Brown O'Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead: Week Commencing 13 June 2022

Forward Look                                

• Labour Leader Keir Starmer MP is expected to meet with local party leaders at Stormont today to discuss the impasse at the Assembly and the NI Protocol.

• A Bill to override aspects of the NI Protocol has been delayed due to Cabinet divisions over its content. It is expected to be published next week.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP has held secret NI Protocol talks to appease Conservative backbench Brexiteer MPs and the DUP. These talks are expected to continue next week ahead of the Bill’s publication.

• The Report on the Independent Neurology Inquiry will be published on 21 June.

• Valerie Watts has been appointed as interim Chief Executive of Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. She will take up the post on Monday.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP won a vote of confidence on Monday after 211 Conservative MPs voted in his favour. Due to Conservative party rules, another vote will not be allowed to be held within the next year.

• Education Minister Michelle McIlveen MLA announced that children entitled to free school meals will receive a holiday food grant this summer.

• Taoiseach Micheál Martin TD has said that he will not support any proposals for his party to end its partnership with the SDLP.

• People Before Profit MLA, Gerry Carroll, has launched an Assembly recall petition to elect a Speaker and address the cost of living crisis. So far, the SDLP is the only party to have signed the petition.

• The NI Veterans Commissioner will appear before the NI Affairs Committee on Wednesday on the Governments legacy proposals.

• The Northern Ireland Chamber Business Awards launched on Monday. Nominations will close on 8 July.

• The North West Business Awards will be held next Friday 17 June at the City Hotel, Derry.

Other Stories this week

• Sinn Féin Councillor Sandra Duffy was selected as the new Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council.

• Eileen Montgomery was appointed as the new Digital Innovation Commissioner for Belfast City Council.

• Caitroina McCusker has been appointed the new PwC Regional Market Leader for Northern Ireland, replacing Kevin MacAllister.

• Former Mayor of Derry and Strabane District Council Graham Walker has quit the DUP and will remain an independent.

• Stormont parties met with the Head of the Civil Service to discuss a future Programme for Government and Budget on Tuesday.

• The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 gained Royal Assent on Monday.

Upcoming key political and business events

• 16 June, NI Chamber’s In Camera with the Department for Infrastructure, The Merchant Hotel, Belfast

• 17 June, North West Business Awards, City Hotel Derry

• 21 June, House of Commons rises for Summer Recess

• 24 June, NI Chamber’s Annual Lunch

• 30 June, Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards, Titanic Belfast

• 29 – 30 September, Centre for Cross Border Studies’ Annual Conference

• 21 October, Belfast Chamber Business Awards, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

• 4 – 5 November, Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

Consultations

• Review of Urgent and Emergency Care Services. Department of Health. Deadline 1 July 2022.

• Reform of Adult Social Care. Department of Health. Deadline 1 July 2022.

Northern Ireland's Local Council Mayors, Chairs and Deputies 2022/23

Northern Ireland’s 11 local councils have appointed their Mayors, Chairs and Deputies for the year 2022/23. Please see below a full list of the incoming First Citizens for the next 12 months.

Less than a year out until the next Local Government Elections in Spring 2023, the parties will be looking to use their mayoralties or chair positions to boost their profiles and hopefully win more council seats. After holding three positions last year, however, the UUP has no mayoralties or chair positions this year and only three deputy positions. The SDLP, after holding no positions last year, holds just the one chair position in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council this year.

Alliance, after a very strong Assembly Election result in May, holds just two positions in Ards and North Down, and Mid and East Antrim. Sinn Féin and the DUP share four mayoralties or chairs between them. Only four of the new Mayors or Chairs this year are women, with three of those coming from Sinn Féin alone.

Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

• Cllr Stephen Ross (DUP)

• Cllr Leah Smyth (UUP)

Ards and North Down Borough Council

• Cllr Karen Douglas (Alliance)

• Cllr Craig Blaney (UUP)

Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council

• Cllr Paul Greenfield (DUP)

• Cllr Tim McClelland (DUP)

Belfast City Council

• Cllr Tina Black (Sinn Féin)

• Cllr Michelle Kelly (Alliance)

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council

• Cllr Ivor Wallace (DUP)

• Cllr Kathleen McGurk (Sinn Féin)

Derry City and Strabane District Council

• Cllr Sandra Duffy (Sinn Féin)

• Cllr Angela Dobbins (SDLP)

Fermanagh and Omagh District Council

• Cllr Barry McElduff (Sinn Féin)

• Cllr Allan Rainey (UUP)

Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council

• Cllr Scott Carson (DUP)

• Cllr Michelle Guy (Alliance)

Mid and East Antrim Borough Council

• Alderman Noel Williams (Alliance)

• Cllr Beth Adger (DUP)

Mid Ulster District Council

• Cllr Cora Corry (Sinn Féin)

• Cllr Frances Burton (DUP)

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council

• Cllr Michael Savage (SDLP)

• Cllr Aoife Finnegan (Sinn Féin)

"New telecoms legislation presents challenges for landowners" writes Matthew Howse, Partner – Dispute Resolution & Litigation, Eversheds Sutherland

As originally appeared in the Irish News, 7 June

Matthew Howse, Partner – Dispute Resolution & Litigation, Eversheds Sutherland

Despite significant reforms and changes in 2017, the Electronic Communications Code (”the Code”) is set to be amended once more when the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (PSTI) Bill becomes law. Currently passing through the House of Commons, the main thrust of the new legislation is to introduce mandatory security requirements for smart devices and ‘consumer connectable products’ like smart phones, smart TVs, and home speakers.

The second part of the new bill is to make changes to the Code, the main law that governs the rights of telecoms companies to install their infrastructure on land across the UK. It’s fair to say that the Code has been controversial since its first major reform in 2017. While reforms were introduced to reflect the significant changes to electronic communications over the past 20 or 30 years, the Code as amended in 2017 aimed to provide network operators the ability to expand and improve their networks with more freedom and to reflect the dominance of mobile and internet networks in the modern day.

These reforms, however, have been controversial, in particular the changes to land valuation. For many landowners, rents for hosting telecoms equipment have reduced dramatically, while the Code has also been blamed for causing delays to infrastructure roll-out. Historically, many landowners and small farmers in Northern Ireland agreed with telecommunications companies a rent in order to install masts and infrastructure on a portion of their land. While rents varied, they could often be in the region of £3000 to £4000 per year (or more), a not insignificant income for landowners.

The reforms to the Code in 2017, however, gave much greater power to the tenant to negotiate or, in many cases, demand a much lower rate of rent when it is up in the name of the societal ‘greater good’. In several cases, this has meant that landowners have seen their incomes slashed. For small landowners or independent farming families, this can mean a huge reduction in what is often vital income.

The current PSTI Bill aggravates the position further by inserting new Articles 18A, B and C into the Business Tenancies (Northern Ireland) Order 1996, to remove the subsisting agreement protection, so that the landowner will be compelled to accept the £200 to £300 being offered by the agents. The amended Code will, in theory, see the process of finalising new telecoms agreements and rolling out new infrastructure sped up to supercharge the UK’s digital revolution. However, this may come at significant expense to landowners up and down the country.

In the struggle between private property rights and the speedy roll-out of the UK’s digital infrastructure, the current PSTI Bill may see small landowners and farming communities come out the losers. Litigation and legal action over the Code is likely to rumble on until the new legislation is passed. And with the power tipping even more to the tenants under the new PSTI Bill, landowners may find themselves in difficulties under the new laws.

'Window of opportunity for NI business shrinks as Protocol impasse continues' writes Angela Keery, Head of Tax at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore

As originally appeared in the Irish News, Tuesday 7 June

Head of Tax at Baker Tilly Mooney Moore Angela Keery

Much has been said and written about the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol on business in Northern Ireland. For many businesses there is a real economic advantage in having unique access to EU and UK markets, although given the level of administration and documentation now required when moving goods from GB to NI, some sectors will have no doubt felt the pressure more than others. We have, however, reached a point where movement on the issue either way is now vital for the continuation of business in Northern Ireland.

Business owners, employees, suppliers and investors all need certainty before they can move forward with any significant decision. Though the chaos of the pandemic is now firmly settled, companies here are left facing a third year of instability as we lurch from a health crisis into a political one.

This is not to deny the political concerns that exist around the Protocol and its implications for trading between the UK and Ireland. But the reality is that in business, the political impasse it has created is causing more of a threat.

Earlier this year, four in five accountants surveyed by the Chartered Accountants Ulster Society reported that the Protocol is in fact presenting avenues of economic opportunity for the region. Despite persistent concerns over energy costs and supply chain disruption, the economic outlook has been more positive than anticipated in recent months, and whilst some businesses have moved to seize on the opportunity to trade with access to both the UK and EU markets, others have held back, awaiting clarity.

Any window of opportunity presented by the NI Protocol grows smaller, however, as we continue without a fully functioning Executive to represent us. The reality is that political stability is a prerequisite to strong levels of investment.  Northern Ireland has the thriving start-up scene, world class skills pipeline and attractively low cost of doing business needed to tick all of the other boxes for potential investors.

We could, therefore, be missing out on both inward investment and the expansion of indigenous companies as the prolonged impasse caused by the Protocol continues.

Almost two months into the new financial year, four out of five employers have reported to the British Chambers of Commerce that they have been negatively impacted by the rise in National Insurance Contributions. For that 81%, the increase was a body blow in the form of increased staffing costs and prices.

Pair that with the rising energy costs, soaring inflation and supply chain bottlenecks that have combined to cause the Bank of England to raise the alarm for recession, businesses here are in no more of a stable footing than they were this time last year when talk of economic recovery from Covid-19 was the focus.

That said, there is no doubt the Protocol causes real problems for business owners in some sectors. Just look at the difficulties in haulage as companies navigate the red tape in the hope of the UK Government’s so-called ‘green lanes’ proposal becoming a reality.

These issues of the cost of living, rising cost of doing business, under pressure supply chains and looming recession are impacting businesses now right across the board. No matter the outcome of the current discussions, companies need decisive action on the Protocol that opens a clear pathway for business growth, investment and recovery going forward. 

Docs Ireland returns with packed programme of international documentary excellence

(Left to Right) Paul McClintock, Digitisation Project Co-Ordinator, Northern Ireland Screen, Roisín Geraghty, Docs Ireland Head of Industry & Marketplace, Cate Cheung-McMullan, a filmmaker whose short is competing at the Docs Ireland Short Film Competition, and Stuart Sloan, Docs Ireland Programmer.

Sinéad O’Connor, Kenny G, James Joyce and Princess Diana are just some of the interesting people who will be profiled on film as Docs Ireland returns to Belfast for its fourth year.

The international documentary festival will run from Wednesday 29 June to Sunday 3 July, with film screenings and events in which public audiences and industry professionals will encounter both rising stars and documentary filmmaking legends.

A documentary based on the life and career of Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor is set to open this year’s festival. Directed by Belfast-born filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson, ‘Nothing Compares’, which will screen on Wednesday 29 June, reflects on the legacy of the singer, and follows her rise and fall over a five-year period (1987-1992).

‘Listening to Kenny G’ by globally recognised documentarian Penny Lane will close the Festival on Saturday 3 July. In her film Lane takes a deeper look at how the acclaimed instrumentalist reimagined the Smooth Jazz genre, while also asking - What is Jazz?

Northern Ireland film studio Doubleband will be debuting its latest documentary, ‘James Joyce’s Ulysses’ which unlocks the Irish literary great’s masterpiece one hundred years after its first publication.

Music and culture are two key themes of this year’s festival with documentaries including ‘Laurent Garnier: Off the Record’, a look at one of the leading visionaries of the house music genre; ‘Tramps!’ by Kevin Hegge which delves into the flamboyant, fresh style of the new romantics in London in the 1980s; and Songs for Drella’ a 1990 concert film, only rediscovered recently, which captured the only reunion of ex-Velvet Underground members Lou Reed and John Cale - and the life, dreams and aspirations of the band and its manager, Andy Warhol.

The fourth annual Docs Ireland festival will also give emerging filmmakers the opportunity to meet and learn from seasoned industry experts through a series of online masterclasses, workshops, panel discussions and ‘in-conversation’ sessions.

The documentary focused festival has fast become a forum for new and emerging documentarians to showcase their own films, find routes to broadcast and training, and funding for new work. The Docs Ireland - Northern Ireland Screen Documentary development pitch returns for the third year, presenting six feature documentary project pitches from filmmakers across Ireland, in a competition to receive an award of up to £7,500 towards a pilot for their documentary feature.

Director of Docs Ireland, Michele Devlin said:

“The fourth Docs Ireland  takes a look at the culture, art and music of the world around us showcasing some of this year’s most interesting global documentaries. As we move past the pandemic, and into an era of recovery and renewal, Docs Ireland looks to shed light on those who do incredible things in the cultural world and showcase it to a wider audience. With documentaries from some of the world’s most celebrated documentarians including Penny Lane and Kim Longinotto, as well as up-and-coming stars such as Anna Rodgers who won our Shorts Award in 2019, there truly is something for everyone in this programme.

“Every year, we are able to bring leading industry experts and influencers to Docs Ireland to interact with and support our emerging local filmmakers. There are no shortages of talented documentarians on our own island, those who are set on bringing fascinating real life stories to the big screen. Through our five days of festival, we will showcase to the global industry why Irish filmmakers are primed to bring new, innovative ideas to the world of documentary making.

“The Docs Ireland Marketplace is a real opportunity for any aspiring filmmaker to meet with leading international documentary industry decision-makers, funders, broadcasters, distributors and exhibitors on a one-to-one basis. They generously give their time to help participants develop their own documentary projects, as well as foster new relationships and opportunities between local and international networks.

“This year’s fulsome programme of screenings and events promises to be one for budding filmmakers and documentary enthusiasts alike and we look forward to welcoming audiences back to five days of film excellence across Belfast.”

Other highlights include:

• Giving audiences an interactive experience, ‘Voyage of Time: The IMAX Experience’ is a one-of-a-kind celebration of life and the grand history of the cosmos, transporting viewers into a vast yet up-close-and personal journey that spans the eons from the Big Bang to the dinosaur age, to our present human world and beyond.

• In partnership with Into Films, Docs Ireland will screen ‘Where is Anne Frank?’, an animated fictional piece follows the journey of Kitty, who lives in the current era, the imaginary friend to whom Anne Frank dedicated her diary.

A special panel event, Discussion: The State of Journalism will hear from some of Northern Ireland’s leading journalists including Gavin Esler (broadcaster, novelist and journalist), Trevor Birney (filmmaker - No Stone Unturned), Alison Millar (filmmaker - LYRA) and Una Mullally (broadcaster and writer) to look at the position of journalism and documentary filmmaking in 2022.

• Docs Ireland are delighted to team up with The Nerve Centre and Unboxed’s Our Place in Space to present, award-winning filmmaker Darren Aronofsky in conversation at the QFT, discussing his remarkable filmmaking career (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan, and The Wrestler) and his new ten part documentary series One Strange Rock, hosted by Will Smith.

Docs Ireland is sponsored this year by Northern Ireland Screen, Belfast City Council, Department For Communities, BFI FAN, TG4, Film Hub NI, BBC Northern Ireland and Yellowmoon. 

Programme and ticket information can be found at www.docsireland.ie. 

Brown O'Connor Communications Weekly Look Ahead: Week Commencing 6 June 2022

Forward Look                                

• Several news outlets are reporting that Foreign Secretary Liz Truss MP could introduce a bill disapplying parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol next week.

• The Second Reading of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will take place on Wednesday.

• The Treasury has confirmed that it is exploring ways to ensure households in Northern Ireland receive cost-of-living support without a functioning Executive in place.

• Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald TD and Michelle O’Neill MLA are meeting with Vice President of the European Commission Maroš Šefčovič today to discuss the Protocol and need for political stability in Northern Ireland.

• The UUP has written to the Head of the Civil Service NI to ask for cross-party talks to develop a Programme of Government and that the public consultation on the Budget be reopened.

• Sinn Féin Councillor Christina Black will be nominated as the next Lord Mayor of Belfast at Belfast City Council’s AGM this evening. The party’s Sandra Duffy is expected to be nominated as the new Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council on Monday.

• Alliance and the SDLP are expected to elect new Council Group Leaders in the next few weeks.

• The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee will receive evidence from the Commission for Victims and Survivors and the NI Human Rights Commission on Tuesday.

• Parliament’s Standards and Privileges Committee is expected to commence an investigation into the conduct of Prime Minister Boris Johnson MP in October.

• Planning permission for the redevelopment of Casement Park has been upheld by the High Court following a legal challenge from local residents.

Other Stories this week

• On Monday, the Assembly failed to elect a new Speaker after the DUP blocked a cross-community vote for the second time.

• DUP Deputy Leader Paula Bradley will return to politics as a councillor for Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council after stepping down from the Assembly before the election.

• An opinion poll conducted by the Business Post and RED C has placed Sinn Féin on 36% in the Republic of Ireland, ahead of rival parties Fine Gael (20%) and Fianna Fáil (15%).

• A legal challenge against the decision by DAERA Minister Edwin Poots MLA to halt checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain has been put on hold by the High Court.

• Gillian McAuley has been appointed as the new President of the Northern Ireland Chamber.

• Baker Tilley International has announced Francesca Lagerberg as Chief Executive of its global network.

• Docs Ireland launched its fourth programme on Wednesday and will take place from 29 June to 3 July. To view the full programme: LINK.

Upcoming key political and business events

• 16 June, NI Chamber’s In Camera with the Department for Infrastructure, The Merchant Hotel, Belfast

• 17 June, North West Business Awards, City Hotel Derry

• 21 June, House of Commons rises for Summer Recess

• 24 June, NI Chamber’s Annual Lunch

• 30 June, Irish News Workplace and Employment Awards, Titanic Belfast

• 29 – 30 September, Centre for Cross Border Studies’ Annual Conference

• 21 October, Belfast Chamber Business Awards, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast

• 4 – 5 November, Sinn Féin Ard Fheis

Consultations

• Review of Urgent and Emergency Care Services. Department of Health. Deadline 1 July 2022.

• Reform of Adult Social Care. Department of Health. Deadline 1 July 2022.

New Job Alert: Client Executive - Public Affairs and Corporate Communications

Client Executive – Public Affairs and Corporate Communications

Apply By: Friday 17 June 2022 by 5pm

Brown O’Connor Communications - CIPR Northern Ireland Small Consultancy of the Year 2021/2022

• Position: CLIENT EXECUTIVE

• Experience: 0-1 years (Would suit recent graduate)

• Area: Public Affairs and Corporate Communications  

• Salary: Competitive

• Based: Adelaide Street, Belfast City Centre

The Person

Brown O’Connor Communications, the CIPR Northern Ireland Small Consultancy of the Year, is seeking a talented Client Executive.

This is an exciting role within an ambitious company requiring a resilient individual with emerging leadership qualities to join the team. 

You will have a deep interest in politics, business and the media and have a developing understanding of the role that public affairs, media relations and stakeholder relations plays.

Once you join the Brown O’Connor team, you’ll be signed up as a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and enrolled on the Continuous Professional Development programme.

About Brown O’Connor Communications 

CIPR Consultancy of the Year Judging Panel – “the agency may be relatively young, but it’s building a stellar client list”

Brown O’Connor is an ambitious and trusted public affairs led communications consultancy based in Belfast City Centre. We help our clients gain impact and outcomes through specialist insight and influence with editors, ministers, and commercial decision makers. 

We have a track record for managing and delivering complex communications programmes for some of the UK and Ireland’s leading businesses, professional services, charities, trade bodies, interest groups and public-sector organisations.

Our central office is based in Belfast City Centre managing clients based in Northern Ireland, GB, Republic of Ireland and the US.

We are highly regarded for our specialist Public Affairs and Corporate Communications services which includes Crisis Communications, Property and Planning Communications, Litigation Communications, Event Management, Political Monitoring and Communication Strategy Development. 

Client Executive Role Specification

Day to Day Delivery

· Proven ability to work in a fast paced, often pressurised, outcome orientated environment.

· Working on political lobbying and public awareness campaigns supporting policy change, legislative change and the smooth running of political engagement programmes.

·  Political and Policy Monitoring of the NI Assembly, Westminster and Oireachtas.

· Writing editorial content on behalf of clients including press releases, opinion/platform pieces and blogs and ensure coverage across a range of media outlets.

· Working with suppliers such as photographers, graphic designers, videographers, economists and sectoral experts integral to the successful delivery of client activity campaigns.

· Be able to create engaging social media content across multiple platforms.

· Well organised to ensure smooth running of client campaigns.

· Work as a team player with Brown O’Connor colleagues to ensure success across client accounts.

· Deliver outcomes for clients and work to raise their profile in the media and with key stakeholders in a positive way.

Criteria

· A recent graduate or up to 1 year working in the areas of Public Affairs and/or Corporate Communications or within a communications environment.

· Third Level Degree or equivalent in the preferred areas of Communications, Law, Politics, Business, Social Science or Humanities.  

· An excellent communicator both written and oral.

· Outstanding organisational skills..

· Willingness to work evenings and weekends as required by client and other activity. 

· Clean driving licence and access to a car.

How to Apply

To apply in strict confidence, please send your detailed CV, covering email and the completed answer to the set question below, by email, to Brown O’Connor Communications at hello@brownoconnor.com by 5pm Friday 17 June 2022.

Please state your name and ‘Brown O’Connor Client Executive 2022’ in the subject line.

Application Process

·Initial shortlisting

·Two stage interview

QUESTION 1: Please outline, with examples, how you meet the Criteria as outlined in the Job Specification (Word Limit 300).

'Stable institutions vital to support new phase for fintech sector' writes Andrew Jenkins, Chair of FinTech NI

As originally appeared in The Irish News, 31 May 2022

Political stability has long been cited as one of the primary elements of consideration for Foreign Direct Investors. Well known for our level of skills, low cost of doing business and position as a global competitor in emerging technologies, there is no doubt Northern Ireland is being looked at by such investors. 

This is certainly the case within fintech. Multiple global technology companies have chosen to locate here as the sector developed in recent years to employ over 7,000 individuals and bring in £392m annually to the economy.

With a three-year strategy now in place, the industry has entered a new phase that is as much about encouraging indigenous growth among start-ups as it is about attracting the further £25m inward investment that is projected for the next three years.

This is a promising new chapter that comes in line with a fresh new political landscape at Stormont. Whatever the next political development, a new Assembly with a Programme for Government that commits to supporting fintech will be vital.

Through engagement across the ecosystem, we know the areas of work required to keep Northern Ireland competitive. At the inaugural NI FinTech Symposium in March, the start-ups, established fintechs, financial services companies and education providers made it clear they are ready for growth. So how can the Assembly and Executive support?

Skills and talent is an urgent area of concern in many cases. Northern Ireland has a strong pipeline of new talent, yet secondary cycling and scaling needs improvement and we continue to lose skilled professionals to other locations.

Reform of careers education is required, therefore, not only to direct young people towards the highly paid, rewarding careers we know exist, but to rewrite the damaging perception of risk that exists locally. A culture of entrepreneurship and encouragement to follow lesser-known career paths into areas of emerging technology is one that should be facilitated.

From there, progressing our current early-stage funding mechanisms on towards Series A and above is vital. SMEs currently venture outside of NI to access this and one of our biggest barriers to growth is a lack of scaling support for young fintechs. The appetite is there among founders to source their funding locally, so we must find a way to take investors in that direction. 

Lastly, strategic partnerships between start-ups, FDIs and regional banks will create greater opportunities more broadly. These three elements already exist in Northern Ireland, yet with little links between them, SMEs are left to look elsewhere for a strategic collaboration for growth. Aligning these key players and continuing our engagement across government, industry and education will coordinate the sector and provide a direct route for scaling up.

While we know what needs to be done, none of this is possible without support on a political level. Thousands more jobs can be created in fintech in the coming years as the sector builds momentum and the healthy start-up environment continues. We have the environment to attract more investment in; what we need now is the essential political stability and collaboration between business and government to level up fintech and boost the economy.

'Local manufacturing sector going strong despite volatility' writes Tony Murray, Senior Vice President, Lockton Companies LLP

Tony Murray, Senior Vice President, Lockton Companies LLP

As originally appeared in the Irish News, 31 May 2022

As well as heralding in the summer, the end of May also signals the wrapping up of Manufacturing Month. The past four weeks have featured a busy schedule of events, conferences, workplace visits, webinars, engagement with schools, and plenty of content, all to celebrate and recognise the manufacturing sector in Northern Ireland.

There’s no shortage of leading companies, manufacturers, or people within the local industry to highlight. And despite serious challenges before them, it’s extremely positive that the sector is confident and even burgeoning. The latest figures show that over half of manufacturers are currently experiencing growth, a remarkable figure given the period we’ve just come through and the general volatility within the market.

That is not to say that there aren’t problems currently for manufacturers to deal with. The cost of raw materials and energy are only going up, while labour and recruitment is a common headache across the industry. However, it’s often better the devil you know when dealing with challenges. While no one wants costs to spiral or to struggle in their recruitment processes, these are at least known issues which can be addressed head on. What is always more harmful, however, is uncertainty.

Uncertainty, post-election, over the Executive and the Assembly as well as the uncertainty over the Protocol. It’s an adage that businesses thrive on certainty. It’s also an undeniable truth that political stability is one of the key building blocks to attracting and cultivating investment. It’s crucial that these hurdles are overcome swiftly to support our makers and manufacturers as we come out the other side of the pandemic.

Lockton have been proud to sponsor Manufacturing Month, an invaluable initiative which highlights everything worth celebrating in our local engineering and manufacturing sector. The industry is one of the most important to our economy, bringing in almost £15bn each year and employing thousands. Manufacturers are investing in their staff, in their communities, and supporting households across the country. We lead the world in sectors like materials handling and crushing equipment while our reputation in food and drink, health and life sciences, and construction materials is globally renowned.

With more unpredictability and volatility across the wider economy than ever before, it’s vitally important that businesses have the correct advice and tools to stay ahead of the curve. At Lockton, we have a strong track record of supporting many local manufacturers, big and small, helping them navigate risk within the business landscape. We help them export and find new markets through trade credit insurance, we provide strong cover in the event of a cyber-attack, and we help facilitate business growth and expansion.

As Manufacturing Month wraps up for another year, it’s a welcome opportunity to reflect on another successful campaign. One which lifted up our makers and rightly shone a light on the talented and skilled people within the industry. With greater certainty and proper public sector backing, the sector can continue to go from strength to strength over the coming months and years.

Mental Health charity Inspires public to take part in Belfast Colour Run

Danielle Sheridan, Fundraising Manager at Inspire; and Marshall Angus from Dunelm, sponsors of the Colour Run.

Leading mental health and wellbeing charity, Inspire will host the Colour Run on Sunday 26 June at the Stormont Estate to raise money to support their services across Northern Ireland.

The 2.5/5k fun run, sponsored by Dunelm and in partnership with ArtsEkta, will see hundreds of members of the public run and walk the grounds of Stormont Estate while being covered in coloured powder in support of Inspire.

An inclusive event in the accessible grounds of the Stormont Estate, Inspire is encouraging everyone to join them on the day with family, friends and pets. Alongside the Colour Run itself, Inspire will showcase performances from ArtsEkta and food from a range of food and drink vendors.

Director of Mental Health and Addiction Services at Inspire, Alex Bunting said:

“We are delighted to be launching the Inspire Colour Run for what is set to be a fun-packed afternoon. The Colour Run originates from Eastern culture and the Holi, the festival of love, colour and new beginnings. We know that the past few years have been a difficult period and taken a particular toll on the mental health of many people across society. Our colour run is the perfect opportunity for families, friends and communities to come together and enjoy a day celebrating their resilience and unity while supporting mental wellbeing.

“We are looking forward to welcoming members of the public of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to what will be a great day. We’d like to thank our sponsor Dunelm and our partner ArtsEkta for their support.”

Head of Community at Dunelm, Janice Dunne said:

“We were so pleased to be asked to support this fantastic event as part of our partnership with Inspire. The Colour Run is an opportunity for people in the community to come together, have fun and is a great way to support mental wellbeing. Many of our store colleagues will be joining in on the day too!”

Executive Director of ArtsEkta Nisha Tandon OBE said: 

“We are delighted to support Inspire’s Colour Run event and highlight the importance of supporting mental wellbeing within our communities. To bring tradition to the event, we will be celebrating with Bollywood dancers and traditional Dhol Drummers. We are really looking forward to the day.”