“It is still not clear how ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ a Brexit we are going to get, but no matter what happens, and whether we like it or not, there are going to be significant changes… We believe it’s about time that we accept the inevitable, stop feeling sorry for ourselves, and get on with making a success of it.” David Crozier heads up Navigator Financial Planning, a business based in Warrenpoint, County Down – a mere ten-minute drive will take you to the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic. It’s fair to say that David has a first-hand perspective on what has become one of the most talked about parts of the world since 2016’s Brexit referendum.

On Wednesday 27 February at the Carrickdale Hotel, Dundalk (8am-10am) he and a panel of experts, in a seminar pointedly named ‘Brexit at the Border’, will ask how are organisations preparing – or how should they be preparing – to be ‘Brexit-ready’.

‘Brexit at the Border’ aims to bring together leading voices in business to share their thoughts and experiences of what companies are already doing, to provide some planning ideas and clarity in relation to post-Brexit expectations whilst provoking further thought and discussion.

Joined by Angela McGowan, Director of the CBI and former Chief Economist for Danske Bank, and Conor Houston, Director of Houston Solutions, they’ll be talking about Brexit in the context of investments, especially from the point of view of business owners; persons holding significant assets in pensions will also benefit. “There is an obvious cross-over, in that business owners often have pensions, and they will find the seminar of particular value,” David added.

When I asked David what response he’s received from businesses since the Brexit vote, he said there hasn’t been a particular concern: “Above all, folk just want to see a deal done so that there is some certainty.” He’s pretty adamant: “It is business that is going to make Brexit work, so we all need to face up to our responsibilities. We want businesses to take away some practical things they can be doing to move ahead and turn a non-ideal situation into an opportunity. It’s not just going to be one-way traffic.”

Against a backdrop of considerable pessimism, David is determined to make the most of whatever outcome arises: “We want to hear from everybody what they are doing to prepare so that we all learn from each other and give NI business the best chance of making a success of a difficult situation. We also want to get across that this does not have to be a disaster for investors. There has been a lot of doom and gloom in markets in recent months, but again, as with businesses, we want to give people hands-on actions to protect their investments and pensions against the worst ravages of markets.”

Will it be the end of the world if there’s no deal Brexit? “No, it won’t – business will cope. I would very much prefer if there was a deal, and I think it’s madness the way we seem to be sleepwalking into a no deal scenario. But, as I say, business will find a way to make it work, that is the nature of capital markets.”

Where will we be in five years’ time? “I suspect we’ll not notice a lot of difference, however unpleasant it might be in the short term. Those businesses that prepare for change and adapt to the new circumstances have the best chance of being around to see it through, which is why we hope business leaders will come along to our ‘Brexit at the Border’ event, to listen and to learn what others are doing and also to contribute.

“Let’s all pull together and make this work. The politicians have made a shambles of it. We need to show that the business community can do a much better job.”

For more information, and to register for the event, you can visit the Navigator website here.

You can watch videos of David Crozier, Conor Houston and Nigel Birney, Head of Trade Credit NI, speaking on ‘Brexit at the Border’ on the Navigator Financial Planning LinkedIn page here.