Belfast City Council's CEO is set to take on a new role as Jersey's top civil servant

Belfast City Council’s CEO is set to take on a new role as Jersey’s top civil servant

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Belfast-born Suzanne Wyle, the CEO of Belfast City Council, is set to accept a £250,000-a-year position as Jersey’s top civil servant.

The island, located off the coast of France, has a population of more than 100,000 people. According to the Bailiwick Express, Ms Wylie is on track to become CEO of the Channel Islands next year.

Ms Wylie has been the Chief Executive of Belfast City Council since 2014, following a career in local government administration. She previously served as the Director of Health and Environmental Services.

During her tenure in Belfast, she has faced challenges that are unlikely to arise in Jersey, such as the ongoing issue of loyalist bonfires and the fallout from the funeral of IRA man and senior Sinn Féin member Bobby Storey.

Last June, during lockdown, the funeral of the country’s leading republican took place.

Ms Wylie apologized “wholeheartedly and unreservedly” for how the funeral was handled earlier this year.

Families were unable to attend Storey’s cremation services on the same day, which Ms Wylie later described in a statement as a “error of judgment.”

Paul Martin, a former Chief Executive of the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Richmond, is Jersey’s top government official on an interim basis.

His 12-month contract will expire at the end of February 2022, when Ms Wylie will take over.

Jersey is a British Crown Dependency with its own financial, legal, and judicial systems.

Lunn’s creating up to 40 new jobs

Lunn’s creating up to 40 new jobs

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Lunn’s, a luxury high-end jeweller and watch boutique, is hiring up to 40 new employees as it opens four stand-alone brand stores in Belfast.

The family-owned company is establishing separate showrooms for some of its most popular watch brands. Omega, Breitling, and Montblack are among the brands represented, as is a Gucci Watches and Jewellery store.

Following a major revamp of the arcade in 2019, they will join the Lunn’s flagship store at Queen’s Arcade, as well as the Rolex and Tag Heuer boutiques that are already there.

The new stores are expected to be completed by the end of the year. It is hiring around 20 people for the new stores, as well as up to 20 people across the board.

The addition of new stores for four such iconic brands, according to John Lunn, managing director of Lunn’s Jewellers, is a “vote of confidence in Belfast and provides a boost for the city’s retail offering that will be popular with both local shoppers and international tourists as they begin to return to Belfast.”

“We are excited about Queen’s Arcade’s future and will continue to invest to make it one of Ireland’s premier shopping destinations,” he said.

Amazon’s new Portadown delivery station will create more than 100 driver ‘opportunities

Amazon’s new Portadown delivery station will create more than 100 driver ‘opportunities

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Amazon has announced the opening of a new facility in Portadown, which will create at least 20 permanent jobs and over 100 “driver opportunities.”

Amazon Logistics has announced the opening of a new delivery station in the town of Co Armagh.

The 7,000-square-metre structure is expected to be fully operational later this year, serving customers in the Portadown area. The Belfast Telegraph revealed exclusively in June that the American multinational was linked to a massive site at James Park, Mahon Industrial Estate, which has now been confirmed.

Delivery stations power the final mile of Amazon’s order process and help customers receive their orders faster.

Carla Lockhart, MP for Upper Bann, stated, “The creation of 20 permanent warehouse jobs and approximately 100 driver opportunities in the Upper Bann area is a tremendous boost to the local economy.”

More and more businesses are seeing the value in establishing this area as a distribution hub, with a road network connecting to major arterial routes to every corner of Northern Ireland and beyond. Amazon recognizing this puts the area on the map, and I applaud this investment.”

Amazon also stated that it is allowing entrepreneurs to start their own business delivering Amazon packages, as well as independent contractors the freedom to “be their boss and create their own schedule” while delivering for Amazon Flex.

“We are excited to invest in the Portadown area with a new delivery station that will provide efficient delivery for customers and create new jobs for the talented workforce,” said Kerry-Anne Lawlor, Country Director for Amazon Logistics.

Meanwhile, Amazon is opening its first warehouse in the Republic, which will employ 500 people. It stated that it is establishing the fulfillment center in Dublin to meet customer demand. The 630,000 square foot facility, which is set to open in spring 2022 at the Baldonnell Business Park, will provide faster deliveries for customers across Ireland seven days a week, including one-day delivery, according to the company.

Engineers, HR and IT professionals, health and safety and finance specialists, and operations managers are among the new roles available at the fulfillment center, according to Amazon.

The hiring process for teams that will pick, pack, and ship customer orders will begin next year.

The company also announced the opening of a second delivery station in Ballycoolin, at the Northwest Logistics Park, to serve customers in Dublin and the surrounding areas.

More than 20 permanent jobs will be created at the facility, in addition to dozens of driver opportunities for Amazon Logistics’ delivery service partners and Amazon Flex delivery partners. The 83,500-square-foot structure is expected to be completed this autumn.

Last October, the first delivery station in Ireland opened in Rathcoole, Dublin, creating more than 20 permanent jobs and collaborating with ten independent delivery companies that hired more than 150 drivers.

Amazon also announced plans last year to create 1,000 new permanent jobs in Ireland over the next two years, bringing the retail giant’s total permanent workforce in the country to more than 5,000 by 2022.

“We are delighted to open our first fulfillment center in Dublin, enabling us to provide faster delivery times for customers across Ireland,” said Stefano Perego, vice president of Amazon’s fulfillment centre operations in Europe.

“We are thrilled to be creating 500 new permanent positions that will provide competitive wages, excellent benefits, and a modern, safe, and engaging work environment for our employees.”

Amazon claims that since the Covid-19 pandemic began, it has invested more than $11.5 billion globally and implemented more than 150 new safety measures to keep its employees safe.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, the company is hosting one of the largest free virtual training and recruiting events in the UK. Amazon Career Day will be held on September 16th, and job seekers can register at amazoncareerday.com.

Japanese Cyber security company to create 10 new jobs in Belfast

Japanese Cyber security company to create 10 new jobs in Belfast

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With the opening of a new office in Belfast, a Japanese cyber security firm will create ten new jobs.

Nihon Cyber Defence (NCD), a Japan-based technology company, has also announced the appointment of two highly experienced cyber security professionals to senior management positions.

Dougie Grant, a former senior PSNI, and National Cyber Security Centre officer is the company’s Managing Director in Europe. Dougie was previously in charge of developing the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s (PSNI) law enforcement cyber capability on a local and national level, as well as working with the law enforcement cyber community.

Professor Ciaran Martin, the former CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), will also join the company’s board of directors in Japan. He is currently Professor of Practice at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford.

NCD, headquartered in Tokyo, offers cyber defense solutions, services, and support to governments, businesses, and public sector organizations to proactively identify and protect them from all types of cyberattacks intended to cause financial, political, or social disruption.
In response to the exponential growth of cyber threats, NCD intends to hire up to ten core staff members in Belfast over the next year to work with UK and Ireland customers and support its existing operations in Japan and other regional Asia-Pacific hubs.

Through its CEO Cartan McLaughlin, who is originally from Northern Ireland, NCD already has a strong connection with Belfast. Mr. McLaughlin stated,

“The establishment of a Nihon Cyber Defence office in Belfast has always been a long-term goal for us, and it’s exciting to see this come to fruition with the appointment of an outstanding local management team.”

“With this experienced and capable team, we will be able to build a safe and secure environment for our local and national businesses and industry.

“Belfast joins our head office in Tokyo and will lead NCD’s global incident management and response capability.”

Professor Ciaran Martin added that he is “delighted” to be working with the team at Nihon Cyber Defence in Tokyo.

“We continue to see the devastating impact of cyber-attacks globally, but we recognize that early preparation is key if we are to respond effectively,” he said.

“NCD is at the forefront of this capability delivering their expertise to the Japanese market and further afield.”

Dougie Grant said that NCD will be expanding “rapidly” protecting all sectors across the UK and Ireland and supporting the global operations.

“Being based in Belfast ensures we can recruit talent locally, developing the local partnerships and support industry and infrastructure across Northern Ireland,” he said.

NCD in Belfast will concentrate its assistance in the legal, accounting, critical infrastructure, and specialized sectors, offering proactive cyber services, network monitoring, and incident management capabilities to help organizations prepare for and respond to increasingly complex cyber risks and threats.