Frank Gleeson welcomed as new Ibec President

Dear member,

I am delighted to announce that Frank Gleeson, President and CEO of Aramark Northern Europe, has been elected as the President of Ibec for 2021 to 2022. 

Aramark is one of the largest integrated providers of food services, facilities management, retail operations, and property services in the region. In his current role, Frank serves as a member of the Executive Leadership Council of Aramark Corporation. He is responsible for operations that span Ireland, the UK, and a Global Offshore business in the North Sea, Middle East, and Mexican Gulf – encompassing a workforce in excess of 15,000 people at any one time.  

A graduate of the Irish Management Institute, Frank has been a board member of Ibec since 2016, and earlier this year was re-appointed to Government’s Labour Market Advisory Council, chairing its employers’ sub-group. He is a former Chairman of Retail Ireland; a former board member of the National Transport Authority, and was elected Chairman of NACS, the international trade association of convenience stores.  

It is a real privilege to have someone with such impressive credentials in the position of Ibec President. Frank’s experience and insights will play a crucial role in supporting Ibec’s work as the leading voice of Irish business, both domestically and on an international platform and we look forward to working with him over the next year. You can read Frank's keynote from the event in the document attached.

I wish to extend my thanks to outgoing Ibec President, Alastair Blair, Country Managing Director for Accenture in Ireland, for his tireless work and dedication to Irish business over the past 12 months. Also, congratulations to Imelda Hurley, CEO of Coillte, who has become Deputy President.

It is a testament to the efficacy of our national health response to Covid in recent months, that we were able to mark the handover of the Ibec Presidency with an in-person event yesterday evening. An Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar delivered the keynote address to approximately 90 business leaders in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin. Although at reduced capacity, we hope this signals an important first step for in-person events to take place over the coming weeks and months ahead for businesses across Ireland. 

In his keynote, the Tánaiste commended Ibec’s relentless focus on retaining the economy’s competitiveness. His speech can be found attached.

Please get in touch if you have any comments, it is always good to hear from you. 

Regards, 

Danny McCoy
CEO, Ibec