Working with its supply chain on the Royal Victoria Hospital development, Newtownabbey-based McLaughlin & Harvey achieved a collective saving of £280,000 by taking a collaborative approach to resource efficiency.

With support from Envirowise, funded locally by Invest Northern Ireland, McLaughlin & Harvey has encouraged suppliers involved in the construction of the hospital’s new critical care centre to become more sustainable – and save money in the process. This includes establishing a Supply Chain Project to work with local suppliers such as Warwick Engineering, Blackbourne Integrated M&E and McMullen Architects to identify areas for improved resource efficiency and environmental performance.

The 12-storey centre, which was granted planning permission in March 2007, will be capable of dealing with up to 80,000 patients per year. The project is worth around £114,000,000 to McLaughlin & Harvey.

Richard Robinson, Quality & Environmental Manager at McLaughlin & Harvey, said: “At McLaughlin & Harvey we have worked hard with the experts at Envirowise to embed sustainability in all aspects of the business, so we were keen to work with our suppliers to help them realise the benefits of becoming more resource efficient. Not only has this achieved considerable financial savings, it has also helped to make this project as sustainable as possible.

“Internally, the firm has established a system for measuring and reporting site sustainability, through focused Key Performance Indicators that are designed to really show sustainability performance.”
‘This approach won McLaughlin & Harvey a Green Apple Award from the Green Organisation that was presented at the House of Commons in November 2009.

“By understanding sustainable construction,” Richard said, “McLaughlin & Harvey has been able to manage the construction process to make significant waste and energy reductions.”

Sam McCloskey, Envirowise Regional Manager for Northern Ireland, added: “McLaughlin & Harvey is a great example of a company looking at not only its direct impact on the environment, but also the ways in which working with suppliers can reduce the carbon footprint of the entire site and cut costs for all concerned. Sharing ideas and best practice in this way not only boosts the bottom line for the companies involved, but will also help to forge strong business relationships for future years.”

Olive Hill, Director of Technology and Process Development at Invest Northern Ireland, said: “A direct correlation exists between improvements in resource efficiency and a company’s profit margins. By engaging with the experts from Envirowise, businesses such as McLaughlin & Harvey can find out how to reduce waste and achieve significant financial savings in the process. The construction industry’s endorsement of McLaughlin & Harvey’s approach to sustainability was also recognised last year by its winning of the 2009 CEF/Specify Award for Environmental Sustainability, sponsored by Invest NI.”

To help other construction firms in Northern Ireland benefit from improved resource efficiency, Envirowise has launched a range of free fact sheets for contractors and sole trades people, which provide practical advice on reducing waste and saving money through resource efficiency.

There are seven factsheets available, providing tailored information for labourers, bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, decorators, plasterers and carpenters. The new guides also highlight legislation that will impact on sole traders, along with details of organisations that can offer more help and advice, and can be downloaded for free at www.envirowise.gov.uk/Construction.

There has been a significant shift away from the use of IT for organisational transformation and innovation toward using IT to improve efficiency and cut costs. Andy Ross, chief executive of Northgate Managed Services, discusses current and future IT trends to meet the changing needs of the customer.

Cost Cutting
In this economic climate, the first and most important priority is generating cost savings. Value-added services – such as life cycle management for desktop resources, application support, and hardware maintenance and repair solutions – offer real business value and are becoming a first port of call over an IT overhaul for the majority of NI companies. Recently, customers are adopting Virtualisation Technologies which have presented a real opportunity to reduce infrastructure costs and improve performance, flexibility and security.

Managed print solutions are also becoming increasingly popular, helping companies use assets more intelligently and efficiently, putting an end to unpredictable print costs.

Flexible working environments
A key trend we have seen is the move toward a flexible working environment to help increase productivity and efficiency, as well as to minimise operational overheads. Staff are no longer chained to their desk in an office. In fact, businesses are encouraging employees to spend more time working at home – reducing travel time, reducing carbon emissions and taking the often stressful commute out of employees’ daily routine. This has resulted in a rising demand for the ‘office desk experience’ at home setup for staff, including secure, reliable infrastructure and communications platforms and 24/7on-site and remote support.

The uptake of technologies such as Voice over IP (VoIP), converged networks, wireless technologies, and video conferencing has steadily increased and many of our clients are now looking at the ‘cloud’ to take advantage of its flexibility in terms of deployment and low investment risks.

Client contracts
The recession has brought with it a significant change in the customer-supplier dynamic. It is important now more than ever, that providers continue to assess every IT option available to help businesses move towards increased efficiency.
In order to compete in the current marketplace, it has also become important to implement innovative financing approaches offering more flexible payment options. Increasingly we are using lease finance to allow customers to invest in new IT infrastructures without the hit of a large upfront investment.

Looking to the future
Moving into 2010, opportunities for IT-managed service providers to implement and support virtualisation of their IT infrastructures and develop flexible and mobile working practices will continue to grow. The introduction of the Carbon Reduction Commitment in the UK and the need to reduce energy expenditure will drive further investment in greener technologies. However, the main priority for customers will still be to achieve significant cost reduction.
Resilience, protection and security of data will continue to be an ongoing challenge for both businesses and providers, and will lead to an increase in projects to create the robust architectures and processes needed to offer the necessary levels of protection in an increasingly open and networked business world.

The introduction of Next Generation Networks and the seemingly relentless move to doing business on and across the Internet will mean changes for the coming year. This will lead to the need for better operational controls, and many organisations wanting to take advantage of the benefits of these networks and the Internet can deliver, will need to not only change their existing underlying telecoms infrastructures, but also have a complete re-think as to how their systems and applications are architected. This is a major opportunity for managed service providers, and could lead to a completely new flavour of IT outsourcing service offerings.

Belfast man Gary Mills has been appointed to a top job in retailing and has taken up the post of operations director for Tesco in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

This means that Gary, who until recently was stores director for the Tesco business in Northern Ireland, has now added the Tesco Ireland operation to his portfolio. It makes him responsible for around 160 stores and 22,500 employees North and South.

“This is a wonderful opportunity and I am delighted to have taken up this role. It will help dispel the myth that there are no prospects in retailing which is increasingly being regarded as a career with a real future,” Gary said. “If the number of applications we receive for jobs at our stores are anything to go by, more and more people have been inspired to look at the opportunities available in the retail sector.

“At Tesco we have very clear, defined career paths and if an employee’s ambition extends beyond Northern Ireland, they can take advantage of the opportunities offered by our stores in GB, ROI, Europe and beyond. This is an excellent way to develop a career and see a bit of the world at the same time.”

Tesco is one of the largest private employers in Northern Ireland with more than 9,000 people in their stores, depots and local support office which is nearly double the number of people employed by the Stewart/Crazy Prices Group when they were acquired by Tesco in 1997.

Within Tesco there are many instances of people starting on the shop floor who eventually run the shops they work in or move into other jobs within the business, gaining valuable leadership and professional skills along the way.

Mr Mills explained “When I began my career as a trainee manager in Stewarts in Bangor I couldn’t have imagined that little more than 20 years later I would be Operations Director for the island of Ireland.

“Yet these career progressions are not uncommon as we nurture all the potential we can and offer training schemes where those who have the drive and determination to succeed can fast-track their careers.

“Our employees are part of the reasons why Tesco has been so successful in Northern Ireland. In return, we offer a competitive rate of pay, complemented by an excellent benefits package. Tesco can offer flexibility and a range of hours and shifts that are attractive to people who want to fit their work around the needs of their family.”

Ian Coulter Tughans

Leaders in Business – As managing partner of one of Northern Ireland’s largest law firms, Ian Coulter is definitely one of the main leaders in the local legal field. Symon Ross finds out what drives the company’s youngest ever managing partner and how he views the local economy in the coming months.

Tughans’ managing partner says that while he is more positive going into 2010 after what was a difficult year for most Northern Ireland businesses, there are still a lot of challenges ahead.

Founded in 1896, Tughans now has around 100 staff making it one of the largest commercial law firms in Belfast.

Coulter says its aim is to be strong in all the core areas – litigation, corporate, banking and restructuring, employment and property. The firm also retains an office in Derry, the only large Belfast law firm to do so.

While Tughans had to make some staff cuts during the recent downturn, Coulter says that they are more optimistic about the year ahead.

“We are much more positive than we were six months ago, but still cautious. The next year and the year after will be very tough for businesses but the ones who are properly placed will be able to take their opportunities.”

Ballyclare-born Coulter studied in England and worked on large merger and acquisition deals for London City law firm Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw at the start of his career. However, he always wanted to return to Northern Ireland and got that opportunity twelve years ago when he joined Tughans, helping to establish its corporate division with John-George Willis.

With particular expertise in M&A, management buy-outs and buy-ins, private equity and venture capital funding, it is perhaps no surprise that he acts as company secretary for several of the firm’s technology clients and also for Momentum, The Northern Ireland ICT Federation.
Tughans has worked on numerous financing deals for Ulster-based technology companies and Coulter views it as a sector with immense potential, particularly as many of the big international players have ridden out the recession with healthy cash balances with which to make acquisitions.

“It is a tremendous area and I think Northern Ireland can be very proud of some of the technology companies that have been developed here. It’s certainly an area Northern Ireland should continue to focus on; it’s an area where we can compete globally,” he says.
Coulter was made managing partner in April 2009 – at 38 the company’s youngest ever. He notes that in a law firm the role is different to the MD post in a regular business because the firm’s partners are all stakeholders in the business.

“You need to have a collegiate approach,” he says. “The key thing is making sure that everyone’s view is heard and to get a balanced view at the end of it. My role is to make sure the ideas are put on the table, kicked around and adapted, and after the meeting that they get actioned.”

He admits to being particularly driven and something of a workaholic, but reasons that in the current environment, any executive that isn’t will not be successful.

“At the moment you have to live for your business. I believe you’ve got to keep working with clients, you can’t just disappear in management, you’ve got to work in the law and do both jobs simultaneously,” says Coulter.

“You have to be driven. If you don’t believe in your business and where you want to get to no-one will go with you.”

Tughans is beginning a three-year strategic plan, which Coulter says will ensure it brings through the young talent in the firm to enhance the firm’s offering to clients.
“First and foremost you have to look at what your clients are doing and that what you’re offering measures up to what they need,” he says. “Client care and focusing on what the client needs is imperative.”

He is also on the CBI council, which he describes as a very useful forum for understanding how the lobby group interacts with government, what key issues business is facing and also how different types of businesses are dealing with different challenges in a struggling economy.

In his specialist area of corporate finance and M&A he says the landscape has changed, but believes there are deals to be done as we enter 2010.

“Things are now starting to move again and while the days of the highly leveraged deals are gone, we have clients out there that are seeing opportunities and taking them.”

Nic Stirk – SLA Mobile

Leaders in Business – The mobile communications sector is one of the fastest-growing in the global economy and Nic Stirk, as CEO of SLA Mobile, is making sure Northern Ireland is well represented at the top. He tells Ulster Business about his secrets of success in one of the most competitive market places.

The best things don’t just come to those who wait, as Nic Stirk, CEO of one of Europe’s Top 30 fastest-growing technology companies will tell you. Having founded Belfast-based SLA Mobile in 2003 with fellow entrepreneur Owen Lamont, his proactive innovation and export-focused strategy has delivered rapid overseas expansion and a string of international deals with some of the biggest players in the mobile sector. Although 2009 was the most successful year in SLA Mobile’s short history, Nic says 2010 could well be its most important yet.

Located in the shadow of Northern Ireland’s historic industrial power-house in Titanic Quarter, the company’s meteoric rise is living proof that a vibrant indigenous and entrepreneur-led ICT sector is key to unlocking the potential of a focused innovation-led economy.

Employing more than 80 staff, the self-funded organisation provides highly-innovative technology solutions and software integration that enables global mobile phone operators to claim a greater share of the market by capitalising on new revenue streams and meeting consumer demands for rich media content, such as live and on-demand video services.

After racking up a growth rate of more than 4,000% in the last five years, SLA Mobile’s innovative enterprise has been successful in beating larger competitors to win a raft of lucrative contracts with global mobile giants including Vodafone, Fox Mobile Distribution and Volubill.

In addition to establishing ‘right fit’ partnerships which enable the firm to explore new sectors, Nic Stirk says strong relationships built on an in-depth understanding of its customers’ culture and DNA lies at the core of the SLA Mobile’s success.

“The mobile industry is evolving fast and ‘time to market’ is a major factor for our clients. That’s why we invest more time than our competitors in creating an understanding of each of our customers’ unique needs while ensuring our services are ready to adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace. Our customers know this, which is one of the reasons why we can compete on the same footing as some of the biggest global systems integrators and technology companies and advance our value added services offering in the mobile data and internet spaces. A lot of our success can be attributed to our ability to help customers deal with rapid change in a positive, strategic manner.”

With more than 25 years’ experience in senior positions within some of the UK and Ireland’s largest telecommunications firms, including Esat and NTL, Stirk is recognised as a driving force in the mobile sector and advocate of innovation and entrepreneurship as a council member in the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce.

The company’s success and achievements to date have been noted.
Earlier this year, SLA Mobile followed Google and eBay on to a list of the world’s top ICT companies clinching a coveted ‘Red Herring’ award in Berlin, Germany. Named after the media company, Red Herring, the annual awards are seen as an indicator of the companies with the know-how to help transform our daily lives.

After clinching third place on the leader board of Ireland’s fastest growing technology companies, compiled by Deloitte, SLA Mobile became the first NI firm to gain a place in the UK’s Top 10 fastest-growing technology list and reserved a place within the Top 30 of the fastest-growing high-tech firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The company was also listed in the Sunday Times Tech Track Top 100 in 2007 and 2008.

“Blending extensive knowledge of the sector and with a team of highly-skilled professionals, SLA Mobile has established a solid platform for further growth”, says Stirk.

“The combination of technological expertise, innovation and a highly-successful partnering strategy has successfully positioned us in various geographical and technological markets, rapidly increasing our size
and our ability to win further business.

“This strategy, which has exceeded all expectations, will allow us to grow in the future and challenge new markets in 2010.”

Brian Ambrose – George Best Belfast City Airport

Leaders in Business – Brian Ambrose has been at the helm of George Best Belfast City Airport during some of its most successful and controversial times. We hear more about the former Short Brothers apprentice and get a hold on the challenges facing the airport.

Brian Ambrose knows the aviation sector intimately. He began his career with an apprenticeship at Shorts then followed several years within the aircraft design team.

It wasn’t until 1997 that he joined the Belfast City Airport as operations director and oversaw the construction of the current terminal before being installed as Chief Executive when Bombardier sold the airport to the Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial in 2003.

Currently Ambrose oversees some 115 flights in and out of the airport each day. As East Belfast’s second largest employer the airport has 1,500 personnel, including 41 different businesses located on site and handling some 2.6 million passengers each year.

2009 saw Belfast City Airport buck the trend in terms of aviation.
While many of the UK’s leading airports recorded a double digit percentage decline in passenger numbers due to the ongoing economic conditions, Ambrose oversaw 2.5% passenger growth outshining the likes of Heathrow, Manchester, Edinburgh.

Continuing investment by the airport’s owners, ABN Amro, has seen Ambrose’s shareholders continue to back his plans for improvements at the airfield.

Having wholeheartedly supported the runway extension, (a decision on which is imminent) the owners rubber-stamped a £10 million infrastructure investment which has already witnessed the creation of a new departures lounge, increased security capacity, conferencing facilities and new set down/drop off area externally.

It’s investment such as this that supports a strong portfolio of partner airlines including bmi, flybe, Ryanair, Manx2 and the most recent addition of an easyJet service to London Luton, the latter an airline which Ambrose believes will add further services from the City should the Luton service prove successful.

Away from the airport, Ambrose completed his second year as Chair of the CBI in Northern Ireland, a demanding role in itself as previous incumbents will testify. He was also appointed Chairman of the charity Mencap in Northern Ireland.

2010 looks set to be as busy and potentially successful as last year.
Ambrose has made no secret of his ambition to capture 15% of Northern Ireland’s direct European market – a natural progression given the City now covers every major airport in the UK.

A further £10 million of foreign investment is promised by the shareholder should planners give the green light to the runway extension which will allow airlines to fly direct to European destinations.
Next month the World Duty Free is due to open in the new departures lounge with the final internal works completed by Easter.

Continuing to exceed the expectations of his customers is a key long term goal for Ambrose and he and his team aim to set new standards within the industry.

While the current terminal was built with expansion in mind, Ambrose is adamant that development of the remainder of site will go-ahead, most notably the addition of a hotel which will cater for the four million passengers a year that Ambrose has set his team as a principal objective over the next five years.

Although his own business has performed well last year Ambrose believes a tough year lies ahead for the
local economy.

He believes linkages between business and government must be strengthened to address certain issues, including optimising the £1.5 billion infrastructure programme for 2010; focusing the skills agenda to assist our most ambitious companies to grow; implementing innovation and export opportunities; facilitating access to finance for businesses facing a demanding year ahead; ensuring the planning system processes applications in a timely and efficient manner – an issue obviously close to his heart.
Over the years, Ambrose has installed a team who care passionately about the business and are committed to its ongoing success.

As to his own success and inspiration, Ambrose attributes that to a series of leaders he has reported to including Sir Roy McNulty at Bombardier, Luis Sanchez the previous chairman from Ferrovial and current chairman Hans Meissner.

If there’s one area of the Northern Ireland economy which has managed to shrug off the worst effects of the recession over the last few months it’s the retail sector in the border regions. Newry in particular has benefited from the rush of shoppers from the Republic of Ireland, or ROI, taking advantage of the advantageous exchange rate and, while this area of its economy has grown, there is also a growing case for businesses from ROI setting up a second base in the border town. David Elliott spoke to two of the main backers of this initiative to find out more.

It’s said location is everything. In the case of Newry, this motto rings true to the ringing tone of the city’s cash tills counting up the money being spent by shoppers taking advantage of the lucrative hop across the border which the collapse in the value of sterling has opened up.

Not that the Republic’s economy can easily shrug off this loss of income given that its economy is arguably going to take longer to recover from one of the most severe periods of recession the region has witnessed in recent years. Perversely, the Republic’s use of the euro currency system means that despite this disparity in economic health existing between it and Northern Ireland, it doesn’t benefit from a weaker currency.

But while last Christmas was a bumper year for the shop owners of Newry as southern shoppers travelled for a bargain, the effects of 12 months of recession will have diminished the takings this year.

Despite this prognosis, the head of Newry-based property company and owners of the Quays Shopping Centre Parker Green still expects a bumper year.

“There’s no indication it’s going to be any different to last year” said Dr Gerard O’Hare in an interview with Ulster Business in the company’s Newry office. “We’re achieving year-on-year growth. We’re bucking the trend. While the rest of the world is down around 5% to 15% in terms of year-on-year sales, we’ve been 15% to 25% up.

“It just doesn’t make sense to buy something in Dundalk you could buy in Newry at half price.”

While he concedes this has much to do with the exchange rate, he also believes the pricing policy of southern retailers has also driven shoppers north.

“We’re getting the benefit of improved infrastructure, the exchange rate and a historically inflated pricing policy in the Republic. They (retailers) have priced themselves out to the market.”

This is not to say Dr O’Hare wants to pillory southern retailers, far from it. Instead he’s looking to work more closely with them and other businesses from the region.

“What is important is that we try and work together to make the island economy more competitive” he said. “A more holistic approach by both the Irish governments and business in terms of viewing the opportunities available in the north can make both of us more competitive on world markets thereby making the island economy more competitive.”

As the owner of shopping centres in the Republic as well as in a number of other countries around the globe, Dr O’Hare is more qualified than most to comment on the subject and, despite his vast experience in Great Britain, the US and throughout Europe, he still holds a strong flame for his hometown of Newry as a city of growth.

Indeed, so keen is he to encourage businesses in the Republic to set up a second base in Newry and take advantage of, not just the retail trade which is slipping through their fingers, but also the benefits of having a base in the UK, that he recently took part in a presentation in Dublin entitled “Opportunity Newry”.

The event, designed to highlight the benefit of having a base in both jurisdictions, heard Mr O’Hare, along with Alastair Hamilton, the CEO of Invest NI, Feargal McCormack of FPM Accountants and other senior members of the local business community, present the Newry case to business people in Dublin.

“From the Republic’s point of view we have the ability to reduce their cost base and can open up the wider UK market to them and make Ireland a more competitive economy through collaboration” that’s not patriotism or politics, that’s common sense.”

Feargal McCormack is also keen to point out the financial benefits that can be found for southern companies having a base in Newry “believe a number of prominent businesses provide excellent examples of how a two site location (one of each side of the border) can be legitimately exploited to enhance international competitiveness.”

Like any accountant, his points are fairly straightforward.

“Southern companies setting up a base in Northern Ireland can utilise creative cash extraction, transfer pricing and group structures to benefit from low Republic of Ireland corporation tax rates, employ staff in Northern Ireland to benefit from lower labour and operational costs and benefit from financial incentives from Invest NI, where ROI is treated as an export market.”

But as a Newry man, he couldn’t help adding in a little bit of colour.

“Ultimately, (you can) enjoy the unique Newry business opportunity of partnership, pride and passion to make things happen.”

Dr O’Hare carries on the grand vision for Newry by taking it back to the youth of the town.

“Newry is a vibrant place, has a great attitude and our political parties locally have shown leadership and left the old prejudices behind.
“Come down to the Quays or the Buttercrane shopping centres on a Friday afternoon and it’s like all the schools have broken out for the holidays; they’re all there together. We encourage them, we take them in and say ‘come and have your afternoon coffee’. We’re building romance.”

“We say ‘this is your city, come and enjoy it’. After all, they’re our customers the next day and in the future. When I was growing up in the 70s I wasn’t allowed to come down town because there were bombs going off.”

It’s an alternative view from other shopping centres who aren’t overly pleased with the proliferation of teenagers hanging around their sheltered corridors, but one which sits well with the feel good factor which has arisen over the last few years of embedded peace in the region.

It remains to be seen whether this idealistic vision will be enough to tempt more southern businesses to look north, particular as the economy there continues to struggle and if sterling regains strength.

But there’s no doubting one thing: the business people of Newry are passionate about making sure no stone is left unturned in taking advantage of any opportunity.

Image: Emer Gallery © Vittorio Cirefice

The Emer Gallery is one of Belfast’s longest-established galleries, operating from newly-expanded premises on the Antrim Road. Founded by Michael Flanagan in the mid-1980’s, the Gallery is associated with many famous Irish artists including Markey Robinson, Basil Blackshaw and Noel Murphy. In this edition of Ulster Business, the gallery’s manager, Eimear Flanagan gives her view on the current state of the art market, where it’s going and what the discernible buyer should be on the lookout for.

People always ask me is art a good investment? And I tell them that the cardinal rule in art is that you should never buy solely for investment purposes. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it – it’s that simple. But, like wine and Guinness, it can take time to develop a taste. If at first you think you don’t like a painting – it’s important not to jump to judgment. Making an informed and balanced decision on art is as important as the initial gut instinct ‘to buy or not to buy’. In addition to knowing you love the work, buying a piece by a professional artist should contribute to its long-term value.

For many people, art appears unaffordable and art galleries stuffy and unwelcoming. This isn’t the case – there are art lovers across Ireland who, simply through their love of painting, have built up significant and important collections over the years, and they haven’t earned the millions that many people think it takes. The Emer Gallery is particularly aware of this ’stuffiness’ and it prides itself on removing that nonsense from the gallery.

The famous Vogel collection of contemporary art in the United States was put together over a period of decades by a married couple who worked as a post-man and librarian respectively. They lived on one salary and put the other into their passion for art! They eventually built up a collection of almost 5,000 paintings which they subsequently donated to the nation.

There is no doubt that the recent financial crisis has taken its toll on the art market. Like any asset, art is susceptible to the volatilities of the marketplace. Each artist is unique, though, and not all collectible artists will experience a price correction in a downturn. Indeed it is the higher end, quality pieces than can continue to demand high prices regardless of what is happening in the economy.

Why buy art? Anyone with an original painting knows how good it looks. And with works starting as low as £400 you’ll find that a piece of art can cost less than a few rolls of wallpaper – the only difference being your painting will look a lot better and last a lot longer. From a corporate or business point of view, buying or leasing a collection can set an office or business apart from competitors.

While making decisions purely for investment purposes is a no-no, there is no doubt that the value of a painting often appreciates with age. In fact, I’d go as far to say that of all the things you buy this year, unless you’re buying acres of farmland, it’s the only thing that will likely appreciate over time, or at least hold its value. Having that type of asset on a balance sheet these days is something which will brighten up the eyes of any banker, and with interest rates on cash at rock bottom, buying art can be a more effective way to store your money. Most art galleries offer art consultancy services, and will guide you in the right direction on decisions involving any spend, large or small.

Don’t be intimidated by art or any gallery. Art dealers are keen to answer questions from those who are new to buying or collecting art. Don’t force yourself to like a work just because ‘it’s popular’ – trust your own gut and your ‘eye’ will develop from there. Once you have a bit of an eye it is only a matter of time for your wallet to follow suit.