Ibec Engineering Network CEO Quarterly Forum
Engineering in Ireland is a strong vibrant sector and a significant contributor to Irish Exports. The engineered products and sub supply sector is growing with exports of €8.8 billion (2019) worth of product annually across 1,200 companies employing 48,596 people. Our Ibec engineering network companies serve a broad range of markets, including automotive, aerospace; ICT; biomedical, energy and environmental; construction and agriculture markets (eg machinery and equipment) and sub supply also including paper and printing as well as basic and fabricated metals. Our vision is for Ireland to be a thriving, dynamic engineering hub, where multinationals and homegrown companies collaborate strategically to access world class research centres and business supports to help companies innovate, prosper, and drive economic growth.
This first quarterly CEO forum for 2021 will provide an economic outlook for the year ahead while under the revised living with Covid plan. We will present some of the business challenges with NI Trade and Co-operation agreement and solutions being worked through with government and the European Commission. This will be followed by a review of the European Digital policy landscape and finally, we will discuss how these issues impact business through an indigenous company case study.
Agenda
11:00am Welcome and Introduction, Pauline O Flanagan, Head of Ibec Engineering Network
11:10am Quarterly Economic Update, Ger Brady, Ibec Chief Economist
11:25am Living with Brexit, Dr Pat Ivory, Director of EU and International Affairs, Ibec
11:40am Update on Digital Policy, Erik O’Donovan, Head of Digital Economic Policy, Ibec
11:55am Case Study: Challenges for an indigenous business, Dolores Kiernan, Managing Director, Kiernan Structural Steel
12:10pm Q&A
12:30pm Closing remarks, Pauline O Flanagan, Head of Ibec Engineering Network