Trust have stood me in good stead in my current position as a Relationship Manager.

While you may not think it, every day is different in a bank – I’m not sat behind a computer crunching numbers all day! In the morning I could be on a site visit with a client who is building an anaerobic digester and in the afternoon I could be delivering on a completion for a client who plans to open a new hotel. While both these businesses might have similar ambitions and motivations, they each require a different support network. The most rewarding aspect of job is in my very job title – I care about building and managing professional and successful relationships with my clients. It is also very rewarding to help people realise their business ambitions and working in a diverse and large corporate team, you can see how your support is helping the local business community and ultimately the regional and local economy to grow. It’s my ambition to continue to deepen my knowledge of our business community and the relationships I build to help my customers, and the local economy, thrive.

Bank of Ireland UK - Championing Business Growth

By Gavin Kennedy, Director of Business Banking NI, Bank of Ireland UK.

At the end of November we had a fantastic Bank of Ireland UK Enterprise Week with our “Growing your business” roadshows in Newry, Cookstown, Belfast and Derry with over 500 local businesses. The mornings looked at the key components of what makes high growth businesses so successful and attendees really engaged with the fact our speakers drew on their own wealth of experience sharing practical and relatable insights.

The interactive mornings saw attendees not only listen but participate in discussions and Q&A sessions on innovation, exporting, digital strategies and a winning mind-set for business. Alan Bridle, UK Economist and Market Analyst, Bank of Ireland UK set the scene positioning the challenges but more importantly the opportunities local businesses have to fulfil their potential.

Steve Orr, Co-Founder and Director of Connect @Catalyst Inc. talked about the importance of businesses using customer/ user centric design in understanding their customers’ needs for the development and improvement of products, services and ways to reach customers.

Paul Creighton, Founder and Managing Director of AES Global based in Cookstown, sells automated gate and entry systems to 20 countries across Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He shared his story of how he started and continues to grow through exporting including how to overcome businesses fear of the unknown and encouraging businesses to start now by embarking on the journey with one new market at a time and to go from there.

Steven Cassin, Managing Director of Engage a business responsible for developing digital strategies and creating stand out digital experiences that add value, focused on the need to embed digital transformation beyond the technology and into the culture of a business to ensure collaboration and continual optimisation.

Closing with a call to action Bryan Dunlop of Auxano Learning, whose company helps businesses to increase their performance through building confidence and resilience in leaders and teams, focused on self- belief, tenacity, passion, commitment, adaptability and confidence, amongst other key attributes of a winning mind-set.

The positive feedback said a lot but more important was seeing the number of businesses with the ambition to grow approaching us to support them to connect with the right people to develop their digital and/or export journey.

Finally, Happy New Year and thank you to all of our customers, industry and business partners for their support throughout 2017.

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FEATURE

Word From Brussels Ambition Looks at Recent Developments in Brussels as the UK prepares to Leave the EU.

Time is of the Essence The European Commission has approved guidelines covering Brussels’ position on the UK’s Brexit transition, which have been drawn up by the EU’s Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier.

These would see the UK observe the bloc’s rules and regulations following the Brexit date in March 2019 while having no influence over them.

Mr Barnier has repeated the Commission’s stance that this must include accepting the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and allowing the free movement of people.

Mr Barnier said: “Time is going to be of the essence”, if both sides were to agree on the transition and the shape of the future relationship between Britain and the EU before Brexit takes full effect. Prime Minister Theresa May has said the “implementation period” should last for around two years, potentially taking it up to the spring of 2021.

However, the EU has agreed the best date for it to end is on 31 December 2020, which is when the EU’s multi-year budget ends.

European Commission recommends sufficient progress to the European Council The European Commission has recommended to the European Council to conclude that sufficient progress has been made in the first phase of the Article 50 negotiations with the United Kingdom. It is now for the European Council to decide if sufficient progress has been made, allowing the negotiations to proceed to their second phase. The Commission’s

assessment is based on a Joint Report agreed by the negotiators of the Commission and the United Kingdom Government, which was endorsed by Prime Minister Theresa May during a meeting with President Jean-Claude Juncker. The Commission is satisfied that sufficient progress has been achieved in each of the three priority areas of citizens’ rights, the dialogue on Ireland / Northern Ireland, and the financial settlement, as set out in the European Council Guidelines of 29 April 2017.

The Commission’s negotiator has ensured that the life choices made by EU citizens living in the United Kingdom will be protected.

The rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom and United Kingdom citizens in the EU27 will remain the same after the United Kingdom has left the EU. The Commission has also made sure that any administrative procedures will be cheap and simple for EU citizens in the United Kingdom. As regards the financial settlement, the United Kingdom has agreed that commitments taken by the EU28 will be honoured by the EU28, including the United Kingdom. With regard to the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, the United Kingdom acknowledges the unique situation on the island of Ireland and has made significant commitments to avoid a hard border.

Jean-Claude Juncker, the President of the European Commission, said: “This is a difficult negotiation but we have now made a first breakthrough. I am satisfied with the fair deal

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we have reached with the United Kingdom.

If the 27 Member States agree with our assessment, the European Commission and our Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier stand ready to begin work on the second phase of the negotiations immediately. I will continue to keep the European Parliament very closely involved throughout the process, as the European Parliament will have to ratify the final Withdrawal Agreement.”

So what happens next?

If the European Council considers that sufficient progress has been made, the negotiators of the European Commission and of the United Kingdom Government will begin drafting a Withdrawal Agreement based on Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union on the basis of the Joint Report and the outcome of the negotiations on other withdrawal issues.

In line with the Guidelines of 29 April 2017, and once the Member States agree with the Commission’s assessment, the Commission stands ready to begin work immediately on any possible transitional arrangements and to start exploratory discussions on the future relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom. Negotiations should be completed by autumn 2018 to allow good time for the Withdrawal Agreement to be concluded by the Council after obtaining consent of the European Parliament, and to be approved by the United Kingdom in accordance with its own procedures before 29 March 2019.

AMBITION SPECIAL SECTION

Talent Acquisition - A New Position

With one in four employees preparing to change jobs in the New Year, recruitment companies are busy dealing with a surge in applications for a multitude of posts while headhunters are discretely on the lookout for top executives to fill high-powered roles. We talk to a number of leading recruitment and executive search firms and hear about the impact of social media, the outlook for the industry, sourcing top talent and the importance of a personal approach.

Contents 44

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The Social Media Recruitment Revolution Grafton Recruitment

Positive Outlook for Recruitment Hays Northern Ireland

Finding the Best of the Best 4c Executive

A Personal Approach Forde May

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

The Social Media Recruitment Revolution More and more applicants are looking for jobs through social media channels. Adrienne McGill talks to Grafton Recruitment Managing Director (Northern Ireland and Ireland), Pete Feldman, about the benefits.

Traditional recruiting methods have served well in the past to deliver the resources companies need to achieve their business goals. However, and in a candidate-driven market, social media is increasingly becoming the space where

professional life happens. It is heavily used by companies and recruitment professionals to promote their brands and find talent and by job seekers to find new roles, using social media portals such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

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A recent survey by Ventanta found that 93% of organisations are actively using social media to recruit new employees.

Companies and professional recruiters need to be where candidates are in order to engage them in the recruitment process.

Initial contact with candidates through social media can be fast, efficient, targeted and cost effective. Using this method alone, however, may take the personal touch out of relationship building and candidate identification. Social media therefore is likely to compliment traditional recruitment methods in the near future, rather than replace them.

“The use of social media in recruitment has been around for 10 years and is constantly evolving,” says Pete Feldman, Grafton Recruitment Managing Director (Northern Ireland and Ireland).

“It has complimented the use of e-Recruitment (job boards, applicant tracking systems) perfectly and allows recruitment companies to tap into a global pool of passive candidates as well as active job seekers.

“Social media allows companies and recruiters to engage with candidates more quickly and more effectively. Rather than posting an advertisement and waiting for a response, social media allows instantaneous engagement.

“LinkedIn has now become the primary social media recruiting platform and has evolved from a professional social network to the largest candidate database in the world to a fully blown recruitment project tool. Companies and recruiters should be aware however that as advantageous as social media is for recruitment, there are disadvantages i.e. traffic overload, data protection, limited characters, limited online attention spans and ensuring appropriate resource to protect your corporate image.”

Recruitment professionals believe that integrating social networking sites into the recruitment process is key not only to reaching potential candidates, but to building relationships that will enhance the candidate experience and provide a window into a company’s culture.

This means that not only does the company benefit through attracting candidates, but jobseekers can get a true insight into a company’s culture and values, and deselect themselves from the process if they think they are unsuitable.

Candidates should always be careful of how they use their personal social media accounts as an increasing number of employers use social media to screen a candidate, and some undesirable attributes could be revealed.

Although the reason for many of these ‘screenings’ could be innocent curiosity, it is also possible that candidates could be rejected due to inappropriate content

It also revealed that 57% of employers are less likely to interview a candidate they cannot find online and that 54% have decided to turn down an applicant based on their Internet presence.

“Good recruiters should take all of the information available to them – including the bad stuff and make an objective, holistic decision based on the facts,” says Pete.

“Posting something foolish when you were younger may come back to bite you…and we have seen this played out in the press recently with politicians and celebrities…but good recruiters and employers need to get past this and use this data to inform the overall recruitment decision, not be the decision itself.”

There is an argument which says that social media depersonalises both the job seekers experience and also the company which is recruiting for a certain position.

However, Pete Feldman says the opposite is true.

“Recruiters can research job applicants by looking at their social media profiles, learn lots about them and have quick, informal conversations about job and career opportunities.

“Artificial Intelligence is also starting to

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bring some fascinating developments to the world of recruitment, There are now algorithms which look at someone’s social media profile in terms of what they have posted, the language they use, their likes, their dislikes etc. – and this can be then used to establish what sort of personality the person has and whether they are suitable for a post in a company.

“The development of smartphones and other mobile technologies has also helped make social media a part of everyday life for many people and added to its potential as a means to identify and secure employment.

Jobseekers and recruiters can use the apps and push alerts, which will dramatically reduce the time to hire for companies and increase the service delivery that recruiters can offer.”

Recruitment companies also have to reach a new generation with more and more young people turning their back on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and embracing newer platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.

“The world of recruitment has certainly changed for the better,” says Pete.

“Social media has totally revolutionised the industry.”

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

such as photographs and comments about current or previous employments.

The decision as to what to post requires a shift in thinking which points to the fact that people should not be living their life through social media – they need to fully consider everything they post and, if they are truly concerned about what to put online, they should make their profiles private (or not post in the first place!).

However it could soon be against the law for employers to use social media data during the recruitment process.

A EU working party has said that any data sourced from an Internet search of candidates must be necessary and relevant to the performance of the job.

There must also be ‘legal ground’ before looking up social media profiles.

Though not legally binding, the guidelines put forward may influence changes planned for European data protection legislation.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws are set to come into effect from May 2018.

A study last year by CareerBuilder showed that 70% of employers use social media to screen job applicants.

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

Positive Outlook for Recruitment Employers are faced with one of the most competitive recruitment climates in recent years. John Moore, Managing Director of Hays Northern Ireland, tells Adrienne McGill about the findings of the global recruitment firms’ latest survey on salary and recruiting and in particular the prospects for the accountancy and finance sector.

Employers across the UK today are faced with considerable recruitment challenges with 94% experiencing skills shortages.

This is against a background of continued economic and political uncertainty which nowhere else is better evidenced than in Northern Ireland.

According to the latest survey by worldwide recruiting experts Hays on UK Salary & Recruiting Trends 2018, employers and employees indicate that activity levels are on a par with last year and companies are

charging ahead with recruitment plans.

However, these plans are being curtailed by skills shortages which are impacting on more than just hiring but on productivity, employee morale and growth plans.

The survey reveals that firms in Northern Ireland are feeling optimistic going into 2018 with a majority planning to recruit over the next 12 months.

Despite current uncertainties, nearly 7 in 10 businesses surveyed (69%) expect business activity to increase over the coming year – which is significantly higher than the UK

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average (59%) and up to 76% of employers are planning to recruit over the next 12 months, which again is ahead of the UK average (71%).

The Hays UK Salary & Recruiting Trends 2018 guide reflects the views of 17,500 employers and employees across the UK, including 672 respondents from Northern Ireland.

The survey found that skills shortages remain an issue for the majority of employers with two-thirds (66%) reporting a shortage of suitable applicants will be their biggest recruitment challenge this year. This impact is compounded by a lack of candidate movement – on average only 42% of employees expect to move jobs over the coming 12 months against a UK average of 55%.

Northern Ireland saw an average salary increase of 2.8% with digital technology roles receiving the highest rise at 4.5%. This was followed by engineering and manufacturing professionals who enjoyed an average increase of 3.9%. IT professionals saw an average increase of 3.2%, with construction and property professionals seeing an increase of 2.7%.

Overall, employees in Northern Ireland (58%) feel more positive about their worklife balance than their UK counterparts (56%).

John Moore, Managing Director of Hays Northern Ireland, says employers are upbeat about hiring.

“Despite the economic and political uncertainty, employers are broadly optimistic about the opportunities that lie ahead and are forging ahead with recruitment plans.

“Many professionals in Northern Ireland are proving to be pragmatic when weighing up new opportunities. Whilst salary remains the single biggest factor in deliberating over whether to remain within a firm or to move jobs, it’s heartening that the other elements – environment, progression, training, benefits – outweigh salary alone for the majority of employees.

“For this reason, companies should focus on developing their employer brand and build a compelling narrative around the culture and values of their organisation in order to get ahead of the competition.”

Mr Moore, who oversees Hays’ offices in Belfast, Derry and Portadown says accountancy and finance is a particularly strong sector in Northern Ireland.

“Recruitment in this area is up 30% year on year. A lot of people who are joining the big accountancy firms – PwC, EY, Deloitte and KPMG – are degree qualified accountants who want to study for their professional exams through one of the big four.

“There has been remarkable expansion and job creation in Northern Ireland by these firms in recent years. These global

decisions guided by financial insight. This means that accountants must not just possess technical and ethical excellence but also a wide range of professional skills which reflect the 21st century workplace.

The skills that employers have said are most in demand in the accountancy sector are ‘communication, commercial acumen, analysis and evaluation. Leadership also requires vision, emotional intelligence, creativity and experience.’

John Moore says as changes in technology, business focus and business structure take shape, companies are moving forward and so are staff.

“An employee working in accountancy and finance may say ‘I have completed three financial cycles with this firm and I don’t want to complete another one. Staying here offers no additional benefit to me other than security. In terms of my job – I know it, I get it and I have mastered it. I want to move to a new company to experience what their financial cycle looks like.

‘However, what we are increasingly seeing in accountancy and finance is that companies are having to broaden their requirements and accept someone who does not have the professional qualifications but has the experience. Qualified accountants are very much in demand.

“We work in partnership with all of the major finance institutes – the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants, the

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Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, the Association of Chartered Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Taxation, and the Institute of Accounting Technicians – we work across the full range of accountancy services.”

Hays’ survey also notes that employees are largely dissatisfied with their opportunities for career progression.

“There is a longer term trend of people moving jobs more frequently. In the past it was not unusual for people to stay 5-10 years with an employer but now we regularly see people who have been with a company for 2-3 years and who are happy to make the next move,” says John.

“Around 85% of people who are currently employed are passive job seekers – they don’t need a new job but they have to have a reason to be attracted to a new job. People have become very selective so recruiters have to be armed with a lot of information in order to answer their questions about a job.”

Looking ahead, as the pace of hiring continues to increase so too do prospects for candidates looking for a new job.

“We believe there are going to be continued candidate shortages though we don’t anticipate that job levels are going to drop – in fact we anticipate that they will continue to increase at double digit levels in Northern Ireland across 2018,” says John Moore.

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

firms are attracted to Northern Ireland because there is a highly skilled professional workforce, the cost of doing business is relatively low, office costs are moderate and property prices are lower.

“However, Northern Ireland is made up of SMEs and many of these companies are prepared to flex on salaries if they can attract someone who is either going to bring more value to the firm or will put in processes and systems that will help manage the cost base.

“An owner-managed firm may have to offer a new member of staff a higher salary if the employee is going to make a significant saving in the costs of running the business, and in improving efficiencies. This is a challenge for the larger corporate firms where salary ranges have to be in place because of the scale of their operations.”

Hays’ report says that ‘professional accountants are increasingly in demand in the UK as businesses seek their strategy insight and guidance. The profession is worth £52 billion to the UK GDP and employs nearly 600,000 people nationally. The UK accounting sector is also becoming more lucrative globally: contributing £1.8 billion to UK exports, a 59% increase in 5 years.’

The report also says that ‘as businesses confront the disruption of new technologies and regulatory upheaval, they are looking to professional accountants to demonstrate leadership to help make strategic business

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

Finding The Best of The Best 4c Executive is one of Northern Ireland’s leading executive search firms. Adrienne McGill talks to its founder and Chief Executive, Gary Irvine, about sourcing top talent.

The profile of a business leader is changing.

To grow, companies must surround themselves with the best talent and, consequently, there will always be a need for search firms such as 4c who can identify and attract the best individuals.

Executive search, also referred to as headhunting, is a specialised recruitment service whereby a scientific, researchdriven methodology is carried out to uncover the best candidates in the marketplace for critical roles, be that C-level, Non-Executive or Senior Management positions.

First-class talent is not easy to find when filling a vital position within a business.

Increasingly, companies are not just on the lookout for technical expertise, but also for leadership qualities to guarantee for succession planning, alongside the candidate being a cultural fit, too. On these occasions, many companies will partner

with an executive search business, such as 4c, that possesses the specific skills, qualities and training to help them find senior leaders who are able to drive growth and implement change in a world that is being transformed by technology, political instability and globalisation at a rapid pace.

Recruitment today looks very different than it did a decade ago, as the days of handing out résumés in person are all but over. The process of collecting and analysing job applications has moved in a digital direction, providing richer insights into candidates. Ten years ago, the résumé was a piece of paper. Now, this is complemented with a collection of candidate data that can be found online and through various social media platforms.

Gary Irvine is a leader in the executive search industry with more than 30 years’ experience in assessing whether a person

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will be the right fit for a company, and if he or she possesses the right competences for the job.

He is Chief Executive of Belfast-based executive recruitment firm 4c Executive, which he established four years ago after selling Diamond Recruitment Group, the largest locally-owned recruitment agency that he founded and headed for 25 years.

Last year, 4c acquired competitor executive recruitment firm MSL, whose former Managing Director, Ian Rainey, is renowned in the industry and now acts as NonExecutive Director within 4c.

“We are approached and retained by employers to find the best available talent to fill their senior-level, business-critical roles through a method known as ‘active recruitment’ or search,” says Gary.

“As headhunters, we are not database driven; instead we go and actively search

research team, who help us identify and attract the talent we need for our clients.

“Our skilled researchers are typically based in London and work covertly. They will phone an individual to make him/her aware that he/she is on their radar for a certain role and gauge whether he/she is interested and a suitable fit for the client.

The researcher will eventually share the brief that 4c has created for the client, typically contacting up to 60 individuals before providing a longlist of 10-15 candidates for 4c’s consultants to interview and assess. It matters not to us where our clients want us to search – should we find that the Northern Ireland talent pool provides insufficient talent, 4c would expand our search to RoI, GB, Europe and then rest of world, looking for those that are both willing to re-locate and expats that may be wanting to return home. Geographic boundaries do not matter to 4c, as we are not relying on a little black book, a database or who we already know.”

Gary says it can be a long process, but 4c is completely focused on finding the right calibre of executive for a client. End to end, the process typically takes 12 weeks to complete.

Gary emphasises that 4c appreciates the pressure companies are under to find

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leaders who also are a cultural fit with the organisation. Finding ‘the best of the best’ requires a strategic approach – combining a targeted search approach, the skilful use of social media platforms, deep knowledge of the economy and industry, use of skills and personality profiling tests and recognising the challenges which are unique to a particular business. In the end, this enables the client to make the right decision for the long-term.

Strategic advice from headhunting experts, who can be trusted based on their indepth industry knowledge and functional expertise – together with an ability to engage with and entice the best candidates locally and globally, is crucial to the success of any senior-level appointment, according to Gary.

4c employs 11 people and has filled more than 200 retained assignments over the last four years with many of Northern Ireland’s leading and most successful employers, servicing a diverse range of roles from boardroom appointments through to middle managerial roles in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.

“Companies are still keen to grow. My clients are talking about expanding, exploring and entering new markets, and while they continue to do that they need great people,” says Gary.

“We are there to help them find people with the skills and expertise who will help the company grow, develop and succeed.

We are seeing a clear demand for that and it is very encouraging for Northern Ireland’s future.”

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

for talent in the live market. Clients will come to 4c when they have a businesscritical role to fill that cannot be filled using the traditional recruitment methods i.e. a recruitment agency is unlikely to have the required candidate sitting on their database. The individual required is rarely actively looking for another job and unlikely to be registering with recruitment agencies, searching job boards or press ads.

“In client assignments, 4c searches for people who are typically established in their career and have risen up the ladder. They are typically inactive job seekers – people who are settled in their job, performing well, their employer likes them and they like their employer and, for that reason, they are not actively looking for alternative employment. That’s not to say they remain that way, especially after being presented with a new and exciting career opportunity.

“Whilst we use social media products to help us search for individuals, we primarily go live to the marketplace to identify a potential candidate, discovering where they work, their job title, their skillset and whether they are relevant to the role we have been assigned to fill.

“At the same time, we create a 30-page bounded assignment brief, which is given at the appropriate time to those candidates who qualify, describing in great detail the client and the opportunity to be filled.

Candidates invariably comment on how impressive this piece of marketing collateral is, and often how it will cause them to consider another opportunity.

As mentioned before, the best talent is usually not actively seeking new employment, but they are available if approached in the proper manner by a search consultant.

The result is normally a much happier candidate and client.

“We predominantly target individuals directly through our researchers but we also use technology in the form of social media, national and international job boards, newsletters, our website and our network connections to attract people who may be passively looking and a job catches their attention, especially if they are living overseas and want to return home.

“Our research is based upon really knowing our market, who does what, where the skills are and where people work. The real secret weapon in 4c however is our

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

A PERSONAL APPROACH While the use of social media by many recruitment companies to attract employers and candidates continues to increase, Gerry May and Beth McMaw of Forde May tell Adrienne McGill that nothing beats face to face interaction when it comes to executive search and selection.

Without doubt the most important task that any company has to undertake is recruitment. Finding new talent in the market is difficult and HR managers have different methods of recruitment in order to find the best possible candidates for their

organisations. The employee is an integral part of an organisation and recruiting new employees who will improve the organisation and take it forward is easier said than done.

Not so long ago, candidates applied for

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jobs via post, following an advertisement spotted in their local newspaper. Today, people’s first port of call is the internet, where the opportunities for a career change are infinite.

Last year, it was reported that approximately 300 million searches on Google per month were related to job searches, and that 89% of recruiters have hired someone via LinkedIn. With statistics like this, it’s hard to ignore the important role digital is playing in the recruitment industry.

The question is, when it comes to sourcing the right candidates, can technology beat good, old-fashioned networking, industry knowledge or referencing? Or should it be used as a contributory aid in the journey of sourcing the right candidate for clients?

For Gerry May, Managing Director of Belfast based executive recruitment firm Forde May, the personal approach is all important and key to the executive recruitment market.

He says executive search is about much more than headhunting – his company aims for long-term relationships, taking on an advisory role to help clients define their needs before finding the best way to meet them.

Forde May has access to a vast database which means the company gets instant access to top candidates who don’t typically apply online.

“The recruitment industry is a people industry so in many respects technology, whether that involves a database or the social media side, has made many recruiters take a mass approach to advertising jobs.

They want to reach as many people in as short a space of time as possible. However, that is not what we are about,” says Gerry.

“As an executive recruitment agency, the people we are trying to target means we need to have a face to face relationship with them, they are not going to respond to a social media post.

“Other types of recruitment agencies will push jobs out to perhaps 1,000 people – but we are really only targeting 5 or 6 people for a specific job who need to be contacted personally not through a social media post. Our database holds details of clients – both employers and prospective candidates – so we have access to a huge contact list when jobs come up. Using File Finder Anywhere means we can access the database wherever we are – on our phones, on our tablets, on our desktops.”

Before technology took hold, there was a lot more personal interaction. Recruiters spent hours speaking to clients and industry contacts either on the phone, in one-toone meetings, over lunch or at networking

everyone to be physically in the same place at the same time.

Gerry points to the fact that there are now so many places where you can advertise jobs across a variety of channels they risk becoming lost in the ether.

“As soon as you see a job unless you apply immediately, half an hour later you could easily lose it because you can’t remember where you saw it. There are just too many.

“If we are trying to speak to senior individuals about particular roles, they are not the kind of people who want you to bombard them with information and track them. That may work for the high volume transactional type of candidates who are searching for admin or sales jobs and who want to be bombarded with information from a recruiter whereas the executives we deal with don’t.

“We need our jobs to be very specific and bespoke to a particular executive which is why we communicate that message to them.

“Our website is very easy to follow and is mobile compatible. If a Financial Director is

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looking for a job they can click on the website and check if there are any FD jobs advertised with Forde May Consulting. They will not be bamboozled with information which will put them off coming back to our site. It is a nice, clean, easy and quick process.”

Beth says, Forde May doesn’t rely on technology to screen candidates.

“We communicate with people via phone and we give them the opportunity to demonstrate their actions, skills and experience. Technology is there to serve us not the other way around,” she says.

“The roles we deal with are high level, bespoke, low volume and you need to have a relationship with people to be able to speak to them.

“The personal approach is central to executive recruitment. That is what sets executive search apart from high street recruitment companies. Our approach is much more consultative and personable.”

TALENT ACQUISITION - A NEW POSITION

events. Besides getting down to business, they were picking up valuable industry trends and hot tips on who might fit a role along the way while building relationships.

“We use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter mainly for marketing and branding, but we also post jobs there,” says Beth McMaw, Forde May Director.

“We rely on relationships, and having a personal approach and the technology supplements that. We present jobs to people as they arise by maintaining a live database and also our own networks.

“We never use people’s personal social media platforms to screen candidates.

“We use Skype when necessary for interviews with candidates who are working abroad. However, face to face is best for senior roles but Skype is the next best thing and is better than a telephone call.”

It means candidates can take part from anywhere in the world, which significantly reduces travel costs as well as time needed for travelling. This means it can be far easier to arrange meetings held via video conferencing than those which require

FEATURE

Bottling ‘The Real Thing’ Coca-Cola HBC’s plant in Lisburn is constantly full of sparkle as it bottles the most famous soft drink in the world. Adrienne McGill talks to Matthieu Seguin, General Manager of Coca Cola Hellenic Ireland & Northern Ireland, and hears how the company puts a fizz into the local economy.

T

he Coca-Cola bottle is as unique and identifiable as the famous effervescent drink it holds.

It started off in 1920 as the ‘contour’ bottle but as times have changed over the past century, Coca-Cola has played with the shape and size of the bottle and now production is focused on more easily manufactured and recyclable versions.

Of course, the whole bottling process is an essential component of Coca-Cola’s global business with nearly 250 bottling partners worldwide.

One of these is Coca Cola HBC (Hellenic Bottling Company) in Northern Ireland.

Its £150 million state of the art plant, built on a 45 acre site at Knockmore Hill in Lisburn, was officially opened in 2008 and the awardwinning ‘Visitor Experience’ at the facility was later opened by the Queen in 2010. With a workforce of 450 in Northern Ireland alone, it is responsible for producing a staggering 2.5 million bottles of a range of drinks for CocaCola per day with its canning line filling 25 cans per second and its huge warehouse capable of holding 46 million bottles.

The company also employs approximately 300 people in the Republic of Ireland, mostly in sales.

Coke began its life in Northern Ireland when local businessman Tom Robinson wrote a letter to the brand’s London business in 1938, expressing his interest in setting up the franchise here. A year later, he was selling the iconic dark caramel toned tonic from his Rumford Street base off Belfast’s Shankill Road.

Fast forward 80 years and Coke’s connection with Northern Ireland is as strong as ever.

Matthieu Seguin, a native of Normandy in France, is General Manager of Coca Cola Hellenic Ireland & Northern Ireland, a position he has held since March 2016. He says the company is very proud of its roots here.

“Coca-Cola has had a long association with Northern Ireland dating back to 1939 when it first arrived here. This connection with the island of Ireland grew when Andrew David, a graduate of Trinity College in Dublin and one of the founders of Hellenic Bottling Company, acquired the bottling franchise for Ireland in 1979.

“In 2007, the Hellenic Group decided to concentrate all of the bottling operations across Ireland into one state of the art facility in Lisburn. We operate on an all-island basis.

The concentrate (which contains the topsecret ingredients of Coca-Cola) comes from Ballina, Co. Mayo, and is then transported to Lisburn where we combine it with water, C02, sugar and all the other elements to produce and bottle the product. We also distribute Coca-Cola and manage the relationship with

“All in all, 97 per cent of the products that we sell across the island of Ireland are produced in Lisburn.” the customers. “All in all, 97 per cent of the products that we sell across the island of Ireland are produced in Lisburn.

“We use borehole water from Lambeg which is very special – it is unique to us and it is

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essential for the production of Coca-Cola’s range of beverages.

“We take water conservation very seriously; it is extremely important that we preserve our source water for the future and for the local communities in which we operate.

“We continually strive to reduce the amount of water used to produce our beverages by making both technical and behavioural improvements within our systems.”

In simplistic terms, Coca-Cola HBC – which operates in 28 countries and boasts a workforce of more than 36,000 people – is a massive franchised bottling operation for the Coca-Cola Company.

Coca-Cola HBC sells more than 2 billion unit cases every year – that’s 50 billion servings – making it one of the world’s largest bottling companies.

Coca-Cola manufactures and sells concentrates and beverage bases to its bottling partners who manufacture, package, merchandise and distribute the final branded beverages to customers and vending partners including supermarkets, restaurants, street vendors, convenience stores, movie theatres and amusement parks, among many others, who then sell the brands to consumers.

As a bottling partner for the Coca-Cola Company, Coca-Cola HBC’s plant in Lisburn manufactures and sells 80 different drinks across 20 leading brands including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes. It also bottles Deep RiverRock, the No.1 Water brand across Northern Ireland, as well as other brands including Fruice, Appletiser, BPM, Monster and new drinks range Vegified.

“In conjunction with the Coca-Cola Company, we develop glass and plastic bottles and cans.

For instance, we worked together to develop the new bottles for our Schweppes range, which has just been re-launched with a new look and feel,” says Matthieu.

Picture by David Cordner. www.david cordner.com

“The new glass bottle has been inspired by its original pear or skittle-shape bottle and by the shape of a champagne bottle. It is important that our customers like the bottle and like the taste.”

Coca-Cola has been to the fore in the soft drinks industry in promoting a greater portfolio of beverages with reduced sugar. As part of its new long-term business strategy, ‘Our Way Forward’, the business has led the way by reducing the amount of sugar in some of its biggest drinks including Sprite, Fanta and Dr Pepper. A perfect example of these efforts is Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which has been specially reformulated to taste more like Classic Coke without the sugar or calories. This is further supported with the ‘Hero Zero’ marketing strategy that makes low and no calorie the easier choice for consumers with increased promotion and availability of the zero variants.

“We work with the Coca-Cola Company in a very tight partnership and have an on-going programme in place to reduce the sugar levels in many of our products, while ensuring that any new product fits with what the customer and consumer wants from us. At the end of the day the consumer still has choice – they will decide if they want no sugar, low sugar or full sugar,” says Matthieu.

Coca -Cola is very proud of the contribution it makes directly and indirectly to the Northern

Ireland economy and also its positive social impact by playing an active role in communities across the region.

In addition to the 450 people employed at Knockmore Hill, Coca-Cola HBC employs a further 380 indirectly across Northern Ireland in a range of roles including, warehouse, distribution, and other third party professional services, bringing its total wage outlay to £25 million.

The company also sponsors the Belfast Bikes and Belfast City Marathon as part of its commitment to community wellbeing and its Thank You Fund supports community projects that encourage youth development. Annually £300,000 is invested in communities across Northern Ireland.

When it comes to sustainability, the CocaCola Hellenic Group has proven to be a global leader in the beverage industry, an accolade which has been confirmed for the fourth year in a row by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Its environmental awareness and sustainability efforts at the Lisburn operation across commitments in water, waste and energy reduction are well ahead of target for 2020.

All of Coca-Cola HBC’s drinks bottles and packaging are 100% recyclable.

“We have done a lot of work on conserving the environment, water and energy. However, while our plastic and glass bottles and packaging are totally recyclable, there is still

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the challenge of reducing marine litter. We want to help consumers recycle more and recycle better,” says Matthieu.

“Coca-Cola HBC is committed to minimising its environmental impact, and we continue to find new ways to reduce our footprint. Since 2010, reduced our water usage by 16 per cent, reduced our carbon emissions by 52 per cent we have reduced our contribution of waste to landfill to zero, and reduced the amount of plastic wrap used around each pallet and case.”

Matthieu joined the Coca Cola business in December 2009 as Group International Customer Director. In May 2011, he was appointed Country Commercial Director for Nigeria.

Prior to that, he held various commercial roles with Procter & Gamble for almost 18 years, in different geographies across Europe, Middle East & Africa.

Since he took up his current position with Coca-Cola HBC two years ago, he has overseen an investment of £6 million into the Lisburn facility with a further investment of £10 million planned next year.

“All of that is driven towards the sustainability of the plant, achieving greater energy efficiencies and saving and championing new products and packaging,” says Matthieu.

“This planned investment for next year is a testament to the real commitment we have to Northern Ireland and to our all-Ireland business.”

NEWS

Ann McGregor (Chief Executive of NI Chamber); Brian Murphy (Managing Partner at BDO) and Maureen O’Reilly (QES Economist).

Signs of Economic Growth but Weakness Persists The Northern Ireland economy shows “pockets of resilience and success” – however, the bigger picture is one of slow growth, the latest Quarterly Economic Survey from NI Chamber and BDO reveals.

T

he Northern Ireland economy continued to show signs of growth in the last quarter of 2017 with both the manufacturing and services sectors recording positive balances in sales and jobs with a particularly strong export orders book for local manufacturers.

These are some of the findings of the latest Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) published by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with business advisors BDO. According to the report for Q4 of 2017, compiled by QES Economist, Maureen O’Reilly, Northern Ireland does however remain one of the weakest performing UK regions overall – with manufacturing investment intentions weakest across the 12 UK regions and both manufacturing and services sectors facing a precarious cash flow position.

Meanwhile, political instability remains a key concern for businesses here with frustration at the lack of a functioning executive, whilst a growing share of businesses are putting growth and investment plans on hold as a result of Brexit.

Against this background almost half (46%) of businesses expect the Northern Ireland economy to contract in 2018 with 33% forecasting it to grow. Businesses are more optimistic about their own prospects for the year ahead with 64% expecting their firm to expand.

Manufacturers export orders book remained strong in Q4 2017, with Northern Ireland having one of the strongest export orders balances across the 12 UK regions. Domestic (UK) sales and orders improved in Q4 although Northern Ireland’s regional performance is one of the weakest for these balances. Employment expectations have been falling since the start of the year. Northern Ireland is the only UK region with a negative cash flow balance meaning

a greater share of manufacturers reporting a deteriorating cash flow position in Q4 than improving. Investment intentions are also weakest across the 12 UK regions among NI manufacturers.

The service sector continued its lacklustre performance in Q4. Despite almost all key balances being positive, suggesting some growth, the domestic sales and orders balances continued the downward trend experienced since Q4 2016. NI is the only UK region with negative export balances in Q4 meaning more businesses reporting a fall in export sales and orders than those recording an increase.

Employment expectations are subdued and the sector’s cash flow position is also very weak. Pressure to raise prices among NI’s service sector is one of highest recorded across UK regions (45% vs. UK 36%).

Business confidence is significantly higher among manufacturers compared to services in Q4 2017. A balance of +56% of manufacturers compared to +31% of services expect turnover to improve over the next 12 months.

Exchange rates concerns persisted during Q4 2017. In Q4 55% of members said that exchange rates were more of a concern than 3 months ago (58% in Q2). This figure was just 19% two years ago. Northern Ireland’s manufacturing and services sectors are more concerned about exchange rate pressures compared to any other UK region.

The latest Brexit Watch suggested that there is a small core of businesses that have felt an impact from the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Around 1 in 5 have stated that turnover has fallen because of the result. Almost half of businesses are experiencing an increase in costs particularly rising raw material costs for manufacturers. It has been a more mixed response for exporters with 7% seeing a boost to export while for 11% exports have fallen.

Almost 1 in 3 (31%) have scaled back/put on

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hold growth and local investment plans because of Brexit while 11% have expanded growth plans.

Around 1 in 5 (17%) have expanded investment plans outside Northern Ireland in light of the vote, although 15% have scaled back/put on hold plans to expand the region.

Two-thirds of members expect their own business/organisation to grow during 2018 but only 1 in 3 expect the wider Northern Ireland economy to grow over the year.

Some 33% expect the economy to grow (29% marginally) in 2018 while 46% expect if to contract (10% strongly). They are more positive about prospects for their own business/organisation with 64% expecting to grow during 2018 (12% strongly) while 20% expect their business to contract.

Brexit is the most pressing concern for members in 2018 leading to uncertainty which is impacting on buyer confidence and investment plans. Linked to this, foreign exchange rates are impacting on costs and ultimately putting pressure on prices. Political instability is also a key concern with businesses expressing frustration at the lack of a functioning Executive.

Workforce skills/availability will also cause difficulty for some members in 2018. General cost pressures on business were raised as an issue, particularly staff costs including pension and pay increases.

Commenting on the survey results, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber, said: “Despite pockets of resilience and success, and strong results for some firms, the bigger picture is one of slow economic growth amid uncertain trading conditions. Continued uncertainty over Brexit and the burden of upfront cost pressures facing businesses is likely to stifle business investment and put pressure on prices in an already challenging inflationary environment.

“The continued weakness in the UK’s

productivity, and especially Northern Ireland’s, remains a key concern and reflects the lack of progress in dealing with some of the deeprooted structural problems in the economy – from skills gaps to creaking physical infrastructure. However, without an Executive in place at Stormont it is difficult to address

these challenges, and the survey reveals the continued frustration of our members at the lack of a functioning Executive. We cannot face 2018 without a government where Northern Ireland Ministers take decisions on Northern Ireland matters.”

Quarterly Economic Survey

northernirelandchamber.com

ANALYSIS

Q4 2017 Survey Findings

BY BRIAN MURPHY, MANAGING PARTNER, BDO NORTHERN IRELAND Continued growth in the NI economy.

Almost all key balances positive.

NI’s regional position remains weak generally.

Manufacturing still showing signs of growth in sales, exports and jobs.

Exchange rate pressures persist. 55% of members state that exchange rates are more of a concern to business than 3 months ago.

Manufacturing exports remain strong and NI has one of the strongest export orders balances across the UK regions.

A more challenging quarter for services with many key balances down.

The share of members citing interest rates as a concern increased to 22% in Q4 (12% in Q3).

Pressure to raise prices in NI one of highest across the UK regions.

A significant proportion trying to recruit in manufacturing and services are finding it difficult to attract the right staff.

Cashflow position of both sectors weak but particularly with manufacturing.

Investment intentions among local manufacturers are down in Q4.

Brexit Watch

Northern Ireland had one of the most negative reactions across the UK to the outcome of the EU referendum vote.

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by Brexit to date (53% no impact). However, 1 in 5 state turnover is down because of the vote’s outcome.

The Year Ahead

Members are less optimistic about the prospects for the NI economy in 2018.

Brexit and the lack of local political leadership are top concerns for members.

Almost 250 members responded to the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industry Quarterly Economic Survey, in partnership with BDO, during the 4th quarter of 2017. Together they account for just over 18,000 jobs.

ƈƈƈƈ

5V[L! ;OL ºIHSHUJL» YLMLYZ [V [OL KPќLYLUJL IL[^LLU [OL VM ÄYTZ YLWVY[PUN HU PUJYLHZL PU H RL` PUKPJH[VY TPU\Z the % reporting a decrease.

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T

he continued growth of the manufacturing and services sector in Northern Ireland is reassuring and should give comfort to those who remain apprehensive about the future. That nearly two-thirds (64%) of local businesses expect their firms to expand over the coming year is both welcome and encouraging.

That is not to ignore the concerns that some may have. Without doubt, the challenges we in Northern Ireland face in respect of the uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the continued absence of a functioning Executive are many. However, this survey provides demonstrable proof that our local entrepreneurs are creative and resilient and are simply getting on with business.

It is to be hoped that business confidence will increase further in the coming weeks and months as we have further clarity regarding the terms of the UK’s departure from the EU. This should also outline the rights and status of EU citizens to continue to work and live in Northern Ireland post Brexit. This may well help alleviate the problems some respondents, primarily in the manufacturing and services sectors, are finding in the recruitment of appropriate staff.

It is also evident that business wants and needs to see Ministers in place, taking local decisions here in Northern Ireland. Despite the uncertainty we face, the business community in Northern Ireland has shown its own leadership and businesses now need to see reciprocity from both our local elected representatives and the UK Government.

COLUMNIST

Brendan Monaghan, CEO, Neueda

Looking up, out and ahead of 2018

With IT constantly developing, there’s no time to stand still.

A

new year brings with it fresh impetus; an opportunity to take stock and renew our focus on the future. That said, successful leaders have the future in mind at all times – thinking above and beyond the ‘now’ to see what’s coming down the track.

In the IT sector, change is not just around the corner, it’s everywhere - all the time. The speed at which technology develops is increasing constantly and, like organisations across all sectors, companies like Neueda must ‘read the road’, assess the trends, challenges and opportunities that we need to stay ahead of, in order to remain competitive.

The pervasive nature of technology means there are few sectors that are not impacted by emerging global trends in IT. One such mega trend we all need to be mindful of is the growth of robotics.

With customer service chat bots and machinebased professional services becoming more prevalent, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming better and disrupting how many traditional businesses operate. Undoubtedly many of you reading this will have either made changes to reflect these developments or are in the process of reviewing how your systems could be transformed. From an IT perspective, these changes are having a huge impact on the solutions we offer our clients.

The ongoing movement towards globalisation is also an effect we continue to witness.

Many operations, IT services included, can be delivered from anywhere around the globe with the proper talent and structure in place.

For instance, we have team members in the US servicing clients alongside our people in Belfast. The world is simply a smaller place

these days; we need to think globally and set aside any limited thinking about our capabilities.

An organisation is, of course, only as successful as its people, and organisations need to be mindful of Millennials and the even younger bracket, the digitally-minded ‘iGeneration,’ whose needs and motivations are so different to those of the generations that went before them.

By 2025, 72% of the workforce will be made up of Millennials or ‘Generation Y,’ people born between 1980 and the mid-1990s. Research shows that salary is not the driving factor for this audience – indeed a positive workplace culture and sense of appreciation take a higher priority when it comes to career choices.

Flexibility and balance are also important with remote working becoming a more efficient and effective option for employers and employees alike.

The challenge for all organisations, not just the IT sector, is to tap into that younger audience and create appealing, dynamic career opportunities and workplaces that will take us into a future that their generation will have to lead.

For Neueda, 2018 is set to be a big year.

We have ambitious growth plans and a major recruitment drive underway. But to make it a successful year, we need to remain disruptive in our thinking and adapt quickly to emerging trends and market developments, whilst nurturing new talent and continuing to build a culture of trust, respect and opportunity.

Like most Northern Ireland business owners, I believe a major priority in 2018, and indeed

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the foreseeable future, must be a return to sustained political stability.

Brexit will undoubtedly present a number of political and economic challenges, but our politicians can and must work together to put in place an Assembly focused on the good of Northern Ireland; one which can positively influence how Brexit will impact upon our economic prosperity.

Northern Ireland has become a fintech hub thanks to its rich talent pool, low overheads and valuable geographic location as an access route to Europe. Almost 20% of Neueda’s workforce come from outside Northern Ireland, with a large portion of these people relocating here from countries such as Spain, Italy and Germany. With a stable Executive in place, we can grasp the opportunity to further cement Belfast’s position as a city of choice for EU-wide talent.

These uncertainties aside, we remain determined and believe we are resilient enough as an organisation to navigate challenges and deliver on our objectives.

The public and private sectors in Northern Ireland share a tremendous sense of goodwill and an ambitious vision of how Northern Ireland’s economy should look not by the end of 2018, but in 2020 and beyond. By keeping looking upward and outward, we can make that vision a reality.

I wish all of you a very prosperous and successful year ahead.

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FEATURE

The Secret of Co-Operative Success AS A CO-OPERATIVE OWNED BY FARMERS, FANE VALLEY HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IN EUROPE AS ADRIENNE MCGILL HEARS FROM ITS GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE TREVOR LOCKHART.

Behind some of our best known brands are millions of farmers around the world who have formed co-operatives to get a foot in the supply chain, sustain their business and keep the brands alive.

For instance – one of Europe’s best known brands of butter, Lurpak, is produced and owned by 8,000 dairy farmers in Denmark, Sweden and Germany; nearly all of France’s champagne is produced by co-operatives of small vineyards; and around 90% of Parmesan cheese is made by a co-operative of small farmers and producers in northern Italy.

Farming co-operatives are therefore invaluable to a country’s economy.

Northern Ireland’s Fane Valley is one of the best known and most successful agri-food cooperatives in Europe. It was formed in 1903 by a group of farmers wishing to collectively market their butter and over 100 years later still remains 100% farmer-owned by 1200 shareholders and serves approximately 20,000 farmers.

Fane Valley has grown to become one of Ireland’s most progressive agri-food businesses, with interests in red meats, porridge oats and breakfast cereal, feed compounding, agricultural supplies and renewable energy, operating across Europe.

Its new headquarters located in Glenavy Road Business Park, Moira, opened last year on a dedicated four-acre site providing 65,000 sq. ft. of modern office facilities and warehousing.

Relocating the business also marked a fresh chapter for the co-op which had been headquartered on the Alexander Road in Armagh for near 70 years.

The new premises — which include 50,000 sq. ft. of warehousing and 15,000 sq. ft. of office space — represent an investment of £2.75 million. They are specially equipped to streamline Fane Valley’s business, supporting the efficient production and dispatch of its range of livestock identification products and servicing its growing on-line trading platform.

Approximately 50 staff are based at the site.

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Trevor Lockhart, Group Chief Executive of Fane Valley Co-operative, says having a central location in Moira has been a huge step forward for the business.

“It has allowed us to bring together staff who were separated across four or five different locations. It has brought lots of synergies in terms of how people work together, it has shortened a lot of the communication channels and overall it has allowed us to drive more commercial benefits.

“Our new facility is well equipped to serve today’s needs and also has lots of scope to serve our growing future aspirations.”

There are 11 companies in the Fane Valley Group one of which is Fane Valley Stores, the largest retail distributor of animal health and farm supplies in Northern Ireland, with sixteen retail stores across Northern Ireland.

“Approximately one-third of Fane Valley’s activities are based on the supply of goods and services into farms and that is primarily across animal feed and agricultural retail,” explains Trevor.

“We supply farmers everything from a shovel to wellingtons and from washing powder to sheep clippers. The number of stores we have in our network has expanded from four locations in 2007 to 16 today and we have plans to grow that over the next two years.

“By centralising the purchasing and the distribution of the goods we sell from our warehouses at our new facility in Moira, we can distribute goods twice weekly to stores within the Fane Valley Stores network.

“It has allowed us to achieve economies of scale and we are additionally able to buy out of season. Commercially this is important to underpinning our competitiveness in this sector.”

While agricultural co-operatives are important to local economies and add value to the farming sector – many people are unaware of just how far-reaching their social and economic impact can be.

“Our new facility is well equipped to serve today’s needs and also has lots of scope to serve our growing future aspirations.”

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“I don’t think the co-operative structure is understood despite it being long established on the island of Ireland dating back to the late 1800s when there was a co-operative in almost every parish,” says Trevor.

“There is a perception because of the nature of the ownership structure that decision making is too slow, they are not focused enough and they don’t put business principles first.

“Fane Valley is proof that it can be done successfully. I think the co-op model is one that can serve agriculture very well and we are beginning to see it grow and develop.

“The profits that are earned in Fane Valley first and foremost are reinvested to ensure that our strategic plans can be fulfilled and from the surplus that we retain beyond that, we make decisions about how much we distribute to members.

“The principle is that the amount that we distribute back to farmers is linked to the level of trade they do with the co-op.

“Typically we will pay a percentage of the value of the goods a farmer buys from us in a dividend – if you trade more with us you get a greater reward – that loyalty is rewarded.”

In the year to September 2017, Fane Valley achieved record sales and profits on a turnover of £525 million. It is structured into a number of divisions and includes Agribusiness which takes in Fane Valley Feeds and Fane Valley stores; the Food division which comprises Hilton Meat Products, Duncrue Food Processors and Whites Oats; and the Red Meat division which covers Linden Foods, Kettyle Irish Foods, Slaney Foods, Irish Country Meats and A. Lonhienne in Belgium.

One issue that is certain to cause challenges for the co-operative is Brexit and in particular its impact on the business’s future strategy for sales of beef from the Republic of Ireland (RoI) to the UK. “In the case of our RoI businesses, 90 per cent of our lamb sales are into the European Union so the impact is manageable but our beef business in the RoI delivers 60 per cent of sales into the UK,” says Trevor.

“Fane Valley is just one example of a number of companies with an all-Ireland model where we have product which goes through its primary stage of processing in one jurisdiction and we add value in another jurisdiction. Quite often we sell the finished product back to one or other of those jurisdictions. It is very interconnected and I think the extent to which that has developed based on the all-island economy over the last 25 years is not fully appreciated by those people who are now charged with taking decisions as to the future direction these trading relationships will take.”

Trevor emphasises that at the end of the day agriculture is a cyclical business whose success is judged over a 3-5 year period.

“Although profitability in agriculture will vary over time, the prospects for the industry are positive providing the industry continues to adapt and evolve to the changing market environment.”

COLUMNIST

Maureen O’Reilly, NI Chamber Economist.

Hard choices to balance the books The Department of Finance has published a briefing paper mapping out the tough choices facing Stormont departments over the coming two years.

I

t is not easy trying to balance the books and if there is more money going out than coming in something has to give.

This means spending less, trying to raise more income or a combination of both.

This is precisely the dilemma faced by the NI Executive and why the Department of Finance has taken the rather bold step (in the absence of a functioning Executive) of publishing a briefing paper on the broad choices available to balance the Budget in Northern Ireland over the next few years.

The Executive receives around £11bn from the UK Government each year to provide public services in Northern Ireland. While in cash terms this money has stayed largely the same, inflationary pressures mean that in real terms its value is being eroded and its spending power is reduced. Put simply, some hard choices will need to be made between competing priorities.

‘Briefing on Northern Ireland Budgetary Outlook, 2018-20’ sets out the broad strategic issues that need to be considered to inform any decisions on a Budget going forward and begins to tease out what those hard choices could be. The 3 potential choices are: Ï ƑƐƐƈ Ɛ Ɔ ƌ Ƒ Ɛ Ƈ ƌ Ɔƕ ƋƋ ƅ ƐƆƗ Ɛ Departments allocations and leaving it up to

them as to how they manage the consequences (Health and Education budgets are protected); Ï `ƆƗƑƅƈ Ə Ɛ ƍƍƈ Ƒƍƍ ƏƐ Ƈ Ə ƌƆ existing services and policies; and/or Ï Ɗƈ ƅƈƐƈƖƆ Ɛ ƍ ƕ ƌ ƏƆ Ƈ Ə Ɛ Ɔ ƆƏƒƈƅƆ they receive.

It goes on to focus on three scenarios which support a combination of these choices. They include: Departmental cuts are something that the Departments have been getting used to. The M ƏƐ ƆƏ 9ƏƆƋ Ɨ ƈƒƈƋ dƆƏƒƈƅƆ ƈ Ɠ ơƤü ƌ ƋƋƆƏ Ɛ ƈƐ Ɠ ƈ ƍƏƈƋ ƾƠơƿê 6 ƓƆƒƆƏè Ɛ Ɔ ƅ ƋƆ Ƈ potential reductions and the implications for each Department are significant. For example, for the Department for the Economy this could mean the cessation of skills programmes and post-graduate studentships along with reductions in support to InvestNI and Tourism M9ê 0 Ə Ɛ Ɔ #Ɔƍ ƏƐƌƆ Ɛ Ƈ Ə ƌƌƑ ƈƐƈƆ ƈƐ could mean reduced regeneration in towns and city centres making it harder to attract longerterm investment.

The document is particularly interesting in terms of the options put forward to generate additional income and/or review existing ƍ ƋƈƅƈƆ ê ` ƐƆ ƏƆ Ɔ Ƈ Ɛ Ɔ ƍƐƈ ê Northern Ireland residents currently pay less in rates/council tax than their counterparts in

60

& Ƌ Ɨè dƅ ƐƋ Ɨ Ɨ z ƋƆ æ Ɨ ƈ ƗƗƈƐƈ don’t pay domestic water and sewerage charges). One option put forward to generate additional income is to increase the regional rate at which households are charged above the rate of inflation (any rise in recent years has been inflationary only).

For example, ƆƔƐƏ ǀü Ƅ ƒƆ ƈ ƇƋ Ɛƈ ƈ ƅƏƆ Ɔ ƈ Ɛ Ɔ regional rate for domestic households here Ɠ ƑƋƗ Ɔ ƆƏ ƐƆ ƗƗƈƐƈ Ƌ ùơƤƌ ƈ ƏƆƒƆ ƑƆ ƈ ƾƠơƤƃơÖ ƓƈƐ ƒƆƏ Ɔ ƗƗƈƐƈ Ƌ ƅ Ɛ Ɛ each Northern Ireland household of around ùǀƠ ƍƆƏ ƕƆ Əê Business rates receive particular attention both in terms of additional revenue generation and in reviewing existing policies. The discussion includes options around a per Ƒƌ ƈ ƅƏƆ Ɔ Ƈ ƣü Ɨ ơƠü ƈ ƄƑ ƈ Ɔ rates over the Budget period. It also discusses existing rates reliefs in the form of industrial deƏ Ɛƈ Ɨ Ɛ Ɔ ƌ ƋƋ ƄƑ ƈ Ɔ Ə ƐƆ ƏƆƋƈƆƇê d ƌƆ ƿèƿƠƠ ƌ ƑƇ ƅƐƑƏƈ ƍƏ ƍƆƏƐƈƆ ƈ M ƏƐ ƆƏ 9ƏƆƋ Ɨ ƅƑƏƏƆ ƐƋƕ ƎƑ ƋƈƇƕ Ƈ Ə ƣƠü ƈ ƗƑ ƐƏƈ Ƌ ƗƆé rating relief which costs the Executive around ùǀƤƌ ƍƆƏ Ƒƌ Ɨ ƒƆ Ɔ ƅ ƍƏ ƍƆƏƐƕ ƒƆƏ Ɔ Ƈ ùơƢèƠƠƠ ƍƆƏ Ƒƌê RƒƆƏ ƾÕèƠƠƠ businesses in Northern Ireland with a rateable ƒ ƋƑƆ Ƈ Ƒƍ Ɛ ùơǀèƠƠƠ ƆƐ ƒƆƏ Ɔ Ɨƈ ƅ Ƒ Ɛ Ƈ ƾƠü Ɛ ƆƈƏ Ə ƐƆ ƄƈƋƋ ƅ Ɛƈ ùơƣêǀƌ ƍƆƏ

Scenario

Summary

Approach

Scenario One

Status Quo approach broadly in line with 2016/17 and 2017/18

- Reductions of 4% (2018/19) and 8% (2019/20) to n on-protected departments budgets - Making available £114m (2018/19) and £228m (2019/20) for reallocation to Health and Education - Maintaining inflationary increases only to Regional Rates (domestic and business) - With no central fund for new actions and interventions in support of Programme for Government (PfG)

Scenario Two

Higher income generation/review of existing policies

- Reductions of 4% (2018/19) and 8% (2019/20) to non-protected departments budgets - Making available £114m (2018/19) and £228m (2019/20) for reallocation to Health and Education - Raising an additional £130m (2018/19) and £200m (2019/20) through income generation/review of some current policies and services - Meaning support for additional investment in other departments (as well as Health and Education) - And providing a central fund of £40m (2018/19) and £50m (2019/20) for investment in new actions/interventions in support of the PfG

Scenario Three

Higher Departmental Reductions

- Larger departmental reductions of 7% (2018/19) and 12% (2019/20) for non-protected departments/areas - Making available £199m (2018/19) and £343m (2019/20) for reallocation - Raising an additional £40m (2018/19) and £100m (2019/20) through income generation/review of some current policies and services - Meaning support for additional investment in other departments (as well as Health and Education) - And providing a central fund of £30m (2018/19) and £40m (2019/20) for investment in new actions/interventions in support of the PfG

annum and saving each business an average of around £700 per annum. The Briefing paper puts forward the possibility of reducing the level of relief provided or removing each relief in its entirety. It was only a short time ago that the Department of Finance consulted on business (non-domestic) rates. These reliefs are considered one of the few incentives available to the Executive to show some

thorny issue of the introduction of prescription charges and more. In overall terms though the amounts saved/raised are very small relative to the amount of the block grant Northern Ireland receives from Westminster and in part reflects the relatively limited devolved powers that Northern Ireland has to come up with innovative revenue generating ideas.

The figures quoted in the paper do no take into account the budgetary consequences of the devolution of corporation tax which had been planned for implementation in April 2018. The reason given is that the ‘conditions for implementation are not in place’. There is no reference to the £1bn deal between the Conservative party and the DUP. At a minimum what we are faced with is further reductions in departmental spending with no money available to support any new investment to drive Programme for Government priorities. Any drive for growth will mean making some hard decisions which will impact on business and the wider community in Northern Ireland.

It is important to stress that this document is simply a discussion of the potential choices that could be considered. None of this is set in stone and it may be the case that, should the Executive reform, entirely different options may be put forward and choices made. There is some pressure however in that a Budget needs to be agreed in February. You do have the opportunity to have your say. Feedback is requested by the 26th January 2018 and can be provided online by accessing the following link - https://www.finance-ni.gov. uk/publications/briefing-northern-irelandbudgetary-outlook-2018-20.

support to Northern Ireland’s business base.

The paper also considers the introduction of charging for on-street car parking across over 30 towns and cities across Northern Ireland and extending the current controlled parking zone in Belfast raising an additional £5m in revenue per year. Other revenue raising options include increasing higher education fees, charging for home to school transport, the constantly

A Simple Export Strategy

BY CARA TAYLOR, GROWTH ENABLER, ULSTER BANK.

For our latest Ulster Bank Boost Index, we wanted to test a theory – getting under the skin of a ‘two track’ approach to business growth that’s become clear to me since we launched the programme six months ago. Many sectors are in good health – but there’s an important distinction that we’ve seen at work.

The Boost Index – which is made up of interviews with the owners and directors of SMEs with between five and 50 employees across a range of sectors – paints a positive picture overall. 38% of respondents have increased sales in the past 12 months. Most of the remainder (53%) having seen sales stay the same. More than half of firms (54%) said that they had experienced growth in the past year, with most of the remainder (43%) describing their business as stable. But the real divergence is between men and women.

Women-led small businesses in Northern Ireland are less likely to be exporters and female business leaders are less likely to consider investing and expanding than their male counterparts. This is something to ponder, but also a real spur to action.

There will be a range of reasons why this differential exists, but it gives me determination in my role, as a Business Growth Enabler, to tackle the real and perceived barriers to entrepreneurship among both women and men.

One of the most interesting insights to come out of the research this time around was that time to think and develop a strategy would be one of the biggest boosts to small businesses growth and development. In the haste to keep ‘doing’, we don’t only lose sight of new opportunities – we lose confidence in our ability to even develop new skills, and this may be part of what’s affecting our female business leaders. So I enjoy making things that are complex seem more simple, and building that confidence back up.

Exporting doesn’t necessarily mean investing in large and complex supply chains. It could mean something as simple as creating a website from a template and

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taking orders via email. It also doesn’t need to reach every market around the world – there are plenty of near-market opportunities in the rest of the UK and Ireland that are there to be seized.

That’s why the work that the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce has done with Ulster Bank in promoting these opportunities is so valuable.

Ultimately, there’s no magic bullet for getting more people exporting. We know that there are many studies that show different attitudes to risk between women and men, and that the nature of the businesses that they own and operate can have an impact on appetite for things like export. But by continuing to make these opportunities available, and having an open and honest debate, we at Ulster Bank hope to provide the platform and support to help those businesses thrive. www.ulsterbank.co.uk

FEATURE

In A Class Of Its Own North West Regional College is on course to meet the skills needs of employers with a wide ranging curriculum which has innovation and training at its core. Adrienne McGill hears about it from the College’s Principal and Chief Executive Leo Murphy.

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reweries, bakeries, green energy firms, engineering companies, and stovemakers are just some of the 300 businesses that have enjoyed an increase in profits thanks to the support they have received from North West Regional College (NWRC) – a College which has become much more than a place to learn.

The training and mentoring expertise the College provides through its newly formed Business Support Centre sits comfortably alongside its core business, that of providing professional and technical learning programmes aimed at helping aspiring architects, nurses, scientists, engineers of the future realise their career ambitions.

One standout area of realising learning potential within the College is its Hospitality and Catering department where the aspiring MasterChefs of tomorrow are helping to put the North West on the fine dining map and add to the region’s growing reputation as a first class food destination.

The skill and ingenuity of these students is drawing an increasing number of diners to its professional training restaurants, the Flying Clipper Brasserie at the Strand Road Campus in Derry-Londonderry, and Garnett’s Restaurant at the Limavady Campus.

Open to the public, these modern eateries offer an enticingly varied menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Both restaurants, which open during term time, are fully licensed and are staffed by the students who deliver exquisite menus and serve food of the highest quality and provenance. The students are supervised by chef lecturers with years of experience in industry, having worked in some of the world’s most prestigious restaurants and under some of the globe’s leading executive chefs.

“Our restaurants provide an excellent training ground which allows students to demonstrate to future employers their on the job experience in the work place,” says Leo Murphy, Principal and Chief Executive at NWRC. “They are an example of our strategy to provide employer related resources and environments across the College so that our students can appreciate the value of being able to work in industry standard facilities while studying for professional qualifications.”

Staying with food, NWRC also boasts a business centre of excellence for food development and technology.

Based at the Northland Building, Foodovation is a new state of the art research and development facility which offers a sanctuary to develop excellence in food innovation, science and technology.

“Foodovation helps micro businesses in the food sector with innovation around their product. All of this helps support the economic growth of the entire region. With the right expertise, food and drink manufacturers can find new markets, develop new product ideas and generate employment opportunities within the sector,” says Leo.

The college has five main campuses across the North West in Derry, Limavady and Strabane boasting modern and industry-standard learning environments.

With 800 full and part time staff and some 15,000 full and part time enrolments, the College offers more than 500 courses.

NWRC is one of 6 Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland which include Belfast Met, South West, Southern Regional, South Eastern Regional, and Northern Regional.

“We provide a professional and technical curriculum to students and to industry and that stretches across almost everything we offer from health and social care to engineering to construction to business to hospitality. We want to create more and better jobs for our students,” says Leo. “I am very passionate about what further education does. We work a lot with 16-19

“The College is committed to adopting a responsive approach to assist the training requirements of the business community in Northern Ireland.” year olds who are looking at professional and technical options.

“Apprenticeships across a huge range of disciplines including mechanical, electrical and motor vehicle are a big area for us and we are very excited about them.

“We are seeing a growth in apprenticeships youth apprenticeships, higher level apprenticeships and white collar apprenticeships. The modern apprenticeship is no longer just in technical areas – now there are more white collar apprenticeships with students working for big IT firms or accountancy practices. We help them learn while they earn. It means when they go for an interview, they have a work portfolio to show they have experience gained through on the job training.”

NWRC also offers outreach learning classes through community partners enabling individuals and small groups to undertake short courses in areas such as Essential Skills, Technical Skills, and

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Continuing Professional Development.

“Our learning focus is about encouraging people to pick-up skills which can support the economy, and to provide specific learning support to particular profiles of learners – helping adults who have numeracy and literacy challenges for example. While we focus on professional and technical skills, we also have an access focus for the wider community to bring people into skills so they can become more employable,” says Leo. The College’s Business Support Centre has supported more than 300 businesses in the past 4 years through a number of initiatives including Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and funded programmes from the Department for the Economy which provide mentoring to develop new products. Meanwhile students have the opportunity to learn or upskill at a wide range of companies with whom NWRC is in partnership.

“When it comes to NWRC’s economic engagement, there are two elements – one involves innovation and the other is providing skills for industry,” explains Leo. “The College is committed to adopting a responsive approach to assist the training requirements of the business community in Northern Ireland. In taking on the role as lead partner on a number of learning and skills initiatives, it is consolidating and expanding relationships with local agencies, businesses and organisations to meet the increasing need for innovation, skills training and learning development.

“We are very grateful to the Department for the Economy and the Further Education division who champion the concept of our role within the Programme for Government and the Northern Ireland Industrial Strategy. The modern regional colleges and their curriculums are very strong, achievement rates are very high and staff have sharp industrial expertise.

If more and better jobs are to be created in Northern Ireland, regional colleges are absolutely crucial in meeting industry needs.”

NWRC also works closely with the two councils in the North West region – Derry and Strabane and Causeway Coast and Glens and has a structured relationship with Ulster University at Magee College and Letterkenny Institute of Technology, in supporting a strong city region.

Leo is passionate about equipping as many people as possible with the requisite skills needed by employers across every sector of the economy.

“I want to see more young people and adults picking up professional and technical skills at local Further Education Colleges to get them ready for a growing vibrant economy,” he says.

“I want to see more of our young people staying in Northern Ireland and I want them to have the right skills so that they will find employment and prosper.”

COLUMNISTS

Sync NI’s Connall Keenan and Susan Cleland

Techie Talk Time ‘Industrial athletes’ powerup with exoskeleton upgrades

Bitcoin – a risky investment?

Ford’s exoskeletons work on car bodies and getting a taste for ‘edible actuators’. It’s all happening in the tech world.

Bitcoin B Bi tcoin bubble, toil and trouble Bitcoin must be in the running for breakthrough ttechnology echno of 2017. It started the year valued att less than $1,000 per bitcoin – at the time of a writing writin this has soared to around $17,000.

This Thi is great news for anyone who invested early early – and dynamite news for bitcoin founder Satoshi Satos Nakamoto. His or her (Satoshi’s real iidentity id ent is a matter of dispute) original stake to be worth somewhere in the i estimated is es rregion egi of $20 billion. Not bad for a currency tthat’s hat been in existence for less than a decade.

So S now we’re in 2018 - what should you do d o with bitcoin? While we can’t offer any advice, we can point you in the ffinancial in direction of Bitcoin Chief Technology Officer d di Emil Oldenburg. He has now sold all his E Em bitcoins and converted them into bitcoin b ccash. Emil says any investment in bitcoin is tthe “riskiest investment you can make”.

Lengthening transaction times and exorbitant fees are turning off businesses from using exorbitan it. And if you hold a bitcoin wallet, be aware that you could be subject to a virtual bank heist. Around 10% of all bitcoins in supply have been stolen and recycled by hackers.

If you want to store value in a risk-averse way, then real money in an actual bank is a more secure option.

Bitcoin has blazed a trail and others are following. Ethereum, ripple and litecoin have all been added to Bloomberg terminals. And watch out for Estonia. The eastern European state plans to create the first national cryptocurrency. Can the ‘euro coin’ be too far away?

A spoonful of sugar helps the edible robots go down…

2017 saw great advances in robot technology - everything from autonomous ‘killer’ AI’s through to back-flipping parkour bots.

Now developments in medtech are moving some surgical concepts from science fiction and towards practical reality.

Anyone who’s seen the 1966 film ‘Fantastic Voyage’ will be familiar with the notion of injecting nano vehicles into humans in order to reach the places surgery just can’t reach.

Fifty years after that movie was released and the origami robot arrived. Back in 2016, a tiny robot in a capsule was injected into a simulated stomach where it unfolded itself and successfully recovered a button battery.

Exoskeletons are a staple for sci-fi movies.

In Aliens, you can find Ripley using her exoskeleton power loader... to pulverise the alien queen, and it was also a major feature of Matt Damon’s Elysium.

But now exoskeletons are invading the business environment. The Ford Motor Company – originator of the production line – is piloting use of powered upper-body exoskeletons to reduce fatigue and injuries in their manufacturing plants.

Much of the work on the assembly line (carried out by what Ford describes as ‘industrial athletes’) involves a lot of repetitive overhead tasks. The lightweight vest is designed to reduce back, neck and shoulders pain. It also makes workers stronger, providing adjustable lift assistance of five pounds to 15 pounds per arm.

The EksoVest is being piloted in two US plants, with plans to roll it out to locations in Europe and South America. At $6,000 per unit it will cost millions of dollars to fully implement the technology but Ford believe this pales into insignificance when set against the loss of skilled workers through injury.

As we get to grips with 2018, it’s fascinating to see how technology and ergonomic design is transforming the old-fashioned production line.

And it’s also reassuring to know that, in the event of alien xenomorph invasion, there’s an army of ‘industrial athletes’ out there clad in strength-enhancing exoskeletons. Just in case.

Now science has leapt ahead once more, and combined two of our favourite things – food and robots. The result is a ‘gelatin actuator’ that can move about and grip objects inside the body.

Researchers say that “edible actuators, combined with other recent edible materials and electronics, could lay the foundation for a new type of edible robots”.

As patients we need to get comfortable with the thought of tiny bots milling around our intestines delivering medicines in situ. But at least they’re fully recyclable - once they’ve completed their mission, the body metabilises them.

We’ve moved beyond whether we can create edible robots – in 2018 we’ll be deciding what flavour we want them in.

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Want to be the first to find out what’s happening in Northern Ireland’s tech scene?

Stay up to date with www.syncni.com or follow us on Twitter @syncni

YEAR OF GROWTH AHEAD FOR 4C EXECUTIVE Following a record year of expansion in 2017, which included the acquisition of competitor firm MSL Search & Selection, Belfast-based 4c is confident that 2018 will prove to be another year of continued growth and success.

In recent months, the firm has invested in growing its senior leadership team to drive the business forward. Gary Irvine, founder of the business, has assumed the role of Chief Executive and has appointed Gordon Carson as Managing Director, a move which is testament to its confidence in its offering and unrivalled market position in Northern Ireland. Gordon brings with him over 25 years’ senior-level experience in the manufacturing and services sectors, locally and internationally.

In addition, 4c is supported by Claire Reid as Head of Delivery and Non-Executive Director Ian Rainey, one of Northern Ireland’s most senior recruitment veterans and former owner of MSL. Gordon said of his appointment: “For me, this is a great time to be joining 4c, when the company is enjoying such significant growth. Very quickly, I have seen that this growth has been driven by the entire team’s commitment to delivering exceptional quality and strong results in everything that they do.

“Across the three core divisions of the business – 4c Executive Search, 4c Boardroom and 4c Third Sector – 4c has always strived to exceed expectations in every assignment, and this will remain a key focus for me in leading the team as Managing Director.

“With a very strong pipeline of assignments already in place for 2018,

I am confident that 4c will continue to grow and flourish in the year ahead.”

Gordon believes that Northern Ireland’s workforce is living proof of the worldclass talent pool that the region has to offer, particularly at a senior leadership level. He says that, given the ongoing period of political and economic uncertainty, the need for exceptional leadership in businesses has never been more important.

“Throughout my career, I have seen one common trait emerge again and again when it comes to leadership,” he says. “The organisations that have achieved the greatest success have been underpinned by solid business decision-

making, careful strategic planning and bold risk taking; coupled with sheer hard work, determination and a willingness to evolve. Exceptional leadership will drive any business to success, whether it is an ambitious start-up, an SME or a large corporation.”

Gordon explains that the need for excellence in leadership has played a pivotal role in driving such a high demand for 4c Executive’s professional search services, helping the firm to grow to a team of 11 and successfully deliver over 200 senior-level assignments.

For more information about 4c, visit www.4cexecutive.com

9th Floor Causeway Tower, 9 James Street South, Belfast BT2 8DN | 028 9043 4343 65

FEATURE

China And Northern Ireland Side By Side The links between Northern Ireland and China are growing ever stronger. Adrienne McGill talks to Belfast-born Neal Beatty, who works in Hong Kong and is a co-founder of the ‘Friends of Northern Ireland in China’. The group aims to help raise the profile of Northern Ireland in China and thus strengthen business links.

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he relationship between Northern Ireland and China continues to strengthen with senior leaders from seven Chinese provinces and cities joining two hundred delegates at the 3rd UK/China Regional Leaders Summit hosted in Belfast at the end of last year.

The Chinese delegation, formally led by Vice-President Song Jingwu of the MFA affiliate Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), comprised the provinces of Hubei, Jilin and Liaoning and cities of

Shanghai, Changchun, Dalian and Shenyang.

The Summit focused on the creative screen industries, health services technology, agrifood security and innovation. As a result of discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive Bureau in Beijing, these areas were identified by the visiting delegations as areas of mutual interest and potential for partnership working.

Each session of the Summit directly addressed a priority need in China’s 13th 5-Year Plan and showed how Northern Ireland has achieved world-leading innovation through bringing government, academia and business together.

At close of business, Hubei and Liaoning

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provinces signed Memoranda of Understanding with the Northern Ireland Executive Office extending existing co-operation across economic development, education, research exchange and culture.

In recent years there has been an increasing number of visits by government officials in Northern Ireland and China to each other’s region in a bid to promote closer ties.

Two years ago Northern Ireland signed a formal agreement with Shenyang in Liaoning province which is the largest and richest province in China’s north east with a population of 44 million people.

The Hong Kong skyline.

This region was the industrial powerhouse for China with a long history in manufacturing, ship building and mining. Liaoning has been going through a process to re-balance its economy and has many similarities to Northern Ireland in this regard.

Trade missions have been travelling from Northern Ireland to China, the world’s second largest economy, for over 16 years and the desire to nurture partnerships is as enthusiastic as ever.

A wide range of Northern Ireland companies from across various sectors already do business in China such as Tayto, Datum Tool Design, B.I. Electrical Services, First Derivatives, and Bombardier Aerospace.

The appetite for Northern Iereland goods is increasing. In 2016/17 Northern Ireland manufacturing exports in Hong Kong and China increased to more than £218 million.

And Chinese firms have considerable interests in Northern Ireland. Two years ago, the Retlan Manufacturing Group, which owns Toomebridge-based SDC Trailers, was purchased by transportation equipment firm China International Marine Containers.

Last year Asian energy giant China Nuclear Power Group bought 14 wind farm projects across Ireland, with seven located in the north, from Dublin-based Gaelectric in a deal worth as estimated £300m.

Also Crumlin healthcare diagnostics firm Randox Laboratories launched a major initiative to boost growth in China, following 18 months of market research and infrastructural developments.

In 2016, Portadown aircraft seat manufacturer Thomson Aero was acquired by the Aviation Corporation of China for an undisclosed sum.

The close relationship has been further

underlined with the opening of the Chinese Consulate office in Belfast in 2015 and the establishment of the Northern Ireland Bureau Office in Beijing. Invest NI, recently opened a new office in Hong Kong and also has a base in Shanghai whose aim is to identify projects that will be of mutual and practical benefit.

Further cementing the link is ‘Friends of Northern Ireland in China’, (FNIC) an organisation established in 2015 and composed of voluntary members, which helps Northern Ireland companies do business in China and raise awareness among Chinese investors and tourists about the opportunities and attractions available here.

Its co-founder Neal Beatty from Belfast has worked in Greater China for most of the past 25 years, specialising in business risk management. Now based in Hong Kong, he is a Partner at global risk consultancy Control Risks and was the Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai from 2013 - 2015.

Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Neal has a Master’s Degree in Chinese Studies from the University of Leeds and a BSc in Chemistry from Warwick University.

“In recent years, Northern Ireland and China have been developing strong links and we were keen to further develop these,” says Neal.

“We have a wide range of members including Northern Ireland diaspora, people who work for Northern Ireland companies in China, Chinese alumni who studied at Queen’s University, Belfast or Ulster University, as well as representatives from Invest NI and Chambers of Commerce. We are constantly building up our networks and establishing a good contact list.

“We have around 150 members, mostly based

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in Shanghai, who attend our events which range from business breakfasts to networking gatherings to raising money for charity.

“There is considerable interest from both sides.

We have many Northern Ireland businesses exporting to China or setting up operations there while China is keen to share its expertise with Northern Ireland across many areas including infrastructure.

“The key thing for Northern Ireland companies is to focus on what the Chinese government wants to promote – whether that be the service sector, biotech, clean energy or electric vehicles.

Companies have to be sure that whatever they are doing fits into the Chinese Government’s plans at a local and national level.

“As with anywhere it is very important that before companies get into the market, they do thorough research, utilising the resources available to help them in China such as Invest NI, the Northern Ireland Bureau, Chambers of Commerce or people like ourselves here on the ground. It is a huge market – but don’t just jump in.”

Since moving from Shanghai to Hong Kong in July 2017, Neal has also helped establish a similar group, Northern Irish Connections Hong Kong, with plans for events in 2018.

For any Northern Irish company interested in gaining more information, contact: Ï 0ƏƈƆ Ɨ Ƈ M ƏƐ ƆƏ 9ƏƆƋ Ɨ ƈ ƈ æ0M9 ç dƐƆƍ Ɔ 1Ə ƌè ƈƏƌ ƐƆƒƆƇ ƌ ƅêƅ ƌ æƄ ƆƗ ƈ d ƈçê Ï M ƏƐ ƆƏ 9ƏƆƋ Ɨ ƆƅƐƈ 6 E æM9 6Eç ^ƆƐƆƏ ` Ƌ Ɛ è ƈƏƌ ƍƆƐƆƏ Ƅ ƍ ƊƆƅ ƌƌƑ ƈƅ Ɛ Ə êƅ ƌ æƄ ƆƗ ƈ 6 E çê

FEATURE

Keeping it in the family Family-owned businesses are the backbone of the Northern Ireland economy and in Ambition we will be profiling a number starting with Lisburn based Smiley Monroe.

Established in 1979, the company produces customised conveyor belts for the screening and crushing industry and exports to more than 50 countries worldwide. Vaughan Monroe, Managing Director, and his sons Tim, Marketing Director, and Chris, Global Sales Director, describe what it’s like working together.

Vaughan Monroe I set up the company by finding out what customers in the Irish quarrying and mining sector needed, investing time and money and then giving them the best service we could.

It was important to keep sight daily and be mindful of what was required and expected by our customers, to continuously identify potential stars and to be honest about what improvements we needed to make.

Successes enabled us to continue with our entire team striving to achieve our main goal – to become the leading conveyor belt company (in our customers’ opinion)!

I was confident when Tim and Chris joined the business, they were bringing with them new skills and ideas and a fresh approach to challenges. I had already seen their work ethic bring success in their chosen other fields of work and knew they would carry this through into the business.

Before joining the family business, Tim had a career in Film and Art Direction and Chris in Law. The skills they learned in their previous careers were transferable into their roles within the company. Tim’s natural creativity and eye for detail really lends itself to a marketing function while Chris’ measured, analytic approach means he is the perfect steer for our sales team.

The first thing I taught them about being in business was always to be open especially about lessons learnt. I’ve certainly passed on a few lessons learnt from my own many mistakes.

Tim and Chris have both made me proud by seeing first hand their achievements – observing them enjoying an ever-increasing level of personal satisfaction and developing into caring and innovative, skilful leaders.

They have most definitely made a difference to the business. The business continues to grow and prosper from well-led, customer driven improvements within their own teams and

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departments. They have continued at a pace to create a culture of empowerment where team members are swift and confident about finding solutions to problems. Retaining customers and getting out there to win new business has always been our main focus, always.

I agree with their focus on taking more time in planning long term by observing, planning, agreeing, then enabling and supporting an improving new structure for properly introducing processes and adhering to the processes.

I still guide Tim and Chris – but only when asked. They do heed my advice (mostly), mainly because it’s their idea in the first place or have an appropriate solution to a problem. It is normally one that has already been discussed with their team.

Of course, there are disagreements, but thankfully it’s seldom we can’t arrive at a consensus. In the unlikely event after debate of the points that there is no agreement, then

Chris Monroe

years of service earned the role of assistant MD, helping guide us through some catastrophic financial challenges and developing key customer relationships. Nicola played a key role within admin and contributed hugely to business growth projects and vital interactions with bankers and Invest NI. Victoria our youngest daughter also worked within the business especially in her preuniversity years. She worked customer facing and was gifted at editing and writing text for our newsletters. We still have customers who ask after her over 10 years later.

Our son Jonny, during 2008 summer holidays, helped bring fun and order to a flawed production and packing process – a system where some of his ideas and actions/principles remain in place.

Tim Monroe

the role of the MD is to make the final call and monitor the decision. In the event that it’s a wrong call then I will be happy to consult and change or adjust it very quickly and learn from it!

I would like the company to remain in family ownership. In addition to the directors, Chris and Tim, I should mention the other family members inside and outside of our business and the vital contribution both to our survival and subsequent successful growth. Especially my wife, Mary (co-owner), who dedicated herself to the business from the outset. She used her skills in accounts, administration and her way with people and customers to ensure we were achieving our aims – all while educating and looking after our 5 children, a dog, chickens and homework – some of which was during our 2 year stay in a (temporary) mobile home located on the Smiley Monroe LTD premises.

Nicola, our eldest daughter, initially assisted Mary in the finance team and then after 10

Growing up I had no intention of joining the family business, but like my siblings I spent school holidays working there, and after graduating I was happy to pull on the overalls now and again.

Joining the company didn’t seem like a natural progression at the time. It was more that I’d reached a crossroads. Recently married and living in Glasgow, I was working as a freelance Art Director in Film and TV, which is not very conducive to family life. Over the years I’d been involved in the design of our head office and some R&D, so when dad asked me to consider joining the business to set up a marketing function, I agreed to give it 2 years. I’m happy to say I still love what I do.

I don’t tend to talk about business over the dinner table. We’ve two young daughters, and since daddy neither makes nor markets unicorns, frankly I’d be wasting my breath!

Building the business meant mum and dad worked long hours when we were kids. They tried to have a rule to not talk shop at home, but we lived right next door, so work was literally never far away. Dad was all about sales and mum was all about invoices!

Two things I’ve learned from dad would be ‘go see’ – whether that means jumping in a car or catching a plane – and “Never make the story better than the store”. Dad’s prone to quoting Jack Welch, so I apologise if that is one of his!

But for me, what sums dad up is the philosophy that if people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.

My younger brother Chris and I work closely together. We’ve quite different personalities and skillsets, which is a good thing – his law background means he’s pretty measured, whereas I can sometimes be a little over enthusiastic, shall we say!

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When I was growing up, I didn’t expect to join my dad’s company. I wanted to be an actor or a lawyer. I actually ended up working as a corporate solicitor and initially I thought that I would continue in that career until retirement.

I’m happy with the choices I’ve made. There have been plenty of mistakes along the way but those, just as much as the successes, have taught me valuable lessons.

I spent most holidays working at the old company site which was right next to our family home. I worked mostly in the old out-buildings hand-cutting rubber parts for customer machine kits; it is a process now carried out by CNC machines.

I had no plans to join the company until the autumn of 2012 when I started to think more deeply about the future direction of my life inside and outside of work. It was then that a conversation I had with my dad convinced me that I could add value to the company and it was a challenge that I was both excited and privileged to accept. I haven’t looked back since.

I remember when I was young, dad would often leave for England early on a Monday morning to drum up new business and I would excitedly wait for him coming home on a Friday evening. I also have early memories of a huge mobile phone he had in the 80s!

We don’t often talk about business issues over the dinner table. We will sometimes have after-hours calls about work but we wouldn’t generally talk about work around the table with the rest of the family as I think we both appreciate the importance of switching off.

I have learned many things from my father but one thing that immediately jumps out is the value of direct communication whether that be with a customer, supplier, colleague or addressing an issue or an opportunity – face to face is always best.

My brother Tim doesn’t do anything which irritates me. I think we bounce off each other very well and share many ideas. We communicate openly and I think that’s crucial to avoiding any issues that could arise.

I greatly admire my dad’s passion and infectious enthusiasm in all that he does.

I am also incredibly proud of all that dad has achieved in leading the company from a startup in a garden shed to where it is today, he is a true entrepreneur! I’m proud too of my mum, who owns the company with dad, and who for over 30 years worked tirelessly in the business; and together with dad they also raised five kids who didn’t want for anything.

I think the atmosphere is different in a family business. We have an open environment where the leaders are visible and approachable and ideas are shared and discussed at all levels.

From a practical perspective, I think it is a key advantage that decisions can be made quickly and momentum maintained.

Personally, it is also a great feeling to be able to share successes with family and equally to have the support and empathy of those that understand and know you well when things get tough.

FEATURE

Top Young Talent A&O new recruits Joseph O’Hara, Rachel Morrison, Aisling Taggart and Paul McKay with Jane Townsend (centre), Head of A&O’s Legal Services Centre.

Allen & Overy Recruits 20 Graduates

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llen & Overy (A&O) have appointed 20 law graduates at its Belfast-based Legal Services Centre (LSC).

Over the last six years, A&O has recruited more than 150 law graduates in Northern Ireland and employs more than 500 people locally through the LSC and its Support Services Centre (SSC).

The intake is part of the organisation’s strategy to support future growth and innovation at its Belfast centre of excellence and positions it as one of the most active recruiters of law graduates on the island of Ireland. Last year A&O was listed as the region’s joint most attractive employer in law by international research organisation, Trendence.

The new recruits beat stiff competition

from graduates across the UK and Ireland and completed an intensive six-week A&O training programme to secure the roles. They will now support experienced lawyers on a range of international deals and cases.

Jane Townsend, Head of A&O’s Legal Services Centre, said: “We work to attract, develop and keep outstanding people in every area of the business and have been pleased with the calibre of the candidates that have joined us. Over the last six years, this recruitment programme has given ambitious and high calibre individuals the opportunity to come into our teams and learn from some of the very best lawyers in the market.

“The Legal Services Centre in Belfast plays an increasingly important role in the way

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we deliver services to our clients and our teams across the globe. The positions we offer broaden the type of legal opportunities available in Northern Ireland and we are already planning our next intake of law graduates next year.”

Launched in 2011, the Belfast-based LSC and SSC are a core part of A&O’s strategy to change how it delivers global legal services and improve capacity and efficiency across the firm.

Combined, the LSC and SSC employ more than 500 people in legal and non-legal roles and supports A&O’s 43 other offices worldwide. Belfast is the second largest office by headcount and provides high quality business support in the areas of HR, IT, Finance, Marketing, library and business services as well as legal support.

BDO Makes French Connection With Students

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DO France has joined an exclusive list of organisations to be recognised

by Queen’s University, Belfast for excellence in the provision of work placement and employability opportunities.

BDO, which also operates a local Northern Ireland practice, received the honour at the Queen’s University Belfast Placement Awards Ceremony recently following selection by the university’s Placement Office. In the last three years, six Queen’s accountancy students have capitalised on the French connection completing stints in the firm’s Paris, Lyon and Versailles offices.

Brian Murphy, Managing Partner at BDO Northern Ireland, said: “We value our firm’s longstanding partnership with Queen’s University Belfast and our role in helping to prepare students for rewarding

professional careers. It is very encouraging to see capable and talented people rise to the challenge of life within our global business and, locally, we’ve been pleased to offer a number of roles to students who’ve returned and completed their studies.

“In Belfast, our graduate intake programme remains highly competitive because we offer unique long term opportunities and encourage young talent to forge outstanding careers within our ranks.”

The Queen’s University Belfast Placement Awards Ceremony took place at Riddel Hall, Belfast. The Placement Office in Queen’s Management School works closely with a wide range of employers to develop first class placement opportunities that prepare students for their year in industry and

Brian Murphy, BDO Northern Ireland with Miora Rakotomalala, BDO France; and trainee Jessica Tsang.

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matches them with employer needs.

Lisa Burns, Placement Coordinator at Queen’s Management School, added: “Over the years we have received outstanding feedback from both employers and students about their experience on placement.

This event gives everyone involved in the placement process an opportunity to formally recognise anyone or any organisation who has embraced the ethos of placement and made an outstanding contribution to the placement process. Everyone involved in this process provides inspiration to future students.”

BDO Northern Ireland is an award-winning accountancy practice that employs more than 170 people in Northern Ireland and provides professional services to more than 1,000 local companies.

At the Heart of Negotiations Cardiovascular research in the UK is among the best in the world. But Brexit poses threats to the medical research field. Simon Gillespie, CEO of the British Heart Foundation tells Ambition’s Naomi Witherick why the sector needs to be prioritised in negotiations.

FEATURE

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ritish Heart Foundation (BHF) was established with a simple goal: to respond to the staggering mortality rate caused by cardiovascular disease which accounted for 50% of UK deaths in the 1950s.

Since the charity’s foundation in 1961 the UK death rate from cardiovascular disease has declined by more than three quarters.

Their proactive response to crisis is reflected in BHF’s objectives today. Brexit threatens medical research funding, expertise and regulation, while the lack of Government and a proposed introduction of charity shop rates are creating challenges in Northern Ireland. And with the BHF’s role in our heart health there’s a lot at stake.

Around 225,000 people in Northern Ireland are living with cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease is the Province’s biggest killer. But BHF has worked hard to combat the statistics, having achieved major breakthroughs in research and seeing survival rates from heart attacks double in the last 50 years. It’s achievements like this put BHF research among the most advanced in the world, something Northern Ireland has not only been beneficiaries of but contributors to – the charity funds research in local health trusts and universities, with £2.5m currently invested at Queen’s University.

For CEO Simon Gillespie, it’s time to remain proactive and make sure the needs of the medical research sector are at the heart of negotiations.

Tell us about the British Heart Foundation.

BHF was founded to fund medical research and in the 56 years since we’ve seen death rates from cardiovascular disease decrease significantly. It’s an amazing achievement, but the disease still accounts for about 170,000 deaths in the UK each year. And if you look at statistics of where most cases are, then unfortunately Northern Ireland has a number of hotspots. It shows there’s a problem here that needs to be answered.

Too many people are still suffering from cardiovascular disease and we need to do something about that.

How are we seeing BHF funding being used here in Northern Ireland?

Northern Ireland has fantastic universities. We’re pleased to have a lot of money invested here in Queen’s University and we’ve been working with universities right across Northern Ireland to develop the research base further. Research has a number of important factors – the first of course is that it saves lives. But also by taking our money and translating it into world-leading research, we’re investing in high quality jobs and a dynamic economy.

Where does your money come from?

We have three main streams. The first is BHF Retail. We have six shops in Northern Ireland and

over 730 stores across the UK. The surplus from those amounts to about £25.1m each year, paying for 30% of our annual research investment. Legacy giving amounts to £73.3m and conventional fundraising and other charitable activities amounts to about £60.5m a year. I’ve raised money for the BHF myself. I run quite often, so I’ve run marathons and things like that. But the one thing I won’t do is skydive!

“The health service is critically dependent on skilled people in both a research and clinical environment.”

How are funds distributed, and how do you decide where they’re invested?

We’re response-mode funders. Universities come to us with applications for funding that go through a stringent review process, and then we allocate funds on where there is excellence in research. It deliberately isn’t an even distribution because we work on the assumption – and I think it’s a good one – that if people give us their money they want it to go into the best research, wherever that’s being done. But you can access our services through our website wherever you happen to live in the UK. How is the BHF most likely to be affected by Brexit?

The health service is critically dependent on skilled people in both a research and clinical environment. One fifth of all BHF funded research leaders are non-UK nationals, and we know many are feeling unsettled. Yes, the government has made commitments but those aren’t necessarily easing people’s anxieties.

We’re concerned we might start loosing some of those skilled people who are making great contributions to research. I can’t pretend we have answers to this, but we’re saying to governments, and pretty much anyone who will listen, that we need to ensure we’re not depriving the UK of something really important.

What about the impact on medical research funding?

In the research environment we pay money into a European research pot. Between 2007 and 2013, the UK received €8.8bn in EU research funding, having contributed €5.4bn

over the same period. There’s significant risk we’ll loose that money. The government has made commitments to meet shortfall, but if you look to the long-term, that accumulates to a serious amount. Research departments run the risk of moving below a critical mass and some may have to close.

Medical regulations will also change with Brexit. What does this mean for the health service?

If we’re not regulated in the same way as Europe the UK will become a less attractive market in which to introduce a new medicines and healthcare products. That means patients here might not get access to new treatments quickly enough.

How are you ensuring the medical research sector’s needs are prioritised in negotiations?

BHF is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities and we’ve had meetings in Westminster to talk with politicians about the implications of Brexit and the needs of the sector. The medical research environment in the European Union is really good so the closer we can be to that after Brexit the better.

What issues are affecting BHF in Northern Ireland in particular?

I think the obvious one is that there’s no government. I’ve been in Stormont recently and had great conversations, but of course nothing’s happening. There are budgetary pressures and delays in decision-making, as not unreasonably, civil servants are reluctant to make big decisions themselves with no political direction. And the net losers are normal people here in Northern Ireland, no matter what their political views are, whichever side of a particular debate they might happen to be on.

What is BHF doing in response?

If the political situation doesn’t get sorted out we’ll have to take a more leading role. Our focus is on the 255,000 people here with cardiovascular disease. As an independent organisation we need to bring decision makers together and work the health service to see what we can achieve, rather than just saying: “We can’t achieve anything because there’s no Assembly.”

Plans have been discussed for the introduction of council rates on charity shop premises. What are you views on that?

The Prime Minister used the expression ‘there is no money tree’ – well, there’s no money tree in the charity world either. I’d argue this would be detrimental to the work of charities. It’ll be a cost many will have to bear that could lead to some shutting, and society will be the loser as a result. Charity shops draw people in and provide jobs in areas where employment is often tough. I think it would be foolhardy for there to be a change in the rating regime.

Want to support BHF? Visit www.bhf.org.uk to become a corporate partner.

Or find out about getting CPR training for your team.

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GUEST COLUMNIST

Dr Bryan Keating, non-executive Director of Catalyst Inc.

Digital ICT a world of opportunity

Northern Ireland’s Digital ICT sector needs a ‘spectrum of skills’ to build on its current strengths.

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he Digital ICT sector in Northern Ireland is a dynamic one with immense potential with already 700 plus Northern Ireland firms –15% of which are international investors such as Microsoft, HP, Fujitsu, CITI, Allstate, EMC and NYSE Technologies. Together with world class local public limited companies Kainos and First Derivatives and a thriving start-up scene, they have built a tightly focused Digital ICT ecosystem in Northern Ireland that offers high value jobs, produces the latest cutting edge technologies and enables other sectors to be the best they can be.

This vital and growing sector requires a spectrum of skills to service its multiple needs. Specifically, Northern Ireland has the opportunity to build on its present capability to continue to excel in the areas of software

engineering, data analytics, networks and sensors and cyber security.

We have the capability to repeat that success in other areas, such as data analytics, as the future offers the paradox of challenge and opportunity in the form of an increasing ageing population with its attendant healthcare demands, and an increasing population shift to urban living, which places an onus on government for smart city management policies and the ability to deliver IT solutions in an agile manner.

While programming and associated skills are the bed rock of Digital ICT, there are a myriad of other career opportunities. The recent Matrix report on Digital Creative Industries – a discrete subset of the ICT sector – identifies businesses using digital technologies in a creative way. Immersive technologies, user experience, games and animation fall within this definition and form the scope of this study (http://matrixni.org).

The small but burgeoning games industry here ranges from pure entertainment to the development of apps which gamify healthcare and the development of immersive games in Virtual Reality (VR). Animation skills in Northern Ireland offer significant potential for export growth, particularly in 2D episodic shows. There is an increasing focus on User Experience (UX), and such UX skills are in great demand from fintech, life & health sciences and other software development businesses, as well as from government, as it develops its “digital by default” services.

Finally, the growing cluster of immersive technology companies now operating in Northern Ireland is strongly focused on

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the development of content for virtual and augmented reality.

Catalyst Inc, Northern Ireland’s next generation Science Park, in its annual, independently commissioned ‘Knowledge Economy Report’, states that the Knowledge Economy has the potential to grow from circa 80,000 direct and downstream jobs in 2016 to 160,000 direct and downstream jobs by 2030 with the appropriate investments and commitment by all. The most important part of this required investment is in people and their skills. The ‘2017 Knowledge Economy Report’ will be published on 18th January 2018 and for the first time will include specific research into the impact – opportunities and challenges – of automation on jobs in Northern Ireland.

The above paragraphs give a flavour of the many skills needed to support a vibrant and dynamic Digital ICT sector and indeed to support many other segments of the economy, such as Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering.

Northern Ireland does attract talent from outside these shores but the vast majority of the people needed to fulfil the potential of this sector will have been born here. We must increase the numbers of young people studying core STEM subjects to build the necessary pipeline of both quantity and quality and that means both boys and girls. It seems incredulous in this day and age that less than 25% of STEM careers are fulfilled with females. Women in Business NI, Matrix’s Women in STEM and universities participating in the Athena SWAN Charter are addressing this pressing issue.

We all know that technology changes at a rapid pace. Some changes are seen as waves which have an impact on our lives while others are tides which have a massive effect on how we do our work and live our lives. Smart phones and tablets are two relatively recent examples of the latter.

On top of all the technologies mentioned above, and the opportunities they open up, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation and Robotics will in all likelihood have the most profound effects on how we work, what we work at and what our careers will look like over our working lives. They will have as big an impact as the Industrial Revolution had on rural Britain in the 19th century.

People may have 3 or 4 different phases of their careers within their working lives as they need to adjust to changing work patterns caused by this new revolution.

People will need to embrace these changes or be swamped, unless they want to be robots.

However, there is no better time to be in Digital ICT than now on the cusp of great change and great opportunity.

SECURING STRONG LEADERSHIP FOR NORTHERN IRELAND BUSINESSES Founded in 2013 by Gary Irvine, 4c Executive is Northern Ireland’s leading and largest provider of true executive search services.

The firm specialises in finding the best available talent to fill seniorlevel, business-critical roles in organisations across a wide portfolio of sectors and industries in Northern Ireland and further afield.

To date, 4c has been retained to fill over 200 roles, with high-profile assignments over the past 12 months including the CEO of Belfast Harbour Commissioners, Head of SME Development for the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Finance Director for the Irish Football Association and Strategic Director of Place and Economy for Belfast City Council.

According to Head of Delivery Claire Reid, a need for strong leadership in

Northern Ireland businesses amid ongoing economic and political challenges will see a continued demand for uncovering the best talent in 2018.

“Significant levels of uncertainty around Brexit and the future of the Northern Ireland Assembly will mean that businesses in Northern Ireland will, now more than ever, require strong leadership from the top down.

“In the coming year, whilst we anticipate this uncertainty in some sectors to impact on confidence and commitment to senior-level recruitment, we are already seeing a lot of proactivity from businesses that are equipping their organisations with senior level talent and expertise to prepare for a new, emerging business environment.”

Claire continued: “We are seeing an increase in assignments to fill NonExecutive Director (NED) roles, a trend that I would envisage to continue in

2018, as companies across Northern Ireland are truly realising the huge value that a NED could bring to their business.”

To contact Claire at 4c Executive, email reidc@4cexecutive.com or call 028 9043 4343.

For more information about 4c, visit www.4cexecutive.com

Run for Research Ivan Prue, 45, (pictured), volunteers with the NI Chamber President’s nominated Charity of the Year, the MS Society NI, and lives with Multiple Sclerosis himself. Last year he helped set up the MS Society ‘Run for Research’ to raise awareness and funds. Here he tells us why.

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n 2005, I had a health scare. While I was in hospital, the nurses weighed me. I was 21 stone. I was shocked and vowed to get fit. I took up running. It was more like wobbling at first, but I got bitten by the running bug. After a few years, I was completing marathons. Then in August 2009, I was out cycling when I lost all sense of balance and fell off my bike. I was taken to hospital for tests. After an MRI and a lumbar puncture, I was told I had MS. I was terrified I would lose the ability to walk, never mind run. Not long after, I ran the Dublin marathon in 3 hours 16 minutes.

Then the monster took over. I had a bad relapse. I couldn’t use the left side of my body. I could hardly speak.

I was in hospital for a month but I had a place in the 2010 London Marathon and I was determined to take part. By April, I was walking again – walking like a drunk man, but walking. I took my place, and walked the London Marathon in about 6 hours.

When I finished, I cried like a baby. It meant so much. I started my current treatment Tysabri in 2010 and I haven’t looked back.

Fast forward to 2016, and I completed the London Marathon again in 3 hours

23 minutes.

I was beaming.

MS is a rubbish condition. When you are first diagnosed, you look online for anything that could help you.

There are lots of people saying that they have given up X or Y and it has helped their MS, but there’s no real evidence. That’s why research is so important. Run for Research is about raising funds and awareness. When I was first diagnosed, I drove to the MS Society centre in Belfast, but I turned round and drove out again. I didn’t want to accept what I was facing. So I know we need to reach people in other ways. The first Run for Research took place in April 2017, with 10km and half marathon distances. All the local running groups got involved, and lots of support groups for young people with

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MS came along too. We had an MS Society stand at the start, and it was great seeing people finding out about the support that’s available. We hope the event will be even bigger next year. I’m fortunate to still be able to run, but everyone’s MS is different. I want to spread the message – life is for living, make the most of what you can do!

Run for Research 2018 will take place in April. For more information contact tom. mallon@mssociety.org.uk

FEATURE

West Meets East The inspiration for starting an export business can sometimes come from seeing the success of others. Two NI Chamber members with a dynamic approach to selling overseas, share their stories of how they arrived at their export destination in the Western and Eastern world and describe how challenges have turned into opportunities.

Stephen McCartney is the International Sales Director for major crushing and screening equipment manufacturer Powerscreen which has three plants in Northern Ireland and whose exports to Argentina are going from strength to strength which he details here. Now based at the Powerscreen global headquarters in Dungannon, he spent many years living and working in South America and is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.

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owerscreen has been operating in Argentina for almost 20 years and was one of the first manufacturers to successfully bring track mobile crushing and screening equipment into the region.

We signed up with our current distributor in 1999. Since that time, Argentina has been a developing country with a lot of infrastructure projects taking place, especially road building schemes in the early days, which meant a need for our crushing and screening machines. Our machinery crushes rock products and then sorts them into similar sized materials. These aggregates are then used at various stages of road building and

Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

construction projects and this was primarily where we saw the opportunity to enter the market. There was also a secondary opportunity for us in the mining industry, which is a major contributor to the economy there.

Initially, it was a difficult market to enter – the concept of mobile crushing and screening equipment was new. We had to convince companies who had previously used static installations, that mobile equipment provided a lot more versatility. It was about selling the benefits of choosing something totally different in the market place. We had to make sure we had the right distributor to sell the machines and to understand the most suitable customers for our equipment.

We have had a long and stable relationship with our distributor in Argentina who also distributes products for construction and mining equipment manufacturer Komatsu, this creates synergies for us in terms of working together on mining and quarry sites.

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Powerscreen operates from three sites in Northern Ireland in the manufacturing of our heavy duty crushing and screening machines.

There are component production facilities in Ballymoney, and manufacturing centres of excellence for crushers and screens in Omagh and Dungannon respectively.

The machinery is shipped from these sites directly to ports across Argentina and then transported to infrastructure projects throughout the country. We manufacture around 3,000 machines for markets across the world with many each month being exported to South America. To give an idea of scale our machines range from the most compact screen at 12 tonne to a major 90 tonne rock crusher.

After a challenging few years in mining we have been seeing the industry beginning to grow again in the southern hemisphere especially in Australia, Southern Africa and South America so that is fuelling demand for our machinery.

The market in Argentina has been very volatile because of the political and economic climate, which has caused currency problems and issues associated with the sourcing of products. There have been peaks and troughs – we have had some exceptionally good years but it is not always a smooth climb. Fortunately with a strong dealer there which is renowned for customer support we are in a strong position even when the markets are going through these troughs.

In recent times the market has rebounded and there has been a significant change in the last year – there is a new government in place, which is more open to international trade. It is very business orientated in terms of developing infrastructure and the manufacturing capabilities of the country and attracting new foreign investment so there has been significant turnaround in the political approach to business. We have seen a number of new projects come online, which had been mothballed or held up due to the unavailability of funds in the country.

At the moment there are good opportunities for doing business in Argentina. However, having a Spanish speaking team is a must to succeed in business there.

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Ashley Pigott is the Managing Director of AJ Power, which manufactures generating sets at its facility in Craigavon for distribution across the world.

The company has offices in England and subsidiaries in Dubai, South Africa and Sweden.

The firm, which was formed in 2003 by former directors of Larne based FG Wilson is one of the UK’s fastest growing exporters with sales to 80 countries worldwide. Ashley explains how the firm has developed extensive business in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, a sovereign state in Southeast Asia.

Mandalay, Myanmar.

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e design, assemble, test and install diesel-fuelled electric-power generating sets for use across the world in hospitals, banks, data centres, supermarkets and hotels, as well as for industrial, construction and exploration use.

We were attracted to doing business in Myanmar due to its economic growth and the potential in the market place. The existing electricity provision can’t keep pace with the growing demand of the country, so networks and power is always an issue and that provides an opportunity for our products.

We went straight into Myanmar on the cessation of EU sanctions in 2013 and looked at distribution opportunities. We initially gained contracts in Mandalay, the economic centre of upper Myanmar, supplying machines, which power cement plants and also to the mining industry. We have just commissioned a complex 13.5 megawatt standby power system for Junction City, a very large high-end shopping mall in the centre of the capital Yangon. We delivered 14 generating sets varying in sizes and powered by engines from 1,000 hp to 3,000 hp. The total value of the contract was around £2 million.

We have been successful in the market because of the quality of our products, our competency in delivering them, having a good distribution partner and employing great people especially our young engineers.

There are huge opportunities for growth in the market – the country is growing at an incredible rate and benefitting from overseas investment particularly from Singapore.

As in every country there are political issues and there are issues in Myanmar currently with the military but that is on an area by area basis. The majority of the country is open to investment and that facilitates the sales of our products.

We want to increase sales by 10-15 per cent and extend the reach of our distributor.

Myanmar is a great market for us and our products are in huge demand. At the end of the day you have to have competent people who understand the market. You have to keep an eye on the market and capitalise on opportunities when they arise. You can’t fight macro-economics but if a country has access to hard currency and it has extractive industries, it will have money and the amount of that money will depend on the price of commodities. You just have to keep working in a market and be persistent in order to supply a quality product at a competitive price. People are looking for value and you have to give them that. We feature high up the scale on our value proposition.

GUEST COLUMNIST

Les McCracken, Managing Director, McCue Crafted Fit.

Closing the skills gap in manufacturing projects in Northern Ireland, like Danske Bank’s headquarters in Donegall Square West, Belfast, along with Ulster Bank, Santander, Barclays Bank and Danske Bank branches, I don’t see this direction changing in 2018.

If we were only to do business in Northern Ireland then I would need to push a restart button, reduce staff, the size of our headquarters and our production facility.

But how do we maintain our workforce given the well-known issues around skills gaps?

First of all McCue staff are willing to travel and we have taken a very proactive approach to training within the company. At the core

not be readily resolved given our education system, which in my opinion enthusiastically encourages a university qualification when a job with excellent training, prospects and working with the latest technology is in the offering from the age of 16.

2018 I believe will see Northern Ireland companies, in particular construction companies, continue to venture beyond these shores. There are some great projects in Northern Ireland but to succeed at a more strategic level work will be sought globally.

It will be a year where we at McCue will continue to look for opportunities to utilise our

is our apprenticeship programme and along with the Northern Regional College we have a very detailed training programme. Our joiners get the opportunity to work in every aspect of the company from basic joinery, the drawing office, machining to finishing.

Of course I’m very much of the mind, that other than financial packages, most employees consider personal development to be at the centre of their ambition.

The skills gap in the manufacturing sector will be an ongoing issue, one which will

excellent skill set and to continue to value and trust those we work with, whether they are the clients, designers, suppliers or contractors.

We will also continue to train all of our staff, in particular, our apprentices and do our best to address the skills gap.

After all, as the American politician Christine Gregoire said: “Education is the foundation upon which we build our future.”

Best wishes to all for 2018.

What lies ahead for the manufacturing sector?

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orthern Ireland is well known for its manufacturing prowess. We only have to look at the past to see that our country was steeped in manufacturing from the linen and textile industries to ship building. Today this sector is much more diverse and covers a broad range of disciplines; food, chemicals, pharmaceutical, transport equipment, construction and aerospace to name a few.

Looking at 2017, it was a positive year for most and according to the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Quarterly Economic Survey in October, manufacturing growth was sustained by a strong export performance with Northern Ireland having one of the strongest export balances across the 12 UK regions. Pressure from the rising raw material costs as well as the fluctuation in the sterling and ultimately exchange rates were also noted.

I can only speak from my own experience and at McCue Crafted Fit, which is based in Carrickfergus, we had a good 2017 but what was noteworthy was that most of our projects were outside of Northern Ireland. This is something of the norm for the construction industry and my peer group. Our headquarters are in Northern Ireland but in the main our projects are in GB, Europe even global. In the last year, my teams were in Milan, Vienna, Stockholm, Paris, Nice, Rome, Utrecht and Dusseldorf, as well as across the UK and Ireland.

Although we’ve completed some great

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A F DAVISON LTD DRIVES FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH IN N.I FOR 2018 Too often when the Haulage Industry is mentioned there’s an opinion of large vehicles that are a nuisance on the roads.

These miss conceptions automatically resign haulage companies to Santa’s “naughty list”!

At A F Davison they know the positives they bring as a highly skilled and regulated industry supporting the Northern Ireland economy and its communities.

As an SME and a family business A F Davison Ltd a haulage, storage and garage maintenance business for over 50 years still has the same challenges as any business and the same ambition for success.

They continue to offer the “old school” requirements that their foundations were built upon, added value, loyalty, help, flexibilty and going the extra mile to give their best to their customers. Tailor made packages are vital and open communication and negotiation on all present and new opportunities is their continued plan for 2018.

What is A F Davison’s request for the New Year’s Resolution list? Simply one, a better chance of economic growth via the development of Northern Ireland Ports!

Northern Ireland transport statistics 20162017 (Dept for Infrastructure & NISRA) stated that as at 31st December 2016

there were 1,131,411 vehicles licensed in Northern Ireland. To put this in real terms employment levels are high.

A recent report published has anticipated the gap of fortune between the economies of Northern Ireland and Ireland will continue to increase over the next years unless we take action.

Setting aside the obvious instability of Brexit and sterling decline, Ireland has export success and support for all businesses. For the development of our economy we need to grow the labour force and we need to make exporting essential. Northern Ireland businesses are grabbing the global markets but everything

is transported through Ireland not Northern Ireland Ports.

All things being equal, A F Davison as a SME find it difficult to compete with Ireland because of this vital fact. Their European customers continually ask for shipping routes in and out of Northern Ireland but the opportunity never “sails”. For 2018 let’s see real and relevant action for an industry that is dedicated, well developed and dynamic. A F Davison deliver the goods!

Will the Northern Ireland Powers that be deliver for us, for us all?

Electric Vehicle Owners From April 2018, there will be no benefit in kind charge on the electricity that employers provide to charge employees electric vehicles. Investment plans include a £400m Charging Investment Infrastructure Fund, an extra £100m to extend the plug-in grant to 2020 and £40m toward charging R&D to boost zero-emission vehicles.

Fuel Prices A welcomed announcement, the Chancellor confirmed that fuel duty will be frozen for the 8th year running in 2018-19.

Since 2011, fuel duty freezes will have saved the average driver around £850 by April 2019.

Vehicle Excise Duty As part of the National Air Quality Plan, there will be a £220m Clean Air Fund, funded by the new vehicle excise duty (VED) supplement, a temporary levy on diesel cars. This will apply to all new diesel cars registered from 1st April 2018 which don’t meet the new RDE 2 Standards.

Company Car Drivers There will be a rise in the Company Car Tax diesel supplement from 3% to 4% on cars that do not meet RDE Standards, from 6th April 2018. Those who already privately own diesel cars will not be affected.

Autonomous Vehicles Plans to accommodate fully selfdriving cars on UK roads by 2021 were announced, with the government planning to make world-leading changes to the regulatory framework.

For more information visit www.afdavison.com

THE 2017 AUTUMN BUDGET: WILL IT AFFECT YOU IN 2018?

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, delivered his second budget of 2017 late last year. He spoke about driverless technology, the need to prioritise a move to electric vehicles, and tax penalties for new cars, but how will this affect you? Agnew Corporate explains below.

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For more information, contact David McEwen, Head of Business Development, on 028 9038 6600.

COLUMNIST

Ian Rainey, former international banker and non Executive Director at 4c Executive

Early days in the new Zimbabwe

The former President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, was forced out of office at the end of last year. What does the future hold for this once prosperous country?

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n 1980, when Robert Mugabe took over from Ian Smith and became President of the New Zimbabwe, he took over a country which was known as the ‘bread basket of Africa’. Smith’s Rhodesia was ranked 2nd in the world in terms of yields per hectare for maize, soya beans, winter wheat and ground nuts and 3rd in the world for cotton production. It was also ranked 1st in the world for quality in yields per hectare of Virginia tobacco. At that stage, Rhodesia’s foreign currency earnings were way ahead of mineral exports which included diamonds, gold, platinum, nickel, lithium and emeralds.

Now almost 40 years later, Zimbabwe is rated as the poorest country in the world. Zimbabwe also holds the world record for the highest inflation ever recorded when it reached 500 billion percent and the then governor of the Reserve Bank Gideon Ron stated ‘traditional economics do not fully apply to the country. I am going to print and print and sign the notes because we need the money’.

I have an array of Zimbabwe dollars on my fridge door at home in denominations of 25, 50 and 100 Zimbabwe dollars, unfortunately they are worthless. I visited Salisbury (the capital of Rhodesia) in 1968 and again in 1974 to watch the British Lions play. At that stage it was the most attractive city you could visit anywhere in the world. I was then living and working in South Africa and my Ballymena rugby club team mate Willie John McBride was captain of the Lions and Sid Millar was manager. Two years ago, I went back again to spend time with friends in Harare (today’s capital). What a

shock to leave the airport and find that after 100 yards the tarmac was a mass of pot holes.

Traffic lights were not functioning and the city was a mess with hawkers on every street corner and certainly not a place you wanted to leave your car and go shopping. My host had remained in Harare but lived in a gated community behind high walls which protect the mainly white residents from the hungry masses outside.

Mugabe’s 37-year reign has few comparators in world politics though his erstwhile neighbour President Zuma in South Africa is making a good stab at outflanking him in the area of corruption. However, he is no comparator when it comes to the mass killings that Mugabe exercised against his opponents in the Ndebele tribe. In 1983, his forces began a brutal campaign of repression against the Ndebele people of Matabeleland in Western Zimbabwe.

This exercise in ethnic cleansing involved the killing of some 20,000 civilians. His campaign against Zimbabwe’s white population was far less bloody but no less vindictive. From 1999, the Mugabe regime initiated a programme to transfer some 4,000 white-owned farms to black owners; mainly veterans of the liberation struggle. The land confiscated was valued at some 3.5 million US dollars with equipment and improvements valued at an additional 1.5 million US dollars.

Driven out by beatings and intimidation, farming families joined an exodus which saw the white population fall from 290,000 in 1975 to approximately 29,000 today. There has been little or no cultivation of these lands as the recipients were largely his fellow politicos who have exhibited little capability to grow anything but grass.

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Mugabe’s exit came rather quickly in the end when it became evident to the military that the president was intent on having his wife Grace become his successor. General Chiwenga, the Head of the Army, made his move to arrest Mugabe and his wife when Emmerson Mnangagwa was forced to flee Harare, on being sacked by the president, in a move which was anticipated to ensure his wife’s accession to power. Mnangagwa’s quick return to Harare on 15th November was the prelude to his inauguration on 24th November as the new president, with Mugabe and his wife confined to their palatial residence in the suburb of Borrowdale in Harare.

Mr Mnangagwa was a commander in Mugabe’s liberation movement pre 1980 and is also a law graduate. He has been at Mugabe’s side for some 50 years, first as his bodyguard and after independence as minister of justice, state security and defence and as speaker in the Zimbabwe parliament.

Nicknamed ‘the crocodile’ because of his ruthlessness, Mnangagwa will need all his cunning to remain in power and more particularly to win the favour of international aid agencies and the IMF to finance his bankrupt nation. The constitution requires him to run an election in 2018 to underscore his legitimacy but ‘the crocodile’ is very smart and already the question is out there – would Mnangagwa ever permit an election he might lose? It is very early days in the new Zimbabwe and I doubt if there will be any mad rush of expatriates back to the country in the short term. There are many commentators who believe what we are watching are the masses succumbing to ‘the Stockholm Syndrome’ by mistaking their captors for liberators.

FEATURE

A Good Sport Gerry Carlile, who became Northern Ireland’s first licensed football agent in 2007, kicks off this regular new feature in which we ask leading figures in business about their love of sport. Gerry founded Evolve Football Consultancy and has developed a vast and extensive network of contacts in the football industry.

What’s your favourite sport and why do you like it?

Football has always been my main sport but I’ve also been involved with the GAA for many years.

In recent times my eldest son has been playing for Belfast Harlequins so I’ve been watching more rugby than I’ve been previously used to.

Do you encourage other members of your family to play a sport?

My wife is a keen sportsperson and my three sons play a combination of football, GAA, water polo and rugby. I also coach the under nine team at Aquinas FC in South Belfast.

Are you a spectator or a participant?

I’m a keen spectator of most sports. I’m a regular at both Windsor Park and The Aviva to watch both Irish football teams and we also have season tickets for The Kingspan Stadium to watch Ulster rugby. I’m moving towards my fourth decade so the body doesn’t work like it once did but I’ve been playing football recently on a Monday night with the other coaches from Aquinas.

What team (across any sport) do you follow?

I’m a lifelong Glasgow Celtic supporter but I’ve also become a bit of an Ulster rugby fan in recent times.

Do you think the games we play as children in many cases were designed to prepare us for life as functioning adults?

Absolutely. Physical activity in childhood stimulates growth and leads to improved physical and emotional health. Sport can affect a child’s development of self-esteem and selfworth. The confidence we gain from engaging in sport as children inevitably assists us as we prepare for the challenges of adulthood.

What lessons are there in sport that can be applied to business?

There are many lessons that can be applied to business from sport. Most of us aren’t naturally talented at sport but we can improve with practice, effort, diligence and resilience.

Similarly if we give business our attention then we can improve and perform to a higher standard. Participating in a sports team can also provide us with a basic understanding of teamwork and how working as part of a team is usually helpful for success.

Football agent Gerry Carlile with Northern Ireland International Niall McGinn.

Do you think playing a sport or being part of a team makes you a better leader?

I think having experience of operating in a team environment undoubtedly assists our leadership skills. Working out that and trying to do everything alone is very difficult but it is an important part of business development and scaling up. There are very few sports that involve participating on an absolute individual basis, so team sports or sports that require more than one person are generally the norm and provide us with opportunities to learn about becoming better leaders.

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In business, do you think the phrase ‘play to win’ applies and if so why?

I’m not sure if I would use that phrase in business. I think it’s more important to conduct business in a way that ensures you enjoy it.

You could be the most successful business person in the world but you mightn’t enjoy it.

Obviously it’s important to be profitable but it’s important to be ethical and I’m not sure ‘play to win’ or win at all costs is the way I like to conduct business. When I retire I want to be able to look back and say I treated people well and I did things properly. I’m more a fan of the other phrase ‘it’s the taking part that counts’.

FEATURE

Stairway to Seven My seven steps for business success Paul Lawther has been the Head of Onecom NI since the UK’s largest independent enterprise telecommunications provider entered the Northern Ireland market in January 2017.

Paul is responsible for leading a team of Business Development, Customer Service and Account Management professionals, driving the acquisition of customers across various enterprise segments in order to grow the firm’s presence in Northern Ireland.

He has an extensive background in the communications industry including five years leading the UK and Ireland mobile division for a local provider. He also held a number of roles in the industry including business development and account management prior to joining Onecom.

1.

Prepare to make sacrifices As you take on more responsibility, you will be required to make sacrifices – the lines between your working life and personal life will blur. You’ll start thinking about business even when you’re away from the office, sometimes because you want to and sometimes because you can’t help it. The more responsibility you have, the more demanding your work will become. Expect calls and e-mails that urgently need your attention because you’re in a position of responsibility.

2.

Listen You have one mouth and two ears for a reason, it’s important as a leader to fully understand others before you try to make yourself understood. Listening is fundamental in any leadership role, regardless of sector or station. It’s the best place to start when you’re assessing and coaching the needs of others.

3.

Be yourself Your reputation is what people think of you, but your character is who you are.

People will always do business and build relationships with people they believe in. A facade can be risky and a drain on your energy as inauthentic behaviour will get found out sooner rather than later.

Showing genuine character in business shows that you can trust your intentions building strong, sustainable relationships.

4.

Get through your to-do list Self-discipline can be hard. Statistics show the team that is ahead at halftime is more likely to win the game, so get ahead of your work while you can. Break your projects into parts and set yourself time targets throughout the day. Completing your to-do list everyday provides you with a sense of daily achievement.

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5. Daily self-reflection It is always important to reflect at the end of a working day. What went well?

What didn’t go so well? How can I change it tomorrow? Constant reflection will allow you to carry out your daily tasks more efficiently. Assessing your own management of tasks will encourage continual and consistent development as a leader.

6. Find a mentor A mentor can identify where we need to improve, ideally someone with the necessary and relevant experience to be able to offer you sound advice. My mentor will often ask me questions to think about, and ask me to come back with answers later. It’s a good way to provoke thought and stimulate growth both personally and professionally.

7. Have gratitude While sacrifices are a necessary part of the job, it is also important to switch off from business sometimes. Take a step back and show your gratitude to the people who support you, whether that be work colleagues, family, business associates or friends.

EXCITING NEW MOVE FOR DALY PARK ACCOUNTANTS IN LURGAN Accountancy and tax specialists Daly Park & Company Ltd has recently moved into its new state-of-the-art offices in the heart of Lurgan citing its ambitious growth plans as the reason for the move.

Daly Park has taken over the entire ground floor of the YMCA building on Carnegie Street in Lurgan. It boasts the latest in fibre-optic cabling, disabled access and excellent meeting facilities for clients while the modern, open plan workspace will be home for about 20 of Daly Park’s staff.

Ruairi Maginn, Director at Daly Park, said: “Being able to connect with our clients and delivering the type of service they really want will remain key to our success. That ability along with the strength of our staffing expertise and depth of experience will allow us to

continue to go from strength to strength.”

“More and more of our small and medium-sized clients are looking at ways to function more efficiently and effectively. They want access to realtime financial information about their businesses which they can share with us, their accountants, to enable them to make proactive decisions about the future of their enterprises.”

With HMRC introducing their ‘Making Tax Digital’ programme, Daly Park is encouraging clients to install cloud-based accounting software which will bring all their financial information into one simple, secure and easy to navigate space.

Ruairi said: “We would like to thank all our clients and well-wishers for their continued business and support to date.

It’s a very exciting time for us and for our

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clients and we look forward to showing everyone around our fantastic new premises.”

Visit Daly Park at its new location, 4 Carnegie Street, Lurgan, BT66 6AS or call 028 3832 4924.

appointments

New Appointments

Leading integrated communications agency, Ardmore Advertising, has made a number of key appointments.

Former Managing Director, John Keane, has taken up the role of Chief Executive Officer; Miriam Moertl, Senior Account Director, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors; Mark Irwin has been appointed as Managing Director and Paul Bowen, Group Creative Director, has also been appointed to the board of directors.

Stuart Nevin has been appointed Associate in Litigation & Dispute Resolution with law firm A&L Goodbody.

Ryan Walker has been appointed Associate in Mergers, Acquisitions and Corporate with law firm A&L Goodbody.

George McQuitty has been appointed Business Services Assistant at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Chris Milligan has been appointed Property Associate with law firm Arthur Cox.

REGISTER | BROWSE | APPLY WWW.GRAFTONRECRUITMENT.COM 84

Technology adds to changes in Accountancy and Finance Industry

By Justin Friend.

Accountancy & Finance Specialist at Grafton Recruitment.

Judith Owens has been appointed Chief Executive at Titanic Belfast.

Will the advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Technologies sound the death knell for Accountancy and Finance Jobs?

In my opinion, the answer is a resounding no!

Technology, in particular AI and machine learning is evolving at unprecedented rates and will absolutely have an effect on how organisations utilise accountancy and finance functions. Yes, if allowed to develop unchecked, there are potential pitfalls and risks. In my view, however, AI will allow the reduction of mundane and repetitive tasks whilst freeing up accountancy and finance staff to spend more time using their professional knowledge to analyse and interpret the data to provide recommendations for their teams/clients.

Having worked as a specialist recruiter for over 20 years, I have seen massive changes in the role systems and technology play in the

Cathal O’Neill has joined the Defence Insurance Litigation team at law firm Carson McDowell.

world we live and work in. In the vast majority of areas, these changes have been positive – so long as we learn to embrace and understand these changes and developments.

Yes, the Accountancy and Finance industry, along with many others, will change and evolve with the advent of new technologies – embrace and try to understand these changes.

Discuss, debate and try and learn about emerging tech (ask your kids if needs be!) and face this brave new world head on!

At Grafton Accountancy and Finance, we specialise in providing the very best Accountancy and Finance employees at all levels across Northern Ireland. Ï j Ɨƈ ƅƑ ƕ ƑƏ ƅƅ Ƒ Ɛ ƅƕ Ɨ Finance needs contact Justin Friend at Grafton on 02890 242 824.

Andrew Edwards has joined law firm Carson McDowell as an Assistant Solicitor in the Employment team.

Peter Lamont has joined law firm Carson McDowell as a Solicitor in the Commercial team.

REGISTER | BROWSE | APPLY WWW.GRAFTONRECRUITMENT.COM 85

EXPERT AESTHETIC SERVICES

Belfast Skin Clinic are delighted to announce that Maryam Shafiei, PGC, BSc, INP, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Advanced Cosmetic Practitioner with more than 23 years of experience and knowledge in non-surgical cosmetic treatments, is now providing an expert aesthetic service expanding their range of dermatology services.

Maryam is an Independent Nurse Prescriber and will provide professional, expert advice on recommended plans, treatments and cosmeceutical skin products. Maryam provides advanced cosmetic treatments such as anti-wrinkle treatments (face and neck), dermal fillers, non-surgical facelift, thread lift, non-surgical nose correction, tear trough

treatment, neck rejuvenation and chemical peels. She will also refer patients directly to the Consultant Medical team for further diagnosis or treatment if required.

Contact reception at 02890 667077 for further information and an appointment with Maryam.

IS YOUR BUSINESS READY FOR THE AUTOMATION REVOLUTION? Barely a week goes past without news of jobs that will soon be lost to automation and the fact is that Northern Ireland is more vulnerable than any other country in the world. The question is, are we ready to be one of the first to act on the challenge and turn it into a competitive opportunity?

We are going to get our first chance to look behind the hype and see how our SMEs can get best use of available technology at a high-level event, the ‘Future of Work Solutions Summit’, organised by Connect at Catalyst Inc, in Belfast on Wednesday, 28th February, 2018.

Following January’s publication of the Catalyst Inc 2017 Knowledge Economy Report, which for the first time included specially commissioned research into the impact of automation in Northern Ireland, the purpose of the summit is to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the advance of intelligent technologies and address the need for local businesses to act now in order to secure competitive advantage in a new economy.

The one-day event is being sponsored by Bank of Ireland in association with Deloitte and is supported by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce.

The two keynote guest speakers are: - Ravin Jesuthasan from Chicago a thought-leader on the future of work - Jonathan Downing, from Northern Ireland, a leading researcher at the Oxford Martin School who published “The Future of Skills: Employment in 2030” report.

They will be joined by additional speakers at the event, which will be chaired by BBC Northern Ireland’s Economics & Business Editor, John Campbell.

Gavin Kennedy, Head of Business Banking NI at Bank of Ireland UK with Steve Orr, Director Connect at Catalyst Inc.

To sign up for the event logon to www.futureofworkni.co and take advantage of a Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce discount rate.

Keynote speaker at the Summit – Ravin Jesuthasan.

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LIFESTYLE

James Stinson

The X-Factor

BMW targets affluent younger buyers with its new X2.

H

igh riding SUVs – what we used to call 4x4s – were a bit of a niche product up until the mid-noughties. Now everyone wants one and everyone’s making them and in all different shapes and sizes.

Take BMW, which launched the first of its X range - the X5 - back in 1999. The X3 arrived a few years later, followed by the X6, X1, and X4.

Yes, and there’s now an X2.

The attraction of these SUVs, or Sports Utility Vehicles, are obvious. The high riding seating position makes passengers feel safe – in charge and in control.

They’re usually quite spacious, which means they’re family friendly and they have a presence and a premium-type feel that your average saloon struggles to match.

They’re also getting cheaper to buy and own thanks to, among other things, more efficient

engines and the large-scale sharing of parts and platforms with other cars and, in some cases, other manufacturers.

This new X2, which shares many if its components with the MINI Countryman, is priced from £33k and goes up against rivals like the Mercedes GLA, Audi Q3, Range Rover Evoque and others but the new Beemer looks well placed not least because of those dashing looks.

It’s aimed at affluent younger buyers who want the practicality of an SUV without a traditionally boxy shape. To this end, it boasts more coupe-like styling than some of its competitors and its near neighbours in the BMW stable. It’s shorter and sits lower than the X3 but also its nominally smaller and cheaper sibling – the X1. BMW has clearly put styling front and centre of the X2’s appeal, though clearly still underpinned by the marque’s renowned engineering prowess.

There’s been a lot of noise recently about the rise of all-electric and hybrid motors but the internal combustion engine, petrol and diesel, is still the go-to means of propulsion thanks to the relentless innovation of BMW and others in this field.

Initially there will be just three engines at launch though others will follow – the sDrive20i petrol emits 134g/km of CO2 and is claimed to return up to 51.4mpg, while the 187bhp xDrive20d diesel emits 126g/km and

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returns 61.4mpg. The higher-powered diesel, the 228bhp xDrive25d, returns 55.4mpg and emits 133g/km of CO2, and is capable of sprinting to 62mph in 6.7sec.

Ten years ago, emissions and economy numbers like these would have been unthinkable in a car of this size.

The other big decision you’ll face is whether to opt for four-wheel drive. BMW’s xDrive system adds extra safety and sure-footedness on wet, icy or muddy roads but comes at a price. For many, the cheaper sDrive two-wheel drive version would do just as well.

There are four trim levels – SE, Sport, M Sport and M Sport X. Even entry-level SE comes with plenty of equipment, including cruise control, sat-nav, 17in alloy wheels, front fog lights and dual-zone climate control.

Every model also gets BMW’s excellent iDrive infotainment and navigation system presented on a 6.5in screen while the range of connected services has also expanded, with drivers, should they wish to, now able to share their arrival time at a destination using the iDrive system.

In themselves, these won’t send you rushing to your nearest BMW dealer. But in an era when there’s little to choose between increasingly “samey” cars, the new X2 with its youthful styling is among the more distinctive and desirable.

lifestyle

THERE’S MORE TO A KIA NOW...

There was a time you’d buy a Kia because they were cheap and reliable. They may not be as cheap as they were but they’re still great to own and increasingly upmarket.

This new Stonic, which is essentially a jacked-up Rio, ticks all the boxes if you’re after a rugged looking family runaround.

It’s available from just over £16k with a 1.4litre petrol engine but the best option by far is likely to be the 1.0 litre petrol motor. This pint-sized turbocharged engine boasts 118bhp – 20bhp more than the 1.4 – and delivers a sub 10 seconds 0-60mph time. A 1.6 diesel is also available though is probably only worth considering if you do some serious mileage.

Kia says there isn’t much demand

for four-wheel drive at this end of the market so the Stonic doesn’t have it but that’s about all that’s missing.

Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management and hill-start assist are standard across all models while the entry-level 2 trim version gives you plenty of goodies too, including 17in alloys, automatic lights and wipers, air conditioning and rear parking sensors.

And, in the unlikely event that Kia’s famed reliability lets you down, there’s always the equally famous seven-year warranty to fall back on.

DROP-TOP GORGEOUS Few cars have been as good for as long as Mazda’s MX-5. This latest version has been around for a few years and is still getting great reviews. And rightly so! No car looks as good, is as much fun to drive or delivers as much enjoyment for under £30,000.

And still Mazda keeps tweaking its little two-seater roadster. The latest trick out of the box is this new limited run Z-Sport edition.

Limited to just 300 cars, the Z-Sport stands out, among other things, thanks to its deep cherry red fabric roof – the only MX-5 to offer a different coloured hood. There’s also 17-inch black BBS wheels and Machine Grey Metallic paint.

The Z-Sport is powered by a 2.0 litre 160bhp motor that delivers the MX-5 to 60mph from a standing start in a little over seven seconds. But the magic of this little Mazda means that even a leisurely jaunt to the supermarket can feel quite exhilarating. The limited edition Z-Sport costs £25,595 with deliveries from March 2018.

THERE’S NO HOLES IN THIS POLO We haven’t seen a new Polo since 2009, so this new car is big news. This latest version is lighter, longer and lower than the previous-generation model, there’s more boot space and legroom as well. Significantly, there isn’t a three-door version anymore, with that market successfully catered for by VW’s little Up. On the outside, it looks a little more grown-up with a sportier stance than before thanks to a lower roofline and bumpers and lights that emphasise the car’s width. It’s still one of the more restrained superminis on sale in terms of design, but that understated air has always been one of the Polo’s strengths – it will appeal to those not wishing to shout about their car choice.

On the inside there’s a completely redesigned cabin, which has been updated to allow the inclusion of some larger display screens, which plays into the new Polo’s focus on tech.

The dash has also been given a funky new look.

It’s also better equipped than previous Polos. Entry-level S trimmed versions get 14in steel wheels, automatic lights, tyre pressure monitoring sensor, hill start assist, and a wealth of safety technology as standard.

Inside there is air conditioning, manually height adjustable front seats and Volkswagen Composition Media infotainment system complete with an 8.0in touchscreen display, Bluetooth and USB connectivity, DAB radio, and access to Volkswagen Connect online services. Prices start from £13,855.

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LIFESTYLE

On Holiday with...

John Hansen, Partner in Charge, KPMG in Northern Ireland.

M

y favourite place to holiday in all the world has to be Portugal – for the spectacular weather (air conditioning is a must!), friendly people, excellent food, fantastic beaches; and it’s not too far to travel (relatively).

I have been going to the same area with my family for many years. The Quinta do Lago area is only about 30 minutes’ drive from Faro airport. My working life at KPMG is fast paced so the flight time and ease of transfer allows me to slip quickly into holiday mode, which is very important.

During the year my wife Linda and I like to take city breaks in other parts of the world. This year we had short breaks in New York and London – two cities we are happy to return to time after time – as well as several visits to Edinburgh (where our youngest daughter lives and works). We also enjoy spending time up at the North Coast.

Without exception these breaks are great but our annual trip to Portugal allows

the whole family to have a great and, importantly, relaxing time.

The reason I find it so relaxing is that we book excellent accommodation that suits the whole family. Over the years we have made friends with other families and couples who also return to Quinta do Lago every year. It’s great to have the option of dipping in and out of whatever social life you want to have.

My two daughters are now grown up but still regularly come with us to Quinta with their partners – a true testament to the area and the experiences we have had there over the years.

Great food is a must when I’m on holiday and Portugal never disappoints. Some of the restaurants in the area are fantastic but it is not all flashy restaurants by any means – a beer and a pizza hits the spot at times. I have to say though lunch at Maria’s (a restaurant right beside the sea) with a few friends is always enjoyable – fantastic seafood, good company, music, 91

sometimes a bit of dancing and great wine.

There are plenty of activities for all ages and tastes. I would happily play a round of golf most days but in reality over a two week break I usually manage to get out 3 or 4 times. There is every type of watersport you can think of as well as boat trips, hiking, cycling, Segways and tennis.

For the first few days Linda and I like to take it easy – start the day with a relaxing breakfast, go to the beach or lie by the pool.

I usually listen to audio books. I was walking along the beach one day listening to Chris Evans’ autobiography when I walked past…

Chris Evans and his family. That was an interesting coincidence!

We always hire a car and take the opportunity to explore some of the smaller villages in the surrounding area.

Portugal may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is ours. We have been visiting the area every year for about 20 years so it is definitely the place for us!

TWO FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS AT THE FORE IN THE PROPERTY MARKET With Northern Ireland’s property market on the up, two female entrepreneurs are looking forward to a year of growth.

Natasha Rodgers and Kirsty Finney, friends and business partners, established Rodgers & Finney Estate Agents in the Ballyhackamore area of East Belfast in September 2017. The Agency currently employs a team of six and aims to grow throughout 2018.

The pair boast 15 years’ combined experience in the property sector in Northern Ireland. Property News awarded the prestigious Young Agent of the Year to Kirsty in 2016/17, and Natasha gained invaluable experience working alongside her father in the family owned property firm.

Natasha said, “Both Kirsty and I were inspired to create an agency that truly put the customer at the heart of everything that we do”.

“As two females under 30, we believe we are unique in how we approach our business. We have created a company which has a new take on what an estate agency should look and feel like to our clients”.

“We embrace new technologies that

help simplify and enhance the customer experience. For example, on our website (www.RodgersandFinney.co.uk) we have tools that enable clients to pay rent or fees simply and efficiently. We also have longer opening hours in response to the demands of our clients’ daily life and work commitments. Our phone lines are open 24/7”.

“We use social media, not only to promote what we are doing, but also to simulate conversations in the property industry. We live, eat and breath the property world, and while we can’t change the process of how a house is sold or bought, we can create a better experience for anyone buying, selling or renting a property”.

“Business has been fantastic since we opened which has been a testament to the long hours of hard work we have put in. As our rental portfolio continues to increase, so does the number of For Sale and Sold signs going up. We are very excited about the prospects for growth in the year ahead.”

For more information visit www.rodgersandfinney.co.uk

Natasha Rodgers

PUTTING A LITTLE BACK TO HELP GOOD CAUSES The Wilson Group believes in putting a little back into the community. Every year they support a local charity and clients, staff and suppliers are always enthusiastic and generous in giving their support.

This year the company raised funds for the MS Society. Northern Ireland has a high incidence of multiple sclerosis, a neurological condition for which there is currently no cure. Presently there are around 3,200 with MS in Northern Ireland with a further 180 being diagnosed every year. Approximately 175 out of every 100,000 people here develop the condition.

Desmond Wilson managing director at the Wilson Group said: “There was a great response to our appeal this year.

We organised open days and other events at our homes, clay pigeon shoots, a night at the races and an abseiling challenge, bringing in a total of £9,750.

“This is a particularly exciting time for MS research as a number of breakthroughs have been made recently which increase our understanding of the condition, and may, over time, lead to the development of a cure. We are delighted to have contributed in a small way to this.”

In 2018 the company has chosen the Northern Ireland Air Ambulance as its sponsored charity.

Mr Wilson said: “We always choose charities which fit our ethos as a company and listen to the views of our staff.

“I can’t think of a better cause to support than the air ambulance, which had its first flight in July. It can reach any part of Northern Ireland within 25 minutes, slashing transport time to hospitals and because there are medics on board, treatment can begin on the scene. It will save lives and it is great that we now have it.

“However not everyone will know that

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this is a charity which costs £2 million a year to run. It needs donations. We’re proud to do our little bit and would appeal to all our suppliers and other friends in the business community to do what they can too.”

Any organisation wanting to support the Wilson Group’s Air Ambulance fundraising campaign should contact Tanya Campbell on 028 9075 1212.

For further information on the Wilson Group healthcare services please see www.wilsongroupni.co.uk/healthcare or contact our head office on 028 9075 1212

PASSENGER NUMBERS AND ROUTES ON THE UP AT DUBLIN AIRPORT Dublin Airport is an essential piece of infrastructure and the main international gateway for the island of Ireland with connections to 185 destinations in 41 countries operated by 47 airlines.

This is Dublin Airport’s seventh consecutive year of growth. More than 27.4 million passengers travelled between January and November, a 6% increase when compared to last year.

Over 1.6 million additional passengers were welcomed during that time.

This growth in passenger numbers was helped by the 14 new routes and services that were launched in 2017 comprising five long haul and nine short haul routes, coupled with extra frequencies on many existing routes.

Passengers can choose from 174 flights per week to the US with Aer Lingus,

American Airlines, Delta, Ethiopian Airlines, Norwegian and United.

Travelling to the USA is so easy with US Preclearance which means that passengers save time on arrival in the US by completing all the necessary immigration and customs checks prior to departure. The only queue a precleared passenger encounters on arrival in the US is the taxi queue to their destination.

There is much to look forward to next year with the arrival of two new airlines.

Cathay Pacific will operate a new direct service to Hong Kong and Iceland Air will fly to Reykjavik. Aer Lingus will add Philadelphia and Seattle to its transatlantic route network. Air Canada will fly to Montreal during the summer, British Airways will launch a new weekly service to Manchester and Ryanair will add Paphos in Cyprus and Marrakesh in Morocco to its schedule next year.

Visit www.dublinairport.com for bookings and route information.

CONNECTING YOUR BUSINESS TO THE FUTURE “At Northern Ireland Electricity Networks, we’ve been connecting customers to the electricity network for over a century. We know that today’s business customer, large or small, wants a simple, value for money, streamlined process and that’s what we aim to deliver, every time.” says Edel Creery, NIE Networks Connections Manager.

NIE Networks’ connections business employs over 300 staff and delivers thousands of new connections and network alterations across Northern Ireland each year. Edel believes that communicating with the customer and delivering what businesses need is critical to NIE Networks’ ability to grow.

“We’ve been engaging with the business community, looking at ways to review and enhance our connections processes. We ensure we’re delivering what our customers want, now and into the future. Whether you need an electricity supply for new premises or are expanding your manufacturing capability, NIE Networks will guide you through the process from quotation right through to getting your supply metered and energised.

“We understand that in today’s economic climate, delivering on time and on budget is vital. Our design and planning teams will work with you to create the most cost

effective design to suit your project, while our skilled construction crews will get you connected safely, working to a high standard every time.”

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If you would like to know more, then visit nienetworks.co.uk/connections or call the Customer Helpline on 03457 643643.

LIFESTYLE

Joanne Harkness

New Year, New You HOUSE OF FRASER

ANGELA SLOAN

Looking at office wear on trend for 2018.

Houndstooth skirt, Miss Selfridge. £32, River Island.

Ruffle blouse, Dorothy Perkins.

Leaf design blouse, Marks and Spencer.

Blue jumper, Marks and Spencer.

Three piece suit, Next.

Snakeprint bag, £16, Asda.

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Shoes, Burton.

With the New Year chill still holding a grip, it’s time to sizzle up some warm and tasty dishes. Head Chef at Fratelli in Belfast, Giorgio Sechi, shares one of his favourite servings.

lifestyle LIFESTYLE

Dine & Wine Chargrilled Chicken & Pesto With Shrink Vegetable Spaghetti

Chargrilled Chicken & Pesto with Shrink Vegetable Spaghetti (Serves One) Ï 0ƑƋƋ ƅ ƈƅƊƆ ƄƏƆ Ɛè ƄƑƐƐƆƏƇƋƈƆƗ Ï ǀƠ ƅ ƑƏ ƆƐƐƆ Ï ǀƠ ƅ ƏƏ Ɛ Ï ǀƠ ƄƑƐƐƆƏ ƑƐ ƎƑ Ï ÕéƤ Ƒ ƗƏƈƆƗ Ɛ ƌ Ɛ Ɔ Ï d ƋƐ ÷ ^ƆƍƍƆƏ Ɛ Ɔ Ï 1Ɔ ƆƏ Ƒ ƒƈ Ƈ ^ ƏƌƆ ƅ ƆƆ Ɔ Ƈ Ə Ə ƈ

For Red Pesto Ï ƾƐƄ Ɛ ƌ Ɛ ƍ ƐƆ Ï ơƠ Ƈ Ɛ ƐƆƗ ƍƈ Ɔ ƑƐ Ï 1Ɔ ƆƏ Ƒ ƆƏƒƈ Ƈ Ə ƐƆƗ ^ ƏƌƆ ƅ ƆƆ Ɔ Ï ơƔ ƅƋ ƒƆ Ƈ ƏƋƈƅ Ï ƾƐƄ RƋƈƒƆ RƈƋ Method: 1. Pass the carrot, courgette & butternut squash through a spiral slicer and mix together for the vegetable spaghetti and leave to one side.

2. With your hand flat on top of the chicken breast use a sharp knife to slice into one side of the breast, starting with the thicker side. Open the breast so that

it resembles a butterfly, be careful not the cut the all the way through. Season with salt and pepper. Chargrill or fry for 3-4mins each side or until cooked through.

in the sundried tomatoes to warm through.

4. In a separate pot bring some water to the boil and season with salt. Add in the spiralled vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

3. While chicken is cooking use a pestle and mortar or hand blender to mix the olive oil, tomato paste, garlic glove, pre-roasted pinenuts. Add this mix to a hot pan with more olive oil and roast off for 3-4mins. Add

5. To finish add the vegetable spaghetti to the red pesto & sundried tomato mix, toss in pan and serve in a warm bowl. Place the butterflied chicken on top and garnish with parmesan shavings.

Need the perfect pairing?

Fratelli’s wine expert in residence Rebecca Robb recommends her libation of choice.

1 ƒƈ Ɨƈ 1 ƒƈ G Lƈ ƈ January, the month of well-meaning resolutions, promises to axe all manners of naughty food and drinks from our diet and generally deny ourselves any pleasure... If you find yourself in this precarious position please read. My wine of choice this month is the majestic Gavi di Gavi from our wine list here at Fratelli Belfast.

Legend has it in the 5th century a beautiful princess by the name of Gavia fell in love with her guard and to indulge this forbidden affair, the smitten couple fled over the border to Italy. Years later her father found

her and with forgiveness in his heart he named the village, and consequently the wine produced there, Gavi in honour of the happy couple.

Whether this love story is true or not, the Gavi di Gavi wines of Piedmont are indeed the white jewels in the crown of Italian wines. Produced from the indigenous Cortese grape, viticulturists must pay careful attention to the vigorous growth of this variety to avoid wines of bland character.

Bland this Gavi di Gavi most certainly is

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not – a straw yellow colour in the glass leads onto an exciting scent of delicate crushed flowers and lime zest, on the palate apple peach and honeydew melon harmonise in a symphony of fruit with a silky honey crescendo to finish. The mineral rich soil in the town of Gavi lends a balanced zip of acidity and minerality giving the wine excellent ageing potential.

To partner this gem our chef Giorgio has created a health conscious dish for all you lovely well-behaved people who have read this far! Until next issue Felice Anno Nuovo!

COLUMNIST

Jim Fitzpatrick, Journalist and Broadcaster

Trade Winds

Understanding the inner workings of trade has never been more important with Brexit and President Trump’s views in the spotlight

hen the financial crisis hit in 2008 the world needed experts on banking to try and explain what was happening.

Few journalists were. Banking was one of those things that just happened. It didn’t normally need much explanation. But suddenly banking wasn’t happening. Banks were going bust. The financial system itself was teetering on the brink. And the world wanted an explanation.

Robert Peston, Business Editor at the BBC, was one of the few surefooted hacks to step forward.

He had cut his journalistic teeth in banking, so he knew a whole lot of stuff that others didn’t. His moment came and he rose to the challenge.

Initially with the Northern Rock story and then subsequently with the unfolding global mess.

A decade later and banking, while not fixed, is in a better state. But there’s a shortage of journalistic experts in another important field: Trade.

Trade is the topic that will dominate our lives for the foreseeable future. Like banking before the crash, it has appeared to tick along happily. But we’ve never really had to open the lid and look into its inner workings. In blissful ignorance we have assumed that trade is a solid and immutable part of the global economy that ebbs and flows with the economic cycle.

But those assumptions have now been shattered by two separate, yet overlapping, events that have profound global implications

W

and very particular ones here in Northern Ireland.

Those events are Brexit and Trump.

Since the Brexit referendum our news has been dominated by terms like “Customs Union” and “Single Market”. Suddenly people are arguing with real passion “for” and “against” these concepts that only a number of months ago many people would have struggled to define. Many, even those arguing, still do struggle to define them.

At an event last year in Ireland with leading European politicians the former Prime Minister Tony Blair admitted that while he was in Downing Street, he never knew there was a difference between the EU Customs Union and the Single Market. He didn’t know because, in many ways, he didn’t need to know. Both were a given. But that is no longer the case.

We hear leading Brexit supporters talking about the wonders of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) system as if it is something solid and practical that doesn’t involve any of the political fudge and fuss they hate within the EU. Yet the WTO is itself a relatively young organisation born out of a post-war system of 96

multi-lateral trade agreements that sought to establish a baseline for how global trade should be conducted. It is a system of rules that countries are asked to adhere to on the basis that a common set of rules allows for fair play.

But just as Brexit has removed the certainties of the Customs Union and Single Market for the UK, Trump is beginning to chip away at the certainties of the WTO and its system of rules.

President Trump doesn’t like multilateral arrangements between lots of countries. He wants to put America First. He has already killed one potential multilateral trade agreement between the US and several countries bordering the Pacific and he’s on the verge of killing another between the US, Canada and Mexico. His final target may be the WTO – the US is currently refusing to ratify new judges to its appeals court. The whole system of international trade is teetering on the brink.

So, start reading more about trade. You may never have had to worry about it before. But you do now. And you need to prepare for a bumpy ride.

IN 1964

a BHF professor sets up the world’s first coronary care unit

YOU CAN REALLY MEASURE OUR IMPACT We’re going to great lengths to beat heart and circulatory disease, but it still kills 1 in 4 people in Northern Ireland.

IN 1976

a BHF professor proves that heart attacks are caused by blood clots in the coronary artery, setting the stage for a revolution in heart attack treatment

IN THE 1980S

public donations help fund clinical trials leading to the use of beta-blockers, clot-busting drugs, aspirin and ACE inhibitors

And every time it strikes, it tears apart another family.

So back the British Heart Foundation.

Help fund £2.5 million of research at Queen’s University. Help provide thousands of CPR kits to schools. And help support nearly 200 heart health professionals across the country.

To find out how you can fundraise for us, contact Grace O’Neill at oneillg@bhf.org.uk

IN 1994

BHF trials prove the life saving benefits of statins

IN 2010

We launch genetic testing for potentially fatal Familial Hypercholesterolemia

IN 2015

A BHF professor demonstrates that human stem cells are safe for regenerative medicine

© BHF 2017 reg charity no 25971/SC039426

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