9:30 Registration and networking
Light breakfast with tea and coffee
10:00 Welcome and introduction
- Danny McCoy, CEO, Ibec
- Angela McGowan, Director, CBI Northern Ireland
- Dr Theresa Donaldson, Chair, Belfast Harbour Commissioners
10:15 Keynote address: Resetting UK-Ireland relations for business
- Kara Owen CMG CVO, British Ambassador to Ireland
Q&A on the wider geopolitical and economic landscape influencing the island’s future with Danny McCoy
11:00 Panel discussion: All-Island Resilience
Moderated by Angela McGowan, Director, CBI Northern Ireland
- Regulatory divergence: Martin Robinson, Director of Strategy, InterTradeIreland
- Opportunities in public transport: Mark McGuigan, Head of Major Projects, Translink
- Energy resilience: Marguerite Sayers, Deputy Chief Executive, ESB
- Food security: Tim Gault, Commercial Director, Kinisla
- Resilience of supply chains: Joe O’Neill, CEO, Belfast Harbour
11:45 Coffee Break
12:15 All-Island Labour Discussion
Opening statement: All-Island labour market sentiment and emerging report
- Barney Ely, Senior Managing Director Ireland and Northern Ireland, Hays
All-Island Workforce Report: Tomorrow’s Talent by Ibec, CBI, Hays launching September 2026
Panel discussion: All-Island labour market
Moderated by Fergal O’Brien, Executive Director, Policy, Lobbying and Global Affairs, Ibec
- All-island skills: Kathleen O’Hare, Chair of the Northern Ireland Skills Council
- Employment conditions across the island: Barney Ely, Senior Managing Director Ireland and Northern Ireland, Hays
- Labour mobility: Annmarie O’Kane, Assistant Director, Centre for Cross-Border Cooperation
12:45 Progressing business priorities through the Ibec/CBI Joint Business Council
- Michael D’Arcy, Programme Lead, Ibec/CBI Joint Business Council
12:50 Political address: Strengthening All-Island economic resilience
- Dr Caoimhe Archibald MLA, Minister for the Economy
13:00 Light lunch and networking
14:00 Conference formally closes