Mid-West Has Ability to Become An Urban Engine of Global Growth
29 January 2015: John Moran, former Secretary General of Department of Finance and current director of the EIB and Limerick’s Economic Forum delivered a thought provoking opening address at Ireland’s Business Strategy Conference in Limerick yesterday.
During his address to over 200 delegates he noted that the mid-west is going through a mini-renaissance where Limerick is poised to become Ireland’s second urban global economic centre if the right policies are put in place.
He also cautioned election candidates to exercise caution in their pre-election promises on what can be achieved highlighting that Ireland has considerable infrastructural deficits that need additional capital expenditure.
Organised by Limerick Chamber, the aim of business and economic conference was to identify the policies and future opportunities to maximise Ireland’s business growth potential – both nationally and regionally.
Carl Tannenbaum, Chief Economist of Northern Trust and former Vice President of Federal Reserve provided the keynote address ‘Searching for the New Normal: Europe’s Attempts to Sustain Economic Growth and Cooperation’ during which he focused on the blessings and curses of Ireland’s open economy and noted that Ireland has an added competitive advantage globally due to its young population and emigration policies. Professor John McHale of the Irish Fiscal Advisory Board highlighted institutional and policy changes to avoid financial instability and the importance of domestic ownership of our fiscal framework.
Later in the day successful entrepreneurs like Hugh O’Donnell, Chairman of MACX3 Investments, Gary Hughes of Teckro (formerly Firecrest Clinical), Kieran Harte, Uber, Fergus Frawley of Kirby Engineering and Birgitta Hedin-Curtin of Burren Smokehouse shared their experiences of growing a local business to international success.
The importance of realising Balanced Regional Development and the reasons why organisations must be prepared to lead or adapt to change were also discussed.
Dr James Ring, Limerick Chamber CEO, noted, “We were delighted to bring some of the top experts in business and economics together in one of the most creative cities for business in Ireland. The themes of the conference are very much focused on how Ireland and businesses can manage valuable assets to fuel business growth. Delegates have left the conference with actionable insights and knowledge that can help them seize the opportunities to maximise their company or indeed Ireland’s growth potential.”
Copy of speeches and presentations delivered at the conference:
Opening Address – John Moran, Director of EIB, Limerick Economic Forum
Sources of Future Growth – – Prof John McHale, Irish Fiscal Advisory Board & NUIG – – Shane Nolan, IDA Ireland
Business Without Boundaries – Dr Hugh O’Donnell
Keynote Address – Carl Tannenbaum
Balanced Regional Development – Prof Des McCafferty, Mary I / UL
Leading & Adapting to Change – Kieran Harte
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