annual conference programme

12:00 Registration Opens - The Atrium, Shelbourne Road Entrance, Aviva Stadium

13:00 Welcome - Fergal Naughton, President, British Irish Chamber of Commerce

13:15 Rt. Hon. Vince Cable MP, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Breakout Sessions (1): Food & Agribusiness - Maximising Interdependency in Food and Agribusiness Chairman: Eoin Tonge, Chief Strategy Officer, Greencore

Speakers: Michael Carey Chairman Jacob Fruitfield Food Group and Chairman Bord Bia

Paul Finnerty CEO ABP Food Group

Declan Troy Assistant Director of Research, Teagasc

Culture, Art, Sports and Tourism - Performing Even Better Together Introduction: John McGrane, Head of Product & Service Sales, Ulster Bank Corporate Banking Chairman: Senator Fiach MacConghail, Director, Abbey Theatre

Speakers: Jimmy Deenihan, TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Hugo MacNeill Managing Director, Goldman Sachs

Stuart McLaughlin CEO, Business to Arts

Tim O’Connor Chairman, The Gathering

Philip King Musician & Broadcaster

15:00 Coffee

15:30 Breakout Sessions (2): Energy - Towards Closer Integration of the Energy Sector Chairman: Brian Motherway, CEO, SEAI

Speakers: Gregor Alexander Executive Director Finance, SSE

Andy Kinsella CEO Offshore, Mainstream Renewable Power

Pat O’Doherty CEO, ESB

Sean O’Driscoll Group CEO, Glen Dimplex

Ken Spratt Assistant Secretary General DCENR

James Beal Renewable Energy Specialist, UK Trade & Investment

SME - Cracking the Market -Sharing Success Stories

Chairman: Ron Immink, Co Founder, Small Business Can

Speakers: Susan Hayes The Positive Economist

Alan Sullivan Director, Meditec Medical

Pete Smyth Broadlake Capital

Delivering Joint Business Opportunities for Britain and Ireland in 2013 www.britishirishchamber.com

Gathering for Action

Thursday 24th January2013

17:00 Closing Comments - Steve Aiken, CEO, British Irish Chamber of Commerce

17:30 Optional Coach Transfers to National Concert Hall

18:00 Drinks Reception and Buffet Service

Welcome - John McGrane, Chairman, CAST Subcommittee

Arlene Foster, MLA, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment 19:45 Seats

20:00 Performance by Nicola Benedetti MBE & the RTE Concert Orchestra

Innovation and Competitiveness08:00 SME one-on-one 10 minute pre arranged appointments

08:45 Conclude

09:00 Open - Steve Aiken

Lucinda Creighton TD, Minister of State for European Affairs

09:30 Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales

10:00 Coffee

10:30 Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Deputy First Minister of Scotland

Plenary - Feedback from four Day 1 Breakout Sessions

Chairman: David McWilliams, Economist, Broadcaster and Author

FAB: Eoin Tonge

CAST: John McGrane

Energy: Brian Britton

SME: Ron Immink

Panel Discussion

Chairman: David McWilliams

Panellists: Nicola Byrne Founder and CEO, 11890 Directory Enquiries

Eddie O’Connor CEO, Mainstream Renewable Power

David Redfern Chief Strategy Officer, GlaxoSmithKline

Senator Fiach MacConghail Director, Abbey Theatre

13:00 Pat Rabbitte, TD, Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources

13:30 Close - Steve Aiken

14:00 Networking Lunch

Depart



Friday 25th January2013

Steve Aiken Chief Executive Officer - British Irish Chamber of Commerce

Steve Aiken was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the British Irish Chamber in 2011. As CEO, Steve is responsible for delivering the vision, strategy and development of the Chamber. Steve came from a background of senior UK Government policy making positions including leading the influential Global Strategic Trends group, advising on issues of climate change, energy security, Europe, and resource scarcity amongst others. Previously he also had a career as a Nuclear Submarine Captain and has had extensive experience of the Polar Regions, South Asia and the Middle and Far East. He holds an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge, a MA from Kings College London, and is completing a Doctorate, again in International Relations, at Cambridge.

Gregor Alexander Executive Director Finance - SSE

SSE is a leading electricity and gas company, employing 20,000 people. It has an ownership interest in over 100 thermal and renewable power stations, with a total capacity of just over 11,300MW. It has around 10 million customer accounts for electricity, gas and other home services. Gregor Alexander is Finance Director of SSE plc. Gregor was appointed Finance Director and joined the Board of SSE in 2002, having previously been Group Treasurer and Tax Manager. He has Board level responsibility for Finance, Human Resources, IT, Procurement and other Group Services. He is a Chartered Accountant and has worked in the energy industry since 1990, when he joined Scottish Hydro-Electric. Gregor is a Director of Scotia Gas Networks Limited and is a former Chairman of the Scottish Finance Directors’ Group.

James Beal Renewable Energy Specialist - UK Trade & Investment

James Beal was appointed as an advisor to Government in May 2010. In fulfilling his role with UKTI he leads and supports on engagement with significant inward investors in the energy and infrastructure sector. James was Managing Director of Renewables East, a private independent not-for-profit company, from 2004-2012. Under his leadership Renewables East delivered a series of high profile public funded projects having raised and invested in excess of £30m. James has also advised and supported Fisher German LLP. Recently Fisher German was appointed to act as the Energy Advisors for all of the 86,000 National Farmers Union members. James was the founding director of the £4m EU funded Low Carbon Development Initiative Community Interest Company, which is currently developing a portfolio of over £30m of low carbon assets, mainly combined heat and power. He is also a director of a new venture Renewable Enterprise Ltd.



Brian Britton Managing Director - Oriel Windfarm

Oriel Windfarm Limited was founded in 2005 as a sustainable and renewable energy company established to develop and operate projects in Ireland and its territorial waters. As Managing Director of Oriel Windfarm, Brian Britton has been to the forefront in developing the offshore wind energy sector in Ireland. Brian has managed the project from inception, including raising investment capital and the regulatory approval process. He is a founder and secretary of the National Offshore Wind Energy Association of Ireland and sits on the board of the British Irish Chamber. Brian is Chairman of Britton Consultants Limited, the Dundalk-based private equity consultancy. Brian is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and a former Finance Director of Goodman International Limited.

Nicola Byrne CEO - 11890 Directory Enquiries

Nicola Byrne is CEO and founder of 11890. Nicola established 11890 in 2006, the third entrant into the directory enquiries market. 11890 had an immediate impact, capturing a 20% market share providing consumers with a more cost effective alternative. She is a board member of the Ireland US Council, Fingal City Enterprise Board evaluation committee, and the British Irish Chamber of Commerce. She was Chairperson of the Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards 2012 and an Ambassador in Europe for Female Entrepreneurship. Nicola is a graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

RT. HON. Vince Cable, MP Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills

Dr. Cable was appointed Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2010. He studied Natural Science and Economics at Cambridge University, where he was President of the Cambridge Union, followed by a PhD at Glasgow University. He then went on to work as Treasury Finance Officer for the Kenya Government between 1966 and 1968. After lecturing at Glasgow University in economics he worked as a first Secretary in the Diplomatic Service in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1974-1976). He was then Deputy Director of the Overseas Development Institute. From 1983 to 1990 Dr. Cable worked as Special Advisor on Economic Affairs for the Commonwealth Secretary General, Sir Sonny Ramphal. From 1990 he worked for Shell International and in 1995 became Shell’s Chief Economist. He served as a Labour Councillor in Glasgow between 1971 and 1974, before joining the Social Democrat Party. He was elected to Parliament in 1997 and joined the Liberal Democrat Shadow Cabinet in October 1999 as Spokesman on Trade and Industry. He was the Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor from November 2003 until May 2010 and was Deputy Leader of the party until May 2010.



Michael Carey Chairman - Jacob Fruitfield Food Group | Chairman - Bord Bia

Jacob Fruitfield is one of Ireland’s leading food exporters, with products sold in over 45 countries worldwide. Prior to acquiring these businesses, Michael worked in a number of multinational food companies in Ireland and the UK. He has held the Managing Director role at Kellogg’s, Fox’s Biscuits, and Evian/Volvic; and Marketing Director at Cantrell & Cochrane and Jacob’s in Ireland. He graduated with a B.Comm. and MBS from UCD and is a fellow of the Marketing Institute of Ireland. He is also Chairman of Bord Bia, a Non-Executive Director of Traidlinks (an NGO working in Sub Saharan Africa), Chairman of the Soul of Haiti Foundation and Chairman of the Board of the Marketing Institute of Ireland. He won the Bord Bia Food Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004, Ernst & Young Industry Entrepreneur of the Year 2005, and the Smurfit Graduate Business School Alumnus of the Year in 2010.

Lucinda Creighton, TD Minister of State for European Affairs

Minister Creighton attended Trinity College, Dublin where she graduated with an LL.B in 2002. In 2003 she qualified as an Attorney of Law for the State of New York. She completed her training as a barrister in Ireland in 2007. She was elected to Dublin City Council in 2004 to represent the Pembroke local electoral area and served until 2007. In 2007 she was elected to Dáil Éireann. Lucinda was Fine Gael party Deputy Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for European Affairs from 2007–10. She then served as party Deputy Spokesperson on Justice with special responsibility for Immigration, Integration and Equality before being appointed Minister of State for European Affairs in March 2011. In October 2012 she was elected Vice President of the European People’s Party.

Jimmy Deenihan, TD Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Having been appointed to the Seanad by Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald in 1983 Minister Deenihan was elected to the Dáil in 1987. He was Fine Gael spokesperson on Youth and Sports (1988-1993) and Tourism and Trade (1992-1994) during successive Fianna Fáil governments. When Fine Gael entered government in 1994 he was appointed Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. He became party spokesperson for the OPW in opposition in 1997. Between 2002 and 2011 he served terms as party spokesperson for Arts, Sports and Tourism and spokesperson for Defence. He was appointed Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Fine Gael/Labour government in 2011. Prior to entering politics, Deenihan won All-Ireland Gaelic Football medals with Kerry in 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, the year he captained the team. He won an All-Star in 1981.



Paul Finnerty CEO - ABP Food Group

Paul Finnerty is Chief Executive with ABP Food Group, one of Ireland’s largest private companies and an employer of 8,000 people in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe. ABP consists of five separate divisions: ABP Beef, ABP Protein, ABP Convenience Foods, ABP Pet Foods, and ABP Renewables. ABP Ireland, based in Ardee, Co. Louth, is Europe’s leading beef exporter, specialising in beef processing, de-boning and retail packing. Paul has been with ABP for 7 years, and before that worked with KPMG Corporate Finance. Paul is married to Patricia and they live in Dublin with their three children, James, Conor and Lucy.

Arlene Foster, MLA Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Arlene Foster is MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone. She was first elected in November 2003, re-elected in March 2007 and again in May 2011. Arlene Foster MLA was appointed to her second term as Minister of Enterprise, Trade and Investment on 16 May 2011, having previously held the portfolio from 10 June 2008 until 5 May 2011. Prior to that she held the position of Minister of the Environment from 8 May 2007 to 10 June 2008. By profession she is a lawyer and was in private practice as a Solicitor from 1996 until she became a Minister. She was a member of the NI Policing Board from April 2006 – May 2007. Mrs Foster was awarded the Parliamentarian / Assembly Member of the Year, at the Women in Public Life Awards, in London in February 2008. Mrs Foster is married with 3 young children.

Susan Hayes The Positive Economist

Susan Hayes is Managing Director of Hayes Culleton and co-author of the recently published “Positive Economics”, a Leaving Certificate Economics textbook. She has just published her next book, “The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom,” with Penguin Ireland. Hayes Culleton Ltd. is an international financial training company that specialises in eLearning development and delivery. Susan introduced the company to the international markets in 2011 and was nominated for the Enterprise Europe Network Rising Star Awards that year. In 2008, she wrote a digitised module called “Introducing Wall Street to the Classroom” to make the stock market approachable and accessible for second level students. Susan regularly contributes to the national and international media including The Sunday Times (Malta), Irish Post (UK), RTE, Newstalk and Today FM (Ireland), as “The Positive Economist” on matters relating to economics, the stock market and entrepreneurship.



Ron Immink Co-Founder - Small Business Can

Ron Immink is an author, CEO of Bookbuzz, co-founder of Small Business Can and self-styled business book geek & ‘entreprenerd’. Both Bookbuzz and Small Business Can combine social media, narrative, story telling, dialogue learning, collective wisdom, peer-to-peer and social learning with achieving business success. Small Business Can allows businesspeople to talk with thousands of other small businesses and entrepreneurs, share insights, ask questions, tell war stories, pass on contacts and find new ways to promote business. Ron is also entrepreneur in residence of the Innovation Academy in UCD, business development expert for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), is board advisor to a number of exciting start-ups, a fellow of the Institute of Commercial Management (ICM) and is on the panel of experts in entrepreneurship for the OECD.

Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones, AM First Minister of Wales

As Welsh First Minister the Rt. Hon. Carwyn Jones has responsibility for appointing ministers; leading policy development and delivery; managing relationships with the rest of the UK and internationally; and representing the people of Wales on official business. Carwyn Jones became the third Welsh First Minister in December 2009 as leader of Welsh Labour, having previously been General Counsel for Wales. He graduated from Aberystwyth University with a LLB (Bachelor of Laws) degree in 1988 and went on to the Inns of Court School of Law in London, becoming a barrister. He was elected as a member of the National Assembly of Wales in 1999. He is married to Lisa and they have two children.

Philip King Musician, Film-maker and Broadcaster

Philip King has been closely involved in the arts in Ireland for over 20 years. His roles have included that of film producer/director, music producer, musician, songwriter and radio broadcaster. He is a founding member of Irish folk rock band Scullion. His company Hummingbird was established in 1987. The landmark television series Bringing it all Back Home won a National Primetime Emmy in 1991 and in 1993 his music documentary Rocky World, about Canadian musician Daniel Lanois, was nominated for a Grammy Award. King produced and directed Keeping Time, a film celebrating the poet Seamus Heaney and piper Liam O’Flynn for BBC television in 1998. He is the series editor of Other Voices, RTÉ’s flagship music television show and series editor of traditional music series The Full Set. He has recorded seven albums to date and produced films such as the IFTA award-winning John McGahern - A Life and Thomas Moore - One Faithful Harp for RTÉ.



Andy Kinsella CEO Offshore - Mainstream Renewable Power

Mainstream Renewable Power is a privately held renewable energy development company founded in 2008. Andy has over 24 years of experience in the global electricity sector in senior management positions. His previous roles include being a member of ESB Power Generation’s Senior Management Team and an Executive Director of ESB International where he had operational responsibility for ESBI’s global Engineering & Facility Management businesses. Andy was also a member of the Management Board of Siemens Ireland. Prior to this he spent five years with GE, based in Schenectady, New York, as a Project Director delivering large scale capital projects internationally in North America, the Middle East and Asia. Andy is a graduate of University College Dublin (B.Eng. Electrical, Hons.), Trinity College Dublin (Dip. PM, Distinction) and Harvard Business School (Advanced Management Programme).

Senator Fiach MacConghail Director - Abbey Theatre

Fiach MacConghail was the Artistic Director at the Project Arts Centre from 1992 to 1999. He was the Director of Ireland’s participation at the Expo 2000 world fair and acted as Cultural Programme Commissioner during the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 2004. He established the production company Brother Films with his brother Cuan in 1996. Fiach was a special adviser to John O’Donoghue, Minister for Arts Sports and Tourism, from 2002 to 2005 before being appointed Director of the Abbey, Ireland’s National Theatre. He was nominted to the Seanad by the Taoiseach in 2011 where he sits as an Independent. He is the chairman of We the Citizens, an initiative that aims to encourage the participation of the public in political affairs. He studied Economics and Politics at Trinity College, Dublin.

Hugo MacNeill Chairman - The Ireland Funds; Managing Director Ireland - Goldman Sachs

Hugo MacNeill joined Goldman Sachs in 1988 and became an executive director in Fixed Income and Equities before assuming his current role in 2001. He was named managing director in 2004. Prior to joining the firm, Hugo worked at the Boston Consulting Group in London. He is chairman of GOAL UK and the Ireland Funds, and a council member of the British Irish Association. He is a member of the European Alumni Advisory Board for the Boston Consulting Group and is a director of various GSAM funds which are listed in Ireland. Hugo earned a degree in Economics and a diploma in Anglo Irish Literature from Trinity College, Dublin, and studied Economics at Oxford University. He earned 37 caps for the Irish international rugby team and toured New Zealand with the British and Irish Lions in 1983.



John McGrane Head of Product and Service Sales - Ulster Bank Corporate Banking

John McGrane joined Ulster Bank in 1974 and his career has ranged widely across the bank’s Retail, Corporate and Risk divisions, in both frontline and strategic roles. As Head of Product and Service Sales he is responsible for delivering Ulster Bank’s full global service proposition to the SME and Corporate sectors and for the roll-out of key new initiatives. John is a Commerce graduate of University College Dublin, a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland and a Fellow of the Sales Institute. John is Deputy Vice President of Dublin Chamber of Commerce and a Director of The British Irish Chamber of Commerce, where he chairs its Culture, Arts, Sports and Tourism subcommittee. He is also a director of Dublin City Enterprise Board, the charity Music Network and The National Concert Hall.

Stuart McLaughlin Chief Executive - Business to Arts

Stuart McLaughlin has been Chief Executive of Business to Arts since 2007. He was previously Business Development Director with Accenture, Head of Outsourcing with CapGemini, and Commercial Manager for Fujitsu. Stuart mentors arts managers for Business to Arts, lectures part-time for Trinity College (leading the module ‘Managing the Supplier Environment’ for the MSc Management of Information Systems), and has co-authored degree courses for Oscail, the National Distance Education Centre of Ireland, based at DCU. Stuart is Chair of the Lewis Glucksman Gallery at UCC and, in 2009, was named ‘Fundraiser of the Year’ by Fundraising Ireland.

David McWilliams Convenor

David Mc Williams is an economist, broadcaster and bestselling author. Most recently he has brought economics to the national theatre with his one-man-show “Outsiders” – a unique partnership with the Abbey Theatre. McWilliams also writes two weekly economics columns in the Sunday Business Post and the Irish Independent. His first book, The Pope’s Children, was the best selling Irish non-fiction book in 2006, spending 52 consecutive weeks in the top five of the bestsellers. Between 2000 and 2006 David hosted the current affairs show “Agenda” on TV3, “The Breakfast Show” on Newstalk 106 and the topical chat show “The Big Bite” on RTE1. He was educated at Trinity College Dublin and the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium. Before moving into writing and broadcasting he spent ten years in banking, first as an economist with the Irish Central Bank, then with the investment banks UBS and BNP.



Dr. Brian Motherway CEO - SEAI

The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland was established as Ireland’s national energy authority under the Sustainable Energy Act 2002. SEAI’s mission is to play a leading role in transforming Ireland into a society based on sustainable energy structures, technologies and practices. Brian was appointed CEO in May 2012 having previously been Chief Operations Officer and Head of Strategy with overall responsibility for SEAI operations, performance and impacts, strategic planning, and its work in clean technology and enterprise. He holds a Bachelor and Masters degree in Engineering and a PhD in Sociology. He joined the SEAI in 2006 having previously been a consultant on energy and the environment. Brian takes a particular interest in promoting the opportunities for Ireland to become a leading centre of innovation in clean technology, building an enterprise sector with a global focus.

Fergal Naughton Deputy Chief Executive and Operations - Glen Dimplex; President - British Irish Chamber

Fergal Naughton became the British Irish Chamber’s first President when the Chamber was founded in May 2011. He is also Deputy Chief Executive and Operations of Glen Dimplex. Founded in 1973, Glen Dimplex is the world’s largest manufacturer of electrical heating and also holds significant global market positions in domestic appliances, cooling, ventilation, and renewable energy solutions. In recent years the company has acquired related brands such as Morphy Richards and Belling and currently employs almost 10,000 people. Fergal graduated with an engineering degree from Trinity College, Dublin; an MSc in Engineering from Stanford; and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Eddie O’Connor CEO - Mainstream Renewable Power

Eddie O’Connor founded Mainstream Renewable Power, a privately held renewable energy development company, in 2008. Eddie founded Airtricity Holdings Ltd in 1997 and was its Chief Executive until selling the company in 2008. He holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Masters in Industrial Engineering and has a doctorate in Business Administration from the International Management Centres, Europe. He previously worked for ESB and was CEO of Bord na Móna. He has received honorary doctorates from UCD and DCU. In 2003, he was named World Energy Policy Leader by Scientific American magazine. In September 2009, he was presented with the first ever Leadership award at the annual Ernst & Young Global Renewable Energy Awards. Last year, Eddie was also named by oilprice.com as one of the five most influential figures in the US clean energy sector. He is Secretary of the European Wind Energy Association and President of the Friends of the Supergrid.





Tim O’Connor Chairman - The Gathering

Before taking up his role as Chairman of ‘The Gathering’, Tim worked in the Irish Public Service from 1972 to early 2010, most recently as Secretary General to the President. His career also included almost 30 years in the Irish Diplomatic Service, in the Department of Foreign Affairs. A large portion of his career there was spent working on the Northern Ireland Peace Process. He was part of the Irish Government Negotiating Team for the Good Friday Agreement, was involved in the negotiations leading to the establishment of the new North/South structures arising from the Agreement, and subsequently spent almost six years in Armagh as the inaugural Joint Secretary of the North/South Ministerial Council. O’Connor holds a BA and HDip (Ed) from NUI Maynooth and honorary doctorates from NUI Maynooth, Quinnipiac University, and the University of Ulster.

Sean O’Driscoll Chairman and CEO - Glen Dimplex

Founded in 1973, Glen Dimplex is the world’s largest manufacturer of electrical heating and also holds significant global market positions in domestic appliances, cooling, ventilation, and renewable energy solutions. Sean O’Driscoll joined Glen Dimplex as Group Finance Director in 1990, was appointed Deputy Chief Executive in 1994, Group Chief Executive in 1998 and Chairman in 2011. Prior to joining Glen Dimplex he was a partner in KPMG. Sean is a member of the President’s Consultative Board of University College Cork. He is a former member of the Government appointed Enterprise Advisory Oversight Group and of the Ireland Asia High Level Strategy Group. A graduate of University College Cork and a chartered accountant, in 2006 he was awarded an Honorary OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to British Industry.

Pat O’Doherty CEO - ESB

ESB is Ireland’s state-owned electricity company. It has a number of subsidiary companies including ESB Networks Ltd., Electric Ireland, ESB International and ESB Telecoms. It currently supports the development of advanced smart network systems to facilitate sustainability targets and economic growth and is implementing the charging infrastructure for electric cars across Ireland, and developing the Information technology and communications systems to support the introduction of electric transport nationwide. Pat O’Doherty joined ESB in 1981 and has worked throughout the business in senior management roles. Before being appointed Chief Executive in October 2011 he was Executive Director, ESB Energy International and has also previously held the positions of Executive Director, ESB Networks; Executive Director, ESB Power Generation; and General Manager, Synergen. Pat is a native of Dublin and is married with two children.



Pat Rabbitte, TD Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources

Deputy Rabbitte, a native of Mayo, studied at University College, Galway where he served as President of the Students’ Union. He was President of the Union of Students in Ireland from 1972-74 before joining the ITGWU, becoming its National Secretary in 1980. He was elected to Dublin County Council in 1985 and in 1989 was elected as a TD in the Dublin South-West constituency. During the Rainbow Coalition Rabbitte served as Minister of State to the Government 1994-1997 and Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment with responsibility for Commerce, Science and Technology. He succeeded Ruairi Quinn as leader of the Labour Party in 2002, serving until 2007. He was elected to the Dáil Public Accounts Committee in 2010. He was appointed Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in March 2011 after Fine Gael and Labour formed a government.

David Redfern Chief Strategy Officer - GlaxoSmithKline

David Redfern was appointed Chief Strategy Officer of GSK in May 2008 and is responsible for corporate development, strategic planning and also leadership of the dermatology business. He is a member of the Corporate Executive Team and reports to the CEO. Previously, he was responsible for GSK’s business in Northern Europe, including Ireland, from 2005-2008 and Central and Eastern Europe from 2002-2005. He joined Glaxo in 1994 in finance and progressed through a series of finance roles before becoming Finance Director of the European business in 1999. In addition to his current role, he was appointed Chairman of the Board of ViiV Healthcare Ltd. in April 2011. ViiV focuses specifically on the development and commercialisation of medicines to treat HIV and has global sales of £1.5bn. David has a Bachelor of Science degree from Bristol University in the UK and is a Chartered Accountant.

Pete Smyth Chief Executive - Broadlake Capital

Pete Smyth commenced his career in Private Equity working with Allen McGuire, a leading Irish Investment Firm which focused on SME investments in Ireland and the UK. Pete moved from Allen McGuire to Lehman Brothers Europe in 2001 where he worked in their Investment Banking division. In 2003 Pete joined one of Ireland’s largest Support Services organisations, Noonan Services Group as CEO. Pete managed the Group through a period of significant organic growth and strategic acquisitive expansion in the proceeding 5 years. In September 2008 Pete managed the successful sale of the Group to a UK Private Equity company. Pete holds a BA in Pure Economics from University College Dublin and a Masters in International Business from the UCD Graduate School of Business.

Ken Spratt Assistant Secretary General - Dept. Of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources

Ken Spratt leads DCENR’s Energy function. Appointed Assistant Secretary General in September 2012, he is Ireland’s Director General for EU energy matters and a member of the Governing Board of the International Energy Agency. A Civil Servant since 1986, he has served in five government departments, including Social Protection, Environment, Finance, Communications, and as a Diplomat in Washington DC. He has broad experience in public service delivery, business process improvement, HR and industrial relations, public policy development, and international relations. He holds several third level and professional qualifications and memberships, including an MSc in Innovation Management and Leadership. He lives in Dublin with his wife and their three young sons.



Nicola Sturgeon, MSP Deputy First Minister of Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon joined the Scottish National Party at the age of 16 and has been campaigning for Scottish independence ever since. Before entering politics Nicola worked as a solicitor at Drumchapel Law Centre. She was elected as an MSP representing the city of Glasgow in 1999 and was re-elected in 2003. She served as the SNP’s spokesperson on justice and later on education and health. She was elected Deputy Leader of the SNP in 2004 on a ticket with Alex Salmond. She was elected with 54 per cent of the vote in the Scottish general election on May 5 2011. Nicola Sturgeon is Deputy First Minister (Government Strategy and the Constitution) and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities. Previously she was Cabinet Secretary for Health & Wellbeing.

Alan Sullivan Managing Director - Meditec Medical

Alan Sullivan was educated at Bolton Street College, Dublin where he gained a Degree in Engineering. A former Lecturer in Engineering at DIT, he then went on to become a Production Manager with Franklin Pharmaceuticals. With over 12 years’ experience working within the Medical sector, Alan is a leading entrepreneur with numerous product designs and patents to his name. His many successes include a flossing device that is now sold worldwide by J&J. Alan is also the co-founder of Pressure Area Care specialists Meditec Medical. Created in 1999, in partnership with his brother Michael, Meditec Medical pride themselves in the design and manufacture of extremely high quality medical devices. Alan and his brother successfully expanded Meditec Medical operations to the UK in 2008 where clients now include the NHS, numerous Local Authorities and prestigious private institutions such as the Royal Edward VII Hospital in London.



Eoin Tonge CSO - Greencore

Greencore is a leading international producer of convenience foods with manufacturing facilities in the UK and US. They provide a wide range of chilled, frozen and ambient foods to major retail, manufacturing and foodservice customers in the UK and Ireland, as well as many in Continental Europe, the US and beyond. They have 23 convenience foods manufacturing sites in the UK and US and employ in the region of 11,000 people. They also operate a UK nationwide chilled van distribution fleet to service individual outlets. Eoin is Chief Strategy Officer with responsibility for Group Strategy, Mergers & Acquisitions, Corporate Affairs and Communications. Eoin is also responsible for Greencore’s Ministry of Cake foodservice business in the UK. Eoin joined Greencore in 2006 having previously worked within the financial services sector for 12 years in many locations around the world. Eoin is a board member of the British Irish Chamber of Commerce and is Chair of the Chamber’s Food and Agribusiness Subcommittee.

Declan Troy Assistant Director of Research - Teagasc

Declan Troy is the Assistant Director of Research, Teagasc, the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority with special responsibility for science based knowledge transfer to the food sector. He is a Chartered Chemist of the Royal Society of Chemistry and completed his post graduate studies at University College Dublin in 1986. He later became Head of the Meat Science Department in the National Food Centre, Dublin. He currently coordinates ProSafeBeef, a €20 million project with 41 transnational partners aimed at advancing beef safety and quality through research and innovation. He also coordinates two EU Framework Marie Curie Training Sites for early stage career meat science PhD students in meat biochemistry and functional meat products. He is the Director of the Marine Functional Food Research Initiative (NutraMara). Declan also holds the post of Vice President of the Institute of Food Science and Technology in Ireland and is Chairman of the IUFoST 2014 Scientific Committee.

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We are proud to sponsor the British Irish Chamber’s Annual Conference 2013. AIB operates at the heart of British Irish Trade, and we have the experience and capability on the ground across Ireland and Britain to support new and existing British Irish businesses. Why not talk to us about how we can help you?

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annual conference programme

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agribusiness chairman

energy sector chairman

breakout sessions chairman

td minister

success stories chairman

minister of state

arts tim oconnor chairman

john mcgrane energy