The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, T.D., today launched the programme for the Global Irish Economic Forum which will be held at Dublin Castle on October 4 and 5.
The new-look 2013 Forum was devised following an extensive consultation process with members of the Global Irish Network and its Advisory Board. The Network is composed of more than 300 of the most influential Irish and Irish-connected individuals in almost 40 countries who provide the Government and Irish businesses with invaluable advice and expertise.
The structure of this year’s event is designed to facilitate a focused discussion on topics that were selected based on their potential to support the Government’s Action Plan for Jobs.
Launching the re-vamped programme at an event for Irish and US financial services technology companies in New York today, the Tánaiste said:
“Next week, 260 leading Irish and Irish-connected figures from across the globe will come together in Dublin to play their part in building on Ireland’s recovery. This year’s Forum will be very much focussed on opportunities for job creation.
“Over the two days, 18 working groups and six panel discussions will focus on opportunities for Ireland in high-potential sectors including financial services, food and agri-tech, higher education, smart-ageing technologies, social innovation and the digitisation of the global economy.”
The Forum is organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
For the first time, the 2013 Forum also includes an event for 100 Irish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who will benefit from mentoring sessions with leading business people attending the Forum.
Regional events bringing together members of the Global Irish Network, local businesses and educational institutions will also be held in Galway, Cork and Belfast.
The last Global Irish Economic Forum held in 2011 lead to the launch of The Gathering – the largest ever tourism initiative organised by the State – and the creation of the Global Irish Contacts Programme, which links leading business figures abroad with Irish companies seeking to break into new markets and boost exports. Connect Ireland which aims to create 5,000 jobs in the next five years by harnessing Irish networks globally is also a product of the Global Irish Economic Forum.
The Tánaiste added:
“The Global Irish Economic Forum is a success story. Since the first one was held in 2009, it has helped to transform the way the Government does business with leading international figures who are connected to Ireland.
“As in previous years, the members of the Global Irish Network will travel here on their own time and at their own expense. I would like to thanks them for sharing their knowledge, expertise and experience to help Ireland and Irish companies grow and prosper.”
Global Irish Network members attending this year’s Forum include: Irial Finan, Executive Vice President, The Coca Cola Company; Sean O’Driscoll, Chairman and CEO of the Glen Dimplex Group; Dara O’Briain, Comedian & TV Presenter; Loretta Brennan Glucksman, Chairman of The American Ireland Fund and author, Colum McCann.
· The programme for the Global Irish Economic Forum is available here: https://www.globalirishforum.ie/2013Programme.aspx and the list of confirmed participants is available here: https://www.globalirishforum.ie/2013Participants.aspx
Press Office
27 September 2013
For further information, please contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade press office on press.office@dfa.ie or 01-4082770.
Note for Editors:
§ Details for the accreditation of media wishing to cover the Forum will be transmitted by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade later today.
o Participants this year include international business and cultural figures, such as:
· Susan Davis, Chairman Susan Davis International (Based in the US)
o Basil Geoghegan, Managing Director, Citi (based in Britain)
o Gordon Campbell, CEO of Spar International (based in Netherlands);
o Aifric Campbell, author;
o Rosaleen Blair, CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions (based in Britain);
o Anita Sands, Chief operating Officer, UBS Wealth Management Americas;
o Liam Casey, CEO, PCH International (based in China);
· The Global Irish Network: Based in almost 40 countries, the Network consists of over 300 of the most influential Irish and Irish-connected individuals abroad and provides Ireland with an invaluable resource of international expertise. Members of the Network are playing an active role in the preparation of this event. The members of the Network, people such as John Hartnett (US), Susan Davis (US), Liam Casey (China), Gerald Lawless (UAE) and Seán O’Driscoll (Ireland) have also participated in the detailed preparation of the Forum, through the Global Irish Network Advisory Group.
· Outcomes from the 2009 and 2011 fora include:
· The Gathering: the largest ever tourism initiative organised by the State
· Connect Ireland: an incentivised referral plan that aims to create 5,000 jobs in the next five years.
· The Global Irish Contacts Programme: directly links the Diaspora with Irish companies looking to achieve international growth.
· The Farmleigh Fellowship: The fellowship is establishing a critical mass of highly skilled Irish professionals with first-hand experience of business in Asia
· President Clinton’s "Invest in Ireland" Forum
· Enhanced support for business & technology networks such as the Irish Technology Leadership Group.