BREAKING NEWS..........
Moving in and up at Pinsent Masons
International law firm Pinsent Masons has welcomed a host of new faces as well as investing in teams via a range of promotions to its Belfast office. Nicola McKane (Solicitor, Real Estate), Seána Donaghy (Senior Associate, Banking), Michael Hamill (Senior Associate, Corporate), Emma Swan (Paralegal, Litigation & Regulatory). (Back row L-R) Niall McCavitt (Solicitor, Real […]
Plans revealed for inaugural Innovation Nation conference in Newry
Some of the world’s most respected entrepreneurs are lining up to take part in Innovation Nation 2018, the first-ever innovation and technology conference in the city of Newry this September. Innovation Nation 2018, which is being run by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and a number of supporting partners from the public and private sectors, […]
Enoksen Watches set to take the watch world by storm
Enoksen Watches, a Belfast based company which makes stylish, high quality wristwatches, and which has already enjoyed significant global success in its first few months, officially launched in Belfast last night . Hans Henrik Enoksen(centre) founder of Enoksen Watches with brand ambassadors international model Bernard Fouquet (left) and former international tennis player Michael Pernfors. Enoksen […]
Jago Grows Award-Winning Team appointing Victoria Nicol as Director
Belfast-based national and international communications and PR practice, Jago, has added to its senior team with the appointment of Victoria Nicol as a Director, as part of its continued growth. Victoria Nicol has joined the multi-award-winning practice, bringing over 8 years of ‘Big 4’ management consultancy experience gained in senior roles on major transformation programmes […]
40 Five-Star Hospitality Jobs at Titanic Belfast
The world-leading Titanic Belfast is recruiting for 40 hospitality roles. Over the last six years, Titanic Belfast’s hospitality team have hosted over 2,500 business and leisure events including BBC’s Biggest Weekend, Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee lunch, G8 Summit Reception, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, The World Police & Fire Games International Conference, World Conference of […]
Belfast-based watch company Enoksen launched: Business First Interview
Business First Online talks to Hans Henrik Enoksen, founder of new Belfast based watch company Enoksen, which will officially launch in Belfast tonight (16 August). The company has already enjoyed significant success selling to customers around the world including Scandinavia, America, France, Luxembourg, Italy and Australia, in the few short months since its inception. Additionally, […]
FEATURE ARTICLES..........
Sinead Doyle MCE PR: 40under40 Profile
Sinead Doyle is MCE’s head of consumer PR, leading MCE’s lifestyle and consumer division. Supported by a team of five consultants, Sinead designs and delivers effective PR, marketing and communications strategies and projects for MCE’s growing consumer client base, including the Beannchor Group, The Merchant Hotel, Bullitt Belfast, Tourism Ireland, Special Olympics Ireland, Dillon Bass, […]
Ryan McCavigan, Interface: 40under40 Profile
Ryan McCavigan has been an employee of Interface for over 12 years. He has moved from a position on the factory floor to New Product Development Manager in 2014. In this role, Ryan is taking and shaping decisions which have a direct impact upon the organisation. He has been responsible for the development of over […]
Tiarnán O’Neill, Down and Connor Diocesan Trust: 40under40 Profile
A Chartered Accountant, Tiarnán O’Neill trained with PwC in Belfast and Dungannon working with some of Northern Ireland’s Top 100 companies. In October 2017 he was appointed Chief Operating Officer to Down and Connor Diocesan Trust one of Northern Ireland’s largest Charity’s. A recognised leader in the sector Tiarnán’s expertise in corporate governance, risk and […]
Emma Boyle, Slice of Heaven: 40under40 Profile
Emma Boyle has worked with her family at Slice of Heaven Ltd in Newtownards from the tender age of 13. Her apprenticeship with her Mum, Heather, helped her to learn the ropes from this early age, being thrown in at the deep end. Emma studied Performing Arts at South Eastern and Regional College in Bangor […]
Sheree Atcheson, Deloitte: 40under40 Profile
Listed as one of the UK’s Most Influential Women in Tech ‘17, 27-year-old Sheree Atcheson (@nirushika) is a Consultant at Deloitte, founder of I Am Lanka, and UK expansion director at Women Who Code. As well as her day-to-day life in the industry, Sheree is a tech outreach leader across the UK. As a passionate […]
Ross Davidson, Davidson McDonnell: 40under40 Profile
Ross Davidson commenced his legal training with a leading City of London firm in 2001 qualifying as a solicitor in 2003. Following qualification, Ross practiced as an associate solicitor in the firm’s award winning Commercial Property Group. In 2006, Ross returned to Northern Ireland to join a major Irish law firm and was appointed as […]
THOUGHT LEADERS..........
Working on your own time – checking emails after hours
Patricia Rooney of Tughan’s outlines what businesses need to ensure is in place so employees are not working in excess of 48 hours per week. Employees have always checked their emails. Now, with smartphone in hand, they can check them anywhere, at any time; at the weekend; on the beach; before they go to bed. […]
How the public sector is keeping UK citizens safe from cyber-attacks
Experts at the World Economic Forum classified the threat of a cyber-attack as one of the top three most probable global risks of 2018, along with extreme weather events and natural disasters. For the public sector, the cyber-attack threat is even more acute – hacking into a government body by digital means can be done remotely by […]
Do you use good deeds to justify immoral behaviour?
‘I helped my neighbour move yesterday – you can’t rescue everyone.’ Photographee.eu/Shutterstock Nishat Babu, Aston University We all like to think of ourselves as morally sound individuals. However in doing so we often assume that morality is static – that we are consistently moral to some extent over time. In reality, research suggests that most […]
InterTradeIreland’s Challenge Programme: challenge yourself and minimise your time, money and risk
American general, George S Patton said; “Accept the challenges so you can feel the exhilaration of victory”. And this is exactly what InterTradeIreland’s Challenge programme does – it challenges CEOs and MDs of SMEs to look beyond their comfort zone, helping them to innovate, diversify and take their business to the next level and reap […]
Businesses and individuals should review medical insurance after announcement of April UK withdrawal
Colin Willis, Employee Benefits Director at local insurance broker, Willis Insurance and Risk Management, reassures policy-holders after APRIL UK’s announcement of its withdrawal from the UK Private Medical Insurance (PMI) market. Protection specialist and healthcare insurance provider, April UK, made the announcement last month that it was withdrawing from the UK Private Medical Insurance (PMI) […]
Grow Your Business Without Growing: 5 Customer-Confirmed Ways to Look Bigger
Customer perception can make or break a business. The way people judge your brand is often the difference between making a sale and missing an opportunity. Depending on what your business does or provides, you’ll want different customer perceptions. If you run an artisan coffee shop, for example, your branding will likely be of an […]
MOVERS & SHAKERS...
Bernard Branagan, Branagan Construction Limited: 40under40 Profile
Bernard Branagan – Partner, Father of 3 and Owner & Director of Branagan Construction Limited (BCL). Self employed at the age of just 18 with just GCSE’S behind him, Bernard has grown BCL to what it is today. Highly driven, opportunistic, ambitious, determined are just a few words to describe Bernard. BCL are an experienced […]
Aideen Duggan, Keenan Healthcare: 40under40 Profile
Aideen Duggan is the Founder and Director of Keenan Healthcare – a top tier, multi-award winning Employment and Recruitment Agency in Belfast. Until December 2017 Keenan Healthcare sourced temporary Qualified Social Workers, Allied Health Professionals and Support Worker’s for the NHS. Since January 2018, winning another 3 contracts with the NHS, doubling business, they now […]
Tina McKenzie seals the deal as Grafton Recruitment joins the Staffline Group
Tina McKenzie has led the largest acquisition of a recruitment business in Ireland, with the £80m turnover business Grafton Recruitment joining Staffline Group’s portfolio. Staffline Group plc is a leading outsource company providing Recruitment, Training & HR services to both Government and commercial customers. Staffline has acquired Grafton’s Recruitment and HR businesses in Northern Ireland […]
Morrow Communications grows Design Team
Morrow Communications has expanded its Design Team once again welcoming both Claire Ball and Matthew Roddy to the team. Clare Ball has been appointed Senior Graphic Designer. Claire works closely with clients to develop creative solutions for print and digital formats. As well as graphic and web design, Claire develops brands, creates event exhibition materials and […]
Patrick Arends Appointed as Head of Hospitality, Leisure & Culture at HLM
Patrick Arends has joined HLM, a leading design and architecture practice with studios in Belfast City Centre. Patrick has been appointed as the Head of Hospitality, Leisure and Culture at the practice, bringing over 17 years of experience of delivering high quality and high value projects internationally. As sector lead, he will add to HLM’s […]
Pinsent Masons Infrastructure Lawyer invited to Fellowship of Institution of Civil Engineers
The Institution of Civil Engineers has recognised the contribution of a leading infrastructure lawyer with an invitation to Fellowship. Adrian Eakin, a Partner at Pinsent Masons specialising in the infrastructure sector has accepted a Presidential Invitation from Professor Lord Robert Mair to become a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). The Presidential Invitation […]
FAMILY BUSINESS..........
Top 3 Non-Traditional Ways to Raise Finance for Your Business
At one time, the only way to get funding for your business was to head to the bank. However, these days there are hundreds of different lenders to choose from. Due to tightened lending restrictions, it has also become increasingly difficult to get the funding you need from the bank. However, the good news is […]
How to Get Funds from Friends and Family for Your Startup
When you get an amazing business idea, it’s normal to get excited. But to get the business off the ground requires sufficient funds if you are ever going to realize your dreams. In the recent years, the funds needed for getting a startup off the ground has increased. As such, entrepreneurs have a difficulty getting […]
How to review your personal or business finances after a drop in income
When it comes to finances, either personal or business, a drop in income will mean a financial review is required. You will now have less coming in with the same amount of outgoings. Depending on how much you had left over each month before the drop in income and the size of the decrease, you […]
Three ways to keep your staff happy
Running a small business is never easy, no matter how well you’re doing with clients and turning profits. There’s so much that’s constantly evolving and changing, so many challenges that seem to be never-ending. For many entrepreneurs, that’s the reason they do it – they like the stimulation and the pressure of getting things right […]
GlowMetrics launches new Google Analytics Training Academy
When it comes to marketing data, Google Analytics is one of the best tools for capturing it, but have you ever looked at Google Analytics and felt totally confused? Don’t panic. While it might seem overwhelming at first, learning Google Analytics isn’t nearly as hard as you think. The key is to figure out what […]
Why Data Centres are Essential for Businesses
Data centres have been around for decades now, supporting businesses as they grow, which in turn supported technological advancements as the demand for an adequate IT infrastructure increased year-on-year – and continues to do so. Data centres continue to remain as essential for businesses, with much of what a company does nowadays requiring an advanced […]
HR ADVICE & IDEAS.....
Bridging employee wellbeing health and productivity: Willis Employment Services
Colin Willis, Employee Benefits Director Willis Employment Services, explains the importance of closing the gap between the wellbeing of employees and organisational productivity. Bridging health and productivity within an organisation is essential in ensuring a healthy and successful workforce. Therefore, many companies are working to create and implement wellbeing programmes to help their employees maintain […]
5 Ways to Boost Office Efficiency
We all want to get the most from our employees. There are plenty of bombastic perks out there to motivate your team, but sometimes it is the simple things that can increase productivity and get everyone working more efficiently. If you’re looking for ideas to give everyone a boost, here are some to try out […]
Top 5 workplace benefits and how they affect staff morale
Employee morale is based on the views and opinions of those people who work for you, how they feel about the environment in which they work in and their overall level of satisfaction. It has a huge effect on engagement, productivity and retention. With high levels of morale throughout a workforce, satisfaction will rise but […]
5 Ways to implement learning at work
To show up every day being the best version of yourself is a journey of ongoing improvement, marginal gains which you achieve every day, says Royston Guest. Asking the questions; what have I learnt new today? Or more specifically, what have I learnt new today which is going to help me to be even better […]
What are the barriers to female entrepreneurship in Northern Ireland
In the third event of a series addressing issues around female entrepreneurship, Ulster University Professors Joan Ballantine and Pauric McGowan organized a full day conference at the MAC in Belfast to present five pieces of research and an expert panel discussion on the issue. Policymakers in developed economies are keen to accelerate growth by stimulating […]
How to Claim Compensation After a Personal Injury at Work
Have you sustained a personal injury in the workplace? No matter whether this is psychological or physical, as an employee it can hard to balance the feeling of responsibility between you and the company that you are working for. When you are considering a personal injury compensation claim it can be hard to know which […]
