Presidential interview


It's all about our members A


s managing partner of Belfast‑based accountancy firm BDO, Francis Martin is well used to operating in a fast moving environment. However even he admits that his rise to the position of president of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce has been little short of meteoric.


“I was elected as vice‑president of the Chamber nine months ago after the resignation of Alastair Hamilton who had accepted the post of chief executive of InvestNI,” Francis explained. “Since then I have been acutely aware of the incredible amount of work undertaken on behalf of Chamber members by our chief executive, Ann McGregor, and her team and any initial concerns I might have had about taking on the role of president have been quashed.


“It's been a steep learning curve for me but I now look forward to working with the Chamber team, Council and Board to take on the challenges facing the Chamber. On a broader note, I am also looking forward to working with colleagues in the wider business community ‑ as well as public representatives and policy makers ‑ to ensure our economy is fit for the challenges and demands of the 21st century.”


And they are challenges which Francis understands well. A Chartered Accountant and a Fellow of the Institute of Business Consulting, he is a leading and highly experienced corporate finance and business adviser with expertise across a wide range of industries and projects, including leading several reporting accounting assignments for clients listing on the UK Stock Exchange, unusual assignments for an accountant in Belfast.


Laying the groundwork


Francis has not chosen to take a back‑seat during his short tenure as vice‑president of the Chamber. Instead, he has co‑ordinated the development of a strategic plan for the Chamber's future growth and is determined to “tap into the potential that exists within the Chamber membership.”


Francis now believes the Chamber is ready to move into a new period of growth. “Bro McFerran (immediate past president) and Ann McGregor have already carried out a lot of great work behind the scenes to prepare the Chamber for the next stage of its development. “We now have the necessary infrastructure in place to continuously monitor the services our members want and need, and to provide them with those services. The challenge now is to become effectively externally focused to build membership, influence government policy and promote members interests. “Make no mistake about it, we are determined that the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce will be the leading business organisation in Northern Ireland.”


This is not a one‑man band


While Francis recognises the role of president as one that requires him to be the public face of the Chamber, he is determined to draw


The President's Charity


As is Chamber tradition, Francis has announced his President's Charity which is to be the Buddy Bear Trust based in Dungannon.


Some 20 years ago, the Buddy Bear School was set up by the Buddy Bear Trust in response to the pleas of parents who wanted conductive education for their children who suffered from cerebral palsy and other motor disorders.


Conductive education was developed by the world famous Peto Institute in Budapest. Conductive education at the Buddy Bear School has had life changing consequences for some of the children who have been lucky enough to attend the school in Dungannon.


For more information on the Trust please visit www.buddybeartrust.com


Gavin Walker chats with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce's newly-elected president Francis Martin


upon the extensive experience, knowledge and ability that exists within the members of the Board and Council. “I see little benefit to bringing together this formidable team of people on a quarterly basis to simply give them a report on what the president and chief executive have been doing for the past three months,” Francis said. “Instead, I hope to call upon their expertise to help drive, promote and develop the Chamber. With the rewriting of the constitution and the restructuring of the Board undertaken, I now want to get the Council more engaged in the work of the Chamber.


Francis pointed to the recent creation of the three new sub‑ committees: economy, education and international trade, as examples of how the skill sets within the Council and wider membership can be harnessed to promote members issues. “The work of these committees will not only raise the profile of the Chamber but will also add genuine weight to the ongoing debates about the future development of our economy and different areas of government policy.”


It's all about our members


Francis expresses a firm determination to carry on the work of both Bro and Ann and to ensure that the Chamber remains firmly focused on the needs of the members. Whether as a facilitator in export development or as promoters of membersʼ interests within organisations such as the Business Alliance ‑ which also includes the Institute of Directors, CBI and Centre for Competitiveness – it is Chamber member interests which remain the priority. Francis also referred to the role the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce might play in the support of local chambers saying that he felt the Northern Ireland Chamber might be a “partner in the efforts local chambers are making to tackle many of the same challenges we face.”


So Francis' presidency will be about engagement: engagement with the Council and Board to take advantage of the skills and knowledge individuals have in different areas: engagement with the wider membership to ensure the products and services they want from their membership are being provided, and engagement with the wider business community and policy‑makers to influence decision‑making on the future development of our economy. It's a demanding challenge Francis has set himself. But for a man who thrives on meeting and beating problems, who prefers a round‑table discussion to a round of golf and who's address on his business website includes the sentence “We have created a culture that balances energetic involvement, commitment and innovation with quality of life”,there is a sense that Francis is well experienced in achieving the goals he has set the Chamber and himself.


14


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84