Ulster Business - August 2014 (The Top 100) by Ulster Business

AUGUST 2014 Price £2.30 (€3.75)

Moy Gortmullan Short

Brothers

Charles Hurst West

Limited

Lagan

Ulster

Construction

Norbrook

Group

Holdings

Coolkeeragh Esb

Trench Holdings

Aes (NI)

Cycles

Consumer

Creation

Group

Bookmakers

Scottishpower Renewables (UK) University

Finance

Diageo

Park

Glen

Electric Caterpillar

John Henderson (Holdings)

Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company

Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett

SHS

Airtricity Energy Supply

Ireland

Holdings

P&O Ferrymasters

Donnelly Bros. Garages (NI)

Almac Group

Terex Gb

NoRthern

Northern

Mclaughlin

Capita MaNaged It Solutions Northern Ireland

Holding

Supply

Electronics

Topaz

Harvey

Dunnes

Grafton Recruitment

Tmc

Dairies

NIcholls’(Fuel Oils)

(NI)

Soni

(Northern

Coca-

Cola

Stores

Hbc

Sse

Ireland) Northern

Cornerstone

Lamex

Group

Foods

(Bangor)

International

North

Dcc Energy

Ireland

Energy

Aes

Northstone (NI)

Sangers

Greenfields

United Dairy Farmers

Musgrave Retail Partners NI

Electricity

Transport

Energy

S c h r a d e r

Belfast

Ireland

Laboratories Viridian

Limited

Holdings

Queen’s University Of

Foyle Food Group

Maxol Oil

Northern Ireland Water

John Graham

Ireland

Chain

Reaction

Dairy

Produce

Packers

Ballylumford

Willstan

Musgrave Utv Media

Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall

Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin

Holdings

Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax

Electronics

(UK)

Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe

F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils

Cooneen

Lakeland Dairies (NI)

Holdings

D & W Carlisle

Ards

Devenish

(NI)

Montupet

Lynas FoodService

Gardrum

Westland By

Design

Resource

Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland

Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas

Bavarian Garages (NI)

Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair

Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives

Diageo Global Supply

T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales

Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew

Agnew

Lagan Asphalt Group

UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar

Gortmullan Holdings

Calvin Klein Stores

Commercials

John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy

Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane

Valley

Society W.& R. Barnett Northern

Water

Hurst SHS Group P&O

Ireland

F e r r y m a s t e r s Almac Group North

West

Belfast

Musgrave

Group

NoRthern

Renewables Ireland

(UK) University

C o r n e r s t o n e Energy

Lamex Foods

Reaction

Cycles

Produce

Packers

Distribution Clearway

John

Graham

B o o k m a k e r s Retail

Electricity

Maxol Oil

Northern

Of Ulster Group

Limited

Ireland

Norbrook

Bros.

Dcc Energy a

Construction

Transport

Group

Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Creation

Consumer

Finance

Diageo Northern Ireland

Capita

MaNaged

Tmc Dairies (NI)

Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Holdings

Sse

Laboratories Viridian

Lagan

Charles

Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel

Donnelly

Partners

Ireland

United Dairy Farmers

Garages

Oils)

Northstone

Terex Gb

Airtricity

Holding

Supply (NI) Foyle Food

Ireland) Co

S c o t t i s hp o w e r

Coca-

Energy

Cola Hbc Northern

Supply

Holdings

(NI)

Queen’s University Of

Energy

(Northern

Co-Operative

Greenfields

Schrader

Mclaughlin & Harvey

Electronics Dunnes Stores (Bangor)

Ireland Topaz Chain

Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Soni

Aes Ballylumford

Willstan

Martin Holdings

H & J Martin

Utv

Musgrave

Media

THE TOP 100 NORTHERN IRELAND COMPANIES 2014 REVEALED

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Contents 8 News

44 Listings

114 Sector focus

Is a raft of new jobs helping the employment market?

The full countdown of this year’s Northern Ireland Top 100 companies

How is your industry performing? Above par or lagging behind?

22 Sir Richard Needham

52 Profiles

165 Motoring

The former Minster for the Economy on Northern Ireland’s changing fortunes

Behind the doors of some of the biggest companies

Pat Burns keeps it flat to the mat with the latest road tests

26 Economic outlook

67 Employers

178 Photocall

Economist Philip McDonagh looks into the crystal ball

The Top 50 biggest employers in Northern Ireland

Who’s here? Who’s there? Who’s everywhere?

38 Analysis

76 Boss tips

188 Technology

Jonathan Cushley takes a look at how the Top 100 have changed

David Dobbin on being an effective CEO in today’s economic climate

Adam Maguire is at the cutting edge of the gadget world

188 178

165

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EDITOR’S COMMENT

A fine vintage in this year’s Top 100

elcome to this bumper edition of Ulster Business. In the following pages we’ll be counting down the biggest one hundred companies in Northern Ireland, as well as the top 50 employers. We’ll be digging around behind the numbers to get a feel for some of the most well known and also the not-so-well known names to grace this year’s lists to find out how they’ve managed to become some of the most important in the economy here. We speak to the big bosses at the top of these behemoths to get their take on their own businesses and the wider economy and to find out how they go about their working day. United Dairy Farmers chief executive David Dobbin reveals how he has transformed his business during his time at the top and Michael Howard from SHS uncovers the secrets to his success at the head of the grocery business just before picking up the golf clubs and heading into retirement.

But it’s not just the bosses we speak to, we also find out what it’s like to work for one of the Top 100 with a look at the day in the life of an engineer at Caterpillar. When it comes to the health of the Top 100, it’s clear that things are on the up as the downturn that has blighted business for the last few years has lifted. It’s been a tough few years for a lot of the companies listed in the following pages but during that time they’ve become leaner, more efficient and are arguably now in better shape to take advantage of the upturn in the economy and to compete in a global economy. If that’s the case then the next 12 months are going to be busy.

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AUGUST 2014

We find out about Devenish Nutrition, perhaps a lesserknown name in the Top 100, but one which has been making huge strides in its business over the last few years, as well as Haldane Fisher, a family-owned company which has weathered the downturn in the construction market with aplomb and is now poised for further growth.

Sales Executive Chris Black

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SPONSOR’S FOREWORD

Top 100 export their way to success By Adrian Doran, Barclays Head of Corporate Banking in Northern Ireland.

his year’s Ulster Business Top 100 highlights the recovery that some of Northern Ireland’s largest companies are currently experiencing. In most cases, this appears to be the result of exporters enjoying the continuing recovery in the global economy – further evidence of the ongoing need for Northern Ireland to increase its export base. Headline profits for our 100 largest companies (excluding Gortmullan Holdings) grew by 4% over the year. Within this, a number of notable individual performances are worthy of particular praise. Moy Park, Northern Ireland’s largest company (and currently the only one to break the £1bn turnover barrier) enjoyed another record year, with underlying profits increasing from £4.8m to £24.4m. The company recently announced Invest NI supported plans for a new £170m investment which will create over 600 new jobs in Northern Ireland, so the future continues to look bright. Similarly, Fane Valley enjoyed 17% growth in turnover, further highlighting the importance of the agri-food sector to our local economy. Locally owned companies such as W&R Barnett, Randox, Almac, Westland and Chain Reaction also recorded highly impressive growth. Some of our largest foreign direct investment (FDI) companies such as Bombardier and Caterpillar were also able to take advantage of an improving world economy to boost turnover.

AUGUST 2014

Perhaps most impressive of all was the growth achieved by a number of our largest companies operating in the construction sector – the sector perhaps hardest hit during the recession. John Graham Holdings grew its turnover by 20%, whilst Lagan Construction Group achieved a very impressive 36% jump in turnover. Both these companies have successfully refocused their businesses by increasingly looking at markets outside Northern Ireland, whether in Great Britain or beyond. A brief inspection of the above highlights a common theme; our most successful businesses all export. There are many reasons to be optimistic about the Northern Ireland economy in

the year ahead – a growing global economy (and in particular our key neighbouring markets of GB and RoI), improving business and consumer confidence, together with a recovering local banking sector, should lead to an acceleration in growth in the local economy. In addition, the boost to employment and average private sector wages from the recent FDI projects which Invest NI has delivered all bode well for the future. The months ahead offer a number of significant challenges, both politically and otherwise, but also tremendous opportunities. In particular, a positive outcome to the longrunning corporation tax debate would offer an unparalleled opportunity to move our economy to a completely new trajectory – then we will all really have reason for optimism.

NEWS

Mana from Portadown: Irwin’s seals Middle East deal

Portadown bakery has sealed a deal to supply soda farls and potato bread to the Middle East.

Irwins Bakery said it has signed a six-figure contract with LuLu Group in Abu Dhabi, one of the biggest retailers in the Persian Gulf, to supply the iconic Northern Ireland products under its Rankin Selection banner. Brendan Lappin, Irwin’s Bakery Business Development Manager, said it had been in discussion with LuLu over the past 18 months, thanks to introductions arranged by Invest NI and has committed to delivering the breads to its new customer within 24 hours after leaving the Portadown bakery. The Rankin Selection range will be on sale in an initial eight LuLu supermarkets within 24 hours of leaving the bakery in Portadown – a significant logistics operation involving a distributor in Liverpool,” he said. “The supermarket asked us if we could provide the bread as fresh as possible and we’re been able to meet the challenge.”

Brendan Lappin, Irwin’s Bakery Business Development Manager, with Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director.

As well as the Rankin Selection, which also includes wheaten bread, it will supply Jammy Joey and Snowy Joey cakes from its Howell痴 Handmade subsidiary. The bread and cakes will initially be available in eight LuLu stores but Mr Lappin said the aim is to build the business

steadily and to widen the customer base beyond the ex-pat community. Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, said the deal is testament to Irwin’s export ability. LuLu set Irwin quite a test in terms of delivery of the products, which this very professional and progressive company has achieved.

Growth Loan Fund doles out £10m to SMEs

he company charged with managing the distribution of a small business loan fund for Invest NI has lent one fifth of the total over the last year. Whiterock Capital Partners said a little over £10m has been drawn from the Growth Loan Fund across 32 separate projects in the 12 months to the end of March. It approved 43 loans during the year taking the total to 46 to what the fund manager describes as a ‘good mix of industries’. The fund’s progress was revealed in the results of one of its parent companies, Braveheart Investments. Whiterock was established as a joint venture between Braveheart, NEL Fund Managers and Clarendon Fund Managers in 2012 to manage the Invest NI fund which administers unsecured term loans typically between £50,000 to £1m to small and medium-sized enterprises in Northern Ireland.

John Toner, Chairman and CEO, Williams Industrial Services with Neil McCabe, Senior Investment Manager, WhiteRock Capital Partners.

One of its latest loans was to Williams Industrial Services Ltd (WIS Group), a provider of process control, automation and environmental engineering solutions based in Mallusk. It is using £1.25m from the fund to increase its levels of innovation and exports, and has created 20 new high jobs as a result to help fulfil lucrative new contracts.

NEWS

he Institute of Directors has teamed up with the Northern Ireland Science Park to launch the first in a series of Boot Camps for new or not so new directors. Sponsored by the leading law firm Arthur Cox the one day sessions will cover issues such as legal compliance, effective governance and the responsibilities surrounding company directorship. The directorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; bootcamp is perfect for new directors looking to climb the ranks by broadening their knowledge and understanding of what it takes to be a leader. Getting in shape are Linda Brown, Divisional Director IoD NI, Claire Burgoyne, Programme Manager of Northern Ireland, personal trainer John Ferris from Motive8 Holywood, Lynsey Mallon and Alan Taylor from Arthur Cox. The first Boot Camp will be held 23 September. For more information visit www.iodni.com

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NEWS

The Big Numbers 704,017 The number of jobs in Northern Ireland, according to the Census of Employment, an increase of 1.6% on 2011.

82% The percentage of Northern Ireland jobs classified as being in the services sector, an increase of 11,236 on 2011.

11% The percentage of Northern Ireland jobs classified as being in the manufacturing sector, which rose by 1,034 on 2011.

4% The percentage of Northern Ireland jobs classified as being in the construction sector, which fell by 3,548 since 2011.

Consumers confident but wage growth a drag

onsumers in Northern Ireland remain in bullish form despite struggling with static wage growth according to a new survey from Danske Bank. It looks at the financial position of households and takes the temperature of their financial situation, one which dipped in the second quarter of the year but still remained at the second highest level for six years. “The overall results of the survey suggest that households are confident that the recovery is underway, but they are still waiting for it to have an impact upon their own personal finances,” Danske Bank’s Chief Economist Angela McGowan said. “By and large this has not happened because earnings growth has remained muted across all sectors”. When it comes to consumer’s outlook for the year ahead, there is still a relatively cautious

approach to spending, a result of the fact wages haven’t been rising as fast as inflation. “Given the depth of the past recession it is no surprise that household behaviour and attitudes will have changed; many households have re-evaluated their spending patterns and will not revert back to precrisis spending levels for some time,” Ms McGowan said. “With real wages in Northern Ireland falling by nearly 10 per cent between 2008 and 2012, people are still looking for value for money”. Meanwhile, the survey showed that confidence levels are now highest in the South area of Northern Ireland (which includes Lisburn, County Down, Ards, Newry and Mourne, Banbridge, Craigavon and Armagh) and the Greater Belfast area. And men in Northern Ireland are still found to be more optimistic than females in all aspects of the survey.

£4,519m The value of sales from Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector in 2013, a 6.7% hike on 2012.

3.7% The percentage of Northern Ireland’s total output (gross value added) made up by the food and drink sector.

50% The percentage of Northern Ireland’s food and drink output made up by beef, sheep meat and milk.

£1,711m

K law firm TLT’s Northern Ireland practice has moved into 6,533 sq ft of new space in Montgomery House, Belfast to support the growth of its office. The firm originally opened a Belfast office in 2012 to offer litigation support to their UK clients transacting in Northern Ireland and initially operated from serviced offices in Scottish Provident Building.

The value of Northern Ireland’s food and drink exported to Great Britain, 40% of total sales.

Pictured is Katharine Kimber, Partner and Head of TLT Belfast Office with Kathryn Ford, Partner, Real Estate in TLT’s new offices in Montgomery House.

NEWS

AESTE students Georg Sailor from Austria and Alejandro Pitarch Olivas from Spain are pictured from left with Mike Nesbitt, Michelinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quality obtention manager; Kathy Simpson, site HR manager at Michelin and Gary Smith, project co-ordinator at Michelin. The students were recently welcomed to Northern Ireland by Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry at a special reception at the Harbour Commissionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office in Belfast.

They will be spending the summer at the Ballymena factory through the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) Programme managed by the British Council. Over the course of an eight-week placement, the students will complete specialist projects, related to their university degrees, before giving a special presentation to the management team within the company.

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NEWS

In Brief Three food companies from Armagh have tied up supply contracts with supermarket Asda. Together they’ll supply 45,000 units of vegetables, 7,000 bouquets of flowers and 5,000 bottles of cider to the Walmartowned retailer’s 16 stores across Northern Ireland in the coming months. Gilfresh Produce will supply “Tenderheart” cabbage and new season leeks to the retailer, Derrylard Nurseries will supply celery, two varieties of lettuce as well as flowers while the Armagh Cider Company will supply cider in the form of their brands Maddens Mellow and Carsons Crisp and mulled cider for later in the year. Northern Ireland’s consumers are getting more confident and able to splash out on new clothes and shoes, according to research from Deloitte. Its Consumer Tracker survey found spend on footwear and clothes had increased by 20% in the second quarter of 2014 as the economy recovers and personal economic sentiment improves. Deloitte found overall consumer confidence increased 16% in the last 12 months and that in turn helped persuade anyone with disposable income to hit the shops. A Bangor company famous for its hairbrushes has signed a multi-million dollar deal to supply parts for a US aircraft company. Denroy Plastics, a sister company to hair product maker Denman International, has secured the contract with Texas-based Triumph Aerostructures-Vought Aircraft Division. It will make plastic components for use on aerostructures manufactured for final use on Bombardier business jets. A unique flat-pack system used by Wrightbus has helped secure an order for 415 double decker buses from a Singapore public transport company. SBS Transit has already bought over 1,000 of the Ballymena company’s buses, which are based on partner Volvo Bus’ chassis and supplied in “complete knocked down” kits. The system involves each bus’ parts being packed onto pallets.

Visitors make less trips but stay longer, spend more

here were less overnight visitors to Northern Ireland last year but those that came stayed longer and spent more money, according to latest government statistics. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment said total overnight visitor numbers dropped by 1% in the year to the end of March to 4.1m while expenditure by the same visitors climbed by 4% to £735m. Visitors are staying longer in Northern Ireland.

The number of nights stayed by those visitors who did come here climbed by 3% to 14.5m, the Tourism Statistics Bulletin said The Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency, which compiled the data, blamed the drop in visitor numbers on a fall in the number of overnight trips made by people from within Northern Ireland of around 3% and a sharp drop in the number of visitors from the Republic of 18%.

Stripping out those numbers, there were more visitors from Great Britain and overseas with 2.01m staying here, an increase of 1%, while expenditure by them jumped 9% to £538m. Visitors were more likely to come from Great Britain or overseas, half of which were visiting friends or family and because of that factor, the local hotel trade saw only a slight boost.

ome of Northern Ireland’s leading technology entrepreneurs and investors have come together for the highly anticipated “Mentor Day” as part of the prestigious Northern Ireland Science Park CONNECT INVENT 2014 competition sponsored by Bank of Ireland. The 12 finalists were given the chance to put their business models to the test and deliver a presentation to an expert panel of judges. The winner will be announced on 2 October at the INVENT 2014 Gala Awards at Titanic, Belfast. Finalist Greg Maguire from Inlifesize was joined by Steve Orr, Director of NISP CONNECT; Vicky Dummigan of Tughans; and Tom Griffiths from Brand N.I.

NEWS

orthern Ireland’s Largest Science Fair Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition Returns to the Odyssey as Donal Counlter and Oran Hughes from Good Sheppard Primary school in Derry take part in the Sentinus Construction Challenge where they were tasked with designing the World Cup Football Stadium of the future. They joined hundreds of school children from across the island of Ireland who gathered to showcase their innovative projects in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) at the Sentinus Young Innovators Exhibition held at the Odyssey Arena. Speaking at the event Bill Connor, Chief Executive of Sentinus said: “Throughout the course of the academic year Sentinus has worked alongside schools and

local businesses to expose students of all ages and abilities to practical, real world challenges that the STEM subjects are crucial to solving. As part of the exhibition some school children have been tasked with

using their STEM knowledge to provide businesses with innovative solutions to real world problems and see the development process through to the end.” Photo by Aaron McCracken/Harrisons.

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NEWS

First Derivatives creates 484 high paying jobs in Newry

Newry financial software company has announced plans to create 484 jobs which will pay wages nearly twice the Northern Ireland average. The posts at First Derivatives will generate over £22m a year in salaries in total, a figure which works out at more than £45,000 a year on average for each job compared to the average full time salary here of £24,000. Most will be IT-related roles split between First Derivatives core business – which provides trading and risk management software systems to companies trading stocks, shares and other derivatives – and subsidiary Market Resource Partners – which designs marketing programs for the technology industry. Brian Conlon, CEO, First Derivatives plc said the extra headcount will help the company continue its expansion into overseas markets.

Pictured at First Derivative’s jobs announcement are deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA, Kevin Cunningham and Brian Conlon from Frist Derivatives and First Minister Rt. Hon. Peter D. Robinson MLA.

“These investments will substantially increase the capacity of First Derivatives and enable the Group to develop new business in export markets,” he said. “Critical to the success of our business is the quality of staff, and we know from experience

that we can recruit excellent staff locally. Invest NI’s ongoing support continues to be essential to our growth plans.” The business development agency has offered £3.9m worth of support.

Defibrillator maker creates 40 new jobs

Belfast company is in the process of taking on 40 new staff to help double sales of its portable defibrillator in the next three years.

HeartSine Technologies already sells the lifesaving devices – originally developed by Northern Ireland doctor Professor Frank

Pantridge nearly 50 years ago – to over 70 countries across the world but has its sights set on new and existing markets. “Our objective is to strengthen our workforce in Belfast so that we can double sales of our existing product portfolio in our target markets over the next three years,” Declan O’Mahoney, CEO of HeartSine Technologies said. “Invest NI’s support has been crucial in enabling us to recruit the staff needed to develop our export strategy. Our newly-expanded offices will provide much needed extra production space to ensure the output keeps up with demand.” Invest NI has offered HeartSine £360,000 of support toward the creation of the new jobs, 15 of which are already in place. The positions include senior management, sales, manufacturing, new product development, research and development, quality and customer support roles.

Pictured with Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster is Declan O’Mahoney, CEO of HeartSine Technologies and (left) Shauna Heggarty and (right) Eileen Ervin. Picture: Michael Cooper.

Dr Pantridge was one of the pioneers of The Belfast Protocol in the 1960s to treat cardiac arrest, a practice which is still used around the world today and which involves administering defibrillation and CPR on patients as quickly as possible after the event and before getting to hospital.

NEWS

ortadown-based recycling company, Natural World Products Ltd (NWP), has developed an innovative product which it says will reduce the amount of waste materials being sent to landfill in Northern Ireland by between 35-75 percent. The company has state-of-the-art facilities in both Portadown and Belfast which facilitate the extraction of recyclable materials from household waste streams. This allows for the manufacture of Engineered Fuels (EngFuels) from the non-recyclable fraction of household waste. NWP has now leased a new staging area at Belfast Harbour from which it will ship 100,000 tonnes of EngFuel this year alone. Also benefitting from this new relationship is Jenkins Shipping Company, which transports the bales to Holland and Germany where they are processed in a plant and converted into energy. Pictured are NWP Operations Director Caolan Woods with NWP Engineered Fuels Manager Gavin Doherty.

AUGUST 2014

NEWS

Heady days of 2007 still a long way off for housing market of negative equity, will represent a substantial call on future workforce earnings,” economist Dr Esmond Birney said. “Collectively all these factors have contributed to relatively low levels of demand and only as the legacy of the property bubble and the accompanying debt overhang are worked out of the system will we see increasing domestic demand and accelerated recovery. But while the forecast isn’t overly rosy, prices are still heading north. Its UK Economic Outlook expects housing prices here to grow by 2.2% in 2014 – double that of last year – and will accelerate by 4.7% in 2015 and by 5.9% in 2016.

t will take 10 years before property prices in Northern Ireland recover to the heights reached at the peak of the boom in 2007, according to business advisors PwC.

The business advisors argue that high rates of negative equity and the lowest levels of disposable income levels across the UK will be factors which continue to drag on the property market, one which remains 50% below the August 2007 peak. “Interest rates are expected to rise during 2015 and this, combined with our proportionally low disposable income and high percentage

Still, Northern Ireland’s property market looks set to lag well behind the rest of the UK. Average prices in Scotland are only 4.7% below their peak, in Wales 3.5% below while in London property prices are currently 32% above the 2007 peak. “Growing levels of business investment, a steady recovery in the housing market and a reduction in the housing debt will contribute to accelerating recovery, but the impact of these factors means that recovery will be slower to emerge and will be more prolonged than elsewhere.” PwC said it expects interest rates to be kept on hold until late 2014 or early 2015 before rising to 4% by 2020.

Pent-up US demand primes commercial property market for busy second half

he Northern Ireland commercial property market is in for a busy second half of the year as a result of pentup demand from US investors combined with the completion of the sale of NAMA’s assets here. That’s the conclusion of the latest report from agents CBRE, which said activity had been subdued in the first few months of the year as loans owned by the Republic’s bad bank were sold to US fund Cereberus.

market over recent months, including many new US investors, many of whom are frustrated at the scarcity of prime investment opportunities coming available for sale in the region,” the report said. That has helped contract yields “due to the weight of money chasing property”.

The deal was completed on June 30th and a wave of demand looks set to be unleashed.

A number of deals have taken place in the last few months including the sale of Shane Retail Park in Belfast to US investor Marathon for £30m, at a yield of 7.36%, and the sale of Cityside Retail Park for £24m, at a yield of 7.87%, to the same investor. Marathon also purchased the Obel building in the city.

“There is clear evidence of a greater depth of buyers in the Northern Ireland

Under offer is Victoria House in Belfast to a UK fund for £8.7m at a

yield of 8%, a property which had originally been for sale at £7m. Meanwhile, activity in the occupier, or rental, market is “somewhat disappointing,” according to CBRE. “It said only a handful of transactions took place in the first half of the year despite a number of large jobs announcements. Although there are a large number of active requirements it is taking some time for this demand to translate into lettings. To some extent, this can be attributed to a lack of supply of good quality office accommodation in prime locations.” However, activity in the retail sector, at least in Belfast, has picked up pace in core locations such as Arthur Street.

NEWS

Tech companies under starter’s orders

Pictured launching the 2014 Technology Fast 50 awards is, from left, Greg Wilson, CEO of Belfast insurance comparison company Seopa and David Crawford, partner at Deloitte in Belfast.

ast growing technology companies could be in with a chance of recognition in a competition run by business advisory Deloitte.

The 2014 Technology Fast 50 awards are now open for entry and will award those technology businesses from across the island of Ireland which have demonstrated the biggest growth in turnover over the past five years. In addition to the Fast 50 ranking, the Rising Star category will award two up-and-coming companies who are in business less than five years. Northern Ireland companies occupied 18 places in the Fast 50 last year, an increase of three on the previous year. David Crawford, partner at Deloitte in Belfast said: “It was very encouraging to see so many Northern Ireland companies performing so strongly last year. I believe it is testament to the strength and innovation of our indigenous technology firms and to the growth potential of the industry. Every year, we see exceptional progress in this sector and we are encouraging those in the industry to get involved and submit an entry, particularly those that have not entered before.” The closing date for entries is 19 September 2014 and the winners will be announced on 7 November 2014. Last year, Belfast-based insurance comparison company Seopa was placed in the Deloitte Fast 50 for the third consecutive year.

AUGUST 2014

Export: The Big Picture By Angela McGowan, Danske Bank Chief Economist

ith Danske Bank’s ‘Big Picture’ report predicting global growth of 3.6 per cent this year and 4.1 per cent in 2015 the challenge is now on for Northern Ireland to capture a bigger slice of global trade. Unfortunately, the local economy, like the rest of the UK, is currently struggling to boost its export levels. Many of our local small businesses have limited resources that do not stretch to carrying out market research and trade missions in other countries. So help is needed – particularly around information on areas such as market data, customs clearance, import regulations, taxes and export licences. Invest NI and the Chamber of Commerce provide a variety of support measures and in July this year InterTradeIreland also launched the final phase of its Elevate initiative which aims to provide support to firms on both sides of the border to generate new cross-border sales. Companies should never under-estimate the power of breaking into neighbouring markets as a good stepping stone to building their export capabilities. In addition, local firms should not just assume that exporting is limited to our manufacturing base. Many local services – consultancy, advertising, architecture and the creative industries have the potential to tap into international business contracts. Because non-domestic trade is central to the economic health of a region, governments at both the national and the local level are keen to help companies move into the exporting space. Recently the British Chamber of Commerce called for measures to “take the fear” out of exporting and advocated more funding for firms to go on trade missions, greater access to finance and even a tax break for exporters. Although it is impossible to know if and how Mr Cameron will step up the level of government support – the current trade statistics tell us that he should definitely do something.

Angela McGowan can be contacted by emailing angela.mcgowan@danskebank.co.uk or calling 028 9004 5000

NEWS

Secrets revealed as new nightclub opens

new nightclub in Londonderry is set to create 100 new jobs by the end of 2015. Secrets will be built on the site of the incumbent club Dorman’s and The Opera which closed down earlier this year. The new venture is backed by Henry and Teresa McGlone who have both operated a business on the site for the last 28 years. The development follows an investment of £1.5m with work commencing in Easter and will be completed in four phases beginning with Secrets nightclub. The designers, O’Donnell O’Neill Associates, said they’ve taken inspiration from “clubs in Dubai and the Abercomie and Fitch flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue to give Secrets a luxurious setting of wealth and charm”. The majority of the new positions will be part-time consisting of bar and floor staff, hosts and security personnel. ‘The opening of Secrets Nightclub this week follows almost two years of behind the scenes work to breathe new life into

Henry and Teresa McGlone from Secrets nightclub.

one of Co. Derry’s most famed entertainment venues,” Henry and Teresa said. “We are very excited to have watched the transformation take place over the last six months. “We have travelled extensively to bring the best elements of the world’s renowned bars and clubs to Magherafelt and we are confident Secrets Nightclub and the further phases will bring something new and innovative to the social offering in Northern Ireland’.

Time to Propel your business? “The Propel Programme provides a dynamic culture and motivational environment for creative, ambitious, early stage company teams or individuals, who are working on a business idea with international market potential,” Niall Casey, Invest NI’s Director of Skills and Strategy Solutions, said. “The impact and value of Propel to local businesses and the wider economy is clear. Since 2009, 85 new companies have raised over £5.3m of private investment through the programme, creating over 250 jobs. The standard of participants has been extremely high, which is reflective of the business talent in Northern Ireland today. We hope that the calibre of participants for 2014/15 will further add to this success.”

Pictured (L-R) is Niall Casey, Invest NI and Dungannon-based Orlagh McVeigh, a current Propel Programme participant who, along with her husband Fintan McVeigh, is developing their luxury handmade homewares business, Harch Wood Couture.

tartup companies with exportable business ideas could be in line for specialist support from Invest NI. The Propel Programme has just launched for early stage businesses which have the potential to succeed on the international stage. The scheme puts qualifying companies through a 12-month programme to fast track the business idea, develop growth plans and to explore global prospects.

Dungannon based husband and wife team, Orlagh and Fintan McVeigh are on the 2013/14 Propel Programme, which is helping them to develop their luxury handmade homewares business, Harch Wood Couture. “Propel has given us the space to focus totally on our business. It has helped us to step back and look at our strategy, gaining new perspective and focus,” Orlaghs said. “The Propel workshops are excellent in terms of the practical running of our business, and the one-on-one mentorship has allowed us to gain such valuable insight into business planning by working directly with an expert. The whole experience has given us great confidence in the future of Harch Wood Couture.”

INTERVIEW

Changing times? David Elliott speaks to Sir Richard Needham to take the temperature of the Northern Ireland economy when the first Ulster Business Top 100 was published.

INTERVIEW

round 26 years ago the first issue of the Ulster Business Top 100 rattled off the presses in a very different Northern Ireland than the one we enjoy now. Twice as many people were unemployed, the Troubles were giving rise to the sort of headlines which would dissuade inward investors from even considering setting up camp here and the term cosmopolitan was only used to describe a new woman’s magazine on the shelves rather than the cultural makeup of society.

AUGUST 2014

“I would make it much simpler to get planning and would the whole planning system. The mayor needs to be given real authority to promote the city and to actually drive it forward.”

I was 14 years old so I’m not the best person to give you an insight into the big issues of the economy back then but one man who had a unique perspective of life in Northern Ireland in 1988 is the Earl of Kilmorey. Better known as the Right Honourable Sir Richard Needham, he was Minister for the Economy at the time of the first Top 100 and knows better than most the challenges of this troubled region, and Belfast in particular. “There was 19% unemployment, 45% of the jobs that were out there were in the public sector and there was a >>

INTERVIEW

big bias in employment practices,” he told Ulster Business on the way back to Heathrow from a trip to Northern Ireland. “Tourism was non-existent, apart from people visiting friends and relatives, the hotel scene was tiny and there was only a handful of decent restaurants.”

The much-lauded Laganside Development, which involved the creation and construction of the area around the Waterfront Hall and down toward what is now known as the Titanic Quarter, would prove to be pivotal in arresting Belfast’s fortunes, and one of Sir Richard’s greatest achievements in Northern Ireland.

“There are too many departments, too many ministers and too many civil servants. It takes much too long to get things done.” “I would make it much simpler to get planning approval and would reform the whole planning system. The mayor and his team needs to be given real authority to promote the city and to drive it forward.”

“The rest followed with international hotel chains arriving and Castle Court opening. The latter was a beacon of hope and changed the city as the largest shopping centre in the island of Ireland at the time.”

It wasn’t without its challenges, particularly as there was a deep recession in the late 80s and early 90s.

“I would be pretty ruthless about revisiting the issue of Northern Ireland’s public property estate and selling it on. It’s worth hundreds of millions of pounds but they’ve no money to spend on insulating and improving it.”

“The clubs were mainly paramilitary dens. Belfast city centre was cordoned off and there was no shopping centre.” Not then, the Northern Ireland we know and love now but one which needed tender loving care and major redevelopment As Westminster’s man in charge at the time, it was up to Sir Richard to try and turn the province around, both from an economy and from a social perspective. “The first thing we had to do was to get a proper plan,” he said. “The key element of that was to regenerate Belfast city centre. We were determined to turn the Lagan into something the city could be proud of and to get the city to look at its river rather than turn its back on it.” “So we went off to find another city to emulate. We went to Baltimore and Boston and all over the place before eventually coming across Peter Hunter, the man behind Salford Quays in Manchester who turned out to be the genius in the design of Laganside.”

However, Northern Ireland’s large public sector at the time – one which hasn’t completely receded – helped to buffer the worst effects of the recession and it wasn’t long before green shoots of recovery and progress were starting to emerge. “Shorts got privatised and bought by Bombardier - that was monumental. Then the Japanese companies started coming in like Ryobi, then the French companies like Montupet.” Obviously the Invest NI precursor, the IDB, was helping attract the overseas investment but even that was being transformed, moving away from grants for capital projects like machinery to grants for training and design of new products. “The rest followed with international hotel chains arriving and Castle Court opening. The latter was a beacon of hope and changed the city as the largest shopping centre in the island of Ireland at the time.” Such was the success of redeveloping Belfast that Sir Richard then launched a similar strategy in Londonderry before rolling it out in other towns such as Newry. “Most people concentrate on the political and security side of things but in terms of Northern Ireland, the economic and social regeneration of the place was just as, if not more, important.” What, then, would he do now if he were in charge? “I’d be hugely in favour of having even less councils and an elected Lord Mayor of Belfast & power sharing Cabinet. What we need is Belfast’s version of Boris Johnston.”

As has probably become clear, Sir Richard has had, and still has, a lot of interest in Northern Ireland – his cousins still live on the Mourne Park Estate near Kilkeel – and he’s still setting his sights on having an impact on the Northern Ireland economy further.

“There was 19% unemployment, 45% of the jobs that were out there were in the public sector and there was a big bias in employment practices.” He wants to develop a hub of small manufacturing companies centred around 3D printing in Belfast, to transform Kilkeel harbour as a centre of excellence of fishing and for servicing offshore services and also to build an ‘Entertainment Complex’ in Belfast (Sir Richard is a non-executive director of Rank). “There is a lot of good going on in Belfast and Northern Ireland economy but there’s just not enough of it. “We need to identify the diamonds in each sector and find out how to grow them.”

ANALYSIS

Full steam ahead? The last ten years have been some of the most turbulent for the Northern Ireland economy ever. Economist Philip McDonagh asks what the next ten years hold.

o what do the next 10 years hold in store for the Northern Ireland economy? Well, don’t ask an economist, most people would probably say. Our track record on forecasting over the last 10 years has been pretty abysmal and at the one time when it mattered, we completely missed the credit crunch, property price collapse and the economic recession that followed from 2007 onwards. A former colleague of mine who was an insolvency practitioner used to take great delight in betting with me when the next economic downturn would happen. To my cost, he was amazingly accurate! A couple of years before we hit the buffers he was telling me that Q3 2006 would see the start of the economic downturn. This was at a time when everyone was assuming that the economy had achieved that magical state of steady and sustainable growth. My friend didn’t have a fancy economic model, he just watched the inevitable cycle of boom and bust, the number of firms in trouble and the behaviour and the reaction of the banks. In any case, you will notice that most economic forecasts project growth for the

next year or two but then assume that growth will level out at around a standard 2.5% per year after that. So they don’t help much when trying to imagine what the 2024 economy might look like. So if economic models cannot tell us what the local economy will look like in 10 years’ time, what can we say about the future?

“Our historic economic dependence on the public sector will reduce because the public sector will have got smaller.” First, we know that the population will continue to grow and that we will get older. By 2022 the population of Northern Ireland is projected to grow by 0.5% per year to over 1.9 million people but within that the population of those aged 65 and over will grow by 26% or 71,000 people. This will mean that business will have to rely on an

aging workforce while the costs of caring for the elderly will put increased demands on the government health and social care budget. These projections assume that, after a net loss of population up to 2018, net migration remains in balance, that is, the number of people leaving is roughly equal to the number coming into the country. We need to continue to create the employment opportunities that will encourage our young people to stay here and for others to come to Northern Ireland for work. We also know that public spending budgets are going to come under increasing pressure as the UK Treasury’s austerity programme begins to really bite in Northern Ireland. Our historic economic dependence on the public sector will reduce, not necessarily because the private sector will have grown but because the public sector will have got smaller. Whatever happens with the Scottish independence vote, new arrangements for funding the devolved administrations are likely to be on the cards. The outcome is likely to be less favourable than the Barnett formula that has served us well for the last 30 years.

The corporation tax debate continues and if the campaign to secure the power to collect tax at a rate that suits our circumstances is successful, then we should be beginning to see the results of this by the early 2020â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with more international investment being attracted to Northern Ireland and local firms being able to invest more of their profits as a result of reduced tax rates. A flexible, responsive and business friendly government is essential if we are to capitalise on these opportunities. The Northern Ireland business community has demonstrated its resilience and its ability to innovate and to respond to technological developments and this augurs well for the future. The agri-food sector has already set out its stall with ambitious plans to invest over ÂŁ1bn, growing exports and creating 15,000 new jobs by 2020. Other sectors and businesses will no doubt weigh in with their own plans and it is not unreasonable to assume that by 2024 we will have a more dynamic, profitable economy that is competitive and successful in international markets. What is slightly worrying is that my insolvency friend is predicting that the next recession will happen in a couple of yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time! It is not all going to be plain sailing!

AUGUST 2014

EXPORT

The world at our feet Ian Sheppard, Bank of Ireland UK Head of Business & Corporate Banking in Northern Ireland, says a focus on exporting is the key to breaking into the Top 100.

Breaking into an export market may be a challenge but the only real way to scale up a Northern Ireland business is to look outside these shores, as the Top 100 shows.

Companies which limit their sales to within Northern Ireland will soon have their potential cut short by our relatively small market place.

Many of these companies are evangelical about the power of exporting and even go so far as to help the likes of Invest NI to encourage more firms here to explore overseas markets in an effort to drive productivity in the economy.

t only takes a quick glance at Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies to see a common denominator: nearly all the names on the list have mastered the art of exporting. That is no coincidence.

Some 65% of micro, 50% of small and 40% of medium-sized firms in Northern Ireland rely solely on domestic business. But for others the realisation that the rest of the world provides endless possibilities to grow their business is the kick-start they need to start exporting. That is no easy task, but it is achievable. At a recent Ulster Business roundtable discussion hosted by Bank of Ireland UK, some experienced exporters in the Top 100 agreed that breaking into new export markets, or even maintaining existing ones, takes hard work and dedication. Research needs to be carried out to find if there is a need for your product and service in the proposed market, competitors need to be identified, delivery costs nailed down, language barriers overcome and manufacturing costs – such as energy – kept to a minimum. The experience of our customers shows that businesses which are successful exporters very quickly understand the environment they are entering and are flexible enough to adapt their products and services. Having the confidence to stand shoulder-to-shoulder beside competitors in a foreign region might seem daunting but time and again we’ve seen how Northern Ireland products quickly prove to be world class and come with service levels which are as good, if not better, than the world’s biggest conglomerates.

The agency itself has a wealth of support – from trade missions to market research – to offer potential exporters while Bank of Ireland UK is ready and willing to provide finance for those looking to take a first step into the export world or those looking to expand their reach. In addition, Bank of Ireland UK is working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry to deliver the Chamber’s Connecting for Growth Programme, a new cross-border trade initiative designed to facilitate increased business between companies from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. For Bank of Ireland UK, exporters have been the primary driver of the uplift in the demand for finance which we’ve seen over the last few years and it is exporters which have managed to come through the recent downturn in relatively good health. One of our customers, a manufacturer of building products, proves the protective effect exporting can have. Its grass root market in Northern Ireland was badly hit during the downturn but it switched its export focus into growth markets overseas and came out of the economic downturn unscathed. At Bank of Ireland UK we will continue to do all we can to assist exporters with advice and finance. We want to play our role in building a Northern Ireland economy based on innovative firms competing in overseas markets. If we can get more companies exporting then Northern Ireland can truly become a force to be reckoned with.

Global connections Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve invested in our new base at the Soloist building, 1 Lanyon Place, Belfast, so that Northern Ireland businesses have the legal support to help you meet your objectives both locally and worldwide. To see how our move could help you in turn move your business up in the world, visit us at pinsentmasons.com/belfast

ÂŠ Pinsent Masons LLP 2014.

www.pinsentmasons.com

www.Out-Law.com

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY

It’s not me, IT’S YOU New research shows that the way your organisation delivers constructive criticism is compromising trust, loyalty, engagement, and transparency in your organisation. In this months column, David Meade asks if there’s ever a good day – or good way – to bury bad news?

can recall my first employee appraisal vividly. I sat nervously in a vacant Washington DC restaurant. Service started in an hour, but I’d been called in early for a routine ‘sit-down’ appraisal with my supervisor. Conscious that my job, rent, and work visa depended on me remaining in gainful employment, I was terrified that a recent incident with a gravy boat and a customers crisp white linen suit might have spelled the end of my American dream. It turned out I needn’t have worried. Scored out of ten on a host of scales, I was delighted to know that the white suit incident was a distant memory and I was safe to continue tending tables. I remember the scores so clearly: Customer Service: 10 Attitude: 10 Communication: 10 Punctuality: 10 Personal Hygiene: 9 Teamwork: 10 Leadership: 10 Brilliant! Wait, what? Personal hygiene - a nine? What does that mean? Frankly I’ve got no idea since, as an insecure teenager, I would have scored one or less on assertiveness had it featured on the lofty scale, so I didn’t ask. But here I am

over a decade later and for some reason that missing point still sticks with me.

Good news Delivering constructive criticism is a difficult and intensely personal task. An individual or team that is not performing on target, or indeed is violating an important code of conduct, will need to be engaged with if the situation is to improve. So dreaded is the task, in fact, that I suspect that in most cases the messenger feels as much anxiety - if not more - as the recipient. In trying to ‘sandwich’ the constructive criticism amongst the positives my Washington DC manager fell into the same trap almost all leaders do. A growing body of research, though, shows that the recipients smell a rat instantly. There has never been a good day - or good way - to bury bad news, but following these guidelines will ensure the process is as painless and purposeful as possible.

Hold the Sandwich Despite what you might have heard, don’t bookend the bad news with compliments. While it may make you feel better about having a tough conversation, evidence shows it comes across as disingenuous, evasive, and ultimately detracts from the impact of your overall message. Ultimately you need your message to be heard, so

instead start the discussion with any genuine positives before plainly and confidently outlining the areas that require immediate attention. Be direct, transparent, and solution driven; you’ll see results much faster than if the news were buried. >>

“Delivering constructive criticism is a difficult and intensely personal task. An individual or team that is not performing on target, or indeed is violating an important code of conduct, will need to be engaged with if the situation is to improve. So dreaded is the task, in fact, that I suspect that in most cases the messenger feels as much anxiety.”

BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY

AUGUST 2014

OUTLOOK FOR BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY 2014

Early and Often

Face Facts

Feedback is an inevitable part of the

Constructive comments should always be

workplace dynamic, but when it comes in an

driven by evidence. Whether their sales

unstructured manner or at an unexpected

performance is dramatically below average,

time it’s sure to put the recipient on the

or their customer feedback scores are

defensive. Instead, schedule regular structured consistently showing cause for concern, remember to focus on the data, and not sessions where the senior and line manager have space to feedback to team members

necessarily the person. When you do

on their achievements, and professional

so, you position the low numbers as a

development opportunities. If, for instance,

challenge that both parties need to work

employees know that each of these sessions

together to solve. No need to sugarcoat

will feature exactly three areas for their own

the fact that you’re disappointed by the

personal development, they’re likely to be

ratings, we’ve learned already how that

much less upset to be sent on a workshop

can badly affect our credibility as leaders.

to boost their leadership competencies.

By focusing on the measurable outcomes, the feedback becomes less personal so both parties can come together to attack

“Despite what you might have heard, don’t bookend the bad news with compliments. While it may make you feel better about having a tough conversation, evidence shows it comes across as disingenuous, evasive, and ultimately detracts from the impact of your overall message.”

the problem, instead of each other.

Give them a clue When you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. It’s an old adage, but it has particular resonance when delivering important feedback to under-performing individuals. If you know some end of year figures will be a punch in the gut for someone in your firm, or if you’re choosing to move a key account to a different salesperson, it pays dividends to clue them in ahead of any bad news. By suggesting ahead of time that you want to freshen up the way accounts are being lead, perhaps to reinvigorate client relationships, you’re preparing them for a shakeup that might otherwise catch them unawares. In doing so, you begin to manage their expectations and give them time to equip themselves emotionally for any big changes that might be on the way.

Be Specific

Money Talks

While saying “I’d like to see you work on

Wherever possible, try to separate any

your communication skills” might get you

salary, bonus, or reward discussions from the

off the hook as far as difficult conversations

complicated area of constructive criticism.

go, it gives the individual no sense of how

Linking these areas, when it’s not necessary

they - or you for that matter - can manage

to do so, can add a considerable amount

or measure their improvement. Whether

of heat to the discussion and make it very

their style is too authoritative, or worse still

difficult to have a reasoned engagement

they’re a pushover, they need to know exactly

where both parties can leave feeling positive.

what areas of their performance need a

So try to steer clear anything that might

boost or the cycle of awkward conversations

be interpreted as a threat or compromise

will continue ad infinitum, so be prepared

to their livelihood. Unless of course the

to outline some specific objectives, some options for up-skilling, and a reasonable timeline that they can aim towards.

situation has descended to that point, at

“Feedback is an inevitable part of the workplace dynamic, but when it comes in an unstructured manner or at an unexpected time it’s sure to put the recipient on the defensive. Instead, schedule regular structured sessions where the senior and line manager have space to feedback to team members on their achievements, and professional development opportunities.”

which clarity and transparency about the seriousness of the situation is essential.

Back in The Office As daunting as it can be for both parties, delivering challenging feedback is an essential leadership competency. Old habits die hard, though, so I’d encourage you to take some time to talk to your colleagues and fellow leaders about how they deliver bad news; sadly you’ll find that the effectiveness of the feedback sandwich is one of the most enduring management myths. Sticking to that tired model is not only transparent, it risks undermining both your message and your relationships with those around you in your organisation.

“Be direct, transparent and solution driven.” Finally, and perhaps most important of all the lessons covered here, please remember to let men in linen suits pour their own darn gravy.

Making the most of recovery – the private sector challenge There’s good news, there’s bad news and then there’s economics. For companies in Northern Ireland keen to make the most of the recovery, untangling reality from the dismal science of economics might be the biggest challenge. PwC’s Kevin MacAllister gets behind the data to see some of the issues facing Northern Ireland’s private sector.

he good news is that the UK economy grew by 0.8% in the second quarter of 2014 and, according to provisional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), it is now 0.2% ahead of its pre-crisis peak of the first quarter of 2008. That means UK growth in the year to June 2014 was a very creditable 3.1% overall. Factor in the latest forecast from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that the UK will be the fastest-growing developed economy in 2014, and there’s real confidence that the UK recovery will continue to gather pace with a growth rate that is outstripping most competitor nations. Closer to home, the Northern Ireland economy is also growing and, while we don’t have up to date official GDP figures, our own assessment is that growth in 2014 will be around 2.2%. That’s well behind the UK average and is also likely to be

the lowest growth amongst the 12 UK regions. So even though there is growth and recovery, looking at the economy as a whole, there is no cause for euphoria. From a private business perspective, things aren’t as bad as they might seem. Having said that, from a purely private sector business perspective, things aren’t that bad. The impact of the property collapse has inhibited domestic spending, public sector spending cuts have curtailed investment and the proportionally smaller private sector cannot either invest or export enough to close the gap. But with the possible exception of house-building and civil engineering, other sectors of the private sector economy are showing some positive signs. Unemployment has been falling steadily since January 2013 and we’ve now seen 18 consecutive months of decline in the jobless total. Business confidence, as measured by the Purchasing Managers’ Index, has been in positive territory throughout the last 12 months and during 2013 the number of employees in employment grew by 2.3% – that’s more than 15,000 people and is faster than the record level of employment growth experienced in the decade of the boom years before the collapse. Inward investment delivered another record year. The latest Inward Investment Report shows

that Northern Ireland delivered 50 new inward investment projects in 2013/14, with an average of 77 jobs each. Overall, total investment announcements were 32% up year-on-year and, in the first two weeks of July alone, Invest NI announced new projects that will ultimately produce 1,000 new jobs. Yes, some of the flurry in investment announcements came before the introduction of new EU rules on 1 July, which restrict support for certain types of inward investment and projects, where the investor is already operating and in place. But the fact remains that Northern Ireland remains a good place to invest and investors are getting the message. But what happened to the clusters? For me, one of the surprises in recent weeks was a report from the Centre for Cities entitled, Industrial Revolutions: Unlocking Potential in the UK’s Thriving Cluster Sector. The authors identified 31 clusters across the UK that collectively accounted for 10% of all UK businesses, employed around 15% of the total UK workforce and delivered 20% of total UK output... that’s the sort of real added value that clusters deliver and that’s why encouraging clustering is vital for Northern Ireland. The problem was that none of the 31 clusters the authors identified are in Northern Ireland. There was tourism in Scotland and Wales, technology in London, furniture in Yorkshire and motor racing in Northamptonshire... but nothing here. That might come as a bit >>

of a surprise to any of the 50 or so local companies in Northern Ireland’s £1bn local aerospace industry – or to any of the 4,000 workers in Northern Ireland’s pharmaceutical sector – or any of the international exporters in food processing, financial and business services, or tourism players like Titanic Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway, or the Walls of Derry… I could go on. It turns out that it was the absence of data – rather than the absence of actual clusters – that saw Northern Ireland excluded from the Centres for Cities report, but the report also made an interesting point around branding. The best clusters don’t just have great companies, the authors say, they have great collaboration within the clusters and the best clusters have developed global brands. The greater the brand the more it attracts new investment, new investors, stakeholder collaboration, mobile talent and innovation. However, the report authors concluded that too many cluster companies don’t collaborate enough internally and with universities and government and that means the cluster doesn’t develop the critical mass to become a global brand – that’s a point that should not be lost on the Northern Ireland private sector. There’s a new brand of manager in town. One of the other recent trends has been the emergence of a new generation of

managers in our family-owned businesses sector. As the ‘baby boomers’ who founded businesses in the 60’s and 70’s prepare to hand over their hard-build companies to the next generation of young ‘millennials’, there is growing evidence of creative tensions in the boardroom. Unlike public companies where leadership changes are frequent, family businesses can have the same chairman or CEO for decades and this can become a real barrier for the younger generation working in the business and hoping to inherit the management from founding family members. PwC studied 200 family businesses like these and found that 80% of the next generation have big ideas for change and growth – but their ideas are not always welcome. Northern Ireland has a disproportionate number of small family-owned businesses that make a vital contribution to employment and economic activity. Around 90% of Northern Ireland’s 66,790 VAT and PAYEregistered businesses are micro businesses, employing fewer than ten people, but over 80% of these are so-called ‘first generation family SMEs’ and a recurring criticism is that they don’t grow beyond micro businesses to become internationally competitive. However, a number of these particularly in technology and related sectors, do become fast-growth businesses, where a new generation of

family members are confident they can accelerate growth and expand even faster. Business founders told us that their children aren’t sufficiently entrepreneurial and don’t put in the long hours they did to build the business. However, just down the hall their children are wishing their parents would embrace the potential of new technology that can deliver faster growth. Our research suggests that this difference can inhibit decision-making and lead to the phenomenon of the “sticky baton”, where the older generation hands over management of the firm in theory, but in practice retain complete control over everything that really matters. But, whether it’s driving growth and building cluster brands or managing the transition from the generations, these are the challenges facing the local private sector if it is to embrace and capitalise on recovery. That recovery may be slow and Northern Ireland’s private sector may be unable to close the gap between regional GDP growth and the UK, but with the key metrics – employment, investment and confidence all improving, Northern Ireland’s private sector is headed in the right direction. Kevin MacAllister is a partner and private sector leader with PwC in Northern Ireland. He can be contacted on +44 (0)28 9041 5560 or at: kevin.macallister@uk.pwc.com

LET’S GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT... It’s property advice, but it’s just a wee bit sharper.

Instinctive Excellence in Property

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

Profit margins head high for the Top 100 Dun and Bradstreet compiled the Top 100 data for Ulster Business once again. Jonathan Cushley takes a closer look at this year’s and highlights some of the main trends.

he 2014 compilation of the Ulster Business Top 100 Companies listing continues the positive message of the past few years. Profitability of the province’s leading companies exceeded £1bn for the first time and, for the second year running, turnover passed the £20bn barrier. The Top 100 companies showed a 2.9% increase in turnover but a 60% increase in profitability. The Ulster Business Top 100 incorporates the results of Northern Ireland-based companies, either registered here or headquarter domiciled and relates in the vast majority of cases to businesses filing either 2013 or late 2012 financial year end performance. Since the inception of the listing in August 1989, turnover has been used as the key identifier of performance. The turnover/ sales figure in conjunction with profitability & shareholder value is imperative for companies when measuring on-going performance especially in a challenging and competitive business environment.

Top 100 Performance Sales within the companies listed in this year’s Top 100 increased by 2.9% to

£21.07bn from £20.48bn prior year. The top companies didn’t show much fluidity with the perennial main performers retaining their places. Moy Park retained the top spot and, although as yet 2013 accounts have not been filed at the companies registry, in the press Moy Park have disclosed a 10% increase in revenues for 2013. Glen Electric, Caterpillar, Gortmullan Holdings & John Henderson (Holdings) Ltd filled the first five places.

Meanwhile, Gortmullan Holdings Ltd retains assets of the Quinn Group of companies. Of the Top 10 companies, Short Brothers PLC (16.9%), Fane Valley Co-Operative Society Ltd (17.3%) and W&R Barnett Ltd (19.6%) showed the highest increase in sales as a percentage of the prior year’s results. The majority of group relationships within the Top 100 have been either amalgamated under company parentage or been excluded, however please note that the AES companies

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

Table 1

responsible for Kilroot & Ballylumford Power stations are separate entities. In addition, various Isaac Agnew companies have been included separately due to a change in group accounting, which means no aggregated Northern Ireland results would be available. The same circumstances cover Golf Holdings Ltd which owns Philip Russell Ltd & James E McCabe Ltd – both are included within the Top 100 under their own merits as Golf does not file consolidated accounts (See Table 1).

Profitability The success of a business cannot consider solely the top line sales performance; the generation of profit is key to the on-going viability and sustainability of any organisation. As mentioned previously, the significant increase in profitability within the Top 100 should provide a degree of comfort for businesses previously under severe pressure to generate returns. Profit across the Top 100 increased from £636.2m to £1.017m breaking the £1bn barrier for the first time. A total of 15 of the top companies posted a loss. >>

AUGUST 2014

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

Table 2

Nevertheless, one of the key drivers for the significant profit improvement within the listing was the improved profit position of Gortmullan Holdings Ltd which turned a significant negative position to a positive. However, year-on-year these positions bear comparatives to be made.

TOP 10 COMPANIES BY PROFIT Company

As with prior year’s performance power/utility companies continue to dominate when a view is taken of the most profitable companies. Positions 1-3, 6 & 9 within the Top 10 highest profit earners are all held by utility companies – the companies generate £356.5m profit, a slight drop of 5% on the prior year.

In 2013, profit-per-employee within the Top 100 increased to £12,169 from £7,799, with sales per employee hitting £252,038 compared to prior year of £251,076. The total number of employees increased from 81,572 to 83,604 – 2.5% (See Table 2).

Profit (£’000)

Profit Margin (£’000)

Rank in Top 100

135,438

31.82

2. Scottishpower Renewables (UK)

89,100

42.65

3. Northern Ireland Electricity

70,000

27.13

4. Glen Electric

60,331

7.42

5. Terex GB

36,947

12.87

6. Aes (NI)

36,091

22.46

7. Creation Consumer Finance

33,825

22.36

8. Moy Park

24,410

2.24

9. AES Ballylumford

22,877

18.33

10. Gortmullan (Holdings)

22,633

3.29

1. Northern Ireland Water

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

Net Worth (Shareholder Value) The third measure of a company’s overall success utilised when compiling the Top 100 listing is the company’s value to its shareholders. In its simplest form, it is the shareholders’ funds (issued capital) plus retained profits, minus intangibles. The value of the 2013 Top 100 Companies to their shareholders is currently £5.26bn, a 4.4% increase on the figure for same company’s prior year which amounted to £5.04bn. The shareholders’ return for the Top 100 businesses equates to profit divided by net worth as a percentage – 19.3% against a prior year 12.6%. Inventory turnover is defined as the total turnover compared to net worth. This volume ratio indicates how the value of sales generated for each pound of investment. In 2013 it stood at 4 compared to 4.06 for the current Top 100’s prior year.

Location Since the inception of the Top 100 we have occasionally reviewed the geographic

headquarter location from which the Top 100 companies conduct their business. In the ten years since 2004 to 2013 there have been a number of notable location shifts of Top 100 listed companies. County Tyrone has seen an 80% increase (five businesses to nine), County Londonderry a 14% increase (seven to eight) and Belfast, included due to its propensity, 13.9% (43 to 49). County Fermanagh remains flat (2) whilst County Armagh decreases by 37.5% (eight to five), County Down decreases by 20% (10-eight) and County Antrim decreases by 24% (25-19) (See Table 3).

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Reader Notes In certain instances comparisons have been made with other Top 100 editions. These comparisons may include figures for companies not included in the current Top 100 due to fluidity of results. A date of 30/06/14 has been used as a cut off for inclusion of financial results within the Ulster Business Top 100. Financial Information has been gathered using D&B’s Investigate Market Research & Analytics Tool.

1. Short Bros PLC accounts have been filed in $US, for comparative purposes these accounts were converted to sterling at the exchange rate prevalent on 31/12/13.

Table 3

AUGUST 2014

errymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle

p NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Green

nd Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Cre

umer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Hol

Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Ca

Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives D

l Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Pow

y Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) N

Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewable

l Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electr

Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Pro

rs Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Dev

ontupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Nor

nd Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Ag

w Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Nor

nd Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave

ers NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland Univers

r Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaugh

y Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Mus

bution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Ra

ngs A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemou

ries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Ele

pillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters A

p John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ir

ricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone G

d Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaN

utions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv

an Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodSe

THE TOP 100 NORTHERN IRELAND COMPANIES 2014

rum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (

en UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UKMoy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Bro

Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Ga

Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Tran

ng Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ir

keeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Irelan

s (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticu

railers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Mar

s Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt G

n Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Ch

SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity E

y (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian E

y Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Rea

s Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading

n Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland D

& W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group

atives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Hend

ngs) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fue

hstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI

Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ire

ishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Cola Hbc Northern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction G

ngs Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Holdings Aes (NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recrui

national Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumford Willstan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay

x Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. Mccabe F.P. Mccann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Reso

ces Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garages (NI) Whitemountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air De

ne Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK Moy Park Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Ope

ty W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s Unive

lfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI

Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle Food Group NoRthern Ireland Electricity Sangers (Northern Ireland) Scottishpower Renewables (UK) Maxol Oil Northern Ireland Transport Holding Co Coca-Col

hern Ireland University Of Ulster Norbrook Laboratories Viridian Energy Supply Greenfields Ireland Cornerstone Group Limited Lagan Construction Group Holdings Schrader Electronics Topaz Energy Lamex Foods Ireland Coolkeeragh Esb Trench Hol

NI) Limited Mclaughlin & Harvey Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Chain Reaction Cycles Creation Consumer Finance Capita MaNaged It Solutions Grafton Recruitment International Dairy Produce Packers Diageo Northern Ireland Tmc Dairies (NI) Soni Aes Ballylumf

tan Musgrave Distribution Clearway Disposals R & H Hall Trading Brett Martin Holdings H & J Martin Holdings Utv Media Morgan Fuel & Lubes Lindsay Cars Humax Electronics Devenish (NI) Montupet (UK) Westland Horticulture Sdc Trailers James E. M

cann Randox Holdings A H Fuel Oils Cooneen By Design Lakeland Dairies (NI) D & W Carlisle Ards Holdings Lynas FoodService Gardrum Holdings Resource Services Group Allstate Northern Ireland Magir Philip Russell Marlbank Balcas Bavarian Garag

mountain Quarries Macnaughton Blair Mcaleer & Rushe Group First Derivatives Diageo Global Supply T.W. Scott & Sons (Fuels) Howden UK Thales Air Defence Haldane Shiells Isaac Agnew Agnew Commercials Lagan Asphalt Group Calvin Klein Stores UK

Glen Electric Caterpillar Gortmullan Holdings John Henderson (Holdings) Power NI Energy Lissan Coal Company Short Brothers Fane Valley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Grou

masters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Garages Terex Gb Queen’s University Of Belfast Musgrave Retail Partners NI Dcc Energy Sse Airtricity Energy Supply (NI) Foyle

alley Co-Operative Society W.& R. Barnett Northern Ireland Water United Dairy Farmers Charles Hurst SHS Group P&O Ferrymasters Almac Group John Graham Holdings NIcholls’(Fuel Oils) Northstone (NI) North West Bookmakers Donnelly Bros. Ga

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TOP 100 COMPANIES 1-20

Rank

Company

2014

2013

Activity

Moy Park

Year Ending

Turnover £000s

Profit/Loss

Net Worth

Latest Year Sales

Previous Sales

£000s

31/12/2012

1,089,570

1,072,301

24,410

160,149

31/03/2013

812,670

843,154

60,331

262,424

31/12/2012

795,848

771,422

15,249

138,865

31/12/2012

687,880

667,029

22,633

302,208

31/12/2013

642,761

620,389

18,358

94,028

31/03/2013

607,200

710,800

15,700

46,600

30/09/2013

576,646

542,474

14,048

57,769

31/12/2013

546,095

467,132

16,751

-365,030

30/09/2013

533,935

455,294

8,719

65,750

31/07/2013

499,728

417,727

22,280

167,326

31/03/2013

425,599

413,355

135,438

953,481

31/03/2013

418,424

437,276

4,609

38,373

31/12/2013

395,960

346,950

6,034

50,638

28/12/2012

391,229

430,231

18,364

41,724

31/12/2012

387,433

434,435

-416

2,193

30/09/2013

325,336

299,753

19,179

163,912

31/03/2013

319,459

264,196

6,772

33,519

31/05/2013

315,499

322,429

6,806

43,994

31/12/2012

298,755

285,569

7,960

81,313

31/12/2012

296,562

294,459

6,404

-82,125

Poultry & Meat Processors

Glen Electric Electrical Appliance Manufacturers

Caterpillar Generator Manufacturers

Gortmullan (Holdings) Concrete Products, Formerly Quinn Group

John Henderson (Holdings) Food Wholesaler & Retailer

Power NI Energy Electricity Supplier

Lissan Coal Company Fuel Wholesalers

Short Brothers Aerospace Manufacturers

Fane Valley Co-Operative Society Dairy Producers

W.& R. Barnett Grain Importers

Northern Ireland Water Water Distributors

United Dairy Farmers Milk Processors

Charles Hurst Motor Retailers

SHS Group Wholesaler

P&O Ferrymasters Freight Transporters

Almac Group Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

John Graham Holdings Builders

Nicholls' (Fuel Oils) Fuel Distributors

Northstone NI Builders

North West Bookmakers Gambling & Betting Services

Figures researched and compiled by D&B T: 0845 601 2677 44

TOP 100 COMPANIES 21-40

Rank

Company

2014

2013

Activity

Donnelly Bros. Garages

Year Ending

Turnover £000s

Profit/Loss

Net Worth

Latest Year Sales

Previous Sales

£000s

31/10/2013

290,021

189,005

118

14,710

31/12/2012

286,973

308,366

36,947

127,482

31/07/2013

286,090

282,686

11,425

461,431

31/12/2012

285,583

293,467

-5

19,360

31/03/2013

276,590

267,102

1,723

9,186

31/03/2013

268,446

204,130

6,020

13,402

31/12/2012

259,929

240,800

4,711

15,989

31/12/2013

258,000

201,900

70,000

242,200

30/09/2013

225,612

223,284

6,927

13,334

31/12/2012

208,900

200,400

89,100

72,200

31/12/2012

201,205

195,001

1,401

14,517

31/03/2013

199,778

188,346

12,822

20,735

31/12/2012

193,122

205,422

2,703

42,650

31/07/2013

191,723

199,379

11,246

262,646

02/08/2013

188,456

180,658

14,401

84,467

31/03/2013

186,442

166,618

11,129

35,087

31/12/2013

184,629

178,529

461

4,170

30/09/2013

178,907

156,946

3,479

23,762

31/03/2013

174,288

127,780

2,799

33,378

31/12/2012

172,629

169,808

16,617

35,618

Motor Retailers

Terex GB Construction Materials Manufacturers

Queen’s University of Belfast University

Musgrave Retail Partners NI Food Wholesaler

DCC Energy Petroleum Wholesaler

SSE Airtricity Energy Supply NI Electricity Generation

Foyle Food Group Meat Processor

Northern Ireland Electricity Electricity Generation

Sangers Northern Ireland Pharmaceutical Distribution

Scottishpower Renewables UK Electricity Distribution

Maxol Oil Fuel Distribution

Northern Ireland Transport Hldg Co Transportation

Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland Beverage Manufacturers

University of Ulster University

Norbrook Laboratories Pharmaceutical Manufacturers

Viridian Energy Supply Electricity Generators

Greenfields Ireland Dairy Produce Wholesalers

Cornerstone Group Bus Manufacturer

Lagan Construction Group Holdings Builders

Schrader Electronics Tyre Pressure Gauge Manufacturer

Figures researched and compiled by D&B T: 0845 601 2677 AUGUST 2014

TOP 100 COMPANIES 41-60

Rank

Company

2014

2013

Activity

Topaz Energy

Year Ending

Turnover £000s

Profit/Loss

Net Worth

Latest Year Sales

Previous Sales

£000s

31/03/2013

171,869

131,743

-1,428

859

31/03/2013

171,226

146,590

2,078

1,161

31/12/2012

169,298

168,387

13,949

-7

31/12/2012

164,271

210,934

1,478

15,222

31/12/2012

160,695

124,854

36,091

81,980

31/12/2013

157,734

150,585

3,215

40,817

02/02/2013

157,558

166,368

15,947

306,899

31/12/2012

155,580

136,448

861

21,426

31/12/2013

151,264

147,792

33,825

139,976

30/04/2012

139,880

128,663

3,733

55,799

31/03/2013

137,040

137,396

-3,238

-4,872

31/12/2012

136,564

139,303

5,850

48,502

30/06/2013

134,127

147,536

15,054

41,664

31/12/2012

131,546

155,263

-5,437

-15,807

30/09/2013

131,403

105,259

16,224

14,041

31/12/2012

124,839

206,089

22,877

105,076

01/01/2013

122,638

125,041

2,656

36,064

31/12/2012

121,276

133,245

-1,862

3,096

31/12/2012

121,132

152,696

2,412

60,511

31/07/2013

117,590

108,133

1,444

9,625

Petrol Wholesalers

Lamex Foods Ireland Food Distributor

Coolkeeragh ESB Power Generator

Trench Holdings Construction & Quarrying

–

Aes NI Limited Electrcity Generation

McLaughlin & Harvey Builders

Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Retailer

Chain Reaction Cycles Cycle Retailers

–

Creation Consumer Finance Consumer Finance

Capita Managed IT Solutions IT Systems

Grafton Recruitment International Recruitment

Dairy Produce Packers Dairy Processor

Diageo Northern Ireland Drinks Manufacturer

TMC Dairies NI Dairy Processor

Soni Electricity Distributors

AES Ballylumford Electricity Generation

Willstan Betting & Gambling Services

Musgrave Distribution Grocery Wholesaler

Clearway Disposals Waste & Scrap Recylcing

R & H Hall Trading Grain Importers

Figures researched and compiled by D&B T: 0845 601 2677 46

TOP 100 COMPANIES 61-80

Rank

Company

2014

2013

Activity

Brett Martin Holdings

Year Ending

Turnover £000s

Profit/Loss

Net Worth

Latest Year Sales

Previous Sales

£000s

31/12/2012

116,109

124,069

2,025

35,188

31/12/2012

115,482

115,618

-1,431

8,915

31/12/2013

107,771

120,105

16,901

-76,611

30/09/2013

105,117

59,948

111

-316

31/12/2012

104,995

103,729

-537

8,427

31/12/2012

95,276

92,527

1,320

6,240

31/05/2013

95,093

95,496

3,009

4,335

31/12/2013

93,924

70,700

14,180

42,286

31/12/2012

93,839

68,084

5,564

10,362

31/03/2013

92,439

88,717

1,847

18,593

31/12/2012

91,194

89,907

2,548

40,827

31/01/2014

91,027

85,308

7,225

58,019

31/12/2013

90,929

72,213

12,923

24,054

31/12/2012

90,270

79,447

-165

1,820

30/11/2012

89,438

82,593

13,577

36,760

29/12/2012

87,631

76,276

288

-5,187

31/07/2013

83,447

94,878

452

3,494

31/12/2012

81,168

94,539

-4,355

8,137

31/10/2012

80,447

71,273

3,395

16,492

31/12/2012

79,226

57,867

5,706

35,057

Builders

H & J Martin Holdings Builders

UTV Media TV Production

–

Morgan Fuel & Lubes Fuel Distributors

Lindsay Cars Motor Retailers

Humax Electronics Electronic Manufacturers

Devenish NI Animal Nutrition Manufacturers

Montupet UK Aluminium Motor Part Manufacturers

Westland Horticulture Garden Centres

–

SDC Trailers Lorry Trailer Manufacturers

James E. McCabe Drinks Distributors

F.P. McCann Concrete Engineers

Randox Holdings Clinical Diagnostics Manufacturer

A H Fuel Oils Fuel Distributor

Cooneen By Design Uniform Manufacturer

Lakeland Dairies NI Diary Processor

D & W Carlisle Fuel & Supermarket Retailer

Ards Holdings Construction

Lynas Foodservice Frozen Food Distributor

–

Gardrum Holdings Auction Sales

Figures researched and compiled by D&B T: 0845 601 2677 AUGUST 2014

TOP 100 COMPANIES 81-100

Rank

Company

2014

2013

Activity

Resource Services Group

Year Ending

Turnover £000s

Profit/Loss

Net Worth

Latest Year Sales

Previous Sales

£000s

30/09/2012

78,473

145,735

-1,602

-12,433

31/12/2012

77,104

64,559

5,498

30,687

31/08/2013

76,742

80,769

-283

-60,778

31/12/2012

76,696

72,063

1,437

14,018

31/12/2012

75,503

92,468

1,169

3,912

31/12/2012

73,788

75,161

-4,680

4,247

31/12/2012

73,773

71,933

1,855

3,362

31/12/2013

73,108

63,137

5,658

35,896

31/12/2012

71,065

68,227

1,554

1,719

31/03/2013

70,145

111,078

-885

11,566

28/02/2014

69,902

56,469

7,947

16,124

30/06/2013

69,875

72,966

2,901

28,940

31/12/2013

69,304

68,015

220

2,051

31/12/2012

69,194

53,734

10,825

31/12/2012

68,612

79,096

-8,350

38,578

31/12/2012

68,139

71,281

1,144

20,803

31/12/2012

67,428

73,120

926

2,470

31/12/2012

67,309

70,188

2,280

4,397

31/12/2012

65,909

86,517

2,557

41,016

29/12/2012

63,043

62,618

3,240

15,643

Contract Cleaning Services

Allstate Northern Ireland Software Development

Magir Pharmacy Operations

Philip Russell Drinks Distribution

Marlbank Meat Processor

Balcas Timber Manufacturer

–

Bavarian Garages NI Motor Distributors

–

Whitemountain Quarries Quarrying

MacNaughton Blair Construction Machine Distribution

McAleer & Rushe Group Builders

–

First Derivatives IT Software For Financial Services

Diageo Global Supply Drinks Distribution

T.W. Scott & Sons Fuels Fuel Distribution

–

Howden UK Fan & Heater Manufacturers

Thales Air Defence Missile Defence System Manufacturer

Haldane Shiells Building Product Distributor

–

Isaac Agnew Motor Distributor

–

Agnew Commercials Commercial Motor Distributor

Lagan Asphalt Group Ashphalt Manufacturer

100

–

Calvin Klein Stores UK Manufacture & Distribution Of Underwear

Figures researched and compiled by D&B T: 0845 601 2677 48

The power behind the cheese Backing Wyke Farms’ plans for 100% energy self-sufficiency

Wyke Farms, Somerset Richard Clothier, MD, Wyke Farms Ltd Colin James, Relationship Director, Barclays As Britain’s largest independent farmhouse cheese maker, Wyke Farms wanted to become self-sufficient in energy production. Barclays supported them by providing £3.5m of finance to build a biogas plant to recycle waste and generate green electricity. As MD Richard Clothier says, “It’s people that make things happen. Barclays’ knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment are crucial to making our business sustainable and competitive.” To find out how we can help your business succeed, call Adrian Doran on 02890 882900* or visit Barclays.com/corporatebanking

Barclays is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and its subsidiaries. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register No. 122702). Registered in England. Registered number is 1026167 with registered office at 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. *Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. To maintain a quality service we may monitor or record phone calls.

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

The Top 100 in numbers

TOP 100 ANALYSIS

AUGUST 2014

TOP 100 COMPANIES

Knocking it out of the park Moy Park takes the top spot once again in the Top 100. David Elliott caught up with chief executive Janet McCollum to hear how she’s growing the poultry business at a pace.

Moy Park can hold aloft a triumphant chicken drumstick as it once again takes the number one position in the Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland companies list.

In saying that, there can’t have been many nerves in the Brazilian-owned company’s offices when it came to whether it would manage to retain the title for another year given it has laid out a number of ambitious expansion plans over the last few months, plans which will ensure it puts more ground between it and the next biggest companies on these shores. Only last month the poultry processor said it will take on another 628 people across three of its sites in Northern Ireland as part of a £170m investment, one which puts £10.5m annually into the economy via salaries. That parent company Marfrig chose to expand here is down to its experience over the last few years, according to Moy Park chief executive Janet McCollum in an interview with Ulster Business. “It’s the great people in Northern Ireland, the great passion and the energy which has been the bedrock of Marfrig’s experience here and made the decision to expand in Northern Ireland easy,” she said. “Poultry is very much a versatile product and demand for locally-sourced poultry is also helping to drive growth. The long term success of the business is down to a focus on continuous improvement and our commitment to deliver great products.” And those ambitions show no sign of burning out. “We have very much expanded the business in the last five years and going forward we want to continue growing in UK, Ireland and further afield, particularly in retail.” That’s not only good news for the employees of Moy Park who work in Northern Ireland, but also a boost for the agriculture sector here which breeds and grows the chickens for Moy

Park. And although chicken is the spine of the business, a burgeoning turkey business has also progressed well. Meanwhile, Northern Ireland viewers of the FIFA World Cup may have been surprised to see the Moy Park name appear on advertising hoardings during the tournament, as Marfrig capitalised on the global exposure of a competition taking place in its home country (as part of the advertising deal, there was also some Moy Park advertising the last World Cup in South Africa. That the Moy Park name was so prominent is testament to how important it is to the parent company, accounting for at least 30% of Marfrig’s total turnover. “It was great to sit and see the logo on the television at the matches,” Ms McCollum said. “It’s important to raise our brand awareness as we grow the company and it certainly paid off at the last World Cup. Advertising at such a widely watched event sets out Moy Park’s stall when it comes to growing its business and will surely cement its place in the number one position of the Top 100 list for some time to come.

Committed to our customers, consumers, and quality... At Moy Park we are proud of our heritage and are committed to continuing to deliver excellence in fresh, high quality locally farmed chicken and complementary convenience food products for the family to enjoy.

www.moypark.com

TOP 100 COMPANIES

Hot stuff Simon Rowe finds out what makes Glen Dimplex one of the most enduring and successful businesses in Northern Ireland.

Glen Dimplex is the world’s largest electrical heating business with an annual turnover of £750m and a global workforce of 8,000 – with 500 based in Northern Ireland.

The firm is the biggest manufacturer of heat pumps in Europe and is a major player in the domestic appliances, cooling, ventilation and renewable energy solutions sectors. Glen Electric, the Newry headquartered division of Glen Dimplex, is one of the province’s greatest success stories. In recognition of its trailblazing role, this month the firm’s bosses are to be given the red carpet treatment at Buckingham Palace when it receives a Queen’s Award for enterprise in international trade – one of the UK’s top business honours. Founded in 1973 by multi-millionaire Martin Naughton – now ranked number 736 in the Forbes Rich List – Glen Dimplex designs and manufactures electrical heating products under the Dimplex, Morphy Richards and Belling brands. It is one of the largest privatelyowned companies in Ireland and boasts 22 subsidiary companies in Europe, North America, New Zealand, China and Japan. Glen Dimplex has two manufacturing plants in Newry and a research and development unit at Seagoe Technologies in Portadown. Glen Electric has been spending big on research and development in the past year, especially in the area of renewable heating products. CEO of Glen Dimplex Heating, Jack Gault, said the company continues to innovate in the energy efficient and renewable products sector. Its expansion into solar thermal, heat recovery and ventilation, smart controls, and wood pellet heating systems is helping to drive profits and secure future market growth. Last spring, Glen Electric launched a new product which Mr Gault predicts will revolutionise the way we heat our homes. Named Quantum, it is the largest single investment by the group in one piece of technology, with £8.5m invested over two years.

Sean O’Driscoll, chairman and chief executive of Glen Dimplex.

Invest NI offered £157,000 to support the research and development of the product, which includes part-funding from the European Regional Development Fund and an additional £195,000 to support capital investment and the associated creation of the new jobs. Glen Electric claims that Quantum’s energy saving potential can deliver a 25% reduction in heating bills for individual homeowners. A further £4m has been invested by Glen Electric to research, develop and manufacture its ‘A Class’ air source heat pump. It is hoped that its introduction will create 55 new jobs between Glen Dimplex’s two manufacturing plants in Newry and Portadown, where a minimum of 2,000 units of the new pump will be made by the end of this year. “After three years in development and testing, the Dimplex ‘A Class’ range has been specifically engineered to deliver optimal performance at typical UK and Irish winter temperatures, and is designed to maximise year-round heating system efficiency,” said Mr Gault. With over 40 years’ experience, Glen Electric continues to turn up the heat on the competition and has already made a Quantum leap into the renewable energy sector.

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TOP 100 COMPANIES

Operations director Robert Kennedy at Caterpillarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Larne plant.

Caterpillar is a name familiar to many in Northern Ireland as the company which bought diesel generator manufacturer FG Wilson, a longstanding name in the economy here.

It still manufactures generators but has diversified its business to take on work for other parts of the Caterpillar empire. Axles are becoming a larger part of its business, those used in the large earth-movers and painted in the iconic yellow livery, and

in January this year the company announced a ÂŁ5m expansion of its manufacturing operation, one which maintained 100 jobs. It also created around 200 administrative jobs at its Springvale plant earlier this year, roles which will carry out functions for the wider Caterpillar Group. Both announcements helped to offset news in 2012 that over 700 engineering jobs were to be cut. The company operates four locations across Northern Ireland at Larne, Monkstown and two at Springvale in Belfast and also help service the internal Caterpillar business across the globe.

High 5

to the Henderson group

For over 100 years the Henderson Group has remained the leading symbol group provider for Northern Ireland. Henderson Group’s record turnover of £642.8m in 2013 is a testament to the strength of the company. For 15 consecutive years the Group has featured in the Top 10 of Ulster Business’s Top 100 Northern Ireland Business Ratings.

Rated No.5 in the TOP 100 Northern Ireland Companies by Ulster Business Magazine. Top five reasons to join us: 1. A partnership with a key focus of driving retail sales, improving margin and lowering your costs. 2. Over 3 million invested annually into an unbeatable marketing support package. 3. Focus on Fresh: over 1300 fresh lines to order from on daily basis, delivered within 24hours. 4. One of the largest own brand product ranges available in the convenience sector throughout Northern Ireland. 5. It is the largest convenience retailer supplying over 400 stores across five brands.

TO BE PART OF OUR SUCCESS STORY Contact a member of our Sales Team: Tel: 028 90 337866 Or email joinus@henderson-group.com Connect with us:

www.henderson-group.com

PROFILE

The diaspora files The column which gets the lowdown from Northern Ireland’s ex pats.

talking to a head teacher about ingredients for a nutrition programme. I was then giving a talk at a local factory over lunch and interviewing community development officers at our head office in the afternoon, followed by a clinical quality meeting at one of our micro clinics later. In between all that I’ll usually have a lunch of chapatti, kale, fried chicken and salad for about £1.20! What do you think the perception of Northern Ireland is around the world, if it is even on the radar? In Nairobi most people know where Ireland is, and some might know about Northern Ireland. Unfortunately most people have heard about it because of the troubles... and Guinness.

Andy McBride, right, meets a Masai tribesman in Kenya.

fter graduating from University of St Andrews, Andy McBride started his career as an organisational consultant with Accenture before moving on to work for Deloitte in Edinburgh whilst playing international hockey. In recent years he worked locally for Toward Consulting. Since then he has run his own consultancy, Amzuri, which specialises in coaching and leadership development, business analysis and social innovation projects in the UK and abroad where he is working in primary health care programmes in informal settlements in Nairobi. Where’s home for you? I’m currently in Nairobi until the end of January 2015.

Where in the world are you currently working? Mostly in UK with relatively short stints abroad. I’m currently working with a health organisation called Access Afya in Mukuru slum, Nairobi. We are a social business organisation (run for profit) which runs a chain of networked micro clinics providing affordable, quality health care for residents of informal settlements in Nairobi. What would a typical day or week entail for you? Ha ha! Everyday is different here. I get a motorbike taxi through the crazy Nairobi traffic every day at 07:30. Yesterday, the day started with a meeting with a clinical officer and a community health worker who are carrying out health screenings at a local school, then I was in the slum

Which sectors do you think offer Northern Ireland companies the most global potential at present? It seems that in Nairobi the construction industry is booming and Chinese companies are pushing a lot of that here. IT skills and IT support for companies of all sizes and general leadership training are also in high demand. The other massive issue here is security. What can Northern Ireland businesses learn from Kenya? One of the interesting differences over here is that people see innovation and entrepreneurship without any form of government support as a core part of life and business. There’s a really strong dynamic culture of social entrepreneurship which I would encourage anyone to come over and experience. Of course, this is often due to circumstance and the fact government or state support is rarely forthcoming but it’s something the Northern Ireland economy could take heed of.

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TOP 100 COMPANIES

A sparkling performance SHS chief executive Michael Howard tells David Elliott how the business has transformed itself to keep pace with a changing market place.

Take a look at the Top 100 companies list over the last few years and there’s one company which has steadily climbed up the rankings year after year.

48% of the turnover taken up with agency business – selling the likes of Jordans, Ryvita, Nivea, Finish and Mars Drinks – and the other 52% on its own brand products.

SHS Group is a familiar name to those in the retail and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector but might be better known to the rest of us through some of its more famous brands.

“In 1994 we were appointed agents for Caledonian Clear, a flavoured water which was competing with Clearly Canadian at the time,” Michael Howard said. “It was so successful we ended up buying 75% of the company which owned Caledonian Clear called Beverage Brands.”

When you take a sip of Christmas staple Shloer, Elderflower revivalist Bottle Green cordial or even the more racier WKD then you’re dipping into the SHS Group portfolio, one which is made up of wholly-owned brands such as those mentioned above along with a plethora of other grocery names for which the company acts as an agent. It was not always thus, however, as Michael Howard, the outgoing managing director of the group explains. He arrived as finance director in 1995 after spells with Price Waterhouse – as it was then known – R&H Hall and linen exporters Moygashel. At that time SHS was predominately an agent for other company’s products and doing pretty well with a turnover of £50m. Since then, the business’s focus has not so much changed as switched, with only

Turnover has risen sharply to £400m in that time, and profits too, proving the decision to alter course was worthwhile, but how did it come about?

The founder of that company, Joe Woods, went on to invent Woody’s, a so-called ready-to-drink alcoholic beverage, before coming up with WKD Iron Brew in 1996 and then WKD Blue in 2001, all highly successful for the joint owners. “The early stage of my time at SHS was a journey in building the drinks business from 1995 to 2002,” Mr Howard said. “By 2002 we had a hugely successful brand in WKD but, because Caledonian Clear had gone and Woody’s had also gone (apart from the export market) we were a one trick pony.” “That’s when the shareholders made a decision to diversify and it was from

TOP 100 COMPANIES

then we changed our strategy to be a broadly-based FMCG business with both our own and agency brands.” The company wasted little time, acquiring the iconic Shloer business, Merrydown Cider, Maguire & Paterson, British Pepper & Spice and Gordons Fine Foods. The Merrydown acquisition is probably one of the most significant as it involved taking a public limited company into private hands, thought to be one of the first times a Northern Ireland company had attempted such a delisting. And the acquisition of the herbs and spice business – British Pepper and Spice based in Northampton – was also a big achievement, particularly given its now turning over £50m a year.

we’ve been successful here and the quality of the staff is second to none. There’s no desire to change it.”

That part of the company isn’t the only one with exposure to GB. Around £320m of SHS’s annual turnover comes from outside Northern Ireland.

As he looks back on nearly 20 years at SHS, Mr Howard said he’s “thoroughly enjoyed” his time at the company, but feels it’s time to step aside.

“Essentially we’re running a GB business with a significant Irish arm,” Mr Howard said. “We have developed a model in GB where with some big brand owners look after the top eight or 10 accounts and we look after the rest of the trade and it’s proved very successful.”

“Part of the reason I’m retiring is because the business is in the perfect position for someone to take it to the next level. It’s not about revolution, but about evolution and continuing to do what we have done well, like increasing the export business and finding one or two acquisitions to bolt on.”

And he said running an-own brand business alongside the agency business provides plenty of opportunity. “There’s a wealth of synergies in having a foot in both camps. For example, we sell Merrydown as our own brand but we also represent Distell Group with Savanna Dry so we’re bringing two ciders to the market as a portfolio and sharing both the consumer insight, the marketing and the costs. “It’s a pretty powerful combination.” Such success in GB throws up the obvious question as to why the company remains based in Northern Ireland, one which Mr Howard finds easy to answer. “The company was founded here, it’s still owned by the two founding families,

AUGUST 2014

Michael Howard

And as he approaches retirement, there’s little chance of Mr Howard being at a loose end. “Anyone who knows me, will realise that between rugby, cricket and golf that I’ll definitely not be too bored.”

SHS’s own brand products include: • WKD • Merrydown • Shloer • Bottlegreen • Crucial Sauces • Maguire & Paterson • Bo Beep

RECRUITMENT

The laws of attraction John Moore, Managing Director of Hays in Northern Ireland, says our skills base is crucial to our ability to attract inward investment.

he UK economy continues to improve and this is set to open up opportunities for business in Northern Ireland. Invest NI has been rightly heralded for promoting almost 11,000 jobs in Northern Ireland and we continue to see further investment from UK and US companies.

remain in strong demand despite the recession in other sectors but we’ve also seen a significant lift in the legal, finance, procurement, construction and engineering sectors. Many professionals relocated from this part of the world during the tougher times and, now that the market is improving, there aren’t enough coming back.

Servicing large international companies is something we’re good at, but I’m also really excited by our start-up scene. Driven, for the most part, by our tech and digital innovators in organisations like the Friday Night Mashup, there has been considerable growth in start-up activity over recent months.

Put simply, it’s going to be challenging to source the right candidate who ticks all the boxes. Therefore it is critical that hiring managers are aware of this new reality and adapt accordingly. Employers need to consider mentoring and training ambitious, if somewhat less experienced, new hires who have some of the skillsets and then develop the rest.

Plans have also recently been unveiled to create 20,000 jobs by 2018 in the IT sector alone. The construction and retail sectors are also anticipating brighter times ahead. According to the latest ‘Big Picture’ report from Danske Bank, the second half of this year is expected to bring robust growth to all major regions around the world. Analysts suggest that investment into Northern Ireland should accelerate in line with these developments. However, all this opportunity creates its own issue – where’s the talent to fill these jobs?

One of the key reasons for Northern Ireland’s continued success in attracting investors is that we have a highly skilled, young and educated population that have shown themselves to be capable of readily meeting the needs of large international companies. This has been further emphasised with forward-thinking training initiatives developed by the Department of Employment and Learning. These courses create the skills necessary to enable the expansion of these companies.

We are returning to a scenario where professionals in many sectors are increasingly scarce. It is well known that IT developers

Other growth opportunities could be closer than we think. Many people in Northern Ireland are paying close attention

to the outcome of the referendum on Scottish Independence. However, with many of the most important business issues such as corporation tax, trading links, currency and jurisdictions still awaiting clarification in the event of a ‘yes’ vote, many investors are opting to look for a similar cost base elsewhere. Encouraging them to cast their eyes across the Irish Sea would do us no harm. Northern Ireland is a great place to live and work. Most people face no more than a 45-minute journey to work, the infrastructure is fit for purpose and house prices and rental costs are amongst the most affordable in the UK. Add in the landscape and beautiful coastlines within an hour’s drive and we can compete with any country as a destination of choice for experienced professionals. We need to send out stronger messages that we welcome the talented international community to our friendly shores. All of the investments highlighted above are providing the local economy with the biggest opportunities in a century. Invest NI has done a superb job in attracting investment to Northern Ireland. But we need a similar focus now on attracting the talent to fill these new jobs.

For further information visit www.hays.co.uk/northernireland

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Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t neglect the network 64

INTERVIEW

ith increasing globalisation and the rise of e-commerce, it has never been more important for Northern Ireland companies to get connected to high availability network services. And with major companies like busbuilder Wrightbus, IT firm Concentrix, hotel chain Hastings and online bike store Chain Reaction Cycles all choosing telecoms company eircom to help drive their business digitally, it’s easy to see why the Cromac Squareheadquartered firm is expanding fast. According to eircom’s sales director in Northern Ireland Matt McCloskey, the firm is “enabling teams to communicate better with each other and, more importantly, with their customers at very high speeds”. Since entering the market here in 2007, eircom has worked with the Northern Ireland Civil Service in creating a single network across 300 sites which connects 21,000 staff on a single network for data and Unified Communications. In conjunction with Capita, it has also placed the region’s 1,100 schools onto one Wide Area Network, or WAN. “These converged networks not only provide cost savings but more importantly allow organisations to share core services, access the latest technology easier and ultimately provide a better service,” said Matt. In the private sector, eircom is working with some of Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies. It is installing enterprise grade Wi-Fi for Wrightbus and supporting a mission critical contact centre with Concentrix, which recently announced over 1,000 new jobs for Belfast. Other iconic local businesses include Hastings Group which tasked eircom with delivering a Wide Area Network to connect all five of its hotels to Hastings headquarters. eircom also provides Wide Area Network and business

AUGUST 2014

critical internet for Ballyclare-based Chain Reaction Cycles, which turned over £155m last year mainly through online sales. “We want to be able to help organisations and local enterprise build long-term sustainable advantage – and when someone like Chain Reaction trusts you with their digital services it’s a fantastic endorsement of your capability,” according to eircom’s sales director in Northern Ireland Matt McCloskey. Working in Northern Ireland after almost two decades in London, Matt now sees major progress within the region. “Northern Ireland always had a strong public sector which is fully embracing convergence and collaboration technologies. In the private sector the move towards service and ICT-based industries is positive and I’m particularly impressed by the focus of Invest NI in creating technology parks and the fact that there is now a growing number of tech startups here,” he said. “All this suggests that the Northern Ireland market is at the forefront of technology. There is a real buzz in the tech sector here and being part of that is very exciting.”

Having invested in over 450km of fibre and now laying claim to the highest number of Cisco accredited engineers in the market, eircom has aggressive long-term plans for Northern Ireland. “We’re in this for the long haul, we are led locally and we are making massive investment and commitment in the local market for the long term,” he said. But for Matt, it’s not just about securing big ticket customers. “What really sets us apart is the quality of our local experts, our relentless pursuit of excellence as well as the partnership approach we take with our customers. I’m driven by working with customers and building relationships,” he said. “We’re not here to sell services, we’re here to act as a partner. And because we understand the customer, their goals and their long-term plans, we work with them to create value and use technology to meet their business objectives.” For further information about eircom UK log on to www.eircom.co.uk or call 0800 039 2000.

Profile: Matt McCloskey • Matt McCloskey, recently appointed as sales director for eircom in Northern Ireland, is originally from Ballymena and graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a degree in Philosophy in 1994. • He moved to London and worked for 19 years in the UK telecoms industry, where he held a number of senior commercial roles. Matt came home to Northern Ireland in 2007 and had been commuting to London before deciding to look for a full-time role in a growing local ICT firm. • Matt is now helping to build on eircom’s success and drive additional growth through sales and proposition. • He now lives in Belfast with his wife and two young children.

EMPLOYMENT

Unemployment falls but still work to do Latest figures are encouraging but Northern Ireland still lags behind the rest of the UK

he number of people out of work here has fallen but Northern Ireland’s labour market still has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the UK, according to new statistics. The headline unemployment rate, worked out by the Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency through a survey of the population, was pegged at 6.7% for the three months to the end of May, down 1% on the previous quarter. And while the claimant count – the number of people claiming benefit – also fell, the overall figure doesn’t compare well to the rest of the UK. It dropped by 900 to 54,300 in June, but Northern Ireland’s claimant count rate of 6.1% was the highest of all UK regions and well above the UK average of 3.1%. The economic inactivity rate, the Achilles heel of the job market here for a number of years, showed little signs of abating. It measures the number of people of working age who aren’t looking for a job and rose by 6,000 in the quarter to the end of May. At 26.8%, it remains the highest rate of all 12 UK regions and well above the UK average of 21.7%. Still, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster said overall improvement in the labour market is encouraging.

Unemployment has fallen but economic inactivity is still high

“A further decrease in the Northern Ireland unemployment rate is welcome, as is the sustained decrease in the number of unemployment benefit claimants, which has reduced by 8,800 over the last 12 months,” she said. “These positive signals of growth in the labour market are a reflection of continued investment and job creation, much of which has been secured with support from Invest NI. This trend is continuing, with over 1,000 new jobs announced since the beginning of July alone.” Esmond Birney, chief economist at PwC, said more high paying jobs are

needed to sustain a balance recovery. “The underlying trend is for a recovery that sustains and even creates jobs but many of these deliver low pay and equally low productivity,” he said. “This needs to change over the next couple of years if the economic upturn is to be sustainable in the longer run. “We have seen some very welcome job announcements in recent weeks…but it will take time – perhaps several years – for these announcements to be converted into profitable jobs in offices and factories; in the meantime we are looking at a recovery that is slower and more challenging than many observers had estimated.”

Flags, firebombs & flashbacks

Top 50 Employers

Sponsored by

TOP 50 EMPLOYERS 1-25

Rank

Company

Activity

City / Town

Tesco plc

Food Retailing

Newtownabbey

9,762

Short Brothers plc

Aircraft Manufacturers

Belfast

4,993

ASDA Stores

Food Retailing

Dundonald

4,575

Moy Park

Poultry Processors

Craigavon

4,264

Teleperformance

Call Centres

Bangor

2,928

Marks & Spencer plc

Retailers

Lisburn

2,624

John Henderson (Holdings)

Food Distributors

Newtownabbey

2,462

Ulster Bank

Banking

Belfast

2,423

Sainsburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Supermarkets

Retail

Belfast

2,423

Allstate Northern Ireland

Software Developers

Belfast

2,326

Firstsource Solutions

Business Outsourcers

Belfast

2,323

British Telecom (NI)

Communications

Belfast

2,281

Boots UK

Retailers

Belfast

2,208

Resource Group

Industrial Cleaners

Lisburn

2,206

Industrial Temps

Recruitment Agency

Belfast

2,005

Grafton Recruitment

Recruitment Agency

Belfast

1,974

Diamond Recruitment Group

Recruitment Agency

Belfast

1,919

Premier Employment

Recruitment Agency

Belfast

1,862

Northern Bank

Banking

Belfast

1,790

Caterpillar (NI)

Generator Manufactuers

Larne

1,713

Next plc

Retailers

Enderby

1,681

Lloydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Banking Group

Banking

Belfast

1,617

Golf Holdings

Wine & Spirit Merchants

Belfast

1,582

Dunnes Stores (Bangor)

Retailers

Belfast

1,573

Stream Intelligent Contact

Call Centres

Belfast / Londonderry

1,536

2014

Number of Employees

Only employees working more than 16 hours per week are counted on this list.

TOP 50 EMPLOYERS 26-50

Rank

Company

Activity

City / Town

Norbrook Laboratories

Veterinary Pharmaceuticals

Newry

1,414

Seagate Technology (Ireland)

Electronic Equipment

Londonderry

1,354

Argos

Retailers

Belfast

1,327

First Trust Bank

Banking

Belfast

1,258

G4S Fire & Security Systems

Security Services

Belfast

1,253

Bank of Ireland

Banking

Belfast

1,179

Santander (UK)

Financial Services

Belfast

1,136

Wrightbus

Vehicle Builders

Ballymena

1,131

Citigroup

Financial Services

Belfast

1,107

First Choice Selection Services

Recruitment Services

Belfast

1,075

Iceland Foods

Retailers

Belfast

1,042

Dunbia (Dungannon)

Meat Wholesalers

Dungannon

1,014

Graham Holdings

977

Schrader Electronics

Automotive Electronics

Antrim

963

Primark Stores

Retailers

Belfast

954

Michelin Tyres plc

Tyre Manufacturers

Belfast

948

Robinson Services

Industrial Cleaners

Belfast

926

NIE Powerteam

Consultancy Services

Belfast

920

Gallaher

Tobacco Manufacturers

Ballymena

917

Manpower (UK)

Recruitment Agency

Belfast

910

Aventas Group

Building Products

Fermanagh

893

Concentrix

Call Centres

Belfast

892

Mount Charles Catering

Caterers

Belfast

878

The Co-operative Group

Retail & Wholesale Distributors

Belfast

864

Homecare Independent Living

Care Homes

Belfast

853

2014

Number of Employees

Only employees working more than 16 hours per week are counted on this list.

AUGUST 2014

RECRUITMENT

Professionals hire professionals

Michelle Kearns, Head of Permanent Recruitment NI mkearns@graftonrecruitment.com

Sinead Wallace Sales Director, Grafton Recruitment swallace@graftonrecruitment.com

ver the last 31 years, Grafton Recruitment has had a significant impact on the shape of the recruitment industry in Ireland. Grafton is very unusual among our peers, as we are an indigenous Irish-owned recruitment specialist who, due to substantial, sustained success, have consistently expanded across Ireland and Europe. We now have over 60 offices in 16 countries employing more than 600 people, with over one million candidates registered on our international database. With 12 offices across Ireland; including Belfast, Dublin, Portadown, Newry, Ballymena, Cork, Londonderry and Enniskillen; we can see the business landscape has changed considerably over the last five years. Although budget constraints are still a strong reality, implementation of strategic growth strategies are once again central topics within senior management teams. Due to this, making key senior strategic appointments within our clients’ businesses is now very much a consistent client focus. From a candidate perspective new senior appointments are expected to demonstrate broader business acumen than ever before and required to contribute at a strategic level. At Grafton, within our Specialist Permanent Appointments business there has been a 31% jump in senior management positions over the last 12 months. We have also seen a 45% increase year on year in candidate

registrations. More interesting is the profile of these candidates, with around 70% currently in senior or middle level roles. We define senior as a role which has an initial salary scale of £40,000 and above per annum, with management accountability (often with implementation of strategic change). This has typically been within finance, sales & marketing and HR, but we have also seen this in other sectors such as banking and legal. For us, this points to a real growing consistency and momentum behind growth within the local Northern Ireland economy, which will continue to gather pace as we move towards 2015. Grafton is continuously developing and growing our specialist team to reflect our clients’ requirements; we offer our clients a recruitment centre of excellence delivering a wide range of services including: permanent, temporary, contract, interim management,

talent mapping, assessment centres and recruitment process outsourcing. We have the people, expertise and capabilities to deliver service and operational excellence for our clients recruitment needs across the following verticals: ICT, finance, practice (legal & accountancy), financial services, HR, technical & engineering, sales & marketing and life sciences. Our company ethos within our Specialist Permanent Appointments division is that ‘Professionals hire Professionals’. At a senior level you want to work with professional recruiters who you trust to successfully secure the appropriate resource necessary but also importantly, represent both the role and your organisation in a professional manner within the local marketplace. At Grafton this is why we have developed our Specialist Permanent Appointment business, where our recruiters solely work within specific niche sectors. This guarantees that they fully understand their marketplace. We have a long history of providing innovative recruitment solutions for our clients. We grow as they grow and we are very proud of the strong, long-term partnerships we have developed with some of Northern Ireland’s and the globe’s leading organisations across the Island of Ireland and beyond. So when you’re looking for your next professional, hire a professional to find them.

EMPLOYMENT

What makes a good employer? Having looked at the list of Northern Ireland’s employers, do you see any you want to work for? If so, how do you know they’re good employers? Andrew Hunter, co-founder of job search engine Adzuna, lists the qualities you should look for.

1) Honest and straightforward

3) Good working environment

It is usually a good sign if a company that is up front and honest in the recruiting process about what the job involves and how the company works. Job ads that clearly explain the role, how it fits in with the company and what’s needed to be successful are a good start. An interview process that gives you time to ask questions and find out what working there is really like. And people that answer questions honestly – give you the bad as well as the good.

A good working environment is key to people being happy and productive at work. In an office environment, this might mean having decent computer equipment, comfortable chairs or separating noisy sales people from finance and technology workers. In a factory environment, it might mean having the right equipment or playing music. Some modern media companies take this to extremes, from space hoppers to pool tables and fussball in the office, Google’s New York office is a good example, although not every employer can be expected to go quite this far!

Big screaming alarm bells should go off in your head if the employer is evasive about the company’s prospects, previous employees or exactly what they want you to do when you join them.

2) Good pay and benefits It’s obvious that you should only consider joining an employer if they pay well for the job. Check other job advertisements for similar positions and see if others are paying more, less or the same for the same kind of work. If it’s a lot more or less you should make sure you understand why – they could be trying it on, or alternatively there could be something that is ‘too good to be true’ about this job. You should also look at the lowest paid people in the organisation – are they paid the minimum the company can get away with or a more reasonable living wage?

“A good working environment is key to people being happy and productive at work.” 4) Properly meets legal obligations A good employer goes beyond the absolute minimum, and takes the spirit as well as the letter of their obligations, but a bad employer may not even do the legal minimum. There is a lot of government

legislation and regulations affecting jobs, much of it designed to protect workers, and you can see a useful summary around terms and conditions, health and safety and family rights on the direct.gov website.

5) Shares in the upside If things go badly in a company or employer, it is often the staff as well as management who suffer, through low morale or even redundancy, so it is important for the good employer to share in success as well. In a small rapidly-growing business or one backed by private equity firms this is typically done by issuing shares or stock options to employees so that they literally become owners in the company. This benefits workers as they share in profits and success, but also benefits the company because staff are motivated to act like owners.

In conclusion When you’re looking for a job, keep your eyes and ears open for these signs of what makes a good employer, and ask the right questions to determine whether this is a company or organisation you really want to be a part of. If you are an employer yourself, think about what else you can be doing to make your workplace an attractive one; being seen as a good employer will get the best candidates applying, and keep your current team motivated and loyal.

When you or your business is faced with an issue, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just need a firm with the legal excellence to navigate it, you need a firm with the commercial sense to find exactly the right solution for you. For more information: +44 (0)28 9024 3141 or visit www.cfrlaw.co.uk

SPECIAL

A word from

John McCann UTV Media plc

The Wise J

ohn McCann took over the leadership of UTV in 1999 and has been responsible for the development of the company since then. He was born in Belfast and is married with four children. How did you start out in business? I wanted to pursue a career in management and thought that acquiring some financial expertise would be a good start. After a degree in economics, I qualified as a chartered accountant. This led me to the Financial Controller role at UTV and my first management job. What did you find the most challenging during your years in business? There have been lots of different challenges over the years, all of which seemed tough at the time. But the recession which engulfed all of us starting in 2008 has been the most difficult because of its severity and length. How would you describe your management style? I try to create a culture where people are professional and focused on achieving their objectives, but also one where they can have a bit of banter and fun with their colleagues. Senior management meetings are robust and challenging, but always laced with a little bit of humour, which can often defuse difficult situations.

What would you change if you could go back and do it all again? To be honest I don’t spend much time reflecting upon how I might have done things differently in the past. I tend to learn from the experience at the time, resolve to do things better in the future and move on. Have you done it all on your own? Definitely not. I’ve had a lot of help and advice from all sorts of people over the years, especially the support from my wife and family. As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve learned that the key to success is to gather a team of really good people around you. A successful Chief Executive should always aim to recruit people who are smarter than them, which is what I’ve been lucky enough to do. How would you like your business career to be remembered? I’m not sure that I particularly want my business career to be remembered. I think I would prefer to be remembered for other things, like being a good friend, father... the personal things. What piece of advice would you give the 20-year-old you? Pursue your career but always remember to enjoy yourself.

TOP 100 COMPANIES

How to make a splash in the Top 100 If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking down the list of Top 100 companies and wondering how your business will break into the list then it would be worth taking heed of someone who knows. We asked David Dobbin, chief executive of United Dairy Farmers, to give us a few pointers on what it takes to build a worldclass business in Northern Ireland. Focus is key, he says, as well as a CRAP campaignâ&#x20AC;Ś

David Dobbin

key success factor in any business is clarity of purpose and having a clear vision which everyone in the organisation can understand and buy into. The CEO and board must make sure they are looking towards the horizon and not their feet, as the first task in leadership is to identify the destination and chart the journey. When I first joined United I spent my first three months going into every corner of the business, talking to employees, customers, suppliers and even competitors to understand what was right and what was wrong in the business and where the opportunities were in the market. It was clear most of our business activities were in low margin commodity products with most sales coming from products more than five years old. We needed to transform the business and not just deliver incremental improvement. The challenge was to improve our competitiveness, rejuvenate our product offering and pursue more value added growth markets. The next three months I worked with the management team to develop a vision and a strategy to deliver it. Having a clear vision, a winning strategy to achieve it and the resources in place to make it happen are the

key foundations of success. We then spent the next three months briefing every person in the group on our vision, why we had to change and what changes were required. Everyone had to be part of the solution. However, in reality in the dairy sector, as elsewhere, most of our competitors are pursuing similar strategies. So the determining factor, in my view, is implementation. Generally, it is those businesses who can make it happen, who can harness the potential of their people and who can adapt to the rapidly changing market environment who ultimately succeed. Everyone has the ability to make a difference, however leaders can make a bigger difference because they can lever outcomes from many more people. In our business as in many others, success is about the “moments of truth” which happen throughout every day and ensuring that these go your way whether in production, sales, or distribution. You must build capability and capacity through all your people and right along the supply chain. If the end customer or consumer doesn’t value what you are doing, then you are adding cost.

AUGUST 2014

Cashflow is the life blood of an enterprise and the fundamental challenge is to be economically sustainable by creating the profit and cashflow necessary to maintain and grow the business. Businesses need to be on top of their costs and their margins and with today’s technology there is no excuse for not being able to track your performance. A key action for us was to put in an integrated IT system which could give us real time information on sales, margins, stocks and costs and which could speed up our transaction times and eliminate paperwork. We introduced a CRAP campaign – a campaign to reduce

you identify what is and what isn’t making money and take action to correct poor performance, the better for your business. We have spent a significant amount of time culling out yesterday’s products and ensuring that our products offer consumers value and give us a margin. Today over 30% of Dale Farm’s sales come from products less than two years old and we review our margins and profits each week.

all paperwork. Even our board get all of their board information electronically via an ipad, reducing by three quarters the time and cost of issuing board papers and making board meetings more dynamic by being able to provide additional information during a meeting.

quality, to drive down wasted time and materials and to be more efficient. In Dale Farm we constantly benchmark ourselves against the best until our products, our costs and our service levels are the best in our market segment. As consumers we are all ruthless, with the internet and social media making it easier and faster to find the best bargain, to compare rival products and to broadcast our dissatisfaction for suppliers who get it wrong. Make sure you give your customers what you would expect to get if you were in their place.

Having got the information you must use it. If an activity or product doesn’t make money then you have a limited range of choices – get better, get bigger, get out or get into something new. The faster

Continuous improvement must be a way of life and not something you do occasionally. Every person in the business must be given the clear responsibility to improve their

PUBLIC SECTOR

Northern Ireland is becoming unaffordable Northern Ireland has a two-year window in which to carry out public service reform before funding for services reaches unsustainable levels according to Jackie Henry, public sector partner in Deloitte Belfast.

hile to date Northern Ireland public sector spend has been less impacted by the Chancellor’s austerity measures, the public service delivery model here, together with the impact of changing demographics and unacceptable levels of deprivation, are bringing us to the same unaffordable position. The scale of the issue together with the need to develop a good quality public service delivery model that is accessible to all our citizens demands a more sophisticated response than that adopted by other jurisdictions involving service cuts and top-slicing of budgets. Cuts feel like old news and represent an unsophisticated short-term response. They are seen as a bit of a blunt instrument and what is required is a more sophisticated and strategic approach to reform. Why should a general swipe at the top slice of all departmental budgets be the only way to save? Are all departments equal? Are all their priorities regional priorities and in the interests of Northern Ireland as a whole? What role does technology play in reform and where? In Northern Ireland we spend a lot of time talking about reform and not a lot of time implementing. The public have a high

expectation of what they expect from their public services and that expectation needs to be met, especially where technology can lead to quick and efficient engagement followed by improved services.

engagement and quicker access together with improved service quality. There has to be a better means of engaging with other sectors in the design of these delivery models and in the ultimate delivery of their services.

A delay in decision making by the Executive is ultimately only going to cost us money. Public sector budget reductions are required today, not at some time in the future. As a region we can’t keep putting things off until tomorrow. Today is the time to act.

All sectors have a lot to offer and Northern Ireland citizens want good quality, accessible services and don’t really care who delivers them. We also need a public service talent agenda that really develops its people and incentivises them to innovate, bring through ideas for better delivery and rewards them for doing so.

We need new public service delivery models that are underpinned by the use of technology, offer new channels for

The announcement of a Public Service Reform Division by the Finance Minister last August is very welcome indeed. Undoubtedly this division should and can help drive forward an innovation agenda that supports the proposition outlined above and sitting within DFP holds the financial and ‘talent agenda’ levers. It is now critically important that the reform division gets on with its work programme in order to build its own credibility and momentum for change. Time is not on Northern Ireland’s side.

Technology Fast 50 Awards Powerful connections Are you one of Ireland’s leading technology companies? Enter the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards and take your place among Ireland’s fastest growing technology companies. Log on to www.fast50.ie Closing date for entries is 19 September 2014 For further information please contact: Claire McAleenan: +44 (0)28 9053 1180

EXPORT

Spreading the export word We’ve all heard of trade missions to far off lands but how do they actually work? David Elliott spoke to Dr Vicky Kells from Invest NI to find out.

xport, it’s said, is the answer to all our economic woes. By tapping into overseas markets we can grow out businesses beyond our wildest dreams, certainly much more than we ever would were we to rely solely on little old Northern Ireland. But like many sweeping statements, the process of exporting is easier said than done and can be fraught with pitfalls for the unwary and unwise. That’s why Invest NI – the economic body charged with boosting Northern Ireland’s productivity – offers a helping hand to those companies wanting to dip a toe into the export market pool, as well as those who are up to their necks in the deep end already who want to test the water in a new pool.

Pictured (left) is Dr Vicky Kells, Invest NI with Declan Gormley, Brookvent. Brookvent has set up an office in Warsaw after taking part in a trade mission in 2009.

That comes mostly in the form of a trade mission, an event which carries a certain godly connotation and betrays the importance placed on getting our goods and services off to foreign lands when it comes to bettering the economy. The idea centres on the basic premise that to sell overseas you can’t effectively do it from your desk in Northern Ireland but need to get out there, look potential customers in the eye and tell them how your product holds the answer to all their business prayers. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well no, because the prospect of breaking into the business

First Minister Peter D Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on a trade mission to China announcing a contract for Texthelp. Pictured from l-r are: Xiqun Yu-Ceo (Bejing Hva Yu Hui Zhang Technology Development Ltd), deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, First Minister Peter Robinson, Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and Mark McCusker (Texthelp Antrim).

EXPORT

Participants can end up travelling to the destination together, although it’s not necessary, and once there, tend to head off on their own to visit customers on an individual basis. A reception for all the attendees and some local business representatives is usually held during the mission which will bring everyone together where contacts can be made and mission stories swapped. And once the trip is over, it doesn’t stop there. Dr Kells said participants need to build in time to follow-up on contacts made during the trip and make sure that potential customer relationships are built upon.

Enterprise Minister Arelene Foster on a trade mission to San Diego pictured with Mike Hoggatt, CEO of Leardon Solutions; Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster and Alastair Hamilton, CEO Invest Northern Ireland.

world of another country requires a little more preparation than just rocking up at the airport with a friendly smile and copy of the local Yellow Pages. It needs market, contact and logistical knowledge, as well as the finance to get out there and travel around. That’s where the trade mission comes in, offering a hand-holding exercise for potential exporters in foreign lands. But how does it work? Dr Vicky Kells, Invest NI’s Trade Director, knows the ins and outs. “The ultimate aim is to secure sales for Northern Ireland companies, but that doesn’t happen overnight,” she said in an interview with Ulster Business. “Our role is to de-risk the experience. “We’ll take care of the logistics, we’ll help set up meetings with the right contacts, and they’ll get the benefit of having Invest NI people on the ground during the mission. In addition, participants will also benefit from having other companies from Northern Ireland travelling with them who they can share experiences and learn from.” But before any mission departs, each company needs to have carried out

AUGUST 2014

research to determine whether a particular destination is worthwhile exploring and are encouraged to attend information sessions which give the real picture of the economy in a target destination. Invest NI can help with background research and itself carries out plenty of research into a destination before deciding to organise a mission. “We look at what’s happening in the region’s market, at what stage of development it’s at, then look for growth potential and try and match it to the expertise we have on offer in Northern Ireland,” Dr Kells said. “We ask if Northern Ireland has got a special relationship or a special expertise it can offer and, most importantly, are Northern Ireland companies interested in that market.” Once signed up to a mission, the work doesn’t stop there. Attendees need to have their individual schedule of customer meetings to follow once they arrive at their destination, which may have been set up by themselves or through Invest NI. They also need to hone their pitch to clarify their message to potential customers and need to find out what potential competitors are doing so they can walk in prepared.

The outcomes of a trade mission are fourfold, she said: a company has made a strategic decision to focus on the particularly region; they’ve decided it’s not for them and won’t focus on it (as valuable in terms of preventing time wasting; they’ve developed a relationship with a potential customer; and, occasionally, made a sale on a mission. The latter point is one which may come as a surprise but, as Dr Kells points out, breaking into new markets takes protracted hard work and such swift sales are difficult to achieve. But, as companies up and down the land can testify, breaking into new markets can not just help your business thrive, but can be the boost it needs to make it into the Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies list. Export, it seems, is the future.

Brass tacks Financially, Invest NI will provide up to 50 per cent of the cost of an economy airfare outside the UK and Ireland, excluding airport passenger duty, for one person, and up to £75 per night towards accommodation costs for one person. And they’ll stand by that support for up to three return trips to the region.

PRIVATE EQUITY

A new era for private equity? Hilary Griffith from Pinsent Masons asks whether Northern Ireland is ready to embrace the benefits of private equity.

ne of the most damaging consequences of the financial crash of 2008 was the impact on the availability of bank funding for Northern Ireland businesses. Even now as we emerge from the global turndown and enter what will hopefully be a period of sustainable economic growth, local businesses still show concern at the lack of debt finance, whether justified or not. Has this had the effect of kick-starting the use of venture capital and private equity to fund growth in local corporates? Before the crash many small family-owned businesses were keen, perhaps even determined, to stick to traditional debt funding given its relative ease of access and the ability to retain ownership and control. With that route to finance now less accessible and a growing acceptance that most family-owned firms will at some stage have to address succession issues, external equity finance is becoming more attractive. Recent venture capital investments in tech companies have demonstrated that government initiatives to provide seed and growth funding to Northern Ireland are beginning to work. Kernel Capital has made its second investment in Northern Ireland and Allen Martin Senior Investment Executive of Kernel sees this as a trend set to continue: “Since establishing the Bank of Ireland Kernel Capital Growth Fund NI we have seen strong private sector investment opportunities in innovative companies wishing to scale their

business internationally. Through the support of our long-term partner Bank of Ireland and of Invest NI, we are committed to capitalise on this opportunity driving economic returns for NI-based companies.” Technology isn’t the only sector to see growth in the use of venture capital. The energy sector continues to attract equity investment with a number of early-stage investments in high-quality renewable projects – such as Budget Energy, Simple Power, Pure Marine Gen and Craigahullier Energy – demonstrating Northern Ireland’s potential in energy and renewables. The same narrative does not apply when it comes to Northern Ireland and private equity. In general, venture capital funds invest in companies at an early stage in their development when they often have little or no track record and are cash-hungry. In contrast, private equity funds tend to invest in more mature companies to drive proven growth. It is the latter type of investment which has been largely missing from the Northern Ireland funding infrastructure. This low level of private equity activity is down to a number of reasons, but may also be down to the lack of investment by Northern Ireland based financial institutions in private equity funds. Elsewhere in the UK, local authority pension funds participate to a greater degree in regional private equity funds, encouraging and influencing investment back in the local economy.

There are, however, signs that private equity funds outside Northern Ireland have turned their attention here. HG Capital’s recent investment in Relay Software demonstrates that well-run Northern Irish businesses are a key target for private equity investment. Whilst deals such as Relay and the earlier investment by YFM Equity Partners in Seven Technologies may signify the beginning of private equity activity, there is still much to be done in educating companies on the advantages of this type of funding. It is understandable that owners will want to maximise value. With valuations in London remaining high and competition between funds for attractive targets, it can be difficult to find the right proposition. Many private equity funds see the UK regions, including Northern Ireland, as offering exciting opportunities for potential investment. With the growing recognition of the need to facilitate more M&A activity which is always a tangible barometer of economic confidence, an increasing number of local family-owned businesses needing succession planning and the continuing challenge in obtaining traditional debt, the time may finally be right for Northern Ireland’s private equity market to flourish. Hilary Griffith is a Legal Director in Pinsent Masons LLP advising on all aspects of corporate and commercial law, including significant M&A, management buy-outs, fund raisings and private equity investments in Northern Ireland and across the UK.

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PERFORMANCE IN ACTION

TECHNOLOGY

Secure access to the office By Kyle Johnston, Sales Manager, Leaf

Danny Moore helps bring 31 IT jobs to Belfast

eaf is keeping one eye on the explosion of smartphone and tablet devices in the UK, both IT-managed and BYOD (bring your own device). This is increasing the demand for secure access to company resources.

Around 72% of the UK’s population (approximately 34.6 million people) are smartphone users, with this figure set to rise to 44 million in 2017. 41% of the UK population use tablet devices in 2014 with an increase to almost 58% by 2018. Businesses should be concerned about legal liability and security related to the use of personal devices by employees to access corporate resources. Mobile malware is on the rise and all businesses require technology to protect from mobile security threats for BYOD and IT-managed devices. Mobile workers want fast simple access to mission critical applications, data and resources from personal mobile devices. Businesses need to prevent unauthorised access to corporate applications, data and resources from lost or stolen mobile devices. These devices can act as conduits for malware. Data loss can result if mobile traffic is intercepted on unencrypted networks so there is a need to efficiently enable secure mobile access to multiple resources. The Leaf solution allows IT to restrict VPN access to an authorised set of trusted mobile apps without requiring an SDK or modification of mobile apps. Leaf allows IT to manage and enforce personal device authorisation policy terms and register devices. It also provides granular access control through its Unified Policy™ interface, regardless of access method. SonicWALL Mobile Connect™ provides fast, easy VPN access to mission-critical data and resources for users of iOS, Mac OS X, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows 8.1 mobile devices. The solution’s context-aware “Detect-Protect-Connect” not only authenticates a user, but also fully verifies the user’s device integrity including capabilities to determine if an Android system has been rooted or an iOS device has been jailbroken, before granting access to internal resources, ensuring that your corporate resources remain secure. To learn more about implementing and improving secure remote access for your employees, contact sales@leafconsultancy.com

Danny Moore is the chief operating officer of Options. He previously set up Wombat before selling the business to NYSE Technologies.

he founder of one of Northern Ireland’s most successful financial services firms has helped bring an arm of his new company to Belfast with plans to create 31 IT jobs.

New York and London-based financial technology firm Options will set up a new base in the city and generate around £1.1m in salaries, a figure which works out at an average wage of over £35,000 a year. Mr Moore was the founder of Wombat, which provided IT services for trading companies, before selling the business to NYSE Technologies in 2008. He joined Options, which services hedge funds, exchanges and investment banks from its offices in London, New York, Chicago, Hong Kong and Singapore, in 2013 as chief operating officer and said Belfast is the obvious choice to help with the company’s ambitious expansion plans. “The burgeoning financial technology sector here, coupled with a dynamic, motivated and highly educated workforce, makes Belfast a perfect fit for Options,” Mr Moore said. “The breadth of local talent, both technical and non-technical, is the reason we brought Wombat to Belfast, and later NYSE, and I’ve no doubt that it was this talent that helped propel Wombat to its ultimate success. Similarly, I fully expect Belfast to be an integral part of Options’ future growth.” Enterprise Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster said the skilled workforce proved a strong draw for Options. “Options was also influenced by the positive experience of other financial IT companies here, such as Citi and CME, and by the strong links between industry and our university research groups in Belfast and Londonderry.”

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PROFILE

Where Credit’s Due Andrew Ellis, Senior Credit Analyst, Ulster Bank, is the fifth student to be profiled in our “Studying Success” series. He is entering his fourth year of a part-time BSc Hons Accounting degree at the Ulster Business School.

What are you studying at the Ulster Business School? I am entering the fourth year of the part time BSc Hons Accounting degree. Why did you choose this course? I have worked in the financial services industry for the last 15 years, all in Ulster Bank. Since 2008, I’ve worked as a Business Manager and then Senior Credit Analyst. My jobs have entailed analysing financial accounts and writing credit papers so the accountancy course was a great way of building on what I was already doing. I intend to qualify as an accountant once the degree course is finished. The university offered evening classes which allowed me to participate and engage fully whilst working full time. I was also very impressed with “Blackboard Learn”. This is a convenient system which

hosts all the relevant information and academic requirements for a module. This enhances the learning experience for me and allows me to fit my studies around my professional and family commitments. What attracted you to the Ulster Business School? I had been interested in undertaking further study for some time but had not fully researched the options available to me. While working as a Business Manager I was asked by a colleague for a bit of advice about analysing financial accounts. He was preparing for an exam as part of the BSc Hons Accounting degree at University of Ulster. In conversation he spoke highly of the course, about his intention to train as an accountant and about the doors which he hoped a third level qualification would bring him. In order to progress my own career, I decided that I needed to work towards a third level qualification and I was attracted to the accountancy degree as it fitted with my interests and professional outlook. I applied for the course and met the course director, Dean Coulter, who “sold” the degree programme to me on the basis of the high quality tuition being provided. He also emphasised the personal development opportunity, the challenge and ultimately

Andrew Ellis, Senior Credit Analyst, Ulster Bank; Part-time BSc Hons Accounting degree, Ulster Business School.

rewarding experience of undertaking part time study in such a well regarded field. What part of the course do you enjoy most? I enjoy the interaction with my fellow students. I have been fortunate enough to have started with a core group of people who have remained together over the three years. We have developed an excellent camaraderie in which we help and support each other – this has proved a great encouragement to us all. How will this qualification help in your future career? I intend to study further for my professional accountancy exams after I complete the degree. I am fortunate to work for a company that uses and appreciates these skills and I hope I can progress my career further using the skills learned through the course. Who do you admire most in the business world and why? Sir Phillip Green, owner of the Arcadia Group, left school at 15 years old and took a job in a shoe wholesaler’s warehouse. Today he has a net worth reported to be in excess of £3 billion. I admire him because he started off in a low level job learning the trade and with a little luck and a lot of business acumen grew into one of the most powerful figures in British retailing.

Terex represents a sector of the Northern Ireland economy in which we can rightly claim to be world leaders.

It flies the flag for the manufacturing of materials handling equipment, in particular mobile and stationary rock crushers and screeners which are used in quarries, building sites and the like. In essence, its products sort the wheat from the chaff in the world of rock, whether it be using sieves or

water. On a global basis, Northern Ireland supplies 40% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stone crushing and gravel screening equipment so that gives you an idea of how big a player Terex are. Its local roots date back to Powerscreen, a group of companies which was taken over by US-based Terex Corporation in 1999, and has been growing exponentially ever since. Based in the mid-Ulster engineering heartland near Dungannon and also in Omagh, the Powerscreen brand lives on and the

company exports its products all over the world, a factor which has been key to its success, according to Damien Power. He said that while the global economic downturn which hit the construction industry hard had made the last few years difficult, its business is booming as the recovery gathers pace and as it targets new markets, particularly the recycling sector. And it’s obvious the Northern Ireland operations are key to the wider group after its commitment at the end of last year to create 260 jobs as part of a £22m investment. In Northern Ireland Terex really does make the earth move.

AUGUST 2014

Pictured at the Terex base outside Dungannon with some of the company’s iconic screeners and washers are (L-R): Paul O’Donnell, Terex Finlay Damian Power, Powerscreen Sean Loughran, Terex Washing Systems.

Photo: Richard Trainor.

OUTLOOK FOR 2014 INVESTMENTS

Attracting inward investment John-George Willis from Tughans takes a look at some of the prominent overseas investment deals in Northern Ireland over the last few months and asks how we can attract more.

his year has seen a number of high profile investments in Northern Irish companies by external sources. The attraction of external investors to Northern Ireland has not been limited to any one particular industry. For example, the US acquisitions of Whale Pumps and Telestack demonstrate a clear interest in the manufacturing industry but the investment in Relay Software by Hg Capital and the acquisition of Hughes

Insurance by Liberty Mutual shows that the software and insurance markets are also benefitting from external investment. There also continues to be external investment in renewable energy and, encouragingly, the property sector, with the recent acquisition of BTW Shiells by Lambert Smith Hampton and the sale of two Retail Parks by Corbo to a US investor. So why have Northern Irish companies generated all this external interest and,

importantly, how can it continue? There is no doubt that initial interest is generated by the quality of the product or service being provided. The attraction for the external investor is the opportunities that an innovative product or service can offer and the marketing potential on an international basis. The reason for the interest in the product or service may be different dependent on the investor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a trade buyer will look to the

INVESTMENTS

Identifying the target market This is not to say the product or service market but rather who would be interested in investing in the company. Is the product or service offering of the company complementary to key competitors or other trade buyers? Are they looking to expand into Europe? Which venture capitalists invest in the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s particular sector? A robust business plan This is perhaps the key document for any investor. The business plan will need to demonstrate clear, sustainable growth, whilst clearly setting out all potential risk factors. A successful and committed management team This is particularly relevant to external investment. External investors, whether trade buyers or venture capitalists, will be seeking to rely on the management team, if only for a transitional period. They will need to be confident that the management team competently fulfil all the necessary roles and are committed to continuing the success of the business after investment.

Tughans Corporate Team (l-r): Ciara Lagan, John McGuckian, Ian Coulter (Managing Partner), Kerry McCorkell, John George Willis (Head of Corporate) and James Donnelly.

synergies of the new product with its current offering where a venture capitalist may be concentrating on whether the product or service has a niche position in the market. The acquisition of Andor Technologies by Oxford Instruments is an example of the investor identifying an opportunity to acquire a complementary company to accelerate their expansion into a new market. Northern Ireland continues to generate innovative entrepreneurs and companies with unique product and service offerings.

AUGUST 2014

However, new products and services donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily differentiate Northern Ireland from other parts of the world. Northern Ireland does, however, offer external investors a gateway into the UK and Europe, particularly for the US investors. Northern Ireland also boasts a highly skilled workforce, a great talent pool for innovation. The driving force behind the investments in 2014 to date may vary but there will be no doubt that there are common reasons that each of these deals were successful:

A clean corporate structure Before investing, the external investor will carry out a comprehensive health check of the company through its due diligence exercise. Deals can fail at the last minute if there any perceived problems with the company. Any such perceived problems should be addressed as soon as possible, preferably before seeking investment. This can be achieved by having a team of good professional advisors from the start. Consultation with them on the form, structure, and legalities of the company as well as the full implications of the investment, will help ensure a smooth, transparent due diligence process and investor confidence in the company. Having all these factors in place will ensure the continued and growing interest of external investors in Northern Irish companies.

Please contact John-George Willis (j-g.willis@tughans.com) or Ciara Lagan (Ciara.lagan@tughans.com); 028 9055 3300 for further information. www.tughans.com

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

In praise of the auction Mark Carron, Associate Director at Osborne King Commercial Property Consultants, discusses the success of the property auction.

he saying goes that “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery”, so it is somewhat gratifying to see that property auctions have become an integral part of the local property landscape with an estimated £32 million worth of property sales achieved at auction to date this year (Source: EI Group). This was certainly not the case when we held our first auction back in 2011. Since we decided to re-engage with the auction process, the market has come a long way. Initially, it was an uphill struggle trying to pull an auction together, especially in terms of getting buy-in from vendors, which was hardly surprising against the economic backdrop of a stagnant market and full-blown recession. From our perspective, the auction was a key towards unlocking activity and a means of getting purchasers to complete deals; it was another matter persuading private clients, financial institutions and other parties in control of property assets that this was an effective, efficient way of disposing of property that was difficult to sell on the open market. Prior to this during 2008 – 2012, and with little appetite for property, purchasers were extremely reluctant to complete on purchases as they were most probably in a “one horse” race with little or no competition. In many cases price “chips” were the norm at the last minute and, to secure a sale, the vendor reluctantly obliged. Consequently, our first auction in September 2011 was a fairly modest event with 27 lots up for sale, 90% of which was sold on the day. The success of this auction made it marginally easier to convince vendors of the merits of putting their properties up for auction, and so we continued building up our catalogues, increasing our lots in terms of size and value with the result that our ten auctions to date have raised around £25 million in terms of sales. Indeed, our most recent auction in June 2014 featured 70 properties and realised over £6 million in sales. Other prominent property consultants have been quick to acknowledge the efficacy of selling via auction and we anticipate total annual sales to be over £45 million for the current year. Obviously, this figure is a far cry from the heady days of the boom years, however, when taken in the context of a seriously depressed market, which is only beginning to recover, these figures are

encouraging and herald an overall improvement in property values at long last. Indeed, the most recent property auction in Dublin a couple of months ago resulted in a total sales figure of @38 million, which marks a significant increase on auctions in 2012. The most positive signs of recovery are within the domestic housing and development land markets which are attracting investors, first-time buyers and house builders. Residential house sales in the year to date account for 85% of transactions equating to around £27 million. This market is being fuelled by a sustained period of low rates (for the time being), improving credit conditions and a more optimistic economic outlook. The vast majority of buyers at our auctions are cash-buyers, many of whom sold property at the height of the market and who are now happy to re-invest, which demonstrates their confidence in property as a medium to long-term investment, or how it should be viewed in pure investment terms. And as the property market continues to stabilise and improve, selling property at auction has become a recognised additional but not exceptional sales method. The ratio of private sellers is increasing on a quarterly basis and we are also seeing the quality and value of lots improving – our largest value lot in our June auction sold for £850,000. We expect this trend to continue moving forward as the market conditions improve for vendors.

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Diageo is known in Northern Ireland in many different forms. It’s Bushmill’s whiskey distillery is an iconic destination and brand in its own right.

It’s involvement in the pub trade stretches the length and breadth of the country and its Guiness, Tanqueray gin and Captain Morgan rum have countless fans. Diageo is the world’s largest producers

of spirits in the world, has a sizeable chunk of the beer and wine market and a presence in nearly every country around the globe it. Few people, however, realise that if you’re to sip a Bailey’s – another of its well-known brands – in regions as far afield as Peru, in Sydney or in Hawaii then it’s more than likely to have been made in Mallusk. The Bailey’s factory just off the M2 is one which truly justifies the overused term “state-of-the-art” with its team of just 44 able to produce 300,000 bottles of the Baileys’ Original every day.

It produces 95% of the world’s demand for the larger bottles of Baileys and when Ulster Business visited was (very quickly) packing pallets of the stuff bound for Mexico. Jorge Lopes has recently taken over as country director of NI for Diageo and pointed out that Bailey’s doesn’t have to look far when it comes to ingredients with packaging, glass and cream all sourced locally. Whiskey, a vital part of the Bailey’s ingredient list, comes from Bushmills.

AUGUST 2014

Pictured on the factory floor at Diageo Global Supply in Mallusk are L-R: Lesley Allen Tom Brown, plant manager Manus Rogan and Northern Ireland Country Manager for Diageo Jorge Lopes. Bottles of Baileys can be seen on the production line in the background.

Photo: Richard Trainor.

Commtech establishes Belfast base

specialist IT distributor has opened a new office in Northern Ireland. Based on Linenhall Street in Belfast, the Commtech Innovative Solutions base will be headed up by Regional Sales Manager Alan Young and will focus on providing data centre infrastructure, unified communications and security solutions to resellers across Northern Ireland. “It’s a further sign of our commitment to the steadily growing customer fraternity”, said Alan, a former Irish League footballer who joined Commtech after 15 years at Dell. “Commtech has a service attitude I’ve rarely found in distribution. We have a guaranteed fast turnaround time on quotes and for orders received before 2.00pm our aim is next day delivery from stock.” And the new base means vendors will be able to trade with a distributor on the ground in Northern Ireland. “Resellers who traditionally had to refer their business to GB mainland-based distributors, now have the option of Commtech as their local ICT distributor,” he said. “In a fast-changing sector such as IT, Northern Ireland resellers are calling out for a distributor who takes responsibility for being part of the solution and helping them maximise each opportunity.” Alan said businesses in Northern Ireland are keen to maximise IT to break into overseas markets.

Commtech Regional Sales Manager, Alan Young

“It’s a very dynamic and exciting area at the moment,” continued Alan. “At Commtech we plan to be a central support to all ICT channel partners as we are a flexible and experienced specialist distributor. With our expertise and ICT solutions, our aim is to support and make ready for change those at the forefront of our industry.”

services where the servers, data and the applications are somewhere else.

He said technology has a unique role in driving business change, particularly in response to the unprecedented rates of technology adoption by end users.

“Control, peace of mind and efficiencies which in some cases exceed cloud-based offerings are delivered today by “converged systems”, concluded Alan. “Storage systems that were the preserve of large enterprise are now affordable by medium-sized business. Virtualisation technologies have slashed the cost of processing resource and add to this the superior systems management and administration tools available – suddenly the promise of transformation offered by cloud is even more attractively offered in house.”

“It’s about being always on, always available and being fast, agile and responsive to customers”. That response is changing, with priorities shifting to supporting growing business expectations, rapid increases in technological and business change, shrinking technology lifecycles and, of course, the shortage of available talent. “It’s a difficult time to be a chief information officer (CIO),” Alan said. “Mobile, Cloud, Social Media and Business Analytics are all major trends – not to mention the choices of IT delivery. Security, availability and trust are the main issues.” “Also, XaaS is ‘Everything as a service’ and is a term used to describe the shift by business computing from software applications running in house on server platforms to browser based

The rigid, one solution fits all approach and the cost of a service-based model may not, over time, be as competitive as some of the emerging “office in a box” solutions from the major vendors.”

Tel: 08455 912 800; E: salesni@commtech.co.uk www.commtech.co.uk / www.commtech.ie Linenhall Exchange, Belfast BT2 8BG

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

Connect Telecom becomes Top 3 UK Vodafone partner received investment from Whiterock Capital partners in September 2013, which has kick-started a rapid growth phase, as well as the delivery of a new Vodafone product, One Net Business, in the Northern Irish and Scottish markets. As a company we are pleased to have this success recognised with both the Vodafone Gold Partner of the Year, and recognition as one of only three Solutions Pioneers in the UK.” The communications provider is further expanding its product portfolio with the launch of a new tracking and mobile resource management service for local businesses, in partnership with BigChange Apps. L-R: Rob Mukherjee, Head of Vodafone Partner Services; Robin Brown, Director Connect Telecom; Matthew Brown, Director Connect Telecom and Charlie Wade, Head of Enterprise Products, Vodafone.

ot many Northern Irish businesses can say they are thriving from a strong strategic partnership with the UK’s most valuable brand, and one of the world’s most recognised global names. Connect Telecom, a business communications solutions provider based on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, is in fact one of only three of Vodafone’s UK Solutions Pioneers. Vodafone recently knocked Shell off the number one top spot as Britain’s most valuable brand identity, valued at £17.9bn, against the oil major’s £17.3bn. The telecoms giant has a thriving partner channel delivering communications solutions through regional telecoms experts, such as Connect Telecom. Starting their partnership with Vodafone in June 2012, Connect Telecom immediately became a Gold Partner. From this prized starting point, the company has experienced one of the quickest progressions through the Vodafone Partner channel.

Connect Telecom has just been awarded Vodafone UK Gold Partner of the Year 2014 which recognises the business’s exceptionally high levels of customer service, sales and technical support, which they deliver to customers throughout Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and now in the North of England. The local business was also awarded Vodafone’s newest accreditation, that of Vodafone Solutions Pioneer, for outstanding solution delivery and customer service. This recognises Connect Telecom’s commitment to total communications solutions, and endorses their ambitious growth plans, demonstrated by their investment into Scotland. Commenting on how the award reflects the company’s ethos which is driving forward the business expansion plans, Matthew Brown, Managing Director, Connect Telecom said: “The award recognises the hard work from the team, and the additional investment made in the business to fund expansion into Scotland. Connect Telecom

Connect Telecom will be the voice of BigChange in Ireland, brainchild of tracking expert Martin Port, who created and sold Masternaut tracking solutions for over £20 million in 2009. Martin Port, CEO, BigChange Apps says: “We are delighted to work closely with Connect Telecom in expanding our reach into Ireland, both North and South, and are looking forward to seeing Big Changes in the Irish market with the help of Connect’s established brand and business across Ireland.” Matthew Brown comments: “The mobile resource management delivered by Big Change Apps certainly complements our existing Vodafone products. Vodafone’s unique, cloud based One Net Business service represents total communications integration, which is the future for telecoms. These cloud-based systems and mobile resource management services enable a weightless and paperless, fully mobile workforce, driving real benefits and value from the IT and communications spend.” For further information on Connect Telecom log onto www.connect-tele.co.uk

INTERVIEW

Not just a 9-to-5 There are a plethora of different jobs in Northern Ireland, but what do they actually involve? Helen Reilly, Technical Services Manager, Caterpillar NI gives us a rundown of her day.

How long have you worked for Caterpillar? I have worked for Caterpillar for around eight years, initially as a manufacturing engineer, then as a 6 Sigma Black Belt, followed by just over a year as an Account Manager within the Commercial Team. I have been the Technical Services Manager for the Axle Team since March 2014. What does your current role involve? Since joining the company, I mainly worked on the production processes associated with the manufacturing of our traditional product – generators. When the opportunity came up, I was delighted to be involved in the establishment of the new manufacturing facility for axles. These are a key component of Cat® Articulated Trucks, which are used for earthmoving, mining and quarry applications throughout the world. (Caterpillar’s facility in Peterlee, England, is the worldwide manufacturing source for the trucks.) I am one of about 100 people involved in the production of axles in Northern Ireland, and my role is to be responsible for product technical stewardship, quality and manufacturing engineering, as well as quality control, new product introduction,

100

engineering change, and 6 Sigma projects for axle production. This is an exciting role and I am lucky to be supported by a really good team; I have five engineers working in my team at present. We work together to manage all of the critical elements involved in axle production to make sure we intensely focus on the needs of our customers to consistently produce high quality products efficiently, within agreed timelines and costs. What is your typical day? Typically I get into work around 7.00am7:15am. My official working hours are 7.30am-5:45pm, on a four-day shift pattern. However, working on the new axle facility, getting it up and running successfully, has been a really exciting project that has required longer hours. I’m fortunate to have a dedicated and dynamic team who have put a huge amount of work into helping the new operation get off to a really successful start. I am involved in all of the processes associated with the production of axles – ultimately to directly support operations, and no two days are the same! One of the key aspects of my day is the daily Process Improvement Dialogue meeting in

the factory each morning around 8:30am. This brings together people from across the manufacturing process including operations, quality, supply chain, and so on. It involves about 10-12 people and is a key communication tool involving the core team and all support functions. It enables us to evaluate the day that has gone before and plan for the day ahead, helping us ensure that we are achieving all of our goals, achieving the high standards of quality we want, and have a really safe working environment. Throughout the day, I split my time between time out on the floor assessing processes and time at my desk or in meetings. When out on the floor I will mainly be reviewing processes or work stations to make sure they are set up as efficiently as possible. Process design and equipment set up is a key part of my job role. What do you do outside of work? I recently ran the Titanic 10km, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and I’m keen to build on that. I also spend a lot of time with family, particularly my niece. I recently bought an old house, which is taking more of my time, and my money, than I had first envisaged!

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TOP 100 COMPANIES

The whirling Devenish Simon Rowe talks to one of the most dynamic companies in this year’s Top 100 to find out how it has transformed itself over the last 15 years.

For over 60 years Devenish Feeds has been at the forefront of developing and manufacturing innovative food products for the global livestock sector. Renamed Devenish Nutrition in 1997, the animal nutrition company continues to expand and now boasts manufacturing sites in the UK and US, as well as a network of key distributors and partners across Europe, Africa, Asia, and North and South America. The Devenish story is one of expansion, innovation and ongoing success. The company, which now has a turnover of £105m, has grown from being a trading-based firm to one which over 90% of its sales are now derived from its own manufactured products. Just 15 years ago Devenish had revenues of £5m and 99% of its business was done in Northern Ireland. Now sales outside the UK make up more than 60% of its turnover. Its export ambitions began with expansion in the Republic of Ireland and the US, followed by France. It has also been bold enough to enter countries where few businesses of its size venture, including African markets such as Mozambique and Ghana. It’s been a busy 12 months for the agri‐technology firm as it launched an aggressive expansion and acquisition drive

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Andrea Hunter, Business Development Manager at Aer Lingus, Patrick McLaughlin, CEO of Devenish Nutrition, and Julie Davidson, Aer Lingus Cabin Crew at this year’s Aer Lingus Viscount Awards.

from its new headquarters in Clarendon Dock in Belfast, Devenish increased its presence in the Great Britain market last November by opening a food grade premix manufacturing facility in Widnes, near Liverpool. The manufacturing facility has multiple production lines and includes an onsite laboratory to allow for testing on both raw materials and finished goods. Boss Patrick McLaughlin said the acquisition “will significantly increase” the production capacity of Devenish and enables the firm “to meet the growing demand for our products in GB, Ireland and internationally”.

The addition of this facility to its portfolio came just six months after Devenish bought Hi Peak Feeds Ltd, the organic feed manufacturer based near Sheffield. Over £400,000 has been invested in this facility already with further development planned for this year. In addition, Devenish Nutrition’s mill in Belfast, which currently produces premix, creep and speciality products, is in the middle of a £3m investment programme. Devenish’s buying splurge has included Poultry Solutions which it bought in October 2012, and this was followed by the purchase of Shirley and Proctor in April last year.

TOP 100 COMPANIES

Today, Devenish employs over 200 people and manufactures in excess of 1,500 metric tonnes per week across its production sites, which are sold and delivered to over 40 countries worldwide and to over 20 states within the US. Its strategy has been driven by major investments in plant and machinery and human resource. Substantial investments continue to be made in its research and development and technical capabilities. “Solutions to the industry’s challenges come from a number of sources, the inventiveness and creativity of our team of nutritionists and production specialists, our customers and suppliers, other industries and the general scientific community,” said Devenish CEO Patrick McLaughlin. “However, we do not leave the generation of new, future solutions to chance – we invest heavily in a comprehensive research and development programme conducted at our own facilities and also in global centres of excellence. “Currently, we conduct research projects in a number of areas in each livestock, poultry and pet markets in areas as diverse as feed solutions to food safety, animal health and eating quality, but all in the context of productivity and cost effectiveness,” he said.

climate change are predicted to reduce yields worldwide by up to 25% which means there will be even greater demand for animal feed products that deliver greater yields. The rise of the emerging economies, including Brazil, Russia, India and China (the BRIC countries), and the growing affluence in these countries is resulting in changes towards a higher protein diet and increasing demand for meat and dairy products. Devenish is well placed to take advantage of these global trends.

“Currently, we conduct research projects in a number of areas in each livestock, poultry and pet markets in areas as diverse as feed solutions to food safety, animal health and eating quality.”

However, 2014 is proving to be “a turbulent period” in one of the firm’s biggest markets – the pig feed sector. Devenish’s pig feed manager Aidan O’Toole warns in his latest report that, “unfortunately we find ourselves in the midst of a turbulent period, and feed remains stubbornly high relative to pig price”. But given its track record in overcoming business challenges with innovation, no doubt Devenish will weather the “turbulence”. The firm hopes that its new pig feed product DeviGainPG, which was awarded Best New Pig Product prize at the British Pig and Poultry Fair in May, will help boost sales in the “turbulent” pig feed market. Devenish Nutrition, which is no stranger to receiving industry plaudits after winning the Best Medium Business title at the Aer Lingus Viscount Awards in association with Ulster Business this year, now takes its rightful place in our Top 100 Northern Ireland companies’ list.

Devenish’s global growth strategy is based on two key factors: world population and climate change. With the human population projected to increase by one billion by 2030, rising to nine billion by 2050, this growth will require a 75-90% increase in global food production. At the same time, the effects of

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FOCUS

Five habits of a successful CEO

ou don’t become the chief executive of one of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies by accident. Each and every one of the people at the top of the firms in this year’s list have a set of qualities which sets them apart and which help them to grow their businesses while making a profit. Some of those qualities are down to natural talent, others come about through hard work, attitude and by sticking to a few habits which smooth the rough road to success. We could all do with taking heed of them so here’s just five for starters which Ulster Business has picked up from a variety of the Top 100: 1. Focus, focus, focus: OK, maybe that’s three in one but if there was a take away from interviewing chief executives which this reporter has been handed for free it’s focus. Set a few clear goals, set a clear path on

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By David Elliott

how to achieve them and then concentrate with all your might on getting there. Don’t let other, less important factors interfere and make sure your team is also working with the same drive toward the same goal. 2. Plan: Part of the goal setting mentioned above. You can only have focus if you have something to focus on so taking time out to plan where your business is going, be it breaking into new markets or growing profit margins, is key. That includes making sure your days are planned efficiently and the most important factor in your role – time – is maximised to the full. 3. Embrace failure: Successful businesses don’t emerge by always following the rule book. Look at the honest CV of an entrepreneur and you’ll see that nearly all have encountered significant business failure before stumbling across the winning formula. It’s the same for chief executives. The clever ones know that the lessons learnt from a failed venture are the most useful.

4. Network: For some this side of the business world comes easy but for others it’s as much fun as root canal work. Despite that, it can be hugely rewarding by introducing contacts and facilitating the exchange of information and ideas. Not only that but being the boss of a company can be an extremely lonely place to be and meeting with others in the same position can be a great way of venting frustration. And don’t forget to network with your staff. A boss who doesn’t interact with the people on the shop floor leaves a vacuum which will quickly be filled with employees’ own interpretation of the top dog, one which probably won’t be very attractive. 5. Delegate: “If you want something doing, do it yourself,” said the only moderately successful CEO. You can’t do it all yourself so delegate properly to your staff. If they can’t do it then it’s your fault for not training them properly or for a poor hiring process. You’re there to strategise, mentor and steer the ship, not row the boat.

Haldane Fisher describes itself as a timber importer and manufacturer but also offers a plethora of products for builders, plumbers or for anyone wanting to build or develop a house.

Founded by Bob Haldane in 1946, it’s still run by the Haldane family and has managed to emerge from the downturn in the construction market in good health.

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Managing director Ian Haldane said the sharp drop off in new house builds in Northern Ireland – down to just 5,000 last year compared to 12,000 at the peak of the boom – hit business hard but “after six years of managing the business through consolidation, we’re now starting to see things pick up again”. Haldane Sheills, as the holding company is known, is not known for standing still and has grown its business to include ten stores in Northern Ireland, two on the Isle of

Man and also four in England, the latter becoming part of the group following the acquisition of GE Robinson, one of the biggest takeovers in the sector of the last few years. Mr Haldane said he wouldn’t rule out further expansion in the years ahead as the construction sector recovers lost ground: “We’re always on the lookout for new opportunities,” he said, adding that the business is poised to take advantage of the upturn in the construction and wider economy.

AUGUST 2014

Pictured at Haldane Fisher’s headquarters in Newry L-R: Andrew Laird, Human Resources Associate Director Mark Freeman, Building Materials Associate Director Tom Gray, Sales Director Monica Cunningham, Finance Associate Director Ian Haldane, Managing Director Mary Hannaway IT Associate Director

Photo: Richard Trainor.

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PUBLIC SECTOR

The great pensions revolution? Ralph McGuicken, Director of Financial Planning with Bloomfield Corporate Consultancy, asks what we’ve got to look forward to in our retirement.

he writing is on the wall! A pension’s revolution is well under way spear-headed by the introduction of workplace pensions and the introduction of compulsion for employers. If you have missed this and you are an employer you need to take heed – the onus is on you to provide and contribute to work-place pensions. Over the next few years all employers will be compelled to set up arrangements for their staff and failure to comply comes at a high cost.

“The decisions to be considered will be more complex than ever before – however these changes are welcome as they give much greater options and potential benefits to all of us.” The recent budget announcements bolstered this approach to address the massive problem of funding pensions and encouraging folk to take this seriously and make provision for their financial security in retirement. The demise and decline of

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the final salary scheme coupled with the reality of the states’ inability to provide the required finance to fund public sector pensions has accelerated the legislation. The facts are relatively simple. We are all living longer with fewer workers to support those in retirement. The government has finally woken up to the reality that pension provision is a time-bomb waiting to explode. With fewer people working and an expanding retired population, living with better health and longer life expectancy, something has got to give! Even the once sacrosanct public sector has to make some sacrifices to their “goldplated” pension schemes, as all the evidence suggests strongly, that they are unsustainable. Taking a moral high ground here will not solve any problem – action is needed and funding at realistic levels is the only way to make things work. Do you know how your pension plans stack up? Will your pension pot be enough to meet your standard of living? The good news from the budget is that pensions will no longer have the stigma of being “lost” capital and the control of the funds will now fall back to the individual. This will need to be properly managed and advice will become essential for those facing retirement. The decisions to be considered will be more complex than ever before – however these changes are welcome as they give much greater options and potential benefits to all of us. The much talked about Lamborghini-pensioners is a myth and an

insult to those facing retirement. I have specialised in retirement planning for the past 22 years and those approaching retirement are a canny bunch. It is incredulous to consider that they might blow the pot for short term gain. Older more mature people understand the value of money and they have worked hard to accumulate it so it is highly unlikely they will squander it! Even those who are financially inexperienced will have the common sense to seek advice.

“I have specialised in retirement planning for the past 22 years and those approaching retirement are a canny bunch. It is incredulous to consider that they might blow the pot for short term gain.” Pension planning is now crucial to ensure retirement is able to live up to expectations – failure to plan will lead to a miserable future. The constant change to both legislation and investment markets emphasizes the requirement for professional advice – so make a call to see your financial adviser for a review before it is too late.

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APPRENTICESHIPS

Everyone’s a winner Apprenticeships are back with a bang. Department of Employment and Learning Minister Stephen Farry discusses why one of the oldest forms of recruitment is of huge benefit to both apprentice and employer.

employers, including those who invest in Northern Ireland from overseas, reinforcing the gains that the region has already made in attracting foreign direct investment.

recently announced the new Northern Ireland Strategy on Apprenticeships entitled ‘Securing our Success’ which will ensure our economy has the skills needed to grow and compete globally and simultaneously radically transform our skills landscape. Apprenticeships provide an excellent means by which employers can obtain the technical and employability skills they require, as well as being assured that there is a strong skills base across the economy. As Ulster Business publishes its annual survey of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies, apprenticeships benefit employers of all sizes. Where an apprentice is retained after the completion of training there are significant returns to the employer. Apprenticeships also help businesses address skills gaps by providing vital skills and workforce development aligned to specific organisational values. The new apprenticeship model will be designed to engage with small and micro businesses, by responding directly to their needs in terms of ease of access, relevant training, incentives and support. The model will also be aligned to the needs of larger

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There has been a renewed focus on apprenticeships as a mechanism to improve and encourage skills development and innovation. Well-developed apprenticeship systems in Australia and Germany have been found to secure benefits to the local economy, through significant net returns on public investment in apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships provide an excellent means by which employers can obtain the technical and employability skills they require, as well as being assured that there is a strong skills base across the economy.” A new Central Service will assist the creation of increased apprenticeships, a Strategic Advisory Forum and a series of Sectoral Partnerships will facilitate stakeholder engagement, and a revised Careers system will promote new opportunities. These

mechanisms are all firsts for Northern Ireland and their implementation will ensure a high quality skills and learning pathway that will rival the world’s best. The new model puts employers in the driving seat. The Central Service will support businesses and participants and will include an online portal for the advertising and application of apprenticeship opportunities. Whilst the introduction of a skills barometer will support the better matching of apprenticeship supply and demand by providing a clear indication of current, emerging and long term skills shortages. This new system will only be successful with a significant increase in the number of employers offering apprenticeship opportunities. The new strategic advisory forum and sectoral partnerships will be established to place employers in the lead role in ensuring the provision and content of apprenticeships meets their needs. Apprenticeships will now commence at level 3 upwards, offering progression into further and higher education and mobility across the economy. The apprenticeship will be held in equally high esteem to higher education and will provide a direct route into a range of occupations and sectors previously only accessible through traditional higher education pathways. It is my ambition that apprenticeships should have the same parity of esteem as other educational pathways. The Apprenticeship Strategy is driven by strategic partnership; putting employers at its very heart; better matching supply with demand and providing opportunities in a much wider range of occupations.

APPRENTICESHIPS

What are the benefits of apprenticeships to employers? A report from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES)18 shows the benefits to employers both in the short-term and longer-term of recruiting and employing young people. Immediate benefits include: • Lower recruitment costs – Young people in school and college will be actively seeking employment and many apply speculatively to employers reducing the costs of advertising. Engaging with schools and colleges can also help with the selection of good quality recruits, while a reputation for offering jobs to young people (especially if that reputation is associated with good training opportunities) will encourage other young people to apply, thus widening the pool of applicants from which the business can draw. • Cost effectiveness – The cost of employing young people is lower as they tend to have lower wages than older workers and where employees are under 21 years of age a lower National Minimum Wage rate applies. • Companies have their staff trained according to practical requirements. • Providing the professional and technical schools are well equipped, young people can bring the company the newest know-how from the training institute. • Apprentices contribute to the company with new energy and enthusiasm. • Companies and their employees get used to training and integrating newcomers and they see the importance of learning. • Former apprentices constitute a pool of competences for companies or even a sector.

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James Gibbons (left) and Conor Devine from GDP.

Getting past the gatekeeper By Conor Devine, MRICS, Principal at GDP Partnership

or any Greek scholars out there the completion of the Project Eagle loan sale to American investment firm Cerberus Capital Management should have struck a chord. Let me explain. If you don’t know your Centaurs from your Cyclops, then you wouldn’t know that Cerberus was the three-headed watchdog of the underworld. Few managed to get past the famed “bouncer” of Hades and when after

months of speculation the largest deal made by the National Asset Management Agency was completed it made me think. As we all know Nama was formed as a result of the Republic of Ireland’s banking crisis when the Dublin-based banks were collapsing under the weight of huge, toxic, property loans made during the boom and the sale of the an estimated £4.5bn of debt attributed to Northern Ireland debtors is easily the largest single transaction by the ‘bad bank’ since it was set up.

What does this sale do? Well, like the Greek myths, it is about control. The three-headed dog had control over who entered and left Hades and in contemporary times it gives the US firm control of hundreds of properties including office blocks, hotels and development land. So when it comes to the commercial property sector in Northern Ireland it would seem they are now the gatekeepers of the commercial property world, the new masters of our universe. The assets are scattered across Northern Ireland and the Republic with some in the UK mainland and further afield but all sponsored by Northern Ireland property developers. What’s next? Northern Ireland debtors should expect a knock at the door and a meeting request from the venture capital fund Cerberus and the burning question will be how do you propose to address your outstanding loans and pay said monies back – all of it..! Of course, it could take years but they will want to deal with this quickly and swiftly in my opinion. I personally don’t see our new Belfast-based American colleagues wanting to procrastinate; they’ll be looking for answers, business plans and solutions, and immediately.

How do we help? Well, like the Greek myth of Cerberus, the gatekeeper doesn’t always win. There are few instances of the hound being bested, but there are some. Orpheus lulled the hound to sleep by playing his lyre and Aeneas and Psyche were able to pacify it with honey cake. So it’s about thinking laterally. It’s about looking for alternative options to make sure that a viable commercial property venture doesn’t get locked behind the gates due to lack of funding. And that’s where GDP comes in. We are one of the few companies in Northern Ireland, if not the only one that can offer immediate access to at least £50 million in funds for commercial property ventures across Northern Ireland. The fund has been set up to enable local property investors / developers to unlock their positions with banks including Cerberus Capital Management. We believe that this will go some way towards addressing the continuing difficulty that operators in the sector have faced in finding funding for viable projects.

Who are GDP Partnership? At GDP we specialise in solving problems and have been working tirelessly since 2011 to identify new finance platforms, which sit outside that of the traditional institutional banking practices. We launched the fund in direct response to the very sobering fact that there is currently little to no finance/debt available in the local market place. Nor do we see this changing in the next twelve to eighteen months. We’ve built a reputation for providing innovative solutions for our clients through our practice specialities of bank mediation, restructuring, asset management, new money finance and real estate teams. Boost for Commercial Sector Bringing a new lending platform to the market should boost the economy as a whole. We’ve been through six years of a recession/ depression, and are still at a standstill in terms of the property market, which has an effect on so many other facets of our local economy. As banks continue to deleverage and clean up their own businesses, they have more or less cut off the funding supply to the local

market for property-based proposals. With our new funding initiative we aim to change that and give the commercial property sector and individuals and organisations who have viable deals the boost they need. The fund is provided for by UK-based private investors who now see Northern Ireland as a place where they should invest their money. Significant Opportunity This is a massive statement in terms of bringing confidence to the local market. It is a significant opportunity to property owners, developers and their advisers and we want them to know that GDP Partnership is here to help in a tangible manner that will see them get their plans off the ground sooner rather than later.Now, I’m not saying that Cerberus and others are three headed monsters. What I am saying is that GDP Partnership may have the honey cake that you are looking for, or we may be even know how to play a tune or two, but either way it is surely worth engaging with ourselves to see whether we have a solution to your problem. After all, you’ve at least 50 million reasons why you should.

Delivering university and college expertise to the Northern Ireland business community Connected is here to encourage, ease and increase potential knowledge exchange links between academia and industry, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim of Connected is to develop interaction and stimulate innovation to benefit Northern Ireland companies and Northern Irelandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. Funded by the Department for Employment and Learning, Connected is a clear sign that the further and higher education sectors in Northern Ireland are ready and willing to offer their vast pool of expertise, knowledge, research capability and world-class facilities to businesses and the community at large. Universities and colleges have so much to offer the business world that it is hard to know where to begin. Working in collaboration with universities and colleges can bring real and measurable benefits to your bottom line. The goal of Connected is to foster closer partnerships between our regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s businesses, both large and small, and the university and college departments who are keen to work with you. For further information on the diverse range of support services available please visit our website www.connected.ni.org or contact us by emailing Lynn.connaughton@collegesni.ac.uk

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The Ulster Business App

Free to download. Free to read.

A steady recovery? The Northern Ireland economy is recovering but not at an even pace. Some sectors are growing at pace, others are struggling to get out of the starting blocks. We speak to the people in the know in each of the sectors to find out if their industries are in good health and to hear what they would put at the top of their wishlists for the year ahead.

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

All aboard! Translink’s plans are constrained in a large, but tight, budget, says economist John Simpson.

ublic transport services in Northern Ireland provided by Translink and its several subsidiaries have earned an improving reputation in recent years. Nevertheless, the extra funds allocated by the Executive to support Translink – costing over £110m in 2013-14 – are so large that a scrutinising minister and a critical board have obvious accountability questions to answer, particularly as the future plans of Translink are evaluated. In terms of recent performance, Translink has reported contrasting results. Railway passenger numbers have grown significantly: up by 32% in the last five years to reach 13.2m in 2013-14. The number of passenger journeys by bus, 67m, has been almost static. The railway and bus companies have been well endowed with investment in new trains and buses linked to significant capital spending on modernising bus and rail stations and renewing part of the railway track between Coleraine and Derry City. Behind the headlines there lies a series of questions about how the performance of Translink should be assessed and, even more critically, deciding on the directions for further development. Translink emphasises a range of measures of its own performance. In financial terms, performance is presented in terms which emphasise breaking even and living within the budget guidelines

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set by a combination of government decisions on fare levels and decisions on direct Government financial support. In the financial year to the end of March 2014, the consolidated finances of Translink point to annual operating revenue of just over £200m and an operating profit (before adjustments) of £0.3m. The corporate plan argues that Translink is aiming for a break-even result over the three years to March 2015 which, with no increase in fares this year, is leading into a possible operating loss of over £9m this year. This could mean difficult decisions on fare increases before March 2015.

“Behind the headlines there lies a series of questions about how the performance of Translink should be assessed and, even more critically, deciding on the directions for further development.” The current three year budget based on a fares freeze has only been accepted because recent profits in 2012-13 have put a small financial reserve cushion in the overall profit and loss accounts.

The operational financing of Translink should not be seen in narrow conventional accounting terms. Several other features make the financing matrix more complex. Of the operating revenue of just over £200m, ticket sales (and equivalent revenue) earned £132m: just 66% of the total. Nearly £63m was paid to Translink as direct operating support from Government: £21m was the sum allowed to sustain the railways as a Public Service Obligation (PSO) and £41m was the revenue earned to compensate both rail and bus companies for the free concessionary travel. This type of financial support is not special to Northern Ireland. Concessionary fares and PSO mechanisms are normal features elsewhere although the scale of concession fares in Northern Ireland is proportionately higher than in other parts of GB. There is no expectation that public transport will ‘pay its way’ on conventional accounting terms. The critical question is how performance should be assessed in ways that test efficiency and outcomes. As a guide to the main financial flows, it is of interest that the commercial revenue earned by Translink is, year by year, now similar to the total wages and salaries bill including pensions. The operational profit and loss accounts include the impact of direct Government financial support and show near break-even >>

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS

results; an acceptable trading outcome. However, that takes inadequate account of the way in which capital assets are financed. Most of the investment in railway infrastructure and a large proportion of the annual additions to the stock of buses are financed by capital grants from Government which in 2013-14 amounted to nearly £32m. The operating profit and loss account is boosted since it carries only a small net amount of depreciation after capital spending is adjusted for allowances claimed as deferred income. Translink is effectively not asked to make a significant return on capital invested. The principles and financial formulae applied to Translink by the Minister of Regional Development, Danny Kennedy, mean that Translink is best assessed as

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a social enterprise motivated by agreed financial performance criteria. This relationship makes forward planning and decision making on capital development both slow and somewhat tortuous. In the immediate future final decisions and funding commitments are needed on three well-rehearsed projects. These are: • Making an overdue start on the operation of the new Belfast Rapid Transit system. • Building of a train passing loop at near to Bellarena to improve timetabling for trains to/from Derry City. • Designing and building the new multi-purpose transport hub for buses and trains at Great Victoria Street. Each of these projects enjoys official

approval by Translink and the Minister. Each has been endorsed in annual reports. By normal private sector standards, progress on each might have been quicker. When added to the many smaller capital schemes where refurbishment and repair is compelling, then on present Government capital budget limits, even these schemes must be phased over the next 3-4 years. Other capital proposals, such as doubling the track across the Dargan bridge over the River Lagan or extending any parts of the rail network, must now be seen as more remote long-term ambitions. In the current constrained financial environment, Translink has seriously difficult managerial tasks as it is challenged to improve its current performance.

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SPACE

Space... the final frontier Robert Hill from the Northern Ireland Space Office reveals how the province is a great place to do space business.

ou mention this to most people on the street and they look at you rather oddly. However, the fact is that the Northern Ireland Space industry is growing and more companies are beginning to look at the province as a place to develop their space activities. A report commissioned by Invest NI in 2013 showed that at the time there was approximately £30 million worth of work being carried out in the province. However, since that report there have been some significant key developments that are starting to create a nucleus of activity that is becoming attractive to those looking at Northern Ireland as a possible location to develop their space endeavours. The setting up of the European Space Propulsion company, based at the Thales facility in Belfast to manufacture space thrusters for the European market has highlighted to many other space stakeholders that Northern Ireland possesses the skills and capabilities to actively engage in the sector. The parent company in the United States, Aerojet Rocketdyne, has impeccable space heritage, boasting thruster development for the famous Voyager 1 spacecraft, originally launched in 1977, with the thrusters still operating to this day.

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“The setting up of the European Space Propulsion company, to manufacture space thrusters for the European market, has highlighted that NI possesses the skills and capabilities to engage in the sector.” The trade body for the UK Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space sectors (ADS) hosts the Northern Ireland Space Special Interest Group (NISSIG). This group is mainly comprised of ‘upstream’ companies, upstream relating to the manufacturing or development of space hardware. These companies are either actively engaging with space or with aspirations to grow their space activity. This clustering of capabilities is key to the development of the space sector in the province and has already attracted attention of several of the key primes in the space industry and companies and institutions wishing to partner on collaborative projects to

develop the UK and European Space supply chain. Recently, Minister Arlene Foster, Minister for the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment launched the Northern Ireland Space capabilities brochure at the Farnborough International Airshow. This brochure highlights the competencies of 24 companies in the province actively seeking development of their space activities. The Minister was joined by Dr Jean Jacques Dordain, Director General of the European Space Agency, to launch and promote the brochure. A great endorsement for NI Space. Northern Ireland is also developing its capabilities in the space ‘downstream’ sector. Downstream ranges from providers of space-enabled products (e.g. GPS-based car navigation systems) to services using space based assets (e.g. satellite-based meteo services or direct to home video services) to final users. In May 2014, the first Northern Ireland Remote Sensing community group met for the first time at the University of Ulster. This was the first time academia, industry and regional government had got together to discuss the possibilities and opportunities for development of the space downstream in the region. This is another key development in the province. The UK government has

set an ambitious target to capture 10% of the global space market by the year 2030, estimated to be then worth $400 billion globally. The UK has also recognised that much of this increase in activity will take place in the downstream sector and will require new actors and stakeholders from across the UK to get involved in the space game to reach this target. In June, Northern Ireland hosted the Eurisy ‘Digital Society and Satellite Applications’ conference at the Ulster Museum. Delegates from across Ireland and around Europe gathered in Belfast to showcase successful business cases from SMEs who created innovative digital products and services using geospatial services (satellite images, satnav) or satcoms, and by public authorities, museums, educational facilities and others users. The programme was supported by Invest NI and the European Space Agency. There are now plans to develop the UK Satellite Applications Catapult in Northern Ireland to foster growth across the economy through the exploitation of space.

students titled ‘Space Science Technology’. This exciting space based qualification is the first of its kind in Europe and will enable our next generation to understand the opportunities that space can present as a career and the potential for engagement in STEM related activities. All of these developments have taken place in the last 18 months, with more Northern Ireland companies engaging with space coming to the fore every month and companies from beyond the province now looking to establish a base in the province to develop their respective space capabilities and offerings to the UK and European space market. Indeed, Northern Ireland is a great place to do space business.

Further, the Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), in association with industry and the related sector trade bodies have created a new vocational qualification for 14 to 16 year old

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MANUFACTURING

Can we make it? Yes we can, says Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI.

There is plenty to do, specifically in energy, skills and employment law policy. MNI believe the Executive can create the most competitive region in Europe in which to start, sustain and grow a manufacturing business, thus creating wealth and work. The rates cap for manufacturing must remain. As a pre-EU accession relief, the cap on industrial rates is a positive competitive point of difference that can be used to promote Northern Ireland as a place for foreign direct investment and to encourage indigenous businesses to invest and expand operations. The ‘rate in the pound’ should not exceed current levels. Manufacturing requires time to plan – usually capital investments (space and machinery) are on a twenty-year investment period and require certainty on cost in order to achieve investment from internal or external funders. We need our utilities companies to be effective, but we also need them to provide affordable energy and water. Our electricity prices should be smoothed out across the single electricity market – there is a 20% cost difference between the North and South – and from there we must move to a more competitive EU average.

cean Liners, aircraft, pneumatic tyres, whiskey and tractors famously define Northern Ireland’s proud manufacturing history, but our innovation and endeavour are as globally significant today as the iconic businesses that helped transform the industrial world. Manufacturing should be celebrated. Far from being a twilight part of our economy, manufacturing generates annual sales approaching £20bn, directly employing 80,000 people, supporting production and employment in a wider supply chain and creating strong communities in every constituency across Northern Ireland. MNI’s engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive has been generally positive. By placing the economy at the heart of the Programme for Government, the Executive has provided the focus required to get businesses producing, exporting and putting people to work. Frequent ministerial investment announcements, skills and employment initiatives and, critically for manufacturers, the most recent three finance ministers holding the cap on industrial rates are factors that have undoubtedly helped our economy to grow.

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We need a skilled workforce to include apprenticeship programmes that meet the needs of employers and provide a viable alternative for young people looking to get onto the job ladder. Jobs do exist but they need to be better signposted and people need to be given the necessary training to do them. Fundamentally, funding for training and apprenticeships should move to employers, while training schools and experienced instructors should be reinstated. Northern Ireland is currently ranked forty-five in labour-market efficiency. GB is ranked five. A major reason for this is inconsistency in employment law, which is a barrier to job creation, inward investment and operating efficiency. A review is necessary. The Executive is to be congratulated for supporting business and should be encouraged to be brave and to make the much-needed changes that will make Northern Ireland a highly competitive region and get people to work. Our manufacturers create great products so the issue isn’t demand, it is cost. Sort that and watch our economy fly!

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AEROSPACE

Cleared for takeoff Dr Leslie Orr, manager of ADS Northern Ireland explains why the aerospace industry has huge potential in Northern Ireland.

he worldwide demand for air travel and for new aircraft continues to grow. The global market outlook for the aerospace industry presents major opportunities for Northern Ireland companies. Currently UK aerospace has a 17% global market share, making it the number one aerospace industry in Europe and globally second only to the US. The sector generates over £27bn of UK revenues. Northern Ireland contributes nearly £1bn to this total and therefore in scale is one of the top aerospace regions. The sector directly employs over 8,000 people in Northern Ireland and contributes 20% of our annual exports. There is real opportunity for growth; however, there is also very strong international competition. The sector is highly prized by governments across the globe, being a high value, high technology industry with the potential to generate jobs, wealth and exports. The Northern Ireland aerospace sector has a rich and successful heritage and industry and Government are keen to build on those successes for the long term.

Future Growth The global growth figures for the industry are staggering. By 2032 it is estimated that more than 29,000 new large civil airliners worth over $4.4 Trillion will be required. On top of this, a further 24,000 business jets, 5,800 regional aircraft and 40,000 helicopters will also be needed.

ADS Northern Ireland ADS Northern Ireland was established four years ago and already has 60 member companies. The goal of ADS Northern Ireland is to further grow the industry here. Bombardier, B/E Aerospace, RLC Group, Magellan Aerospace and Survitec all have substantial operations in Northern Ireland that supply many aerospace programmes worldwide. There is also a very strong aerospace supply chain cluster with over 50 companies supplying components to major industry primes like Bombardier, Airbus and Boeing. Bringing together many of these strands for growth, ADS NI has formed a strong Northern Ireland Industry council. In

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tandem with the national Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP) Programme, the ADS NI Council together with Northern Ireland government departments has developed a strategic plan to accelerate growth in the industry here. The “Northern Ireland Partnering for Growth” strategy was launched earlier this year. The 10 year targets and goals for the sector as outlined in “Northern Ireland Partnering for Growth” strategy are: 1. Revenues: To more than double revenues to over £2bn. 2. Employment: Increase direct employment from 8,000 to 12,000 high value jobs. 3. Skills Development: To develop the required talent and skills to support the current and future needs of the industry. 4. Supply Chain Excellence: To establish the required supply chain structure and develop the capabilities of Northern Ireland companies through supply chain excellence to increase productivity and competitiveness. 5. Research and Development: To promote research and development, innovating new products, processes and services that will enable Northern Ireland to compete effectively on the world stage. 6. Sales and Export Markets: To grow sales by expanding our routes to other markets with increasing emphasis on growth in emerging markets.

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ADVERTISING

Time for a commercial break Robert Lyle is Media Director of Lyle Bailie and knows Northern Ireland’s advertising sector inside out. He reveals his wish list for the sector.

Growth Advertising is good for Northern Ireland. It oils the economy, helps businesses grow, generates employment and aids active citizenship. However, with the UK market projecting 6.6% growth in 2014 and the Republic of Ireland 3% growth, it remains unclear whether we shall see growth in Northern Ireland this year. This is in part because the Northern Ireland media sector does not get its fair share. The local advertising market is largely driven by Great Britain and ROI (who supply approximately 70% of revenues) and from the local marketplace.

Even if some local categories are still experiencing tough budgetary conditions (especially Government), market forces from GB/ROI will exert a greater influence on costs as more money comes into the advertising marketplace from global brands that are growing. TV costs are up by over 16% this year.

it for me – too expensive and no way of combining reach and frequency information to see what it adds to client schedules). Why can’t we get ITV2/ITV3/4 on a Northern Ireland option? Is this an issue for DCAL and DETI – to ensure we have equal access in the new post devolutionary UK to advertise on major broadcast channels?

We have lived through the deepest recession in post WW2 advertising history. The current recession will end, but many clients have no recognition that they have lived through a uniquely low cost period. New increased budget setting needs to take cognisance of this going forward.

Embrace the need to increase the amount of media “owned” activity you do – without sacrificing the essential need for “paid” and “earned” media to draw people to those owned properties There are very few campaigns that can get by without using advertising in conjunction with all the other owned and earned channels. We consume over 1009 commercial messages a day. You can’t stand out against that on a sustained basis just through stunts.

Clients based outside Northern Ireland engage in too much box ticking when it comes to planning and buying media in Northern Ireland. They need to take it more seriously.

Recognition that local media are still crucial and do a good job Local media do need to come together to remind advertisers what they achieve by using them. Local press can reach 75% coverage in Northern Ireland. Local radio keeps buoyant – utilising all local commercial radio stations can deliver reach up to 72%. Outdoor pushes ahead with multi-format campaigns able to deliver reach of around 74% and more. Traditional linear TV can achieve over 85% coverage depending on weight.

Let’s be realistic about advertising costs going forward Local existing and lapsed advertisers must recognise that after years of advertising cost deflation, we are going to experience a return of cost inflation going forward. That is the way markets work.

Let’s have a UK media policy in broadcasting that is sensitive to the requirements of local Northern Ireland advertisers as well as local viewers Why can we advertise on Sky channels or E4/ More 4 in the Republic of Ireland but not in Northern Ireland? (Sky Adsmart doesn’t do

Up to May 2014, Northern Ireland accounted for 17.4% of all-Ireland media spend despite having 28% of the population. We will probably get around 1% share of UK budgets when we account for 2.8% of its population.

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Lyle Bailie International has generated 3.6 million views to the new DOE road safety advert “Classroom” on YouTube through a judicious spread of paid, earned and owned media initiatives. Mixology works. Clients – return on investment analysis is not used enough in Northern Ireland We at Lyle Bailie have been able to prove a £10 per £1 return on investment for DOE Road Safety and a €2.13 return for every €1 invested for Moy Park Kievs. There needs to be more of this econometric analysis, which does cost money, but proves the effectiveness of great advertising.

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INFRASTRUCTURE

Why infrastructure powers the road to success By Nigel Smyth, Director, CBI Northern Ireland

or many of the highly successful firms that are featured in this year’s Top 100 there are a number of key determinants that act as the wider environment in which continued growth is achieved. While some have benefitted from an improving picture in terms of their export markets, others have been able to pioneer and develop innovative technological solutions that can benefit areas of our lives such as public service delivery. The challenge for us is to continue to make the case that, for Northern Ireland to enhance its global competitiveness and attractiveness as a place to do business and invest, there must be further reforms that enable this year’s Top 100 to grow further. A key driver of investment for any business is access to markets, and a key enabling factor is clearly infrastructure. Without the right infrastructure package, Northern Ireland will still lag our international competitors. CBI surveys continue to highlight the importance of infrastructure. Our 2013 CBI/ KPMG Infrastructure Survey confirms this, with 98% of companies identifying the quality or cost of infrastructure as having a significant impact on investment decisions. During 2013 CBI Northern Ireland set out to identify key infrastructure priorities to 2025 and the system we have for prioritisation and delivery, benchmarked via our neighbours. It is clear that energy, its increasing cost, the future of interconnection and growing concerns over security of supply, sit at the top of the list in terms of key areas which required

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addressing. With our large energy users paying the second highest costs in Europe, there is an urgent need to find solutions. The delivery therefore of the Second NorthSouth Interconnector was therefore seen as the number one infrastructure priority. To get exports to market, and to improve our connectivity, there is also a need to focus on our road, rail and aviation links and how these can be better improved and expanded. From the delivery of the York Street Interchange and A6/M2 schemes to the establishment of an hourly BelfastDublin train to the further improvement of access links to our airports and ports there are clear priorities that we have detailed which government is already acknowledging in its planning processes. Industry too made clear its concern with many of the key facets of infrastructure procurement and delivery in Northern Ireland. From delays in delivery, to overspecification of projects, to budget overruns, to the lack of an appropriate pipeline

that the industry can have full confidence in, there was a clear call for urgent reform. In this regard, we welcome the commitment of the Finance Minister to deal with many of the problems that industry has consistently outlined. Greater centralisation of procurement and delivery matches up to successful systems elsewhere while he has also committed to tackle the visibility of forthcoming projects through a proper regional infrastructure plan. To meet future economic need, Northern Ireland has to prioritise projects whose economic benefits are real and tangible. The Executive must move away from having short-term pressures dictate many infrastructure decisions – to having long-term strategic prioritisation of key economic projects determine decisions. By taking these steps we can, collectively, agree a common purpose and outcomes of infrastructure development in Northern Ireland – a common purpose and outcomes that have our competitiveness, economic growth and jobs at their core.

ave you booked your FREE place at Ireland’s leading business conference and exhibition to help your business SAVE money, BOOST profits, WIN new business AND improve its environmental performance? Taking place in the Canal Court, Newry on Thursday 2nd October delegates will enjoy a fantastic line up of speakers, excellent networking opportunities and a rich array of exhibitors all keen to showcase the solutions they can offer. A packed full day ensuring delegates go away with more than just a few new business cards.

Environment Minister Mark H Durkan commented: “To deliver a better environment and a stronger economy we need businesses, small and large, to look closely at the way in which they operate, to learn from others and to adopt good environmental practices. There is a clear business case for doing so, not just because of the significant cost savings which can improve competitiveness, particularly for small businesses, but also because of the positive environmental outcomes. I am impressed by the way the Green Biz team are getting the message out through the cross-border partnership between the local authorities and business.”

Giving his support to Green Biz 2014 and scheduled to open the day’s proceedings,

The event, organised by the STEM Project, a Project supported by the European Union’s

INTERREG IVA Cross Border Programme, is FREE to attend but registration is essential. Green Biz 2014 will be hosted by ExApprentice finalist and Regional Vice President with Groupon UK, Jim Eastwood. Jim will share with delegates his very own top tips for staff motivation and the significant role this can play in a business’s journey to make cost savings and improve efficiencies. UTV’s Business Correspondent, Jamie Delargy will provide delegates with a snappy business brief on the renewable energy market and future sustainability issues for local businesses. This year’s Green Biz Event will also include a Green Biz Environmental Award for businesses and individual recognition.

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PENSIONS

Retirement mistakes to avoid Make the right decision now and retire in peace and prosperity, says Hal Catherwood of Brewin Dolphin...

Retiring too early It is likely your pension will be near to its highest value when you reach retirement. However, the timing of your retirement could have a significant impact on the level of income you receive. Generally, though subject to investment content and market fluctuations, the longer you can leave your pension fund invested, the larger the fund will become. This is due to compound interest which Albert Einstein described as “the eighth wonder of the world”.

Making the wrong choice with your pension When you retire, most pensions do not automatically start to pay you an income. You have to make a choice: either to buy an

annuity, which will pay you a guaranteed income for your lifetime, or take income drawdown, where your pension pot remains invested and you draw an income based on how your investments perform. Annuities suit those who need a guaranteed income and are a lower risk option than income drawdown, where your income may fall as well as rise. For many people, a combination of guaranteed income through annuities and State or other pensions, combined with some income drawdown can provide the best of both worlds.

Not shopping around for the best annuity If an annuity is the right choice for you,

shopping around for your annuity can improve your income significantly. The shopping around process is known as using the ‘open market option’. If you are a smoker or suffer from poor health then you may be entitled to an even higher income, via an ‘enhanced annuity’ – it is always worth disclosing health conditions and lifestyle information when getting an annuity quote.

Not taking your full tax-free cash entitlement After age 55 you may have the option to draw a pension commencement lump sum which is usually 25% of the fund value. If needed this could be used to clear your remaining mortgage, take a cruise or provide a supplementary income to your pension. Otherwise, leaving this money within your pension pot can offer valuable tax benefits, so take advice before you act.

Paying more tax than you need to Perhaps the biggest tax mistake I see is people not using their Individual Savings Account (ISA) allowance. Retirement is the time when you will convert your portfolio from pursuing a growth objective to delivering an income and this process is easier and cheaper if your investments are sheltered in ISAs. ISAs are free from capital gains tax and further income tax and can provide you with a great source of tax free income.

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ACCOUNTANCY

Balancing the books What do accountants want to happen in the year ahead? Liz Hughes, Head of the Association of Chartered, Certified Accountants (ACCA) Ireland, gives us a rundown.

here are an infinite number of activities, policies and procedures that could support a more robust economy and help to open up Northern Ireland to make it a more attractive location for investment. For the first time, businesses are being attracted to Northern Ireland, foreign direct investment is up and there is an emerging digital hub. An important factor in attracting FDI is a favourable rate of corporation tax. Greater freedom for Northern Ireland to set corporation tax, specifically at a reduced rate of 12.5% to compete with ROI would attract more overseas investment and with it, potentially, job creation. Another area that specifically relates to the accountancy profession in terms of investment is greater adoption of integrated reporting by larger companies. According to ACCA’s research, 93 per cent of investors want to see non-financial information included in company reports. There needs to be greater transparency in corporate reporting and ACCA believes this can generate trust in the public sphere as well as provide investors with a fuller picture of a company’s overall activities.

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As we know, SMEs are key to the Northern Ireland economy, accounting for 99.9% of all businesses. However it is important that these SMEs get professional financial advice which will help grow their business, but research has shown that this is not always the case. There is evidence to suggest that SMEs are in a better position with that financial expertise guiding them throughout. BDRC Continental research shows that 17.4 per cent of SMEs with regular management reporting, a formal written business plan and financially trained staff grew more than 30 per cent, but just 7.5 per cent of SMEs without that financial expertise and support grew that much. However, SMEs are, often unknowingly, using unregulated accountants. UK-wide research from ClearBooks showed just 8% of small businesses considered an accountant’s qualifications when choosing their professional advisor. It has long been ACCA’s view that measures are put in place to ensure the term ‘accountant’ is protected by law or to raise awareness with the public and businesses of the risks associated with using an unqualified accountant. This will ensure businesses receive the right information and advice to make the right financial choices, in turn growing and developing their business. In that endeavour to grow a business, Northern Ireland SMEs looking to develop into

new markets need more support on how to export. It is there already, but rarely can that kind of guidance be found in one place. Finally, another area which is also of growing importance is diversity. We believe diversity of gender, race, culture and background in leadership teams strengthens and enriches them. For example, traditionally women have been underrepresented in boardroom positions and we believe more women need to be represented at senior management and board level. It’s great to see leading organisations such as Moy Park and Progressive Building Society with dynamic and innovative female leaders. However, these are the exceptions rather than the norm. Businesses, ideally voluntarily, should set targets to get women into the boardroom or similar senior positions. While those targets won’t be binding, they will come coupled with the need to be transparent – an obligatory explanation as to why those targets haven’t been met. All of these aspirations are not unrealistic for Northern Ireland and it will take the collective effort of organisations, such as ACCA, government and business to make them a reality for the overall benefit of the Northern Ireland economy.

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COMMERCIAL FINANCE

New tides By Harry Parkinson, Managing Director, Close Brothers Commercial Finance.

he tide is starting to change in Northern Ireland and there is a cautious level of optimism in the air. We are entering a new and exciting phase; the latest Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)* shows that our economy has been in recovery for over a year now. It indicated a return to growth in June 2013 and has remained positive for 12 months. Business confidence is at its highest level in some years and many firms are starting to look towards the future once again. The results of the latest Close Brothers Business Barometer** shows that one in five firms surveyed in Northern Ireland are prospering in the current climate, with 40 per cent of that number reporting an increase in profits within the last 12 months. A further 35 per cent are confident that their business will expand during the next year. However, confidence alone is not enough to catapult a business forward. The need for well thought out funding is as great as ever. Our research shows that cash flow is still

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a major problem for many local firms, with almost a fifth of those surveyed citing it as their main business concern. In order to fully grasp the opportunity for growth, companies must be well capitalised with ready access to appropriate funding. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re offering asset based lending (ABL), a unique product in the Northern Ireland marketplace that is designed to help firms make the most of the assets at their disposal. This type of funding package may be led by invoice finance, which unlocks the capital tied up in sales invoices and is bolstered by taking company assets such as stock, property, plant or machinery into consideration. ABL may be used to fund a wide range of business objectives, from mergers and acquisitions to investment in new equipment, machinery or taking on new staff.

At Close Brothers Commercial Finance, we look at things a bit differently. Rather than offering standard, off-the-shelf packages, our team of industry experts prides itself on getting to know your business, analysing the situation before creating a tailored solution. Our business model is unique in the marketplace, both because of the wide range of bespoke solutions we can offer and also because of the flat management structure which gives our clients direct access to decision makers. We make credit decisions here in Northern Ireland, meaning the whole process is quick and streamlined. I urge all businesses to evaluate your current financial arrangements, thus ensuring that you are ready to grasp any new opportunities as and when they may arise.

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By releasing cash from both your sales ledger and leveraging available assets, you can boost your working capital and ensure you have the financial capacity to adapt and position yourself for success in the changing economic landscape.

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PROFILE

Mind blowing business of the month Business: Solmatix Boss: Richard Bell

What makes your business so mind blowing? Solmatix is probably Northern Ireland’s leading installer of Solar PV and Solar Hot Water panels, as well as wood pellet boilers and air source heat pumps. We have over 1,000 customers in Northern Ireland, spread across the commercial, agricultural, domestic and volume housing sectors. The company started back in 2008, working from outbuildings at my family farm in Dundrod. There were only three of us in that first year, and we managed a turnover of £3,000. Yet six years later, we have a staff of 50 local people including six engineers and we’re looking at a turnover of around £6 million for 2014/15. We’ve always had a clear vision of where we want to drive the business. We’re not here simply to sell solar panels. We are an engineering company with an absolute focus on designing, engineering and installing class-leading renewable energy systems that exceed market demand and are ahead of the competition. How did you come up with such a mind-blowing idea? I’ve an engineering background, working as a mechanical engineer with Shorts Defence Division and as the technical director with RFD, and I’ve always had a keen interest in renewable energy. Quite frankly, I was appalled by the shoddy quality of the solar panel installations I saw going up.

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The Solmatix team at the opening of the new Nutt’s Corner premises with Chamber of Commerce President Mark Nodder

People’s roofs were being ruined. I knew I could design a better installation system. That’s exactly what Solmatix did, and our mounting system is now fully patented and approved by our governing body, MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme). How do you compare with the competition? I believe we operate at a different level of quality, design, innovation and value from our competitors. For example, we’re currently working towards installing the largest roof-top Solar PV system in the island of Ireland at Tobermore Concrete, and we’re also installing small, efficient systems for hundreds of proud homeowners. Our quality is foremost too. For example, when we took our mounting system to Amsterdam for EU testing, it performed so well that the machinery couldn’t break it. In fact, our Solmatix mounting system is now recognised as an exemplar for the

renewable industry and sets the standard by which other systems are measured. How will your business look in five years time? At present Solmatix is closely identified with solar panels for electricity and hot water, and we will continue to grow in this field. However, our business is diversifying into a number of other areas, in line with changes in the renewable sector. Solar is rapidly becoming an integral part of the very structure of buildings, so we see massive opportunities in areas such as buildingintegrated solar systems and energy storage. How do you encourage innovation in your company? We have a substantial R&D budget, so research into innovation products is key to what we do. We also believe in being innovative in how we work and we have a very clear line of communication with our customers and staff to make sure we are we anticipate customers’ needs, and meet for them.

With the global business landscape evolving faster than ever, it’s time for local companies to reach out to new markets and stake their claim.

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Control, alt, delete Patrick McAliskey, Managing Director of Novosco, explores the depths of the Northern Ireland IT sector

ccording to Invest NI, Northern Ireland has over 900 indigenous companies in its ICT sector, many of which are leading global players. Their areas of expertise include wireless, financial services software, security and information management. And with more than 100 international investors also in the sector, Northern Ireland is now a leading foreign direct investment region for software development centres and IT technical support centres. According to Invest NI, Belfast is Europe’s leading destination city for software development and technical support investment. In 2011, the UK Technology Insights report published by e-skills UK said that Northern Ireland’s digital industry generated a turnover of more than £1.4billion per annum. The e-skills UK Northern Ireland IT Snapshot of April 2012 reported that there were 16,000 employed in the IT and Telecoms industry. The snapshot also reported a further 12,000 working in IT or Telecoms occupations in other industries, bringing the total to 28,000. A report by an independent consultant for the Northern Ireland IT Employers Board highlighted that with a sufficient supply of skills, this sector could employ over 50,000 people within five years. There are lots of numbers and predictions, and I don’t think anyone can argue that the tech sector is an

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applications to present the data for the predicted 4 billion Internet users by 2018.

Video Cisco has predicted that by 2018, video will represent 79 percent of all global internet traffic, up from 66 percent in 2013. To allow Internet users to cope, it is also forecast that in four years’ time, the average global fixed broadband connection speed will increase by almost three-fold. Ultra HD video will account for 11 percent of IP video traffic by 2018 and 4K video will start to make a significant impact as more and more Internet connected TVs use this standard.

Wearable Health Technology

important, dynamic, and growing part of the Northern Ireland economy. A look at the Deloitte Fast 50 listing of the fastest growing tech companies on the island of Ireland gives a flavour of some of the dynamic companies operating here – firms like Sixteen South (at number 2), Export Technologies, First Derivatives, Rehabstudio, Learning Pool, and others. All of them based here, but working outside Northern Ireland, some of them globally. We at Novosco were also delighted to be on the list for a 14th year.

“Within five years there will be 20billion devices connected to the Internet, including fridges, thermostats, and shop floor machines. Sensors will collect and feed data to a database on the Internet.” AUGUST 2014

The pace of change in tech means that in a few years’ time, there could be a whole host of other companies on that list too, some of them doing things that we couldn’t even begin to predict now. Even in the next 12 months, the pace of tech change promises to be huge. And for Northern Ireland businesses there are lots of opportunities to be actively involved in the global market. We have the resources here to box well above our weight. By continuing to produce top quality technology graduates who can create exciting new solutions for consumers and businesses, we can contribute significantly to the overall job-count in the tech sector and the economy as a whole.

Health Monitoring Big Brother is coming – to your wrist, forehead, scales, clothing and ear. And this Big Brother has your best health interests at heart. During 2014, hundreds of new devices and sensors have been released on the market and no doubt this intensity will continue in 2015 and beyond.

“Health Monitoring Big Brother is coming – to your wrist, forehead, scales, clothing and ear. And this Big Brother has your best health interests at heart.” Google Glass

Here are some of the areas I think are going to be really big in tech next year and beyond:

Internet of Things Within five years there will be 20billion devices connected to the Internet, including fridges, thermostats, and shop floor machines. Sensors will collect and feed data to a database on the Internet. These sensors are becoming smaller and much cheaper when mass-produced. All of this data collected is leading to the creation of ‘Big Data’ and there will undoubtedly be a demand to develop

For £1,000 today, you can invest in Glass Explorer Edition device which will allow you to own a wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display. The possibilities of ‘Glass’ and similar type devices are endless. UK surgeons have become the first in the world to use Google Glass in the operating theatre.

Novosco is an indigenous IT infrastructure company, based in NI Science Park and employing around 100 people.

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RETAIL

A shopping revolution? Aodhán Connolly is director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and represents some of the biggest supermarkets operating here. He looks at the challenges and opportunities in the months ahead.

places where consumers want to spend their time and their hard earned money. Retailers love certainty and there will also be some major variables in the months ahead that will have a tangible effect now and in the future. Firstly, we will have our first rates revaluation since 2001 and, although there will be winners and losers, the NIRC believe the rates burden will go up. This will have an impact not just on running costs but of how retailers decide to invest in Northern Ireland. However, it is already encouraging that Ministers listened and are scrapping the £7m large retailer levy as part of this revaluation process.

his has been a challenging few years for retailers, for the supply chain at all levels and, of course, consumers in Northern Ireland and beyond. The economic downturn has changed the way consumers shop, what they buy and how much they spend. It has increased the need for efficiencies throughout business and at every level the financial pinch has been felt. However, there are encouraging signs. At the time of writing, footfall on our high streets and shopping malls has risen three months in a row (including one month where Northern Ireland had the highest growth of any region in the UK) and unemployment continues to fall for almost a year and a half. And of course retailers continue to invest more and more in Northern Ireland. But retailer’s success has a much wider

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impact on the economy. Our sector employs over 70,00 people in Northern Ireland and even a cursory glance at the Top 100 this year shows the importance of agri-food to Northern Ireland. We have world class agri-food products that easily compete on the global stage. From potatoes to parsnips and from bacon to beef, our produce has rightly gained a reputation for excellence. In June we announced that Northern Ireland Retail Consortium members will source over £1.2bn of Northern Ireland produce with a large portion of that produce being exported, bring rewards to our economy and our produce to the UK and beyond. But there are challenges ahead for retailers in the next 18 months. Although we have seen some green shoots of an economic recovery, consumer confidence is very reactive and we now need to make our towns and cities exciting, safe and accessible

Another huge variable is the implementation of local government reform. This is one of the biggest administrative changes in the history of Northern Ireland. The 11 new super councils will have new powers including planning and economic development that will have a direct effect on investment and even the location of future stores. The NIRC has already begun to engage with the new shadow councillors and is looking forward to working with them. However, until we see in practice how these new powers will be used, retail and other sectors will continue to have some concern. In conclusion, the outlook on retail over the next 18 months is generally positive. However, there is some concern stemming from the uncertainty of the huge changes we will see from April 2015. What I can say for certain though is that our members commitment to Northern Ireland, the economy, jobs and the supply chain has never been stronger.

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AGRI-FOOD

It’s harvest time By Simon Rowe

t’s over 15 years since the boss of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) appeared on the front cover of Ulster Business under the headline ‘Don’t write us off’. At the time, Michael Bell’s warning was seen as bullish, and maybe even foolhardy given that the industry was in the doldrums and there was little sign of a turnaround in its fortunes. But now, with Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector worth £4.5bn

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annually and with 100,000 people employed in the industry, few would blame him for being tempted to say “I told you so”. Over the course of two decades, our artisan producers and multinational companies have launched an assault on the agri-sector and are now leading the charge in the global foodie revolution. And NIFDA is at the vanguard of this fight through its work on the industry-led Agri-Food Strategy Board which was established by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment and the Department of Rural Development to

develop a long-term strategy to grow the agri-food sector. The board’s Going for Growth strategy – which has just received a £250 million funding pledge from the Stormont Executive – is targeting growth in sales to £7bn within five years, including 75% growth in export sales. “We believe there is potential to accelerate growth and create a further 15,000 jobs within five years,” said Mr Bell, who is still at the helm of NIFDA. The Going for Growth strategy – which has won cross-party support on the Hill – has been two-pronged. It urged the industry to increase productivity, look for opportunities for rationalisation –including mergers and acquisitions – invest in and improve sales and branding, and increase innovation. Likewise it urged government to invest in infrastructure, create a supportive regulatory environment and support investment in the industry. Food giant Moy Park’s recent decision to invest £170 million in a new innovation centre, creating over 600 new jobs, is a sign of how well the strategy is working and is an example of “accelerated growth” in the local industry, said the executive director of NIFDA. The new Moy Park jobs will be shared among the poultry processor’s headquarters in Craigavon and its Ballymena and Dungannon sites. The agri-food sector is also to benefit significantly from a

AUGUST 2014

recently launched £1bn bank loan scheme for businesses. Start-up packages are being made available for young farmers – providing loans, training, and specialist expertise – as well as sector-specific loan deals for beef, dairy and poultry farmers. However, it hasn’t all been poultry in motion for the agri-sector over the last 12 months. Industry experts acknowledge that the past year has been “very tough” on the sector, following the horse meat scandal. Francis Martin, head of food and drink at BDO Northern Ireland, said: “2013 was memorable, but probably for the wrong reasons. The year began with news that the Food Safety Authority in Ireland had found undeclared horse DNA in frozen beef burgers on sale in Tesco. While the stories have mainly focused on meat they have raised wider concerns about the integrity and security of supply chains. The after-effects are still being felt across the industry.” “The integrity of the supply chain has become a subject for consumers who would have previously not considered the origin of what they eat. This has led to an increased importance being placed on food provenance and traceability,” he said. “The scandal has resulted in serious reputational and brand damage to some of the largest food companies in the UK. The challenge for these businesses is a tough one in trying to win back those lost sales.” >>

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Mr Martin, a member of the Agri-Food Strategy Board, remains optimistic, however. “If 2013 was the year that transparency and reporting created a significant boardroom impact, then 2014 is likely to be the one that successful businesses learn how to turn this agenda to their commercial advantage,” he said. “A lasting impact of the scandals could be that quality and transparency now has a price that previously may not have been paid for by customers looking to drive down costs,” he predicts in BDO’s latest industry report. NIFDA’s Michael Bell is equally upbeat, describing the horse meat scandal as “both a threat and an opportunity” to the local agri-food sector. “It’s a threat in that the issue of crime in food is now in sharp focus and will be addressed with a vigour that hadn’t been applied to it heretofore by the industry and the authorities,” he said. “But it’s also an opportunity in that there is a focus on shortening of supply chains and sourcing locally produced food, and that has generated opportunities for our industry.” However, continued pressure on margins and the need for in-house quality assurance and testing to manage complex supply chains in the wake of the horse meat scandal is likely to be a driver of more consolidation, industry experts predict. And corporate activity in the sector over the past year suggests that confidence has been restored. Notable deals within Northern Ireland over the last 12 months include Fane Valley’s acquisition of McCaughan Animal and Health and Moyle Veterinary Supplies, Devenish Nutrition’s acquisition of Hi Peak Feeds, Dunbia’s acquisition of G Wood & Sons, Dale Farm’s acquisition of Ash Manor Cheese Company and Fane Valley’s acquisition of Duncrue Food Processors. Clearly, with our agri-sector in such rude good health, nobody would dare write it off ever again.

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Michael Bell warned against overlooking the agri-food industry’s staying power in 1999.

Factfile Agri-food is our largest indigenous industry, our biggest manufacturing industry, our largest single employer and most important exporter. It is one of the few industries to have recorded sustained growth during the recession. Agri-food also makes an even greater contribution to jobs and wealth throughout the local economy through its purchase of goods and services such as transport, packaging and engineering. It is estimated that every £1 million of food and drink processing output generates £1.9 millon in regional economic output and every job in food and drink processing has a multiplier effect generating almost two jobs elsewhere in the regional economy.

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TECHNOLOGY

Innovative ambition John Knapton, Springboard director at the Northern Ireland Science Park (NISP) CONNECT, says we need to grow more innovation companies, make the business ecosystem simple and keep punching above our economic weight to be the best in Europe by 2030.

don’t believe in visions that have less chance of succeeding than winning the National Lottery. So NISP CONNECT’s vision of Northern Ireland becoming one of Europe’s leading knowledge economies by 2030 is grounded on the fact that we are currently one of the fastest growing knowledge economies in the UK.

Admittedly, we are starting from a low base, but as a small population we already punch well above our weight and, with the right attitude and collaboration, the opportunity is wide open for Northern Ireland to leverage our current trajectory and make a significant impact in the global market. The key building blocks are creative, strategic policy decisions backed by a complementary culture shift in our business and education priorities. Today’s globalised economy dictates that Northern Ireland can no longer compete with cheaper labour markets, providing traditional manufacturing and services alone. Instead, we need to create new, innovative products through identifying and solving global problems, by doing things more cleverly than everyone else – that’s a Knowledge Economy. The prizes for creating a booming, entrepreneurial knowledge economy are multiple; vastly increased tax take that can be ploughed back into Northern Ireland infrastructure and the creation of world class jobs. The employment multiplier, the knockon effect of creating more innovation companies, however, returns one of the biggest benefits – for every job created in an innovation company, between two and five additional jobs are created through support and supply chain requirements. In November 2013, NISP CONNECT’s Knowledge Economy

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Index was able to report on Northern Ireland’s trend over three years. The findings were deeply encouraging. In employment alone, Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy grew at 6.2%, compared with the UK average of 2.5%. The Northern Ireland Centre for Economy Policy at University of Ulster also produced a composite index of ALL of the metrics and found that, over the three years, Northern Ireland’s knowledge economy outperformed the rest of the UK by 20%, across the entire index. We need to grow from 2,000 innovation companies to 7,000, with start-ups accounting for 10%. Risk capital investment needs to continue to increase significantly, while investment in R&D, in particular, must double to £1bn per annum. Most importantly, we have to actively support a culture of collaboration within our business community, where experienced individuals and successful companies help each other and the “new kids on the block” to succeed, by sharing failure and success, process innovations and transfer of knowledge – all of which can accelerate competitive advantage. We must strive to make Northern Ireland’s business ecosystem simpler, a place where it is easy to do business and where it is easy to understand the steps to take to build compelling commercialisation strategies, high growth potential business.

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Full ESTEAM ahead Northern Ireland needs to inspire young people to be entrepreneurs, to be scientists and to be creative if it’s to succeed, says Joanne Stuart, Chair STEM Business Group and Chair Arts & Business NI.

his is a great time to be in business in Northern Ireland. Our top 100 companies have made it through the recession and are ready to ride the turning economic tide. They are delivering a higher rate of job creation and start-ups within the knowledge economy than in the UK. If together we can continue to grow the talent pool to encompass most of our young people, they can make us one of the leading knowledge economies in Europe by 2030. For any business in the 21st century to flourish, it must maximise innovation, creativity, and, critically, competitiveness. It must attract and retain a more diverse, better qualified workforce; so it behoves us all to inspire the young to aspire to play their part and to embrace ESTEAM (Enterprise/ Entrepreneurship, Science, Technology, Arts/ Creative, Engineering, Mathematics) in early life, both academically and practically. Only this will ensure businesses which will create the jobs and wealth needed by our economy. Business has been taking the lead working with government and the education artery to implement innovative programmes to address the need: • Apprenticeships (learning by doing) are available across more sectors.

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• Business-led academies have been created to link work with the classroom. • Business has never been more engaged with careers education and; • Business are providing more opportunities for work experience for students and teachers. Furthermore, the STEM Charter for Business has been widely and enthusiastically embraced by many businesses making an energetic and proactive approach to addressing gender balance. There is always more to be done, but we are moving in the right direction. Alas, there are still some roadblocks. Eamon Mallie posted a tweet recently “A row over a cake, a row over the Irish language, a row over marching and it is not 11am yet: Why would young people stay here?” The answer must lie in our politicians creating harmony among our peoples, while business takes on (and makes wealth to share from) the exciting opportunities that are being created around the globe, using the excellence of our research base and the creativity of our young people. To maximise these opportunities in both

politics and business, we need a collaborative culture to create a more vibrant connected innovation ecosystem, which must include social and cultural innovation. We must do more to combine science and engineering with technical and craft-based vocational education, as well as cultural activities and the social sciences. This is starting to happen with events such as CultureTech, the Friday Night Mash Up and INVENT, all of which are celebrating and encouraging the cross-pollination of ideas and skills between Arts/Culture and STEM and building on our rich heritage of creative curiosity and inventive entrepreneurial spirit. We need more and in every town and city. Derry~Londonderry is building up to ‘Science City 2015’ and there is a new NI-wide Science Festival planned for February. The aim is to help to engage more people in ESTEAM and ultimately to foster a culture of ambition and belief in our abilities and what we can achieve. The European Commission recently announced that Northern Ireland has been selected as the “European Entrepreneurial Region (EER) for 2015”, a title only awarded to a region with a credible, forward-thinking and promising vision plan – we must all enact those plans in order to transform our economy.

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LEGAL

Harmonisation in Europe? David Wilson from Worthingtons Solicitors looks at how European law can allow for trade restrictions.

n important European judgement with potentially serious constitutional implications for member states’ relationship within Europe was delivered by the Grand Chamber on 1st July 2014. The case centres on the refusal of Sweden to award a Finnish company certificates for the production of green electricity. By way of background, to ensure compliance with the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, an EU Directive (Directive 2009/28) came into force on 25th June 2009. This legislation places on member states a duty to produce a certain amount of green electricity. Europe has largely left member states to their own devices in terms of how this is done. Naturally, when it comes to meeting targets, national states wish to ensure domestically produced green electricity is given priority to electricity produced from a non-national state. Sweden’s recent refusal to award subsidies to Ålands Vindkraft, a wind energy company operating within Finnish territory but with a better connection to the Swedish grid, resulted in court action. It was believed by refusing to award the subsidies Sweden was restricting the free movement of trade and favouring its own state over its neighbour. In

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short, it was believed by the Finnish-owned Ålands Vindkraft that Sweden was in breach of EU treaties on free movement of goods. The case was eventually referred to the Grand Chamber under title C-573/12 Ålands

Vindkraft AB v Energimyndigheten and judgement was delivered on 1st July 2014. The case is of interest to not only to those involved with the development of green electricity, but also to those who comment on the development of European case law. The case concluded that Sweden put obstacles in the way of free trade but that this was justified on grounds of environmental protection and Sweden’s refusal to allow foreign companies to produce green electricity in Sweden was not disproportionate. The case is hardly a good example of harmonisation across member states; a doctrine which is intended to create consistency of laws so that the same rules apply to businesses that operate in more than one member state, and ensure that companies of one state do not obtain an economic advantage over those in another as a result of more favourable domestic policy. It is believed that much will be made of this judgment by those seeking EU reform and anti-EU groupings generally.

David Wilson is a Partner in Worthingtons Solicitors, Belfast specialising in telecoms and renewable energy.

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HOTELS

Five wishes for a tourism wonderland Janice Gault, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation, gives us a rundown of her wishlist for the tourism sector.

t would be lovely to have a fairy godmother to grant wishes at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, we do not live in a fairy-tale land and making things happen tends to be a combination of perseverance, patience and hard work! Like many sectors the hotel industry

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would wish for a better trading climate, an improvement in business, reduction in costs and end to the talk of recession. For hotels and those in the hospitality sector consumer confidence plays a huge role in business. The last couple of years have been

tough, with a major recession, banking crisis and government austerity measures. At times it has simply been a matter of survival. Last year the Northern Ireland Hotels Federation (NIHF) looked at the overall sector and came up with a manifesto document, Tourism 2020: Investing in our future. This publication

distils the wishes of the industry to five key areas (commonly known as the 5 T’s.): • Tourism – the need for a medium term strategy for the whole sector. • Taxation – a reduction of VAT to 5%. • Targets – a study on the longterm future of the industry. • Trading – staging of world class events and cohesive marketing. • Training – a single delivery agency for tourism and hospitality. The industry has not had a common framework since 2010. As the role of local government changes and new council structures come into effect, it is important that everyone is working on the same agenda. There is a draft strategy, the main aims of this are the realisation of £1bn of tourism spend and 4.5m visitors for Northern Ireland. The objectives are often quoted; regrettably there is no agreed strategy as to how we achieve them. Linked to the strategy is the need for an in-depth study to assess where the sector is going, what the visitor wants, and the trends that will impact us in the longer term. One of the biggest issues remains the VAT level on all hotel products, which currently

AUGUST 2014

sits at 20%. Our colleagues in the Republic of Ireland have a VAT rate of 9% on the same items. The UK has the third highest VAT rate in Europe and is one of only four EU countries which does not avail of a VAT reduction on tourism products. The island of Ireland is promoted as a single island destination overseas and this tax differential makes Northern Ireland appear very uncompetitive. To put things in perspective, a family visiting Belfast for a two-night break pays 119% more VAT than the same family visiting Cork. The NIHF has worked closely with the CutTourismVat Campaign and the issue has been raised in Westminster. The plan is to highlight VAT in the run up to the 2015 general election, showing the benefits a reduction would bring and lobby for a change going forward. Events not only bring an increase in business but are also an opportunity to showcase Northern Ireland on a world stage. The recent Giro d’Italia gave us a great platform and as an industry we would like to see at least one world-class event being staged each year. Promoting in a cohesive manner allows us to get more exposure and pool resources for increased coverage and better value.

Finally, the hospitality industry is really about people. The sector relies on people who are able to deliver a great experience to visitors. Without “people“ the industry is without a product to sell. Northern Ireland is seen as an authentic destination where tourists and locals engage on a regular basis. The industry needs to work on its image and attract people who see the sector as a preferred career option. The NIHF believe that the best way to do this is to have a single organisation responsible for training body offering a range of qualifications, leading to a career. The adoption of the “Five T’s” would make a huge difference to the hospitality and tourism sectors – not just hotels. The research that the NIHF carried out showed that their implementation would increase jobs, add economic benefit and, in the long run, lead to a better future for Northern Ireland. The industry currently accounts for just under 5% of Northern Ireland GDP and has the potential to grow considerably. Change is required and the NIHF believes that the implementation of the policies would bring about positive change. However, it is estimated that the failure to adopt a VAT reduction could cost Northern Ireland £128m!

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CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY

NI businesses compete to ‘Make a Million’

Members of the Pierce Partnership team are pictured with Prince’s Trust Young Ambassadors: (l-r) Didhar Alli, Young Ambassador; Barry Browne, Genevieve Lyttle, Dervla McGonnell, Joy Robinson and Thomas McKeown, Young Ambassador.

he Prince’s Trust and some of Northern Ireland’s leading companies have signed up for the Million Makers Corporate Challenge 2014. Each company is undertaking to turn an initial £1,500 investment into a fundraising profit of £10,000 in just six months through establishing and running a mini-enterprise. Now in its seventh year, the fundraising competition has successfully raised more than £300,000 to help The Prince’s Trust support disadvantaged young people from the ages of 13 to 30 across Northern Ireland. Million Makers is an opportunity for companies to engage, inspire and motivate employees to develop many transferable skills such as leadership, motivation and decision making, while generating funds to help young people turn their lives around.

Pictured are: (l-r) Jill Halliday, Aideen Crawford, Mark Liggett, Imelda McCoy and Susan Agnew from the Power NI team.

Team member Mark Liggett from Power NI commented: “Power NI is delighted to be associated with The Prince’s Trust Million Makers Scheme. We’re always looking into ways of maximising the entrepreneurial skills of our staff and this venture is the perfect opportunity for eight employees to showcase their business and teamworking skills. By generating creative and innovative ideas to help raise £10,000 from a business venture, which in turn will be ploughed back into the local community, it also gives staff the chance to enhance and develop skills within the workplace.” Dervla McGonnell from The Pierce Partnership said: “We are very excited to be taking part in ‘Million Makers’ to raise as much money as possible for the Prince’s Trust. This charity does truly amazing work and we realised just how amazing when we heard from one

of the young ambassadors who has turned their life around after help and support from the Prince’s Trust. The Million Makers challenge is a fun and worthwhile way to fundraise with the ultimate goal of helping those in need the most rewarding of all.” Ian Jeffers, Director of The Prince’s Trust in Northern Ireland welcomed the support from all of the teams saying: “The last round of Million Makers was an overwhelming success. This year I know that the teams will throw themselves wholeheartedly into the competition with the goal of collectively raising even more money helping local young people to get their lives on track and move into work, education or training.” Other companies currently signed up to the Million Makers Challenge include JCI and Glen Dimplex.

If you think your company has what it takes to be a Million Maker, and are not afraid of competition, then why not sign up?

Contact Arlene Creighton for more information at mail to: arlene.creighton@princes-trust.org.uk or T: 028 9089 5019

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REVIEW

Business

Breakfast

By David Elliott

The column which doesn’t have time for lunch Diner: Sam McIlveen Company: MD of NIJobs.com

How, I asked between mouthfuls, had he become General Manager at NIJobs.com?

That’s quite a company CV and Sam is no less ambitious for NIJobs after just a year.

Breakfast with Sam McIlveen is something everyone should experience at least once in their life.

It all started at Bath University where Sam’s love of sport – cricket, tennis, cycling and rugby, the latter of which saw him captain North rugby club for many years – meant he jumped at the chance to spend an extra year at the seat of learning as an elected sports officer.

“I tell the staff every day that we want every vacancy which is advertised in Northern Ireland to be on NIJobs.com. “We want to give the job seeker the best possible experience when they visit our site which gives us more visitors which in turn gives our advertisers better returns on their spending and helps us and them increase revenue.”

It’s not so much a culinary starter to the day, rather a rollercoaster ride of prose delivering the sort of advice and insight which only years of experience in industry can foster, mixed with the infectious enthusiasm of a Labrador puppy. But enough about me. Having crossed paths with Sam before in a work environment, I knew time was of the essence, so shortly after identifying the imposing presence of the subject of the first ever Business Breakfast – suitably decked out in his ‘man from Del Monte’ suit – we got the business of ordering out of the way. For me the intention to keep it healthy with poached eggs went awry at the first corner with my request for an additional slice of bacon being pounced upon by our attentive waitress as an easy target for an upsell. So the encouragingly titled Harlem Breakfast it was while our learned advertising guru showed how to start the day in a no-nonsense fashion with a bowl of porridge. How noble, I thought, until Sam revealed he’d already had breakfast before leaving the house. No matter, the food was merely a sideshow to what I like to think of as “the Sam effect”, one which involves the sharing of all that enthusiasm.

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It was there he was to have his first taste of the advertising world by pestering the brilliantly named local bus company Badgerline to sponsor the football team before going on to tap up the like of Nat West and others to back various sporting societies. Dealing with advertisers is in Sam’s DNA given his grandfather and great grandfather were behind the Northern Whig newspaper, so it was little wonder he thrived in the environment. Having finished that he moved on to London for a couple of years at an arm of Saatchi & Saatchi before moving back to Northern Ireland where the advertising theme continued apace. Three years at McCann Erikson was followed by 14 at AV Browne and then five years at The Belfast Telegraph where Sam specialised in the growing digital market. For just over a year now he’s been in post at the head of NIJobs.com, the online jobs website which is owned by Saon Group which was taken over by StepStone, the owners of TotalJobs.com, earlier this year and is a major player in the market across the world through founder Axel Springer.

That’s quite a challenge but one which Sam obviously relishes and with the corporate bit over, he doffs his metaphorical cap and is off to spread his infectious enthusiasm back at NIJobs headquarters. I’m left exhausted, and it’s only 9.30am.

BUSINESS

Small business of the month: APPA Funding for Lending Scheme backs Academy for Professional Physical Arts and creates 12 jobs.

scheme developed by the Bank of England to encourage banks to lend to businesses is set to bring both jobs and dance to Northern Ireland.

and Elaine bring to the centre. Sarah is a past deputy principal of the prestigious performing arts The Hammond School in Chester, has been an examiner for the Royal Academy of Dance, and is a patron of The London Ballet Company.

The Academy for Professional Physical Arts (APPA) on Belfast’s Prince Regent Road is said to be a direct beneficiary of the UKwide scheme, according to Ulster Bank which backed the new venture through the Funding for Lending Scheme. It’s run by entrepreneurs Elaine Bailie and Sarah Durrant and provides top class training for gymnasts, dancers, acrobats and aerialists, the only facility of its kind to offer all disciplines under one roof. All ages and abilities are being catered for including ballet, jazz dance, contemporary dance, aerial movement, rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic tumbling, Barre Plus Fitness, and Pilates. By the end of 2014 they expect to employ 12 people at the new centre in instructor, apprentice and support roles. “We aim to provide high calibre artistic physical training for talented gymnasts, dancers and aerial dancers,” Elaine said. “We were therefore determined to meticulously design and finish the facility to the highest standards and Ulster Bank’s support to make the necessary investment has been absolutely crucial.”

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Elaine is a Great Britain National Rhythmic Gymnastics judge and British Gymnastics coach for rhythmic gymnastics and previously ran the Phoenix Gymnastics Club in Bangor.

Charlotte Fastiggi, dancer, with Sarah Durrant, APPA NI, Elaine Bailie, APPA NI, and James Foote, Ulster Bank at the premises for the new centre, which will employ 12 people by the end of 2014.

The facility is indeed impressive, with a mirrored dance studio complete with barres , a gymnastics area with sprung floor and an aerialist zone complete with trapeze bars and ropes. It’s already attracted a loyal following, tapping into a need for physical arts tuition from dancers and athletes of all ages. For some of the disciplines, the high level of courses on offer will help keep talent in Northern Ireland as many have had to travel to England to achieve the level of training needed to break into the professional world. That’s a big plus for the artistic dance world here, one which can also tap into the vast experience which both Sarah

Combined, the two are a powerful force in performing arts and are determined to help put Northern Ireland’s dancers and gymnasts on the map. Ulster Bank Regional Director, Business Banking, Andy Mills, said: “Elaine and Sarah have impressive credentials and have both been involved in the physical arts sector at a high level for many years. They are investing to create what is a facility of very high standards. As a start-up business creating new jobs, it is a great example of local entrepreneurship that Ulster Bank is pleased to support.”

Appa offers: Ballet, contemporary, jazz, aerial, movement, rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatic/tumbling gymnastics, physical boys, barre, plus fitness and pilates

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NEWS

Directors in UKwide competition

JH Label Solutions sticks by Craigavon

(L-R) Keith McCarter, Sales & Marketing Manager, JH Label Solutions, and Michael Sloan, Vice President, Business Development (Almac’s Diagnostics business unit)

Michelle Hatfield, Director of HR and Corporate Responsibility at George Best Belfast City Airport, is one of nine business leaders from Northern Ireland to have been handpicked by the Institute of Directors to represent the region in the prestigious UK finals of the Director of the Year Awards in London.

ichelle Hatfield from Belfast City Airport has been short listed as one of nine to compete for the top prize in a UK finals of the Director of the Year Awards in London on 24 October. Michelle manages the airport’s corporate responsibility activity and community engagement programme, including the George Best Belfast City Airport’s Community Fund which has donated over £150,000 to local projects and groups such as the Short Strand and Knocknagoney Community Centres, Action for Children, and North Down Special Olympics. Michelle will be standing for the title of leader in Corporate Responsibility of the Year category in the UK awards. Also shortlisted for the UK final awards are: • Jim Dobson, of Dunbia, for the Large Company Director category • Tracy Hamilton, of Mash Direct, for the MidMarket Company Director of the Year category • Brendan Mullan, of Bryson Charitable Group, for the Mid-Market Company Director of the Year category • Mark Hutchinson, of SJC Hutchinson Engineering, for the Family Business Director category • Gordon Milligan, of Translink – for the Public/Third Sector category • Ian Jeffers, of The Prince’s Trust NI – for the Public/ Third Sector category • Simon Campbell of Portview Fit-Out, for the New Chartered Director category • Aidan Flynn of Maurice Flynn & Sons, for the Young Director category.

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stablished in 2008 in the heart of Lurgan, JH Label Solutions has gone from strength to strength and positioned itself as one of Northern Ireland’s and the UK’s most innovative businesses. The company’s core business is manufacturing flexographic pressuresensitive and self-adhesive paper and film labels; something for which due to lack of speed to market, poor quality and lack of innovation, more and more businesses in Northern Ireland were looking abroad for sources. As well as having moved to a new 11,000 square foot site on Millennium Way, Lurgan, in 2013, JH Label Solutions has also teamed up with another local company, Reprographic Systems, in Annesborough, Lurgan, to become the first company in Ireland to produce both printing plates and labels using high definition technology. The company’s desire to innovate has seen it lead the way for other creative businesses in the Craigavon area; something that is being highlighted through Craigavon Borough Council’s exciting new initiative ‘Craigavon Means Business.’ The initiative aims to stimulate growth and competitiveness in the agri-food, creative and life and health-sciences industries in the local area. With a client and brand base including well-known names such as Dale Farm, Merrydown, Shloer, Brew Dog, Linwoods and Cloughbane to name a few, and with a staff base of over 20 highly-trained employees, JH Label Solutions’ Sales and Marketing Manager Keith McCarter is confident of an even brighter future. He said: “Working with companies such as Reprographic Systems was the result of our longer-term goals of entering the pharmaceutical and personal care markets locally, nationally and internationally. In gaining local partnerships that have the same goals as JH Label Solutions, both our businesses have become much stronger, allowing us to grow our exports and add value for customers and ourselves.”

JH Label Solutions is located at 57-59 Millennium Way, Lurgan, Co. Armagh, BT66 8DH. For more information contact 028 3832 6761, email: jhlabels@jameshamiltongroup.com or visit www.jhlabelsolutions.com

Flags, firebombs & flashbacks

Executive Motoring

By Pat Burns

Sponsored by

EXECUTIVE MOTORING

The very personal option!

VW vans receive fuel economy improvements

We know not everyone has a company car but what about those of us who have to buy or fund our own vehicles, whether it is the family car at the house or the additional second or third car. We have seen a large increase in the number of people interested in fixed costs who don’t need or want ownership. That’s why personal contract hire is the perfect solution. What is personal contract hire? A personal contract hire agreement is the most common form of private car leasing, is cost-effective and easy to manage. You make monthly payments over a fixed period, normally three or four years with a preagreed annual mileage. Effectively you are hiring the vehicle, but over a longer period and therefore at a cheaper rate than a traditional hire car. At the end of the term you simply hand the car back and collect your new car. The benefits of personal contract hire • With personal contact hire you only pay for the period of time you use the vehicle. So with personal contact hire you are only paying for the value the vehicle loses (its depreciation) whilst you are renting it. • You get to use the whole of the vehicle while only paying for part of it. • This is cheaper than buying for it all at once. Benefits included • Access to our enhanced buying power with all manufacturers. • Preferential funding rates agreed with major local banks. • Road fund licence included for the contract term with the option of a maintenance package. • Low advance payments. • A local point of contact. Check out our latest offer below on the Toyota Aygo 1.0vvi 5dr Nero.

Offers Valid from 1st of July – 30th September 2014. Personal Contract hire is provided by Fleet Financial Ltd, BT36 4GX and funded by NIIB Group Ltd, 5th Floor, 1 Donegall Square South, Belfast, BT1 5LR. A guarantor may be required. Personal contract hire offers are based on 6 months initial rental payment + 47 monthly rental payments with an annual mileage restriction of 8,000 miles and excess mileage will be charged at 4.5p + VAT for the 1st 2000 miles and 9.0p + VAT per mile thereafter. Additional charges may apply based on vehicle condition upon return. This is a personal contract hire option and you will not own the vehicle. Failure to make payments may affect credit rating. All figures include Road Tax for the term but exclude maintenance.

For your first step towards your new vehicle please contact:

Karen Young T: 028 9084 9777 E: Karen@fleetfinancial.co.uk W: fleetfinancial.co.uk

olkswagen’s multi-award-winning Crafter panel van, chassis and double cab models are set to become among the cleanest and most refined vehicles in their classes with the introduction of EURO VI engines. As a result, the new Crafter Euro VI range meets the most exacting European exhaust standard for commercial vehicles. The Crafter achieves the strict limits with the help of Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) systems, as well as a built-in Diesel Particulate Filter which works to purify exhaust emissions and almost eradicate particulate matter. Volkswagen’s EURO VI range is offered on selected Crafter models with EU kerbweights between 2,355 kg and 2,815 kg in medium and long wheelbases. Available with Volkswagen’s 2.0-litre TDI engine with an output of either 163 PS or 114 PS, which is new to the Crafter range. Additionally, the 114 PS EURO VI engine can be specified with Volkswagen’s BlueMotion Technology, meaning customers benefit from fuel economy of up to 35.3 mpg (combined) and emissions of just 210 g/km. Meanwhile, Volkswagen’s biggest-selling commercial vehicle model, the Transporter, now boasts class-leading fuel efficiency thanks to a host of recent updates to its flagship BlueMotion model. Offering the ultimate in efficiency, the Transporter BlueMotion model achieves a combined fuel economy of 48.7 mpg and emissions of only 153 g/km. The efficiency of the Transporter BlueMotion, which is available only as a panel van, is achieved by modifying the engine management system and transmission as well as using low rolling resistance tyres, start/stop and battery regeneration systems and cruise control. Every aspect of the vehicle’s specification has been optimised to reduce weight and improve aerodynamics. At the heart of the Transporter BlueMotion is the familiar 114 PS 2.0-litre TDI engine with common rail direct injection, which delivers a maximum of 250 Newton metres of torque.

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Take your business places!

Contract hire for your business costs less at Fleet Financial. Call us today on T: 02890 849777 W: www.fleetfinancial.co.uk E: sales@fleetfinancial.co.uk

EXECUTIVE MOTORING

Sensible Sportiness and the easy-to-use controls contribute to the in-command driving experience. At the heart of the extra versatility of the V60 is its intelligent seating. The rear seats can be folded down in three 40/20/40 segments, so that the rear 430 litres of load space can be supplemented quickly and easily. Parents will favour the V60’s two-stage integrated booster cushions for children. With one simple movement, the booster cushions pop-up from the seat base giving a comfortable and safe ride height for children from three years and upwards. Joining the diesel offering is the new Drive-E engine, the D4, a 2-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine with i-ART injection technology.

iven the sombre tones of the selection of Scandinavian detective series on television, the new Volvo V60 has a surprising air of sportiness and exuberance about it.

The previous camera based BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) has been replaced by radar sensors, meaning the removal of the familiar ‘bubble’ on the underside of the rear-view mirrors.

The V60 is the car for people who need the versatility of an estate but want the handling of a sports car – all in a stylish Scandinavian package. The sporty feel is emphasised by a revised front, interior, sport seats and the new Sensus Connect phone and entertainment system.

The new integrated tailpipes, which can be specified with some engine variants, are the physical and visual link to the technically advanced engines. But it’s not just about beautiful design: the designers have had to cope with the fact that at operating temperature, the tailpipes have to remain perfectly in place despite the exhaust system expanding in length by up to 25mm.

Fuel consumption is down to the same as the S60, at 99g/km of CO2 with fuel consumption of 74.3mpg in the Volvo V60 D4 manual. The V60’s silhouette is a visual reminder that this is no ordinary estate – it’s a load lugger with a coupé-like appearance. There are several examples of the attention to detail in the new V60, such as the previously visible washer nozzles have been relocated out of sight under the bonnet and the headlamp washer jets now sit flush to help create a cleaner bumper line.

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To enhance the visual appeal of the car, it is now possible to specify the V60 with 19-inch wheels and keep the same profile height as 18-inch ones, without compromising comfort. Scandinavian design is exemplified by simple shapes and surfaces with any unnecessary clutter removed. This is evident in the redesigned V60 interior and exterior. Inside, the attention to detail, the authentic materials – such as wood and leather –

The new D4 produces 181hp with 400 Nm of torque and has class leading CO2 emissions of 99 g/km with fuel consumption of 74.3mpg when fitted with the manual gearbox. The D4 can be also specified with the new 8-speed automatic gearbox, giving emissions as low as 109g/km of CO2 and a fuel consumption figure of 67.3 mpg. Two 5-cylinder diesels are also available in the V60, the D3 with 136hp and the D5 producing 215hp. Fuel consumption for these engines with a manual gearbox stand at 62.8mpg and 61.4mpg respectively, with emissions of 119 and 120 g/km of CO2. Both the D3 and D5 can be ordered with a 6-speed automatic gearbox with fuel consumption figures up to 57.6mpg and 45.6mpg. The D2 version of the V60 features a 1.6-litre diesel engine, producing 115 hp and 270 Nm of torque. Fitted with the 6-speed manual gearbox, it gives a fuel consumption figure of up to 68.9mpg, corresponding to CO2 emissions of 108 g/km. The corresponding figures for the automatic version are up to 67.2mpg (110 g/km). Prices for the V60 range start at £21,750 on the road.

EXECUTIVE MOTORING

Viva Vivaro!

ooking to build on the success of the previous two generations, the all-new Vivaro offers classleading build quality and practicality with improved cargo dimensions and excellent payload capability. It also is equipped with a range of new powertrains including a cutting edge BiTurbo that delivers up to 47.9mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 155g/km. Clearly, the outgoing model is a tough act to follow. Vauxhall asked its army of Vivaro drivers what they wanted from the new van. The answer was clear: for it to be more car-like to use. The enhanced cabin is designed for comfort and control with high levels of specification that turns the new Vivaro into a mobile office incorporating the very latest infotainment. Van drivers spend hours behind the wheel and now they have car-like comfort and technology to go with a great driving van and a brilliantly practical workhorse. The Vivaro is popular with a wide variety of customers from sole traders to large fleets. Vauxhall expects Vivaro sales to be split 70:30 between fleet and retail. The construction sector is particularly important, accounting for up to 50 per cent of sales in the UK.

system includes Electronic Stability Program (ESP) fitted as standard. The Vivaro’s new 1.6 CDTI engine is coupled with a six-speed manual gearbox and comes in four power configurations: two variants, the 90PS and 115PS units, are equipped with a single variable geometry turbocharger while the 120PS and 140PS engines use sequential BiTurbo technology. The result is a best-in-class combined cycle consumption and CO2 emissions – just 47.9mpg and 155g/km with the ecoFLEX technology. Flexible, versatile and well-equipped, the new Vivaro can be configured to meet just about every need of the van owner and operator. While continuing its predecessor’s successful concept of diverse variants – panel van, combi, double cab and platform cab – it now offers even more cabin and load space. The panel van, combi and crew van all come in a choice of two body lengths (4,998mm or 5,398mm), while the panel van will also be available in two roof heights. All variants retain the 3,098 mm/3,498 mm wheelbase of the previous model. However,

the rear load space is now 100 mm longer and the front cabin has been extended by 116mm. For the panel van, the increased cargo capacity ranges between 5.2 and 8.6m3, depending on body format. Greater cabin space has been put to good use and special attention has been paid to providing plentiful on-board storage for the driver and occupants, an important requirement for this busy trade workhorse. Careful thought was also put into the design of the new Vivaro’s voluminous load area. Retaining the benefits of a highly practical cubic design, with a wide floor and vertical sidewall, the new optional FlexCargo bulkhead now allows long items, such as tubes or planks of wood, to be carried safely inside the van without having to keep the rear doors open. Hatches in the base of the cabin bulkhead and below the front bench seat allow items as long as 4.15 meters to be loaded through into the passenger front footwell. The new Vivaro is on sale now priced from £17,995 with first customer deliveries arriving in September.

On the road, the new Vivaro introduces passenger car sophistication to the LCV segment with a range of state-of-the-art systems and technologies. These include an all-new family of frugal 1.6-litre turbodiesel engines giving a power output from 90PS to 140PS, including BiTurbo applications and Start/Stop functionality with braking energy recovery and electric smart management for ecoFlex variants. The chassis’ ride and handling have been tuned for optimum comfort, roadholding and security and the braking

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EXECUTIVE MOTORING

Major revisions to new Mini Hatch the new Mini Hatch is quieter than the outgoing model, with improvements to acoustic refinement inside the cabin. Inside the cabin, new technology ensures that the new Mini is the most connected car in its segment. A new central LED display, the first of its kind, provides the driver with visual feedback whilst operating the car and creates a premium ambience. The new Mini Hatch features a range of three entirely new engines, each featuring Mini TwinPower Turbo Technology to increase driving fun and improve environmental efficiency. The trio all offer improved performance figures, with maximum power across all three variants produced lower down the rev range, while fuel consumption and emission levels have been reduced by as much as 27 per cent when compared to their predecessor models. All meet the stringent EU6 exhaust emissions criteria.

ven though the new Mini Hatch is instantly recognisable the car is completely new from the ground up. Every component has been back to the drawing board in an effort to optimise its function, performance and style. The new model features significant improvements in technology, engine efficiency and power delivery, driving dynamics, quality and – of course – personalisation. Inside,

The new Mini Cooper Hatch has a three-cylinder petrol engine with a peak output of 136hp. The Cooper S Hatch is powered by a four-cylinder petrol engine which develops 192hp while the Cooper D Hatch comes with a three-cylinder diesel engine with an output of 116hp. For fuel efficiency this latter model is the undoubted star performer, with average combined economy of 80.7mpg using the EU test cycle. Prices for the new Mini Hatch range start at £15,300.

Pricing and economy improves the ix35

yundai has revised its ix35 compact SUV. Trims for the new ix35 have been realigned and now feature five clearly defined specification levels: entry-level S, mid-range SE and SE Nav and two rangetopping trims called ‘Premium’ and ‘Premium Panorama’. The revised model retains the 1.6-litre GDi petrol and 1.7-litre and 2.0-litre CRDi engines, but for the latest model year, Hyundai will now offer Intelligent Stop & Go (ISG) as an option on the 1.7-litre CRDi. The 136PS 2.0-litre diesel engine is fitted with low pressure exhaust gas recirculation (LP-EGR) system, delivering cleaner performance. Further changes to the engine line-up include the introduction of a six-speed automatic transmission on the 2.0-litre 136PS 4WD model. This will replace the current 181PS unit and bring benefits of improved fuel consumption (41.5mpg combined versus 39.3mpg combined previously) and lower CO2 (179g/km versus 189g/km previously). The range-topping 136PS 2.0 CRDi 4WD Automatic now boasts lower BIK rates when compared with the outgoing 181PS – now 30% and 31% for SE/SE Nav and Premium respectively. Hyundai has ensured that New ix35 delivers true value to customers with a comprehensive list of new standard features across the range,

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which includes LED Daytime running lights and LED positioning lights, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and Trailer Stability Assist. Inside, the new ix35 also comes with upgraded audio and navigation system units for each corresponding trim level. The range begins with the S 1.6-litre GDi 2WD manual, which at £16,995 OTR, provides a lower entry point into the range than the current model.

Q. Why buy a Fiat Doblo Van? A. Payload 750kg A. Load Volume 3.4m3 A. Fuel consumption 58.9 MPG combined A. 1.3 90ps 200nm torque A. 21,000 or 2 year service intervals

2014 Fiat Doblo 1.3 Multijet SWB

£8,995

IMMEDIATE DELIVERY

+VAT +RFL

DONNELLY BROS

DONNELLY & TAGGART

028 9084 2000

028 8772 7888

028 6632 4712

028 7181 3038

MALLUSK WAY, NEWTOWNABBEY, CO. ANTRIM

DONNELLY M1 COMPLEX, 181 BALLYGAWLEY ROAD, DUNGANNON

101 IRVINESTOWN ROAD, ENNISKILLEN, CO. FERMANAGH

CAMPSIE IND EST., EGLINTON, CO. L/DERRY

DONNELLYGROUP.CO.UK

Fuel consumption figures for the Fiat Professional range in mpg (l/100km): Urban from 25.9 (10.9) – 64.2 (4.4); Extra Urban from 40.3 (7.0) – 97.4 (2.9); Combined from 33.6 (8.4) – 80.7 (3.5) CO2 emissions 90 - 222 g/ km. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures based on standard EU tests for comparative purposes and may not reflect real driving results. FOR BUSINESS USERS ONLY. Offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Subject to availability. Figures and prices are correct at time of print.

Less fuel in. More miles out. Go further with the new Honda engine. CR-V 1.6 Diesel • Low fuel costs 62.8 mpg • 119 g/km CO2 • Band C VED • BIK rate from 19% • Two wheel drive

Civic 1.6 Diesel • Low fuel costs 78.5 mpg • 94 g/km CO2 • Zero VED • BIK rate from 14% • Insurance group from 15E

Civic Tourer 1.6 Diesel • Low fuel costs 74.3 mpg • 99 g/km CO2 • Zero VED • BIK rate from 15% • Insurance group from 15E

DONNELLY HONDA

8 & 8A Boucher Road, Belfast BT12 6HR Call 028 9044 5900 or visit www.honda-belfast.co.uk Fuel consumption figures for the Honda range in mpg (l/100km): Urban Cycle 23.2 – 70.6 (12.2 – 4.0), Extra Urban 40.4 – 85.6 (7.0 – 3.3), Combined 32.5 – 78.5 (8.7 – 3.6). CO2 emissions 201 – 94g/km. Fuel consumption figures sourced from official EU-regulated laboratory test results, are provided for comparison purposes and may not reflect real-life driving experience. Models shown for illustrative purposes: Civic 1.6 i-DTEC S in optional White Orchid Pearl, CR-V 1.6 i-DTEC S in optional Passion Red Pearl and Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC SR in optional Twilight Blue Metallic.

EXECUTIVE MOTORING

A hot hatch for executives

udi has taken the smallest car in its range and given it a 231bhp two litre turbocharged engine with quattro four wheel drive to create a subcompact powerhouse.

tuned specifically to suit the character of an S quattro model. The electronic differential lock with the fine-tuned wheelselective torque control is a function of the Electronic Stabilisation Control (ESC).

performance-oriented S quattro series, as do standard xenon plus headlights, which are linked here to LED rear lights. Two new exterior colours – Vegas yellow and Sepang blue are also available.

The firepower for the latest entrant to the S quattro Series is supplied by a new 2.0-litre TFSI engine linked to a short-shift six-speed manual gearbox. Good for 231PS and 370 Nm of torque, it can propel the Audi S1 from 0 to 62mph in 5.8 seconds respectively, and on to a top speed of 155mph, while still upholding the A1’s reputation for impressive economy.

The suspension in the performance hatchbacks has been extensively reworked, as has the electromechanical power steering.

Sports seats with Milano leather inserts are standard, as are creature comforts including electronic climate control, a six-speaker single CD audio system with auxiliary iPod connection and SD card reader linked to a 6.5-inch retractable colour display, a Bluetooth interface and a Driver’s Information System.

Up to 40.3mpg is achievable in the three-door version, or 39.8mpg in the Sportback, equating to 162 and 166 grams of CO2 per kilometre respectively. Like all Audi S models, the S1 and the S1 Sportback apply their power to the road cleanly and resolutely via quattro permanent all-wheel drive. At the heart of the system is a hydraulic multi-plate clutch located on the rear axle and operated by control software

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Damper settings are also adjustable via the Audi drive select adaptive dynamics system, which appears for the first time at this level in the S1 and also allows the driver to vary the response of the throttle and the operating parameters of the electronic climate control across a number of settings, including one designed to optimise efficiency. 17-inch wheels with 215/40 R17 tyres are standard, with 18-inch alternatives available as an option, and a larger brake master cylinder and large brake discs – the front pair measuring 310 millimetres in diameter – ensure suitably steadfast deceleration. Striking ‘S’-specific styling aligns the S1 with the thirteen other members of the

More familiar optional features available for the S1 include the advanced key keyless access and ignition system, hard disk-based MMI navigation plus, the Bose surround sound system and mobile phone preparation – High with Audi connect. The Audi connect option gives passengers access to an array of Internet-based services such as Google Earth and Google Street View and enables them to surf and send e-mails on their mobile devices via a Wi-Fi hotspot. Prices for the S1 range start at £24,900.

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AWARDS

Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards again, Northern Ireland possesses the visionary leadership and flexible working environment to thrive and prosper.”

Margaret Byrne, CEO Sunderland AFC was keynote after-dinner speaker.

Stormont Employment and Learning Minister Dr Stephen Farry, who was a top-table guest at the function (and whose department has been a staunch supporter of the Workplace & Employment Awards) since their inception in 2007, told the audience that the initiative reinforces the message that the north has people in its workforce capable of making “a real difference” to the economy.

clutch of the north’s most visionary and peoplefocused companies were honoured last month at the eighth annual Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards in the spectacular surroundings of Titanic Belfast.

Indeed, such was the interest in the newly-introduced Career Inspiration Award that it was sub-divided into four categories for small, medium, large and education, where the winners respectively were Young Enterprise NI, Automated Intelligence, Allstate NI and St Cecilia’s.

Representatives from a cross section of businesses and organisations, both in the public and private sector, were among the 500-strong audience. A record 20 awards were handed over to household business names like Eircom, Allstate NI, Lloyds Banking Group, Musgrave and O’Neill’s Sportwear. Belfast City Council and the NI Civil Service were also among the public sector recipients, as were two Derry schools in St Mary’s College and St Cecilia’s.

This year a record number of companies entered; there was a greater number of entries from public sector, education, IT and manufacturing sectors; and in the judges’ opinions, the standard was unquestionably higher than any previous year. Guests dined out on a sumptuous meal which included Ewings cured and smoked salmon with toasted brioche grilled asparagus, soft quail’s egg and Glenarm caviar dressing, and Maurice Kettlye beef wellington with crispy frogs legs.

There was a number of new company names engraved on the iconic and much sought-after WEA trophies. These included Ballyrashane Creamery, TotalMobile and Belfast software company Automated Intelligence (which was the night’s only double award winner).

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“We’ve been overwhelmed yet again by the runaway success of the Workplace & Employment Awards,” Irish News marketing manager John Brolly said. “This high-calibre winners’ list proves that, as our economy begins to pick up

“If we are to compete in a global economic arena, we must continue to do all we can to drive up skills on all fronts, and facilitating the creation of a workforce equipped with the skills needed by companies within Northern Ireland is the strategic focus,” he said. “Skills are widely accepted as the key raw material required in any modern knowledge-based economy and are one of the main drivers in how we will achieve our long term economic goals,” he added. Co. Armagh-born Margaret Byrne, whose stellar career trajectory has taken her to one of the leading administrative roles in the Barclays Premier League as chief executive of Sunderland AFC, was keynote after-dinner speaker, taking guests on a journey into the trials and tribulations of the north east club’s boardoom. The awards were supported by seven key business partners in Tughans, Liberty IT, Investors in People, Tesco, H3 Health Insurance, PowerNI and Titanic Belfast, and were endorsed by industry bodies the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD).

List of Winners 2014 Recruitment Innovator Of The Year Winner: Webrecruit Ireland

Work-life, Health And Well Being Public Sector Winner: Northern Ireland Civil Service Work-life, Health And Well Being Private Sector Winner: GE Energy Highly Commended: Graham Construction Workplace Excellence Winner: St Mary’s College, Derry Highly Commended: Ulster GAA Highly Commended: St Mary’s University College, Belfast Kieran Kennedy, MD, O’Neills Sportswear receives the Innovative Employer of the Year award from Tim Husbands, CEO, Titanic Belfast.

Gillian McAuley, Power NI presents the Green Award to David Hughes and Ann Marie Kielt, Ballyrashane Creamery.

Best Place To Work – Small Organisation Winner: Automated Intelligence Limited Best Place To Work – Medium Organisation Winner: eircom Best Place To Work – Large Organisation Winner: Lagan Construction Group Ltd Disability Best Practice Employer Winner: Belfast City Council Highly Commended: Clanrye Group Highly Commended: trip-ability.com Right Place To Work – Small Organisation Winner: Aurion Learning Right Place To Work – Medium Organisation Winner: TotalMobile Ltd Right Place To Work – Large Organisation Winner: Lloyds Banking Group Highly Commended: Henderson Group Managing Talent – Small/Medium Organisation Winner: CDE Global Highly Commended: Roe Park Resort Managing Talent – Large Organisation Winner: Musgrave Retail Partners NI Highly Commended: Survitec Group Innovative Employer – Small Organisation Winner: Manor Architects Highly Commended: Core Systems

Anna Beggan, Tughans presents the Best Place to Work Award to Darren Lemon, Eircom.

Dr Stephen Farry presents the Managing Talent award to Brian McCullough, CDE Global.

Innovative Employer – Large Organisation Winner: O’Neills International Sportswear Co Ltd Green Award Winner: Ballyrashane Creamery Highly Commended: Newforge House Career Inspiration Award – Education Sector Winner: St Cecilia’s College, Derry Career Inspiration Award – Small Organisation Winner: Young Enterprise Northern Ireland

William Hamilton, Liberty IT presents the Work-life, Health & Well Being award toJane Dodds, GE Energy.

AUGUST 2014

Career Inspiration Award – Medium Organisation Winner: Automated Intelligence Limited Highly Commended: George Best Belfast City Airport Career Inspiration Award – Large Organisation Winner: Allstate Northern Ireland Highly Commended: Cookstown District Council

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APPOINTMENTS

TLT has appointed Richard Houliston as an Associate to their Northern Ireland office. Richard joins the firmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing Banking & Restructuring team from A&L Goodbody. Julie Tierney has been appointed a solicitor at Edwards & Co Solicitors and will take up the role of Head of Family Law. Julie trained and qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland. Judith Corbett has been appointed a partner at A&L Goodbody. Judith has extensive experience in all areas of commercial property with an emphasis on commercial landlord and tenant and investment acquisitions and disposals.

Matt McCloskey joins eircom NI as Sales Director helping build on eircomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rapid growth across Public and Enterprise markets. Matt joins from Virgin Media. John Moore has been promoted to managing director for Hays in Northern Ireland. Hays provides bespoke recruitment services to corporate organisations. Deborah McAleese has joined Ashtree as Financial Planning Consultant. She moves from Bank of Ireland where she worked for almost sixteen years.

The Association for Project Management has appointed Gerry Coghlan as Chairman of its Northern Ireland Branch. Gerry previously held the post of Treasurer. Paul Clarke has been appointed as Channel Manager for UTV Television in Northern Ireland with responsibility for leading local production output, resources and budgeting. Carolyn Avery MRICS has been promoted to Associate Director within the Commercial Lease Consultancy/Rating Department at Colliers International.

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APPOINTMENTS

Emma MacSweeney MRICS has been promoted to Associate Director within the Investment Property Management Department at Colliers International. Lindsay Pigott MRICS has been promoted to Senior Surveyor within the Investment Property Management Department at Colliers International. Peter Bryans MRICS has been promoted to Senior Surveyor within the Valuation Department at Colliers International. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Estate Management and is responsible for Red Book valuation instructions.

Christopher Henry has been appointed Graduate Building Surveyor within the Building Consultancy Department at Colliers International. He has a BSc (Hons) degree in Building Surveying from the University of Jordanstown. Amy Black has been appointed Client Executive at Lighthouse Communications. Having worked across the charity, banking, consumer and travel sectors, Amy has extensive PR experience. Robbie Milliken has joined Bank of Ireland (UK) plc as a Business Manager within the Business Banking Belfast Growth team. Robbie is a Chartered Accountant having qualified with PwC.

Sean O’Neill has joined Bank of Ireland (UK) plc as a Business Manager within the Business Banking Belfast Growth team. Sean holds an Economics Degree and Advanced Diploma in Credit and has 16 years’ experience in financial services. Rosemary Gormley has been appointed Business Operations Director at Capita Managed IT Solutions. Rosemary will be responsible for driving Capita’s internal business improvement operation. Tony Rice has been appointed Sales Director of Ireland at Capita Managed IT Solutions. He has over 20 years’ senior level ICT experience.

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PHOTOCALL 1. Fourteen companies from across Northern Ireland have been awarded CORE – Northern Ireland’s first ever Standard for Corporate Responsibility by Business in the Community. They are: Adelaide Insurance; Allen & Overy; Allstate NI; B/E Aerospace; Belfast Harbour Commissioners; BT; firmus energy; George Best Belfast City Airport; Greiner Packaging; Henry Brothers (Magherafelt) Ltd; H&J Martin; Invest NI; McLaughlin & Harvey and Ulster Bank.

2. Miss Ulster Shaniece Nesbitt flies the flag for Jet2.com’s new routes to Rome, Prague, Zante and Gran Canaria from Belfast International Airport. The new routes will generate 86 new jobs, plus an additional aircraft has been added to Jet2.com’s already impress portfolio.

3. Belfast student Clare Minne helps Flybe announce the airline’s partnership deal with STA Travel. Also in the picture is Flybe Regional Sales Manager Ken Harrower and STA Travel Expert Joseph Toner.

4. A year on from opening on Belfast’s Lisburn Road, Slims Healthy Kitchen has expanded with the opening of an express outlet in Victoria Square. Slims Healthy Kitchen founder Gary McIldowney is pictured stocking up the new shop. 5. Modern Tyres has teamed up with Bridgestone to offer customers the chance to win a Volkswagen Up! worth over £8,000. Pictured at the launch are Stephen Shaw, Sales and Marketing Manager with Modern Tyres (left) and Peter Dickson from Bridgestone Ireland (right) with Miss Northern Ireland, Rebekah Shirley.

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PHOTOCALL

7. Andrew Spence of eye care clinic Cathedral Eye presents the ‘Cathedral Eye Clinic North of Ireland Championship’ trophy to winner Chris Selfridge of Moyola Park Golf Club. The Belfast and Dublin-based clinic had recently undertaken a successful second year in partnering the GUI (Ulster Branch) as title sponsor.

8 9

6. Stephen Welch, Chairman, BIFM Ireland Region, event host Jim Fitzpatrick and BIFM committee member Jacqueline Byrne, HBE Risk Management unveil a new conference app ahead of the BIFM Ireland Region Conference.

8. Northern Ireland Hospice’s Vice President, Olivia Nash, pictured, hit the jackpot when she collected £90,000 from Ulster Bank’s Henri Hippo.

9. The Mayor of Belfast Nichola Mallon greeted organisers, runners and sponsors of the 2014 energia 24 Hour Race at City Hall recently. She is pictured with some of the ultra runners who will take part in the race, race organiser and director of Left Field Events Ed Smith (third left) and Michael Ringland (centre), energia’s Trade Marketing Manager.

10. And they’re off! Paddy Wallace, right, takes some time out from planning his summer rugby camp supported by Tesco, Paddy Wallace Rugby Academy while former Miss GB and local girl Gemma Garrett chooses a dream getaway from Virgin holidays which now has a travel shop in store.

AUGUST 2014

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PHOTOCALL 11. Enjoying the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland economic breakfast event are Peter Megarrell, Martin Heatly, Tony, Peter McVerry & Brian Scott.

12. The Publicity Association of Northern Ireland (PANI) recently held another exciting breakfast seminar, entitled “Consumer Confidence continues to surge. Pictured at the event are Sarah Owens and Joanne McKendry.

13. Kerry Cranston, Rosie Kearney & Fiona Rooney at the Publicity Association of Northern Ireland breakfast event.

14. Some of the United Kingdom and Ireland’s top marketing professionals will reveal how they deliver maximum impact for their companies at a major conference in Belfast organised by The Chartered Institute of Marketing on October 1 at Crumlin Road Gaol. Launching the conference are DEL Minister Farry and CIM Chair Christine Watson.

15. Dr Seamus McAleer, clinical director of the Northern Ireland Cancer Centre at Belfast City Hospital, joins Mairead Devine, clinical trials nurse at the Cancer Centre and patient Gavin Campbell, as they get ready to set off on a 1,000km cycle challenge across Spain in a bid to raise £50,000 for local charity, Friends of the Cancer Centre.

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PHOTOCALL 16. The Northern Ireland Science Park Trust has been named as the “Most Innovative Project” at the United Kingdom Science Park Association (UKSPA) awards. Joanne Stuart and Mervyn Watley of the NI Science Park receive their award from BBC Science Presenter Michael Mosley and Ghada Ziad Darwish from Qatar Science and Technology Park.

17. The search is on for the most green or sustainable community on the island of Ireland with the launch of the new Calor Sustainable Community Champion 2014. Launching the search are Beth and Samantha Watson.

18. Junction One luggage store Antler partnered with the Northern Ireland Commonwealth Games Council to supply Team NI with a range of suitcases. Pictured with boxers Michael Conlon and Joe Fitzpatrick are Valerie McLernon (left) retail operations manager at Junction One and Susan Mairs (right) Antler store manager.

18 19

19. The IoD NI is calling on business leaders to ‘action’ good governance and reduce the number of director disqualifications in the province by undertaking a professional course. Paul Terrington, Chairman of the IoD’s Northern Ireland division was joined by Peter Martin, Managing Director of Director Development Ireland Ltd, and Chartered Director graduates Alastair Hamilton, Chief Executive of Invest NI and Karen Carmichael, Managing Director of mxb.

20 AUGUST 2014

20. Pictured at the opening of Deloitte’s Belfast Technology Studio are: Jackie Henry, Partner at Deloitte, with the Minister for Employment and Learning, Stephen Farry, Marcus Boyle, Senior Partner and Head of Strategic Development for Consulting at Deloitte, and Marie-Therese McGivern, Chief Executive of Belfast Metropolitan College.

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PHOTOCALL 21. Custom House Square became Belfast’s first ‘pyjamming’ site when David Meade took on the challenge of snapping himself at the popular landmark wearing just his jammies. The TV mentalist put his own special twist on the dare set by Action for Children. 22. Future IT stars (Years 11-14.) from across Northern Ireland have come together for the Kainos CodeCamp. Matthew O’ Reilly, from Kainos; Ruairi O’Neill from Abbey Grammar School, Newry; Dr Jonathan Heggarty, from Belfast Metropolitan College; Jemma McClelland, from Methodist College Belfast; Laura McKeague from Kainos.

21 22

23. Musgrave Retail Partners Trading Manager Julie Cherry and Fresh Food Specialist John Kearney are pictured at the launch of Musgrave’s new range of premium high quality ‘Dine In’ meal solutions called ‘Signature Tastes’. 24. Engineering and manufacturing company SJC Hutchinson Engineering has been awarded the Best Newcomer in the first Investors in People Awards. Mark Hutchinson(L) is pictured with Martin Clarke(R), Coleraine Borough Council at the County Londonderry manufacturing company in Kilrea. 25. Dungannon Enterprise centre has been awarded £20,000 by Ulster Bank parent RBS for a programme called InnovateHer. Pictured from left to right are Colleen Harte, owner of Lucy Annabella Organics and Innovateher mentor, Alanna Collins, Dungannon Enterprise Centre and co-founder of Dekala Jewellery, (back left to right) Denise Murtagh, Dungannon Enterprise Centre and co-founder of Dekala Jewellery Shauna Burns, Head of Business Centre, Ulster Bank.

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PHOTOCALL 26. Pictured (l-r) at the Fujitsu World Tour held in Dublin, are Fujitsu Northern Ireland customer Michael Murdock, Chief Information Officer for Chain Reaction Cycles, and Chris James, Director of Delivery, Public Sector from Fujitsu.

27. Minister Arlene Foster is pictured with James Knowles and Eugene Taylor of Denroy Plastics at Farnborough airshow after announcing that the Bangor based firm has secured a multimillion dollar five-year contract.

28. Co. Down native Heather Greig of Newtownards has been announced as winner of BeMyVA.com’s VA of the Year at the pa-assist.com PA Awards for All-Ireland 2014.

29. Estate agent Templeton Robinson celebrated its 20th anniversary at a special event on board the SS Nomadic last month. Iris Todd, Beth Robinson, and Marie Frawley are pictured.

30 AUGUST 2014

30. Sophie McAuley from Marketing joins colleague Gary Martin and Tesco’s Steven Murphy in sampling the tasty cookies from GM’s Free’ist range of 13 sugar free or no added sugar products which has been listed in 25 Tesco stores in Northern Ireland and a further 77 Tesco stores in Britain.

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PHOTOCALL 31. Jackie Brogan (middle) from Tesco Ballymoney celebrates her Individual Fundraiser of the Year Award alongside Irene Hewitt (left) from Tesco Strand Road and Selina Fitzpatrick (right) from Tesco Lisnagelvin who won Best Community Involvement Event at the Diabetes UK/Tesco Charity Awards. 32. Local businesses are invited to come along and hear how to sell multi-national retailer Asda at an upcoming event organised by Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber). Ann McGregor, Chief Executive of NI Chamber; Michael McCallion, Senior Buying Manager for Scotland and Northern Ireland at Asda and Brian Telford, Head of Markets at Danske Bank are pictured. 33. A team from B/E Aerospace in Kilkeel has slimmed its way to victory in a new weight loss challenge, organized by Business in the Community and supported by Westfield Health and the Public Health Agency. Pictured are (from left) Hillard Blue, Dessie O’Neill and Natalia Kettle.

31 32

34. Marks & Spencer Lisburn has been awarded the title of ‘Best Northern Ireland Store’ at The annual Supermeat and Fish Awards. Pictured presenting the award to John Paul McShane and Ryan Lemon of Marks & Spencer Lisburn is LMC Chief Executive Ian Stevenson and awards host for the evening Myleene Klass. 35. In June ten staff members from Sodexo Northern Ireland collectively took a deep breath to calm their nerves and raised over £2,000 for charity by abseiling from the Obel Tower in Belfast City. Pictured from left to right are: Danny Cullen, Jim Lynas, Owen Roddy, Nicola Thompson, Chris Childs, Lynsey Whelan, Anne Magill, Sean Guthrie, Laura Magill, Suzanne Pollock, Laura Magowan and Brian Hanrahan.

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PHOTOCALL 36. Sir William Hastings was joined by staff from the Culloden Estate & Spa who are amongst 18 employees who have clocked up 367 years of service between them at the 5* hotel. Pictured with Sir William are (back row) Lauren Hodson, Joanne Dixon, Simon McCartney, Mark McMahon, Lynda Whyte, Karen Orr, (front row) Seamus Murphy, Paul McKnight and Philip Drennan.

37. Transport Minister Danny Kennedy MLA (centre) joins l-r Translink Project Manager James Macauley and Patrick McCullagh, Contract Manager, McLaughlin & Harvey to view progress on construction works at Moira Train Station.

38. With the support of Ulster Garden Villages, Delta Print and Packaging and the Layland family of Templepatrick, a new emergency response Landrover vehicle has been added to the Red Cross fleet of vehicles in Northern Ireland. Pictured are Mr Billy Webb of Ulster Garden Villages, and Mr Terry Cross, Founder and Chairman of Delta Print and Packaging and also Red Cross NI President.

38 39

39. Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster is pictured with James Knowles and Eugene Taylor of Denroy Plastics at Farnborough airshow after announcing that the Bangor-based firm has secured a multi-million dollar five-year contract with Texasbased Triumph AerostructuresVought Aircraft Division.

40 AUGUST 2014

40. In June 10 staff members from Sodexo Northern Ireland collectively took a deep breath to calm their nerves and raised over ÂŁ2,000 for charity by abseiling from the Obel Tower in Belfast City. Pictured from left to right are: Danny Cullen, Jim Lynas, Owen Roddy, Nicola Thompson, Chris Childs, Lynsey Whelan, Anne Magill, Sean Guthrie, Laura Magill, Suzanne Pollock, Laura Magowan and Brian Hanrahan.

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SPORT

New video streaming service for NIFL

Sponsorship as part of the marketing mix

The Northern Ireland Sports and Health Ministers are pictured at the opening of the Irish FA’s mental health conference in Belfast. L-R are Geoff Wilson, Caral Ni Chuilin, Sports Minister; Edwin Poots, Health Minister and Eddie Rooney chief executive of PHA.

Andrew Johnston, Managing Director NIFL, is pictured right with Martin Füreder from TRACKCHAMP.

ponsorship is quite an interesting area in the marketing mix and one that may not obtain the investment required in a marketing plan and budget.

he Northern Ireland Football League has signed a long-term contract with a video streaming service. The deal with TRACKCHAMP will see the production of real-time streaming video with graphics and will collect performance data for every Danske Bank Premiership game from the start of next season.

So what tips are there for those businesses wishing to get involved in a sponsorship programme?

It will relay player speed, distance covered, ball speed, the percentage of possession of each team, and many other statistics.

Secondly, ensure you have set aside the right amount of budget to ‘activate’ the sponsorship. In most cases the sponsorship fee only allows you the title or co-sponsor rights and the use of the partners logo.

TRACKCHAMP will also offer NIFL clubs its video and data analytics tool – TCoach – which will help football coaches analyse the performance of teams and players in a unique way. Throughout the season over 250 games will be streamed live over the internet, providing global reach, brand awareness and visibility for the League, clubs and its players. The partnership will also provide up to 20 part-time jobs through the recruitment of independent ‘Match Operators’ who will attend each Premiership and League Cup match throughout the season. “TRACKCHAMP is the most innovative project in the area of sports data collection and the fact that we have been able to sign a long-term agreement with them is brilliant news for football in Northern Ireland,” Andrew Johnston, Managing Director NIFL, said. “Sports data collection and analysis has become vitally important not only for coaches and players, but also for fans who like to know the key statistics relating to their team and players.

First of all link your sponsorship to your wider marketing plan or campaign. The sponsorship will gain better exposure and deliverance if it is part of a bigger campaign.

Thirdly, the activity or programme that you end up sponsoring should be included in your PR campaign and in your marketing literature. Fourth, ensure you have regular meetings with the rights holder of the programme you are sponsoring. Fifth, sponsorship must be able to engage and interact with the customer via in-store promotions, competitions, exclusive product offerings linked to the sponsorship, social media and micro web sites for interaction and data capture. Finally you should always measure the success of your sponsorship. Geoff run’s his own Sports Consultancy, working with clients such as FIFA across the world. He is also on the board of SportNI. You can follow Geoff on twitter @geoffwnjwilson

TRACKCHAMP is a joint venture between bwin.party digital entertainment and Chyronhego, to be their Official Streaming and Data Partner.

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or Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/in/geoffwnjwilson

SELF EMPLOYMENT

The fledgling freelancer commissions in the beginning, but what if it doesn’t last? Are you charging too much or too little? Are you just being stung because you lack confidence in the validity of what you can do because you don’t have a fancy office, and let’s face it, a boss?

Julie Stewart

If you have read this far you may be forgiven for thinking I am not a fan of freelancing. Well you are wrong, being freelance is fabulous! Yes, you do have all those worries, but at least they are your own. You don’t need to worry about whether Anna from your team is passing off your work as their own or tell Barry that his body odour is offending the office. You no longer have to process the expense receipts from the nice long lunch your boss had, because you had that lunch, and it was delicious, and you had wine with it, because you could.

he route to self-employment is one many nine-to-fivers would love to take but few have the courage to pursue. Julie Stewart has worked in the corporate world for other people and is now her own boss. Who better to describe how it feels to be freed from the chains of employment? Freelancers are strange, mythical beasts, quite different from their office-dwelling counterparts. If myth is to be believed they live in pyjamas and sleep late into the morning. They can sometimes be spotted in coffee shops that have free Wi-Fi, typing frantically on MacBook Airs, but be careful not to confuse these freelancers with hipsters writing film scripts. Freelancers perform strange tasks and make huge amounts of money (still in pyjamas) for performing these tasks. They have extremely flexible working patterns. They live on a diet of fancy pastries from aforementioned coffee shops and afternoon beers that office workers can’t

AUGUST 2014

join in with, mainly because they have swipe cards and designated working patterns. And the hangovers don’t matter as they can have a lie in any day of the week because they are freelance. Oh, and they are extremely brave. If only this were the case. The only fact here is that freelancers are very brave. Leaving the security of a ‘real’ job to branch out on your own is a pretty scary thing to do. I’ve been a freelancer for four months and can confirm I still wake up some nights wondering what the hell have I done? I haven’t worked in my pyjamas once. Well, maybe once but I was sick. That’s the thing about working for yourself, you can’t be sick. Nor can you have a weekend, or a holiday, or holiday pay. In fact, even the mythical freelance joy of a lie in is just that, a lie. You might not have to clock in anywhere but that doesn’t mean you don’t have a job to do.

Yes, there are downsides, but not many. The worst I have encountered so far was dealing with a website. Who should be scared of a little website? If you are a freelancer you should be very, very afraid of the online portal to hell with is HMRC.gov.uk. The ‘quick links’ are anything but. The handy calculators do not calculate the hours of your life trying to work out if you are a sole trader or an employer. Or maybe you are an employee of yourself, and can you possibly claim for that Mac Air that the screenwriting hipsters have? Once you get through the maze of links and terms worthy of any joyless platform game, all you get at the end is a headache and a handy thirty digit code that you aren’t allowed to take note of but you must keep somewhere handy. So far I’m keeping it in the pocket of my pyjamas.

Julie Stewart is a social media consultant

Then there is the fear of not actually having a job to do. You might be inundated with

and copywriter and can be found at alittlesocialtlc.com and @littlesocialtlc

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TECHNOLOGY

Tech corner Adam Maguire keeps us up to date with some of the latest gadgets, gizmos and software that we need to know about.

Reviews Pebble Steel Smartwatch Aiming to refine its original smartwatch offerings, the Pebble Steel offers a glimpse into the future of wearable technology with few of the compromises on show. While the tech world is still watching for signs of Apple’s entrance into the smartwatch market, Pebble has been busy showing just how much potential the segment has. Its Steel is a refinement on that work, taking their original concept to a new level and wrapping it up in more attractive packaging for good measure. The device does all the things you might imagine and expect from a rival device – like showing message and caller details from your phone, allowing music controls and even tracking fitness. What sets Pebble’s smartwatch apart from the likes of Samsung and LG, however, is probably its screen. It uses an E-Ink display – like you would see on an ebook reader – rather than a fully-fledged LED. This sacrifices colour,

but it does significantly reduce the battery drain on the device, and makes it much easier to use in direct sunlight. It’s a worthy swap, with the Steel offering a week of running time on a single charge. Given that it is water resistant to boot, there is even less need for you to take the device off at any stage in the day. The Pebble Steel can be bought online for around £150 ($250).

The Fire Phone ticks all the various boxes that you might expect a flagship smartphone to – but it also tags on a few extra features (or some might say gimmicks) to lure buyers in. Dynamic Perspective gives a 3D effect that responds to the way a user tilts their phone, and also allows for shortcuts based on the way a phone is physically moved. Firefly, meanwhile, can recognise barcodes and make it easier for people to make purchases online, while Mayday offers always-on technical support for struggling users.

Amazon Fire Phone Not content with its dominance in the ebook market, and its strong showing in the tablet space, Amazon is bringing its own brand of innovation to the smartphone sector.

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Will all of this be enough to bring in buyers? Early reviews from the US seem underwhelming, but only time will tell. The Amazon Fire Phone has no British release date at present.

TECHNOLOGY

Previews Mac OSX Yosemite Apple’s new desktop operating system aims to bridge the gap between PC and mobile – making its own products important pieces of the puzzle in the process. With the runaway success of the iPhone and iPad in recent years, some have theorised that Apple would eventually ditch traditional computers altogether. OSX Yosemite is proof that nothing of the sort is likely to happen soon. The new operating system offers a broad visual refresh to bring things in line with the aforementioned mobile devices – but under the hood are some far more important changes.

Under its new Unity protocol, Macs will be designed to connect seamlessly with iPads and iPhones. This will allow users to answer phone calls through their PC, or start a document on the desktop and automatically continue as they leave the house with their iPad.

allowing people to store files remotely for easy access from any location. All of these key features just happen to be ones that tie users further into the Apple ‘ecosystem’, but there’s no denying that they’re attractive nonetheless.

Another key feature is iCloud Drive, which will rival services like Dropbox in

OSX Yosemite will be released at no cost in the autumn.

Given the Samsung Galaxy S5’s 5.1î display, there was little room to go bigger – hence the S5 Mini.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 has sold well despite not setting the world on fire – now its smaller sibling should make the device accessible to a wider audience. It’s a tried and tested path for most smartphone makers at this stage. Release a flagship phone and, a couple of months later, bring out a variant with either a bigger or a smaller screen.

JUNE 2014

With a screen measuring 4.5î, it’s not exactly small, and it still packs plenty of punch under the hood with a fast processor, decent amount of RAM and strong camera. The specs are lowered enough to make the device that bit cheaper, though, so expect this to sell well amongst those who desire a high-end smartphone but can’t quite justify the expense. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is released in Britain in early August.

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BUSINESS TRAVELLER

James Nicholson, JN Wines Have you ever unexpectedly run into someone you know from home in a far flung destination? Thankfully no! Only joking, I’m not sure, I can’t remember if I have or not to be honest! What do you enjoy most about working internationally? Buying wine is still as exciting as it was 20 years ago and I get a chance to not only meet new people in so many countries, but also the chance to mix in so many different cultures. What’s your favourite city/country in the world and where has disappointed you? Capetown for sheer energy, San Francisco for its beauty and San Sebastian for the brilliant Tapas bars and restaurants. Germany has never excited me. What do you look for in a good hotel? It has to be clean, functional, and, most importantly, quiet after midnight. What’s the best airline you’ve flown with and the best hotel you’ve stayed in? How often do you travel and why? Usually around three months of the year in total, sourcing wine around the world. Other than your phone, what are the three things you couldn’t

Aer Lingus for Europe - the staff are fantastic and I’d have to say Virgin for the long hauls. The Pestana Palace in Lisbon is fabulous – nothing is too much trouble. it’s Madonna’s favourite too but don’t let that put you off!

do without when travelling for work?

Have you worked out a way to avoid jet lag?

I always use flights to catch up on work but always take my music and

Try to avoid alcohol on the flights and eat

a sense of humour, particularly at security check-ins.

sparingly.

Have you found a good way to work while you are on

Do you speak any languages, and, if

the move?

so, have they been of use on business

It’s always a good time to think. I try keeping the ipad switched off

trips?

and the brain switched on!

Vineyard French - I suspect my suppliers would say it doesn’t help them much!

What would be your top tips for anyone embarking on a job that involves a lot of travel?

Where in the world would you most

Consider your family commitments, make connections that give you

love to work?

time and stay as far in the front of the plane as you can.

Portugal is my spiritual home. The people are the kindest I know and the climate

What’s your favourite App for passing the time?

is just perfect. The have the best fish in

I am a bit of an anorak so the ‘winesearcher’ app is high on the list

the world and the new generation of

and the weather app is tuned to every wine producing country to

winemakers will assure its place at the best

enable me to keep up with the harvests.

tables.

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TRAVEL

New food on offer at Flybe

irline Flybe has launched a new menu for passengers. It said the “Refuel” menu will offer an enhanced choice of breakfast, lunch, snacks and beverages, particularly when it comes to healthier options.

It was shaped by customer research conducted earlier this year which confirmed passengers’ desire for healthier, higher-quality products. It includes a ‘Tapas Special’ with basil and garlic olives, chorizo, breadsticks, savoury crackers, hummus, Mediterranean vegetable pate and Pimms, and The Food Doctor’s couscous and lentil wholesome pot. Flybe’s Director of Marketing, Martin Smith, said: “The insight from our research was very clear – only the right choice of on-board food and beverages, coupled with good value pricing, will be enticing to passengers.

Andrea Hayes, Flybe’s Regional Manager North and cabin crew member Debbie Apps are pictured launching the new menu.

“So we’ve listened closely to what our customers said they would like and, as a result, have made some radical enhancements to the menu to meet and hopefully, exceed, the needs of those who choose to fly with us. We have included higher quality produce available from trusted brands such as Dormans, Ndulge, Proper Popcorn and The Food Doctor but without compromising on the overall cost. Price is obviously a huge driver to the overall value of on-board refreshments so we’ve created an extensive range of special deals across the menu to offer additional value.

Pupils show artistic talent

upils from two of George Best Belfast City Airport’s adopted schools have had their work displayed in the Ulster Museum’s interactive Discover Art zone thanks to funding from the airport’s Community Fund. The creative ‘Porcelain Envelope’ project gave 72 P7 pupils from St. Joseph’s Primary School and Victoria Park Primary School the opportunity to work with local artist, Lynda B, to make their own individual envelope from unglazed porcelain based on a historical collection of airmailed letters from the 1940s and 1950s whilst exploring the history of their schools and communities. Michelle Hatfield, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Belfast City Airport, said: “One of the aims of our Community Fund is to provide unique opportunities and valuable experiences to young people in our neighbouring area, which is why we were so keen to sponsor this wonderful initiative that has not only given the pupils the opportunity to work with an esteemed professional artist, but also the privilege of having their work displayed in the Ulster Museum. “Through speaking with the children, it is clear that this distinctive combination of history and art has truly engaged their senses and has supported their artistic and educational curiosity. “It has been a pleasure to support this project and I am delighted that the work will eventually be displayed in the airport’s terminal

AUGUST 2014

Local artist Lynda B; Colleen Watters, Head of Learning and Partnership at the Ulster Museum and Michelle Hatfield, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Belfast City Airport with Owen Gray from Victoria Park Primary School and Cara Sinclair from St. Joseph’s Primary School.

and showcased to the 2.5 million passengers that use the airport each year.” After learning the techniques required for porcelain art from Lynda B, the pupils embarked on an extensive research project reviewing old school registers and addressing their porcelain envelopes based on their findings. St. Joseph’s Primary School chose to address their letters to a variety of famous people.

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CLASSIFIEDS

TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED ADVERT CONTACT ULSTER BUSINESS ON 028 9078 3200

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TECHNOLOGY

TOTAL FLEET MANAGEMENT ANY VEHICLE, ANY MANUFACTURER

Business Diary

September 2014

date

event

venue

CONTACT

11 September 08.30 - 12.30

Evaluating Your Board: Board Member Appraisal Organiser: IoD

Lecture Room 2, Riddell Hall, Stranmillis, Belfast Cost: Members £75 +VAT Non-Members £110 +VAT

For further information contact: Lorraine Corry on Tel: 028 9068 3224 or visit www.iodni.com

17 September 09.30 - 16.30

Excel Training (Introduction) Organiser: Mullan Training

Mullan Training, Amelia Street, Belfast BT2 7GS Cost: £132

For further information email: info@mullantraining.com

18 September 09.30 - 12.30

Mentoring for Growth Organiser: Women in Business

TBC Cost: Members £10 Cost: Non-Members £25

For more information or to book visit www.womeninbusinessni.com/events

23 September 08.30 - 13.30

Northern Ireland HR Exchange Organiser: Podiem and Legal-Island

Ramada Plaza, Belfast Cost: £85 +VAT

For further information or to book visit www.legal-island.com/hrexchange2014

23 September 08.30 - 10.00

Funding Business Growth Organiser: FSB

Killymoon Golf Club, Cookstown Cost: FREE

23 September 10.00 - 15.30

IoD Director’s Bootcamp – Masterclass with Experienced Directors Organiser: IoD

Innovation Centre, NISP, Belfast Cost: FREE

For further information contact: Lorraine Corry on Tel: 028 9068 3224 or visit www.iodni.com

24 September

Digi Talk Organiser: Hastings Hotel

Europa Hotel, Belfast Cost: £65 Delegates £25 Students

To book tickets visit www.hastingshotels.com/ Digitalk.html or email: hannah@hastingshotels.com

25 September 11.45 - 14.15

CBI Annual Launch Organiser: CBI

Titanic Belfast Cost: From £80pp for Members

For more information email: anthea.savage@cbi.org.uk

2 October 08.30 - 16.30

Green Biz Conference

Canal Court Hotel, Newry Cost: FREE

For further information or to book visit: www.stemproject.com/events/green-biz-2014

If you would like to promote an event or conference please contact Sonia Armstrong (soniaarmstrong@greerpublications.com) FEBRUARY 2014

193

PEOPLE IN

BUSINESS

OUTLOOK FOR 2014 OUTLOOK FOR 2014

OUTLOOK FOR 2014

really appreciate with a young family. In the past I would have worked a lot of evenings and due to the area that I covered, I could have been travelling twice a week so it was a little harder to maintain the work/life balance which is so important. What do you consider your best business decision or idea? I like to think there have been a few over the years. It’s a challenge thinking of just one but as the web developed we had to make radical changes to the traditional way we did business as customers embraced online technology for making their travel arrangements. Some of this has come about full circle especially for longhaul travel as the travel agent can now often have the best deal.

Fact File

Who or what has been your biggest

Name & Job Title: Brenda Morgan, Partnership Manager with British Airways.

She has great strength and at 85 years old

influence or inspiration? My mother has been a wonderful role model. she is so independent. From a business

Family: Married – 3 children 6, 8 and 10 years.

perspective I learnt so much from my first boss in British Midland, Chris Morgan. He

Interests: Running, music, socialising and of course travel.

was an inspiration and in fact after several years of leaving the business, customers still ask about him. He is a legend!

What was your first paying job?

previous job I have been through a few

I worked at the Trusthouse Forte Shop

re-structures which are never pleasant

at Belfast International Airport during

but overall I’ve been very lucky to have

the summer holidays, early shifts and

enjoyed most of my employment.

late nights but such fun. Guess that’s where travel got into my bloodstream!

Are you switched on 24-hours or is there a time when you switch your phone off?

Do you have any golden rules in business? Be honest, listen and question. Honesty is key to your credibility which is essential. In my line you know when someone is lying to you! Listening and questioning are also the cardinal rules for sales too, as many

What do you like most about

British Airways has an afterhours call

your current role?

centre for Executive Club and of course

The diversity. No two days are the same

BA.Com is where passengers can get

and you never know what the next hour

the most up to date information on their

brings in our industry. The job is primarily

travel so no need to be 24 hours on the

What would you regard as a

commercial because my role covers a

job. However, my phone is checked after

“cardinal sin” in business?

region but I also get involved in marketing

hours unless I’m out of the country.

Dishonesty – you will always be found out!

people assume and don’t actually listen to what the customer needs or wants.

and PR which makes it so varied. Has your personal life suffered

If you hadn’t been in business what

What is the worst job you

because of your career?

would you have liked to have done?

have been employed in?

There are certain times of the year I would

I would have loved to be a pilot and

I’ve been very lucky in my career to not have

be extremely busy but British Airways

it is wonderful to see so many female

experienced a role that I have hated. In my

insist on a work/life balance which I

crew now fulfilling that ambition.

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