Northern Ireland business driven by skill, charisma and modesty

On Friday afternoon Northern Ireland Chamber president Ellvena Graham once again availed of the opportunity to contrast the strength and success within the business community with the ongoing chaos surrounding our one-time political process.
By The Newsroom
Published 16th Jun 2018, 07:00 BST
Updated 19th Jun 2018, 16:52 BST
Novosco boss Patrick McAliskey takes his place among Northern Irelands top entrepreneursNovosco boss Patrick McAliskey takes his place among Northern Irelands top entrepreneurs
Novosco boss Patrick McAliskey takes his place among Northern Irelands top entrepreneurs

Had she had been looking for an example she need only have lifted her gaze from City Hall across the Lagan river to Titanic Quarter and the home of managed cloud solutions provider Novosco.

Founded in 2007 the firm was born with the merger between Real Time Systems Limited started in 1994 by Patrick McAliskey and 4sol begun in 2002 by John Lennon.

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With McAliskey as MD and Lennon as Sales Director, the firm has grown into a widely respected and high performing business particularly adept at developing IT systems within NHS trusts and housing associations.

This week the firm booked its place among the top IT firms in Belfast and across the British Isles with confirmation of a £107 million, seven year contract with Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust which runs the renowned Addenbrooke’s Hospital.

The announcement on Wednesday was duly followed on Friday by news that the firm is to recruit around 150 people over the next three years, adding £4.8m in annual salaries to the economy.

The achievement puts chief strategist McAliskey in the pantheon of Northern Ireland’s IT pioneers as Colin Walsh confirms.

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As founder and CEO of venture capital firm Crescent Capital, he has worked extensively among emerging industries and says the Novosco boss richly deserves his place at the top.

“Patrick is an impressive entrepreneur whose progress I’ve admired for a very long time.

“Building a business of that scale is never a solo effort, but he has been in the command module for a very long time, leading the business with skill, charisma and with his own style, which is very modest.

“He is one of Northern Ireland’s all-star greats in tech and I would rate him up there with Brian Conlon of First Derivatives, Brendan Mooney, Kainos, and just a handful of others.

“Crescent never backed him, which I really regret,” he adds.

Related topics:Northern IrelandIT systems