The Ulster Business Podcast: Recent Episodes
The Ulster Business Podcast
The Ulster Business Podcast, brought to you by Northern Ireland's leading business magazine, hosted by editor John Mulgrew and featuring interviews, debate and discussion with top business leaders from here, and beyond.
Why are businesses spending more time flexing their social governance and responsibility muscles? John Mulgrew speaks to Chris Conway, group chief executive of Translink and chairman of Business in the Community and its deputy managing director Lisa McIlvenna about the organisation's upcoming Responsible Business Awards, why organisations here need multi-year budgets, the work firms are doing to ensure they benefit their communities and why there's cautious optimism among companies here.
The latest Ulster Business Top 100 Northern Ireland Companies edition, with A&L Goodbody, showed seriously strong performances from many of our biggest best firms, with pre-tax profits up 46%. John Mulgrew speaks to head of A&L Goodbody's Belfast office, Michael Neill, about a "difficult" year ahead, the success and resilience of our private sector, a lag which could see an increase in insolvencies in 2023 but why he doesn't believe we're in for anything like the same deluge which happened following the 2008 recession.We could be in for a difficult year ahead
John Mulgrew speaks to Jackie Reid, co-founder of food on the go firm Deli Lites about moving from 30 sandwiches a day to becoming a multi-million pound business selling right across Europe. He's also joined by Harbinson Mulholland's Darren McDowell to discuss the importance of family business and the year ahead for the sector.
In this episode John Mulgrew speaks to Jack Hamilton of Mash Direct and Harbinson Mulholland's Darren McDowell about how the agri-food firm has grown into a £24m business employing 240 people, why Comber will always be home, expanding during a pandemic and why the NI Protocol is the best option on the table.
In this episode of the Ulster Business podcast John Mulgrew speaks to Darren McDowell of Harbinson Mulholland, Joseph Doherty, Regen Waste, and Dr Ian Smyth of Ulster University about all things SME, our challenges ahead, and best homegrown businesses, a lack of an Executive and why it needs to get back up-and-running.
Mark Sterritt is UK network director for Northern Ireland with the British Business Bank. The government-owned economic development bank has been assisting firms of all shapes and sizes here since 2014, but it was also the forefront of administering many government assistance schemes amid Covid-19. He tells John Mulgrew while there is a mixture of challenges and opportunities ahead, there remains strong resilience among firms here, and he says NI firms have a global appeal and ambition. This episode was recorded just at the end of last year, as NI emerged from the majority of Covid-19 related restrictions.
Maeve Monaghan, chief executive of NOW Group, said it was “painful and shocking” to think back on the impact Covid-19 had on the organisation. It works with around 1,400 people with learning difficulties and autism. But Maeve says the social enterprise group pivoted to online engagement, and has plans to expand further, including across Ireland. She speaks to John Mulgrew about the work the organisation is doing, how the team pulled through during the pandemic, and what's next.
John Mulgrew speaks to Nuala Murphy of Diversity Mark NI about our top female company leaders, why diversity in the workplace is good for business, the huge gaps which still remain and how Covid-19 highlighted yet more challenges for women here.
This week’s guest in John Healy. John is managing of Allstate in Northern Ireland, the technology arm of a US insurance giant. He speaks to John Mulgrew about hiring more than 300 staff amid lockdown, the pluses and minuses of the NI Protocol, and that some firms are seeing a boon from it, why political stability remains key and front and centre when attracting foreign investment, the firm’s decision not to open a new office in Derry’s Ebrington Square, but why the office is far from dead.
After more than 20 years in the corporate world, Sinead Sharkey-Steenson left to go it alone and found her own business five years ago, Generation Women. In this episode, we look at why there remains a significant disparity in female representation among big firms here, and what can be done to address the issues. Sinead tells editor John Mulgrew that many of the problems start early in a career cycle, and she says often ‘the first rung is broken’. Sinead says in the current set up and climate, gender pay parity won’t be achieved for around 100 years, and that much work is still to be done in education and within our traditional industries.
Cafe chain Bob and Berts looks set substantially grow and expand its store numbers more than 100 across the UK over the next few years, according to its co-owner, Colin McClean. After setting up its first cafe in Portrush in 2013, it's grown to a store footprint of 21 locations across the UK. Now, it's setting its sights on setting up between eight and 10 new cafes a year. But it’s also looking at new locations in Derry, Belfast and Enniskillen. And Colin tells John Mulgrew it's adapted amid the pandemic, with a new app, takeaway and delivery. That's now around 12% of the firm's overall business.
The office is unlikely to be the same again. It’s evolving and moving towards an environment of collaboration, and needs to be an attractive proposition to bring workers away from their make shift home offices, and into our cities. John Mulgrew speaks to Ronnie Crawford, director of design and fit out firm, Calibro about growing its reach across the SME market in Ireland, an office environment changed forever, pivoting during the pandemic as on-site work stopped overnight, and heading into 2022 with a strong pipeline.
Northern Ireland’s agri-food sector is now worth more than £5bn, and employs more than 100,000 people. In the last two years, it’s grappled with both the pandemic and Brexit – the latter still having a major impact on food producers and exporters here. In this episode, John Mulgrew speaks to Michael Bell, executive director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association about a rollercoaster over the last two years, the 10-15% of its members which are continuing to find it extremely difficult post-Brexit, and why there's a growing risk of more bare shelves in the run-up to Christmas.
Michael Stewart says the hospitality sector is now facing a staffing “crisis”. And he’s also keen for businesses to start bringing workers back to offices in order to help build back footfall and the city centre. The president of Belfast Chamber, and hospitality stalwart, says the Executive must move away from the “work at home” message, and on the loss of major high street names, he says much of the decline was on the cards, pre-pandemic. But he’s positive about Belfast’s future, and says it can come back stronger, and better than before.
Northern Ireland’s economy could be bolstered by a deals led recovery and increasing interest from foreign direct investors, according to PwC's NI regional leader Kevin MacAllister. He says “there is lots of liquidity in the system” and we are now starting to see businesses to look at engaging in deals and acquisitions. In this episode he also chats about moving into its new £87m office development in Belfast, why returning to the workplace will be part of the future, and increasing interest from FDI.
Hospital waiting times are never far aware from the headlines here. And now, an Irish firm is aiming to use artificial intelligence in order to help decision makers reduce those times, and as a result, improve health services across the UK, Ireland, and eventually beyond. In this episode, editor John Mulgrew speaks to Naomh McElhatton of Cork University spin out, Stimulai. Formerly marketing director with recruitment giant Staffline, and a former events company chief, the Co Tyrone woman says the company is seeking initial seed funding of around £500,000, and wants to hire between 15-20 staff across a range of areas. In this episode, we also hear about the changing face of some sectors, including hospitality, the roadmap back to pre-Covid growth and why it could be time to take a look at our curriculum to ensure the right training and skills for the jobs of the future.
It’s been a difficult and challenging year for Invest NI, as it has for most of us. Kevin Holland joined the organisation as chief executive just a few months before the global pandemic sweeped across the globe. Exports and sales among firms it works with slumped in the last year, while FDI stalled at the beginning of the pandemic. He says Invest NI will “certainly change as a result of the changing environment”. On Brexit, he says it’s too early to say whether businesses are largely seeing a positive or negative outcome as a result of the NI Protocol. But on Northern Ireland’s former silver bullet, reducing corporation tax, he says it’s no longer an active selling point for FDI. But he also says it’s further down the list for company priorities when eyeing Northern Ireland.
From a predicted 10% surge in house prices, which could be set to continue in 2022, a surge in hiring partly fuelled by people leaving certain careers and finding new ones, most sectors witnessing rising orders, albeit coming from a low base, to massively rising costs, and the resilience of firms still keeping their heads above the water. In this episode John Mulgrew chats to Ulster Bank’s chief economist in Northern Ireland, Richard Ramsey, about the overall economic landscape we are now in, across the sectors and industries, and what lies ahead amid a continued period of uncertainty for many out there.
Alan Foreman is chief executive of B-Secur, a technology firm which is at the forefront in changing how we assess our own health, and put more of it in our own hands. In this episode, Ulster Business editor John Mulgrew chats to Alan about the firm’s FDA approval in the US – which will be its biggest market focus, including early stage discussions around US investment, continued hiring here, using technology to face the challenges of health care around the world in a post-Covid environment, and why he thinks Northern Ireland is next on the list for a big tech boom.
Belfast could become a modern green city such as Copenhagen or Helsinki and see a “massive increase in its competitiveness” on the world stage due to its unique position post-Brexit, the former chair of the BBC has said. Sir Michael Lyons is heading up a commission examining how Belfast and Northern Ireland can grow and expand. He speaks to John Mulgrew about its latest findings and what's needed to make Northern Ireland a truly attractive prospect for investment.
Elaine Birchall, is chief executive of one of Northern Ireland’s largest firms, SHS Group. In this edition, she speaks to John Mulgrew about seeing a radical reduction in some area and witnessing a doubling or tripling of transport costs and shipping times amid Brexit. She says it’s unlikely we will be able to envisage a return to a base economic level for at least a year.
Companies across Northern Ireland are looking towards the future with “guarded optimism”, according to Lisa McIlvenna, deputy managing director of Business in the Community NI. She tells John Mulgrew that any push towards a more flexible situation which helps an employee balance their like in some shape or form, should be welcomed, but face-to-face interaction remains key in a post-Covid landscape.
Companies are continuing are seeing growth and continuing to seek out opportunities and mergers amid the Covid-19 crisis, according to Paddy Graham of investment fund BGF. He says its portfolio of companies has been “extremely robust” over the last few months, with many also experiencing growth during the period. And he's keen to see a safe reopening, alongside with the vaccination programme, to ensure we all avoid another lockdown.
It's been a year without live performances, and according to Auveen Sands, chief operating officer with The Ulster Orchestra, it could be September or October at the earliest before there's any form of a return to live performances. She talks to John Mulgrew about the need for clear road map dates, the huge hit to freelance musicians and that the arts sector will be the last to reopen to the public, post-lockdown.
Four Star Pizza says it has seen an almost 20% surge in sales here in the last year amid the coronavirus pandemic. And director Brian Clarke tells editor John Mulgrew about the firm's plans, which were on pause amid the pandemic, to expand outside Ireland and into GB.
A new £250m City Deal for Derry and Strabane has taken the next step, with the UK Government signing over its £105m commitment to the deal. Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Robin Walker MP, speaks to John Mulgrew about the next step in the journey, helping build back post-Covid, why Northern Ireland still remains a unique and attractive jumping off point for UK business, post-Brexit, and ensuring 'the protocol works as it intended to do and doesn’t interfere with the everyday life of people in Northern Ireland'
Co Down man Mark Gillan has spent a career travelling the world across a range of roles at the top of Formula One, including his former position as chief operations engineer at Williams. He's now among those leading the way at Artemis Technologies, a firm producing a zero-emissions ferry in Belfast which could revolutionise travelling by sea in the future. He speaks to John Mulgrew about quadrupling its workforce by next year, getting a vessel in the water this year and some of his Formula One highlights.
Darren McDowell remains optimistic for the future, but knows the coming weeks and months will be some of the most challenging for firms here as support comes to an end. The senior partner at professional services firm Harbinson Mulholland speaks to John Mulgrew about what a company in trouble can do, the strength of government financial support and why a 'good business' pre-pandemic should be able to come out the other side.
The MAC, one of Northern Ireland's leading arts centres, has effectively been in a stasis amid the last few weeks of lockdown. Its chief executive, Anne McReynolds, says the organisation has lost around £1.3m in revenue, opened just 33 days in 2020 and has already let go around 45-50 workers. And she's warned that venues must be saved to ensure “there is some remnant of civic and cultural society remaining” after the Covid pandemic. She speaks to John Mulgrew.
It's just been a few days since the end of the transition period, but in that time we've seen lorries stopped at our ports due to incorrect paperwork, products not making it on to our shelves, major online retailers such as Amazon pausing selling some of its products to Northern Ireland and an overall lack of preparedness, especially among GB firms. Seamus Leheny speaks to John Mulgrew about what's ahead and whether the impacts we are feeling will be temporary, or permanent.
Ulster Business editor John Mulgrew takes a look at a year ahead for Northern Ireland business – putting 2020 in the rearview mirror. He speaks to Margaret Canning, business editor of the Belfast Telegraph, and Ann McGregor, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry about an air of positivity, what happens when support ends in the spring, a different work/life balance, concerns over youth unemployment, focusing on retraining and reskilling, whether we’ll get that crucial Brexit deal over the line and looking back on the most challenging year in modern times.
In just 12 months, Bazaarvoice has increased its Belfast workforce by 50%, acquired a company, and continued to hire talented people throughout the crisis while growing its roots here deeper each day. John Mulgrew speaks to site Seamus Cushley about hiring almost 40 people during Covid-19, changing consumer demands caused by the pandemic and seeking out staff that haven’t come through the traditional channels.
Have restrictions and locking down retail and hospitality been blunt instruments? According to Tina McKenzie, FSB NI policy chairperson, they have been, and should be “the last thing we do”. She speaks to John Mulgrew about needing a long-term plan, getting off to a bad start and not operating on an all-island basis. She also says there is a lack of understanding of how many people on the poverty line live day-to-day. Tina also doesn’t think the current restrictions on non-essential retail and hospitality will be extended further into the end of December.
Former chairman, Seamus Keating, is the man tasked with leading Newry headquartered but global giant First Derivatives – a firm which employs more than 2,400 people across the globe. It works across a range of areas, particularly around finance, but also reaches out to everything from Formula One and Nasa. The last few months has seen FD a change in demands for its software – with areas such as capital markets seeing a surge in business in the first half of the year. Seamus says the passing of its founder Brian Conlon was a huge loss for his family and the many friends within the business, right across the globe. But he says the strength of the company has been, and remains, the team effort which carries through to the success of First Derivatives.
The last few days and weeks has seen Northern Ireland business butt heads with Government in regards to the restrictions in place – a balance between what’s best for the economy, while reducing the number of Covid-19 cases.
Ray Hutchinson, managing director of Gilbert Ash – one of the largest construction firms here – speaks to John Mulgrew about why he believes we must keep our economy open, returning to pre-Covid work levels but a potential lag on the way, 'the novelty wearing off' home-working and working remotely, and starting back building hotels and other schemes.
Jayne Brady started a newly-created top role as digital innovation commissioner with Belfast City Council, just as the pandemic gripped us. And the role of technology, IT and other digital sectors has never been more important for the future jobs market in Northern Ireland and beyond. Jayne tells John Mulgrew about hugely ambitious targets to create 46,000 new jobs for Belfast, many of those in tech, by 2035, including retraining young people and those who have been in established careers which have been hit hard by Covid-19.
John Mulgrew chats to Fergal McFerran of Stonewall about the barriers which still remain in Northern Ireland, along with the unique challenges many LGBT people are facing around the Covid-19 crisis. Fergal says around 20-25% of people here still conceal their sexual orientation or gender identity, for fear of receiving a negative response, or in some cases, feel doing such would have an impact on their future career progression.
Jackie Henry, senior partner of Deloitte in Northern Ireland, tells John Mulgrew its plans for a huge 17-storey office are still going ahead. And aside from working with both private and public sector clients since lockdown, she's been on the ground donning a hi-vis vest and assisting in setting up Covid-19 test and trace facilities. But she also says there must be “very significant financial support” for those companies most affected by the ongoing restrictions, including retail and hospitality.
Kainos has not only been working with the NHS around its digital services on Covid, but it’s continuing to hire around 150 staff here, while working entirely remotely over the last seven months. Brendan Mooney, chief executive, speaks to John Mulgrew about the next step, why a new head office is no longer an ‘immediate concern’ and paying furlough payments back to the Government.
The UK Government's controversial Internal Market Bill has just been passed by the House of Commons. But what impact could it have on the Northern Ireland protocol and EU relations in the last throes amid the final days of negotiations? Dr Stephen Farry, Alliance MP for North Down, speaks to John Mulgrew about getting a 'superficial' deal on Brexit and how coronavirus has only weakened the case for leaving the EU when a joined up approach has never been more important.
Could Belfast see an influx of workers from cities like London post-Covid? Michael Graham heads up Northern Ireland's largest construction firm, Graham Group. He tells John Mulgrew some businesses are revisiting construction and development plans post-Covid to see whether they still wish to proceed, but remains positive about the state of the market, and that Belfast could see growth in the medium to long term as workers move from cities such as London to less dense areas.
Retailers in Northern Ireland are seeing sales dropping by as much as 60% in Belfast and beyond amid industry calls to bring back office workers here to secure the future of our cities and towns, according to Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI. He speaks to John Mulgrew about the calm before the storm wanting to see a return to offices among many of Northern Ireland’s biggest businesses, with the high street relying on footfall and spend from workers.
Michael Neill has worked through a number of recessions in the last 20 years, but says what is now around the corner is ‘not just going to be different because of severity but because of its uniqueness’. The head of Belfast office for A&L Goodbody speaks to John Mulgrew about the next wave of economic turmoil to hit our shores, the resilience of our Top 100 firms, but that this year’s list may be a high water mark for some time.
Roseann Kelly, chief executive of Women in Business, says it “will be mostly women that are losing their jobs” in Northern Ireland as sectors such as customer-facing retail and hospitality face significant cuts here amid pandemic pressures. And she says female entrepreneurs are suffering badly as a result of the crisis, with childcare issues becoming the biggest barrier for businesses. She speaks to John Mulgrew “It will be mostly women that are losing their jobs,” she told the Ulster Business Podcast with Bank of Ireland.
It’s been more than a decade in the making, but a £240m waste to energy plant for Mallusk is now on the desk of Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon. John Mulgrew speaks to John Ahern, one of those behind the Arc 21 scheme – business development director Indaver UK and Ireland, the private sector investor behind the Becon Consortium – about the thousands of residents opposed to the development and why people must “understand the bigger picture”, when he expects a decision and the need for such a large scale incinerator to deal with 300,000 tonnes of black bin waste from six Northern Ireland councils.
Operating an essential service amid a pandemic isn't easy, with public transport passenger numbers down to 10% of normal capacity. John Mulgrew speaks to Translink chief executive, Chris Conway, about coping amid coronavirus, the impact to its finances, backing making face masks mandatory on the high street as well as transport, when we could see a return to normalised levels on our bus and train network, and a fresh focus on a greener future post-pandemic.
How do you operate a medical technology firm when your research facilities and clinical trials are happening on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean? John Mulgrew speaks to Dr Jason McKeown, founder of Neurovalens, about landing £5m of fresh investment amid a pandemic, weighing up continuing clinical trials amid the crisis, when he can get back to the US, and looking at tackling the other health factors which can have a huge detrimental effect when a person contracts Covid-19.
Could Fibrus become the broadband equivalent of budget airline Ryanair? Founder Conal Henry optimistically says it's a possibility. His new firm is spending up to £200m rolling out its new 'full fibre' service across regional areas in Northern Ireland. He speaks to John Mulgrew about how demand has already changed amid Covid-19 and putting us at the top of the list in connectivity in just five years.
Is it the end of globalisation? Mark O’Connell, chief executive of OCO Global, says it’s not the end but we will see significant changes to our workforce and approach to air travel. The head of the business and economic development business speaks to editor John Mulgrew about seeing a 50% slump in foreign direct investment, which he says will return, saving tens of thousands on its own travel and a fall in wages overall as an increasing number of people find themselves out of work here.
According to Tourism NI chief executive, John McGrillen, four months of lockdown has led to a huge £200m hit to our economy here. He speaks to John Mulgrew about reopening, spending the next three to four years trying to get back to where we were, international tourism not taking off until spring 2021, while a reliance on visitors for GB and the Republic may be in our favour.
In a few days, much of Northern Ireland's hospitality sector will reopen - but in a very different environment. John Mulgrew speaks to the experts: Colin Neill (Hospitality Ulster), Rajesh Rana (Andras Hotels) and Janice Gault (Northern Ireland Hotels Federation) about how our pubs, restaurants and hotels will look, how they'll cope with demand, and those which may never been able to open the doors again while social distancing remains in place.
The Ulster Business Podcast with Bank of Ireland UK speaks to Devenish chief executive, Richard Kennedy. A recent winner of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, the head of the top agri-tech and animal food business speaks to John Mulgrew about life as an essential business amid Covid-19, the time it will take society to deal with the changes ahead, the impact a huge fire had as its main Belfast site, the impact of the crisis on the economy and finding a way through Brexit.
In a special episode looking at Derry and the north west, John Mulgrew speaks to Jennifer McKeever of bus business Airporter and Londonderry Chamber of Commerce chief Paul Clancy about how the city has fared, the challenges it will face in an area which already suffers from high levels of unemployment, when air travel could return to normality and how the area can rebound post-crisis.
There are both emotional and heart-wrenching stories which have occurred as a result of the coronavirus crisis, but have largely been unheard. John Mulgrew speaks to Shane Logan, chief executive of Bryson Charitable Group about being an essential service on the frontline, expanding his team, the untold stories of victims of the greatest global crisis in a generation but getting on, setting dates and opening up Northern Ireland.
Neil Gibson says while post-lockdown and post-virus, Northern Ireland could see a 'bounce', it won't see a 'bounce back'. The chief economist for EY in Ireland speaks to editor John Mulgrew about the 'heavy lifting' the Northern Ireland Executive is still facing, a renewed, new demand for the office, the importance of continuing spending and investment, but the thousands still due to hit our unemployment queues.
Suzanne Wylie has gone from heading up Belfast City Council, responsible for the running a bustling city, to now working in a city which has been silent for weeks. The chief executive speaks to John Mulgrew about a "different but bustling” city post-coronavirus, opening it up to the public, pushing for more city living, working remotely, retraining and reskilling, and ensuring a future for the economy.
Claire Hanna took her Westminster seat back in December 2019 with a huge majority in a snap election dominated by Brexit. In this episode she speaks to editor John Mulgrew about whether our road map to recovery should include dates, dealing with the myriad of issues from constituents and businesses, the importance of parallel conversations taking place about both health, and the economy, having a fresh appetite for a universal basic income amid the pandemic, and whether there should be a one off tax for industry giants, such as Amazon, which have prospered during global lockdowns.
Darragh McCarthy has grown his financial services business FinTrU into a giant now employing 500 people. He speaks to John Mulgrew about moving from office to remote working, the firm's busiest period in April, heading towards 1,000 workers, facing an economic downturn worse than any other in modern times and how our cities and epicentres will never be the same again.
Could Northern Ireland be out of lockdown before the rest of the UK? Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing NI, believes it could and that we should be following our own plan to open up again. He speaks to John Mulgrew about staff returning to workplaces they won't recognise and how businesses are coping amid the coronavirus.
As the Republic of Ireland announces restaurants can begin to open up in June, John Mulgrew speaks to one of Northern Ireland's best-known restaurateurs, Michael Deane and food critic Joris Minne, about being allowed to get back to business as early as next month, how social distancing can work, the number of businesses which could go to the wall if lockdown is extended and the need for government consultation alongside the industry experts to get things going.
Aodhán Connolly has risen to become one of the doyens of the business group community, fuelled by the debate around Brexit. He's director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium and has become a familar face across regional, national and international media. John Mulgrew chats to him about how the big grocery sector is adapting to a surge in demand amid coronavirus, a minority of people not playing by the rules and mistreating staff, a move to prioritise deliveries to those most vulnerable, and dealing with Twitter trolls.
John Mulgrew speaks to economist and CBI director in NI, Angela McGowan, about how businesses are dealing with lockdown, the measures in place to mitigate major cash flow issues, the economic implications for Northern Ireland, how the fallout will compare to the 2008 crash, what needs to happen next as society and business adapts to a new way of working, and whether this crisis will make us think more globally, or nationalistic, on the outside.
Ulster Business editor John Mulgrew speaks to one of the best names in Northern Ireland food production. Peter Hannan of Hannan Meats sells his top end dry-aged steaks to some of the world's best chefs across the global, and is the sole supplier of beef to one of the world's most prestigious department stores, Fortnum & Mason. He chats about helping feed a nation amid a global pandemic, what's around the corner, and how he built a meat empire.
In the inaugural Ulster Business Podcast, editor John Mulgrew speaks to Simon Hamilton, chief executive of Belfast Chamber and former Stormont Health and Economy Minister about the challenges facing society and the economy amid the coronavirus crisis