Ambition Issue 18 (Sep/Oct 2016)

MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

September/October 2016 ISSUE 18

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CREATING INSPIRATIONAL WORKSPACES

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contents

NI CHAMBER COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER

September/October 2016 Issue 18

Editor: Adrienne McGill Publisher: Chris Sherry Advertising Manager: Catherine Patton Editorial Assistant: Chloe Heaney Email addresses: adrienne.mcgill@northernirelandchamber.com c.patton@ambitionni.co.uk Websites: www.northernirelandchamber.com www.ulstertatler.com

72

Publisher: Ulster Tatler Group, 39 Boucher Road, Belfast, BT12 6UT Tel: 028 9066 3311

Flooring for the future with Interface President Jay Gould

Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim

NEWS: 08 ULSTER CARPETS ROLLS OUT ACQUISITION 10 THREE CHEERS FOR MOUNT CHARLES

THE ALPHA GROUP

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NI CHAMBER PATRONS

MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

SEpTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE 18

kevin gallagher on not getting caught out like ‘jerry maguire’

FOR OVER 45 YEARS

FEATURES: TO GET YOU WORKING HAPPY 20 PUTTING ITS STAMP ON THE MARKET WE’VE DONE THE WORK

22 42 76

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LEARNING HOW TO LEAD – TOWARD FLYNN TAKES ON A NEW LOOK A FLOW OF FUNDING – UPSTREAM WORKING CAPITAL Tel: 028 9078 1531 Fax: 028 9037 0053 salesbelfast@alphaofficefurniture.com

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Magazine of northern ireland chaMber of coMMerce and industry

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COLUMNISTS: 12 CHRIS JAMES 16 TREVOR ANNON 25 SEAN LAVERY 28 MAUREEN O’REILLY 46 NIALL MOONEY 66 IAN RAINEY 69 JOHN COLEMAN 79 KEVIN GALLAGHER CREATING INSPIRATIONAL 96 JIM FITZPATRICK WORKSPACES

Addresses: Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 4-5 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT15JA Tel: 028 9024 4113

stability clarity action ni chamber on target to help businesses post-brexit

upstream flows ahead with judith totten

Cover Story AMBITION SPECIAL FOCUS

50

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18/02/2016 16:47

editorial

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Driving Ambition

BREXIT – THE GAMECHANGER

he UK needs to be prepared for some “difficult times” ahead as it leaves the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May has said.

She has warned that Brexit would not be “plain sailing” for the UK despite positive economic figures since the referendum.

The Prime Minister has also indicated that formal EU talks will not begin until 2017 but has stressed that the country would “make a success” of leaving the EU. She has also said she is “optimistic” about new opportunities for Britain outside the EU. However, as it stands, Northern Ireland faces a range of specific issues.

The region has received tens of millions of pounds in the last 20 years – money designed to help divided communities and enhance the peace process.

Since 1995, various peace funds have delivered £1.5 billion and a cross-border fund has provided £820 million.

Aside from that there’s Horizon 2020, the EU’s research and innovation programme from which the UK receives €75 billion and which is hugely important to universities and scientific research institutions.

The Treasury has said EU projects signed before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will be fully funded.

Politicians in London have agreed that EU schemes in Northern Ireland signed off before November of this year will get guaranteed funding even if they continue after the UK leaves the EU.

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04 NI Chamber

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Back in March, Northern Ireland’s Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (now the Department for the Economy) calculated that the risks of Brexit would be much more serious for Northern Ireland than the rest of Britain. Whereas Britain’s economic losses will be measured in the region of 0.1-4 per cent of GDP, for Northern Ireland that increases to up to 5.6 per cent.

Given the importance of what lies ahead for the Northern Ireland economy, NI Chamber has drawn up a policy document – a business response to the EU referendum.

The priorities for business in the wake of the referendum are ‘Stability – for markets and business confidence, Clarity – on the time frame for key decisions and Action to proactively support the economy at a sensitive time of transition.

In this issue, our Special Focus looks at six strategic issues of immediate concern to NI Chamber members covering Trade and Access to Markets; Manufacturing; Major Projects; Foreign Direct Investment; Local Economic Development and the Labour Market. These are areas on which the growth of the local economy hinges and are of critical importance.

Brexit is without doubt a gamechanger. There are many moves yet to be played out and economic issues yet to be debated.

Adrienne McGill Editor Ambition

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editorial

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Northern Ireland needs a skills mix

N

I Chamber’s Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) is an excellent method of gauging how members are reacting to issues and concerns that are impacting their businesses.

In the latest survey, which is produced in association with BDO, in addition to post-Brexit concerns, members yet again highlighted skills – or the lack of them – as an area which needs to be addressed if the Northern Ireland economy is to grow.

The survey revealed that almost two-thirds of businesses are experiencing recruitment difficulties across the manufacturing and

06 NI Chamber

services sectors while more than half of the respondents believe there to be a mismatch of skills to the workforce requirements and that is curtailing economic growth and recovery.

Worryingly, the skills issue is likely to become even more critical as a result of Brexit. The skills of existing EU workers are crucial to the success of businesses, and must be retained. This makes sense both for EU employees and their UK employers.

Also businesses that are currently recruiting international labour need prompt information regarding labour movement plans.

With major skills shortages in industries such as construction, engineering and IT, EU workers provide the UK economy with vital skills which are simply in short supply among the indigenous workforce.

Then, there are the skills that high quality businesses who invest in Northern Ireland expect to find. They want qualified graduates who can slot into a high-end demanding role and we need to ensure that we can match the personnel needs of such companies with our labour supply. This is, therefore, not the time to be cutting back on investment in further and higher education.

In fact, the opposite is the case. We must ensure that investment in skills is prioritised and that the funding model for universities is reviewed.

Northern Ireland needs a skills mix, so that we can service the range of sectors and companies – indigenous and foreign, professional and trades based. This requires long term planning and a collaborative approach between FE colleges, universities, employers and government policy makers, both central and local. The relocation of political responsibility for further and higher education into the Department for the Economy is the right move and should help ensure a long term strategic emphasis on skills which marries education and the workforce.

Nick Coburn President Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry

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news

Ulster Carpets rolls out acquisition Ulster Carpets has recently bought a high-end textile manufacturer in England.

The Craigavon-based company said Roger Oates Design fitted perfectly with Ulster Carpets’ philosophy of acquiring high quality businesses in the floor covering sector.

Headquartered in Ledbury with a showroom in Chelsea, Roger Oates Design handcrafts its own range of distinctive fabrics for use as stair runners and related interior furnishing products.

David Acheson, Ulster Carpets’ Head of Strategic Operations, said: “Ulster’s ethos and future plans very much revolve around quality, design and service excellence and Roger Oates Design fits this perfectly.

“We are delighted to have secured Roger’s continued involvement and are excited about the future prospects for the business.”

Roger Oates said the company was delighted to become part of the Ulster Group.

David Acheson (left) of Ulster Carpets with Roger Oates.

Architecture student hailed as ‘Best in NI’ Ulster University architecture student Bradley Lynch has been named as one of Northern Ireland’s most exciting new design talents by a leading architectural firm.

Bradley has received the Hamilton Architects Most Promising Young Designer Award, along with a cash prize and the offer of a job on completion of his studies.

The judges were impressed by the second year student’s design of a satellite community theatre for the Lyric Theatre, which was placed in the heart of Belfast’s Shankill Road.

Seamus McCloskey, Partner at Hamilton Architects, said: “Bradley’s entry was an excellent design project, sensitively handled and well presented. The design demonstrated an understanding of how to bring internal space and volume together to accommodate a large number of spaces and user groups into a relatively small building.”

Hamilton Architects has offices in London, Belfast and Derry and has recently secured over £30 million of new contracts.

Bradley said: “This September I will be going into final year, and knowing that I have already secured my dream job has given me the confidence and motivational boost to continue to work hard and realise my career ambitions.”

Architecture student Bradley Lynch with Hamilton Architects Partner Seamus McCloskey.

08 NI Chamber

Minister welcomes P2V Systems’ IT growth in Lisburn Economy Minister Simon Hamilton has welcomed the growth of Lisburn based firm P2V Systems who plan to double its workforce by 2018 with support from Invest Northern Ireland.

P2V Systems provide IT services to public and private sector businesses, helping them operate more efficiently and cost effectively. Currently, 30 per cent of the company’s sales are generated outside Northern Ireland.

Commending the company on their growth plans the Minister said: “P2V Systems has established robust business partnerships with BT, HP and others and delivered exemplary services to customers on behalf of these partners. The company is determined to take the business to the next level and

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton with Managing ‎Director of P2V Systems Stephen McCann and Marketing Director Jackie Wilson.

the creation of these 14 new positions will facilitate its growth and expansion strategy.”

The new roles will provide opportunities for IT consultants, account managers, business development managers and marketing executives. Invest Northern Ireland has offered the company an employment grant of £98,100 towards the 14 new jobs, two of which are already in place.

Stephen McCann, Managing Director of P2V Systems, said: “Last year was very productive in winning new business and new customers and as a result our turnover has jumped by over 100 per cent. We intend to capitalise on current opportunities within the GB market and these new positions will help us form a strong team to drive the business forward.”

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news Economy Minister Simon Hamilton with John Dunlop, United Dairy Farmers Chairman; Nick Whelan, Dale Farm Group Chief Executive and Dr David Dobbin CBE, retiring Dale Farm Group Chief Executive.

Mike Todd, General Manager at Down Royal, Pamela Ballantine, Chair of the Hospitality Committee at Down Royal, Trevor Annon, Chairman of Mount Charles and Jim Nicholson, Chair of Down Royal.

Three cheers for Mount Charles

Mount Charles has launched a new division, Mount Charles ‘Drink’ which will service bar and beverage contracts for external events.

The news comes as the company celebrated a high profile, threeyear beverage contract win with Down Royal racecourse which will boost the company’s revenue by around £400,000 per annum.

The contract is a major achievement for Mount Charles, one of Ireland’s leading food service, cleaning, security and vending companies, which has held the beverage contract for Kingspan Stadium, home of Ulster Rugby, since July 2013.

Mount Charles also won the beverage contract earlier this year for one of the biggest outdoor sporting events on the island of Ireland: the international North West 200 motorcycle road race.

Trevor Annon, Chairman and Founder of Mount Charles, said: “Winning the contract to supply a bar service at the prestigious Down Royal Racecourse and at a major event such as the North West 200 is testament to our service quality and provides the perfect platform on which to launch the division formally.”

Dale Farm on way to further growth Dale Farm has opened a new £7 million state of the art cheese retail packing facility at its Dunmanbridge facility near Cookstown which has led to the creation of 60 new jobs.

The Dunmanbridge plant, one of the most advanced of its kind in Europe, houses the latest cheese making and processing technology.

Welcoming the investment, Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: “Dale Farm is a great example of the many award winning, export focused producers who are investing in innovative measures to

support their growth and their continued contribution to Northern Ireland’s Agri-Food industry.”

Invest Northern Ireland has provided £548,840 of support towards the jobs and new cheese packing facility.

Dale Farm Group Chief Executive David Dobbin said: “This new cheese processing and packing facility will help us continue to deliver strong growth in our cheddar sales in both domestic and export markets, especially in the faster growing convenience segment of the market. Over the last two years we have more than doubled our sales in consumer cheese products.”

The Dark Hedges shine brightly in Chile One of Northern Ireland’s most popular tourist attractions has been included in a stunning calendar produced by the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce – a sister organisation of NI Chamber.

The atmospheric Dark Hedges in Armoy, Co Antrim which feature in HBO’s fantasy television drama Game of Thrones, appear in a picture for the month of October in the British Chilean Chamber of Commerce 2016 calendar.

Since the start of the year, the calendar has been posted to Chamber members across South America and given as gifts at various events and meetings hosted by the organisation.

The calendar displays different images from the UK and Chile for each month.

The picture of the Dark Hedges, a haunting avenue of serpentine beech trees, was captured by 22 year old Kelly-Anne 10 NI Chamber

Rainey from Northern Ireland before she left for Santiago.

The student from Jordanstown has been working for the past year for the British Chilean Chamber as part of her degree course at Southampton University where she is studying French, Spanish and Portuguese for a degree in Modern Languages.

During her time with the Chamber, KellyAnne was responsible for arranging a meeting between Chile’s Minister for Transportation Andrés Gómez-Lobo Echenique and Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus.

Kelly-Anne said: “I thought the Dark Hedges would make an excellent addition to the calendar and was delighted that it was included. Many people I met in Santiago who saw the picture were amazed at their beauty and of course were very interested to hear about their starring role in Game of Thrones.”

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Monday, 25 April 2016 10:47

columnist

The evolution of responsible business An increasing number of firms are embracing a culture of corporate responsibility as Chris James, Director of Delivery, Fujitsu explains.

C

orporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in business has evolved significantly over the last few decades – from carrying out good deeds for society in the 1950s to responsible business being identified as strategic issue in the 1990s.

Today, for an increasing number of organisations, being responsible across all their operations and when making business decisions, is a key priority. This culture of corporate responsibility has been steadily growing in Northern Ireland in recent years with more companies recognising that a profitable, successful business is only sustainable when the economy and the communities in which they operate are healthy, prosperous and vibrant.

Business-led charity, Business in the Community (BITC), can help us explain this growing culture of corporate responsibility and evolution of responsible business. From small enterprises to global corporations, they help businesses to take practical steps to tackle issues facing society to create a fairer and a more sustainable future. As well as supporting charity engagement, they have seen responsible business strategies develop to include environmental, enterprise, employment and educational engagement and leadership development. This evolution is set to continue as organisations not only focus on recognising responsible business practices and leaders now, but incorporating the views and needs of

12 NI Chamber

future stakeholders.

In partnership with the BITC, we launched a ‘Future Leaders’ Poll to uncover how these future leaders feel about responsible business. The poll was open to those under 25 and asked young people what responsible business means to them and its impact on their career and employer choices.

From the young people who responded, 61 per cent said that when applying for roles, they considered the responsible business approach of potential employers and 49 per cent stated that they had been asked for their ideas on responsible business. This is a particularly striking fact given many companies in Northern Ireland – particularly in the ICT sector – are competing for skilled talent and may not appreciate the impact that responsible business activities has on potential recruits.

Additionally, less than half of the young people surveyed said they had been asked about their own ethics and values during recruitment.

The Future Leaders poll also found that an overwhelming 92 per cent of those under 25 cite responsible business as important to them as potential investors. In our experience, taking decisions that are inclusive and holistic generates a smart, sustainable business that respects and supports the communities it serves now and far into the future. The recent Business in the Community Northern Ireland (BITCNI) Responsible Business Awards illustrates this

very point. Many large and smaller organisations have realised the importance of investing in innovation.

For example Diageo, a global drinks company, picked up the top award – NI Responsible Company of the Year. Encirc, a local Fermanaghbased glass manufacturing company, secured the Marketplace Leadership Award sponsored by Fujitsu. Encric were recognised for developing innovative products that inspire responsible customer behaviour and encourage more sustainable lifestyles. This demonstrates that responsible business in action takes a myriad of factors into consideration including the environment, product development, consumer behaviour and innovation. This October, Belfast will also play host to the ‘Tomorrow’s World Responsible Business Summit’ where attendees will address many responsible business topics needed to continue this journey of evolution.

One final result of note from the Future Leaders Poll is the differencing answers given by women and men.

More female Future Leaders feel their organisations are authentic in their approach to responsible behaviour compared to their male equivalents.

Today, inclusion and diversity is embedded in many organisations approach to its people. These results highlight the need for employers to shine a light on responsible business activity and give all employees the opportunity to participate.

Leading the way in cold storage Interfrigo Ltd is the largest independent cold store operator in Northern Ireland and is one of only two cold stores in the UK and Ireland to be awarded USDA approval.

The company provides third party cold storage for a number of local and international food producers. Interfrigo Ltd specialises in chilling and freezing food for manufacturing and retail customers in the food sector, working in partnership with them to optimise inventories and ensure goods are available precisely when required.

Interfrigo Ltd provide their customers with one of the most flexible cold storage facilities in the UK and Ireland, allowing them to accommodate stock from the modest to the largest of producers. Their 136,000 sq ft state-of-the-art cold store has storage capacity for 20,000 pallets.

Advanced IT systems drive the operations and they use e-business

Interfrigo Ltd, Steeple Industrial Estate, County Antrim BT41 1AB Tel: 028 9446 4599 Fax: 028 9446 4597 Email: info@interfrigo.co.uk

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technologies to improve efficiency and service. Their temperature-controlled warehouses offer a range of storage options and are managed using a stateof-the-art WMS system which manages all stock control and movement in the store. This enables customers to remotely access highly accurate, real time inventory information.

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feature

My Ambition is to...

Kevin McCann, Commercial Manager, McCann Apples.

T

he majestic orchards of Co Armagh and the annual apple harvest have been a key part of my life from childhood, so it was a natural progression for me to enter my family’s fruit business, McCann Apples. In my current role as a Commercial Manager within the family business, my fond memories of growing up surrounded by this flourishing industry give me the passion and enthusiasm to develop our thriving business even further.

Founded in 1968 in a small outbuilding at the back of the family homestead outside Loughgall by my ambitious and forwardthinking grandfather Patsy, the business was then taken over by my father Oliver, the Managing Director of the company.

The company has gone from strength to strength over the past 48 years, going from a small pack house to one of the leading fruit producers in the country – moving to a new base in Portadown in 2000.

Having always had a keen interest in the orchards, I worked closely with family members from a young age to gain first-hand experience of the business and learn the key aspects which are required to operate and

14 NI Chamber

maintain it.

Studying at St Patrick’s Grammar School, Armagh, and then Loughry College CAFRE, gave me a solid base to gain the qualifications I needed to meet the commercial and technical requirements sought by the food industry.

The ethos of our business is local produce for local people. When supplying to the retail, wholesale and catering markets across the UK and Ireland, we only use first-rate locally sourced ingredients in our ranges. We believe in supporting local jobs, local customers and local growers and are continually re-investing in contemporary orchard techniques.

Our product range has evolved with not just a wide range of mouth-watering apples and pears, but freshly pressed fruit juices and full-flavoured craft ciders. We now employ over 60 people and also have a holding in Dublin Fruit Market.

I love all aspects of my job which involves everything from growing the fruit to developing our production methods, as well as dealing with big name buyers and the public. A day’s work could see me negotiating prices with buyers in the morning and out in the orchards, overseeing production in the

afternoon. Being a family business, we stay close to our roots…the land! Spending time out in the orchards allows me to appreciate that our product is not factory made, but cultivated by nature.

To survive in the highly competitive food industry, it’s essential to diversify, identify market trends, set target goals and achieve them. Along with the management team, I look at areas of potential growth and ensure our processes are of the highest quality to meet customer needs.

Having worked my way up through the industry, you have to adapt to liaise with customers, from junior level right through to commercial directors. When a buyer asks ‘What is possible?’ I must be able to answer right away what I can do for them – be that a change in packaging or product. Good people skills are also essential. I attend annual key consumer events such as Mullahead Ploughing Match, the Balmoral Show and the All-Ireland ploughing championship. Speaking directly with consumers allows me to hear what they have to say and gives me ideas for new product development.

Being a family business, teamwork is key and we’ve a highly experienced group of people supporting us here at McCann Apples. Over the past 3 years we’ve maintained and achieved a range of industry certifications meeting top processing standards. These include the British Retail Consortium Grade AA food safety standard, Tesco’s TPPS blue standard, the Organic Soil association accreditation and SEDEX approval in ethical standards.

Personally, I was recently delighted to have been awarded the Rising Star category in the Food Heartland Awards. This has given me the inspiration and confidence to further develop my skills for the benefit of the business.

Our company will soon celebrate 50 years in business and as a member of the third generation, my ambition is to see myself – along with my brother Oliver Jnr – grow the company into its centenary year. We hope to achieve this through diversification at the orchard with new fruit varieties, changes in growing techniques, production processes, better storage systems and ultimately better products for our customers.

With all this work, the challenge is also maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but like they say...an apple a day keeps the doctor away!

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columnist

Consumer confidence must be protected in Brexit wake Brexit is having an impact on business and consumer confidence according to surveys but, Trevor Annon, Chairman of Mount Charles, says the fall in confidence is only important if it persists.

16 NI Chamber

T

he Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for July shows that the economy has taken a downturn in the aftermath of the Brexit vote and Markit tells us that combined services and manufacturing activity has dropped to its lowest level in seven years.

Furthermore, a poll by market researcher company GfK has recorded the biggest slump in consumer confidence for more than 26 years in July. The results show that people were on average less optimistic about their own finances, the broader economy and whether now was a good time to make big purchases such as furniture and household appliances.

These reports in the aftermath of Brexit are largely unsurprising.

The vote to leave the EU signals uncertainty for the UK economy as a whole, and particularly for Northern Ireland, where the economy has been recovering more slowly than in the rest of the UK. I do believe however that the immediate reaction to a change of this magnitude will always be one of caution, and in the months to come these indexes and polls will be much more telling as to the real impact of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. None of us yet knows what the eventual outcome of this referendum will be, but who is to say that it won’t

bring about lasting, positive change?

That is why I believe that consumer confidence must be protected at all costs, for it is the lack of assurance in the economy and in our leadership, rather than our EU membership or otherwise, that has the power to do real damage.

Consumer spending is extremely important to the economy. UK-wide it makes up over 60 per cent of GDP and in Northern Ireland, much of our recent growth and job creation has been based upon domestic consumer spending rather than government spending, increased exports or business investment.

This fact in itself is a clear demonstration of why household faith in the future of our economy should be encouraged through positive messages and strong leadership. The last thing any business needs is a return to the difficult trading conditions we experienced throughout the recent recession, and steps must be taken to safeguard our now vulnerable recovery.

As a country, Northern Ireland has had its fair share of problems but massive progress has been made here in the last 20 years since the Good Friday Agreement, and in a time of relative peace we have grown and flourished.

Yes, some of our growth has been enabled by funding we have

received from the EU, and yes we are most likely a better integrated society because of EU monies spent on peace-building projects, but some positive news on this front is that EU structural and investment projects in Northern Ireland signed before the Chancellor’s Autumn statement will be funded even if they continue after Brexit.

Also consider that several non-EU countries including China, Canada and Australia are now lining up to strike free trade deals with Britain in the wake of Brexit, so all is by no means lost in terms of our international trading options.

Putting the EU aside, let’s not forget we now have industries that just didn’t exist 20 years ago, such as tourism. The local economy has been greatly boosted by tourism, which generates revenue of over £700 million and sustains more than 40,000 jobs.

We also have a burgeoning film industry, with Northern Ireland hosting filming for the hugely popular HBO television show Game of Thrones for several months out of every year.

There’s no doubt that the economic landscape will change and that brings with it uncertainty when it comes to areas such as taxation, investment decisions, cross border trade and access to European markets, but the worst thing we can do is to stay still while we wait to see what kind of trading relationship the UK is able to negotiate with the EU. It’s human nature to be wary of change, but having been in business for almost 30 years and steered that business successfully through economic boom and bust, I can honestly say that change always brings opportunity.

The fall in confidence is only important if it persists. What we need now is a positive budget statement this Autumn and some strong messages from our leadership about how they will steer us through these choppy waters. That’s what will encourage consumer confidence and safeguard our economic stability.

face to face with...

Full disclosure

Transparency should rule when it comes to looking into the background of dissolved companies, Richard Gray, Partner at Carson McDowell LLP tells Adrienne McGill.

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proposed change to the length of time that public records of dissolved companies are kept may not seem like a big deal but it is proving to be contentious.

Under current policy, Companies House, the government agency that registers detailed information on UK businesses, retains the records for 20 years.

However, Companies House recently raised the prospect that it will delete the records of dissolved companies after just six years.

This database is indispensable for journalists, law enforcement agencies, lawyers, insolvency practitioners, researchers and bank compliance officials as it provides access to every company incorporated in the UK, listing all their directors, shareholders and accounts returns.

However, having recently digitalised its records and made them freely available to the public, Companies House is facing commercial and political pressure to erase valuable information, especially from the directors of failed businesses. That is hardly surprising!

Those who are against holding the information for 20 years say that making publicly available information relating to longdissolved companies, and their directors is inconsistent with data protection law and the developing idea of the “right to be forgotten”.

Richard Gray, Partner at Carson McDowell LLP in Belfast says: “Users of the register, leading journalists and politicians have raised concerns about the proposed reduction in the length of time the records are kept. They are concerned about losing the transparency of those

records. Limited liability status is one of the key reasons for setting a business up as a company so that the shareholders and directors don’t become personally liable for the debts incurred. Public disclosure of information concerning the company, its directors and accounts is the price of limited liability. The people who are objecting most strongly to this change are saying we should not sacrifice that transparency, it is too important and the implications are too significant.

“On the other side – people are increasingly aware of personal data being held for too long or incorrectly. Also with the growing use of social media, the concept has emerged of the ‘right to be forgotten’ and this has been recognised in some circumstances by the European Court of Justice.”

In one case the court ruled that a Spanish man who had once been declared bankrupt was entitled to have Google links to reports of his financial affairs taken down.

Companies House has reported that it has received thousands of requests for personal data to be removed.

But the proposed blanket deletion rule will remove from view the records of any fraudster, serial bankrupt or incompetent who has been associated with a dissolved company a day more than six years before the cut-off date.

The issue revolves around what the public wants, and needs and that means maximum transparency. Without the register, the bankrupt past of BHS buyer Dominic Chappell may have never been discovered.

At a time when public mistrust in big business is at an all-time low following a decade of financial turbulence and explosive revelations from the recently exposed Mossack Fonseca

files fresh in their minds, it is a move that has caused concern. The insolvency body R3 has warned the rule change could give culpable directors a clean slate to hide certain activities.

“It not only makes sense, it is it essential for people to be able to know who they are doing business with,” says Richard Gray.

“If you are trying to buy a company, due diligence (investigating the company to be bought) is one of the pre-requisites so searching against the records of the target business is necessary to see what information can be found about them.

“There has been some deregulation of the information to be kept on the register – directors don’t now have to put their usual residential address on the public record. So to some degree there already has been some whittling away of information.

“As a lawyer and as a citizen, I think it is important that information about dissolved companies does remain on the register as it currently stands for a duration of 20 years.

“It is very important that there is full public disclosure of information held about companies and about their directors. We can quibble about what information can be held but once that information is at Companies House it should be freely available for anyone who wants to search it. That is the price of enjoying limited liability status as a company.

It is important from many perspectives, not least maintaining public confidence in dealing with businesses.”

Companies House, which now operates under the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, has pledged to hold a public consultation about the rule change.

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feature Paul Goodchild, founder of Fernleaf Systems, who was named Entrepreneur of the Moment pictured with Lynsey Cunningham, Entrepreneurial Development Manager, Ulster Bank.

CHICLETS SUCCEED AT BELFAST HATCHERY The first six months of Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery, powered by Ulster Bank, has led to job opportunities at over 10 businesses, new turnover of over £500,000 and contracts with some of the UK’s biggest companies. Ambition looks at the recent ‘Entrepreneuring Awards’, at which £30,000 in prizes were distributed to Chiclets.

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local business accelerator has provided a substantial boost to Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial environment in the first six months of its operation.

Entrepreneurial Spark, the world’s largest free business accelerator for early stage and growing ventures, in partnership with Ulster Bank, has provided significant opportunities to almost 80 early stage and scale-up businesses since its arrival in February of this year.

Ranging from new business development with major retailers such as Ocado and Avoca, through to jobs created at over ten of the businesses – operating in sectors as diverse as technology, beauty and food & drink – the programme has provided tangible benefits to new business creators, and those looking to scale up their existing enterprises.

Speaking at the initiative’s ‘Entrepreneuring Awards’, hosted in the Hatchery on Belfast’s Lombard Street – where the young businesses (known as Chiclets) are based – Ulster Bank Entrepreneurial Development Manager Lynsey Cunningham praised the

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dynamism of those taking part.

She said: “The talent and tenacity of entrepreneurs across Northern Ireland is really inspiring and we have had a hugely successful period in building the people who build businesses.

“As with all walks of business, some ideas fail to take off – but those that do make it through are credible, backable and investable businesses that can play a significant part in growing and developing the indigenous private sector.”

At the Entrepreneuring Awards, £30,000 in prizes were distributed to Chiclets in categories rewarding their business acumen, professional development and collaboration with others taking part in the programme.

The main award of the evening, Entrepreneur of the Moment, was awarded to Paul Goodchild, founder of Fernleaf Systems, alongside a cash prize of £10,000 to help take his business to the next level.

Fernleaf Systems provides a plugin to manage large numbers of Wordpress websites from one central location. Fernleaf also has

the number one rated security plugin for Wordpress, which powers more than 30 per cent of the world’s websites.

Paul Goodchild, Fernleaf Systems said: “Winning the Entrepreneur of the Moment award is such a great feeling, and gives me the motivation to push on and build my business.

I’ll be able to use the money I’ve received today to market my business more widely and take it to the next level.

“The Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery is such a wonderful experience – it has really accelerated my business, and it has been great to work so closely with like-minded people in a collaborative environment.”

Commenting on the awards, Entrepreneurial Spark co-founder and Chief Entrepreneuring Officer Lucy-Rose Walker said: “Congratulations to all of our winners in Belfast! At Entrepreneurial Spark we focus on building people who build businesses, and taking home an Entrepreneuring Award shows how hard you’ve worked and progressed in your first months in the Hatchery.

feature “Since opening our Hatchery in Belfast we have seen our Chiclets embrace the mindsets and behaviours of an entrepreneurial leader, working hard to become credible, backable and investable. The Entrepreneuring Awards give them the chance to celebrate their #GoDo journey and everything they have achieved to date, while allowing them to make plans on how to accelerate their business growth in their remaining time within

the programme and beyond.

“We’ve seen some incredible things from the Chiclets in Belfast so well done to everyone who was nominated and to all of the winners!”

Eamonn Largey, Associate Director, KPMG said: “Seeing how far each of the Belfast Chiclets has come since embarking on their Entrepreneurial Spark journey is actually rather humbling. Make no mistake – the

programme really puts these entrepreneurs through their paces, so these awards are an important milestone in recognising and celebrating both their individual and collective drive and determination to succeed. I am sure that all of the winners will continue to make their mark as they grow and scale in the future.”

For more information, visit www. entrepreneurial-spark.com

Ambition profiles four chiclets Kevin McElroy

Neil Bradley

Ritu Bhatt

Business: Deemtree What it does: Deemtree is voucher software that connects customers with local businesses.

It enables businesses to sell vouchers, gift cards and deals online via a store on their website and Facebook page.

The system is easy to use and automates the entire process; from processing payments, issuing vouchers, through to tracking customer redemptions.

The business typically works with service-based companies, including beauty salons, restaurants and activity venues.

How you got the idea and what your experience has been: Starting Deemtree, I had a rough idea of how to support local businesses capture online voucher sales, but it was far from the finished article.

With the support of the Entrepreneurial Spark accelerator and my team, Deemtree’s concept evolved with experimentation and market validation. We’re excited to have just launched this summer, and were recently presented with a £3,000 #GoDo award at the Entrepreneurial Spark graduation.

With this money, we are in the process of building a marketplace on our website, which will provide a facility for customers to search through all our providers, while also providing a further sales channel for our merchants.

Business: Food Safe System What it does: Food Safe System is the first standalone app that completely replaces the legally required food safety paperwork all food service businesses must have in place.

By combining smartphone technology with cloud computing and the latest wireless sensor technology, Food Safe System makes food safety compliance quicker, easier to manage and more secure than ever before.

How you got the idea and what your experience has been: I have been a chef in Northern Ireland for over 25 years. Food Safe System was born out of my own frustration with recordkeeping for the Food Standards Agency.

Grappling with the issues of good record-keeping, while working in the high pressure kitchen environment is not easy.

Chefs that we’ve shown the Food Safe System concept to immediately see the benefits; and this is so important to our success.

Being part of Entrepreneurial Spark has helped us focus more on the tasks required to launch a successful business and introduced us to a network of people and businesses who have been exceptionally willing to advise us and help.

Business: iEngageIT What it does: iEngageIT is an end-to-end IT software solution provider that adds value to businesses. It also offers software support and quality assurance services over the web and through the cloud. The company has a highly successful trackrecord in timely delivery within budget for clients. Its clients have experienced improved productivity and our software helps them meet their milestones and grow their revenue.

How you got the idea and what your experience has been: There is a significant gender imbalance in the tech industry, where only around 12-15 per cent of those working in the sector are women. My idea was, in part, born out of a desire to inspire the next generation of girls to consider working with technology as a viable and aspirational career. I have more than 15 years of software development experience in multinationals as well as the public sector in Northern Ireland.

Einna HarrisonMellon Business: SheBelle Limited What it does: SheBelle is a Belfast-based but globally-focused ethical, eco-luxury beauty brand specialising in natural hair extensions, plus a range of natural haircare products sold online and via distributors. The company is passionate about minimising its impact on the environment, ethical sourcing and the use of recycling incentives to support cancer sufferers.

How you got the idea and what your experience has been: My business was conceived because I had a number of bad experiences when I purchased hair extensions. I realised that many others had similar experiences: poor quality products and terrible customer service. I thought to myself “I can do better than this!”

I am really enjoying the Entrepreneurial Spark programme because it has enabled me to build my business confidence and enhanced my decision-making skills.

See page 29 for Lynsey Cunningham on Helping Entrepeneurs achieve their potential.

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Putting its stamp on the market Royal Mail has been in business for 500 years but a change in consumer demand and pressure from competitors has necessitated this historic institution to adapt to changes in the market as Adrienne McGill hears from Paul Sweeney, Royal Mail General Manager in Northern Ireland.

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ore than 75 million letters and parcels are sent in the post in the UK every day – but it’s only a drop in the ocean compared to the 7 billion emails which whizz from people’s outboxes every day.

But that’s no surprise given that the volume of mail being posted across the world has been falling dramatically for some time.

In the UK, addressed letters are expected to decline from 13.8 billion sent annually in 2013 to 8.3 billion in 2023.

UK total inland letter volumes declined by 3.1 per cent p.a. from 2005 to 2008 and by 6.3 per cent p.a. from 2008 to 2013, as the economic downturn increased the rate of decline.

The principal cause of the overall mail volume decline has been the substitution of paper communication by electronic methods with the popularity of social networks such as Facebook and Gmail.

However, UK parcel volumes have been growing and rose by 4.3 per cent p.a. from 2005 to 2008 and by 3.7 per cent p.a. from 2008 to 2013, mainly reflecting increasing use of online shopping by consumers.

But is the decline in letter volumes putting the future of Royal Mail, one of the UK’s

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most historic businesses, in doubt?

Not so says the giant postal company which provides mail collection and delivery services throughout the UK. Royal Mail, which was established by Henry VIII in 1516 and has been marking 500 years in existence this year, has sought in recent times to increase revenues from its lucrative parcel business. Latest figures show the number of parcels it delivered in the first quarter of the financial year had risen by 3 per cent, although revenue from the service was up just 1 per cent to £3.2 billion.

Meanwhile letters volume declined by 2 per cent.

Royal Mail has fought to retain its place as the UK’s leading parcel delivery service, amid stiff competition from the likes of FedEx, DPD, UPS and Amazon Logistics. This year, it won new contracts with John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and Waterstones.

The company’s performance in Northern Ireland is strong. According to figures, Royal Mail in Northern Ireland delivered an on target performance for the financial year 2015-2016 delivering 93.2 per cent of first class mail on time against a target of 93 per cent.

“Royal Mail has a very strong business in Northern Ireland – we go that extra mile,”

says Paul Sweeney, Royal Mail General Manager in Northern Ireland.

“We deliver a consistently high level of service. We have a dedicated team of around 2,770 employees delivering to approximately 812,000 addresses six days a week. We cover a significant geographical area across 5,500 sq. miles which is much larger than other mail centre regions in the UK.” Royal Mail, which was privatised in 2013 and listed on the London Stock Exchange, has had to move with the times in order to meet the competition and has embarked upon an ambitious cost-cutting and efficiency drive to shake-up its services.

It has been introducing new and improved products and services and responding quickly to changing customer needs.

“We have to ensure we are cost effective,” says Mr Sweeney. “The services we had in place previously such as two deliveries a day and multiple box collections which did not contain a lot of mail had to be amended to reflect the current financial position of the business. With the decline in letters being posted, we have had to look at how we can most efficiently deliver mail to customers in the best and quickest way we can.

“There continues to be a structural change

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away from paper based communication to electronic communication. Managing that decline in addressed letter volumes by promoting the value of mail is one of the core components of our letters strategy.

We are currently transforming our network with increased levels of sequencing and the reorganisation of delivery routes to make it a much more efficient organisation. Our marketing mail business ‘Market Reach’ has launched its’Mailman’ campaign to demonstrate the value of marketing mail as part of an integrated advertising campaign.

“We are also supporting the ‘Keep me posted’ campaign which works to ensure consumers have the choice of paper communications from business and public sector organisations.”

Last October, the government divested its last remaining stake in Royal Mail, ending the taxpayer’s involvement in the postal firm.

The government sold a 13 per cent stake to institutions, and gifted its remaining 1 per cent stake to eligible Royal Mail staff, meaning the company is now fully privatised for the first time in its 500-year history.

At the time, the then Chancellor George Osborne described it as “a milestone moment in the long and proud history of the Royal Mail,” which would

secure its long term future.

But what difference has privatisation made?

“We are much more aware of competition being a private company and we operate in highly competitive market,” says Mr Sweeney.

“The UK parcels market is one of the most competitive in Europe with 16 major players. We are making considerable gains with contract wins that are off setting any loss in volumes through the likes of Amazon. As a private company we are more focused on efficiency and improvements and are more commercially aware.

“In Northern Ireland we are working on a range of programmes to improve efficiency – and in so doing – pass savings back to customers.”

Paul Sweeney points to a new parcel automated system being introduced, which has been developed in conjunction with a Northern Ireland manufacturer.

“Traditionally it was a very manual effort to process parcels in the mail centre area.

The machine which has been developed automatically sorts the parcels by post code – we use bar code technology to ensure that is done correctly and this technology will play a massive part in our future.

“We have rolled out the new bar code system working with our customers, to

ensure that as many parcels are bar coded as possible in the next few years. Currently 50 per cent of all our parcels now carry a bar code – the 2D bar codes provide rich data allowing tracking capability and improved parcel management information. We have also rolled out 76,000 new handheld PDA devices – that means through each stage of the supply chain the parcel will gain a scan which will allow a customer to know where their parcel is at any time by going online or checking with customer services.”

Royal Mail has also introduced a number of new services to give its business customers, in particular SMEs, more flexibility. These have included later acceptance for mail to the mail centre and Sunday opening at selected delivery offices for collections in Antrim, Ballymena, Bangor, Belfast and Derry.

“It is a 24 hour market and we need to make sure we are responding to that and giving customers the flexibility they need,” says Paul Sweeney.

“We are the UK’s leading parcel carrier and we intend to stay that way.”

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Learning how to lead Not all executives are at the top of their game all of the time but a bit of coaching may help as Adrienne McGill hears from Johnny Parks, Managing Director of Toward.

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o be the best in anything requires hard work, determination…and very often someone behind you spurring you on.

Just think about the world’s greatest sportsmen and women, Michael Phelps, Rory McIlroy, Usain Bolt – they all have tremendous physical abilities but their coaching has been instrumental in taking them to the top of their fields. So if it works in sport – it can work in business.

Coaching for success is becoming more and more common in boardrooms across the world. Businesses need to stay ahead of their competitors and in a bid to do this are increasingly using executive coaches who work with top level management to enable their development.

They may also assist with specific problems

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that a board member, or senior manager, wants to work through outside of the normal business framework. Unlike training, coaching focuses very specifically on the issues that an executive wants to work through. Thus it becomes a speedy way to improve skills and to achieve personal and professional objectives.

Very often executive coaching is reserved for people who are critical to an organisation’s success, or will be in the future.

In general, this includes everyone at C-level, heads of major business units or functions, technical or functional wizards, and a team of high-potential young leaders.

One of the leaders in this field is Belfastbased Toward whose services are in huge demand all over the globe.

The company, which was founded 10 years ago by Johnny Parks who heads

the business, offers three main services - executive coaching, team coaching and bespoke leadership programmes.

Most of the company’s clients are large international firms with offices across the world such as business services providers, IT companies, banks and law firms. Toward, which employs 15 people, works with the board, the senior management, HR bosses or a particular team within companies to hone their executive leadership skills.

“A business may have a variety of concerns so they contact us and start a conversation,” says Johnny.

“The conversation may take place over a couple of months so we understand what is going on. It could be driven by a high potential team which is responsible for the business and there is a need for them to perform more effectively. It is not that

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they are highly dysfunctional, it may be that there has been a significant investment and responsibility placed in that team and we have to make sure that they can produce and deliver for the business so we are asked to work with them. We may also be asked to work with companies involved in a merger where a culture programme has to be developed for the various elements of the newly combined business to make sure everyone is pointing in the same direction.”

When an executive is struggling to learn how to best manage himself/herself and engage others, that’s when it’s time to call on executive coaching.

It might be a chief executive officer trying to figure out how to work with the chairman of his board or a regional vice-president scaling up to global responsibility, learning how to lead his/her former peers or a

technical wizard who destroys teams with his resistance to all ideas but his own.

“You can get people who are extremely intelligent but lack social skills, common sense or interpersonal confidence and what has got them to a certain point in their career does not always necessarily serve them well once they get to the top of their business,” says Johnny.

“There is more ambiguity, the environment is more political and there needs to be more awareness of how to work business relationships. A first class honours degree and all sorts of qualifications do not necessarily give you these things.

“We have worked with many companies with highly intelligent people who struggle when it comes to interpersonal warmth or working in a team. You would be surprised by their lack of confidence sometimes.

“Senior people can forget about the basics – they don’t explain their strategic plan to others in their team. There can be a lack of clarity and knowledge about how to deal with conflict or tension in a team.”

People come to coaching for several reasons: they could be “stuck” and can’t think of what else to do in order to move the organisation forward; there may not be anyone at their level that they can have confidential conversations with, or they

believe if they were to change/improve something within themselves, the greater organisation would benefit. Maybe they are ready to do something different, but are not sure what that “something” is. Perhaps they are looking for change, a different perspective, or have important goals to reach. Executive or “business” coaching focuses on helping individuals go from where they are, to where they want themselves and their company to be.

Executive coaching, team coaching and bespoke leadership programmes give a business a way of developing their senior staff in a cost-effective and timely manner. They enable staff to concentrate on the issues that are most critical to their performance, without lengthy training courses. They also allow the director or manager to remain at their post whilst developing, and thus don’t take away from their contribution to the business.

“We don’t do one offs – this is not a band aid plaster fix,” says Johnny.

“We often work with clients for a minimum of a year and during that time we will meet with them regularly. We use lots of metrics to evaluate performance – we profile the team and they will self-report so they will score in advance of any intervention that we deliver. We use a combination of feedback and data to assess if we are going in the right direction.

“We get a lot of repeat business which tells us that our clients are satisfied with what we are doing and that our intervention with their team or individual is performing effectively.”

The use of coaching in business has been around since the 1980s but businesses have become increasingly aware of the need to understand its potential to develop leaders and give them the edge in an increasingly competitive global business environment.

Johnny says all executives have room for improvement – even if it is one degree – no one is perfect.

“Everyone needs help and if people tell me that they don’t or they never will I am not convinced they’ll succeed at a senior level.”

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Pete Snodden from Cool FM helps launch BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition with Jill Carwell (15), Sarah Miller (16) and Vicki Miller (16) from Carryduff.

CALLING STUDENTS TO ‘DREAM IT, DO IT’ AND ENTER BTYSTE 2017 With schools across Northern Ireland now back in action after the Summer, Pete Snodden, host of the Cool FM Breakfast Show, has teamed up with the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) to call upon young people across the region to take part in the next event.

In a bid to encourage teachers and young people from across Northern Ireland to ‘Dream it, Do it’ and take the science world by storm, Pete is helping drive a campaign to recruit local students aged 12-19 to enter the 2017 exhibition, which takes place on 11th-14th January 2017 in the RDS in Dublin. Pete said: “I’m a huge advocate of anything that encourages young people to dream big and the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition does just that. The application process for the competition is super easy so if you’ve got a great idea which falls under the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) agenda then I urge young people to work alongside their science teachers to submit their one page proposal before 28th September 2016.”

BT has also reinforced its commitment to support schools across Northern Ireland to enter this year’s exhibition with a FREE travel and accommodation grant. All schools in Northern Ireland on application can qualify for the BT Travel and Accommodation Grant, which this year is supplemented by the Department of Education. This means schools which are located over 70km from the RDS in Dublin, where the exhibition is held, are eligible to apply for a grant of up to £2,205. The BT grant offers more incentives for the competition and allows an ever increasing number of young people from both rural and urban areas to participate in the exhibition. There are also college bursaries to be won to attend one of the seven colleges in the Republic of Ireland.

Mari Cahalane, Head of BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition said: “As a business we depend on talent and skills to drive our economy and the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition plays a key role in nurturing that future pool of talent.”

For more information on the exhibition and for details on how to enter, log onto www. btyoungscientist.com 24 NI Chamber

BT taking a leading role against the threat of cybercrime With cybercrime continuing to escalate, a new approach to digital risk is crucial. Businesses need to not only defend against cyberattacks, but also disrupt the criminal organisations that launch Peter Russell, General these attacks.

Manager BT Business.

BT has invested heavily in obtaining and developing the necessary employee skillsets and technology to tackle this growing digital risk for its customers. The company sees this as a vital component in securing its customers against increasingly sophisticated criminal gangs, who are supported by a developed and rapidly evolving black market.

Risks to both large and small businesses across Northern Ireland are evident in a variety of forms. This includes various types of malware or phishing attacks, high-end targeted assaults on finance systems, as well as more regular attacks on business information and on high net worth individuals within organisations.

BT recently conducted research and released a cutting edge report into cybercrime, which illustrated that a change in mindset needs to be adopted by business in order to fight the growing threat of cybercrime. The report, Taking the Offensive – Working Together to disrupt digital crime, highlighted that only a fifth of IT decision makers in large corporations are confident that their organisation is fully prepared against the threat of cybercriminals.

Peter Russell, General Manager of BT Business in Northern Ireland, said: “As a trusted service provider and advisor to private and public sector businesses across Northern Ireland, BT’s local specialist in-house solutions design team works in conjunction with external experts to develop and provide advice as well as a whole portfolio of security compliant solutions, with a bespoke offering, to look after and manage cyber security risks for our customers. Therefore, this service ensures that BT offers our customers’ peace of mind for their business security, safeguarding against potential cyber threats, by providing fully managed service solutions for CEOs, CFOs and CIOs in SMEs and larger corporate entities.

“At BT, we also have a ringside view of what is going on in cyberspace as a result of our work across global networks and we are using these capabilities and knowledge to our advantage. This expertise can identify the latest cyber security threats before they reach our local marketplace and this allows us to create credible attack scenarios in order to react and respond appropriately and proportionally to a variety of cyber threats for our customers.

Therefore, at BT we have the opportunity to stay one step ahead of cyber criminals and to offer our unique expertise to local companies.”

Taking the Offensive – Working Together to disrupt digital crime report can be downloaded at bt.com/ taking-the-offensive.

columnist

Making the most of taxing times

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o make proper business sense of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union in June, you need to have an idea of the type of deal that will be negotiated in the months and years ahead. But therein lies the problem for firms planning for a post-Brexit future.

The uncomfortable lack of detail has led to mixed results in the choppy markets. However, while uncertainty and turbulence has already stalled some transactions as people consider the implications, other clients also see opportunities in terms of Brexit.

Small and medium-sized businesses had built a steady head of steam in the first six months of this year. For them, the effects of dramatic market shifts tend to be more pronounced, but that’s not always a negative.

One of the benefits is that they can be nimble. They can and will seek out new opportunities, adapt and innovate and move to where the markets are. Owner-managed firms should develop smart added value strategies that can secure a foothold in global markets.

There is acceptance that we have to trade with other parts of the world

to get our products out. Companies are being more novel with their expertise and doing well in adding extra value in competitive sectors.

We’ll never compete with China on the likes of manufacturing, we just can’t, but with our knowledge base we’re doing more to secure opportunities.

I deal with a broad mix of familyowned and international clients and the initial mood of shock of the referendum result has started to abate. Businesses are generally accepting that you have to get on with it and make the best of it that you can. It’s very hard for people to stay still for too long.

Though some companies are being cautious in their decision-making, many are refusing to ditch growth plans. The risk taking hasn’t left us, if the right fit is there, Northern Ireland businesses have never held back on doing a deal if it’s the right deal for them at that time.

Obviously people are more cognisant of whether it is fundable.

During the downturn, people were entrenched, they solidified and they cut costs. Now, they’re generally

back on an even keel and some have built up cash reserves and they are looking to go on and do other things.

So that is happening. But it’s finding the right things to invest in and the right companies to invest in at the right value.

Taxation will be a major factor for future deals and securing changes that benefit UK firms should be a priority in exit negotiations.

The type of the deal will determine what happens to duties, tariffs and from a direct tax perspective a lot of the tax legislation has been based upon EU rules. Whether some of those rules like R&D and Patent Box can be made more favourable would be something that should be looked at.

Certainty would be nice, but businesses have to get on with it. It’s critical that the interests of Northern Ireland businesses are represented with a strong voice and that we all remain informed and engaged with any proposed changes. The Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry has always carried that responsibility well and it will be critical in the months and years ahead.

The effects of Brexit may give cause for concern, but shouldn’t blunt Northern Ireland firms’ resolve to take smart risks says Sean Lavery, Tax Partner at BDO Northern Ireland.

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bright young business brains Novosco Managing Director Patrick McAliskey and Economy Minister Simon Hamilton talk IT with students Nathan McBride and Lauren McAslan at the Novosco Cloud Camp in association with Almac hosted by Belfast Metropolitan College.

the it engineers of tomorrow T he IT engineers of tomorrow were hothoused recently at Northern Ireland’s first IT infrastructure summer

camp.

Novosco Cloud Camp, organised by Belfast IT firm Novosco and supported

by Craigavon-based pharmaceutical giant Almac, took place at Belfast Metropolitan College’s Titanic Quarter Campus. The event, which was free of charge and open to year 11–13 students, provided hands-on IT infrastructure experience and invaluable learning opportunities to students from across Northern Ireland.

Professional IT engineers and Belfast Met lecturers facilitated the camp which also included a tour of Novosco’s NI Science Park headquarters and allowed students to see a world-class managed cloud company in action.

Participants were also provided with a free Raspberry Pi computer to keep.

Areas covered at Novosco Cloud Camp included: networking, Python programming, basic HTML programming, and creating virtual servers.

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton who visited the camp said: “Summer camps like

26 NI Chamber

these are a great way to get our young people engaged in Information Communication Technology in a fun and interactive way.

“The anticipated growth in the ICT sector means that we will need more skilled people in the future to meet the demands of employers. Gaining this hands on experience and having the opportunity to work with two locally based companies will hopefully inspire these young people to go on to consider a career in ICT in Northern Ireland.”

Novosco Managing Director, Patrick McAliskey, said the interest generated by the camp underlined the increasing enthusiasm of young people to begin a career in IT infrastructure.

He added: “There is already incredible demand for the kinds of skills that these students will be developing, and that is only going to grow in the future.”

Andrew Hillis, Group Head of Information Services at Almac, said: “As a global company providing unique services, demand from clients all over the world continues to grow. IT plays an incredibly important role in delivering our global operations and as such we offer a vast

range of career opportunities within Almac to people with these skills. The Cloud Camp is an excellent way of stimulating interest in IT infrastructure amongst young people and we look forward to working with Novosco to encourage potential future employees.”

Belfast Met’s Director of Development, Damian Duffy, said the Cloud Camp was the latest in a series of ground-breaking events which were helping to maintain the College’s position as the leading facilitator of education and skills solutions in the ICT sector.

“Belfast Met is delighted to be delivering this Novosco initiative at our state of the art Titanic Quarter campus. We are also thrilled to be partnering with Almac, another leading firm, in engaging the digital technologists of the future,” he added.

Novosco provides IT infrastructure and cloud-based services to clients across Ireland and Britain. It employs 140 people and works for leading organisations including many of Northern Ireland’s top companies, UK health trusts, councils and other organisations. It has been ranked one of the top companies to work for in the UK by The Sunday Times for the last four years.

feature

Building the right ‘foundation’ for a degree

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ARD work and dedication has paid off for talented South Eastern Regional College (SERC) computing student Kathryn Young who has secured her dream job as a Graduate Software Engineer at Neueda, a global IT consultancy company, thanks to the skills and knowledge she gained at the College.

Having completed the first year of a Biomedical Science Degree course at Glasgow Caledonian University and realising it wasn’t for her, Kathryn moved back home to Belfast and started working in various jobs but couldn’t find anything she was passionate about. She then decided to attend SERC’s open day to see what courses were on offer and, after talking to the tutors, enrolled onto the Foundation Degree in Computing course.

Twenty-six year old Kathryn, who had been out of education for two years when

she enrolled at SERC, says she had been nervous about returning to studies but would strongly encourage others to do the same.

“I can safely say it was the best thing I have ever done. Everyone was so friendly and the smaller class sizes suited me. My advice to others is to attend an open day and speak to the tutors and careers staff about options.

“Thanks to SERC I now have a great job, I’m much more confident and I have found a career I really enjoy and get paid for. The best bit about the course was the work-based element which gave me an insight into the world of work. Without the sixteen week placement opportunity I don’t think I would be in the position I am now as it allowed me to showcase my abilities to a potential employer who maybe wouldn’t have considered me based on a traditional paper based application form.”

Course tutor Eamonn Brankin said Kathryn was an excellent example of how rewarding and exciting a career in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) can be.

“Foundation degrees combine academic study with on-the-job experience. This means foundation degree students graduate with a specialised set of skills that meet the specific needs of employers in a particular sector. At SERC we are committed to providing students with valuable work placements and development opportunities which allow them to improve their skills, add to their knowledge and explore their potential.”

For information on foundation degree courses call 0345 600 7555 or visit www.serc.ac.uk

Kathryn Young pictured with Neueda Business and Operations Manager Lisa Dargavel and IT Director Paddy O’Hagan.

NI Chamber 27

columnist

A Fresh Start – A New Approach The NI Executive’s Programme for Government (PfG) is aspirational in its sentiments... but is it achievable?

Maureen O’Reilly, NI Chamber Economist, examines the proposals.

28 NI Chamber

I

t is not easy to sit down with a blank page and plan your ambitions for a country or region. That is in effect what the NI Executive has had to do in drafting its Programme for Government (PfG) covering the period 2016 to 20211. The PfG sets out the ambitions of the NI Executive for Northern Ire land society over the next 5 years and more. In overall terms its purpose is to provide the framework within which the Executive will seek to improve ‘wellbeing for all – by tackling disadvantage, and driving economic growth’ here.

A different approach has been taken to this PfG compared with the last one, now broadly following the model adopted by the Scottish Government. Rather than a list of ’commitments’, as was the case with the 2011-2015 PfG, this one is very much focused on what the Executive would like the ‘outcomes’ for society in Northern Ireland to be. The idea is that the primary motivation for government action will be the impact it has on people here. There are 14 outcomes in total which include aspirations such as ‘we prosper through a strong, competitive, regionally balanced economy’ and ‘we have more people working in better jobs’. These are accompanied by a number of indicators, which highlight the changes that the Executive wishes

to bring about, and measures to track progress towards those changes. For example, one indicator focuses on increasing the competitiveness of the Northern Ireland economy and uses external sales (sales outside Northern Ireland) as the measure to track progress towards that goal.

The NI Chamber recently held a workshop with members to obtain their views on the Draft PfG and inform the Chamber’s response to the Executive’s consultation process around it. In overall terms, members welcomed the direction of travel for the Draft PfG in its explicit focus on outcomes and ‘real results’. Members were particularly positive about the spirit of cooperation in the new Framework recognising the important role of the private, voluntary and community sectors in ensuring that by taking this new PfG approach we will ‘maximise what we can achieve collectively’.

Members also made a number of constructive comments around the Draft PfG. Particular attention was drawn to the importance of the action plans being developed to support the Executive’s delivery on the PfG outcomes and the need for strong engagement with the local business community in the development of those action plans most closely aligned with business and the economy. Also,

while members believed that the Draft PfG was a positive step forward, there was a need to prioritise (if not reduce) the 14 outcomes to focus on the 4 or 5 which would impact most on society. The NI Chamber therefore recommended that there should be a small number of priority outcomes accompanied by supporting outcomes. A number of more detailed comments were also made around the indicators and measures.

One of the things that struck me in the NI Chamber’s PfG workshop was recognition by members that we ‘can’t have our cake and eat it’. A number raised the point that if we want to achieve even some of what is set out in the Draft PfG then we are going to have to start thinking of alternative ways to pay for it.

Northern Ireland already receives a fiscal transfer annually of more than one third of its public expenditure because we spend more on public services than we raise in revenue. So where do we start in terms of finding ways to raise more money to fund public services here?

The NI Executive has typically shied away from charging or maximising charges for public services. It has in place a number of what are termed ‘super parity’ measures which are in effect a subsidy to consumers here for public services charges that have been

introduced in the rest of the UK (with some exceptions). In total, Northern Ireland forgoes around £500 million annually2 because we do not charge for services like water (£180 million) and prescription charges (£30 million) or fully charge for domestic rates (£150 million), housing rent (£88 million) and student fees (£38 million). Just to put this in context, that is around 60 per cent of the Department of the Economy’s annual budget. Introducing some or all of these measures could therefore represent an important source of government income. Other potential money saving/raising ideas that have been mooted over time include the abolition of all or some business rate reliefs/exemptions (circa £220 million excluding Agriculture) and the introduction of toll/road user charges.

There is also the thorny issue of

the transfer of tax raising powers.

We have already agreed to take on Corporation Tax and Air Passenger Duty and in both cases we are choosing to reduce the rate that is currently paid. There is also discussion of whether or not Northern Ireland should seek additional fiscal powers in areas such as Stamp Duty or Landfill Tax3. The NI Executive has introduced two levies in the form of the Large Retail Levy (now ended) and the Carrier Bag Levy. The amounts raised by both have been relatively small, around £5 million each annually.

The NI Chamber’s Quarter 3 2016 Quarterly Economic Survey has asked members about ways to raise additional government revenue in recognition of the fact that perhaps now more than ever is a critical time to get the debate really going around

how we take greater responsibility as a region to fund public services. If you were tasked to think of additional ways to raise revenue in Northern Ireland to really push forward the objectives of the new PfG where would you start and perhaps more importantly would you be prepared to pay?

These are real political challenges.

As one former Executive Minister put it recently: “It is a heck of a lot easier to reduce tax rates than it is to increase them!”

1. https://www.northernireland.gov.uk/sites/ default/files/consultations/newnigov/draft-pfgframework-2016-21.pdf 2. Figures relate to 2014/15 sourced from the Department of Finance 3. For an informative discussion on the issue see ‘Should the fiscal powers of the Northern Ireland Assembly be enhanced?’, Birnie & Brownlow, Regional Studies, August 2016.

HELPING ENTREPRENEURS ACHIEVE THEIR POTENTIAL

By Lynsey Cunningham, Ulster Bank Entrepreneurial Development Manager.

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orking with early stage entrepreneurs has given me a real understanding of what goes into making a business that will thrive.

Setting aside the blood, sweat and (sometimes) tears that you would expect from people giving their all to start their own company, it’s clear to me that there are some trends emerging that offer insight into the potential direction of travel for the economy – and how we can encourage more people to take up the challenge of being an entrepreneur.

Technology is rapidly changing the face of what this means – it allows for diversity in the types of businesses that can grow and flourish without necessarily incurring large initial costs and it offers exciting potential for scalability across a range of industries. The pace and enthusiasm with

which technological disruption is embraced by entrepreneurs is something that large business can, and should, learn from. Yet, the pace poses a challenge because it is arguably less predictable and linear than it has ever been, marked by periodic spurts, meaning that there are more chances for plans to go out the window and require a rethink – something that start-up and scale up businesses might be less well positioned to absorb as they try to grow, serve customers and market themselves.

That said, how can we help more entrepreneurs achieve their full potential? It is in part down to confidence – confidence in their ability to respond and adapt to changes in their business model as their plans and assumptions meet the real world.

Entrepreneurs perhaps only get one chance at turning their ideas into successful reality – and they might not know that moment

until it has passed. The approach I take is to encourage them to ‘go do’ – done is better than perfect and so much early stage entrepreneurship is based around finding out what doesn’t work as fast as possible, rather than spending time constructing plans that are sophisticated but fragile.

Our Hatchery provides that space to ‘fail fast’ and enable people to see how they respond under pressure.

Since I have become part of Entrepreneurial Spark, I’ve come to see that so much of what determines success is a growth mindset. Entrepreneurial spirit is not genetic, it is made – through creative and innovative ideas, yes, but also made by the surrounding environment. I hope to help many more people surprise themselves with just how resilient they can be if they seize the opportunity.

NI Chamber 29

Chamber chief’s

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 taken place recently with a picture gallery over the following pages.

S

ince the EU referendum result on 23 June, NI Chamber has been involved in a range of high level discussions on the issue as its impact on business unfolds.

Together with Chambers Ireland, we recently announced a strengthening of cooperation between the two organisations, which represent the all-island business community. The fact that the Northern Ireland is the only part of the EU which shares a land border with a member of the EU – the Republic of Ireland and which is Northern Ireland’s largest trading partner – makes such a liaison all the more important.

The launch of the formal affiliation between the two Chambers took place at a side event following the North South Ministerial Council at Dublin Castle and was attended by Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive Chambers Ireland, Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.

Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, Ian Talbot, Chief Executive Chambers Ireland, Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber and Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan.

At the event we had the opportunity to emphasise the need to work with Chambers Ireland on policy issues of mutual concern so we can cooperate to support business across the island of Ireland, which in the current period of uncertainty will be more important than ever.

NI Chamber also recently highlighted

30 NI Chamber

some of Northern Ireland’s most influential companies and organisations including AJ Power; Allstate NI; Almac Group; ESB Group; EY; Greenfields; Invest NI; MJM Marine; Randox; Re-Gen Waste; Thales UK; Ulster Bank and W&R Barnett.

Moving on…and the Economy Minister Simon Hamilton set out his ambition for Document on Stability. Clarity. Action.

the priorities for business in the wake of the EU referendum in a policy document named Stability. Clarity. Action. In it we stressed the necessity for Stability – in the markets and for business confidence; Clarity on the timeframe for key decisions and Action to proactively support the economy at a sensitive time for transition.

With Brexit to the fore, Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade at Westminster, attended a private

Nick Coburn, President, NI Chamber, Dr Liam Fox, Secretary of State for International Trade at Westminster and Ann McGregor, Chief Executive, NI Chamber.

dinner with members of the Northern Ireland business community organised by NI Chamber and hosted by Ulster Bank.

At the event local businesses shared their experiences of international trade with the Minister, discussing such topics specific to Northern Ireland including Brexit, the forthcoming Corporation Tax reduction and how to create better linkages between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. Those present at the dinner included Chief Executives and Managing Directors from

Nick Coburn (NI Chamber), Economy Minister Simon Hamilton, Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and John Healy, Managing Director Allstate Northern Ireland.

transforming Northern Ireland into a globally competitive economy.

In his first major speech as Minister, Mr Hamilton delivered his vision to an audience of over 100 businesses at a NI Chamber event which took place at American owned technology giant Allstate NI in Belfast.

The Minister said just as Northern Ireland was once the world’s economic powerhouse, so it could be again because of its ICT, advanced engineering and agri-food businesses.

He also said he was convinced that skills were perhaps the single most important building block for constructing a globally competitive economy. He described skills as an elevator to economic prosperity and social inclusion and said he was determined that we build upon the progress we’ve been making and use skills to change lives and transform the local economy. It is an issue which NI Chamber has highlighted many times and one which we will continue to champion.

Then it was off to beautiful Co Fermanagh

chamber chief’s update NEW MEMBERS Agri-food Linwoods Banks & Building Society JCB Finance Ltd Business Services Off The Wall Creative Construction IN2 Engineering Design Partnership Health and Beauty Galvanic Limited Hospitality and Tourism Bullitt Hotel Rocwell Water for the latest in NI Chamber’s Networking Series 2016 with First Trust Bank at the stunning Lough Erne Resort. Guests heard from Sean Darcy, Manager of First Trust Bank in Enniskillen, who talked about

Sean Darcy (First Trust Bank) and William Kirby (General Manager, Lough Erne Resort).

networking online while a hectic round of networking took place at the packed event.

Meanwhile, NI Chamber has submitted its response to the Draft Programme for Government consultation which closed on 22 July 2016.

The response stemmed from a workshop which was held on 1 July 2016, providing NI Chamber members with an opportunity to input directly into the consultation process.

Firms present at the session included representatives from A&L Goodbody; AES Kilroot; Asda; Capita; Crash Services; Danske Bank; interface; Queen’s University; Ulster University and Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council.

NI Chamber has previously welcomed the new document as “a major step in creating the basis for political, economic and social

Business representatives attending the Programme for Government session.

progress in Northern Ireland”.

Looking ahead, the Director of SMB EMEA for Facebook has been announced as the keynote speaker at one of NI Chamber’s major events this month.

Stefanos Loukakos is expected to address over 500 businesses at NI Chamber’s Annual Networking Conference and Business Showcase which takes place at St George’s Market in Belfast on 14 September 2016 from 8.30am-1.00pm.

The conference, which is being held in partnership with headline sponsor Abacus and supporting sponsors Belfast City Council; Danske Bank and Tourism Northern Ireland, is designed to give companies from Ann McGregor (NI Chamber), Aine Kearney (Tourism NI), Brian Telford (Danske Bank), Councillor Aileen Graham (Belfast City Council) and Justin Rush (Abacus) get ready for the networking conference.

across Northern Ireland the opportunity to meet, engage and participate in networking activities aimed at creating new business connections.

The event will also feature a large market place with over 100 companies exhibiting their products and services, showcasing the best of Northern Ireland business.

It will be an exciting and dynamic event and one which deserves a red flag in everyone’s business diary!

See page 36 and the Special Focus Section on page 50 for more on Stability, Clarity and Action.

IT Atos Manufacturing Clonallon Goudsmit UK Professional Services Bob Cairnduff Photography Certification Europe CS Finance Cobra Security Fairstone Financial Management NI Magic Beans Retailing Northern Ireland Retail Consortium Utilities ISL Waste Management Limited Smart Energy Solutions NI Ltd * To become a member of NI Chamber join online at www. northernirelandchamber.com or phone the membership team on 02890 244113 NI CHAMBER MEMBERS UPGRADING TO CORPORATE LEVEL Our Corporate members represent the leading companies in Northern Ireland who help drive the development of the economy.

CBRE Evermore Energy Flynn Forde May Innov8 Office Interiors St. James’s Place Wealth Management Ulster University

NI Chamber 31

Economy Minister Simon Hamilton visits Allstate NI

1.

1. Nick Coburn (NI Chamber); Minister Simon Hamilton; Ann McGregor (NI Chamber) and John Healy (Allstate NI). 2. Tina McKenzie (Staffline Group Ireland); Minister Hamilton and Ann McGregor (NI Chamber). 3. Enda Corneille (Emirates) and Michael Wilson (UTV). 4. Allstate’s John Healy in discussion with the Minister. 5. Andrew Robinson (Boomer Industries) and Stephen Kingon (Stephen Kingon Associates).

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3.

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32 NI Chamber

5.

5.

2.

1. Minister Hamilton addresses guests. 2.

Minister Hamilton; RuairĂ­ de Burca (British Irish Intergovernmental Secretariat) and Mark Cosgrove (Redhead International). 3. Peter Stafford (A&L Goodbody); Paul Murnaghan (BT) and Patrick McClughan (Gaelectric Developments). 4. Richard Donnan (Ulster Bank) and Ian Jordan (British Bankers Association).

1.

3.

4.

NI Chamber 33

DINNER WITH DR LIAM FOX

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1. Richard Donnan (Ulster Bank); Ann McGregor (NI Chamber); Nick Coburn (NI Chamber); Dr Liam Fox, (Secretary of State for International Trade at Westminister) and Sir Jeffrey Donaldson. 2.

Guests listen to Dr Liam Fox. 3.Ashley Pigott (AJ Power). 4. Dr Liam Fox with dinner guests. 5. William Barnett (W&R Barnett) and Brian McConville (MJM Marine).

2.

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34 NI Chamber

5.

3.

NI CHAMBER NETWORKING SERIES AT THE LOUGH ERNE RESORT

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1. First Trust Bank’s Sean Darcy addresses guests. 2. Ruari Fearon (Go Power) and Claire Hughes (Soirée Society). 3. Hilary Ramage (Payescape Ltd) and Colum Courtney (Hybrid Mail Solutions).

4. Cara McCartney (Millennium Forum Theatre and Conference Centre) with Dominic Earley (Loughtec Ltd). 5. Sean Darcy (First Trust Bank) and William Kirby (General Manager, Lough Erne Resort) with Andrew Smythe (NI Chamber). 6. Jonathan Rogan (MXA Digital) with Christopher McGuckien (Big Pixel Creative) and Judith Magee (BHSF).

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6.

NI Chamber 35

NI Chamber President Nick Coburn and Vice-President Ellvena Graham.

Setting a steady course With major change on the horizon for business following the Brexit vote, NI Chamber has called for ‘Stability, Clarity and Action’ to help firms chart their way ahead as Adrienne McGill hears from its President Nick Coburn and Vice-President Ellvena Graham.

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orthern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) has laid out a range of priorities for business in the wake of the EU referendum and the resulting historic decision of the UK electorate to leave the EU. The business organisation details the need for ‘Stability, Clarity and Action’ across key areas of the economy in a new policy document launched recently.

NI Chamber points to the requirement for stability for markets and business confidence; clarity on the timeframe for key decisions and action to proactively support the economy at a sensitive time of transition.

The document follows the appointment of NI Chamber’s new President Nick Coburn and VicePresident Ellvena Graham, who bring a wealth of experience in business to their roles with long careers respectively in manufacturing and banking.

Nick Coburn, Managing Director of Ulster Carpets, has spent almost 40 years in the family business and leads a company which produces luxurious axminister carpets for export markets across the world.

Meanwhile, Ellvena Graham’s career in banking spans more than 30 years having joined the Ulster Bank straight from school. After holding a number of roles, she became Head of Operations for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Royal Bank of Scotland (parent company of Ulster Bank), then

36 NI Chamber

Chief Operating Officer for the Ulster Bank Group and finally Head of Ulster Bank Northern Ireland.

Explaining the reason for the document, Nick Coburn said: “Whilst our members’ views on the EU referendum are diverse, our energy is now focused on overcoming the immediate challenges and seizing the eventual opportunities that transition will bring.

“The UK Government now has the immense responsibility to extricate the UK from the EU in a responsible and timely manner, whilst simultaneously acting proactively and decisively to support business confidence and economic growth here at home.

“Following a brief period of reflection, businesses want to understand when changes will occur in government, when Article 50 will be triggered and what the time frame for negotiation will be thereafter.”

Ellvena Graham said it was vital to establish stability and certainty around Brexit issues.

“When NI Chamber made its submission to the Northern Ireland Executive’s Programme for Government, we emphasised the need and overall importance of having stability as quickly as possible to enable our businesses to grow.

“There are various scenarios which could play out because of Brexit and businesses need to start thinking about the implications. But there is no need for knee-jerk reactions – there is time to plan and to consider all the options because we do not

know what eventuality will play out.”

Ellvena Graham is well placed to appreciate the issues around Brexit and the fact that Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK which has a land border with an EU member –the Republic of Ireland – which raises a myriad of cross border trade considerations.

She is Chair of ESB, the main electricity company in the Republic of Ireland which owns NIE Networks and Electric Ireland and has a further presence in Northern Ireland through the Coolkeeragh power plant near Londonderry. The company supplies electricity to approximately 1.5 million customers throughout the island of Ireland.

She is also to the fore in a number of bodies which are playing a major role in strengthening the Northern Ireland economy and bringing benefits to the business community.

As Chair of the Economic Advisory Group, established by the Northern Ireland Executive, she is part of a panel of experts with backgrounds in economics, business and skills who provide independent advice to the Department for the Economy Minister. The group’s aim is to challenge and develop public policy and strategic thinking on the Northern Ireland economy.

In addition, she is Chair of the Board of a new company responsible for the operation and commercial growth of Belfast’s expanded Waterfront Hall and the Ulster Hall, on behalf of Belfast City Council, which continues to own both buildings.

Belfast Waterfront and Ulster Hall Ltd was established earlier this year ahead of the opening of the transformed Waterfront Hall which has doubled in size to host up to 5,000 visitors at a time.

The venue is being seen as a major driver of business tourism. In July alone, nearly 2,000 delegates from 55 countries gathered at Belfast Waterfront for the 2016 World Council of Credit Unions Conference, bringing £3.7 million to the city’s economy.

And of course, after holding most of the senior positions within Ulster Bank, it’s no surprise that she still sits on the Board.

“I have loved my career in banking. I genuinely loved the variety and dealing directly with customers. There is something very rewarding about being able to help a customer. I also enjoyed leading people,” says Ellvena.

“When I left school I started working in technology in the bank but at that stage I did not see working there as a long term career. If 33 years isn’t a long term career – I don’t know what is.”

First NI President for British Chambers of Commerce

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n a historic first, Francis Martin, Partner in BDO in Northern Ireland and past President of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber), has become the President of British Chambers of Commerce (BCC).

He is the business group’s first President from Northern Ireland in 156 years.

BCC is a dynamic and independent business network of 52 accredited Chambers, of which NI Chamber is one, in every region of the UK and in key markets around the world.

Its role is to promote the work of the accredited chamber network highlighting their position as the leading private provider of support and guidance for potential and existing exporters and to act as a voice for accredited chamber members in Westminster.

Welcoming Francis’ appointment NI Chamber President, Nick Coburn said: “I would like to congratulate Francis Martin on his appointment as President of the British Chambers of Commerce. Francis brings great experience to the role as a former President of NI Chamber, a post he held for two years from 2010. The Board, Council and Executive Team of Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce will work in partnership with Francis to ensure that the business voice is heard in the Northern Ireland Assembly and at Westminster.”

The BCC is an authentic voice for UK business and a leading commentator on the economy, drawing on a powerful network that represents business interests in Westminster and across the UK. Accredited Chambers sit at the heart of local business communities, helping thousands of companies – of every size and sector – to grow and thrive. They provide practical advice and support to growing businesses and to UK companies trading internationally.

Francis holds more than 20 years’ experience in corporate finance and business strategy development and was recently awarded Northern

Ireland Deal Maker of the Year 2016.

He is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting and is widely recognised as one of Northern Ireland’s leading Corporate Finance and Business Advisers with expertise across a wide range of industries and projects.

A Partner in BDO Northern Ireland, he is a former President of NI Chamber a position he held from 2010-2011. He was officially appointed to the BCC Presidency in July after serving as Vice President since 2013. He succeeds Nora Senior who held the post for the past three years.

Commenting on his appointment as BCC President, Francis Martin said: “The British Chambers of Commerce is a powerful advocate for the business community and has strongly represented the diverse interests of our members for more than 150 years. In my tenure as President, I will work with my colleagues and government for the benefit of businesses and communities around the country.

“This is a crucial time for the UK economy and the role of the Chambers of Commerce has become vital as a result. Businesses in the UK are resilient and innovative, but it is imperative that actions needed to sustain competitive trade and support long-term growth are identified and taken by policymakers.

“Over recent years, the BCC has forged a dynamic Global Business Network that includes more than 20 counties, from Chile to Vietnam.

This vehicle has been advantageous for exports and it is right that UK businesses continue to look for new ways to boost trade and establish new linkages. We are ideally placed to help drive this agenda.

“Equally, the Chambers have been proactive in bridging the gap between education and work regionally and nationally. That work has been commendable and we must accelerate our efforts to empower the pupils of today with the skills to become the workforce and leaders of tomorrow.”

Francis Martin, the new President of British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) with NI Chamber President Nick Coburn.

NI Chamber 37

feature

STRIKING A HEALTHIER TECH-LIFE BALANCE A third of us have taken a digital detox in the last year, according to new Ofcom research. Adrienne McGill finds out more.

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ore people in Northern Ireland are now online, at home and on the move, than ever before, according to the communications regulator Ofcom.

More than three quarters of homes in Northern Ireland (77%) now have a fixed line broadband connection, up from 69 per cent in 2015. People are also increasingly going online on the move, with seven in ten people (72%) owning a smartphone, up from 63 per cent in 2015.

These are startling numbers when you consider that fewer than one in five homes in Northern Ireland had a broadband connection 10 years ago.

The rise of the smartphone is even more striking. As recently as 2011, just 21 per cent of adults had one.

Their portability and popularity has transformed how and what we are doing online, according to Ofcom.

In Northern Ireland, we spend nearly 19 hours a week online with the smartphone now our favourite way of accessing the internet. Nearly 90 per cent of internet users in Northern Ireland say the internet is “important” to their daily lives and many credit it with broadening their horizons.

However, the same research suggests you can have too much of a good thing, with nearly two thirds of us admitting to being “hooked” to the internet.

Just over six in ten internet users in Northern Ireland (62%) said they were guilty of ‘connectivity creep’ – spending longer browsing the internet than they originally intended on a weekly basis, while 53 per cent said the same of social media.

As a result, almost six in ten (59%) say they’d neglected housework; 45 per cent said they had missed

38 NI Chamber

out on sleep; while three in ten (30%) had missed out on spending time with family and friends.

The good news is that we are starting to self-regulate.

Around a third of internet users in Northern Ireland have taken a ‘digital detox’ in the last year in a bid to strike a healthier tech-life balance.

Two-thirds of people (65%) had cut down on specific activities, such as using social media or browsing the web, and half of parents (49%) had made rules of some sort to limit their children’s time online.

James Stinson from Ofcom’s Belfast office said: “It’s clear from our research that people really value the internet and believe it has changed their lives for the better.

“It also tells us is that, when people do start feeling overwhelmed as a result of spending too much time online, they’re taking action.

“Many are taking steps to limit the amount of time they spend on the internet, or taking a complete break from it altogether.”

Ofcom’s Communications Market Report is a mine of information on how people in Northern Ireland engage with and use not just the internet but other communications services including TV, Radio, Telecoms and Post.

Despite the rise in online activity, traditional media remains popular with people in Northern Ireland. We watch nearly four hours of TV every day while nearly 90 per cent listen to radio every week.

The full Northern Ireland Communications Market Report 2016 is available at www.ofcom.org.uk

feature DESCRIBE YOUR JOB I became one of three directors of People 1st as the result of a management buy-out back in 2002. We offer a range of government funded training, employment support initiatives and corporate training solutions to organisations and individuals throughout Northern Ireland and, more recently, in the Republic of Ireland.

I am chiefly responsible for the growth and development of the corporate strategy of People 1st through winning tenders and driving the increase in bespoke training designed to the specifics of the client.

I am currently engaged in overseeing the expansion of the company, ensuring our 6 new offices perform to our high standards and that new staff are trained and supported to maintain an excellent service to all our customers. On a daily basis this involves project management; monitoring quality indicators; planning and taking actions where appropriate; and, maintaining contact with key stakeholders so that provision remains current, linked to their requirements and of a high standard that has a measurable, positive impact.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF THE DAY? I particularly enjoy the initial period of my working day. After a typically busy start getting the girls up and ready for school I appreciate the switch to office mode, even though it is just a different kind of busy. I enjoy working with the team here, taking on challenges and growing the business.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO ENSURE A WORK/LIFE BALANCE? I currently finish at lunchtime two days a week enabling me to be at home with the girls or take them to after-schools activities. I also make sure I get to the gym regularly as it’s my way of de- stressing; it helps me to recharge the batteries and have some thinking time!

HOW DOES HAVING A CHILD IMPACT YOUR PERSONAL AND WORKING LIFE? Our youngest daughter, Sarah, has special needs and this puts somewhat different demands on our family as we have daily therapies to implement and appointments to attend. We have a running diary in the home for what’s coming up and who needs to do what, communication is key, as is calling on family member support.

The male to female ratio within our management team of ten people is 1:5, so females are strongly represented, and we have all managed being mums while growing the

business. We are therefore empathetic to the myriad challenges that balancing a family and work can pose.

ARE WORKING MUMS IN GREATER NEED OF STATE SUPPORT THAN STAY-AT-HOME MUMS? All parents need to be supported to make the best choice for their family’s needs. Cost of childcare is a factor that must be considered by all families when faced with the decision of balancing work and family life. I feel progression has taken place in more recent times with the uptake of the childcare voucher scheme and also shared parental leave, but more could be done. If we compare our model to that of other European counties such as Norway, where accessible childcare means more Norwegian mothers are in paid employment, tax revenues from increased labour participation and benefit savings make this more sustainable and popular.

DO YOU THINK YOU WILL ALWAYS REMAIN IN EMPLOYMENT? I do. I think working is as much part of a work-life balance as the ‘life’ part is. I enjoy my job and interaction with the team. We have achieved a great deal in a short time, the company is in an exciting growth phase and I hope to continue to be part of that going forward.

mums with power BRENDA KERNAGHAN IS A DIRECTOR WITH PEOPLE 1st.

SHE IS MARRIED TO MARK AND THEY HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS, NIAMH (6) AND SARAH (4).

NI Chamber 39

feature

The Apprenticeship Levy: An Opportunity?

Maybe…

There needs to be greater clarity around the Apprenticeship Levy due to be introduced from April 2017 which is likely to leave Northern Ireland’s large businesses with a further tax burden, argues Mark Huddleston, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Employment and Skills.

I

n the run up to the 2015 General Election the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, made a manifesto pledge to generate 3 million apprenticeships in the life of this Parliament. In the Budget which followed, the Apprenticeship Levy was announced, to be supported by an Institute for Apprenticeships to ensure the pledge was met. The levy would be 0.5 per cent for businesses with a wage / PAYE over £3 million and would be used to fund the job training. The money is to be raised by HMRC and would be distributed through a digital voucher with up to £15,000 available to spend per apprenticeship.

The principle of increasing apprenticeships and business supporting the cost of skills is hard to argue against, so how can we take advantage of this in Northern Ireland?

This is where the problems begin! Skills are a devolved matter, the responsibility for

40 NI Chamber

apprenticeships, youth training and all other skills matters are controlled by Stormont and not Westminster. In addition to this, the old Department for Employment and Learning and the Minister (Stephen Farry) were in the middle of rolling out the new strategy for apprenticeships in Northern Ireland.

To compound this, it emerged the levy would only support 3 million apprenticeships targeted for England, while the digital vouchers and the £15,000 would only be available to English businesses and those being trained at an English address. In simple terms this leaves the situation in Northern Ireland like this: • The levy applies from April 2017 • There are no exemptions to levy payment, it applies to the public and private sector • A wage bill of over £3 million will mean paying 0.5 per cent to HMRC (latest indications are suggesting monthly) • No access to the digital voucher scheme • If the business does have an English facility, a Northern Ireland employee can be trained there and levy money accessed Simply put, there is no direct way to access the money locally having paid it to HMRC. This means an estimated £55-60 million will leave the Northern Ireland economy. If a standard Barnett return is applied (therefore defining this as a tax and not a levy), we could expect a windfall of circa £80 million to the Northern Ireland budget. This, however, is unlikely as the Treasury are almost certain to apply comparability tests and reduce this amount.

The correct outcome should be that this

money is treated as a levy money and be returned pound for pound to the Executive.

This is a significant challenge – pre-Brexit both Nick Boles (Business, Innovation and Skills Minister) and Teresa Villiers (Northern Ireland Secretary of State) were advocating a full return.

This was not supported by the Treasury.

Whatever the value returned to the Northern Ireland Executive by Westminster, it will not be hypothecated for apprenticeships, it will return in the block grant. And whatever the amount returned, this is where the opportunity lies for Northern Ireland. Around 35 per cent of 16 year olds do not achieve the required levels of literacy and numeracy at GCSE (Grade C or higher), 16.3 per cent of the population have no qualifications, 13 per cent fewer people have a level 4 qualification in comparison to Scotland, there are 20 per cent fewer formal apprenticeships than in the rest of the UK and we have 25 per cent lower productivity than the UK average.

This money can be used to address (whatever the other external forces we face such as Brexit, Corporation Tax etc…) creating a structure that nurtures skills and makes us a more productive and competitive economy.

With rapidly changing demographics, the work environment requiring increased digitisation and flexibility, business eco-systems demanding new networks and the impact of near shoring, de-centralised production and smart factories potentially requiring as a minimum level 4 qualifications – we need to use the levy as an opportunity for Northern Ireland.

We now need the Northern Ireland Executive, led by Finance and Economy, to see this as an opportunity, recognise the impact of £60 million being passed to Westminster and rise to the challenge. Vince Lombardi, the legendary American football coach, once said: “The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” We have £60 million in Apprenticeship Levy funds, what will we do with it?

sponsored feature

LAW FIRM ADVISES ON SUCCESSFUL AWARD OF £8.7M ANIMAL HEALTH CONTRACT Leading law firm Arthur Cox has provided legal guidance to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in one of the largest investments in the agri-food industry infrastructure in recent years.

The Belfast firm’s Corporate and Commercial team, led by partner William Curry, advised on the procurement process (and contract terms) for the award of an £8.7 million contract to a Belfast company for the delivery of a new state-of-the-art foodanimal health and traceability system for Northern Ireland.

After an 18-month competitive dialogue procurement process involving a number of significant IT companies, the contract was awarded to AMT-SYBEX, a software and services firm based in Belfast which is part of Capita PLC, for an initial nine-year period.

NIFAIS (the Northern Ireland Food Animal Information System) will be an improved replacement for the Animal and Public Health Information System (APHIS), which has been in operation since November 1998.

William Curry, Head of Procurement Law at Arthur Cox, Northern Ireland, said: “This was a hugely significant public sector IT contract, involving a tightly run competitive dialogue process. Arthur Cox advised on all aspects of the procurement from the outset, supporting the Department of Finance Central Procurement Directorate and DAERA through competitive dialogue with multiple bidders, to contract award and signature.

“We were delighted to be selected by DAERA to advise on this significant project, following a competitive tender process, and this highlights our depth of experience and expertise in this area.

“This contract was one of the first to use the Government Legal Service’s updated version of the Model Services Contract, which was published in 2014 to reflect developments in government policy. We tailored this contract to ensure that it met the key needs of DAERA and worked as a matter of Northern Ireland law.

“The importance of the NIFAIS system cannot be overestimated. The system is crucial for monitoring the health of our livestock and allows the agri-food sector to boost consumer confidence in local markets by tracing foodstuffs right back to source.”

The wide range of advisory teams at Arthur Cox are well positioned to advise on all areas of corporate and comercial law in Northern Ireland. For further information, please call William Curry on +44 28 9023 0007.

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feature

flynn takes on a new look building the foundations for a new era, flynn’s Managing Director Aidan Flynn tells Adrienne McGill about the company’s transformation.

Belfast Royal Academy’s Crombie Tower.

St Joseph’s Primary School, Newcastle.

42 NI Chamber

feature

W

ith a new look, new brand and newly extended offices, representing a total investment of £200,000, Flynn is set for an invigorating future.

Formerly known as MFS and before that Maurice Flynn and Sons, Flynn is one of the leading providers of maintenance, construction and civil engineering services in Ireland.

The family-owned company, which employs 240 people and is headquartered in Dunmurry on the outskirts of Belfast, recently rebranded to reflect its continued growth and look to the future.

Flynn was established in 1974 by Maurice Flynn, father of the present Managing Director Aidan Flynn. The company has been to the fore in providing high quality services to clients across the public sector including social housing associations, schools, colleges, councils, hospitals, emergency services, and government departments.

However, while the company was well known over the years, Aidan felt there was a need to highlight its services to a wider client base – hence the rebrand.

“With the tentative upturn in the market we looked at ourselves internally and at how people viewed us externally,” he says.

“Everyone knew who we were but no one knew what we did. We have done work in practically every school and in most of the hospitals in Northern Ireland but although people knew our name as MFS, nobody really knew what we could do nor the extent of our expertise.”

With the help of Invest NI, the company decided to look at its brand and embarked on the agency’s Design Development Programme.

“As soon as we did this – we had a light bulb moment. We talked all the issues out – who we are, what we do, the fact that we are involved in change. We wanted the company to look sharp, crisp, clean and modern – all the things that it is but that people weren’t aware of. We wanted to make the company a better place for clients and staff and to constantly evolve with the times,” says Aidan.

“We wanted to stay with the name Flynn – because there are core family values with my father’s name. He was the foundation block and the name Flynn is central to the business.

The rebrand has modernised a 42-year-old firm into a firm for the next 40 years.”

There are 5 divisions of the business – building, maintenance, restoration, environmental services and plant hire and the new look business has placed a new focus on private sector work.

“For example, we have scaled back on social housing schemes. We were at one stage the largest provider of maintenance services to social housing developments,” says Aidan.

“We have shifted our focus – the social housing market is saturated with contractors prepared to do work at unsustainable rates, so we are looking at the private sector. We were tendering at rates we were content to do the work for, but someone was always willing to undercut. Instead, we have become more selective and strategic – we are picking clients who want to work with us as much as we want to work with them. We are investing our time and experience in our clients particularly in the education and health sectors.

“If a tender is largely price orientated that is something that we generally don’t want to do – we score very well with clients for whom quality is the first thing – an acute hospital or child safety in a school – how we do the work is more important than if we are more expensive than someone else.”

Flynn has long term maintenance contracts with three Health Trusts – Belfast, Northern and South Eastern and with three Education Authority regions Belfast, Southern and South Eastern.

“Those are response maintenance contracts which are 24/7. There is always a need for maintenance and our work in this area is constant. Sometimes we have to parachute in very quickly to work on something – but that is where we excel – we can respond swiftly,” says Aidan.

In June, Flynn completed its first new build in the education sector – St Joseph’s Primary School in Newcastle, Co Down – and the £1.9 million project has already been shortlisted for numerous awards. The company is also involved in a number of other public sector new build contracts, the current largest being £4 million.

Furthermore, the company was involved in the very complex and time-limited £1.5 million refurbishment of Belfast’s Waterfront Hall which reopened earlier this year and again Flynn’s efforts have been rewarded by award nominations for the project.

It also had a major role in the repair and

restoration of the historic Crombie Tower, a Grade B1 listed building at Belfast Royal Academy.

Another recent element of Flynn’s new focus has been the establishment of a senior management team – a process which has, in part, helped the company leapfrog from basic Investors in People status to Silver by-passing Bronze. The company, which employs a significant number of apprentices and trainees, also recently scooped the Career Inspiration Award 2016 at the Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards in recognition of the opportunities it offers to young people to support and develop their capabilities.

“Flynn has always been a people business and we have remained in business and grown while others failed thanks to our dedicated workforce and longstanding relationships with our supply chain who stood by us in the lean times and will share with us in future success,” says Aidan.

A useful snapshot of the company’s progress is that Flynn has been shortlisted for an unrivalled four awards in the Construction Employers Federation awards in October in the Public infrastructure, Education, Health and Safety and Training categories.

“We are being a lot more selective in what we do and are driving more efficiencies in our business,” says Aidan.

“We are keen to move the services we offer to the public sector into the private sector and to be involved in building projects such as residential schemes, sports clubs, retail stores and to partner with high end architects.”

Aidan says the rebrand was a great opportunity to reassess every element of the business and to look forward to the future with confidence.

“We needed to future-proof ourselves – the best way to do this was to give our shoes a clean and take a root and branch look at the business. I knew we needed to invest and to take the company to the private sector.

We did not have the corporate infrastructure to do that – so it was time to refresh and lift the company into the 21st century. It was a decision well made. I am very happy with what we have done. The staff also love it – we are starting to sell ourselves again.”

NI Chamber 43

feature

SUPER SIX

The things I’ve learned in business Barry Flynn is Managing Director of IN2 Engineering Design Partnership. IN2 is an award winning, modern building services and environmental engineering consultancy dedicated to developing innovative and sustainable engineering solutions for a diverse client base in the various construction sectors including health, education, commercial, sport and leisure.

Formed in 2002, with offices in Belfast, Dublin, Athlone and London, the company has completed numerous successful projects throughout Ireland and the UK. 1. Listen to your employees Do not underestimate the power of effective employee engagement. IN2 were the youngest company to be accepted into the Engineers Ireland CPD programme and to maintain our accreditation, we hold bi-annual staff reviews. This review process has allowed us to appreciate our top performers and motivate all other staff to improve. Equally significant was the forum to sell the benefits of our views and vision for the company. The purpose of staff appraisal cannot be to control or manipulate staff but to support those who might not be in touch with their own potential.

2. Explore new markets One positive of the downturn in the Northern Ireland construction industry is that we have all become a lot more portable. A lot of construction related companies paid a heavy price for working in one sector or one jurisdiction. You need to set aside investment for new areas to ensure that you are not left without a chair when the music slows down…and it does slow down!

3. Get out of your comfort Zone Engineers are not natural marketers. The easiest thing for me personally to do is to go into the office every day and immerse myself in drawings. Every business owner is in the sales business; no exceptions.

4. Trust your gut We often ignore our instincts as we don’t want to turn down business. Yes, you should be confident enough to take a risk but sometimes know that the right thing to do is to walk away.

5. Don’t compromise on Quality The one thing that has always set us apart from our competitors is our focus on innovation and the quality of our design information. This has become a fundamental part of our company identity. Compromising on standards may reduce costs but can impact on your hard won reputation and ultimately means that you are competing at the bottom.

6. Trust your team You do not need yes men around you. You need people who will challenge your thinking and conclusions, but it is essential that while you encourage this opposition, at the same time you have to believe and trust in your own judgement. You also have to remove the emotions from any discussion.

44 NI Chamber

news

Word from brussels

AMBITION LOOKS AT RECENT DEVELOPMENTS BETWEEN THE EU AND UK IN THE POST-BREXIT ENVIRONMENT.

Appointment of Michel Barnier European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker has appointed Michel Barnier as Chief Negotiator in charge of the Preparation and Conduct of the Negotiations with the UK, under Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union.

Mr. Barnier is a former Vice-President of the European Commission and a former French minister. He will report directly to President Juncker and will be advised by a group of Directors-General in the European Commission dealing with issues relating to the UK negotiations. Mr Barnier will take up his duties on 1 October 2016.

Speaking after the appointment, President Juncker said: “I am very glad that my friend Michel Barnier accepted this important and challenging task. I wanted an experienced politician for this difficult job. Michel is a skilled negotiator with rich experience in major policy areas relevant to the negotiations, namely as Minister for Foreign Affairs and for Agriculture, and as Member of the Commission, in charge of Regional Policy, Institutional Reforms and of Internal Market and Services. He has an extensive network of contacts in the capitals of all EU Member States and in the European Parliament, which I consider a valuable asset for this function. Michel will have access to all Commission resources necessary to perform his tasks. He will report directly to me, and I will invite him to brief regularly the College to

keep my team abreast of the negotiations. I am sure that he will live up to this new challenge and help us to develop a new partnership with the United Kingdom after it will have left the European Union.”

In line with the principle of ‘no negotiation without notification’, the task of the Chief Negotiator in the coming months will be to prepare the ground internally for the work ahead. Once the Article 50 process is triggered, he will take the necessary contacts with the UK authorities and all other EU and Member State interlocutors.

No negotiation without notification President Juncker has repeated that there can be no negotiation until the British authorities have notified under Article 50 their intention to leave the European Union, but added “I do think that even after the referendum the European Union and the United Kingdom share a community of interest, not only in the defence and the military sector, but in all the relevant sectors of international life mainly as far as trade is concerned”, reiterating the commitment to keep Britain as a strong ally in NATO and as a strong partner.

Sir Julian King: candidate for Commissioner from the UK

Julian King as the candidate for Commissioner from the UK to replace former Commissioner Lord Hill, following his resignation after the EU referendum.

President Juncker is consulting the European Parliament on his intention to allocate the new Security Union portfolio to Sir Julian.

As Commissioner for the Security Union, Sir Julian would support the implementation of the European Agenda on Security, which was adopted on 28 April 2015, and sets out the main actions to ensure an effective EU response to security threats including tackling terrorism and preventing radicalisation, disrupting organised crime and fighting cybercrime.

An exchange of views between Sir Julian King and the relevant Committee of the European Parliament is expected to take place in early autumn.

UK relinquishes presidency of the European Council in 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has said that the UK will relinquish its six-month rotating presidency of the European Council in 2017.

The UK was scheduled to take over from Malta in July 2017. A six-month shift forwards in the Council presidencies schedule was proposed, which means that Estonia will hold the presidency in the second half of 2017, instead of the UK.

In July, President Juncker interviewed Sir

NI Chamber 45

columnist

Tech Scene Round up Dazzling technology at the Rio Olympic Games, Adobe Flash turns off…and phones go skin deep. Niall Mooney from Sync NI reveals what’s been happening in the tech world.

Google Chrome is finally saying goodbye to Flash Google has announced that by 2017 Adobe Flash will no longer be supported in the browser and the phasing out of Flash will begin soon. The majority of Flash that loads on the web today loads behind the scene supporting tools like web page analytics – this makes up 90 per cent of the web’s Flash and this is the kind of Flash that slows you down while browsing.

With the release of Google Chrome 53, Google will begin blocking this kind of Flash. This move by Google Chrome will see the browser following in the footsteps of Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s Edge who have already made the transition away from Flash.

Over the next few months we will see Flash eventually phased out completely and by the time Chrome 55 is released in December, HTML5 (a markup language for displaying media on web pages) will be its default, however exceptions will be made for websites that only support Flash. In a blog post Anthony LaForge, curator of Flash in Chrome, spoke about the benefits of HTML5 saying HTML5 offered “improved security, reduced power consumption and faster page load times”.

Temporary tattoos that can control your phone In a joint venture, researchers from MIT and Microsoft have developed a new tech driven temporary tattoo. The new technology takes temporary tattoos and turns them into connected devices. Called DuoSkin, the new high tech temporary tattoo behaves like a second skin enabling you to control your phone or other device by making a gesture on the tattoo.

What does this mean? It means that DuoSkin can turn your body’s surface into a trackpad or a virtual controller – imagine making a movement on your skin up and down to adjust the volume of your phone.

The basic idea is similar to a project by Google called Jacquard which embeds sensors into clothing to create a “wearable” touchpad. The difference with DuoSkin is that the sensors are embedded within the tattoos themselves.

In a prototype developed by the team, DuoSkin can also function as an output device. In the demo the researchers showed off a rose tattoo on your skin that would change colour based on your body temperature, and a flame tattoo that would change colour based on your emotion.

DuoSkin is still very much in the research stage of development, but what has been demonstrated so far does offer a glimpse into what the future could look like.

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 or Email: niall@syncni.com

Technology innovations on show at the Rio Olympic Games Wearables devices that use NFC (Near Field Communications) for payments Visa teamed up with the Brazilian bank Bradesco to trial wearable devices that use NFC technology to process payments at over 4,000 terminals at the Olympic Games in Brazil. These included a wearable bracelet that was used by 3,000 people including athletes and journalists, and a wearable ring worn by 45 Visa sponsored athletes.

Cloud hosted portals For the first time portals to support key aspects

46 NI Chamber

of the Games including credential management and volunteer activities were hosted in the cloud, through a private cloud environment. It is hoped that an entirely cloud based model for all applications can be implemented at the next Olympic games.

High tech security balloons Developed by Brazilian company Altave, 4 balloons equipped with 13 high resolution cameras sent images in real time to the main security hub at the Olympic Games, helping to support the security team in their day-to-day activities across Rio.

news

A

t the beginning of August, SSE Airtricity emerged as the key provider of electricity and gas to the Health & Social Care Trusts (HSC) and other related HSC organisations, following a major procurement process. The deal, which is the largest energy supply contract ever to come to the market in Northern Ireland, is valued at just over £100 million.

SSE Airtricity is Northern Ireland’s largest provider of wind power and second largest energy supplier and following this latest contract win, the firm now supplies ‘dual fuel’ natural gas and 100 per cent renewable electricity to the Belfast, Western, South Eastern and Northern Trusts, as well as the Health & Social Care Board and the Business Services Organisation.

The deal also sees SSE Airtricity supplying natural gas to the Southern Trust.

The contract outcome was announced at Stormont by Minister of Health, Michelle O’Neill with Andrew Greer, SSE Airtricity General Manager (NI).

SSE Airtricity is now powering the care and wellbeing of more than 1.5 million patients attending health and social care services facilities across Northern Ireland, whether in hospitals or local health centres.

Over the four-year term of the contract, the total energy demand is expected to be over 2.5TWh, equivalent to the energy needed to power around 350,000˄ homes annually.

Switching to SSE Airtricity’s 100 per cent renewable electricity is a significant commitment for the Health Trusts. The injection of a clean, green power supply into each of the Trusts cuts harmful carbon dioxide emissions by 227,550 tonnes,

equivalent to the carbon stored by over 2,000 acres of mature rainforest or the fuel emitted by a jet airplane circumnavigating Earth almost 50,000 times.

For the first time ever in public sector tendering, and in line with the ten-year government health framework ‘Making Life Better’, sustainability was assessed alongside price in the contract evaluation.

Sustainability proposals from SSE Airtricity achieved full marks in the tendering process.

In practice this will mean that in addition to supplying 100 per cent renewable energy, SSE Airtricity will roll out a four-year Sustainability Engagement Programme, which includes a package of initiatives across each Trust and organisation that directly links to their key objectives of the ‘Making Life Better’ framework – ranging from the establishment of an annual student nursing and midwifery bursary to sponsorship of in-service energy awareness weeks amongst many other initiatives.

Speaking about the contract Minister O’Neill said: “This new contract will see electricity supplied from 100 per cent renewable sources, flexibility for organisations in how they procure their energy and savings in excess of £4 million on electricity during the first year of the contract.

“The health and social care sector can play a leading role in reducing carbon emissions and encouraging healthier lifestyles to combat climate change, save money, and achieve health benefits. By pooling our resources and using the buying power of the entire health sector, we have managed to drive down

costs by 20 per cent and contribute to the well-being of our planet by using renewable, sustainable and flexible energy sources.

“I am also delighted that over the course of the contract, extensive support will be provided to HSC organisations in line with the aims of the public health framework Making Life Better.”

SSE Airtricity General Manager (NI) Andrew Greer also welcomed the outcome of the tender process. He said: “All of us at SSE Airtricity are immensely proud to be providing the power that helps over 70,000 HSC health professionals and staff to care for the more than 1.5 million patients of Health & Social Care Trust services each year. As a result of this major public sector contract win, SSE Airtricity is now providing 100 per cent green electricity as well as gas to all HSC Trusts across the region bar one, along with energy to other HSC organisations.

By switching to SSE Airtricity’s clean, green electricity supply the Trusts will dramatically improve their carbon footprints by together eliminating over 225,000 tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions.

“This is the first public sector tender here to contain a sustainability requirement, and as a company founded on the principles of sustainability and renewable power, we’re pleased to see this principle established in this tender.”

Healthy energy supply contract

SSE Airtricity General Manager (NI) Andrew Greer with Health Minister Michelle O’Neill.

SSE Airtricity is powering care for 1.5 million patients with a landmark energy supply deal. ambition finds out more.

NI Chamber 47

guest columnist

‘When do you want to retire’ versus ‘When can you’ is a hugely important consideration as Peter Savage, Chartered Financial Planner, Fairstone Financial Management NI explains.

Planning for the golden years A

s the government continues to increase the state pension age and life expectancy continues to increase, we have to give some thought to what age we would like to retire.

When I speak to my clients, I explain that if they plan for retirement early, they can retire when they hope to – if they don’t, the question is when can they?

With planning, the decision lies very much within their own control, without it, the decision is no longer their own.

The age we are entitled to receive retirement benefit continues to increase and this is down to a number of factors – namely the cost of providing the benefit, and the fact that we are all living so much longer than before.

At present, the state pension will start at 67, but it wasn’t so long ago that it was age 60 for women. So, if you don’t want to retire at age 67 and have the minimum to live on (the current flat rate state is £155.65) then you need to make some provision – and the earlier you start, the better.

48 NI Chamber

To plan for retirement I ask my clients to consider when they would like to retire. It’s important to think about how much money (in today’s terms) you would like or need in retirement to live comfortably. At this stage, some factors to consider include the fact that your children may no longer be dependent, mortgages might be paid off and you may only need the use of one car.

Once you have this figure in mind, think about how this income will be produced when you are no longer working. The amount can come from various outlets such as savings, rental properties, pensions etc.

When planning for your retirement income, don’t just think about the use of pensions. Whilst they do offer great advantages and provide one of the building blocks for retirement planning, the key is to ensure that you also have alternative provision.

Be sure to make pension contributions - for every £80 invested for a basic rate tax-payer, another £20 will be added in

tax relief from the government.

Take advantage of the new autoenrolment pensions provided by your employer if you don’t have a company pension already.

Try and save into an ISA regularly. If you are saving for more than five years, consider an investment ISA. Try to plan that all your debts and liabilities will be paid off by your chosen retirement date.

If you need a retirement plan and need to know how much to contribute into your savings, then a good financial planner should be able to produce a cash flow forecast for you.

This will indicate the cost of your retirement plan, whether it is achievable or if you need to make slight adjustments to your expectations.

The sooner you start planning the more likely you will achieve your goals.

If you don’t have any sources to provide the income you would like in retirement, then the question will inevitably be when can I retire?

feature

figuring out Sterling Cool heads will prevail around currency issues post-Brexit, Danske Bank’s Head of Markets Brian Telford tells Adrienne McGill.

U

nderstandably, given that it is obviously the currency most affected by Brexit, the pound has been the focus of huge attention in the markets since the Brexit vote.

Sterling at one stage dropped to its lowest level in 30 years against the world’s biggest currency, the US dollar, as it became clear the UK had voted to leave Europe.

At the time of writing, the post-vote low for sterling against the dollar was circa $1.28, approximately 15 per cent lower than a year ago, a low not seen since 1985. Sterling has also fallen approximately 16 per cent against the euro in the last 12 months, some of this move being a correction from the highs seen in mid-2015 and of course latterly the Brexit vote effect. However, it should be noted that sterling’s current value against the euro is nowhere near the almost parity level seen at the height of the global financial crisis in December 2008. At that time there were serious concerns about a global economic meltdown with the UK deeply impacted. With the Brexit vote, the knock-on effect for the euro as well as sterling is yet to be determined and this has possibly ‘cushioned’ the impact on GBP/ EUR for now.

That said, with markets still unsure on the actual timing and implications of Brexit, and while it is by no means certain, there is the potential for sterling to weaken further – markets hate uncertainty – which is likely to have a significant impact on UK firms, consumers and also those outside Europe.

However, there are pros and cons to having a weak pound.

For firms selling goods abroad, foreign buyers

need less currency to buy the same quantity of UK goods. Therefore, a weak pound means UK exporters can sell their goods cheaper and/ or increase their profit margins. A weak pound should help UK manufacturers and exporters.

However, against this, for UK consumers buying imported goods, many items like food, petrol and electrical goods will become more expensive as the pound weakens. This will push up shop price inflation. If the devaluation is sustained, there could be permanently higher prices in shops which could dampen consumer demand. Though, if the economy is very weak, underlying inflationary pressures may remain low.

“In the short term Brexit is going to present exporters with some opportunities. We have a weakening of sterling which should make exports going outside of the UK more attractive to every country,” says Brian Telford, Danske Bank’s Head of Markets.

“We are approximately 16 per cent lower against both the dollar and the euro than we were this time last year.

“However, what we import is going to look considerably more expensive.

“Every business needs to look at exchange rates and commodity prices and how these impact both input costs and output prices.

They may be a manufacturer and they may export and if sterling has weakened what they sell will look attractive to a foreign buyer but they might not get the full benefit because the cost of bringing in raw materials from outside the UK is actually going up.

“Businesses should also remember that invoicing imports or exports in sterling (even through an agent) does not in itself mitigate against exchange rate risks – if the product

being bought or sold originates from or ends up abroad then at some point someone has to consider the relative cost or benefit to them in their currency.”

Given such a quandary what can businesses do to retain customers? Do they change their prices or absorb costs into their margins?

“Businesses need to think about the contracts they have already agreed and the mechanisms they have used to manage the exchange risk,” says Brian Telford.

“They need to examine what is the flexibility in their business to absorb pricing changes or what alternative supply options there are?

“Businesses must understand what drives their cash flow and take stock of what their competitors are doing and where they operate.

“It is important for businesses to look at their inputs and outputs, costs and revenues and examine what are the drivers of those and if there is a currency impact irrespective of whether they buy or sell currencies.

“The good thing is that businesses will have some time to adjust. But it is important that they assess what the weakness of sterling is going to do to profitability over the next 6-12 months.

“A calculated methodical approach is what is needed. We are not in unchartered waters with regard to exchange rates which have been lower in previous times and we should not assume that exchange rates will behave in a certain way just because we want them to.”

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STABILITY CLARITY ACTION Ambition SPECIAL focus

H

“Businesses are already asking questions about the future of EU nationals in their workforce and the risk involved in hiring others.”

aving listened to our members, NI Chamber has identified six strategic issues of immediate concern in light of the UK’s exit from Europe. To work through these areas – which are detailed in a policy document – we have called for: Stability – in the markets and for business confidence.

Clarity – on the time frame for key decisions.

Action – to proactively support the economy at a sensitive time of transition.

Whilst our members’ views on the EU referendum are diverse, our energy is now focused on overcoming the immediate challenges and seizing the eventual opportunities that change will bring.

The main issues centre on: Trade and Access to markets: Northern Ireland’s exporting firms are concerned about the maintenance of existing market access, future trading agreements and a potential physical border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Manufacturing: The future of manufacturing on which so many other sectors depend, must continue to be a priority. Against a backdrop of rising costs, support from the Northern Ireland Executive is crucial in setting a level playing field with other regions and countries.

Major projects: Big decisions on airport capacity, all-island energy and major construction projects (such as the A5 and A6) must be followed through.

These deliver much needed infrastructure but also huge supply chain benefits and significantly boost business confidence.

Foreign Direct Investment: It is more important than ever, that Northern Ireland continues to sell itself as an attractive location for inward investment based on the combination of tax, talent and value. Therefore, it is crucial that a lower corporation tax rate is implemented by 2018 and that we prioritise investment in talent.

Local Economic Development: NI Chamber has more direct connectivity with local business communities than any other business organisation and we are already hearing major business concerns around the future of key local growth projects that depend on an element of EU funding such as ESF, ERDF and Horizon 2020.

Labour market: Businesses are already asking questions about the future of EU nationals in their workforce and the risk involved in hiring others. Swift reassurance on the future status of EU employees is vital to retention of skills.

NI Chamber is focused on its target to help businesses. In this section, we profile some of those at the fore in these six areas and hear their views and concerns about what lies ahead as Brexit unfolds.

Contents: 52

What next for local economic development?

60

Could Northern Ireland be left in the dark?

54

Manufacturing a way forward

62

Assesing risk in trade and markets requires balance

56

Don’t let the talent pool run dry

58 Luring investors to our shores

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stability | clarity | action

What next for local economic development?

The Treasury has guaranteed to back EU-funded projects (signed before this year’s Autumn Statement) up until 2020 but what does this mean for Northern Ireland which has greatly benefitted from them? Adrienne McGill talks to Dr Anthony Soares, Deputy Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies.

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ith the EU providing important funding for local economic development in poorer regions, such as Northern Ireland, a question mark now hangs over projects which were in the pipeline or whose completion depends on EU financial backing.

EU funds have been very important to the Northern Ireland economy and the peace process over the years. Since 1994, the region has benefitted to the tune of €13 billion of funding from Europe and during the period 2014-2020, Northern Ireland had expected to draw down over €3.5 billion.

However, the continuing uncertainty about the future of the funds and the absence of EU programmes is casting a long shadow.

Many of the projects funded go to the heart of communities – such as the Peace Bridge in Derry, the Gobbins path in Islandmagee, Belfast’s Waterfront Hall and the Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre.

These have been accomplished with the

52 NI Chamber

EU working alongside national and regional authorities to deliver funding through an extensive list of programmes.

Some of the most significant cash for Northern Ireland comes from the EU Peace and Interreg cross-border cooperation programmes.

This funding is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB), a northsouth body sponsored by Stormont’s finance department and the government in the Irish Republic. Most of the funds comprise EU funding matched by government funding.

Prior to the referendum, the EU had agreed to contribute over €1.2 billion to Structural and Investment Fund programmes in Northern Ireland scheduled to run between 2014 and 2020 including contributions to Peace IV and Interreg.

However, following the Brexit vote Chancellor Philip Hammond announced that funding will only be guaranteed for projects which already have a letter of offer up until this November. The concern is that this puts up

EU FUNDING PROGRAMMES INCLUDE: • Interreg V and Peace IV - aimed at cross-border cooperation.

• European Social Fund – aims to combat poverty and enhance social inclusion.

• Single Farm Payments – subsidies paid to farmers.

• Horizon 2020 - the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020).

• Erasmus - An EU student exchange programme.

• European Fisheries Fund – provides funding to the fishing industry and coastal communities to help them adapt to changing conditions in the sector.

• European Regional Development fund – aims to strengthen economic and social inclusion in the EU by correcting imbalances between its regions.

to £300 million of future funding in peril. The Chancellor also said research funding under the Horizon 2020 programme, granted before the UK leaves the EU, would be guaranteed by the Treasury.

In addition, the current level of common agricultural policy (CAP) pillar one funding will remain the same until 2020.

Dr Anthony Soares, Deputy Director of the Centre for Cross Border Studies says there is a need for creative thinking about how the funding is managed.

“Where do we go from 2020? Projects that are currently in their first stage of receiving EU funding and were expecting a second or third stage have been left up in the air leaving many organisations extremely uncertain about how to move forward.

“We are calling for the governments across the regions to consider ways to maintain the participation of Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Ireland in EU funding programmes.

“The higher education sector is going to be particularly badly hit. The sector has been

working with partners in programmes backed by the EU, especially Horizon 2020 in the area of collaborative research. Also, some businesses have told us there is a certain resistance now from European partners to have a UK partner on board with them especially if it involves a project which is at design stage rather than application stage.

“The fear is that Northern Ireland will be one region competing with others for the attention of Westminster when it comes to trying to secure funding especially around transport and energy developments in the future.”

One region likely to be particularly impacted by the loss of EU funding is Newry and Mourne. The local Council has a cross border networking organisation called ‘East Border Regional Ltd’ which has submitted 19 applications worth €132 million from the EU for investment in Newry, Mourne and Down and five partner Councils in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The Council has said at least 12 to 15 months of

hard work is now in jeopardy because SEUPB and government departments can only issue contracts up until August 2018 – the end of the two year negotiating phase for Brexit.

Meanwhile, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council says it is continuing to work closely with SEUPB, Invest Northern Ireland and other European funding administrators in relation to funding for the local area and all ongoing projects are progressing as scheduled. The Council says it is still applying for and receiving funding and will continue to do so while the current finance mechanism remains open and unchanged.

At the end of the day Dr Soares says the issue is not about the money – it’s about what the money is used for.

“The EU funding has helped build communities, create jobs, given businesses access to new markets, and underpinned the agri-food sector. It is therefore critical to the people and the economy of Northern Ireland.”

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stability | clarity | action

Manufacturing a way forward

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orthern Ireland has a long and proud manufacturing history covering a wide range of industries including ship building, engineering, aerospace and food production. The region boasts some notable world class business performers who are powering ahead on the global stage.

Manufacturing provides around 11 per cent of all jobs in Northern Ireland and almost 16 per cent of total economic output of the region. The sector makes a significant contribution to export levels and research and development, both of which are central to wealth generation.

In spite of many challenges, the local manufacturing sector has seen its output grow by 2.4 per cent in the last year while employment in manufacturing firms has grown to approximately 80,000.

Manufacturing accounts for 61 per cent of all goods and services exported by Northern Ireland companies. Consequently, as the largest exporting sector, and therefore source of revenue, the sector plays a vital part in supporting the region’s economic growth.

54 NI Chamber

The true implications of Brexit for manufacturing companies look set to be clouded by continuing uncertainty until the EU and the UK government thrash out an acceptable plan of action for both sides – and that could take at least two years. Adrienne McGill talks to Cormac Diamond, Managing Director of Bloc Blinds about the implications for his business.

However, great uncertainty now hangs over manufacturers as the possibility they feared has come true.

So what next for manufacturing businesses in dealing with the manifold implications of the exit vote?

For Cormac Diamond, Managing Director and founder of Magherafelt -based Bloc Blinds, Brexit is going to pose considerable challenges for his business.

The Co Derry company, which employs 115 people, specialises in the design and manufacture of window blinds and exports 40 per cent of its products to mainland Europe.

“We have been successful in the European market over the last 7 years and have experienced unhindered export growth. Our immediate concern after the Brexit result was how it would impact our exports,” he says.

“Our products go to end users within the eurozone. Because we have never been in a Brexit situation before, we have not been able to prepare for it because we don’t know what we are preparing for.

“As a business, the uncertainty isn’t doing us any good nor our distributors in Europe.

“We have had to stall our growth plans.

We were about to embark on a closer relationship with some of our distributors in Europe but until we know how new legislation is going to impact the movement of our products, we have had to take a step back and reassess our plans.

“The uncertainty has left our relationship with our European distributors strained.

Collectively everyone wants to progress but the uncertainty means that we have to consider other routes to growth.

“We also have to take account of how the UK is perceived within the eurozone because each country has its own national interests as well. The UK is being seen as inward looking rather than having a common interest with other countries in Europe.”

Manufacturing is highly regulated and most of this regulation emanates from Brussels.

However, it is unlikely that regulation is going to lessen following Brexit. The concern is that if the UK wants to continue to do business with the remaining EU Member States, it will almost certainly need to comply with EU regulations in order to do so – but unfortunately without the ability that it previously had to negotiate, influence or

Picture credit: Bradley Quinn.

challenge those regulations. Manufacturers may have to comply with UK as well as EU legislation, which may well diverge over time or at minimum be applied inconsistently.

Cormac Diamond is particularly frustrated because earlier this year Bloc Blinds moved into its renovated and extended new premises at Station Road, Magherafelt in a £4 million investment and created 93 new jobs in response to demand for its products especially in Europe. Germany is the firm’s largest export market followed by the Netherlands and then France but its products are also distributed in the UK and Ireland.

The company, which was established in 2008, has built up a strong reputation as an innovator due to the firm’s clever, precise designs and solutions which has been reflected in a growing customer base across the UK, Europe and America.

“In the build up to the referendum we were hearing a lot about export opportunities beyond Europe. But we are fledgling exporters within Europe so how do we make the enormous leap into unknown territories? It might suit bigger firms who are more export savvy and have more contacts

throughout the world but it is too much of a risk for smaller firms,” says Cormac.

“Exporting to India, China or South America poses all sorts of challenges in terms of ease of access, language and business culture.”

The company has made a tentative move into the US market and recently opened a new office in Boston but Europe is still its growth market.

“I will not be turning my back on the eurozone and we will make whatever changes are needed to our operating process and selling techniques to ensure we still have access to the eurozone. We have to look at all aspects of the business that may have to change in order to survive.”

In the short term at least, if the pound continues to lose ground against international currencies, price rises in imported raw materials for UK manufacturers seem inevitable.

In the medium term, if the UK decides to ditch, or is not allowed to maintain, the current free trade agreements with EU countries, prices of imported materials from the EU are also likely to be higher than they

are today, due to potential import tariffs.

Manufacturers will therefore need to be vigilant about tracking the impact of price fluctuations of raw materials on their costs of UK production, and continually assess the effectiveness of their current sourcing policies and partners, until the Brexit negotiations deliver more clarity about the future.

In the case of Bloc Blinds, manufacturing takes place in Magherafelt but the materials and components come from Europe.

“We purchase our raw materials in euros but it has become more expensive to do that because of exchange rate. The prospect of import duties on top of that makes the situation even worse,” says Cormac.

“We see the European market as a massive contributor to our growth but we don’t know how we can facilitate that growth if Brexit throws up insurmountable obstacles. We can continue to produce here or we may have to license production in mainland Europe.

There are lots of different angles that we have to explore.”

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stability | clarity | action

Don’t let the talent pool run dry Access to the Single Market and some form of freedom of movement of people is paramount if the post-Brexit deal with the EU is to be beneficial for Northern Ireland, Pete Feldman, Managing Director of Grafton Recruitment, tells Adrienne McGill.

T

he key word that has emerged from the UK leaving the EU is ‘uncertainty’.

The fear is that Brexit will bring with it unprecedented long-term changes in the labour market. While the terms of an exit under EU law will take at least two years, the Government said on February 29 that the UK could be looking at as much as a decade of uncertainty as the negotiation for withdrawal, which will be triggered by Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – the piece of legislation allowing a country to exit the EU – is played out.

“The only thing at the moment which is certain is uncertainty,” says Pete Feldman, Managing Director of Grafton Recruitment, a leading employment solutions provider operating throughout Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and Europe.

“Before we even know what the postBrexit labour market will look like, there are many outstanding questions that need answering. Should Article 50 be triggered

by Royal Prerogative or Parliament? Do the regional parliaments/assemblies have to firstly ratify Brexit? How will our border with Ireland be managed? What sort of access to the Single Market will we get? Will we still have to abide by EU legislation, like Norway and Switzerland? Will a second referendum or general election be called to ratify the final Brexit deal? Brexit may not quite mean Brexit.”

Now that we are on a Brexit trajectory, the greatest concern for employers and recruiters is what changes will be made to the freedom of movement of labour. Over three million EU citizens live and work in the UK and alleviate many of the existing skill and labour

56 NI Chamber

shortages, particularly in the IT, Construction, Engineering, Food, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Hospitality and Retail sectors.

Pete says employers are concerned about the impact that Brexit will have on their access to talent pools and how they will fill professional, skilled and unskilled positions, if EU workers are forced to leave.

This may cause a major shift in the labour market and see businesses competing even harder for critical talent, pushing up wages, a phenomenon that could penetrate all sectors in efforts to attract and retain talent.

“The key concern for me involves the freedom of movement of people and the potential withdrawal or limitation of access to the Single Market; particularly when I think about the percentage of EU nationals who contribute to the workforce in Northern Ireland. If we don’t have access to the 500 million people in the EU Single Market, organisations may face even greater challenges in sourcing the right talent fits for their jobs and cultures in the post-Brexit world.

“If we need to move to a points-based immigration system, it needs to be open, well-resourced and set up correctly from the outset. We should address upfront the solutions needed for recognised skills shortages but crucially, we also have to have a solution for unskilled labour e.g. the reintroduction of a clear tier three visa system.

“In addition, any post-Brexit settlement has to look at the mobility of professional workers. Since the UK’s accession to the European Community in 1973, many companies have thrived and expanded within the trading certainty of a pan-European environment. Their professional workers and managers constantly travel the EU freely so

a settlement must allow this pan-European freedom of movement to continue with minimal disruption to trade. We know categorically from the financial crisis that the world is interlinked – you can’t sit as a little island anymore – metaphorically or physically!

“We have millions of professional, skilled and unskilled EU migrants in Northern Ireland who have made a life-changing decision to come and settle here and who are currently adding value to our economy.

They are an integral part of our labour market and are crucial to the success of our economy. If we are already benefitting economically from these people being in Northern Ireland, I believe we should make a unilateral decision now to guarantee their rights and alleviate some uncertainly during this transition period. Resident EU nationals must not be used as bargaining chips during these negotiations. Ethically, economically and professionally this is wrong.”

In July a ‘Report on Jobs’ survey from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, which collects data from 400 UK Recruitment and Employment firms, revealed that the number of people securing a permanent job had fallen for two months in a row. The data suggested permanent placements in July fell at the sharpest rate since May 2009, with participants citing uncertainty caused by Brexit as the main reason. The results also indicated that some clients of recruitment firms had shifted towards using short-term staff.

However, Pete says Grafton was not necessarily experiencing such a dramatic drop off in perm recruitment: “It is too early to make a call on how the permanent market is going and this

report only accounts for the two months immediately after the referendum. Some of our clients are operating a ‘wait and see’ policy and delaying hiring decisions – but they are not cancelling them.

“We are still finding that permanent hiring is taking place because businesses have to run on a day-to-day basis. However, organisations can be creative about the employment method that they are going to engage somebody on, still operate businessas-usual activity and retain flexibility for future uncertainty. Outside of permanent hiring, they can engage hourly temps, fixed-term contracts or self-employed contractors.

Our teams continue to advise and support our clients in making those decisions and to facilitate business growth.”

EU directives are the source of many of the UK’s employment rights and for many pro-Brexit businesses, the exit from Europe presents an opportunity for the UK to reshape its employment legislative framework.

In particular, the Working Time Directive, Agency Workers Directive, Equality Directive and the Transfer of Undertakings (TUPE) Directive are perceived by some businesses as stifling flexibility and adding cost to an organisation’s payroll bill.

“We have been obliged to implement a multitude of EU directives as a Member State particularly over the last 20 years” says Pete.

“But we are in a position now where we have the freedom to frame the post-Brexit employment law framework, especially as employment law is devolved in Northern Ireland. It frees us up now to truly create a labour market which is attractive to investors, balances business flexibility with social

protection, and focuses on growth and job creation.

“However, we have to seriously consider our approach and tread carefully. I believe our labour market has benefitted hugely from EU reform so too much ‘unpicking’ of EU legislation could negatively impact worker morale, productivity and therefore the overall economy. Certainly the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) believes that the current employment law framework should be preserved. All stakeholders in the Northern Ireland economy need to be consulted from the outset. We also need to think about delaying certain employment initiatives that will have a negative cost impact on businesses, no matter the positive intention. Examples include the Apprenticeship Levy, higher Auto-enrolment Contribution Levels and an increase to the National Living Wage.

“Finally it seems obvious but whether one voted leave or remain, we are all leavers now so we need to stay calm, operate a business-as-usual policy, support the EU nationals in our business who may be feeling vulnerable at this time and make our post-Brexit deal with the EU as beneficial for Northern Ireland as possible.”

Pete insists that access to the Single Market and some form of freedom of movement is paramount. ”As business leaders, it is our responsibility to continue to influence and lobby government throughout the transition period and secure the best platform for growth we can, confident in the flexibility and adaptability of our teams and the Northern Ireland workforce and industry.”

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Luring investors to our shores Northern Ireland has a strong track record in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) but will that change as a result of Brexit? Adrienne McGill examines the issue with HMC Global’s CEO John Haran and Head of Economic Development Declan Barry.

T

here is no doubt that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has played a significant role in boosting productivity, attracting talent and raising overall skills levels within the Northern Ireland economy and continues to do so.

During the financial year to March 2016, economic development agency Invest NI

58 NI Chamber

secured 35 inward investment projects of which 20 were new names to Northern Ireland. For new to Northern Ireland projects secured in 2015/16, both the number of jobs promoted and the investment secured were both substantially up, by 49 per cent and 43 per cent respectively.

However, the attractiveness of the region as a destination for FDI poses a unique set of

challenges in the wake of the EU referendum.

The Nevin Economic Research Institute (NERI) highlights a number of these. It says the UK’s exit from the EU could deprive Northern Ireland of inward investment by boosting the attractiveness of the Republic of Ireland (RoI) as a location and reinforcing the peripheral position of Northern Ireland within the UK. Furthermore, NERI says given the

existing levels of government support for FDI in Northern Ireland it could prove difficult to provide further support for FDI to counteract any negative effects of BREXIT. However, the Institute points out that leaving the EU could lift existing restrictions on State Aid and allow a more active role for government investment. It says FDI into Northern Ireland will be adversely affected in the short term if access to the Single Market and bilateral trade agreements take longer than expected to negotiate. If the UK can reestablish trade arrangements with the EU and establish new trade arrangements with the US quite quickly, the threat to future investment abates.

HMC Global is one of those playing a central role in attracting investors to our shores. The Belfast-based specialist economic development consultancy has spent more than 25 years attracting inward investment on behalf of economic development agencies across Europe and the UK as well as supporting private sector companies in exporting to and establishing in new global markets.

The consultancy is a key partner of Invest Northern Ireland in promoting Northern Ireland as a place for foreign investors to do business.

“Our role is to identify potential inward investors – we look at what is happening in the market at a macro level which may create opportunities and stimulate investment,” says John Haran, HMC Global’s CEO. “FDI is very important to the Northern Ireland economy. Around 800 companies in Northern Ireland employing 75,000 people are foreign-owned. They bring new technologies to the region, new skills and access to foreign markets. They are a great catalyst and trigger for innovation. FDI is probably more important to Northern Ireland than to any other part of the UK.” The US is the largest Foreign Direct Investor in Northern Ireland with more than180 companies employing over 24,000 people. As a location, the region has exactly what US companies are looking for – an educated, smart, innovative and results-driven workforce, together with good infrastructure, competitive costs and excellent support packages.

Among the US businesses that have already discovered the benefits of operating in Northern Ireland are Citi, Seagate, the Allstate Corp, Liberty Mutual, CME and Baker & McKenzie.

“The UK is the most business friendly location in the world,” says John Haran.

“US companies can come into the UK, they can set up operations quickly, access skills, the legislation is easy to understand and it is a good base for them if they are going to look at the European market. The UK is the natural home for US companies and that is why so many of them choose to locate a base in Northern Ireland.

“People invest in the UK primarily because it is the UK. For most US companies, their first market will be the UK and within that Northern Ireland’s greatest strength has been access to talent and low costs.

“While we did see a slowdown in FDI activities coming up to the referendum – business hates uncertainty – post referendum we have been very busy – in fact July has been exceptionally productive across all our contracts in the UK. “In reality, the Northern Ireland proposition is always evolving to reflect market conditions, whether that be a change in EU status, increasing competition from other regions or new technology. Indeed, the proposition is probably stronger today than it has ever been.”

A tantalising prospect for foreign investors is the potential for a reduction in the level of Corporation Tax. The Stormont Executive, has advanced plans to slash the rate to match the RoI’s 12.5 per cent in 2018 which has helped attract major employers including Apple, Pfizer and Google to the Republic.

However, following the referendum, the former Chancellor George Osborne revealed plans to aggressively cut the tax to less than 15 per cent in Great Britain – five points lower than its current 20 per cent rate – to woo businesses deterred by Brexit.

If this happens it may dilute Northern Ireland’s chances of attracting investment after the rate here falls.

John Haran says nonetheless, a reduction in the Corporation Tax rate in Northern Ireland would be a stand out proposition.

“Who knows where the UK mainland rate will end up – no matter what happens a rate of 12.5 per cent is a huge plus for Northern Ireland going forward in terms of an improvement in our offering.

“That is a huge differentiator for us in UK terms – it makes Northern Ireland the most profitable place in the UK to do business.

The reality is that 12.5 per cent is a much better proposition than 15 per cent to an

investor.

“In terms of the Republic of Ireland, again if Corporation Tax is a key driver, then we are able to have conversations with companies who beforehand would only ever have considered the RoI as an investment location.”

A report earlier this year by EY highlighted that the volume of big foreign investments in Northern Ireland is declining faster than anywhere else in the UK with only 15 FDI projects in 2015 compared to 39 it secured a year earlier.

However, Declan Barry, Head of Economic Development with HMC Global points to the fact that like the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland has had to deal with EU changes to regional aid. From July 2014, new rules began to apply to companies with more than 250 staff already based in Northern Ireland. That means they may not get public money towards expansion projects if it involves the same activities at the same premises and this sways the figures relating to the number of FDI projects.

“The FDI market over the last 10 years has changed. It has become a lot smaller.

The average FDI project now involves the creation of 30-50 new jobs in a very specialist operation. There are a lot more new entrants to the market which has become more agile and based on innovation and technology and requiring specialist skills. For instance cyber security has become huge in Northern Ireland. It is one of those sectors in which Northern Ireland has a world class proposition and there are new companies being formed all the time because they are spinning out of the bigger companies.

“The projects are smaller and there are more of them but that is creating a lot more opportunity.

“The financial services sector is a real gem for Northern Ireland. It is based on technology and bright people doing critical work. At the big level you have US companies like Citi and home grown firms like First Derivatives. There has been a huge influx of small technology companies from the US and from the UK in financial services.

Northern Ireland has been able to do that because Invest NI has spent a lot of time attracting big companies who are the source of technology, customers and experienced people and all of that leads to the creation of smaller fin-tech companies who then begin to grow. That bodes very well for the development of the Northern Ireland economy.”

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T

he North South Interconnector has been designed to connect the two electricity grids in the Northern Ireland and the Republic with a new 400 kV overhead line running along 138km between Co Tyrone and Co Meath.

In the Republic of Ireland, the state-owned commercial energy company EirGrid has submitted plans for the southern half of the project while in Northern Ireland, the lead is being taken by System Operator for Northern Ireland (SONI). In total, the massive infrastructure project is costing £204 million.

While the dust is still settling after the Brexit vote in June and many remain uncertain of the impact it may have on their lives and businesses, there are implications for major infrastructure projects with a cross border dimension such as the North South Interconnector.

SONI operates Northern Ireland’s electricity grid and is responsible for keeping the lights on across the region but the North South Interconnector is a crucial part of this in the future.

“Northern Ireland is facing an energy supply crisis, as old conventional fossil fuel

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generators retire,” says Robin McCormick, SONI General Manager.

“Our modelling of electricity demand and available generation capacity tells us that over the next five years we will be at a point where we are in an energy generation deficit.

As the system operator, I cannot be confident that we would be able to ‘keep the lights on’.

“It has been possible to temporarily defer the problem with a short term solution with a local power station. However this safety net is costing Northern Ireland consumers an additional £8 million per year and is not a sustainable solution.

“The problem can be addressed by delivering the North South Interconnector.

Customers in Northern Ireland will benefit from having access to the most economic generation capacity available on the island and we can be confident that we can ‘keep the lights on’.”

The proposal for the project, which is currently in the planning system, aims to provide a high-capacity connection between the electricity grids north and south, thereby ensuring that Northern Ireland has the secure supply it needs.

“The interconnector has been in the planning process since 2009 and Brexit does

not change the need for this vital project. It is essential and is supported by Northern Ireland’s Executive and business leaders,” says Mr McCormick.

“The North South Interconnector is also central to an efficient all Island Single Electricity Market (SEM) which has been run by SONI in Belfast and our colleagues at Eirgrid in Dublin since 2007. “ Both SONI and EirGrid are now working towards the introduction of a new market in 2017 that is designed to bring further benefits to electricity users across the island including access to cheaper sources of electricity; access to a larger market into which Ireland can sell its electricity; and a more open and efficient pan-European electricity market.

In terms of European designation, the project has PCI (project of common interest) status. These are those projects which the European Commission considers to be “essential for completing the European internal energy market and for reaching the EU’s energy policy objectives of affordable, secure and sustainable energy.”

While this means that the European Commission has recognised the huge importance of the interconnector, the project has not received any funding as the result of

COULD NORTHERN IRELAND BE LEFT IN THE DARK? THE NORTH SOUTH INTERCONNECTOR IS DESCRIBED AS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT ON THE ISLAND OF IRELAND TODAY. ADRIENNE MCGILL TALKS TO ROBIN MCCORMICK, GENERAL MANAGER OF SYSTEM OPERATOR FOR NORTHERN IRELAND (SONI) AND HEARS HOW CRUCIAL THE SCHEME IS TO ELECTRICITY PROVISION IN NORTHERN IRELAND.

its PCI designation, nor was or indeed is any such funding expected in the future. The project was eligible for European grant aid from a scheme (TEN-E) which pre-dates PCI and the majority of eligible funding in respect of that particular scheme has already been received. The project is not reliant on its PCI status to proceed but the designation confers on the project the status of the highest national significance possible.

“The project as it is in the planning system, i.e. an overhead line, is supported by both Regulators north and south and in both jurisdictions the business community has been out in force calling for the urgent delivery,” says Mr McCormick.

In June of this year something of a milestone was reached with the recommencement of the Public Inquiry called by the Planning Appeals Commission.

The one day hearing examined legal and procedural aspects arising from the planning applications. This represented phase one of the hearing and only preliminary issues were discussed.

“Considerations such as the need for and benefits of the project as well as the technology proposed were not addressed at that hearing in June,” says Mr McCormick.

“It now rests with the Minister for Infrastructure to decide if we will proceed to phase two and we would hope that substantive hearing would happen by the end of the year or at the beginning of next.”

Mr McCormick stresses that the project cannot suffer any further delay.

“In the next few years Northern Ireland’s electricity capacity margin becomes critical – this is a problem coming down the line fast and hard. The seriousness of the situation was clear in black and white when we produced this year’s annual generation capacity statement – which looks ahead 7-10 years. While there is enough power being generated on the island, in the future ageing generating units at Ballylumford and Kilroot will be retired. This will leave Northern Ireland with a significant shortfall. Without the North South Interconnector in place, we would be in a position where Northern Ireland would be below the minimum security of supply standards – that’s a wellestablished measure of how much generating capacity we need.”

The position is that post 2020, SONI has concerns about not having enough generation capacity for all reasonable scenarios.

“We are now at a critical juncture in the

planning process and everything now needs to happen in a timely manner from here on in if we are to build the interconnector to meet the needs of Northern Ireland,” says Mr McCormick.

“While security of supply is undoubtedly a focus, the delay in delivering the North South Interconnector is costing Northern Ireland consumers every day. In the absence of the new interconnector, we’ve had to restrict the power flowing on the existing interconnector, this means the Single Electricity Market isn’t functioning as it was designed to. If the North South Interconnector were in place these bottlenecks and inefficiencies will reduce and as a result savings will start to flow. We estimate that the North South Interconnector will benefit customers across the island with initial annual savings of £14 million – but by 2030 these savings will have risen to between £29 million-£43 million.”

Due to the existing security of supply issue the Department for the Economy (then DETI) and Utility Regulator stepped in to ensure some back up generation. However, Mr McCormick stresses the construction of the North South Interconnector needs to start as soon as possible.

NI Chamber 61

stability | clarity | action

Assesing risk in trade and markets requires balance

The new era which is about to unfold will change trade and access to markets for companies. Ambition asked Peter Kelly, Head of Office with Marsh, Belfast to answer a series of questions on the risks that may emerge.

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ecause of Brexit, a new risk environment has emerged.

What are those risks?

We can expect UK markets to experience significant volatility over the rest of 2016.

Sterling may come under pressure, the stock market may sag and property prices may fall as negotiations are carried out.

While the Bank of England has contingency plans, the heightened uncertainty may dampen the immediate outlook for GDP growth, as households defer spending on major purchases and companies postpone investment projects and recruitment plans.

Regulatory uncertainty may also deter foreign direct investment to the UK in the short term.

Finally, there are the risks associated with economic and political contagion. For example, will other countries seek to leave the EU? How will the global economy be affected? And will we see an increased deployment of protectionist measures that are already observed across G20 countries?

It is difficult to forecast the extent and longevity of this uncertainty as the exit negotiations continue, although it’s important to bear in mind that it may be at least two years before the full terms of Brexit are finalised after the formal process to leave begins, or possibly longer.

If the UK were to join the European Economic Area (EEA), such a move would grant it almost full access to the Single Market while letting it strike trade deals without the rest of the EU. What are the risks?

The scenario of the UK joining the EEA would likely have the lowest impact on the economy and trade, as the country

would still have access to the Single Market.

However, at this stage it is not clear that this will remain unchanged in the future. For example, the UK approach to a number of pan-European regulatory regimes may need to be renegotiated and UK legal judgements may no longer be enforceable in the rest of the EEA. EEA membership would allow the City of London to keep precious ‘passporting rights’ which means firms can do cross-border business in any part of the bloc. How important are ‘passporting rights’?

As a consequence of Brexit, the right of insurers and brokers to ‘passport’ into the EEA could be restricted. Insurers who wish to carry on business in other EEA states may be required to obtain licences or form a new legal entity based in the state. The same could apply to EU insurers wishing to carry on business in the UK. These entities may need to be fully capitalised leading to additional costs. The Freedom of Services Directive, which allows insurers the right to provide services on a cross-border basis within the EU, may cease to apply to the UK. This would make it more difficult for multinational companies to secure locally admitted coverage in multiple EU countries.

‘Passporting’ rights are therefore important not just for insurers, but for their customers also.

The UK’s new relationship with the EU will involve new risks and insurance implications. What should companies be doing to prepare themselves for these?

Volatility and uncertainty can change areas and levels of risk rapidly and businesses may now be exposed to significant risks that were previously not of concern. For these reasons companies should review the range of risks to which they are exposed, their potential impact, and their control and mitigation strategies.

It would be prudent for companies to review their risk profile and consider the resilience of their planning assumptions to both likely and unexpected scenarios. The

list of potential actions is likely to be long and companies will need to prioritise and sequence these actions appropriately, as well as reviewing and adjusting them over time.

Supply chain mapping is essential – if a company has suppliers based in the EU, then it might be vulnerable to changes to trading agreements. Supply chain mapping can help businesses understand where they might be vulnerable to any changes to trading agreements. By taking early action to understand their exposures, there’s time to change their supplier strategy, identify alternative suppliers, and build resilience to this risk.

Businesses should also prepare for how Brexit may affect their people, by identifying how many EU (non-UK) citizens they employ, and which are in critical roles.

Similarly, they should do the same for any UK citizens employed in operations elsewhere in the EU. There is likely to be time to respond and to set in place a policy with regard to affected colleagues.

At a tactical level, businesses should monitor their sums insured – if their cover is written in the UK, claims payments will usually be made in sterling, yet some of the items insured may be based in, or sourced from, overseas. In such cases, firms should make sure that the sum insured remains adequate and takes into account currency fluctuations. By reviewing their corporate risk registers, including their control and mitigation strategies, businesses can determine how much risk they are able to retain and how much insurance they can afford to buy, and put a plan in place to address various outcomes.

An agile approach to planning and management is essential as national level negotiations proceed and the shape of the exit becomes clearer. By applying risk management techniques, businesses can build resilience to help them trade through this period of uncertainty and look for new opportunities that may emerge.

NI Chamber 63

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As a forensic accounting specialist with six years post qualifying experience, Nuala looks beyond the numbers to deal with the business reality of a situation.

“As a Forensic Accountant, I apply my accounting, auditing and investigative skills to examine and analyse financial records, identify irregularities in business practices and interview relevant parties to report on the core issues.”

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Continuing to innovate for customers

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onstant change is the way of the world today. More than ever businesses have to think on their feet and maintain a close watching brief on what and how they can introduce more innovative products and services to stay ahead.

Small and medium-sized businesses may not have the budgets of larger firms but that certainly doesn’t mean that they cannot be creative in their approach to their business.

Cooper’s Pharmacy in the Andersonstown area of Belfast is based within a busy health centre and is a great example of how investment in innovation can fuel business growth in a very competitive market. The business is centred around an objective to deliver patient advice, medicines and service to the highest levels possible.

Michael Cooper, owner of Cooper’s Pharmacy, said early engagement and funding support was vital to growing the business. He

said: “Bank of Ireland UK were an integral business partner throughout the entire process and involved from the outset. We have had a long relationship with Paul Nixon, our relationship manager, who understood our business vision implicitly, from day one through to the completion of the project.”

With research, careful planning and consultation , Michael Cooper committed and focused on improving workflow and the patient experience by investing in a Consis E Robot.

This has allowed the Pharmacy to automate dispensing of 85 per cent of the medication which has fundamentally changed the entire operation of the business.

“This investment dramatically changed work processes in the Pharmacy, but for us this was not only about the automation but about our team and our patients. The changes have allowed our team to focus on delivering an expanded and improved service to our patient base,” said Michael.

Gavin Kennedy, Director Business Banking NI. Successful businesses continuously look for ways to improve their bottom line and invest resources in trying out new ideas, be it in sales, product design, production processes or better purchasing. All of these activities involve innovation, in one form or another.

Gavin Kennedy, Director Business Banking NI said: “Bank of Ireland UK is investing significantly in new technology which will not only improve the way in which our customers transact their banking needs but also ensure relationship managers spend more time working with our customers to understand their strategy, business needs and developing long-term partnerships.”

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columnist

Zimbabwe in Crisis WITH ZIMBABWE’S ECONOMY IN MELTDOWN, IAN RAINEY, CURRENT CEO OF MSL EXECUTIVE RECRUITMENT AND FORMER INTERNATIONAL BANKER, LOOKS AT ITS SPIRAL INTO DECLINE.

66 NI Chamber

W

hen I last visited Zimbabwe two years ago I couldn’t believe the deterioration of its economy. When I lived in South Africa in the late 70s, I regularly was required to visit our operations in Harare, which was then part of a thriving economy and the country was known as “the bread basket of Africa”. Its predominately agricultural base was the envy of all of Africa. Today it is more likely to be known as the “basket case” of Africa and that takes some doing in a continent which struggles to find wellrun economies.

Zimbabweans have endured shortages of fuel, food and water for decades since President Mugabe took over in 1980 but now the country is running out of cash and is in a perilous state. The economy nearly shut down in 2009 amid an inflation rate of some 500 million per cent and the Zimbabwean dollar was then replaced by the US dollar. The depressed state of the economy has now also been hit by political uncertainly – particularly surrounding who will succeed the 92-year-old President whose longevity is limited.

With almost no money in the banks Zimbabwe is technically broke. The effects fall once again on the long suffering population. There is no money to buy food, fuel and other

staples. Businesses cannot get enough money out of the banks to pay wages or suppliers. Sources at private banks refer to the fact that the Central Bank was seizing half of ordinary deposits.

Hundreds queue at cash machines daily in Harare but often in vain. The daily withdrawal cap has been cut from $2000 (a month ago) to about $300 per day at the end of July.

At the same time President Mugabe has been out of the county eight times in the last six months to various conferences and to visit his banking friends in Singapore and Hong Kong. Each time he reputedly takes 3-4 million US dollars in cash; cash which should be going to pay wages and for imported supplies.

The one bright light on the horizon is the appearance of a deepening rift between the President and the military veterans who have helped to keep him in power. The government has threatened to prosecute “traitorous independent war veterans” who are now calling for Mugabe’s resignation.

The Zimbabwe National War Veterans Association, which claims to have 50,000 members, last month issued a statement blaming the country’s economic crisis on “bankrupt leadership” which “needs to be uprooted right now”.

It is this body which has played a vital role in protecting Mugabe’s presidency over the last 35 years.

They are now openly supported by nurses, teachers, doctors and the rest of the civil service who have also gone on strike in the last few weeks. The last national strike in Zimbabwe was in November 1997 when trade unions were forced to yield significant power. However today social media has started to take their place with movements such as #ShutdownZimbabwe.

The authorities have blocked WhatsApp and the state internet services but the locals are daily finding ways around the blocks with alternative providers

and virtual network apps.

Ordinary Zimbabweans, not just oppositionists, are impatient for the President to start an orderly succession – and for the party to end the economic crisis which has all the hallmarks of deteriorating into a humanitarian black hole. There are those who predict that the Mugabe era need not end in a blood bath and that a new colonialism could be the answer. But this time they are not looking at Britain but at China.

Its modest economy could, with the help of a protective power, be turned into a going concern. The attraction for China would be the copper, platinum and diamonds which it actively mines today and exports back to a resource hungry mainland.

The Chinese presence in the capital Harare is already very visible and last year, in December, President Xi Jingping visited the country and promised potential multi-million dollar investments. The Chinese are not totally unfamiliar with the country, having bank-rolled Mugabe’s fighters during the 1979 Rhodesian Bush War, and when Mugabe took power in 1980 built the national sports stadium, hospitals and a power station. Crucially China has been and continues to be Mugabe’s largest arms supplier. It is also noteworthy that Mugabe’s current wife Grace was formerly married to Zimbabwe’s military attaché in Beijing and his daughter is currently at University in the New Territories in Hong Kong.

The Chinese currency has recently been adopted as an alternative to the US dollar and Beijing has recently agreed to write off some 40 million dollars of Zimbabwean debt. Chinese trade with Africa has grown from some $13 billion in 2002 to a current level of $180 billion, so the Chinese are not unfamiliar with the vagaries of Africa.

While this hypothesis of Chinese colonialism may initially sound farfetched it is easier to appreciate its reality than it is to envision Mugabe finding any other way out of a hole which he has dug himself into over the last 35 years.

NI HOSPICE LAUNCHES FIRST DEMENTIA CARE PROGRAMME

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orthern Ireland Hospice has officially launched its first palliative care programme to support patients living with dementia, and their families.

The programme, entitled ‘Hospice Enabled Dementia Partnerships’, was launched in the Day Service Wing of the new NI Hospice in North Belfast, which officially opened its doors to patients on 25th May 2016.

Former Broadcaster Sarah Travers, whose late father was diagnosed with dementia, became the official ambassador for the programme.

Supported by Atlantic Philanthropies, the three-year pilot programme will offer palliative and end of life care for people with dementia and their families living in North and West Belfast.

Dementia patients will have improved access to tailored palliative care, including Care in the Community, day hospice services and in-patient support for symptom management as required.

The programme will also provide advice and support to carers, including help at home, transport, social support and

complementary therapies.

It is anticipated that over the next 40 years, dementia will become more common in Northern Ireland and that the numbers of people diagnosed with dementia will rise from 19,000 today to 60,000 by 2051.

Through the ‘Hospice Enabled Dementia Partnerships’ programme, Northern Ireland Hospice is taking proactive steps to highlight that those with dementia, approaching the end of life, have very specific needs.

Project Lead for the programme, Joanne Ballentine said: “Our new Hospice is already making a huge difference to patients with dementia and their families. Every Friday, patients with dementia and their carers attend a tailored weekly dementia session in our Day Hospice.

Patients have access to our expert team as well as being able to avail of complementary therapies and memory support.”

Sarah Travers added: “I am honoured to be joining the Hospice Enabled Dementia Partnerships programme as an ambassador. It’s fantastic that people with dementia at the end of life will be able to

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Project Lead for the ‘Hospice Enabled Dementia Partnerships’ programme Joanne Ballentine with the initiative’s ambassador former Broadcaster Sarah Travers.

avail of these much-needed services.

“I know from personal experience through my own dad’s illness, that caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or Dementia can be quite difficult in the later stages. The fact that Northern Ireland Hospice is offering tailored support and care to each individual and their carer is so important.”

To find out more about the Hospice Enabled Dementia Partnerships programme, go to www.nihospice.org or call 028 9078 1836.

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NI Chamber 67

feature

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ndustry leading digital services company, Atos, has been the official worldwide IT provider for the Olympic and Paralympic Games since 1989 and has achieved a golden record for faultless performance. The company helped deliver a successful 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games and is already working on the Pyeong Chang Winter Games in 2018.

For many years Atos has been using its global IT infrastructure expertise to help businesses in Northern Ireland digitally transform their operations enabling them to navigate the challenges of modern commerce and embrace growth opportunities.

Atos managed a record 200,000 hours of IT testing for this year’s Olympics in Brazil. As official worldwide IT partner, the company was charged with testing every process and application with a zero-defect tolerance level.

This involved testing IT systems, such as accreditation and the volunteer portal which were managed on cloud-based software for the first time in a summer Olympic Games.

Fast is no longer quick enough. Anything less than instant will leave room for doubt, embarrassment or error. This is the reason why Atos tests from numerous different angles and in isolation by looking specifically at the individual test application.

Gary McQuoid, Client Executive and Commercial Director at Atos Northern Ireland, said: “We know that in the Olympic Games, just as in business, detailed planning, constant training and rigorous testing are essential to achieve the best results. It not only ensures that things work smoothly under stress, it gives peace of mind and the confidence to deliver when it counts.

“As a global supplier of IT infrastructure we are uniquely placed to deliver practical and cost effective digital transformation projects to clients at a local level to bring them real business benefits. It is our goal to empower our clients to implement innovative technologies that will transform how they operate in an increasingly competitive environment.”

The testing involved with preparing for the Olympics is a powerful example of Atos’ ability to scale resources according to need.

As well as thwarting more than 255 million security events during the 2014 Sochi Games through “extreme” security and vulnerability testing for both cloud and non-cloud

68 NI Chamber

The Spectacular Rio Olympics.

Atos takes gold for Olympic success Technology is critical to the success of each Olympic Games and leading the field in this is Atos. Gary McQuoid, Client Executive and Commercial Director at Atos Northern Ireland, tells Ambition how the company’s flawless, innovative IT services has made it a champion technology provider. infrastructures, the company has also been entrusted with testing responsibility across many organisations in which there can only be zero-defect tolerance.

This type of intense testing is mirrored across all areas of the business as Atos is active in crash-testing and stress-testing for the aerospace industry; ensuring fully operational capability for European Space Agency systems and satellites; testing simulators and control systems for nuclear power stations; and routinely performing stringent testing for public sector defence and security organisations.

Following the theme of digital evolution, Atos is implementing new IT infrastructure models for businesses of all sizes, in finance, telecommunications, media and the public sector, covering everything from application management, big data and analytics, business process outsourcing and consulting to cloud computing, cyber security, data centre services, managed services, systems integration and transactional services.

Gary McQuoid adds: “Creating a central model to allow clients to manage critical business systems provides consistency of operations, more certainty in systems and back-up and, of course, improved efficiencies and reduced costs for businesses,

and enabling businesses to concentrate on delivering to their customers.

“Atos believes the use of innovative cloud-based technologies at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio demonstrated what can be achieved for other sectors as it provides scalability for any type of business. If it can work at the greatest show on earth, it can work anywhere.”

The Olympics cloud can be used again and again, unlike current infrastructure which has to be built up for each games, taking additional time and expense. This is the single biggest infrastructure project Atos has developed, and many aspects will last for years as these types of systems will be available for use across many different industries.

Whether in Rio or Northern Ireland, in order to be able to tackle the challenges of the digital era, businesses need to migrate to flexible computing. Increasingly, modern businesses are developing a more mobile and agile workforce – working while travelling, working from other offices or countries, working in the ‘great outdoors’, working from home. Companies and customers demand the same level of service and quality no matter where their supplier’s staff may be located.

columnist

Great content Search engines have their own way of viewing the world says John Coleman, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specialist at integrated marketing company ICAN.

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here’s been a lot of talk about content marketing and what “great content” actually is. The way people see this great content and how search engines see it is not the same. This is why it’s important to optimise content for search engines as well as users.

Let’s take a look at some typical pieces of content.

1. A blog post from a tech specialist website that tells me about a new phone I’m considering buying.

2. A review of a restaurant I want to go to.

3. A how-to guide on changing the name on a plane ticket.

I like content like this because it’s simple but has real value to the user.

1. The blog post provides trusted and unbiased information that helps my decision making.

2. The review can help me learn more about a restaurant, either positive or negative.

3. A guide to changing the name on my plane ticket solves a real pain point for travellers faced with

this problem.

However, even though I like this content, search engines may not. A search engine will only like content depending on what the creator and user of the content does with it.

Search engines define great content by using lots of different quality indicators.

Great content will only be great if it generates a large amount of social noise or links on its own. This is why it is important to look at your content from both a user and SEO point of view.

So how do we turn this content into great content?

• The phone review – get users to comment, monitor questions and engage with them. If they buy the phone, bring them to the review and ask them to engage in the comment section. A great comment section that doesn’t get spammed can be a fantastic way to show engagement on your site.

• The restaurant review – do the same as the blog, monitor people talking about the restaurant and

engage with them. Point them to the review and ask them to comment if they happen to eat at the restaurant. If it’s a positive review then it presents an opportunity for the restaurant to link out to you. Even if it’s a ‘no followed’ link, it should send great referral traffic.

• The airline name change advice – Open a conversation with travel bloggers, writers and journalists through e-mail and social. Let them know about your content and ask them to read it. If they feel it’s beneficial to their readers then they will be happy to share with their followers.

Doing this can be time consuming but when done correctly it can really help your content deliver results. Be warned though, people are selective about what they share and link to, your information will need to be high quality and genuinely useful to them.

So remember when you think of great content, help search engines understand just how great it is.

NI Chamber 69

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THIRD PLACE WORKING - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW For years we have operated under the presumption that we have two main places that we occupy; home and office. Our lives were structured around the places that we occupied throughout our day. We had our work place, or office, that we occupied for 8 or 9 hours until we got home and occupied our living space, or home, for the remainder of the day. We have spent decades orienting our responsibilities around these places and attempting to perfect the “work/life balance”. However, the landscape of the contemporary office is beginning to change.

In recent years a new place concept has arisen – the Third Place. The Third Place is where the home and office integrate, and the lines are blurred between where we come to work and where we come to relax. In the beginning, the concept of “Third Place Working” was structured around getting out of the office and finding an in-between environment, like a local coffee shop.

So what implications does this have on our offices?

Well, in the early stages of adoption, people saw the Third Place as a means of escapism – a way to get out of the second place and get closer to the first place. As we became increasingly more digital in the way we work, this got easier as the years went by.

Notable benefits were; • Increased Creativity – being office bound is not always conducive to the creative process. Getting up and going for a walk, or sitting outside immediately helps kick start our creative juices • Close and Cost Effective – Most workers select locations that are still close to the normal working environment, while also helping to remove some of the costs-per-head from the office premises (electricity, internet, space).

• Positive Atmosphere – Coffee shops and parks naturally have a less stressful environment than a packed office.

What about now?

Major corporations across the world are starting to see the benefits of Third Places, and have begun to create environments on site that echo this philosophy. They are creating comfortable, coffee shop style areas to allow people to escape their desk and change their posture for a while. Some companies have started to engineer a more natural environment for their staff to use, introducing plants, wall graphics, natural floor finishes and an abundance of natural light.

These shifts in our perceived environment have knockon benefits across the spectrum. Staff can use a variety of spaces to achieve maximum effectiveness and creativity, this also alleviates pressure in the “Second Place” environment.

With people seeking a different way of working, desk positions can become less permanent and individual ownership can be made redundant – why not share a desk that you use 40% of the time, or even better, hot desk!

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flooring for the future World leading carpet tile manufacturer Interface is transforming the production of carpet tiles through sustainability its President and Chief Operating Officer Jay Gould tells Adrienne McGill as he visited the company’s operation in Lurgan.

W

hen Jay Gould was studying for his MBA at Harvard Business school 30 years ago, he never dreamt he’d be selling carpets one day…but he did dream about making a better world. And he is doing both of these as President and Chief Operating Officer of Interface.

The US carpet tile manufacturer, which is headquartered in Atlanta, is the world’s largest designer and maker of carpet tile and is a recognised leader in sustainability worldwide.

The company has annual revenues approaching $1 billion, up from $595 million

72 NI Chamber

two decades ago, and its modular carpet tiles can be found in a massive range of businesses and organisations including CVS pharmacies and Apple’s headquarters in the US. The firm employs around 200 people in Northern Ireland at its facility in Lurgan where R&D operations for Europe and carpet tufting processes take place.

The plant hosted one of NI Chamber’s ‘Minister on the Move’ events recently with Finance Minister Máirtín Ó Muilleoir.

Interface which also owns the brand FLOR, has been a leader in sustainability since 1994, when founder Ray Anderson shifted the focus of the company to

sustainability with the goal to achieve a zero environmental footprint by 2020. In the years since, the company has decreased its greenhouse-gas emissions by 73 per cent per unit of production and half of its raw materials come from recycled and natural sources.

“Ray Anderson started us on an amazing journey towards sustainability and we created a strategy called ‘mission zero’ with the aim that by the year 2020 we would have no negative impact on the environment. To this end, we have become the world’s most sustainable company,” said Mr Gould.

‘This year 85 per cent of our energy use is from renewable sources and over 50

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per cent of our product is made with either biobased or recycled materials.

“In the past, industrial systems took valuable resources and made a product which would eventually go into waste. We are trying to completely reinvent that and go from waste to make to re-take.

“The waste part is about taking waste that has been thrown away and making perfectly good carpet from that. The best example is that nearly 50 per cent of our product globally is made from recycled fishing nets.

Professional fishing nets are made out of nylon, so we take that nylon back to its core chemical and then we make a brand new product out of it which is carpet.

“Fishing nets aren’t biodegradable. We put a 15 year guarantee on our carpet – the product itself does not wear out.”

Interface employs 5,000 people with 6 manufacturing facilities across 4 continents and sells product in over 120 countries.

Every week Interface’s Lurgan plant produces 100,000 sq. m of carpet tile which equates to more than 5 million sq. m annually – enough to fill 462 international football stadia.

Plans to create more jobs at the facility may be rolled out in the coming months thanks to new technology which has been developed.

Mr Gould said there were ambitions to ramp up the levels of innovation at the facility as the company increasingly moves into manufacturing carpet tiles for the hospitality industry.

“Lurgan is our development centre for Europe. All of our new product gets tested here.

“One of the biggest investments we have made is in a new tapestry machine which makes a heavier tufted product.

“A new product development manager role based in Lurgan has been created in the last 2 years which involves developing tufting techniques.

“The biggest change in the last 5 years has been in the introduction of the tapestry machine. It makes our product look like axminster.

“That technology is allowing us to enter the hotels sector which is a segment where broadloom carpeting (the big rolls) has always done well.

“We spend over £1million a year in capital improvements in the Lurgan plant and last year invested £1.5 million on a colour point machine for the tapestry product.

“These machines are so sophisticated – any pattern can be created. That is another unique selling point for Lurgan – it is the made-to-order side of the business – so when you want a bespoke carpet design – this is where it happens.

“We are investing significantly on innovation for the market in Europe and all of that comes out of Northern Ireland.

“We are looking to ramp up innovation through this facility and we hope to grow the number of jobs.”

Mr Gould said Interface was drawn to establishing an operation in Northern Ireland because of the region’s rich textile industry.

“Northern Ireland was historically a textile hotbed – there was a lot of textile manufacturing capability here so in 1982 when we started to expand globally, this was the first place that we came because of the textile expertise and that is why we are still here.

“A lot of textile manufacturers have moved their operations to the Far East and while we do have manufacturing facilities in China and Thailand we have a complete commitment to Northern Ireland.

“Our operation here serves Europe, the Middle East and Africa.”

Carpet tiles, which originated in Europe, became highly popular during the 1980s as an alternative to broadloom carpet, especially in office environments that at

the time were switching to flexible, “open” plans that required easy access to wiring and infrastructure beneath floors.

It is therefore no surprise that corporate offices account for the largest share of Interface’s business while it also has clients in the primary and higher education sectors, government offices and hospitals.

There are two primary dimensions of tiles – 50cm x 50cm squares and 25cm x 100 cm planks. They work together in a mosaic way.

Mr Gould described them as the Legos of carpet whereby clients can create their own design.

“We believe that soft surfaces create a significantly better environment than hard surfaces particularly in the office space. It is more comfortable, cleaner and the acoustics are much better.

“Carpet tile in the past had never done well because it had a commercial look to it but now with the tapestry technology it has changed the whole look. Our carpet tiles are now being installed in hotels such as the Ritz Carlton and the Marriott – hospitality is our fastest growing segment.”

The majority of Interface’s business is in the Americas with the remainder in the Middle East, Europe and Africa. “ Fifteen years ago I started on a journey about the purpose driven transformation of companies. How do you take a company that has historically worked as a ‘for profit company’ and make it serve a broader stakeholder group? The very first company I studied was Interface and I am glad I did and even more glad that I am now its President.

“Over time Interface has made such a difference in the world, such as developing a sustainability course for Harvard Business School. The impact we make on our world is so important to the future.”

NI Chamber 73

news

TIME TO TAKE STOCK

Concern over Brexit, skills and the outlook for manufacturers dominates the latest economic report from NI Chamber and BDO.

A

n overwhelming majority of businesses have or expect to revise their growth plans in light of the EU Referendum vote.

That is one of the findings in the latest Quarterly Economic Survey published by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) and business advisors BDO. The survey, analysed by NI Chamber economist Maureen O’Reilly, reveals that one in 4 businesses have already revised their business plan/growth strategy due to the decision by the UK electorate to leave the EU and a further 45 per cent have plans to do so. Just over half of businesses have or expect to revise investment plans (53%). A further 42 per cent have or expect to revise recruitment plans in the post referendum period.

The survey also reveals that businesses are most unclear about the implications for EU trading rules (77%) and European regional funding (76%) following the referendum.

They are also uncertain as to whether compliance of EU directives and regulations in the UK legal system will be enforced (75%) while 3 in 5 businesses (61%) lack clarity on the future immigration status of EU employees.

The future value of the pound (69%) has also been highlighted as a key area of concern.

Of those businesses who do expect to make changes to growth, investment and recruitment plans, they are most likely to pause/freeze plans rather than scale back (or expand). For example, 50 per cent of those intending to make changes to investment decisions expect to put these 74 NI Chamber

decisions on hold.

However, expectations to scale back recruitment and investment are still relatively high impacting on a significant 1 in 4 of those intending to make changes.

Commenting on the post EU Referendum findings, Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber, said: “The lack of information available post Brexit is a concern for our members with a significant majority having already or expecting to revise their growth plans. There are particular concerns regarding trade agreements, labour movement and regional funding in particular.”

Almost 300 businesses responded to the latest survey, which also focused on business activity in the run-up to the EU Referendum in Q2 2016.

The Brexit concerns come as figures show the outlook for manufacturers weakened during Q2. The survey reveals that manufacturing domestic orders balance contracted considerably (from +21% to +3%) while the export orders balance showed only marginal improvement.

Overall, there was a more positive performance by both manufacturing and services during Q2 2016 but clear signs of challenges ahead largely for Northern Ireland’s manufacturers.

Meanwhile, with regard to the broader economy, the results suggest that the Northern Ireland economy was growing in the second quarter of this year. In overall terms, the region performed solidly particularly against the wider UK economy where performance was lacklustre.

However, there was a sense of uncertainty around growth prospects beginning to creep

Ann McGregor (NI Chamber), Brian Murphy (BDO), Maureen O’Reilly (NI Chamber Economist) and Chris Morrow (NI Chamber).

in (mainly amongst manufacturers) during this period which was just before the EU referendum result was announced.

Skills remain a serious concern for businesses particularly regarding the adequacy of the current education and skills systems in Northern Ireland to promote economic growth. They attribute this to a lack of applicants with the required skills, not enough applicants with the required attitude, and also a lack of experience amongst those candidates who have recently graduated from university.

Commenting on the skills issue, Christopher Morrow, Head of Policy at NI Chamber, said: “Skills shortages is consistently raised as one of the biggest issues facing our members. Preparing young people for the world of work, investing in the skills of those already at work, and ensuring that we have the skills required to grow the economy, are essential in driving Northern Ireland’s competitiveness.

“We must therefore ensure that investment in skills is prioritised and that there is sufficient budget allocated to support the development of STEM programmes, international business expertise and the expansion of the Assured Skills programme.

It is also important that the results of the NI Skills Barometer are closely monitored, setting targets and investing in a Northern Ireland wide reskilling programme.

“Finally, post-Brexit, businesses are already asking questions about the future of EU nationals in their workforce, and the risk involved in hiring others. Swift reassurance on the future status of EU employees is crucial to the recruitment and retention of these skills.”

news KEY POINTS OF THE SURVEY:

ANALYSIS

By Brian Murphy, Partner, BDO northern ireland

N

orthern Ireland businesses are no strangers to change and, over the years, they have shown just how adaptable they can be. It is a quality that has become more valuable in light of the unexpected EU Referendum result and the potential for profound changes in how we trade with our closest neighbours.

The recent Quarterly Economic Survey reflects the uncertainty being felt in the short term with market turbulence prompting some firms to carefully re-calibrate their strategic plans. However, rather than stagnating we have seen many Northern Ireland businesses begin to adapt, as they always have done, to make the most of the circumstances. Immediate advantages have already boosted many of our exporters and the hospitality sector has also benefited as a result of the weaker Pound. These of course are short term gains made from short term market reactions.

In the longer run, we can take encouragement from how well the Northern Ireland region performed in Quarter 2 2016, despite the potentially destabilising EU Referendum campaigns. The determination and drive of business leaders in Northern Ireland saw them continue to improve and expand their businesses while avoiding the distractions that hampered others across the UK. A continued reluctance to be drawn into the cycle of uncertainty will be vital for business leaders as they refocus on plans for growth.

The Quarterly Economic Survey has rightly identified the strength and depth of our workforce in Northern Ireland as a core priority. While the quality of our talent has always been an asset, there are genuine concerns that a skills shortage is evolving. But at the same time, it should be borne in mind that Government is working to restructure the public sector and rebalance the economy. There is no doubt that many highly skilled and trained individuals within the public sector will therefore be available to transition into the opportunities that are arising within the Private Sector.

The timing is right for such a transition and, accompanied with further investment in our education system, will go a long way to build long-term resilience and growth.

269 businesses responded to the NI Chamber of Commerce & Industrys Quarterly Employment Survey, in partnership with BDO, during the 2nd quarter of 2016. Toghether they accountd for almost 19,000 jobs. Almost 140 NI Chamber members respondend to the British Chamber’s Post EU Referendum Survey carried out in July 2016 Note: The ‘balance’ refers to the difference between the % of firms reporting an increase in a key indicator minus the % reporting a decrease.

NI Chamber 75

feature

A flow of funding Upstream Working Capital operates as an ‘appropriate’ financier to small businesses its Founder and Managing Director Judith Totten tells Adrienne McGill.

O

ne of the most common problems SMEs face is access to capital to fund expansion, diversify or develop new products.

But a new company, formed earlier this year, does just that by providing working capital solutions to SMEs in Northern Ireland.

Upstream Working Capital, based on Belfast’s Linenhall Street, was established following the acquisition of the former business of Keys Commercial Finance by one of its shareholders Judith Totten.

Judith is the Managing Director of Upstream Working Capital and is also a non-executive board member of Invest NI and regional chair of the CBI economic affairs committee.

Backed by a team of 12 experienced professionals, many of whom have a background in banking, Upstream Working Capital provides working capital mainly to small businesses seeking an alternative form of funding than that provided by the mainstream banks.

Judith, who spent 20 years with Northern/ Danske Bank as a Business Development Manager, says the company brings choice to small businesses.

“When I started in banking 25 years ago, business was very much relationship focused.

However, in the last 8-10 years a lot of local lenders lost autonomy which impacted on developing a really strong relationship with business customers. This is where our strength lies – we have the ability to make a decision and to stick with it. We are able to mould a deal to fit a particular business and not use a one size fits all model. The other

76 NI Chamber

big difference is that we are the only locally owned funding company in Northern Ireland and are an SME ourselves so we really do understand the challenges our clients face daily.”

Upstream provides working capital by funding against an asset, trading debtor book or stock within a business and offers trade finance, supply chain finance or invoice discounting.

“Our funding is always leveraged against an asset on the balance sheet but we fund on the current performance and future potential of a business rather than looking at the company’s history first which is what the traditional lender will do,” says Judith.

“We don’t ignore what has happened in the past but we will happily talk to a customer who has either been turned down by a bank or has had some challenges on their balance sheet. Just because they have had difficulties in the past does not mean that they aren’t any good at running a business or indeed that they cannot learn from historic mistakes.”

Upstream Working Capital, which has an annual rolling funding balance now of over £120 million, is funded by ABN AMRO, a dutch bank which serves retail, private and corporate banking clients. The Belfast company has around 200 companies on its books and provides funding ranging from £50,000 to in excess of £1 million to a wide array of clients across various sectors many of whom already have other sources of funding from banks, venture capital firms or private equity investors “We are not an alternative financier – we are an appropriate financier,” says Judith.

“We sit down with a customer and find the appropriate funding solution for them.

“We still have to work hand in hand with banks – we are not a clearing bank, we do not provide overdraft facilities or currency management facilities for example. That is always going to be the domain of a bank.

“Our core business is invoice financing, leveraging cash or releasing cash on the debtor book. Everyone who comes to us needs working capital because they are growing their business.

“Their secondary need is often credit control and many businesses find themselves struggling to collect money which is outstanding for as much as 90 days or more when we get involved.

“However, our debt turn across our book is under 60 days which means our customers money is turning faster, they have more working capital and that will ultimately save them money because they have more cash in their business. Our involvement introduces a discipline and a process which eases pressure on the business owner, frees up their time and we become a very cost effective outsourced resource.”

Judith also points to the unique trade finance product provided by Upstream which she says is the only one of its type available in Ireland.

Trade finance she says is ideally suited to businesses with strong order books but who are currently constrained by limits on their existing funding lines.

It supports the supply chain by actually buying the product or raw material used to manufacture a product on the company’s

feature

behalf and then gives them a period to pay which is based on the company’s trading cycle.

As it does not impact on existing funding lines or security, it offers fast growing companies with a proven track record the ability to meet demand and enhance profitability.

“It is an end-to-end and supplier-to-buyer solution which works extremely well. Our trade finance deal is not currently offered by any other financial provider on these shores, and presents an opportunity to growing SMEs in Northern Ireland hoping to manufacture or export goods but who need a specific type of funding.”

Having led the shareholder buyout at Keys Commercial Finance leading to the creation of Upstream, Judith says she knows the value of an owner-managed model, allowing decisions to be made and flexible solutions created – all with the ambitious small firm in mind.

“After funding our own shareholder buyout, we took the decision to diversify the business and take it in a new direction, increasing the funding options available to SMEs and supporting confident growth by providing flexible working capital solutions.

“As an SME ourselves and having just reinvested in our own growth, we believe we understand, more than our competitors, the ambitions and pressures that Northern Ireland businesses face around their growth strategies. When we say we understand, we really do.”

Judith Totten, Founder and Managing Director of Upstream Working Capital.

NI Chamber 77

feature

what’s in it for me?

HOW NI CHAMBER HAS HELPED MY BUSINESS WITH‌ BRENDAN McLARNON, DIRECTOR AT DB McLARNON.

Describe your Business DB McLarnon Fire Protection Agency, based in Belfast, was established in 1980 and was built on the core principles of Integrity, Transparency & Expertise. We provide Fire Safety Consultancy, Training and a comprehensive product range throughout Ireland. We have had significant growth over the last few years and now employ 16 people. Our core principles have remained consistent throughout this period and we have established a reputation for excellent customer service.

All our procedures are implemented under the internationally recognised quality management standard ISO 9001:2008. We have a diverse range of customers throughout the public and private sectors in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and have been expanding into other areas of business having agreed a distributorship with a large US company, Ansul, who are the leading global manufacturer of restaurant fire suppression systems.

78 NI Chamber

WHAT MAKES YOUR BUSINESS STAND OUT? We are committed to continued investment into our team and systems to ensure the client experience remains at the very highest standard and they see the value in what we do for them.

We have made a substantial investment into a bespoke / innovative Customer Relationship Management System which has provided an ideal solution for Maintenance/Fire officers who manage fire safety in large complexes or across multiple sites. Our Fire Safety Training Academy has just been opened which allows employers to provide training for one or two employees in Fire Safety/Warden duties. We continually research new products and manufacturers ensuring our clients receive the finest quality products and service.

We provide our clients with forward thinking solutions to help protect their employees, customers, properties and livelihoods. Our experienced team of technicians, consultants, trainers and assessors help our clients to stay compliant with current Fire Safety Legislation and promote a fire safety culture.

At DB McLarnon Fire Protection we take are corporate social responsibility seriously and have this year opened up a placement position for a university student to allow them to gain valuable experience in a business and operations role.

HOW HAS NI CHAMBER HELPED YOUR COMPANY ACHIEVE ITS GOALS? DB McLarnon Fire Protection have been a member of NI Chamber for several years and during this time the Chamber has helped us to raise our profile locally through networking events and provided us access to key decision makers in other industries and professions which has led to an increase in our sales opportunities.

It has also helped us grow our export market considerably by providing the opportunity to meet with various companies and organisations from the Republic of Ireland.

WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO OTHER NI CHAMBER MEMBERS TO HELP GET THE MOST FROM THEIR MEMBERSHIP? NI Chamber is a great platform for promoting your brand which will help increase sales and also offers the opportunity to speak with likeminded business owners and build sustainable productive relationships but this will only happen if you participate fully in the Chamber programmes. There is the added benefit that the Chamber also provides various services which we have been able to utilise through are membership.

HOW HAS CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP HELPED YOU AND YOUR STAFF DEVELOP A PROFESSIONAL SKILSET? The Chamber has been pivotal in helping us develop a marketing plan and our involvement in specific networking events has helped increase our sales pipeline.

We have also found our time spent with NI Chamber Business Development Executive Paul Fox to be productive and of great benefit.

columnist

ORAL CONTRACTS: STRONGER THAN OAK? Some people’s word may be their bond… but it’s best to have it in writing as Kevin Gallagher, Director with Tughans Solicitors explains.

Tom Cruise in the film Jerry Maguire.

(Image: Moviestore/REX/Shutterstock)

H

ave you ever made or wanted to rely on an informal verbal agreement but assumed that it could not be legally enforced?

In the 1996 movie ‘Jerry Maguire’, Tom Cruise plays a professional sports agent whose world falls apart when the father of an American football prodigy, Frank Cushman, reneges on a purely verbal agreement for the representation of his son and signs a written contract instead with another agent. The title character had previously been assured by the defaulting party: “I don’t sign contracts, but what you do have is my whole word, and it’s stronger than oak.”

Leaving aside unknown gaps in the film such as contractual capacity and whether or not all the key terms were agreed between the parties, if the film’s eponymous hero had made his agreement in Northern Ireland and had the benefit of proper legal advice, he might have retained his star client.

In this jurisdiction, aside from some specific exceptions such as certain contracts for the sale of land, a legally binding agreement can be made informally and without any need for a formal written contract between the parties. Important agreements, even in the commercial world, are

sometimes made by simple word of mouth or are contained in or evidenced by documents which have not been signed by the parties.

Such agreements are no less valid or enforceable than formal written contracts, although they may be more difficult to prove if disputed.

Of particular relevance in the world of business and commerce is the widespread use of email as the primary means of written communication.

Emails are now used so habitually, both in professional and personal life, that it can be easy to forget that they can be used to create or evidence a binding agreement. In this regard, the law here generally regards an email as a form of writing and an agreement created or evidenced by email as tantamount to a written contract.

However, even emails or other forms of writing are not necessarily required to create or prove a valid contract. In an extreme case, a judge may simply decide who is telling the truth based on the sworn testimony of the relevant parties. In his book ‘Making Commercial Contracts’ (BSP Professional Books), John Parris cites as an example the English High Court case of Harris v Bernard Sunley Ltd (1986) in which Mr Justice Whitford held that a legally binding agreement

to purchase shares for the sum of £500,000 had been made during a telephone call between the plaintiff and the defendant’s representative, a Mr Elston, who the judge described as “unreliable a witness as I have ever heard”. According to Parris, a nephew of the successful plaintiff: “Mr Harris has done building work all over Yorkshire for years and has always done business on a handshake.

This shows the difference between the northern and southern way. A Yorkshireman’s word is his bond.”

In short, if someone refuses to honour an oral agreement that you want to rely on or is denying the agreement’s very existence, don’t just assume that there is nothing you can do. Subject to the presence of the key elements of any contract (including offer, acceptance, consideration and intention to create legal relations), you may have sufficient grounds and evidence to enforce it.

Notwithstanding the above, if you are making an important commercial agreement, the best course is usually to obtain legal advice at an early stage with a view to entering into a formal written contract. Oak might not be stronger than a person’s word of honour, but it is generally more reliable.

NI Chamber 79

appointments

new appointments

Corporate law firm A&L Goodbody has announced the appointment of two new partners in its Belfast office. They are Micaela Diver [L] and Tracey Schofield [R] who are pictured with Mark Thompson, Head of Office, A&L Goodbody, Belfast.

Ciara Gribbin has been appointed Personal Lines Branch Manager at Autoline Insurance, Ballymena.

Richard Henderson has been appointed Head of Agriculture at Autoline Insurance.

Sharon Dougall has been appointed Broking Manager at Autoline Insurance, Newry.

Munier Abdalla has been appointed as Senior Client Manager with Lighthouse Communications.

REGISTER | BROWSE | APPLY WWW.GRAFTONRECRUITMENT.COM ambition strip ad June 2016.indd 2

80 NI Chamber

30/06/2016 07:51:00

Is your business ready for the road ahead?

By Carol Noble, Ballymena Branch Manager, Grafton Recruitment.

What an eventful few months we’ve had with the Brexit result and major changes in the Conservative and Labour parties; Hollywood couldn’t write a script as dramatic. With many companies putting hiring decisions on hold due to the uncertainty of Brexit, permanent hires aren’t the only option for organisations. Hiring Managers can engage additional workers on Fixed Term Contracts (FTC), temporary contracts or Limited Company Contractors (LCC) allowing businesses to keep the wheels turning at a low risk.

Often an interim manager can be just the solution to help smooth the transition process between senior appointments. An interim manager will bring a lot of experience. They could step in to solve a particular problem for 6 – 9 months, know how to handle all aspects of the job, and have the proven track record to help the business perform better.

The SME sector is at the heart of the

Helen Brogan has been appointed Sale Support Advisor at Continu Ltd.

Patrick McCanny has been appointed Restaurant and Lounge Manager at the Hastings Culloden Estate & Spa.

economy in Northern Ireland and the potential for the rebalancing of the economy too. The issue sometimes for an SME can be that the team that built the business are expected to be able to manage every aspect of running the company. They need to be innovative, inspirational, understand the numbers, manage people, handle the marketing, deal with clients, talk to banks, develop strategies and more.

Growth is an indicator of success, but can bring its own problems too.

It could be that an interim manager is the solution for a short period to deal with specific issues or to facilitate you managing the issues that need addressed. The interim manager is becoming a way for businesses to bring expertise into the management team without making a long term commitment. It could result in a six or nine month contract, with set targets, bringing fresh eyes to the company and the introduction of some new methods and practices.

Clare Ferris has been appointed Account Executive with PML Group in Belfast.

Lorraine Anthony has been appointed Marketing and Account Executive with PML Group in Belfast.

REGISTER | BROWSE | APPLY WWW.GRAFTONRECRUITMENT.COM ambition strip ad June 2016.indd 2

30/06/2016 07:51:00

NI Chamber 81

recruitment | commercial feature

RECRUITMENT - FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON FOR THE JOB Recruitment refers to the overall process of attracting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization.

Sourcing is the use of one or more strategies to attract or identify candidates to fill job vacancies. It may involve internal and/or external recruitment advertising, using appropriate media, such as job portals,local or national newspapers, specialist recruitment media, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers, or in a variety of ways via the internet.

Alternatively, employers may use recruitment consultancies or agencies to find otherwise scarce candidates.

82 NI Chamber

What to look for when recruiting: Improve your candidate pool; work with universities to source recent, skilled graduates and work closely with recruitment agencies such as Grafton Recruitment, Riada Resourcing, First Choice Recruitment and Zenrec Recruitment.

Check online portals such as LinkedIn where you can browse CVs of potential candidates.

Have a good reputation; You want to be known as a good employer so that plenty of people will apply to work for your company/organisation. Do you motivate and reward? Do you allow flexibility in the work to life balance? Do you offer

promotions? These are all things to consider to be considered as a good employer.

Use your website for recruiting; create an employment section that highlights current vacancies in the company.

Know exactly what you are looking for; when you are writing the job criteria for a new post make a list of the job roles, the qualifications need, the previous experience needed and also consider personal qualities that are suitable for the job. By doing this only the appropriate candidates can apply and you won’t waste time persuing the wrong people.

recruitment | commercial feature

ENGINEERS ARE SCARCE...

FACT OR FICTION? The number of graduates Northern Ireland exports every year and the general skill shortage always make good headlines, but we’re now starting to see an increasing number of registrations from experienced professionals wanting to return home to enjoy the NI lifestyle and use their experience to contribute to the growth of the economy.

The work/life balance, competitive house prices and excellent education system is enticing young professionals back home to start the next stage of their career often in a home grown indigenous business that’s now enjoying strong growth.

Engineering as a sector is crucial to the growth of the economy and generated £455.6 billion GDP for the UK, employment has grown by 1.8% to over 5.5 million and the engineering sector now supports 14.5 million jobs or 55% of UK employment. The skills shortage is said to be a particular issue in the engineering recruitment sector today.

Companies are finding they need to work harder to find engineers.

Riada Resourcing has started to do things in a different way in order to better engage and attract the best talent, resulting in a 155% increase in Engineering vacancies and an 800% increase in the number Engineering candidates placed compared to the previous year.

So if you know someone who is thinking of making a move or you need more engineering talent for your growing business get in touch with our Engineering Specialist, Gary Thompson on 028 7032 6600 or email Gary@riadaresourcing.com.

recruitment | commercial feature

iN PROFILE: GARY THOMPSON,

RECRUITMENT SPECIALIST IN ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING

Why did you choose recruitment as a career?

My first summer job was with Riada as a temp, I loved the buzz about the company and always thought I could be on the other side of the business. I spent a few years in the insurance industry before I got a chance to go back.

I joined Riada 6 years ago as a new recruit to the industry, I instantly got a buzz out of connecting the right person with the right role and now I manage Riada Engineering and the Permanent Sales Division within the business.

I thrive when I am given the freedom to develop my ideas and I’m determined to keep Riada at the very top of the recruitment industry.

What gives you job satisfaction?

Starting the engineering division in 2013 and pay-rolling a peak of 200 full time employees throughout 16 separate clients.

People are our product and they are so unpredictable so to achieve this in a short space of time was very satisfying.

What do you wish other people knew

about Riada?

I think for our existing clients it’s clear but I wish everyone could see the passion that goes on behind the scenes and the teamwork to drive for excellence. We are a diverse and energetic team and we literally don’t rest until we have a post filled with the right fit for the client and the candidate.

Why do you think Riada Resourcing is growing so fast?

We are finding that businesses need to focus on the growth of their own companies to stay competitive in what is still a tough market for most and they come to us for a solution. They choose to leave recruitment to the specialists who can deliver high calibre candidates. It really is that simple, I have worked hard to develop a large network of high calibre, experienced and available talent in the Engineering sector to keep my clients happy.

What has been your biggest challenge?

I recently completed CMI Level 5 Diploma

in Leadership & Management and am now a Chartered Manager of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). It has been a number of years since I left university so it was a challenge to focus back on coursework and the final report. However my recommendations have already been implemented in Riada, the restructure on its own has enabled the team to streamline processes, be more focused, satisfy more clients and candidates, and generally increase productivity. The instant measurable results we have seen made all the hard work even more worthwhile.

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SEpTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE 18

£2.95

september/october 2016

flynn takes on new look kevin gallagher on not getting caught out like ‘jerry maguire’

Magazine of northern ireland chaMber of coMMerce and industry

stability clarity action ni chamber on target to help businesses post-brexit

upstream flows ahead with judith totten

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Manuscripts and photographs/illustrations submitted should be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope. If possible do not send original or irreplaceable material - to avoid disappointment please send copies only. The Publishers - Ulster Tatler Group - reserve the right to reject any advertisement submitted.

Northern Ireland’s

6th Largest Employer Industrial Temps the recruitment company, celebrating 25 years in business recently ranked as Northern Ireland’s 6th largest employer in the top 50 employers list.

Delivering cost-effective staffing solutions with a value-added reliable service.

It’s easy to spend a lot of time and money on interviews and training, only to end up with the wrong person for the job.

At Zenrec we are committed to helping you find the right person, first time – at the right price!

Whether you’re a large or small business, recruiting for one position or more contact us today.

Call 0283 815 1112 | Email colin@zenrec.net www.zenrec.net

poster.indd 1

26/08/2016 16:51:59

Est. 1994

sponsored feature

APPOINTMENT OF NEW BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Agnew Corporate are delighted to welcome Phil Hall to the team.

Phil has been appointed with the role of New Business Development Manager and he will spend his first few weeks working alongside colleagues in the Maintenance, Accounts and Sales departments of the company to gain an overall understanding on how the business operates.

Coming from an extensive background in sales management through many varied industries and having already attained experience in the motor trade, Phil brings to the role a wealth of knowledge and expertise in delivering results. Phil started his career in the insurance field with Abbey Insurance Brokers and then Danske Bank before starting a ten year stint in the telecommunications industry with NTL Communications (now Virgin media) where he started as a telesales operator progressing quickly through the ranks, ending up as regional sales manager for the Celtic region.

Phil then made the move to ‘Agnew Financial Services’ then a new company within the Agnew Group. As the general

manager of AFS Phil grew the company over a six year period to become a major player in the NI insurance market providing a suite of products including motor, home, travel and commercial insurance, with over 10,000 loyal customers to its name, 18 different insurers and 20 employees.

The opportunity arose after the sale of AFS to join BSKYB as the Area Sales Manager for NI and after 3 years’ service moved onto AXA direct and then Close

Brothers Motor Finance before re-joining the Agnew Group on the 1st August 2016.

On behalf of everyone at Agnew Corporate, we would like to congratulate Phil on his newly appointed job role.

For information on vehicle requirements, contact Phil on 028 9038 6600 / 07976812602.

Alternatively email Phil.hall@agnews.co.uk

Celebration Time at Belfast Waterfront

Belfast Waterfront has a lot to celebrate since re-opening in April. The venue has welcomed a staggering 28,000 guests and a growing number of banquets and awards ceremonies.

Thanks to the addition of two multipurpose halls together spanning over 2,500m2, the venue has ample space to host spectacular banquets for up to 1,000 guests and in turn enable clients to welcome many more members than ever before.

So far the RSUA Design Awards, Halo NI Awareness Dinner, CBI Northern Ireland Annual Dinner, NI Responsible Business Awards Gala Dinner and the NI Chamber Champions Dinner have been held in the stunning riverside venue.

Richard Willis, Business Services Manager at Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry commented: “Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Having this state-of-the-art facility in the city has given us the ability to deliver a truly spectacular and memorable evening for our members, and the largest event staged by the chamber in its 233year history.”

Demand for these spaces is set to grow even further. The purpose-built halls not only have the space to accommodate such large events, but they’re fitted to the highest specification to deliver that all important wow factor.

Indeed more recently Business Eye announced the annual UTV Business

Eye Awards is to be hosted at Belfast Waterfront. Richard Buckley, Editor of Business Eye comments: “As the UTV Business Eye Awards grow, Belfast Waterfront was the clear No. 1 choice as our new venue. Not only is it capable of holding the numbers we hope to attract to the event, but it is also by far the best equipped and most flexible venue in Northern Ireland.”

To find out how Belfast Waterfront can make your event the best yet, contact the team on 028 9033 4400 or email conference@waterfront.co.uk.

W: waterfront.co.uk @BelWaterfront #BelfastWaterfront

BUSINESS CLASS MOTORING

By James Stinson

18 Boucher Way, Belfast, BT12 6RE W: agnewcorporate.com

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lifestyle

Form an orderly Q The rise of the SUV is unstoppable with this new Audi Q2 giving buyers even more choice, writes James Stinson.

H

ere it is, yet another compact SUV-style vehicle. This one is the latest and smallest Q model from Audi and is designed to win over buyers from the likes of MINI’s Countryman and Mercedes’ GLA. The appetite for these higher riding, spacious, but still relatively compact models is surging year-on-year and it’s easy to understand the attraction.

The Q3 is based on the Audi A3 platform. But it’s some 13cm shorter, taller and a little wider too. That makes it more manoeuvrable in and around town while at the same time providing just as much passenger and boot space as the A3… and it’s no less enjoyable to drive.

It’s light too, weighing in at just over 1200 kgs, which means Audi can offer a one-litre 114bhp three cylinder petrol powered version and for a fairly modest £20,300. A meatier 1.4 petrol version with a more respectable 148bhp to hand is also available.

But it’s the two turbodiesel engines – a 113bhp 1.6 motor and a 148bhp 2.0 version – that are likely to account for most sales. The diesels are more expensive but torquier and more

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economical.

Despite its modest power output, the 1.6 is capable of reaching 62mph from a standing start in just over 10 secs and is available from £22,480. Claimed fuel consumption is around the mid-sixties but will likely be in the mid-fifties for real world driving.

By comparison, the cheapest 2.0 litre diesel costs nearly £4,500 more, though it also features Audi’s quick changing S-Tronic 7-speed semi-automatic gearbox, which is a £1,400 option on other models where it’s available.

Otherwise, you get a six-speed manual.

Most Q2s are front-wheel-drive only but the option of four-wheel-drive Quattro power is available on 2.0 litre diesel versions. However, the cheapest Quattro model comes in at £28,360, which is a lot for a car of this size and one which is unlikely to face anything more challenging than a muddy puddle on its day-to-day travels.

Styling-wise, the Q2 is at the safer end of the spectrum, certainly compared to the MINI Countryman but it does allow for more personalisation than is the norm with Audi. The panels on the C-pillar (the bit between the rear doors

and the boot) are available in different colours.

There are also some new “vibrant” colour choices available including Coral orange, Vegas yellow, and Ara blue.

There are three trim levels - SE, Sport and S line. Both SE and Sport models are equipped with contrasting lower bumpers, side skirts and wheel arch trims in matching Manhattan grey, while the signature S line gets a full body colour finish.

It’s also very smartphone friendly.

Standard features include the Audi smartphone interface, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto displayed via the Multi-Media-Interface (MMI) screen once a phone is plugged in via USB. A Bluetooth interface is also standard, as is the MMI radio plus with MMI controller and heated, electrically adjustable exterior mirrors. Progressive steering is also standard.

Audi doesn’t take risks and the same goes for this Q2. It’s a very well thought out car and another option for buyers tempted by these SUV-type vehicles.

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Ford Ka+ grows up If you are in the market for a practical, cheap, second car then check out this new Ka+. It’s basically a fivedoor, more spacious version of Ford’s popular little city car.

It’s only 4cm shorter than the Fiesta, but 29mm taller – meaning there is genuinely loads of room inside. The boot offers 270 litres of space and there are 21 cubbies dotted about the cabin.

There’s just the single 1.2-litre petrol engine; offered in 84bhp tune and capable of 56.5mpg,

with a lower-powered 69bhp version coming later.

The new Ka+ is due in showrooms in October, priced from £8995 for a Ka+ Studio 69 bhp. Step up to a Zetec for £9995 – or the more powerful 84bhp model for £10,295.

Although base models will be relatively stripped-out, Ford does offer a variety of equipment demanded by today’s youth: aircon, Sync voice-activated systems, AppLink, parking sensors, cruise control, heated seats and more gadgets are available.

This is pulling power!

It’s unclear why you would need to tow a 100-tonne train, but should the need arise then the Land Rover Discovery Sport is the car you need.

Land Rover recently set up this stunt in Switzerland to show off the Sport’s excellent towing credentials. Though the Discovery Sport has a certified maximum towing weight of 2,500kg (2.5 tonnes), it was able to pull 60 times its own weight.

And if you don’t believe us or Land Rover, check out the YouTube video: “Land Rover Discovery Sport Pulls 100 Tonne Train”.

BMW’s battery powered i3 now goes even further Are electric cars starting to find their feet at last? The first generation of battery only powered cars were quite frankly disappointing. They were innovative and green but not terribly nice to live with. The range was just too small for them to be practical for all but the very few.

Now BMW has introduced a new more powerful battery into its i3, giving it more range and greater appeal. The latest i3 is reputed to travel up to 195 miles on a single charge; that’s a big step up compared to the claimed 118-mile figure of the old car.

In reality you’re more likely to get around 130 miles, which is still an improvement compared to its predecessor’s real-world 80-mile range

92 NI Chamber

– and possibly enough to calm your nerves if you’re anxious about running out of juice. It’s nippy too, with a 0-62mph time of just 7.3 secs.

And when the time comes that you do need to recharge, you’ll be back up and running quicker than before thanks to faster DC rapid charging as standard – the i3 will be fully charged from empty in less than three hours. This system also grants the option of a fast charge, which takes the i3’s battery from 0-80 per cent in less than 40 minutes.

If you’re still not convinced by how far it can go, BMW will sell you a range extender version (with a tiny 38bhp motor). It’ll do 276 miles in total, in theory, but costs around £3000 more over the pure electric version. Prices start from £27,830.

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lifestyle

It’s always good to get advice ahead of a trip. Keith Graham, Managing Director of Selective Travel Management is a man who makes it his business to know a thing or two about business travel. Here he shares His top travel tips.

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Help your business travel take off!

raveling for business isn’t always easy. Weather, airlines and even overseas business contacts don’t always stick to your carefully pre-arranged plans. Even the minor tribulations of sleeping on planes, packing constantly for trips and staying glued to your mobile device can derail your routine and make you irritable – not necessarily the best mind set for business meetings.

In my experience keeping a positive attitude is the first step to a stress-free travel experience.

As a company which specialises in buying and managing business travel for high flying businesses and major organisations across the UK, we would also recommend using professional support. Not only will it secure better value, but someone else will take the strain while you take the plane, boat, train or even cab to your business destination.

Then, if problems arise or you need an alteration made to your business timetable, it will be taken care of while you concentrate on the business which sent you traveling in the first place. That’s a great starting point for positive thinking.

There are loads of fairly simple steps individuals can take to make business travel run a tad smoother.

Here are some of my favourites …

• Scan all your travel documents before you begin your journey, including passports and driving licence. Also keep a copy of your insurance documents at hand.

Keep a copy in your suitcase and as a backup store images on your phone in case of emergencies.

• Similarly, take copies of prescriptions in case you lose your medication or accidentally break your glasses.

• Check the currency for the country you are travelling to and change money if you have to so that you have it, should you need it when you first arrive.

Download a currency converter on to your phone for keeping track of finances when you are on the move.

• Determine the language and familiarise yourself with a few common phrases.

• Double check the entry requirements to the country you are visiting. Visa/passport requirements often change and just because you didn’t require a visa previously, doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t need one on your next trip to the same country. If in doubt, check with your Travel Consultant.

• Store important numbers in your phone. As part of our Duty of Care policy at Selective Travel Management, we encourage our clients to keep our office number and out of hours number at hand at all times. Our team of travel experts have quicker access to the right people should a flight be cancelled or if a client needs to change a hotel or car reservation – which beats feeling flustered and waiting in line.

• Pack in your suitcases charging cables for your devices.

• Plan ahead and try to book in advance. Airlines in particular start to increase the cost of tickets the closer you are to your travel date. This often starts approximately three weeks in advance of travel. If you can book before that three week window, you can often save money.

• Always ensure that your travel is booked as per your passport

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details. If the details do not match exactly, you may be refused boarding.

Schedule your meetings (if possible) to avoid peak travel times.

If possible, stay over on a Saturday night. Airlines are aware that ‘traditional’ business travel tends to happen during the working week. The airlines sometimes offer substantially discounted airfares, to attract the ‘Leisure’ market, knowing that they will be flying over a weekend and hence staying a Saturday night.

Be aware of the airlines’ rules and size regulations for carry-on baggage.

Pre-pay for luggage, as airlines often charge an inflated price for excess luggage checked in at the airport.

Leave sufficient time to commute to the airport, remembering that factors such as rush hour and potential extra security measures that could slow you down, thus missing your flight.

Check the import requirements for each country you are visiting, as some do not allow the import of certain medicines, even for personal use – for example the Unite Arab Emirates currently doesn’t allow any medication that contains codeine.

We sometimes forget that travelling for business is – or should be – a privilege. Make the most of the opportunities that come your way and enjoy the experiences.

lifestyle

CULINARY DELIGHTS Roasted sweet potatoes with chorizo and ricotta Ingredients 4 large sweet potatoes 100g ricotta 2 chorizo sausages 2 tblsp fresh oregano, chopped olive oil zest of lemon Start by peeling the sweet potatoes and chop into cubes. Chop the chorizo sausage into 1 inch dice and place on a roasting tray with the sweet potato.

Place in a preheated oven at 190 o C for 20 minutes, shaking halfway. Once cooked through, scatter the oregano while still hot. Chop up the ricotta and sprinkle over, and then finish off with the zest of the lemon.

With Autumn on our doorsteps, Cathal Duncan, Head Chef at Hadskis in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, part of the acclaimed James Street South group, brings us some wholesome and warming dishes as the new season dawns.

Barbecued poussin with spicy sauce Ingredients 3 poussins 2 cloves garlic 1 tblsp Worcestershire sauce 2 lemons, zested and juiced 3 tblsp olive oil Spicy sauce 5 red chillies 8 cloves garlic 1 tblsp caster sugar 3 tblsp red wine vinegar 2 lemons juiced 1 tblsp smoked paprika olive oil

Poussins are small chickens and can be found on the shelves of most supermarkets. This dish can work equally well with a chicken broken down into legs, breasts, thighs and drumsticks.

To make the marinade for the poussin, firstly break down the poussin using good scissors by cutting down the backbone and remove the breast from the spine. Discard this bone. Season the birds with salt and pepper, keeping the skin on.

Mix the marinade of garlic, lemon, Worcestershire sauce and olive oil and rub over the poussin in an oven proof

baking dish. Cover in cling film and leave in the fridge overnight.

For the spicy sauce, start by searing the chilli and whole garlic cloves in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes until they start turning black.

Remove from the pan and de-seed the chillies and place the flesh into a blender with the garlic, sugar, vinegar, lemon juice and the smoked paprika, adding about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some water. Add some salt and blend until a fine paste.

Start up the barbecue and once the charcoal has turned white, place the poussins on the side of the bbq and

brush over the sauce. Start by cooking the poussin flesh side up for 10 minutes, brushing with the sauce. Turn over so the poussin is skin side up and keep brushing with the sauce. The birds should cook in a further 15 minutes in the right heat. Alternatively, you can cook the poussin in the oven at 200 deg C with skin side up for 40 minutes but again keep brushing on the marinade.

For the sauce, heat the remainder of the paste on a gentle heat, adding a little water if needed and serve on the side with the poussin. Serve with a wedge of lemon and some potatoes baked in the oven.

NI Chamber 95

columnist

Food, glorious food!

Northern Ireland produce should be tickling everyone’s taste buds says Journalist and Broadcaster Jim Fitzpatrick.

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his is Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink. As someone who enjoys both food and drink, I am happy to support this bold initiative.

Give me the task of griddling an extra Peter Hannan steak or two, or quenching my thirst with the occasional Hilden Brewery beer, and I’ll be there to do my duty. But there’s only so much Abernethy Butter one man can slather on his Ditty’s Oatcakes. To be successful, this Year of Food and Drink needs to engage everyone – locals and visitors alike.

And that’s a hard task. We just don’t value food and drink enough.

We’re getting much better at it. But we have a long way to go before we can match the importance attached to this sector in much of continental Europe, and even our closest neighbours in the Republic.

It starts with the young. And, dare I say it, school dinners. I agree with Jamie Oliver on this one. It’s not a middle class obsession to want kids to eat decent food at school. It’s common sense. Unless they grow up appreciating the wonderful food we can produce at home, they’ll not value

96 NI Chamber

it as adults.

That’s why so much of our best produce is automatically sent to countries where people do value what we catch and produce here at home.

Economically, that’s ok because it boosts our food exports. And no-one wants that to decline.

But the balance isn’t right. When tourists arrive in Northern Ireland hoping to enjoy some of this fine produce, they can be shocked to find it is easier to find for them at home.

Of course, a number of our best restaurants, hotels and bars have realised the benefits of celebrating local food and drink. But the promotion of local food on local menus should be the norm, and not the exception.

We’ve become disconnected from our food and our food producers. And we should think about how schools could help address that problem. The benefits go beyond a decent lunch for our youngsters. It should also mean healthier kids who are more alert and open to learning. And, in the longer term, it will mean a society that values its food and drink culture.

There’s a wonderful sequence in film maker Michael Moore’s latest

documentary when he encounters children in a rural French primary school. He meets the chef who has monthly meetings with teaching staff to discuss menu planning. He pokes about in this man’s fridge to discover a range of delicious ingredients that you might expect to find at a Michelin starred restaurant.

The children are given a full hour for lunch. They help in the serving and clearing away. They have time to eat, talk, and digest a substantial and healthy meal. They have no sugary drinks (Moore mischievously encourages one to sip some cola). Crucially, they don’t have a choice about what they eat.

Too much choice allows for bad habits.

We’ll know we’ve cracked it here in Northern Ireland whenever our best food and drink isn’t all exported because producers can finally get the same price in the home market.

That’s when the tourists will travel from far and wide to enjoy the finest produce before it leaves our shores.

In France, they don’t have a Year of Food and Drink. They have a whole lifetime of it. And that’s what makes the difference.

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MAGAZINE OF NORTHERN IRELAND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

September/October 2016 ISSUE 18

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