The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, T.D., met today with the Advisory Group of the Global Irish Network (GIN) to update members on the Government response to the recent Global Irish Economic Forum.
This was the first meeting of the GIN Advisory Group since last October’s Forum at Dublin Castle. The Forum produced 64 specific recommendations aimed at boosting economic growth. These recommendations have since been reviewed by the Government and are being advanced within the context of the 2014 Action Plan for Jobs. Some of the recommendations are being taken forward separately by GIN Members.
Speaking ahead of today’s meeting, the Tánaiste said:
‘Last October’s meeting of the Global Irish Economic Forum was acknowledged as the best yet, with a strong focus on jobs and economic recovery. Since then, the Government has looked very closely at the recommendations that came out of the Forum and today’s meeting is about updating key members of the Network on how those recommendations are being advanced, and seeking their views on the future direction of the Global Irish Network as Ireland moves from crisis to recovery.”
The Tánaiste also briefed the Advisory Group on the main findings of the soon-to-be-published Review of the Government Trade, Tourism and Investment Strategy.
The Tánaiste added:
‘The Global Irish Network is a powerful demonstration of the resourcefulness of the Irish Diaspora. The economic backdrop to their work has changed a lot since the crisis began and I think it’s important that we continually look at the reach of the network, as our export markets evolve, in order to ensure that the Government and the Network, working together, can best contribute to creating jobs and supporting exports.
The Advisory Group consists of 19 Members of the GIN from key Irish export markets around the world. They were joined for today’s meeting by Secretaries General of key Government Departments and CEOs of the State agencies operating in international markets.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
A list of participants in today’s meeting is below.
Name Company
Advisory Group Members
Rosaleen Blair Founder & CEO, Alexander Mann Solutions (Britain)
Liam Casey CEO, PCH International (China)
Fred Combe Entrepreneur and Business Consultant; Managing Director, Natus Pte Limited; Chairperson and co-Founder of the Farmleigh Fellowship; Director, China International Duty Free (Singapore)
Avril Conroy Director of Regional Sales, Rosneft Russia (Russia)
Patrick Cosgrave Founder, F.ounders and CEO, Web Summit (Ireland)
Susan Davis Chairman & Founder, Susan Davis International (USA)
Irial Finan
(Via Conference Call) Executive Vice President and President, The Coca Cola Company and Bottling Investments (USA)
Clem Garvey Chief Operating Officer, Neopost SA (France)
John Hartnett Founder and CEO, ITLG and SVG Partners; President and Chairman, Irish Innovation Centre & Irish Technology Capital (USA)
Robert Kearns President, Kearns Insurance Corporation;
Founder and Chairman, Ireland Park Foundation (Canada)
Gerald Lawless Executive Chairman, Jumeirah Group, Dubai (UAE)
Sean O'Driscoll Chairman & CEO, Glen Dimplex Group (Ireland)
Paul Scales MD, Pacific Investments Asia Limited (Thailand)
Peter Sutherland Chairman, Goldman Sachs International and Chairman, London School of Economics (Britain)
Willie Walsh CEO, International Airlines Group (Britain)
The Report of the Third Global Irish Economic Forum is available here
The Global Irish Network was launched in 2010 following the first Global Irish Economic Forum at Farmleigh. It comprises 350 of the most senior Irish and Irish connected business people from diverse backgrounds, based in 40 countries.
The GIN Advisory Group is charged with reviewing progress on the Forum outcomes, coordinating the overall work programme for the GIN and working with our Ambassadors in keeping the wider Network informed of developments. Today’s meeting of the Advisory Group is the fourth in total and the first since the Global Irish Economic Forum in October.